Theos-Talk Archives (November 2009 Message tt00144)

Thanks for you feedback. It is amazing that a lot of very useful information
is available from the past where many people who were in the midst of
turmoil and problems have tried to figure out the inner workings and we can
benefit from it without rediscovering them.

I was very fortunate in running into the books by Joseph Ross who is a long
time member of TS and has resided in Krotona and had done a lot of first
hand research and had access to documents that have not seen the light of
the day. Till recently, his books cannot be easily ordered and now they are
available at the ebay.com store.

I have heard that there is some reluctance or even opposition from the
organizational leadership to his books (since they contain private letters
from leaders in the 20s) and that may be one of the reasons why they are not
available in theosophical book stores except at Krotona.

I have contacted Ross and suggested to him his books should be available as
ebooks since tech savvy younger generation world-wide are more likely to
reach for ebooks and they also tend to be cheaper.

I hope Bailey's comments spur all of us to discuss the issues we are facing
today.

MKR

On Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 2:53 PM, Duane Carpenter <
monad_monad_monad@yahoo.com> wrote:

>
>
> Nice research MKR777
> and very relevant statements by Foster Bailey on the Theosophical crises at
> hand.
> You have personal Theosophy; how one can grow as an individual spiritually:
> and you have the Theosophical movement which encompasses a much broader
> context. .It often takes an advanced disciple to see the difference between
> these two dynamics and be able to stand firm in the center of the storm that
> all organizations go through while holding simultaneously the greater good
> for the greatest number at heart.
> Every theosophical crises from its inception has given the student a new
> opportunity to realize that truth is found first and foremost within
> themselves and not within any organization and yet paradoxically the
> advanced disciple often support these organizations because they effect
> positively in spite of their many limitations thousands of others who may
> not have reached that point of direct inner contact with their Soul or the
> Master.
> Blessings Duane
> ________________________________
> From: MKR <mkr777@gmail.com <mkr777%40gmail.com>>
> To: theos-talk <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com <theos-talk%40yahoogroups.com>>;
> theos-l <theos-L@yahoogroups.com <theos-L%40yahoogroups.com>>
> Sent: Sun, November 15, 2009 2:23:43 PM
> Subject: Theos-World Some thoughts on current shakeup
>
>
>
> Witnessing the remarkable events starting with the nomination for the
> International President, a cleverly organized attempt to defeat the sitting
> President distributing unsubstantiated health issue, after the President
> was
> re-elected with world-wide membership support, the allegations of election
> procedural errors in the Indian Section and finally the most daring ultra
> secret attempt to disenfranchise all members world-wide and seize control
> of
> the President and finally the display of wide cleavage in the General
> Council meeting are crisis developments TS never seen since Coloumb affair
> which shook TS to its roots. Current disaster was averted due to Internet
> being available to keep members around the world fully informed without
> interference from the leaders.
>
> HPB had her share of problems from TS and she had mentioned that the
> troubles have always been from within. Even during Besantâs time, she had
> her share of troubles and again she had stated that they are from within
> and
> arising from the esoteric section members.
>
> In the light of the above, I was fortunate to find a very interesting piece
> of information in Joseph Rossâ recent book - The New Krotona from Hollywood
> to Ojai - Vol III. (The book can be ordered from ebay.com).
>
> Foster Bailey (husband of Alice Bailey) writing in The Beacon (1922) made
> some very interesting comments. I am quoting it below, since it might be of
> great interest to some here.
>
> +++
> Foster Bailey begins with a quotation from The Key to Theosophy:
>
> "Enq. But if you have such wise and good men to guide the Society, how is
> it
> that so many mistakes have been made?"
>
> "Theo. The Masters do NOT guide the Society, nor even the Founders; and no
> one has ever asserted that they did: they only watch over and protect it.
> This is amply proved by the fact that no mistakes have been able to cripple
> it, and no scandals from within, nor the most damaging attacks from
> without,
> have been able to overthrow it. The Masters look at the future, not at the
> present, and every mistake is so much more accumulated wisdom for the days
> to come. That other "Master" who sent the man with the five talents did not
> tell him how to double them, nor
> did he prevent the foolish servant from burying his one talent in the
> earth." H.PB.
>
> We all recognize the unity of life which lies behind that expression of
> Brotherhood to which every theosophist has subscribed. We cannot begin to
> live Brotherhood until we have recognized and felt "Group consciousness. "
> Co-operation is the beginning of Brotherhood, it is learning to work in
> group formation, it is the Keynote of the NewRace.
>
> It is possible to be a theosophist without being a member of a Theosophical
> Society, but under the Law of Brotherhood which works toward unity and
> group
> consciousness, once having joined this Brotherhood organization we have the
> opportunity to work with our brother members for the common cause; a cause,
> by the way, which is not the building of a great Society, or the
> establishing of a theosophical system of thought, as such, but the
> presenting of the Ageless Wisdom to our fellow men in whatever aspect and
> degree is most needed for the helping of the Race. To aid the group to help
> the world, that Is the true objective of the individual member.
>
> To refuse longer to work in group formation because we dislike certain
> prominent ones, or our immediate co-workers, or because we are disgusted
> with things as we find them with in the group, is failure. It means
> inability to discriminate between the essential and the less essential and
> must bring the hard karma of delay in the plan and of failure to use
> opportunity earned.
>
> The great mass of humanity works out its karma under the Law generally
> quite
> unaided by individual help. The Masters work primarily with groups and a
> discipleâs usefulness and progress is measured not alone by his prominence,
> brilliance or virtue but by his increasing ability to raise the rate of
> vibration of ever larger groups.
>
> The Disciple, however, because he has recognized the Law of Sacrifice and
> is
> pledged to Service, is given special aid and protection. This aid very
> largely takes the form of opportunity to balance his karma as he goes
> along,
> and to work off old karma as fast as is consistent with the work in hand.
> One of the main lessons of the Initiate is to learn to balance his own
> karma, for it is because the Master automatically and immediately balances
> his karma that he can work in the three worlds and yet remain free. Because
> the Disciple and the Initiate have elected consciously to submit to a
> forcing process in their own evolution in order that they may the better
> serve, they necessarily make more mistakes than those not subjected to so
> great a strain and the resulting karma would render them quite useless for
> long periods of time if the Master did not help them to adjust it at
> frequent intervals.
>
> As there is individual karma so also there is group karma and a wise
> comprehension of the present situation in the T.S. requires some
> understanding of this factor.
>
> The Theosophical Society is a group which has consciously chosen to accept
> this forcing process in order to be an instrument for the Masters in world
> service. It is therefore in somewhat the same relation to the group of
> Masters as the Disciple is to his own Guru and it may therefore expect the
> same increased number of mistakes, the same resulting karmic crises and the
> same kind of adjusting help. This help it receives for, "no mistakes have
> been able to cripple it and no scandals have been able to overthrow it."
>
> One thing which the Society does in a most peculiar and interesting and
> often in a most uncomfortable way, is to take an apparently indiscriminate
> lot of ordinary humanity and begin at once to make occultists of them. Very
> naturally this motley crowd, of which you and I are parts, makes quite a
> mess of it and gets all stirred up every once and a while and this very
> business of being-all stirred up saves its life. The usefulness of the
> theosophical group would, as in the case of the Disciple, be very quickly
> destroyed, if its karma were not apportioned in time, adjusted in intensity
> and arranged for the further teaching of those who participate therein.
> This
> is the protection given our Society. This the Masters do for us, using the
> mistakes of the leaders and members to create situations whereby the
> individuals may be stirred to that independent thought and action which
> produces the needed balancing and adjustment and liberates force and energy
> for larger constructive usefulness.
>
> This is what is going on at the present time within the Theosophical
> Society. The period of adjustment is the period during which the unit is
> forced to consider the condition and the welfare of his group. The period
> which follows of peace and growth and work is the period wherein the unit
> having made the necessary adjustment can work with renewed vigor and
> effectiveness through his group for the helping of his fellow men.
>
> If this is so we are getting ready for bigger and grander and more
> important
> times and effectiveness. It is often said that after each shaking the
> Society goes on with renewed life to better things. It has been so in the
> past; it will be so this time. This we can say for our comfort. The power
> of
> the period of peace and growth must be proportional to the intensity of the
> adjustment struggle; the effectiveness of the work of the days to come will
> match the effectiveness of the adjustment achieved. We could almost be
> eager
> to be shaken yet a little more if we could only get our eyes off of the
> ugliness of the immediate foreground on to the beauty of the possibilities
> on the horizon.
>
> Surely then, we will not get disgusted or tired or self-righteous, or allow
> ourselves to be shaken out of the Society either singly or in little group
> fragments, thus weakening the body of the whole and creating individual bad
> karma for ourselves. Better to remain where we are striving sincerely,
> dispassionately and disinterestedly to understand the lessons which the
> turmoil of the hour must inevitably hold for us and for our group.
>
> The fundamental purpose back of all the varying situations and incidents in
> the different Sections is the forcing of the members to think for
> themselves
> and to realize and take up the responsibilities which are their own. Let us
> therefore study the principles and the laws of right theosophical group
> activity and organization, realizing ourselves as conscious participants in
> the business of the whole, in order that we may wisely take advantage of
> the
> present period and pass on to that happier endeavor which is waiting for us
> on the threshold of tomorrow.
>
> +++
>
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>  
>


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