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Theosophical Order of Service — Newsletter

6 mei 2012

We ontvingen de e-nieuwsbrief van de Theosophical Order of Service, genaamd in-touch.online  van mei 2012 Hieruit hebben we een aantal artikelen geselecteerd. 

Als u deze nieuwsbrief automatisch zou willen ontvangen, doe dan het volgende:   To sign up, you only have to send a message telling us which country you live in to with ‘Subscribe TOS e-newsletter’ in the subject line.

De inhoud van enige artikelen in het laatste nummer volgt hierna.  

Invitation and programme outline for the International TOS Conference in 2013

We are happy to remind you that the TS and TOS in America have kindly agreed to host a three-day international TOS Workers’ Conference from the evening of Tuesday 23 July to Friday 26 July, 2013 at Olcott, its national centre in Wheaton, Illinois. A five-day Summer National Gathering of the TS in America will take place immediately preceding the Conference, from 19 July to 23 July. All are invited to attend this event as well.

For more information and a registration form, please contact our International Secretary, Diana, at .

Personal memories of Rukmini Devi

In our last issue of the newsletter we featured Rukmini Devi as our ‘Inspirational person’. The article prompted long-time member of the TOS and TS in America, Miles Standish, to write and share his memory of Rukmini.

Miles writes, “I can’t help wanting to share my own memories of this truly inspiring Theosophist.

“I first met Rukmini at the HQ of the TS in the USA in 1947. It was my first visit to ‘Olcott’. I drove there from Florida on an Indian Chief motorcycle. John and Betsan Coats were there too. (John Coats was the 4th International President of the TS. –Ed.) Betsan put on an ‘India Night’ down in the basement cafeteria, with hand-painted designs on the floor. Rukmini danced! It was magical…”  Read more

Thank you, Miles!

 Inspirational people – Barbro Melander

To Theosophists, Barbro was chiefly a dynamic force in the Swedish Theosophical Society and a well-loved chairperson of the European Federation of the TS. Within her homeland, however, she was widely known as a front line social activist, a role in which she remained vigorous until close to her death in 2000 at the age of 84.

At her memorial service, close TS associates Curt Berg and Ing-Britt Wiklund said:

“Barbro was a bundle of energy and she was active to the very end. Her energy was catching. Many of us received phone calls from her starting, ‘Hello, it’s Barbro here. Can you imagine…?’ ending with, ‘What do we do?’ not ‘Shall we do something?’ That was how she was, our Barbro – she not only ascertained that something was wrong, she did something to change it.”

As founding member, general secretary and then chairperson of the South Sweden Environmental Action Group (Aktiv Skåne-Miljö), Barbro appeared on television in Scandinavia, France, Germany and England. She received several awards for her action in defence of the environment, including the environment prize for the city of Malmö in 1992.

Theosophy was a major influence in her work as an environmental activist as can be seen in her interview with the TOS. She believed that: “To be able to be of some use in social and environmental work, one has to know oneself and one’s limits, and one must be able to love co-workers – and understand one’s antagonists. All this is perhaps an expression of the deeper understanding of life and of the task of transformation that Theosophy gives us.”

Barbro had been a member of the Theosophical Society for 63 years when she passed away from liver cancer in 2000. 

A theosophical perspective on schizophrenia and alcoholism

We draw your attention to a series of articles started jointly on two Theosophical websites,

International Theosophy Conferences (www.theosconf.org ) and

Theosophy Forward (http://www.theosophyforward.com/ ).

The articles look at thorny social problems in the light of theosophical teachings. They are intended to help us deal with some of the traumas with which we can be faced in the course of our lives.

The first two articles examine the issues of schizophrenia and alcoholism. You can find them through the linked words. The issues to be dealt with in the edition of Theosophy Forward appearing in late June will be suicide and marijuana addiction. Other subjects lined up include Alzheimer’s disease, abortion, physical disability and the effects of psychic practices. Authors Sally and James Colbert draw on their knowledge of Theosophy and their background in clinical psychology in their attempt to focus attention on issues relevant to all engaged in service.

We congratulate International Theosophy Conferences and Theosophy Forward on this initiative.

Baby lion hugs

This heart-warming video reminds us of how readily young animals connect with other species. To them, we are all One. Watch the video    ….  (YouTube)