The Theosophical
Society in Australia

This is the final letter in our series of monthly letters which you, as a new member of the Theosophical Society, have been receiving.

By this time, of course, you are no longer a new member, but an integral part of a great movement which extends over the entire world and which must continue to play its part in 'leavening the minds of the times', to use H.P.B's well known phrase. We hope you have found in your membership the rewards of deeper insights and the challenging opportunities for growth which Theosophy holds, and that you will continue to add your strength to that of others in carrying on the work of the Society.

We want to emphasise in this letter that this is a members-based Society and so every member is important to it. It may sometimes seem to us as individuals that we are playing a very small part, but let us remember the encouraging words in The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett: 'Not one of those who have only tried to help on the work of the Society, however imperfect and faulty their ways and means, will have done so in vain.' There is great inspiration  in that assurance.  There is also a great challenge. For it is by doing faithfully and as well as we can the duties which fall to our lot that we become capable of expanding our areas of service. Let us never underestimate the contribution which the Theosophical Society has made to the thought of the world. By the same token, we should  never underestimate the part each individual member can play in furthering the real aims of the Society.

Membership in the Theosophical Society is not quite like membership in any other organisation. It provides a very special kind of training. We are given knowledge which widens our horizons and deepens our understanding. We are given a vision of our goal and learn something of how to reach it.  We have the priceless experience of sharing our efforts and aspirations with others who are striving toward the same ends. And we have unparalleled oppo1tunities for learning that all-important 'skill in action' so necessary in dealing with our life situations, our family and friends, and our relations with others in theosophical work. The tremendous importance of this last factor is often overlooked. Sometimes we become disillusioned as we enter into the activities of a lodge and find that our co-­workers are no more perfect than we are, that occasional clashes of personality seem to becloud and hinder the ideals for which we work. We may tend to grow irritated and frustrated  when our associates do not see things as we do. At such times it is indeed difficult to remember the principle of'"brotherhood'. But such times also provide us with an opportunity to work in two directions: to search within ourselves to see wherein we might take a more constructive or loving approach, and then, turning outward again, to act in such a way as to heal the situation and bring about a true furtherance of Theosophy rather than of our own or another's personal aims and ambitions. The repercussions on the inner planes of such an accomplishment must be greater than we realise.

The Theosophical Society is also a unique school for spiritual growth and development.  That aim is most surely realised when we can hold before us the ideal, never losing sight of it no matter what may be the outer circumstances in which we find ourselves. When we can learn to think and act according to the principles of Theosophy rather than react to persons or situations which tend to irritate us, we will have travelled far on the road toward our goal. We may learn the nature of  real charity - that each person, including ourselves, has a right to their opinions and to the expression  of that  opinion 'within the limits of courtesy and consideration for others'. We may learn to reverence that right in others as we expect them to reverence it in us.

Theosophy could not be exhausted in many lifetimes. It is really inexhaustible if we approach it with an eager and receptive mind. When we have uncovered one layer of meaning, we realise there are always other and deeper layers to be explored. And as this happens we find that we have touched deeper and deeper levels in ourselves, so that our studies become adventures in both  inner and outer awareness. Our increase in wisdom and understanding is always precisely in the ratio of our study, meditation, and action - the threefold principle of theosophical endeavour.

As this programme of monthly letters comes to a close, we would like to express the hope that you will feel free to write to us at any time to ask any question or to pe1mit us to  be of service in any way we can.  Our interest in your theosophical exploration is not ended with the termination of these letters. We hope too that you will find it possible to attend some of the national programmes such as the annual  Convention and the Australian  School of Theosophy.  There are also international opportunities - attendance triennial Indo-Pacific Conferences, at the International Conventions held annually at our world headquarters, Adyar, and sessions of the School of the Wisdom which are also held there. Announcements of all these programmes and others of interest to members appear in Theosophy in Australia, our Section journal which comes to you as part of your membership, on our website, our Facebook page and in our e-Bulletins.

May we also in this final letter emphasise the importance of continued study.  The Section Directory at the back of each issue of Theosophy in Australia provides contact details for Australian TS centres. In addition, our website is comprehensive and has many items  which  may be of interest  to students, such as educational resources which include an extensive reading list: ENTER CODE HERE.

You may also be interested to know about our various print media courses which are available at a very reasonable cost.  For information  about these courses please see the website or contact the Education Coordinator.

We should like to leave you with the beautiful statement of the 'Three Great Truths' as set forth in The Idyll of the White Lotus by Mabel Collins. We have not changed the language, to make it gender neutral, in order to preserve the words as they were originally given to us:

1. The soul of man is immortal, and its future is the future of a thing whose growth and splendour have no limit.
   
2. The principle which gives life dwells in us and without us, is undying and eternally beneficent, is not heard or seen or smelt, but is perceived by the man who desires perception.
   
3. Each man is his own absolute lawgiver, the dispenser of glory or gloom to himself; the decreer of his life, his reward, his punishment.
   

These truths, it is said, are absolute and cannot be lost, but may remain silent for lack of speech. The passage ends: 'Feed the hungry with them.'

Here is the essence of Theosophy. If, in times of difficulty and doubt, we remember these truths and meditate on them, then truly will our lives grow ever more radiant with the living reality of Theosophy itself.