Dear Member,
By Enquiries
Welcome to the theosophical society
Greetings from your National Headquarters! With your membership in the Theosophical Society, you have joined a group of students united in their endeavour to pursue the high aims expressed in the Society's Three Objects. We sincerely hope that you will find in your membership a doorway to ever wider understanding of the principles of the timeless wisdom in terms of their application to the problems and challenges of daily living. We hope, too, that through your membership, you will discover avenues of service by which the theosophical philosophy may find expression in the world about you.
To assist you as you continue your studies in Theosophy and to acquaint you more fully with the many aspects of the Society's functioning, we shall be sending you a series of letters over the next twenty-two months. Some of these letters will be accompanied by what are called 'Creative Living Experiences', designed to help you work creatively with material presented in the letters. In return, we invite your comments on these letters and your questions on any of the subjects which are treated in them. We trust that these letters will be useful to you as guides for ever deeper study and reflection.
In some letters, topics may be discussed with which you are already quite familiar. In other letters, the subjects treated may be new to you and may, perhaps, seem strange. Should the latter be the case, it is suggested that you reserve judgement, for whether a particular concept seems immediately useful or meaningful is far less important than grasping the great universal principles of Theosophy. Those principles have value as they are built into one's aspirations and the quality of one's daily life. Here it may be suggested that it is well to develop the habit of being still for some part of each day, even though you may not feel inclined to undertake actual meditation. We shall be including in these letters some quotations or ideas which you may find rewarding as seed thoughts to be taken into those quiet periods.
Since these letters are sent to all who have joined the Society recently, it is inevitable that there will be a wide range of backgrounds and interests. Some new members have been students of Theosophy over a long period of time; others, to whom the concepts may be new, recognize at once the validity of the Society's aims while seeking guidance in their study of the wisdom teachings. Among the many valuable lessons which we may learn in the Society is that within such a group as ours there are as many different approaches as there are members, and that 'brotherhood' is based upon a genuine and tolerant understanding of all approaches. Our differences may enrich; they should not divide.
May we offer another suggestion? Sometimes in our enthusiasm over having found a philosophy which makes life intelligible and meaningful, we want to proclaim it immediately to everyone we know. Occasionally we find interest and acceptance, but more often we may meet with indifference or actual rebuff. Then we realise we may have done more harm than good. This is mentioned in the first letter to you, because it is such a common experience among new members of the Society and because many have learned through painful experience that caution must be exercised in discussing theosophical ideas with persons to whom these ideas may seem very strange. If however, we are alert to catch the proper openings, we will frequently find opportunities to share our understandings where they may be helpful. Sometimes our very silence about the philosophy itself, while we seek to exemplify its truths in our daily lives, piques the interest of others so that they ask questions. Then, of course, it is our duty to offer the teachings without being dogmatic or seeking in any way to force our ideas upon others. When that happens, as it probably will more than once in your theosophical career, you will know the deep happiness that comes from opening the door of understanding to another seeker after truth.
In the course of these letters, we shall discuss a number of topics. Whenever points arise that are not clear to you, or on which you would like further information, please do write to us. Remember these letters are designed to aid you; it is only as we hear from you that we can be truly helpful in the great adventure of discovery upon which you have embarked, on becoming a member of this movement.
Let me leave you with this thought from The Key to Theosophy by H. P. Blavatsky:
Theosophy is the shoreless ocean of universal truth, love, and wisdom, reflecting its radiance on the earth. Theosophy is divine nature, visible and invisible. The Theosophical Society was fanned to assist in showing...that such a thing as Theosophy exists, and to help (us) to ascend toward it by studying and assimilating its eternal verities.
Finally, I would like to mention that, wherever you are located, if at any stage you are not able to readily obtain answers to questions regarding the Theosophical Society or else Theosophical study, you are very welcome to contact the Education Coordinator, [email protected]
We hope you find plenty of food for thought and reflection on our website. You might like to check out this brief statement about Theosophy and the Theosophical Society.
