THE PHILIPPINE THEOSOPHIST - 2021 1st Quarter Issue

Brotherhood, Study, and Meditation

THE PHILIPPINE

Theosophist

A publication of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines Vol. XLIX, No. 1

January-March 2021

THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN TRUTH

INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: Adyar, Chennai, India International President: Tim Boyd International Vice-President: Deepa Padhi International Secretary: Marja Artamaa International Treasurer: Nancy Secrest NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: 1 Iba St., Quezon City, Philippines Tel: 8741-57-40 website: http://theosophy.ph email: philtheos@gmail.com National President: Chally P. Romero email: theosophilpres@gmail.com National Vice-President: Bebot Rodil email: bsrodil@gmail.com National Secretary: Rekha Nahar email: pothikrekha@gmail.com National Treasurer: Jean Lim email: jynlim2@gmail.com

The Philippine Theosophist is the official newsletter of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines.

Editorial Board: Layout Artist: Circulation:

Chally P. Romero Vic Hao Chin Jr. Joselito B. Cendaña Lea Mactal-May Monaliza Brocoy

CONTENTS 4

From the National President

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Unity of Life

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Gems of the Path

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Attaining Peace

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Poetry

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Gratitude in the Time of Corona

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Beyond the Veil: Occultism as Knowledge, Perception and Service

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What Moves You

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News and Events

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Directory of TSP Lodges and Study Groups

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Also from the TSP

GIVE a unique and special gift — a year’s subscription of the Theosophical Digest, a quarterly magazine containing original as well as selected articles condensed from some of the world’s leading publications on mysticism, religion, science, paranormal research, and many other subjects. Each issue gives insights on the higher life, character building, interpersonal relationships, holistic health, Eastern and Western philosophies, and others. The Theosophical Digest seeks not merely to inform, but to help serious seekers explore pathways to inner growth.

Also from the TSP

GET your digital copies of Peace Ideas, a quarterly publication of the Peace Center of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines. Peace Ideas seeks to disseminate workable ideas that promote lasting peace and universal brotherhood based on the Unity of All Life (or Oneness). It is designed to be an easy, enjoyable, and yet valuable, read for students, teachers, and people from all walks of life.

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he Theosophical Society is a worldwide interspiritual community bound together by the common embrace of universal brotherhood based on the Unity of All Life, and of the Society’s Objects which ultimately serve to help enable its members to wake up to this transcendent Reality – or awaken to theosophia – through study, meditation, and service, among other spiritual practices of the Ageless Wisdom, so that such enlightenment may lead to the fuller embodiment of divine love in our world. It welcomes seekers from all religions and spiritual traditions, as well as those who come from none.

Theosophy, in its primary meaning as theosophia or Divine Wisdom, is a transcendental state of consciousness, or “a state of consciousness in which the sage or mystic goes beyond his or her mind and gets a direct, supra-conceptual, perception of Truth,” as the TS-Adyar website puts it. Theosophy also refers to the body of teachings derived from the accumulated fruits of human spiritual experience through the ages which have their common fountainhead in theosophia or mystical consciousness.

The Mission Statement of the Theosophical Society is: To serve humanity by an ever-deepening understanding and realization of the Ageless Wisdom, spiritual self-transformation, and the Unity of All Life.

The Universal Invocation is a verse written in 1923 by then TS-Adyar president Annie Besant, that is recited during every TS international convention. Also called the Universal Prayer, it goes : O Hidden Life, vibrant in every atom; O Hidden Light, shining in every creature; O Hidden Love, embracing all in Oneness, May all who feel themselves as one with Thee, Know they are therefore one with every other.

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From the National President Chally P. Romero

Digital Natives, Digital Migrants and Digital Theosophists Digital natives refer to the generation of people who were born during the time of computer technology and the internet. They are comfortable with digital technology and consider it an integral part of their lives. Meanwhile, digital immigrants are those who were born before the internet boom and before the advent of home computers.

They have to learn how to adapt to digital technology.

When the pandemic lockdown was declared in March of 2020, everything seemed to freeze in time and people had to stay quarantined at home. During the weekend prior to the declaration of the lockdown, we were still able to hold our strategic planning session at the TSP national headquarters together with some lodge presidents, study group heads and other stakeholders who came from the Visayas and Mindanao. Unfortunately, all the assumptions and plans that came out of that planning session were suddenly meaningless since not one of them factored in a global pandemic. We also readily decided to lockdown the TSP HQ, and all activities were cancelled.

It took about a month for people to start to get their bearings and come out of the initial shell shock of being under total lockdown. On April 11, 2020, we decided to have a modest joint lodge meeting using a then relatively unknown video conferencing app called Zoom. A lot of concerns were raised about “Zoombombing” where strangers and uninvited persons could intrude into the virtual meeting and take over the screen sharing and proceedings. A lot of things have happened since that time.

Nowadays, there is concern for “Zoom fatigue,” a phenomenon brought about by too much online/ virtual meetings, webinars and other online social interactions. Since our initial joint lodge meeting in April 2020, the Philippine section of the TS has been able to embrace digital technology, while realizing its potential and the opportunities it gives to bring theosophists together from all over the globe. We promptly invited international guest speakers and participants from other foreign sections to our lodge meetings, the occasional difficulty of difference in time zones notwithstanding.

In addition to the regular weekly online joint lodge meetings, we have also had separate online lodge meetings, guided classic meditation sessions, midweek meditations, Self-Transformation seminars, Self-Mastery seminars, introductory and other online theosophical courses, the national convention together with the elections for the board of trustees of the TSP and the TOS, as well as our year-end get-together which was participated in by theosophists from all over the world. All of these events were held online. Whether digital native or immigrant, we have become digital theosophists.

145th TS International Convention Core Planning Group In June of 2020, the regular meeting of the General Council was called by the TS International in Adyar. The meeting was originally planned to be held in the ITC in Naarden, The Netherlands. Instead, a Zoom meeting was held.

Among other things, it was decided that the 145th TS International Convention scheduled for December 2020 would be

The 5-person core planning group for the 145th TS International Convention. Top L to R: Marja Artamaa, Chally Romero, Barbara Hebert; Bottom L to R: Krista Umbjarv and Tim Boyd

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held online. There was a call for volunteers. I found myself volunteering even though I had only attended a TS international convention once during the previous year in Varanasi.

The 5-person volunteer core group was composed of Tim Boyd, Marja Artamaa, Barbara Hebert, Krista Umbjarv and me. Thereafter, the core group immediately went to work and regularly met online for its planning sessions. Starting July 2020, we were monitoring the best practices of the various national sections which were having their respective national conventions online. The Philippine section was also able to adopt these best practices when we had our own 3-day national convention in November last year.

In August, Marja Artamaa, who was the core group lead coordinator, had a bad fall and broke her wrist. Undaunted, she continMarja Artamaa, lead coordinator for the 145th ued leading and coordinating the planning work and preparations. TS international convention, giving the thumbs A significant part which provided for the success of the 145th in- up despite breaking her wrist amidst the peak of Her radiant smile pierces through her ternational convention were the real-time translations involving 9 planning. face mask during the last day of the convention. languages and pertinent subtitles for some of the videos used for the convention.

We also had the opportunity to provide a platform in the program for the youth who wouldn’t usually be able to attend these conventions if done face-to-face. It was a “rolling” convention where activities moved to the next time zone so that all participants could be able to attend certain programs during hours that are convenient to them in their respective time zones.

Towards the end of the 145th TS International Convention and the year 2020, we realized more than ever the opportunity to bring together theosophists virtually and the significant potential that lies underneath our present circumstances.

Along the way of my online theosophical work, I have found new friends most of whom I haven’t even met in person. I am certainly looking forward to a face-to-face reunion with all of them after the pandemic. Unfortunately, not all exactly, for a number of them have passed away.

As of this writing, other theosophical sections have already also adopted online/virtual meetings.

We have been enjoying helping and training various sections, lodges and members adapt to these new, enabling technologies.

With all of these developments, one would think how an online group meditation meeting would compare with an in-place group meditation session from the perspective of the hidden side of things.

I surmise that these virtual sessions kindle and connect points of light in the various corners of the world where the participants are sitting for consciousness is primary in reality.

I must say that after the 145th international convention core group’s post-mortem meeting held to evaluate the recently-concluded convention and discuss the learnings, I suddenly longed for our regular meetings, inspired by the great privilege of having worked with such distinguished theosophists. The realization also came that the 145th TS international convention held online and all the work involved to make it a success are now a milestone and part of the TS’ history.

The Work Continues In the last issue of The Philippine Theosophist, I mentioned that 2020 was an election year for the Philippine national section, that is, a year to elect a new set of board trustees. It is my pleasure to inform you that the entire previous board was re-elected. I look forward to working with these indefatigable and competent individuals who unfailingly help and motivate me when the going gets tough or when challenges are faced in our theosophical work. We trust fully that we will continue to be guided and inspired by the Great Ones as we tread the Path and go on with our work of service for the benefit of all beings.

Unity of Life

by JOHN VORSTERMANS

In time and with practice of mindfulness, meditation, observation of both the outer and inner experiences we have, we awaken a deeper awareness and eventually come to experience this Oneness.

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The Philippine Theosophist

HE awareness of our Unity sleeps deeply within us. We are largely unaware of real Unity as understood in the theosophical tradition, because we tend to focus on separation, which is a dominant feature of our personality consciousness — a state of conditioned reality focused through the desire mind, kama-manas, outwardly through the senses by which our perception of reality is formed.

A study of the Ageless Wisdom shows us that a greater reality lies not in the outer world but within ourselves. Through this inner world we learn to look at and listen to our inner dimensions or inner voice, intuitive understandings, that Self which lies at the center of all beings — our divine unity which connects us to our source. It is often called the journey of the heart, as it requires listening to the depth of our being, not ignoring the rational mind but putting it in its proper place as a tool for our work in the outer world, once discernment and open-mindedness has been developed.

By changing our awareness to also listen to the heart, we begin to take the inner journey.

In time and with practice of mindfulness, meditation, observation of both the outer and inner experiences we have, we awaken a deeper awareness and eventually come to experience this Unity. Blavatsky talks of this in The Voice of the Silence as she describes the three halls of learning we pass through as we awaken — the hall of ignorance (where we come from), the hall of knowledge and the hall of wisdom. As we go from one hall to another the old gets left behind as we advance on the journey.

As an organization, the Theosophical Society has branched out in different directions, which we can see in the different Theosophical movements today. In itself this can be viewed as quite healthy with different emphases on the exploration of what Theosophy is. We can also look at the Buddhist movement as an example where we see differences in teaching and directions in the Theravada, Mahayana and Zen Buddhism. They are different in their approaches and study of Buddhism; however, we can acknowledge the value each brings to the world. It is much the same with the different Theosophical movements today. Each has its ways of exploring and trying to understand Theosophy and through their efforts endeavour to help make the world a reflection of that Unity we are discussing.

At the personality level, we have tremendous diversity. Our minds think in separation and seek to find differences and argue, rationalize, judge, blame, etc. because that is the mind’s nature. The desire mind resides in the Hall of Ignorance, which we are struggling to leave.

Integrating the knowledge we have learned on our inner journey, we travel to the Hall of Learning where we gain knowledge and understanding. The challenge is to center ourselves into the Unity awareness beyond the personality and focus on what we have in common. The lower mind will always look for differences, which to Unity awareness is simply seeing different pieces of a puzzle, which all fit pertectly together to give us the true picture of reality.

In this way, we can grow and learn from each other and become a stronger united force for Unity in the world. We can become living examples of this Unity.

If we can move into the Unity awareness, then this will be reflected in the different Theosophical groups and branches. We will then step into the Hall of Wisdom, leaving the past behind and coming into the present as a real force for good. It is a world of nonjudgment, respect for all, love and open-heartedness.

In the Christchurch shooting of the Muslims while they were in their sacred places of prayer and worship, killing 50 and injuring many more, we witnessed the destructive nature of a mind that is conditioned from a perspective of separateness, judgment, hate and fear.

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The event pulled at our hearts, the horror and grief went to the very core of our being.

The attack was the opposite of the unity which the Theosophical Society was formed to establish. Terror, judgment and fear will always lead to separation, yet through the action of the terror in Christchurch, New Zealand opened its heart and united as a nation in standing up to the terror and created a heartfelt unity which resonated throughout the country with a wave of compassion and a sense of connectedness never seen before. The flowers and messages left by the museum in Christchurch, to remember those who died, have an underlying message of unity: that we are of the one family, that hatred will not divide us and that love for each other unites us. Walking down the parade of flowers and reading the messages, it was clear how compassion and unity are something that we know deep in our hearts.

Tim Boyd, our International President, put it well in a letter he wrote to our members in Christchurch after the event: Dear Christchurch Friends, Sisters, Brothers, It is with sadness that I send this message to you. Living in the United States, a nation that has suffered the mindless insanity of too many once unimaginable acts of hate-filled violence, I can tell you that one does not become numb to it. I have been to Christchurch and have seen

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By changing our awareness to also listen to the heart, we begin to take the inner journey. how you responded to the destruction of the earthquake — a natural event. Responding to the darkness of the human heart and its potential for senseless destruction is more difficult.

For the lives that were lost and the shattered families and friends, we send our thoughts and prayers. For our violated sense of security and confidence in our neighbors, we mourn and recommit to deepening our bonds with the “other.”

As people who have the ideal and hopefully some experience in the One Life, our role at this moment is vital. Only the heart that can face the darkness and be its antidote will betruly effective in such times. The only cure for darkness is light.

For those who can find it in themselves, there is an even more demanding task: to find room in our hearts to embrace the tortured soul, so blinded as to commit such an atrocity. The victims are not separable from the victimizer, and the suffering is universal. o Hidden Life vibrant in every atom o Hidden Light shining in every creature o Hidden Love embracing all in Oneness May all who feel themselves as one with Thee Know they are also one with every other.

Peace and Blessings, Tim Boyd

The terror of the Christchurch killings has been a wakeup call to us all, identifying to each of us the destructive nature in today’s world where discrimination has been exposed to us in such a way, we can no longer ignore it. What was perhaps in the past hidden in our psyche has now been exposed where we are forced to see it and confront it. All New Zealanders were touched in some way by the event and many changed forever.

The first object of the Theosophical Society is: To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood[lSisterhood] of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color. This statement clearly outlines the importance of non-discriminatory emphasis we are required to be in sympathy with to join the Theosophical Society. So, putting it in today’s language:

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Gems of the Path I’m here to tell you that the path to peace is right there when you want to get away. PEMA CHODRON Universe is the lover you can’t fool around with. You must love truly.

You must love the whole journey.

Then only you will get the magical view at the peak.

SHUNYA Our minds have been filled with many, many other messages that have created a day-to-day reality so far removed from our real reason for being on the Earth that it’s a wonder we find any joy or excitement in life at all.

NEAL DONALD WALSCH

we as members of the Society do not accept discriminatory practices based on ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender or class distinction. We could go even further and say we do not accept any sort of discriminatory practices. Now is an opportunity to examine our own hearts and views.

In an examined life, where we regularly reflect on our actions we may begin to see our own prejudices, views conditioned by our society, beliefs built up through reading, social media, the movies we watch and so forth. If we do not examine our actions, how will we ever learn about the nature of the personality we are working with? How will we know if what we are holding onto is just a belief or if it is true? To awaken to the unity of life we are challenged to become aware of all these things. Once the awareness has been established the next step is to examine our actions ever more deeply to see where the cause of the action came from.

If all goes well, we can let it go and then another aspect of our ignorance melts away.

Life itself is our teacher. As horrible as the Christchurch terror attack was, it is a lesson for us each to learn from. It may drive us to examine our own actions, judgments and intentions in what we do in our own lives.

John Vorstersman is the National President of the Theosophical Society in New Zealand.

Mystical prayer belongs to our deepest human heritage, and as ou outer world apears increasingly fractious and out of balance, with economic and ecological uncertainty, it is infinitely valuable to reclaim this tradition.

LLEWELLYN VAUGHAN-LEE

In the unforced and undesired silence, any ideal, goal or purpose is completely absent and our being expands into Infinity. ILIE CIOARA Inside us, there is something that has no name, that something is what we are.

JOSE SARAMAGO A man’s spirit is free, but his pride binds him with chains of suffocation in a prison of his own insecurities.

JEREMY ALDANA When you connect to the silence within you, that is when you can make sense of the disturbance going on around you.

STEPHEN RICHARDS

The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you really are. CARL JUNG

Attaining Peace fffffbyby VICENTE HAO CHIN JR.

There are two kinds of peace: inner peace and social peace.

The first one is more important than the second one because it is inner conflict that causes outer conflict.

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OHN was stressed. When he came home one night, he felt upset and unhappy. The children were playing and noisy, and he got irritated and shouted at them. The dinner food was not to his taste, so he snapped at his wife with critical words. The wife left the dining table and went to her room, not finishing her dinner.

The next day, when John went to the office, he did not respond to greetings and got impatient with his office mate. Then late in the morning, his boss reprimanded him. He automatically shouted back. He was fired that day. He felt so angry that when he drove back home in his car, he drove so fast that he rammed his car to a vehicle in front which was slower and blocking him.

violence, conflicts and wars.

This was what happened between Pakistan and India, Israel and the Arab countries, Mexico and the United States. In Ireland, the dislike and insecurity was between Catholics and Protestants, both Christians, which led to violence and bombings between them.

How can these be prevented in the future?

Through education. When children are taught to understand other groups without prejudice, whether between nations or religions, then they tend to feel more harmonious towards other groups. I have lived with families who belong to various nationalities and religions, and I find that people are more or less the same — kind, hospita-

When individuals have inner peace and harmony, then he will inevitably contribute to social peace, whether it is in his family, his company, in the community or in the world.

The state of harmony in John’s family, workplace and community, was being disturbed by the agitated state of John’s mind, emotions and stress. Had he been more cheerful, none of the unpleasant things around him might have happened.

There are two kinds of peace: inner peace and social peace. The first one is more important than the second one because it is inner conflict that causes outer conflict. When individuals have inner peace and harmony, then he will inevitably contribute to social peace, whether it is in his family, his company, in the community or in the world. He will not tend to commit acts of aggression, injustice, oppression or violence.

When we look at the various dimensions of social peace, we will find the same pattern. When people have fear and insecurity towards another group of people, there is a tendency to be hostile towards the other group. This hostility leads to words and actions that will only worsen the mutual hostility, such as creation of restrictive policies or barriers to trade. Untoward incidents may arise that may eventually lead to

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We need to think of ourselves as brothers and sisters living on one earth — the only habitable globe that we know. ble and friendly. But when they have been taught biases against other groups, then they unconsciously develop hostility.

Schools should be encouraged to teach the histories, cultures and religions of other people with an open mind. We must teach young people to become world citizens and not just citizens of a particular country. Due to ease of travel and communication, the earth has become a small place of 7 billion people, sharing the same resources, the same air and oceans and the same dangers.

We must learn how to live as one family regardless of our culture and religion. But because of insecurity and mutual hostilities, countries spend so much money on weapons and defense systems instead of channeling those funds to fight hunger and poverty.

The top five countries in military budget (US, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and India) spend a total of more than one trillion US dollars per year on weapons and defense systems. The United Nations estimated

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that it will only need US$116 billion a year, or just about ten percent of what these five countries spend for defense, to eradicate hunger in the world and even remove global poverty.

But such military buildup will continue so long as people distrust and dislike each other. We must build a world where people will no longer think in terms of national boundaries and self-interests. The example of Costa Rica is worthwhile to emulate. It has no armed forces and hence no military expenditures according to its constitutional provision in 1949. It has never been at war with any other country since then and has been one of the most stable and progressive nations in Latin America despite the fact that it is neighbor to countries that have suffered from political turbulence, high crime rate and social violence in the past half century, namely, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

We need to think of ourselves as brothers and sisters living on one earth — the only habitable globe that we know.

Vic Hao Chin Jr. is the president of the Golden Link College and a past president of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines.

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by JOSELITO B. CENDAÑA

Aurora Borealis she comes from cold part of the earth where the sun is ephemeral the wilderness vast and ever so humbling. in summer she volunteers to fight forest fires. in winter she dances with delight on lake of ice. one evening while listening to the wind of her heart. the northern lights showered spectral colors veil upon veil

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released unearthly music tense as violin strings like flame in the forest, she dreamt of someone to whom she can entrust her sadness, someone to share the vividness of lights.

Presence To gaze at space — To cast my presence Outside a room Full of conversation — To wander as light In early evening chill, and meet a running stream Full of gypsy laughter — Jose Victor Peñaranda was a past vice president of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines.

Gratitude in the Time of Corona

by JOSELITO BELMONTE CENDAÑA

Pandemics are no different from the other 10,000 things. They are our own reflections that are seemingly “out there” and appear exactly as they are so that they can help us evolve, and ultimately awaken.

If the only prayer you say in your whole life is thank you, that will be enough.

MEISTER ECKHART

We are sitting within the Buddha’s heart, releasing ourselves to that aspect of ourselves that deeply belongs to the universe and is grateful for it.

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ZOKETSU NORMAN FISCHER

T was a cloudy afternoon while I was doing

general house-cleaning on its third day, when distressful feelings started to get the better of me. My mentally compromised brother has a naturally benevolent heart which is one reason I often buss him in the cheek to show sibling affection. But the thing is that he messes up our place now and then because he is often not himself. During a low moment that afternoon, I sternly reprimanded him — an unwise, futile and insensitive act because of his pitiable cognitive condition.

But almost straight away after doing so and feeling guilty, the thought of gratitude suddenly crossed my mind out of nowhere. As if taking the cue to check whether the many benefits of gratitude that I have been reading about of late are for real, I tried to give practicing gratitude a try right there and then under the sink dirtied by the poop and pee of our little fellow creatures we call mice and bugs. My poor brother unwittingly invites them to our house by mindlessly scattering his food — which is very often because he eats a lot.

Not that I don’t want them in our place per se, but I have not much of a hygienic choice but to drive them away later just the same which is so difficult and time-consuming.

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So I started to think of the things that I should be grateful for — first being thankful for just being able to breathe. Then for just being healthy enough to work. Then for having a house to live in and clean. And then so on, until it all came to being thankful for just having that moment and very exact circumstances as opportunity for spiritual practice!

In less than a minute I guess, the list of blessings I reminded myself of put the housework that was beginning to get onerous into perspective. With a calmer body and stiller mind, it was all easier to return to the peace of the present moment. I felt charged with positive energy and continued to work in a rather spirited manner until the evening. I had a good night’s sleep that night, and carried on the tidying operation, among other various work, until a few days after. As to my dear brother, he looked as happy as he could be during the past week. Considering that gratitude is freely available to us all the time, what a precious gift it truly is!

I concede that gratitude is a mind state that one would not typically associate with a severe pandemic. But make a quick google search of gratitude, and you can’t miss the info in the site descriptions: Spiritual teachings and scientific research agree that it is during times of uncertainty like this that we need gratitude the most. After all, “Gratitude has bio-psycho-socio-spiritual benefits that are myriad,” as the Psychology Today website puts it.

In this connection, it is a basic Ancient Wisdom teaching that we must be grateful not just when things “go our way.” Like, say, being gifted that pair of Nike shoes we always liked. Or enjoying the day because our neighbor skipped practicing his out-of-tune singing. Instead, we must be grateful at all times — for gratitude, together with the glad acceptance of “what is” that it goes with, opens us to the teachings and opportunities offered by each moment. Of gratitude’s power, Barbara Hebert proffers, “We have the power within ourselves to make a difference in our lives and in the world, simply through our thoughts. Breaking the cycle of negative thinking and replacing it, even slowly, with thoughts of positivity and gratitude can and does make a difference.”

Oh My, Corona! That said, I wish I could practice gratitude unflinchingly regardless

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After all, “Gratitude has bio-psycho-socio-spiritual benefits that are myriad,” as the Psychology Today website puts it. of outer circumstances. Although I might be learning to pull it off with intention more often lately, this certainly is not the norm during the very first moments adverse situations arise. Like, say, when I see a dog run over by a car. Or when my Corel Ventura publishing program crashes all of a sudden with a lot of unsaved work.

This became even more pronounced barely a year ago when it became clear that we have a pandemic that won’t go away soon. Right after our government announced the implementation of nationwide lockdowns and community quarantines, I for all intents and purposes lost my private music teaching job.

I felt sad because my teaching job was not just a source of income that is much needed for lifetime patients in our family, but a source of joy for the opportunities it brings to share life lessons and wisdom teachings with my beloved students. That access to health care services, among other basic needs, had suddenly become difficult not only for my mentally ill brother and colon-cancer stricken brother-in-law but sickly rescued-animal companions when pet clinics closed would cause me great concern not just for my circle of care but for all the others in our world who must be similarly affected.

And that was just the start of many problems.

Thank You, Corona! But sitting in meditation more often helped bring me back to the peaceful stillness of “Every day is a good day,” as the Zen koan puts it. And in the same way that we eventually settle down into the silent flow of mindful breathing during our meditation sits even when we feel discomfort in our bodies, I soon settled down into the rhythm of a new way of doing things. Then like sunlight permitted to come in by opening our bedroom window, all the love and wisdom in what had been happening that were only vaguely at the back of my mind and mostly a matter of faith during corona’s arrival just came shining to the fore.

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I thanked Covid-19 for being a caring part of us, lovingly coaxing us to see that many of the things we do as a species are unwise — much like disease in our bodies often tells us that certain choices we make are bad for our health.

Being one with it, the Universe always gives us what is best for us. And so it sent corona!

Of course, we feel the pain of our world, especially when we see images of the suffering going on around us — whether in our screen devices, or in real life. It breaks my heart every time I take a peek at the Healthline Daily News update to see how many are dying every day due to corona. And when I hear news like 3 billion animals have been killed or displaced in the Australian bushfires. When I watched a vid shared just a few months ago by a dharma brother showing a herd of thousands of sheep spectacularly being led through a suburban street in China so that they can be transported to The Netherlands as a gift, tears welled in my eyes. Those meek, innocent-looking evolutionarily younger brethren in the animal kingdom of ours looked happy while they were loping there, while oblivious of the horrific cruelty of the wool industry that they will soon experience.

But when we are reminded of our deepest reality, we can only be grateful that pain and everything eventually pass away in our phenomenal world after serving its karmic, ultimately beneficent, and often educative, purpose.

Indulge me this affirmation that never fails to soothe me and my loved ones: The mother of all blessings is that Love is always here with us in the here and now — even in the thick of pain, disease, loss and yes, corona, which are among its expressions. And it never goes away because it is us! This is a glorious reality that opens up to us more fully once we go through that doorway we call “death,” and for those of us who are blessed, when we have a glimpse of our true nature.

Oneness. From a sitting position, I can see the skies and clouds through my bedroom

window. It was during one such moment of looking at them that the reflection arose: How fascinating pandemics come to us like gurus holding mirrors before us to show us who we really are. Perhaps not at once our essential nature, but self-images that give us clues of what we are missing in our pursuit of finding ourselves. Of how Covid-19 is teaching us lessons that no amount of research about the unity of all life, impermanence, suffering, and the like can, because these lessons are presented to us in a way that we can see more clearly that our wounded world is us.

Pandemics are no different from the other 10,000 things, I thought. They are our own reflections that are seemingly “out there” and appear exactly as they are so that they can help us evolve, and ultimately awaken!

I thanked Covid-19 for being a caring part of us, lovingly coaxing us to see that many of the things we do as a species are unwise— much like disease in our bodies often tells us that certain choices we make are bad for our health. I stood up and bowed in awe and reverence before our great teacher.

My nephew and family of four that includes a baby and a toddler just moved in to my place. Parents and family elders often think of the kind of world we will pass on to our children and future generations. Seeing how the pandemic has transformed much of our world so that we have been freed from many of our attachments and that we can see more plainly how interconnected we all are, there is now greater hope that we can create a better future for posterity.

We now know that among the many precious lessons of love that the corona experience is teaching us humans today is that our propensity to consume more than we need, as well as

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indifference to the pain and suffering of other sentient beings, will only ultimately hurt us.

Human overconsumption and animal agriculture are the primary drivers of deforestation the world over, a devastasting human activity that is the biggest reason why killer viruses in wildlife get to us more easily (see my article, “Befriending the Coronavirus” published in the December 2020 issue of The Theosophist for a more detailed explanation).

It was while in Current Events class during my Grade 6 days in the nun-run Dominican School that I first heard about how overconsumption leads to environmental stress from our teacher Sr. Guadalupe. We take from Mother Nature way more than she can replenish herself, she would say. I can’t recall whether she gave pertinent stats back in the day though. All I know now is that according to the Ecological Footprint website, “It takes the Earth one year and eight months to regenerate what we use in one year.” This is already bad in itself. Now, we are learning that it is also causing severe pandemics.

I have seen firsthand how the monastic values that nun teachers impart on their students help shape life decisions of living a single (if not monastic) life and embracing the all-compassionate, plant-based diet. During alumni homecomings through the decades, my Grade 6 seatmate and other classmates who made these choices have shared how you get so stigmatized and marginalized after making these hard decisions that you begin to doubt their wisdom. The current pandemic as well as the ecological crisis that is impinging on us strike me as the Divine’s way of saying clearly that listening to such callings count for something. I feel happy now for my classmates — and thankful for that blessing.

In connection with this, I am grateful how

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Seeing how the pandemic has transformed much of our world so that we have been freed from many of our attachments and that we can see more plainly how interconnected we all are, there is now greater hope that we can create a better future for posterity. our corona experience has been showing us in our family — both biological and universal — that we really don’t need many of the things that we have been consuming before the lockdowns began. Yes, we can do without that extra can of Fita biscuits. Or those occasional pricey veggies and fruits like cauliflower and grapes. Or even that monthly haircut or occasional outing.

Corona is helping us humans awaken collectively to the wider reality of “we” after slumbering for so long in the reality of “me.” The need to wear our face masks not only for ourselves but for all others in our world speaks volumes about the unity of all life. Even the coronavirus is not an “enemy” any more than we are to ourselves. As long as we feed the illusion of separation that ails us and is the root of all our social and ecological problems, we cannot hope for a lasting remedy for the worsening ills in our world. How blessed we are to be reminded of our Oneness so emphatically by corona!

Impermanence. Another blessing that Covid-19 is bestowing on us that I am thankful for is that it is making us more aware of impermanence as an intrinsic part of our earthly existence. The Cat Stevens song, “Morning Has Broken” that a Zen roshi used for one of her recent teishos to celebrate the dawn of a new age in our collective spiritual evolution still often ring in my ears. But for impermanence, the Kansas band’s “Dust in the Wind” comes to mind. When we are reminded of how fleeting and fragile all worldly things are, we tend to cling less to them, and this often saves us a lot of future suffering.

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Beyond the Veil: Occultism as Knowledge, Perception and Service

by FERDINAND ARTHUR P. YULO

U

nveiling Unseen Dimensions. We

normally assume that the physical world constitutes the “real world.” The shroud of surface appearances is so convincing that we remain oblivious to non-physical realities beyond the phenomenal world of objects, persons, events, movement, linear time and 3-dimensional space. Nature, encompassing the visible and invisible worlds and often personified as the goddess Isis, covers herself with a dark veil representing the inaccessibility of Nature’s secrets which are essentially incomprehensible and incommunicable. “For Isis is but a symbol of Nature,” HP Blavatsky would say, “but they see only her physical forms. The soul within escapes their view and the Divine Mother has no answer for them.”

Is there anything beyond the range of our ordinary sense perceptions? Shakespeare’s Hamlet reveals the clue: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince affirms with the famous line “It is only through the heart that one can see. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” We need therefore to keep questioning our own perceptual reality and deep-seated beliefs because presumption impairs our vision of truth. “What gets us into

trouble,” Mark Twain said “is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.”

The admonition of CW Leadbeater concerns everyone: “We must beware of falling into the fatally common error of supposing that what we see is all there is to see” (The Astral Plane, 1895). How true. Myriad occult realities exist but are not usually known, sensed or recognized. For most people however, “occultism” is a convoluted area of interest. It means the strange, the wicked and the bizarre. It conjures in the collective psyche images of a fortune teller in a darkened room gazing at a crystal ball and making “readings” for her clients, a séance room of round-table “sitters” with a “medium” summoning a spirit of the “departed” for the solace of the bereaved, curious youngsters playing “spirit of the glass” and dabbling with “The Other Side” through an Ouija board, and ceremonial magic, satanic rituals, demonic phenomena, voodoo, “ghost apparitions”, house hauntings, sorcery, divination, witchcraft, magic(k) and the so called “black arts.”

Mainstream media and the film industry, among others, have greatly influenced how the occult has been stereotypically portrayed.

Altruism is the hallmark of Genuine Occultism. . . . May we become true theosophists inspired by Divine Wisdom, Selfless Compassion, and the Higher Life.

From spine-chilling films as the Blair Witch Project, The Exorcist, Evil Dead, The Ring, Ouija: Origin Of Evil, etc. to the glamorization of “harmless occultism” for mass entertainment as the Harry Potter series, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Doctor Strange, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the occult has always been sensationalized to capture the public imagination while infuriating our traditional religious sensibilities. The subject of “occultism” also makes us uneasy due to the censure of Institutional Religion condemning it as “abominable” and “anti-Christ” and hence a forbidden area which leaves everyone badly informed due to closed-minded preconceptions, a lack of true understanding and misleading information learned from the wrong sources.

For this reason, the term is a derogatory label that denigrate and marginalize those against whom they are used. But this is an unfortunate distortion of occultism as such. Not only has mainstream media and guilt complex been part of the collective conditioning but perhaps we are responsible for our parochial prejudices against such an intrinsic area of human life.

Like the witch trials of 16th and 17th-century Europe, we have arrested, tortured and executed the “controversial witch” of “occultism” without even fairly investigating the “case” nor

granting due process in the Supreme Court of Reason, Wisdom, Discernment and Impartiality. As Aldous Huxley said, “Most ignorance is vincible ignorance. We don’t know because we don’t want to know.”

“Occult” simply comes from the Latin adjective occultus, which means “hidden from sight” and from the Latin verb occultare meaning “to hide; to conceal; to keep secret.” The term is also synonymous to “esoteric” (Greek: esoterikos meaning “within,” or “inside of” in contrast to exoterikos meaning “outside of”) and “ocular” (Latin: oculus meaning “eye”) implying the importance of “clear seeing” and penetrative perception in occult practice. Thus medical professionals who perform autopsies speak about “occult blood,” blood which does not gush out of the body or remains hidden in the veins while astronomers speak of “occultation” which means that a star or heavenly body cannot be fully viewed through a telescope because something is hiding it from view.

Likewise metaphysicians speak about “occult knowledge,” knowledge beyond the purview of common people. “Mysticism” (from Greek: muo, “to conceal”), though distinct, is related to occultism only in the sense of what C. Jinarajadasa described as the “immediate apprehension of the sacred, the holy, the divine” which

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by nature is highly imperceptible or “hidden” from ordinary sense perceptions unless one is a mystikos – a “mystic” (i.e, one who experiences direct union with Transcendental Reality). By understanding these terms better, we demystify “occultism” and “esotericism,” recover their primordial meaning and reclaim their rightful place in our lives with “an open mind” and “an eager intellect.” In the process, we separate the myths from the facts as we realize the legitimate value of True Occultism or “Sensible Occultism.”

Everything in Nature has EXO-teric (outer, visible, known) and ESO-teric (inner, invisible, unknown) dimensions. Theoretical physicist David Bohm described this ontological mutuality in terms of his system of “Explicate Order” (the manifest) and “Implicate Order” (the unmanifest). For example: (1) Man – microcosm of the macrocosm – constitutes both visible (bodily form) and invisible aspects of being (soul, spirit, monadic spark), (2) The universe – macrocosm of the microcosm – is 70 % “Dark Energy,” and “Dark Matter” comprises 25 % of the energy density of the universe (“dark” meaning unknown yet indirectly verifiable). Only a fraction of the universe is “visible matter” perceived by the naked eye and known to the human mind consisting of only 0.01% of the entire universe. The rest are imperceptible Sentience, Consciousness and cosmic- metaphysical laws at work. As Sir Arthur Eddington said “something Unknown is doing we don’t know what.”

From EXOteric - ESOteric Nature derive the major tenets of occultism thus: (1) We live in a multidimensional universe. We are immersed in an ocean of metaphysical realities. There are nonphysical worlds beyond the reach of

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Myriad occult realities exist but are not usually known, sensed or recognized. the five senses, realms other than our familiar surroundings; (2) The universe is structured in layers of creation, from superficial to more fundamental, from the infinitely vast to the infinitesimally small, from the grossest physical forms to the subtlest Primordial Spirit.

We live in an interconnected cosmic matrix of worlds within worlds within worlds, ad infinitum; (3) These non-physical realms are as real as the physical world itself; (4) Human consciousness can and does operate in these nonphysical worlds to various degrees and extents, (5) Knowledge is different in different states of consciousness; hence (6) Reality is different in different levels of consciousness.

These tenets – known to mystics, seers and sages since ancient times – can no longer be relegated to the “superstitious” and “irrational.” Modern science is now validating many of these “secrets of Nature” through Quantum Mechanics, Modern Cosmology, Parapsychology, Consciousness Studies, NDE and OBE Research, and so forth.

In summary: “the world of everyday life is only a small part of the real world. The Real World is at once vaster, more coherent, hierarchically organized and meaningful with intricate patterns of correspondence and relationships” (HP Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Volume I). We are engulfed in a multi-dimensional matrix from the lowest Physical to the Astral, Mental, Buddhic, Atmic, Monadic and Divine levels of Micro-Macrocosmic Reality.

The Esoteric Philosophy describes this scalar multidimensionality as “planes” of existence” or the “seven-skinned eternal Mother-Father” which corresponds to the constitution of Man as microcosm of the macrocosm. While there may be disagreements among scientists and metaphysicians as to the actual number of “realms,” nevertheless they reveal that ours is an immense universe definitely made not just of gross matter but occult realities as well.

As renowned “sleeping prophet” Edgar Cayce said: “For the earth is only an atom in the universe of worlds.”

Supersensory Knowledge and Perception. The essence of occultism, disrobed from

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its appalling stereotypes, is intimate knowledge of the “silent” yet potent secrets of the universe. CW Leadbeater gives this complete description: “How shall we define occultism? . . . It is the study of the hidden laws of Nature. Since all the great laws of Nature are in fact working in the invisible world far more than in the visible, occultism involves the acceptance of a much wider view of Nature than that which is ordinarily taken. The occultist then is a man who studies all the laws of Nature that he can reach or of which he can hear, and as a result of his study he identifies himself with these laws and devotes his life to the service of evolution.” As a body of Knowledge, therefore, occultism is the progeny of Theosophia, the nectar of Universal Divine Wisdom contained within the world’s religious, spiritual, scientific and philosophical systems beyond their exoteric forms and expressions. Like pure milk extracted from

Occultism involves the acceptance of a much wider view of Nature than that which is ordinarily taken. different coconuts, it is the essence of Primordial Truth from the Tree of Life itself.

The “secrets of the universe” are the hidden side of Nature, the “unmanifest background” of all the potencies, intelligences and energies constantly at work within the World Of Manifestation. They are the very forces of our multidimensional universe that preserve and nurture Life, Balance, Harmony and Equilibrium. On the physical level, they are the scientific laws of visible Nature as Newton’s Law Of Gravity and Laws Of Motion, the Law Of Entropy, the Laws Of Thermodynamics, the laws of Einstein’s Relativity Theory, Boyle’s Law Of Gases, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and all the “laws” of science from Astronomy to Zoology. More important, however, are the fundamental laws of the metaphysical universe, sentient organizing forces discerned by the yogis, mystics and occultists since ancient times the truths of which are preserved for generations by the Esoteric Philosophy and the Occult Sciences. What are these “hidden laws” governing the fabric of Nature? They include – but are

not limited to – the Seven Hermetic Laws (Kybalion), the Law of Causality (karma), the Law of Periodicity (cycles), the Law of Attraction, the Law of Oneness, the Law of Polarity, the Law of Continuous Change and Evolutionary Unfoldment, the Law of Numbers (One, Three, Four, Seven, etc.). They are also expressed in the principles of Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, Hermeticism, alchemy, theurgy, Kabbalah, Neoplatonism, Pythagoreanism, paganism, the mystery religions of antiquity, Eastern and Western esotericism and mysticism and even of shamanism and the indigenous religions. In a nutshell, “the distilled wisdom of the human race” (Huston Smith).

It is evident, from the aforementioned, that occultism comprises the Major Arcana (knowledge of the Macrocosmos) and the Minor Arcana (knowledge of the Microcosmos) – the Foundational Ageless Wisdom that embodies all the mysteries of Life and Existence. In the Mystery Religions, these correspond to the “Greater Mysteries” (truths for the select few) and the “Lesser Mysteries” (truths for the public) not because the latter is less important than the former but because the scope of Knowledge from either contrast and distinguish, by degree, those belonging to the Outer Circle of common folks from the Inner Circle of advanced initiates. The “arcana” refers to esoteric wisdom unknown to the uncaring crowd, a rarefied knowledge of the highest order which, like the Golden Key of Solomon, unlocks the vault of the universe unto That Which Ought To Be Known – Nature’s First Principles or Ultimate Reality itself. This esoteric knowledge – what in The (continued on page 21)

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What Moves You

by MARIA FLOR K. GARCIA

I can only invite you to step into an experience of a lifetime. Any thought in you that resonates with this piece may be a starting point for you. Pursue it.

I

t will be noted that what moves one is always prompted by a certain compelling desire to experience life. At its grandest, life is like fireworks, a euphoria mixed with feelings of immortality. At its worst, life is like the tar pits, a deathtrap to the dinosaurs and to the despairing. One feels in step with something and forges ahead while another one wonders why he was ever born.

Each person also moves according to certain value systems, ranging from the deeply personal belief system to the universal spiritual system. Since we are social beings, we also develop a value system within the value systems of family or clan, community, country and all the way up to international value systems.

We also move according to ingrained responses generated by conventional influences and life experiences. These can range from the very basic instinct for survival all the way to the winner-takes-all kind. External influences generate automatic or conditioned responses from within the person. Childhood experiences subconsciously mark one through-

out life. Not wanting to look deeper, we sum them up as human nature or the human condition.

Amidst this complex and interwoven fabric of life, we are at times aware of an inner voice that makes itself heard regardless of any outside influence or dictate of convention.

Some call it conscience. Others call it soul.

Students of theosophy call it intuition. Sages trace it to a Divine Impulse. Call it what you may, this impulse rules us as well as the planets, the vast solar system and worlds beyond ours ad infinitum. As what happens at times like this, this simple soul is moved to endeavor to explain the unexplainable.

This impulse is a Law of Nature. Man may create according to his individual will, yet the underlying natural impulse that I speak of has timelessly and effortlessly taken on such singular creations and whipped up storms of like creations that can protect a solitary individual as well as bring down an empire. The irony is that a manifestation of this impulse such as a mighty typhoon compels the unaware to implore of the same mighty impulse

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that the prayerful one be spared.

This impulse is as much a part of man-made creations as it is a force unto itself. As I write, I am moved by the energy of such impulse to capture a moment of infinity. It is like trying to catch an infinitesimal shard of splintering glass before it touches the ground or hear the whispered breath of a lion just before he moves in for the kill, his prey totally unaware of the life to be taken from him.

Eckhart Tolle speaks of the ever present now, while Gary Zukav presents a whole book on the exquisite physics of the whirling dervishes to present a whole new way of looking at things. By fusing the material with the non-material, another level of existence is

to one’s value system and automatic predispositions. What if one steps back for one second before giving in to the automatic response?

What if having automatically responded, one belatedly takes a step back and asks, now why in the infernal fire of the bowels of the earth did I act that way? The answer no matter how simple or complex will immediately open up a whole new world of options.

This is where this piece of finger-typed intellectual disquisition comes in. Dear reader, those split second thoughts count as part of the journey of awareness. They are snatches of infinity that will most surely count in the final tally of steps taken in this incarnation towards immortality. The sages tell us that

That is what the underlying impulse is. It is the vibration of combined matter and spirit murmuring in the deep waters. It is a movement of that singular impulse that gave rise to you and me, and has driven all of current manifestation. brought to light by these modern thinkers.

Each one tries to capture that incredible dimension that can never be captured physically but definitely experienced in this life. They echo true wisdom already brimming from the past.

For that is what the underlying impulse is. It is the vibration of combined matter and spirit murmuring in the deep waters. It is a movement of that singular impulse that gave rise to you and me, and has driven all of current manifestation.

Ah, one might ask, and how is that going to help to survive the challenges of life of an ordinary, mundane, speck of sand upon the shores of this finite world? How useful would knowledge of such impulse be, when unseen and unheard yet compelling enough that one simply moves forward?

Thing is, sages of the past have already spoken of the simple act of awareness as the key to it all. This awareness pertains to the self, the self in all its coats of many colors.

Awareness is a journey of many miles. That journey is by itself an act of self-discovery and self-knowledge. As one opens himself up to stimuli as they present themselves to the senses, one instantaneously reacts according

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when the physical body and its accompanying astral sheaths are discarded at the end of a physical incarnation, it is the non-physical sheath of the highermost self that carries all significant lifetime lessons and saving graces that shall be added onto the eternal spark within each one. Why not add to this eternal spark rather than accumulate the utmost physical desires of the ordinary material heart that will perish when one ceases to be here?

The most wonderful thing to be considered is that that eternal spark comes from the same source as all of manifestation. It is the single most common denominator as well as the single most common multiple in all equations of life. Long have we been told that we are spiritual beings living a mortal physical life. This spiritual level of origin is the Divine framework that underlies the order of the Universe, the music of the spheres, and the co-existing real-life dimensions of both the seen as well as the unseen worlds. Long conditioned by the senses, we persist in living in the splintered world simply because we are unaware.

Now, with the notion of that fundamental foundation and origin pervading all of life, it is only our automatic mind and self-focus

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Sages of the past have already spoken of the simple act of awareness as the key to it all. that makes us think rather illogically, that one is more or less than the other, or that a mustard seed is less than the beauty of a gem.

How can there be lesser or more when all are one because one came from the same origin, in Spirit? More challenging, what if we took another path of thought, a path of discovery?

Every path gains significance of the highest order when one starts with correct knowledge.

The greatest of all teachers, the Buddha, has pointed out the way. But what constitutes the first step towards right knowledge? One has to study, research, explore for when one knocks, the door will be opened. Or, at its most elementary, one could start with the observation of one’s own self: I am seated on a chair. My hands rest upon the keyboard of my laptop. I hear the thunder in the distance.

I feel the wind on my skin. I peer through my eyelashes, finely divided to allow me to see my world, yet sufficiently anchored on nerves that will automatically close my eyes should some wayward dust touch it.

Hold it, the wise alecks will say, you might go crazy. Then try meditation. Too esoteric?

Then why not research on the wisdom of the ages without regard to creed. At least try.

I begin to type out that I feel a message coming in and as if on cue, my cell phone pings. And the message of my friend halfway around the world? A meme, “I don’t like to think before I speak. I like to be just as surprised as everyone else about what will come out of my mouth.” How timely, isn’t it? What a seeming coincidence, right? Yet, this is what awareness brings with it. Precognition?

Psychic abilities? Miracles? Hey, we accept instances of a mother’s instinct or a gut feel or an impending sense of doom that makes one step out of the way of a wayward car. So why not untimely or wayward or even second thoughts that gives one pause?

Sages gently withhold comment when ordinary mortals are awed by seemingly incredible strokes of genius or feats of valor when all seems lost, or at those amazing rescues from

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death and destruction when succor suddenly appeared as if from nowhere. They know better. The wise ones do speak of latent powers of man. These powers reside in every one, subject only to the law of karma. In other words, what one sows one shall reap. One will get his or her own just rewards. Seek the Light for there is truth to the sacred verse that says “Seek ye the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything will come unto you.”

The truth is that purity of awareness, impelled as it is by the Divine impulse, begets widening dimensions or levels of awareness.

As one’s awareness, widens, the past, present and future seem to come together for indeed time is man-made. Awareness is not manmade rather that it was made for man to discover more in this life.

The path of awareness is a path of building blocks in preparation for a better life to come.

It is the only journey in this lifetime that will have lasting consequence for one’s Spirit. In fact, awareness brings a wider picture to seemingly mysterious or unexplainable events in one’s life. Science shakes its head at congenital physical and incurable conditions, sociologists study disparity in means at birth, economists reduce to quadratic formulae seeming unfairness in wealth opportunities.

Many have faced situations that makes one rail against the heavens. Awareness, taken to heart, dries the tears and stills the tongue, for a new light dawns with a spiritual perspective.

The fruits of our labor in awareness will qualify us for the next journey that the Spirit desires to experience. In fact, one may wish for anything, except that one might actually get it. Then what?

Every effort counts. We have been told that when a developing Spirit meets favorable karma from previous lifetimes of effort, the

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Gratitude in the Time of Corona (continued from page 17)

incredible happens. You see, the impulse threads itself through lifetimes of incarnations and merits harvested. No wonder the prodigy comes out. The child genius is born.

The great leader is chosen. The ordinary is propelled towards the extraordinary. The mundane is raised to the highest of vibrations.

Darkness is dispelled and light pours through.

And why is this so? Another law of nature is like attracts like for bonds forged in the Spirit remain regardless of limitations of the both the seen and unseen worlds. There is unity in numbers in the physical world but in the world of the Spirit, there is only One.

Seek the Light for there is truth to the sacred verse that says “Seek ye the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything will come unto you.”

There is a resulting resonance in the universal experience of awareness as like responds to like, balance responds to imbalance, and karmic justice responds to calm the roiling waters of man’s inhumanity to man, and heals the wounds of war and strife.

So what moves you? The matters rests entirely with you. In this nursery school, I can only invite you to step into an experience of a lifetime. Any thought in you that resonates with this piece may be a starting point for you. Pursue it. Assuredly as like attracts like and karma meets a developing Spirit, we have already met and you will meet fellow travellers who can assist. Once inscrutable books will open themselves up to you. I can assure you from personal experience, it is going to be infinitely all right. Namaste.

Maria Flor Garcia is the President of the Vidya Lodge of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines.

What blessing it is to be freed from the lure of things that distract us from the more meaningful ones in life. Like quality time for the child who is lacking in attention instead of that higher pay that is not really necessary. Or free spiritual practice that gives us more lasting happiness instead of costly entertainments that only provide ephemeral pleasures. Or compassionate work that makes us feel more connected with who we really are instead of efforts to become famous or powerful that only reinforce our illusion of a false separate self. What does it all count that we gain many things of this world at the expense of what matters and lasts more if we can lose them so easily?

Seeing more plainly how perishable things can be here today and gone tomorrow also makes me reflect more deeply on our own mortality. As a senior citizen with underlying medical conditions who has to regularly go outside for hours to buy things at the market, grocery, pet clinic, and pharmacy, among other often crammed places, the thought of possible death has been a frequent companion of late. I am grateful to be reminded of the wise advice to live each day of our lives as if it is our last. But death does not appear as real as it used to be once we experience through our deepest moments of meditation practice that we really are not an entity in space and time. That the opposite of death is birth, for Life simply is.

On another note, I found wise Zen humor when I read about what Shunryu Suzuki Roshi said before he passed away. The words make us grateful about our mortality itself.

“We should be very grateful to have a limited body, like mine, or like yours,” he said.

“If you had a limitless life, it would be a real problem for you.” I’m sure we all agree!

Deeper Healing. Still another blessing brought about by the pandemic and lockdowns is that we are being given more time for our inner lives while we are forced to confine ourselves to our homes for longer than usual. As an aside, we are being shown how important it is to slow down as our planet is actually mending in proportion to our

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shifting from unnecessary human “doing” to mindful human “being.” It has been reported in almost every country that skies are bluer, landscapes greener, and waters clearer as a result of this shift that we hope will last.

I sometimes go to the azotea to take a breather from my daily round. From there, I can see — and even smell — lush vegetation that include coconut and banana trees growing in the untended vacant lot right next to my house. It feels good “being”with nature.

But during one moment of reflection in that place of retreat, I grieved for the loss of much of our world’s rainforests — 85% already, according to one green site.

While the futile use of our power to acquire things of this world to fill that infinite void we feel is ruinous to our planet, our inner power that connects us with all things gives us a sense of wholeness which engenders greater love and compassion. Destroying nature, we

have converted medicine into poison, I momentarily thought. But somehow, you can’t just miss the silent whisper of “All is well” when we are with nature. Those flowers at the lot untended because of corona. They dance in joy with the universe! A moment worth a lifetime!

It is interesting to note that for a long time before the lockdowns began, there has been a gradually expanding worldwide movement that advocates a cultural shift toward slowing down life’s pace called the Slow Movement.

(I gratefully read news that the largest international event of the Slow Food Movement — one of the many outgrowths of the Slow Movement — was launched in the Philippines recently and is doing quite well.) The Slow Movement is one reason Buddhism is the fastest growing religion in the world today. It aims to address the problem of time poverty

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through slowing down and making connections. Just imagine what enormous blessing Covid-19 has brought us by not just slowing down global frenetic human activity but virtually putting it to a standstill!

To date, more than 108 million have been infected by the virus and more than 2.3 million have lost their lives. But we are healing in a deeper and more important way. More people are realizing that we cannot hope for a better world while we remain the same as before. That we need to expand our circle of love — or else.

The truth is crises like this rouse our inherent loving nature, and we only need to allow that nature to unfold. It is a cause for gratitude that our innate human goodness is being affirmed today by the inspiring heroic efforts of health workers and volunteers, the generous acts of wealthy individuals and corporations, the selfless service and compassionate work of cause-oriented groups and intentional communities, and even the emotional and other forms of support given to others by the everyman.

Walking On. There are so many other blessings brought about by corona that I can easily be grateful for — all our pain that serve to guide and teach notwithstanding. Count among these our evolutionarily important learning exercise in adapting to global crises; lower crime rates because maybe there is not much to steal these days anyway or perhaps gangsters are just plain afraid of the virus; more opportunities to appreciate home-cooked meals like the one with monggo, malunggay and kalabasa that my niece-in-law loves to cook for me because I like the way she cooks it; the new bit of information that professional basketball leaguers can actually play in bubbles; and a lot of others, that I can go on and on. But the blessing that I value the most is the opportunity for mystical practice that each moment of corona and life at large presents. As Covid-19 and the myriad things earnestly invite us to awaken for “they” are us, I can only respond with gratitude, and continue walking the inner path — so that one fine day or perhaps one cloudy afternoon, I can fulfill my bodhisattva vow of liberating all beings.

Joselito Belmonte Cendaña is the editor of Peace Ideas.

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The Philippine Theosophist

Beyond the Veil: Occultism . . . continued from page. 21

Golden Stairs is called Gupta Vidya (Secret Science) is summarized in the Three Propositions of The Secret Doctrine from which all the principles of Nature flow as they are “the very heart of occultism, for they awaken the godlike in us and show the universe as a vast organism of which all the kingdoms, from the electron up to the highest god, are the integral evolving parts” (Exploring Theosophy, a publication by the Theosophical Society, Pasadena California).

Supersensory Perception is the flaming sword that cuts through surface appearances and sees right into “the heart of things.”

Everyone has this capacity to perceive beyond their physical senses. “There slumbers in every human being,” Rudolf Steiner said, “Faculties by means of which he can acquire for himself a knowledge of higher worlds.” In fact, as we further evolve from the current Fifth Root Race of humanity (governed by 5 senses) toward the emerging Sixth Root Race of “6th-sense sensitives,” we are reclaiming dynamic modes of processing sensory information not just through the doors of the five senses but from the penetrative vision of our intuitive soul. Though dormant in many, this divine capacity of amplified perception is innate in each of us since our bodily sense-faculties have their own “psychic counterparts” which can cut through “impervious” surface appearances and enhance Holistic Perception. clairvoyance (French: clair: clear + “voir”: to see) expands our visual sense, clairaudience our auditory sense, clairsentience our tactile sense, clairgustance our gustative sense, clairofactance our olfactory sense. It also includes, among many others, trans-somato-sensory faculties as telepathy – transmitting to or receiving thoughts, feelings and other transphysical “information” (consciously or unconsciously) from the mind of another person from a distance; psychometry – “reading” the history of an object or location as well as the people and events associated with it; dowsing – magnetic sensing of hidden objects or natural resources; precognition – sensing information about objects, persons or events still to happen in the future; and retrocognition – being aware of objects, persons and events that have already happened in the past. Moreover, occult perception does not

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necessarily mean having an opened “third eye” and seeing ghosts and spooks everywhere. It is essentially the spiritual vision to cognize Occult Truth – the First Principles of Nature herself – which is the true meaning of “clairvoyance” (clear + seeing). Understood in this sense, “clairvoyance” means “lucid insight” (i.e, “sight from within”), a self-transforming shift in consciousness that has seen the Light.

The world is stranger than we think it is.

Hence, “it is the commonest of mistakes,” CW Leadbeater said “to consider that the limit of our power of perception is also the limit of all there is to perceive.” Consider, for instance, a typical object as a table. We usually recognize objects in terms of their physical qualities such as shape, color, size, weight, location, function, etc. We are so immersed in the ocean of familiarity, ignoring multifaceted enchantment in our lives. But is a table “just a table?” Beyond its sensory characteristics is an unseen dimension of immense Mystery. A table is noticeable but can we also perceive the “hidden side” of it? What about the “energy field” or “aura” of the table? Or the paranormal history, for example, of an antique table in terms of the energies it “absorbed” from or were “imprinted” upon it by its previous owner(s)? What about the “loud vibrations” of its infinitesimal atoms and subatomic particles – vortexes of pure sentient energy – ceaselessly swirling in and around it? Can we even perceive the deeper aspects of its “presence,” “hear” the soundless sound of its unceasing vibration or “feel” the throb of its “life”? A table seems lifeless, silent and motionless but it is never at “rest.” “We men must remember,” HP Blavatsky said, “that, simply because we do not perceive any signs which we can recognize of consciousness, say, in stones, we have no right to say that no consciousness exists

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there. There is no such thing as either ‘dead’ or ‘blind’ matter.” O Hidden Life vibrant in every atom! Occult realities elude our senses only because they vibrate at extremely high frequencies beyond the range of the physical sphere just as the blades of an electric fan become “invisible” when it spins at ultrahigh speed. As Mme. Blavatsky says in The Secret Doctrine, Volume I: “It is a fundamental law in occultism that there is no rest or cessation of motion in Nature.” Hermeticism’s Law of Vibration says the same: “Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.”

Matter is merely imperceptible energy in a state of intense vibration. This means that “solidity” is an illusion (maya) and that the veil of “physical” reality is highly permeable.

Extrasensory Perception can therefore be applied to anything such as rocks, plants, trees, animals, persons, objects, places, events, the earth, the sky and all of visible and invisible Nature. Even the way we recognize ourselves

We live in an interconnected cosmic matrix of worlds within worlds within worlds, ad infinitum. transforms as we glimpse our magnificence as luminous “fragments of the Divine” beyond just having a personal Body-Mind. We need to reawaken a lingering sense of Curiosity, Awe and Reverence in whatever we perceive because everything is shrouded in Mystery and Magic. We need to recalibrate the lens of our perception to accurately correspond with the way things really are and not the way we merely see them. How different a re-enchanted world would appear to us if we can discern The Real beyond the illusions of The Unreal. As Mabel Collins reveals in Idyll Of The White Lotus: “IT is something that cannot be heard, which cannot be held, which cannot be spoken about and yet it can be perceived by he who desires Perception.”

Many prominent theosophists had this gift of “perception” among many occultists in history. For example, HP Blavatsky had paranormal powers of reading sealed letters, teleportation, thought-reading, apportation or materializations of objects, changing the weight of furniture or persons at will, and so forth. Also, the clairvoyant investigations of

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Dr. Annie Besant and CW Leadbeater into the structure of matter itself, identifying the physical properties of every then-known chemical element. They penetrated their consciousness deep into salt crystals, metals, water and other substances through “microscopic vision” of their isotopic, atomic and subatomic configurations then documented their extrasensory observations in the book, Occult Chemistry. Worth mentioning are also the clairvoyant investigations of Geoffrey Hodson on fairies, angels, magnetic fields, cancer cells and disease, the esoteric dimension of music, prenatal life, etc. “Inquire of the earth, the air and the water of the secrets they hold for you,” Mabel Collin’s Light On the Path would say, “the development of your inner senses will enable you to do this.”

Altruism’s Preeminence. Although Occult Knowledge is neutral, it is an endowment of promethean Power upon those who possess it. This inevitably raises the question as to HOW this “knowledge” is being used by whom and for what purpose(s). Just like a hammer which can be used for building a house or bringing it down, knowledge is only an instrument that can likewise be used for the forces of Light or Darkness as allegorically portrayed in the Star Wars saga. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader knew about “The Force” but both used it differently. Hence, Mme. Blavatsky cautions: “As a rule, Occultism is a dangerous, double-edged weapon for one to handle, who is unprepared to devote his whole life to it” (Collected Writings, Volume I).

It is what we do therefore with what we know that determines the nature of occultism we pursue and the path of occultism we follow. But more than this, it is who we are within that truthfully describes us and not the erudition we gained by years of intellectual study or profound experiences of Nature’s “secrets.” The Path of Occultism requires only the highest standards of personal sanctity. As Rudolf Steiner said: “For every one step that

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you take in the pursuit of higher knowledge, take three steps in the perfection of your own character.” The pivotal element within us is INTENTION which alone differentiates the application of occult knowledge into the Left Hand Path of the Black Magicians (“Brethren of the Shadow”) from the Right Hand Path of the White Magicians (“Brethren of the Light”). Light Occultism is beneficent service while Dark Occultism is maleficent disservice. The former, using White Magic, is founded upon Character, Integrity, Purity of Life, Benevolence, Altruism and Virtue while the latter, using the methods of Black Magic, is driven by personal Supremacy, Manipulation, Malevolence, lust for Power and vicious Evil. Gray Magic,” on the other hand, is “not performed for specifically beneficial reasons but is also not focused toward completely hostile practices” (Smoley, R. & Kinney, J (2006), Hidden Wisdom: A Guide To The Western Inner Traditions). While others believe these distinctions are really “unnecessary,” it still differentiates between Malevolent and Beneficent Occultism. Magic is the application of Occult Knowledge and hence it is occultism’s practical tool. In its purest sense, it simply means “INFLUENCE.” In entertainment magic, it means inducing the audience to believe their sense perceptions through “tricks’ and illusion. In occult magic it is applying the Esoteric Philosophy whilst accessing Supreme Source and harnessing the finer forces and potencies of Nature from the Unmanifest World to generate “effects” in the world of Manifestation (affecting things, persons, circumstances, events, etc.). It is “the science of communicating with and directing supernal, supramundane Potencies as well as of commanding those of the lower spheres.” (HP Blavatsky, Theosophical Glossary). Genuine occultists

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Human consciousness can and does operate in these nonphysical worlds to various degrees and extents. accomplish this by utilizing one or more of Nature’s vital resources of Atoms, Light, Heat, Sound, Word(s), Numbers, Symbols, Color, Vibration, Electromagnetism, Correspondence, Multidimensionality, Patterns, Qi or Prana, the Cardinal Directions, Energy, Thought, Will, Feeling, etc. as well as the elements of Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Ether without violating Nature’s karmic laws. But how the double-edged sword of “magic” is used reveals the true character of those who wield it. As the Lord Christ said: “You will know them by their fruits” (Mt. 7: 16). The Wiccan Rede “An ye harm none, do what ye will” is the touchstone that decides what is “beneficent” or “maleficent” occultism. The degree of Harmlessness versus Insidiousness between the following are apparent enough: “White Magic” (not just its traditional meaning but as intentional, selfless “influence”) employs practices that bring forth Blessing and Beneficence such as – but not limited to – meditation (“metta meditation” and other spiritually uplifting techniques), intercessory prayer, creative visualization, concentration, Thought-Word power, spiritual healing (proximate or distance healing, pranic healing, energy healing, Therapeutic Touch, etc.), exorcism and the casting out of evil spirits, pronouncing blessings, sending a person (living or deceased) loving thoughts and feelings, sharing positive vibrations of Life, Light and Love (the greatest “alchemical magic” that transmutes everything and enriches the lives of all sentient beings). Black Magic on the other hand, utilizes methods for inflicting Harm and Malevolence such as voodoo, casting evil spells, witchcraft, manipulative hypnotism, cursing, hexing, sorcery, psychic vampirism, wicked rituals, necromancy, black shamanism, ya-sang, kulam, satanism, devil worship, and other vile systems.

Black Magic is extremely dangerous. Those who practice it inflict misery upon themselves as they pay their accountabilities to Wicca’s

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Modern science is now validating many of these “secrets of Nature” through Quantum Mechanics, Modern Cosmology, Parapsychology, Consciousness Studies, NDE and OBE Research, and so forth.

“Rule Of Three.” Nature “knows” who is misusing her finer forces for evil ends and backfires against the guilty threefold. The “magician” will always be judged by Conscience, Moral Law and Ethical Outcome. We cannot, therefore, just play around with Prometheus’ fire of Occult Knowledge. Karmic Law works for or against us depending on the energies of the thoughts, words and actions we “imprint” upon the thought-sensitive, action-responsive atmosphere of Nature (akasha) around us.

The heavy burden of responsibility therefore rests upon the occultist to discern whether his or her life is harmonious with the sentient laws and ethical principles of the universe then live accordingly. J. Krishnamurti’s At The Feet of the Master clearly says: “you must study deeply the hidden laws of Nature, and when you know them arrange your life according to them, using always reason and common sense.” For Nature “knows” and never sleeps, favoring only the pure soul: “It is impossible to employ spiritual forces if there is the slightest tinge of selfishness remaining in the operator. For, unless the intention is entirely unalloyed, the spiritual will transform itself into the psychic, act on the astral plane, and dire results may be produced by it.

The powers and forces of animal nature can equally be used by the selfish and revengeful, as by the unselfish and the all-forgiving; the powers and forces of spirit lend themselves only to the perfectly pure in heart – and this is DIVINE MAGIC.” (HPB, Collected Writings vol. IX).

Keen discernment of the “shades of occultism” is therefore necessary to determine how we are supposed to use occult knowledge for upright purposes as we avoid the dangers of pride, deception, obsession, mental instability, neurotic disorders and wretchedness so

common amongst reckless occultists. For this reason, “the Theosophical Society has nothing to do whatsoever with any of the so-called psychic practices or occult or magical arts.

While recognizing ‘psychic phenomena’ as actualities of nature, genuine theosophy of the archaic ages endorses none of the current practices of so-called psychic powers, points to the extreme danger involved in their haphazard investigation, and explains to anyone who is willing to listen, the rationale of such practices and phenomena, and their rightful place in the general structural scheme of the universe” (G. de Purucker, The Theosophical Society: Its Nature and Objectives).

Altruism is the hallmark of Genuine Occultism. It elevates occultism from the dungeons of maleficent Darkness to the seraphic realm of benevolent Light in the service of humanity. For “occultism is not the acquirement of powers, whether psychic or intellectual, though both are its servants. Neither is occultism the pursuit of happiness, as men understand the word; for the first step is sacrifice, the second, renunciation.” (HP Blavatsky). May we become true theosophists inspired by Divine Wisdom, Selfless Compassion and the Higher Life – lightworkers resembling “a living plume of fire, raying out upon the world the Divine Love which fills his heart” (At the Feet Of the Master, J. Krishnamurti).

Ferdinand Arthur P. Yulo is the President of the Bacolod Lodge of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines.

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145th TS International Convention Held Online The 145th International Convention of the Theosophical Society was held online from December 27 to 30, 2020. During the four-day online event, each day was dedicated to a specific region of the world to accommodate all the differences in time zones. This allowed convention participants from around the globe to attend at time periods that were convenient for them. The regions covered were Adyar/Asia, the Americas, and Europe/Africa. Among the speakers were Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines Leni Robredo who gave a Besant lecture on Dec. 28 at 7pm, Chicago time; Prof. Emeritus at Dalhousie University in Canada Ravi Ravindra, who gave a Theosophy-Science lecture entitled “Scientific Research and Spiritual Search” on Dec. 29 at 6pm Paris time; and TS International President Tim Boyd who gave a public lecture entitled “The Golden Hour: The Turning of the Cycle” on Dec. 30 Chennai time. The convention theme was “Cycles of Awareness.” An excerpt from Tim Boyd’s presidential message reads: “Beyond the fact of personal existence, the most fundamental human understanding is of cycles in Nature. . . For those intentionally engaged in the unfoldment of consciousness the cycle of seeding, growth, and harvest of the fruits of awareness is supremely important – individually and as units within a greater humanity.”

TOS Board of Trustees Elected The members of the Board of Trustees of the Theosophical Order of Service (TOS) in the Philippines for the years 2021-2022 have been elected, namely, Charlton Jules Romero, chairperson; Rekha Nahar, president; Christopher See, secretary; Amidya Matela, treasurer; Vicente Hao Chin Jr., trustee; Rosel Doval Santos, trustee; and Emily Zen Chua, trustee. The TOS-International, the service arm of the Theosophical Society (TS), was founded in 1908 by Dr. Annie Besant for the purpose of compassionate and philanthropic work around the world. The TOS in the Philippines is engaged in transformative heart-centered education, the rehabilitation of severely malnourished children, non-formal mothers education, provision of income-generating opportunities to poor people in slum areas, and so on. It has also established two schools: the TOS Learning Center and the Golden Link College, both located in Caloocan City.

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January-March, 2021

First Ever Online Self-Transformation Seminar The first-ever online Self-Transformation Seminar was conducted by Vic Hao Chin Jr. in threehour sessions on Nov. 29, and Dec. 2, 6, 9, 13, 16 and 20. Normally held at the TSP National Headquarters in the past, the seminar on self-mastery, awareness and the awakening of one’s higher potential is designed to empower the individual to gain mastery over the factors that contribute to human fulfillment and happiness, and help in the integration and deepening of the spiritual life. The Self-Transformation Seminar has been conducted in more than 20 countries by Vic Hao Chin Jr. and is one of the main offerings of the TSP.

Online Joint-Lodge Meetings Continue

The TSP continues to host online joint lodge meetings. On Dec. 5, Soliman Raja Lodge president Dr. Preciosa Precious” S. Soliven gave a talk entitled “The Emergence of the New Man.” The founding president of the O.B. Montessori schools in the Philippines, Precious highlighted in her talk the parallels between the Theosophical view about the nature of man and the concept of true education according to Maria Montessori and the UNESCO. This was followed by a yearend online joint lodge get-together on Dec. 12 where lodges, study groups and individuals from both national and foreign sections provided program numbers that included songs, poetry reading, dancing and talent shows. On Dec. 19, former TSP president Dr. Rosel Doval Santos gave a talk about the inner meaning of Christmas. The joint-lodge meetings for January included a talk entitled “Eliminating the Roots of Evil” by Interamerican International Federation president Isis Resende and a talk entitled “A Mandala for a Modern Age” by incoming president of the Theosophical Society in Australia Stephen McDonald. For the month of February, the online joint-lodge meetings commenced on the 7th with a talk entitled “Love: The Secret Power Behind Valentine’s Day” given by TS in Australia national lecturer Barry Bowden. This was followed by a talk on Feb. 14 entitled “The Hymn of Creation: The Nasadiya Sukta” given by Erica Georgiades, Director of the European School of Theosophy. In the meantine, Vic Hao Chin Jr. continues to conduct classic guided meditation sessions every first Sunday of the month. A midweek meditation session is also now being conducted every Wednesday.

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Directory of TSP Lodges and Study Groups Provincial Areas Amor Study Group Coordinator: Michael C. Andrade Meeting: Weekends 2:00 p.m.

Venue: Sabino Residence c/o Bro. Joyce Cary Sabino, Damula-an, Albuera, Leyte Tel.: (Cel.) 0916-5427153 Bacolod Lodge President: Ferdinand Arthur P. Yulo Meeting: Every 1st and 3rd Sunday Venue: 82 St. Ignatius Avenue, Doña Juliana Heights, Bacolod City Tel.: 0919-3271473 Bataan Study Group Coordinator: Norve Cruz Meeting: Every 2nd and 4th Sunday Venue: East Calaguiman, Samal, Bataan Tel.: (Cel.) 0917-5762407; 0929-7256762 Bohol Lodge President: Ludwig Quirog Meeting: Every Thursday 6:00 p.m.

Venue: Cora Ponteres residence, 120 P. Garcia Avenue, Mansasa District, 6300 Tagbilaran City Cebu Lodge President: Lovorn Ang Meeting: Every Saturday 6:30 p.m Venue: 2nd Floor, Pan de Malunggay, Juana Osmena St., Cebu City Tel: (Cel) 0943-5202891 Celestine Lodge President: Celeste Sasuman

Meeting: Every Sunday 2:00 p.m.

Venue: Abalayan Subd., San Jose 8002 Digos City Tel.: Res. - (082) 553-2839/ Off. - (082) 2911021 Godea Lodge President: Anita Sescon Meeting: Every Saturday 7:00 p.m.

Venue: No. 3-A Concepcion Apt. San Miguel Village, Pala-o, 9200 Iligan City Tel.: (063) 351-7081, 223-0126 Email: bbtrodil@yahoo.com Iloilo Lodge c/o Lisa Montero, Lily Que Meeting: Every 1st and 3rd Sunday, 6:00 p.m.

Venue: Au Wong residence, Diversion Road, Manduriao, Iloilo City Tel.: (033) 320-3950; (Cel.) 0919-8592504/ 0919-3027998 Maharlika Lodge President: Dionisio S. Cervantes Meeting: Every 2nd and 4th Thursday Venue: Josie B.D. Cartago residence, Road 4, Dona Vicenta Village, Davao City (near Ponce Suites Gallery Hotel) Tel.: (Cel.) 0923-5714743/ 09255120523/ 0917-7211130 Muñoz Lodge President: Clemente Madarang Meeting: Every Sunday 1:30 p.m.

Venue: Purok Curva, Bgy. Bantug,

Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija Tel.: (Cel.) 0908-2889821 Ormoc Lodge President: Arnulfo Lumangtad Meeting: Every Sunday 5:00 p.m.

Venue: District 4, Aviles St. corner Juan Luna St., Anilao Riverside Ormoc City Tel.: (Cel.) 0905-5036527/0928-9509412 Palompon Study Group Coordinator: Arnold A. Arapoc Meeting: Saturday 3:00 p.m.

Venue: 635 Lopez Street, Bgy. Guiwan 2, Palompon, Leyte Tel.: (Cel.) 0926-2213388 Satsang Lodge President: Dr. Mary Anne Cabrera Meeting: once a month, always on a Thursday, 6:00 p.m.

Venue: Cafe Georg, Banilad or Persian Palate, Mango Square, Mango Ave., Cebu City Tel.: (032) 253-7098 Toril Study Group Coordinator: Jun Aling Meeting: Every Saturday 4:00 p.m.

Venue: Blk 5, Macleod, Daliao Toril, 8025 Davao City Urdaneta Study Group Coordinator: Ramil San Juan Venue: Blk 3, Lot 21 Doña Loleng Urdaneta, Pangasinan

Metro Manila Area Golden Link Theosophical Lodge President: Bebie Jane S. Dignos Meeting: Every 2nd and 4th Saturday, 4:00 p.m.

Venue: Conference Room, 2nd floor, Main Building, Golden Link College, Camarin, North Caloocan City Tel.: (Cel.) 0918-9146901 Logos Lodge President: Bert Cabrera Meeting: Every 1st and 3rd Saturday, 3:00 p.m.

Venue: Unit 304 Page 1 Building, Acacia Ave., Madrigal Business Park, Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila Tel.: (Cel.) 0917-9451758 Manila Lodge President: Mona Brocoy Meeting: 1st and 3rd Sunday, 11:30 a.m.

Venue: TSP National Headquarters 1 Iba St. cor. P. Florentino St, Quezon City Tel.: 87415740; (Cel.) 0927-4034983

Pranava Lodge President: Christopher See Meeting: Every 2nd and 4th Sunday, 11:00 a.m.

Venue: TSP National Headquarters 1 Iba St., cor. P. Florentino St., Quezon City, 1114 Metro Manila Tel.: 0917-5731901; 0922-8494395 Email: Aristaeus777@yahoo.com

Soliman Lodge & Raja Lodge President: Dr. Preciosa Soliven Meeting: Every 2nd and 4th Sunday, 1:30 p.m.

Venue: Room 601 or Rooms 704-705, Operation Brotherhood (OB) Montessori School, 3 Eisenhower St., Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila Tel.: (Cel.) 0917 945 1758 (text only)

Rizaliana Lodge Meeting: Every Saturday 6:00 p.m.

Venue: TSP National Headquarters 1 Iba St., cor. P. Florentino St., Quezon City, 1114 Metro Manila Tel.: 741-57-40

Theosophical Research and Study Group Meeting: Sunday 6pm; inquiries Venue: TSP National Headquarters 1 Iba St. cor. P. Florentino St., Quezon City, 1114 Metro Manila Tel.: 741-57-40/09178987794 Email: president@ts-pandacan.org

Saturday Inquirers Group Coordinator: Luke M. Ironside Meeting: Every 1st and 3rd Saturday, 3:00 p.m.

Venue: TSP National Headquarters 1 Iba St. corner P. Florentino St., Quezon City, 1114 Metro Manila Tel.: (02) 741-5740; Email: lukeironside@tutanota.de

Vidya Lodge President: Maria Flor Garcia Meeting: Every 1st and 3rd Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Venue: TSP National Headquarters Tel.: 8741-5740

The Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society was formed at New York on November 17, 1875, and incorporated in Chennai (Madras), India, on April 3, 1905.

Its three declared Objects are: • To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color.

• To encourage the study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy and Science.

• To investigate unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent in man.

“Theosophy is the shoreless ocean of universal truth, love and wisdom reflecting its radiance on the earth, while the Theosophical Society is only a visible bubble on that reflection. Theosophy is divine nature, visible and invisible, and its Society human nature trying to ascend to its divine parent.”

H. P. BLAVATSKY (The Key to Theosophy)

The Theosophical Society in the Philippines 1 Iba St., Quezon City, Philippines

TO: