NATIONAL CAPITAL 2013 PROGRAM
Members’ Meeting: 11AM
Public Meeting: 12PM
January
January 5 What Is Theosophy? A long-time student of Theosophy, Gwendolyn Reece will present a summary of the Theosophical worldview and introduce the three fundamental propositions outlined by the founders of the Theosophical Society in 1875. Bring your questions.
January 12 Meditation, part II John Calvello will continue his presentation on meditation. Of all the components of living the ideal Theosophical life: study, service and meditation, the latter requires the least amount of time yet is the hardest for most of us. Why is this? John will discuss common impediments to regular meditation in our lives and help us discover ways to overcome them.
January 19 Our Brothers, the Animals The Ancient Wisdom teaches that each kingdom in nature is one great stage in the gradual awakening of consciousness. At each stage, the divine potential that lies at the heart of every living creature learns to express itself more fully in action on this earth. Julia Rogers will focus on the place of the animal and human kingdoms in this grand scheme.
January 26 Patricia Wudel – Mindfulness Practices Even “on the fault line between life and death” certain rituals and spiritual practices exist that can open us up to deeper love, compassion and the sacred in everyday life. Guest speaker Patty Wudel, Executive Director of Joseph’s House Hospice for the Homeless in DC, will present on the intentional spiritual practices observed at Joseph’s House that have helped restore a shared sense of meaning, hope and healing to staff and residents alike.
February
February 2 HPB and India Before establishing the Theosophical Society, Helena Blavatsky was one of the few women of her time to travel the farthest reaches of our globe. Her travels took her to India many times, where her comprehensive knowledge of its history and culture combined with an ability to explain the country’s more perplexing customs, made her the ideal travel writer. Join us for a visual trip through India illuminated by HPB’s pithy observations regarding its people, customs and spiritual practices that are as enlightening, entertaining and relevant today as when she first traveled to “Hindustan” in the 19th century.
February 9 Book Club “The Psychic Sense” Join us for a discussion of the theosophical classic “The Psychic Sense” by Phoebe and Laurence Bendit. This book describes the psychic faculty and explains how it operates. Phoebe Bendit was a trained psychotherapist who spent most of her career dealing with obscure problems of physical and psychological ill-health. She was also a clairvoyant and in collaboration with her husband Laurence Bedit, researched and wrote extensively on parapsychological studies.
February 16 The More Things Change…. the more they stay the same.” “Life is growth, and every growth is a mysterious union of permanence and change.” “The main cause of pain lies in our perpetually seeking the permanent in the impermanent.” We have lived the change from child to adult and many more—some sudden, some we many not have noticed yet. Has it been, need it be, painful? Join Julia Rogers in a discussion of change.
February 23 Emotional Freedom Technique Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a form of “meridian tapping,” in which you tap on several acupuncture points on your head and torso, while focusing your mind on an issue in need of resolution. EFT is a profound technique that incorporates the first and most vital step in healing: self-acceptance. It’s easy to learn and can be used anytime by anyone, even children. Join us for a presentation on this ground-breaking technique!
March
March 2 Lynn Koiner: Neptune in Pisces and a Shift in Consciousness for Humanity Neptune has now entered its ruling sign, Pisces. This shift has social and spiritual implications for the individual and humanity. Join us for a presentation by renowed astrologer Lynn Koiner on this important astrological development to learn about what it holds for each of us.
March 9 Pablo Sender: Meditation and the Higher Consciousness [Video]. ‘Simple meditation practices can potentially help us, both physically and psychologically, but can they help us to develop spiritually? Explore how meditation can help us to move beyond self-centered thinking to that of the transpersonal mind.
March 16 Walking the Path Toward Spiritual Growth and Self-Awareness Each day provides a unique opportunity for spiritual growth and self-awareness, but how often do we actually take advantage of that opportunity? Instead, we frequently bemoan the difficulties of life and the sorrows that are rampant in the world. As seekers on the path of Divine Wisdom, Dr. Barbara Hebert will focus on those aspects of daily life that can facilitate movement toward our goal. Dr. Hebert is the Director of the University Counseling Center at Southeastern Louisiana University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor and National Speaker for the Theosophical Society in America.
March 23 Bright-Eyed Athena This workshop by Gwendolyn Reece will discuss the Goddess of Wisdom and her relationship to the evolution of humanity.
March 30 The Easter Story The true resurrection, out of the tomb of worldliness and selfishness is the rising of the Christ in human nature into its fuller and richer expression. Julia Rogers will show that the Resurrection we celebrate at Easter is a perpetual process; the Divine Spirit is always rising within humanity.
April
April 6 Rita and the Difficulties of Spiritual Progress Rita is a Vedic conception that refers to the inexorable, indifferent and inevitable flow of events. The thought of surrender to the inevitable rita runs counter to such contemporary new age, new thought philosophy as “think and it will be so.” The swamis Abipadananda & Jyotir Vakyananda will discuss the paradoxical freedom that can be found in the concept of rita.
April 13 Planetary Chains and Rounds Evolution of consciousness is an ever continuing process comprised of long periods of manifestation and rest. During manifestation, the monads evolve through septenary cycles of chains, rounds and globes. This talk is an attempt to describe the long journey of the life impulse through the planetary chains and rounds.
April 20 The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith Mormonism – born and bred in America – is an important element in American history but is still surprisingly misunderstood. Julia Rogers will discuss the history of the Mormon faith and its connec-tion to the life of the nation as presented in a recently published book by Matthew Bowman.
April 27 Guidepost for Living: Light on the Path (video) Light on the Path is a small book that occupies a unique position in the Theosophical literature. It is a highly symbolic text that outlines the steps necessary for every individual in pursuit of spiritual growth – from the aspirant to the initiate. Robert Ellwood, a professor of world religions at the University of Southern California, discusses this theosophical treasure and shares his own perspective of the spiritual path.
May
May 4 Theosophical Introduction to the Kabbalah Kabbalah, usually described as the esoteric part of the Judaism, is a set of teachings trying to explain the relationship between an unchanging, eternal and mysterious (the Absolute) and the mortal and finite universe (the creation). John Calvello will present his easy introduction to the Kabbalah teachings from a theosophical view point.
May 11 The Theosophical Life in the Light of Karma and Reincarnation Reincarnation and karma are interesting concepts to study but what are their practical implications for our daily existence? Julia Roger suggests that if we try living by the ideas of karma and reincarna-tion, they can make life itself more interesting; and surprisingly easier in pleasant and subtle ways.
May 18 Kama – The Desire-Principle A number of different energy-powers influence us in living: instinct, intuition, the feeling-power of the body and its senses; and most humanly, the urge of the desire-principle. Tuncay Dantzler will describe this principle, named Kama in the Esoteric Philosophy; it is independent of the body, is not born of it, does not die with its death. It influences every new human form that comes to birth; it plays a major part in the drama of our lives, and after the death of the body it lives its own round of existence.
May 25 What Are We Chasing? We are all questing, seeking for something beyond the answers and meaning given to us in the dominant culture. It is an important thing to ask oneself, “What am I chasing?” One of the most powerful things we can do in our spiritual lives is to clarify and strengthen our aspirations. This roundtable will allow us the opportunity to articulate and share our aspirations.
October
October 5 Guest Speaker Ed Abdill Double-Header
Ed Abdill, author of “The Secret Gateway” and the upcoming “Masters of Wisdom — The Mahatmas, Their Letters, and The Path”, is Vice President of the Theosophical Society in America and past President of the New York Theosophical Society. He has lectured for the Society throughout the United States and internationally and currently teaches courses on Theosophy for the NYTS.
11 AM Dharma – the Lodestar of Life Why was I born in a particular place and to specific parents? I may say that karma placed me here, and that may be true. But what am I supposed to do with my life? Is there a destiny or purpose unique for me? The Indian and Theosophical concept of dharma can help answer those burning questions. Today, by invoking dharma we can begin the search for Self-discovery, Self-mastery, and Self-fulfillment.
12 PM Synchronicity – The Gateway to Opportunity Karma may place us in circumstances beyond our immediate control, but the Inner Self is ever driving us toward the realization of our own unique mission in life. Every day we make hundreds of choices, many relatively insignificant, but others having a major effect in our lives. Frequently, the important choices come at a crossroads highlighted by synchronistic events. At such times we must rely on our intuition to point the way. How can we know the right path? A better understanding of synchronicity, karma, and intuition can help us choose wisely.
In honor of Ed Abdill’s visit, we will be offering a 20% discount on TSA membership for first-time applicants. Standard annual membership will be discounted to $48, Senior discount to $25.
October 12 Roundtable Discussion – Reincarnation and Karma from Edgar Cayce’s Perspective Susanne Hoepfl-Wellenhofer will present short excerpts from renowned “Sleeping Psychic” Edgar Cayce on the topics of Karma and Reincarnation to kick off a lively group discussion highlighting the Theosophical understanding of these two key topics.
October 19 Humanity’s Evolution Through the Globes Our living and learning (evolution) can be seen as part of a grand cycle, the out-breathing of the Great Breath. We are natives of a planetary chain of seven globes (A to G) and currently live on the fourth, Globe D (our Earth). Discussing our life-wave’s cycle through the globes, Tuncay Dantzler will mention Earth’s parallel changes in land mass; the sub-races of Homo Sapiens (our current “root race”); preparation for the advent of the sixth sub-race; and our human destiny.
October 26 Ghosts and Haunts Making clear the difference between two very different kinds of phenomena—the psychic and the psychological—Julia Rogers will present the Theosophical view of the psychic world. In honor of Halloween, ghosts and haunts will receive special attention.
November
November 2 The Spiritual Value of Emotions Emotions are often considered antagonists to achieving elevated spiritual states. Yet, they are an inherent part of certain levels of the mind, ever present and deeply impacting our actions. The swamis Abhipadananda & Jyotir Vakyananda will discuss the ways in which art, music, dance and poetry can be used to depersonalize the emotions and elevate the mind by universalizing it.
November 9 Roundtable Discussion – Character: What It Is and Its Role in Our Development Character, a term intrinsically familiar to most of us, is not easy to define. Drawing on material of writers Ernest Wood and William Glasser, Bill Katzenstein will lead a roundtable discussion on the meaning of character, its place in our development and interplay with free will.
November 16 Meditation, Part III John Calvello will continue his presentation of meditation, one of the three cornerstones to a spiritual life. He will discuss how once we remove the impediments to regular practice, meditation can lead us to higher consciousness.
November 23 Theosophy and Service Miguel Salinas will present on how human compassion, generosity, and kindness towards others are important to the evolutionary progression of the ego. By translating the Buddhist saying “The mind is the King, and the speech and body are servants to the King” into Theosophical expression, and describing the mechanics of the lower mental, astral, and physical planes, the talk will focus on how practice in the pure, noble qualities through service can overcome the negative actions and qualities that we spend so much of our lives accumulating.
November 30 Closed for Thanksgiving
December
December 7 The Tao Te King by Lao Tse is one of the primary texts of Taoism—which is one of the main mystical traditions of China. Julia Rogers will discuss aspects of this text in the light of Theosophy.
December 14 Sacred Sites of Greece Gwendolyn Reece, a long time student of the Hellenic mysteries, will give a lecture and slideshow of her recent journey to sacred sites in Greece. As part of her discussion, she discuss Athens and the birth of democracy as a sacred act embodied within the city. She also visited Eleusis of the Eleusinian Mysteries; the Temple of Artemis at Brauron; the great healing cult of Asklepios at Epidaurus; Mycenae; Olympia; Delphi; and Delos, which is the birthplace of Light in the world.
Dec 21 Dream as Metaphor With all its surrealism, few subjects could perhaps be said to be more enigmatic than Dreams, scientifically studied in the field of oneirology. This talk will look at the cross cultural commonalities and variations dream interpretation has inspired across mythology, philosophical realism, and modern psychoanalysis. The dream as a metaphor for hope or inspiration will also be ironically discussed on Winter Solstice, which marks the darkest day of the year.