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RETURNING FROM A THEOSOPHICAL CONFERENCE

- Sponsored by students from the United Lodge of Theosophists

 

"Brotherly love is love for all human beings; it is characterized by its very lack of exclusiveness."

- Eric Fromm

 

Although tired the next morning from the long trip to and from Petaluma, California, William Judge’s “Quote for the Day” was brought to attention. It read, “I care everything for the unsectarianism H.P.B. died to start.”  For some reason, “unsectarianim” hit hard. The conference was really a celebration of science catching up to some of H.P.B.’s writing, but the attendees seemed part of the agenda. They came from so many different parts of the world and from the different “Theosophies.”  The conference content did give forth so much it will take many of us a great deal of marvelous sorting time. So, why did “unsectarianim” touch something deep?

 

Reflecting back, it was probably related to a comment made by a member of the Theosophical Society of America--who had attended the conference and asked for a ride to the airport.  On this trip our conversation turned to the conference. Interestingly, he not only attends U.L.T. conferences each year, but attends many other Theosophical conferences as well. He was asked, “What did he think of our conference?”  And, “How did it compare with the T.S.A. conferences?”  Surprisingly, although he thought “Our” conference was great, he also thought the quality was about the same with the T.S.A. conferences--even though he felt they had “bigger names,” as they publish well known authors who speak at the conferences, and the presentations are good.

 

Somewhat crestfallen, several of us (U.L.T. members), still absorbing so much of the conference, almost life-changing, asked him to continue.  He did say he felt our conference had made important contributions in reaching out to other Theosophical groups. [Note, there were not only people there from the T.S.A. but also from the T.S. of Pasadena].  He went on to say, somewhat sadly, that in the conference held two years ago, they had invited one of the prominent speakers from the T.S.A. Several T.S.A. members came to hear him speak and then directly left after the presentation.  He felt bad.  Why could they have not stayed to hear the rest of the conference?

 

Maybe it was this conversation that made “Unsectarianism” resonate.  We looked at Judge’s “Quote of the Day” for the previous day - August 12th. It read,

 

H.P.B. was born at midnight between the dates August 12th/13th. H.P.B. was and is one of those servants of the Universal Lodge sent to the West to take up the work, well knowing of the pain and obloquy and the insults to the very soul--worst of all insults--which were certain from the first to be hers.  I think the way for Western Theosophist is through H.P.B.  How can they deny her who gave this doctrine to the Western world?

 

The teacher who made this gift to us all, according to Judge, died for “unsectarianism.”  Certainly, the single most embarrassing fact for the Theosophists is that we are three or more groups instead of having a common unity.  Do Theosophists believe in Universal Brotherhood but not between our different groups?  Does sectarianism infect those working for Theosophy?  What about the sectarianism within each group?  What about sectarianism within my family?  What about myself?

 

Maybe I need to start with me.  How do I do this?

 

The most powerful statement in the philosophy on nonsectarianism, and/or complete unity has to be that found in the pamphlet, “Foundations of Esoteric Philosophy - from the writings of H.P.Blavatsky” by Ianthe H. Hoskins:

 

The FUNDAMENTAL UNITY OF ALL EXISTENCE.  This unity is a thing altogether different from the common notion of unity, as when we say that a nation or an army is united, or that this planet is united to that by lines of magnetic force or the like.  The teaching is not that.  It is that existence is ONE Being.  The BEING has two aspects, positive and negative.  The positive is Spirit or CONSCIOUSNESS.  The negative is SUBSTANCE, the subject of consciousness.

 

From this it could be said anything in the other or myself that is seen as different or separate is ultimately delusional.  It may not be a stretch in saying those I wish to exclude either from the group or within me is separation coming from the delusion that somehow they/I can be separate.  And, once they have been separated off maybe I can be happy: A delusion.  Even in myself, if I can find a way to make “them” no longer there, I will be free of irritation and not be held back: Another delusion.  Please, no one tell me that the irritation is coming from me and not them! After all, my delusions are important to me.

 

When the splits came in the historical past of Theosophy, it must have appeared to many as the best way to go.  They could do what they wanted to do and we could do likewise.  So, why is Judge saying Blavatsky died for nonsectarianism?  The implication: She died because of sectarianism.   In psychology there is a term.  It is “cognitive dissonance.”  It refers to the attempt to hold two contradictory ideas in the mind at the same time.  It can be thought of as a kind of crazy-making.  The First Object of the Theosophical Movement is given as, “To form the nucleus of Universal Brotherhood of Humanity.” The contradictory thought is we need to do this by being separate. Being separate, according to the philosophy, is a delusion.   Somehow all Theosophists know this yet cling to the delusion.  Freud (1940 An Outline of Psych-Analysis, Standard Edition 23: 141-207) offers this about the delusional patient:

 

Even in a state so far removed from the reality of the external world as one of hallucinatory confusion, one hears from patients after their recovery that at the time in some corner of their mind (as they put it) there was a normal person hidden, who, like a detached spectator, they watched the hubbub of illusion go past ....

 

In other words, “in some hidden corner” of our minds we really know something is wrong. But, back at the conference in Petaluma.  There was the lady from Mexico who stood up after one of the presentations and said, “I am from the Theosophical Society of Pasadena and I would like to help with these conferences.  They are important.”  And, and she reached out, “I live outside of Tijuana and anyone coming to the area, I would like to invite to my home.”  Didn’t she know that this was a United Lodge of Theosophists conference?  The man we were taking back to the airport who is from the Theosophical Society of America which is headquartered in Wheaton, Illinois, said he was from Chicago.  He said he would like to help in future conferences, what could he do?  Didn’t he know that this was a United Lodge of Theosophists conference?  Didn’t he know we are different?  And the man who stood up at the conference and said he was from the Netherlands.  With a wonderful Dutch accent he said he was from the Theosophical Society of Point Loma.  Many of us never heard of this one.  But, he said, he would like to help with these conferences so they could be held in Europe.  He said his group has the facilities and the resources for this kind of conference.  He and his wife looked intently at us and said they wanted to help. Didn’t they know that we were from the United Lodge of Theosophists and we are different? Maybe he thought we were all one and maybe he was right.  Differences were no longer existent at this conference.  There was something of greater importance.

 

Another couple at the conference raised their hands. They said they were both psychologists.   After a presentation they said they had never heard of Theosophy.  They found the conference listed on the Internet. They had spent so much time looking. They had now found what they were looking for. The quality of the presentations not only touched anyone new to Theosophy but seemed to go past any differences of the “old Theosophists.”  The band of consciousness expanded beyond sectarianism.

 

The first object given for the Theosophical Movement, establishing a nucleus of Universal Brotherhood, although ringing true to the intuition, might be enhanced with further definition.   We came across Eric Fromm’s definition (The Art of Loving Harper & Row, 1956):

 

Brotherly love is love for all human beings; it is characterized by its very lack of exclusiveness.  If I have developed the capacity for love, then I cannot help loving my brothers.  In brotherly love there is the experience of union with all men, of human solidarity, of human at-onement.  Brotherly love is based on the experience that we all are one.  The differences in talents, intelligence, and knowledge are negligible in comparison with the identity of the human core common to all men.  In order to experience this identity it is necessary to penetrate from the periphery to the core.  If I perceive in another person mainly the surface, I perceive mainly the differences, that which separates us.  If I penetrate to the core, I perceive our identity, the fact of our brotherhood.

 

We have found the teachings. Perhaps we can help bridge the gap between divisions of Theosophists. Perhaps the message of brotherhood would have a greater power of authenticity. The conferences like this one in Petaluma could reflect "Unsectarianism."

 

 

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