January 2005 Newsletter
The following articles are reproduced from the January 2005 Newsletter to members. Non-members may or may not be able to relate to the contents.
"A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! This seems easy enough to say, and everyone expects some such greeting. Yet, whether the wish, though it may proceed from a sincere heart, is likely to be realized even in the case of the few—is more difficult to decide. According to our theosophical tenets, every man or woman is endowed, more or less, with a magnetic potentiality, which when helped by a sincere, and especially by an intense and indomitable will—is the most effective of magic levers placed by Nature in human hands—for woe as for weal. Let us then, Theosophists, use that will to send a sincere greeting and a wish of good luck for the New Year to every living creature under the sun—enemies and relentless traducers included. Let us try and feel especially kindly and forgiving to our foes and persecutors, honest or dishonest, lest some of us should send unconsciously an “evil eye” greeting instead of a blessing."
H. P. Blavatsky
“May no further karma attach to those who have sinned last year in thought as well as in deed. Personally they are forgiven. Let a new year and new hopes begin for them.”
An Adept
Significance of The New Year
“.... let no one imagine that it is a mere fancy, the attaching of importance to the birth of the year. The earth passes through its definite phases and man with it; and as a day can be coloured so can a year. The astral life of the earth is young and strong between Christmas and Easter. Those who form their wishes now will have added strength to fulfil them consistently.”
H. P. Blavatsky
New Committee
Our 2004 AGM was held on 18 December 2004. It was well-attended with 59 members present in person, which is more than the required quorum, and 33 through proxy. The following office bearers and members of the new executive committee were elected without contention.
President: Chong Sanne
Vice President: Kam Chai Heng
Secretary: Lily Chong
Asst, Secretary: Tang Kwok Choon
Treasurer: Nancy Yeo
Asst. Treasurer: N. K. Rajarh
Librarian: Vivekhananthan M.
Asst. Librarian: Choong Tsui Wei
Committee Members:
N. C. Raghava
Lee Suit Fun
Djimmy Ong
John Lam
The Basic Truths of Religion
Issued by the General Council of the Theosophical Society, Adyar, 1925.
Theosophy, the Divine Wisdom, is the root of all the great religions, living and dead; all are branches of that ever-living Tree of Life, with its root in Heaven, the leaves of which are for the healing of the nations of the world. Each special religion brings out and emphasizes some special aspect of the Truth, necessary for the evolution of humanity during the age it opens, and shapes the civilization of that age, enriching the religious, moral and cultural heritage of the human race.
The World Religion, of which all special religions are integral parts—whether or not they recognize their places in the World Order—declares:
(1) There is one transcendent Self-Existent Life, eternal, all-pervading, all-sustaining, whence all worlds derive their several lives, whereby and wherein all things which exist live and move and have their being.
(2) For our world this Life is immanent, and is manifested as the Logos, the Word, worshipped under different Names, in different religions, but ever recognized as the One Creator, Preserver and Regenerator.
(3) Under Him, our world is ruled and guided by a Hierarchy of His Elder Children, variously called Rishis, Sages, Saints, among whom are the World-Teachers, who for each age re-proclaim the essential truths of religion and morality in a form suited to the age; this Hierarchy is aided in its work by the hosts of Beings—again variously named Devas, Angels, Shining Ones—discharging functions recognized in all Religions.
(4) Human beings form one order of the creatures evolving on this earth, and each human being evolves by successive life-periods, gathering experiences and building them into character, reaping always as he sows, until he has learned the lessons taught in the three worlds—the earth, the intermediate state and the heavens—in which a complete life-period is passed, and has reached human perfection, when he enters the company of just men made perfect, that rules and guides the evolving lives in all stages of their growth.
These are the Basic Truths of the World Religion, of which all religions are
specialized branches; to proclaim and teach these the Theosophical Society was
founded and exists.
The Theosophical Society admits to its fellowship all who desire to enter it,
whether or not they hold any of these Basic Truths, or belong to any religion or
to none, since all belong to the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, of which it
is a nucleus.
International Visitors
We are very happy to start the new year with the visit of Betty and David Bland from the USA. Betty Bland, National President of the Theosophical Society in America, has given talks and workshops around the United States on the spiritual life and near-death experiences. Serving also on the Boards of Directors of the Theosophical Order of Service and Theosophical Book Gift Institute, she is interested in the practical application of theosophical principles to everyday life situations. She has been a member of the Society since 1970, and has served in many capacities for local and regional activities. Betty will be coming to our Lodge and giving a talk to our members on Near Death Experiences on Monday, 3 January 2005 at 7:30pm.
January Programme
We start the year with a number of talks in the month of January which may be of special interest to members. Indeed, these talks are restricted to members and are given only once a year, normally in January, if only for the benefit of new members. The talks which include computer-based illustrations are continually being updated either with additional information, graphics or pictures as they become available. All earnest members and students of theosophy will find these talks both interesting and useful. Those who have attended these talks previously may find it worthwhile to refresh their memory and see if anything new has been added.
One of the annual talks is on the Purpose of The Theosophical Society. This talk reminds us why the Society was founded in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott. More importantly, we are reminded of the words of the Great Ones on the true purpose of The Theosophical Society. Understanding the purpose of the Society is important if the Singapore Lodge, as a part of this great worldwide movement, is to contribute to the noble ideals of the Society. We must realize our specific mission. As this talk will be given on 22 January 2005 when we celebrate our 116th anniversary, you have one more good reason to come and join us in our celebration.
For those who are interested to know more about clairvoyants and psychic abilities, you may wish to attend the talk on The Nature of Psychic Abilities on 8 January 2005. In this talk we will realize that the unfoldment of psychic powers is a natural process in evolution.
Another annual talk which is intended exclusively for members is The Occult Hierarchy. As students of theosophy, we know that just as there are many below us climbing the ladder of evolution, there are also many above us, way ahead of the mass of humanity, who have achieved perfection—the Adepts. We also know that amid the seeming chaos in the world, there is perfect law and order supervised by the Inner Government of the World. In this talk we learn about the quest for perfection and the august fraternity of humanity who have reached the other shore—The Masters and The Path. This talk is scheduled for 15 January 2005. Don’t miss it if you are a student of occultism.
Let’s Celebrate Our 116th Anniversary
The Singapore Lodge Theosophical Society was formed by Col. H.S. Olcott on 24 January 1889. Many of us may not realise we have been in existence for 116 years! As a matter of fact, the Singapore Lodge was formed only 14 years after the founding of the parent Theosophical Society in 1875.
To commemorate this momentous occasion , we are gathering together on Saturday, 22 January 2005, to have an anniversary bash. On this day, we shall remind ourselves of the Purpose of the Theosophical Society and reaffirm our dedication to it. Diplomas of Fellowship will also be presented to the new members.
A real party is not complete without food—so there shall be food! This is one of our most important days in the year. Do come and join the merriment and rejoice together . Remember , it will be on Saturday, 22 January 2005 at 5 p.m.
The Kingdom Of The Devas
“The devas are a mighty kingdom of spirits, the next above humanity, just in the same way as the animal kingdom is the next one below it. You may think of them as great and glorious angels, but of course they are of many different kinds, and different degrees of evolution. None of them are so low down as to have physical bodies such as we have. The lowest kind are called kamadevas, and they have astral bodies, while the next higher variety have bodies made of lower mental matter, and so on. They will never be human, because most of them are already beyond that stage, but there are some of them who have been human beings in the past. When men come to the end of their evolution as men, and become something greater than human, several paths open before them, and one of these is to join this beautiful deva evolution.” So wrote C. W. Leadbeater, in The Inner Life. Come and listen to what Lily Chong has to say on Saturday, 29 January at 5 p.m. about the “Shining Ones” in her talk including many interesting illustrations of angels and fairies. This talk was last given more than a year ago and it has been brought back by popular request!
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