January 2026 Newsletter
The following articles are reproduced from the January 2026 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
Thoughts on the New Year and the False Noses
By H. P. Blavatsky
(Extract from H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings Volume XII)
Hail, 1890!
“Annum novum faustum felicemque tibi!”
(Happy and Prosperous New
Year to you!)
Such was the sacramental phrase on the lips of all Gentiles, great or lowly, rich or poor, during the day of the first of January, centuries before the Christian era; and we hear it even today, especially in Paris. This mutual greeting was exchanged on that day throughout the length and breadth of the Roman Empire. It awoke the echoes in the palaces of Caesars, made cheerful the poor hovel of the slave, and soared to the clouds in the spacious open galleries of the Colosseum, at the Capitol and the Forum, everywhere under the blue sky of Rome. On that day, everybody assumed, in honor of the double-faced Janus, a more or less prominent false nose of goodness, frank cordiality and sincerity.
“May the New Year bring you happiness and prosperity!” —we say to everyone of our readers. “Let it be light to you,” we say to our enemies and traducers. Brothers—we say to Theosophists in every part of the world—Brothers, let us discard, at least for today, all our respective false noses, in order to wish each other health and success, and, especially, a little more cordial mutual understanding than in the year 1889, now happily defunct.
However, whether we repeat the old Latin formula one way or another, in French or in English, it will never be but a variation of the ancient pagan phrase. For the New Year, as well as every other festival, is but a legacy to the Christian people from the worshippers of the Olympian gods. Let us, by all means, exchange wishes and gifts (étrennes), but let us not be ungrateful, Theosophists! Let us not forget that these customs come to us from paganism; and that felicitations and gifts also came to us from the same source.
As a matter of fact, gifts (étrennes) are but the strenae, the presents exchanged by the Latins on the first of January, the day that opened the New Year. As everybody does or does not know—which is all the same to me—this day was consecrated to Janus, who gave his name to the month of Januarius or January, and even to the Saint of that name, the patron of Naples and of its lazzarone [beggars]. But, after all, this amiable Saint is but one of the false noses of the god Bifrons. The old pagan was called in his early youth Diaus, after his Vedic name, the beautiful god of the day and of light. Having immigrated to Thessaly, and thence to Italy, where he established himself in the little hamlet of Janiculum, on the Tiber, latinizing his name and becoming Dianus, god of light (whence Diana). His false noses were many, and history has lost count of them. However, since those days he has let himself be converted. Thus it is that for more than eighteen centuries, having replaced his latest and more modest false nose with a more respectable, if not more impenetrable, mask—he is called Saint Peter.
All has remained as of yore. In Christian countries, especially in France, the New Year makes its triumphal entrance just as it did two thousand years ago, when the Pagans celebrated it with indigestion caused by the figs and gilded prunes they ate. The latter fruit have migrated since to the Christmas tree, which does not alter the fact that they came to us from the temples of Janus. It is true that the priests no longer sacrifice a young white bull upon his altar; that is replaced by a lamb of the same color, but whole hecatombs of quadrupeds and fowl are slaughtered annually in his honor on that day. Certainly more innocent blood is spilled today to satisfy the voracious appetite of one Paris street alone, on New Year’s day, than was necessary to feed a whole Roman city in the time of the Caesars.
The world is like the sea: it often changes in appearance, but remains basically the same. The false noses of civilization and of the bigots, however, have hardly embelished it: on the contrary, with every New Year it becomes more ugly and more dangerous. We ponder and compare, but in the sight of a philosopher comparison with its predecessors of ancient days does not reflect favorably upon the modern New Year’s Day. The millions stored in the safes and vaults of state banks do not make either the rich or the poor any happier.
Let us go back in our minds, my readers, fifteen centuries, and try to make a comparison between a New Year’s dinner in the years 355 to 360, and a similar dinner in 1890. Let us seek out the same good and kind Julian, when he lived in the palace of Thermae, which is known today as the Hotel de Cluny—or what is left of it. Do you see him, this great general, at his dinner, surrounded by his soldiers whom he loves better than anyone else in the world outside of his gods, and who idolize him! It is the first of January and they are celebrating the day of Janus in two days, and on the third of January, they will render a similar homage to Isis, patroness of the good city of Lutetia Parisiorum. Since those days, the virgin-mother of ancient Egypt was rebaptized as Geneviève, and this Saint and Martyr has remained the patroness of the good city of Paris—true symbol of a false nose furnished by Rome for the Christian world. We see neither knives nor forks, neither silver nor porcelain of Sèvres, at that imperial table, not even a napkin; but the meats and other foods which the guests consume with so much appetite do not have to be inspected under the microscope of chemists attached to public health offices. What they ate on their New Year’s Day could be eaten with safety and with advantage (except for the doctors) at the dinners on the first of the year 1890. If given a choice, we would definitely not choose the gala dinner of the first of the year of grace 1890, at Paris, but the one of a thousand years ago, at Lutetia. A case of barbarian taste, don’t you see! A ridiculous and baroque preference, according to the opinion of the majority, for natural in the fourth century, attracts us infinitely more than the false noses and the artificiality of everything in the nineteenth century.
January Programme
Newer members may wish to take note that 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 reaffirmed once a year, normally in January, if only for the benefit of new members. All earnest members and students of theosophy will find these talks interesting, inspiring 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 and also so that they may be better equipped to do their part in spreading the theosophical teachings!
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 24 January 2026 when we celebrate our 137th anniversary, you have one more good reason to come and join us in our celebration.
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 10 January 2026. Don’t miss it if you are a student of occultism.
For those who are interested to know more about clairvoyance and psychic abilities, you may wish to attend the talk on The Nature of Psychic Abilities on 3 January 2026. In this talk we will realize that the unfoldment of psychic powers is a natural process in evolution. Such powers are alluded to in our Third Object, “To investigate unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent in man”
Let’s Celebrate Our 137th Anniversary
The Singapore Lodge Theosophical Society was formed by Col. H.S. Olcott on 24 January 1889. Many of us may not realise that we have been in existence for 137 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, 24 January, 2025, to have our anniversary bash. On this day, we shall remind ourselves of the Purpose of the Theosophical Society and reaffirm our dedication to it.
This is one of our most important days in the year. Do come and join the merriment and rejoice together . A celebration will be incomplete without food to partake! Remember , it will be on Saturday , 24 January 2025 at 4:30 p.m. Kindly note that these annual programmes are for members only.
An Overview of The Mahatma Letters
One of the greatest sources of theosophical teachings comes from the writings of the Masters of the Wisdom. Earnest students will know that Madame H. P. Blavatsky served as the amanuensis of the Masters when she wrote her great book Isis Unveiled in 1877 and later her magnum opus The Secret Doctrine in 1888. Furthermore, a significant amount of direct teachings is found in the private letters the Masters wrote to early members of the Theosophical Society. Indeed, one of the greatest phenomena in the history of The Theosophical Society is the Mahatma Letters. It is not just the phenomenal ways in which the letters were received but the omniscience and encyclopedic knowledge of the Mahatmas that are remarkable.
In the formative years of the TS, some early members were blessed to receive direct communications from the Masters of the Wisdom. The first letter was received in 1870 and the last known letter in 1900. More than 300 letters from seven Mahatmas were received by various members of the TS, mostly in the period 1875 to 1886. These do not count the letters that were not published or kept private by the recipients. The principal recipient was Mr. A. P. Sinnett. The letters cover wide ranging subjects including those of personal counsel and instructions. Most invaluable for students are the esoteric teachings given to A. P. Sinnett and A. O. Hume.
Earnest students all over world have studied the Mahatma Letters closely and are greatly inspired by the writings. Most of the Mahatma Letters were published in three books, namely, The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett and Letters from The Masters of the Wisdom, First and Second Series. These three books collectively contain 303 letters from the Masters. Of these, three letters to C. W. Leadbeater were separately published with commentaries by C. Jinarājadāsa in The “K.H.” Letters to C. W. Leadbeater. In February 2013, Daniel Caldwell published Mrs. Holloway and the Mahatmas, containing 12 previously unpublished letters from the private collection of Mrs. Holloway. We may never know how many letters were written by the Masters that have remained unpublished.
From the teachings contained in the letters received, Mr. A. P. Sinnett wrote two books, The Occult World and Esoteric Buddhism. While the former testifies to the existence of the Mahatmas and the invisible worlds around us, the latter gives to the world the esoteric philosophy expounded by the Masters of the Wisdom. These two books, in turn, attracted to the Theosophical Society some of the most prominent members of the Society including C. W. Leadbeater.
Earnest students have greatly benefitted from the publication of the Mahatma Letters. Yet, they might not have been published at all. Indeed, publication was expressly forbidden by the Master K. H., the author of most of the letters. A. P. Sinnett was permitted to quote some letters in The Occult World and Esoteric Buddhism. He respected the Masters’ instruction and prohibition. Nevertheless, after his death, his legatee Miss Maud Hoffman decided to make the letters public and chose Mr. A. Trevor Barker as editor. Though Mr. Barker knew of the prohibition of the Mahatma K. H. concerning the publication in full of the correspondence, nevertheless he published all the letters in The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett in 1923.
For obvious reasons, many members of the Theosophical Society around the world have engaged themselves in the study of the Mahatma Letters, rediscovering the gems of Wisdom contained therein. Many studied privately while others gathered in groups like what we have done to benefit from the synergy of group study. We first conducted the Mahatma Letters Study Class in 1999 through to 2000. The class commenced on March 27, 1999 and concluded on March 25, 2000, exactly a year later. Considering some discontinuity, we had all in all 40 weekly sessions, each session varying between 2 to 4 hours, or well over 100 hours of study in total.
The Mahatma Letters Study Class was reprised ten years later in 2009 through to 2011, commencing May 19, 2009 and concluding on January 25, 2011. This second time round, it took us 80 weeks over 160 hours to complete the study over an elapse of 88 weeks and 136 students participating.
Chong Sanne who conducted both the 1999 and 2009 Study Classes will give members an overview of the Mahatma Letters on 17 January 2026 at 4:30 p.m. Those who have not attended the Mahatma Letters Study Class will find the overview useful and may conceivably inspire them to study the Mahatma Letters.