The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 ( January — March 2016) 1

THE THEOSOPHICAL

SOCIETY

IN CANBERRA

Newsletter No. 79

January — March 2016

www.austheos.org.au and www.austheos.org.au/canberra/ e mail: tshq@austheos.org.au (Sydney) email:janton@netspeed.com.au or tifcrook@tpg.com.au (Canberra)

President Grahame Crookham 0490147020 Vice-President: Peter Fokker (02) 6236 3170 Secretary/Treasurer: Tony Fearnside (02) 6288 7656

A word from the President 1 Notes 2

Canyonleigh -the Vedas past and Present 3

TS Convention— an overview 4

Vale Joy Mills 8 More from Convention 9 Towards acceptance of plant sentience 10 International speaker— John Vorstermans 12

TOS 13

Programme 14

The Theosophical Society in Canberra is not responsible for any statement in this newsletter. Views expressed are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Society or the Editor.

A word from the President

The year to date

Welcome everyone to our first newsletter of 2016. Firstly, on behalf of the membership, I take this opportunity to thank Peter Fokker for his commitment to the Theosophical Society, his unselfish dedication to the role of President these past years, his regular Newsletter article A Word from the President and the many kilometres traversed from his distant Burra property. He has kindly accepted the Vice President role in the period of transition.

By way of introduction, I thought I would simply recount the year to date; both theosophically and personally. Five of us (Peter, Henny, Tony, Janice and self) had the pleasure of attending the National Convention mid January in Perth, for which we extend our gratitude to both the National Section and Perth Lodge for their thorough organisation and warm hospitality.

The highlight was meeting our International President Tim Boyd and his wife Lily. My impressions are that he is an articulate person who speaks from first hand experience; he is warm, approachable, modest and, at the same time, practical, strong and resolute. I believe most attendees at the conference left with a feeling of optimism and positivity, knowing that Tim is at the helm.

Immediately following the convention, our Program Committee met and articu-lated the following Role Statement:

It is the responsibility of the Program Committee to:

identify, select and organise topics/activities and presenters/facilitators that support the Three Objects of the Theosophical Society;

facilitate friendly co-operation and build bridges between like-minded people;

encourage open-minded enquiry to help people explore spiritual self-transformation.

By examining the 2016 program, you will note that the first role is well catered for with presentations/discussions on: TOS, life and work of Louisa Le Freimann, seeking the Holy Grail in the modern world, the Seven Portals, the human potential – Avatars and Masters, alternative healing and Göbekli Tepe.

With regard to the second role, I note Tim Boyd’s comment at convention rec-ognising the value of collaboration with other bodies. He gave the example of his presenting at an IONS (Institute of Noetic Sciences) international convention and at the Esalen Institute of California. Another example was an affiliate of IONS presenting at the Theosophical Society in America convention.

Similarly, in the spirit of the second role, we are holding a more informal gath-ering at the Fokkers’ residence on Saturday 19 March, to view the library, re-cap on the 2016 TS Convention and discuss other relevant matters.

(continued on page 3)

2 The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 (January — March 2016)

201

TS Convention in 2017

We have pleasure in informing members that the next Annual Convention will be held in:

Hobart

Saturday 21 to Saturday 28 January, 2017

Further information will be on the TS website in due course. We shall continue to keep you updated on this event, when e g costs are known.

Ne

President of Canberra TS

Grahame Crookham

After quite a few years of giving service to the TS in his role as President of Canberra Branch, Peter Fokker has now handed over these duties to Grahame Crookham. Peter will continue as Vice-President. We thank Peter for his long tenure of duty and welcome Grahame to his new position. Grahame is also a member of the Programming Committee of Canberra Branch.

DVDs and CDs of

convention

A

Convention CDs and DVDs

Perth Convention presentations will be available on CD and/or DVD.

Take advantage of this opportunity to relive the Perth experience.

Participate in the presentations of Tim Boyd, our International President.

An email will be sent when the CDs and DVDs are available, listing the talks (they are still in the pro-

duction process) and you can make your requests. This is recommended.

Note! Some convention videos are already on the website

http://austheos.org.au/video-wp/

Notes for members and friends

2017

Convention

in Hobart

The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 ( January — March 2016) 3

(continued from page 1)

The third role is a little more challenging, but we have included in the program sessions on: what is truth, meditation, relationship - the basis of development and, potentially, a weekend on dream inter-pretation.

On a visit to Berry in January, I was introduced to the writings of Alana Fairchild. Since then I have en-joyed her Crystal Masters 333 guided healing meditations Initiation with the Divine Power of Heaven and Earth, calling upon 18 Ascended Masters (e.g. Kuthumi, El Moyra, Lao Tzu, Yogananda, Babaji) in conjunction with various crystal angels (e.g. moss agate, blue star sapphire, zincite, rhodonite, dia-mond). These are highly positive practices that align with spiritual self-transformation.

In January I visited the Kariong glyphs near Gosford, just north of Sydney, where I serendipitously met Colin Hayter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMK6tDedCbU). These appear to be approximately 4,000 year old Egyptian proto-hieroglyphs (or ideograms), for which Colin explained the meaning of each. They describe the tragic death of an Egyptian Royal and entourage and burial at Kariong. I plan to share my photos, video and description with the TS in August.

On a personal level, I have just finished reading a book gifted to me at Convention by the author, TS member Russell Sturgess, entitled Metanoia: renovating the house of your spirit. In it Russell, an alter-native health practitioner, presents a harmonious tapestry of ancient symbols, practices and teachings (including the eight Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount) to reveal a sacred journey of healing, mercy, charity, peace, reverence for Mother Earth and a love of the Divine. For more information, visit the site http://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-history-and-christianity/ ]

In conclusion, it has been an exciting year thus far and I look forward to our theosophical involvement

in the coming months. Grahame Crookham, President

Canyonleigh in June —the Vedas past and present

Event for members and non members at Canyonleigh

The Canyonleigh property of Bolitho House which is approximately half way between Canberra and Sydney, will be the venue for a weekend event in June.

Theosophy raw and unfiltered: The Vedas Past and Present

The Rig Veda - The Upanishads - Patañjali Yoga Sutras

The registration form is at the website. Full payment should be made before Friday 27 May at the latest. http://austheos.org.au/whats/canyonleigh-events-2016/

Presenter: Dara Tatray

Dates: 10-12 June 2016

Cost: Members $135 twin share or $160 single room. Non-Members $160 twin share or $220 single room.

Where: ‘Bolitho House’, Canyonleigh Centre, 1070 Tugalong Road, Canyonleigh

4 The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 (January — March 2016)

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY NATIONAL CONVENTION University Hall—Perth

Today’s world problems: Insights from the wisdom tradition

16—23 January 2016

If each Convention leaves its own particular impression or mood of character, the 2016 Convention in Perth would surely bring to mind the words ‘friendly’ and ‘fresh’.

The participation of the International President, Tim Boyd (who is also International President of the Theosophical Order of Service) brought a freshness and contemporariness to the pro-ceedings, with a genuinely uplifted atmosphere being discernible throughout the week.

The Convention theme took the opportunity of contemplating whether the problems of today are fundamentally different to those of years ago, or whether they are now presenting them-selves in different forms.

Prior to the week’s sessions, we were informed that the next convention will be from Saturday 21 to Saturday 28 January, 2017 in Hobart.

Delegates were informed of the passing of persons who will be remembered by many: Joy Mills, former International Vice-President and President of the Australian Section for three years; Dr Geoffrey Miller, of Queensland who was instrumental in the TS now owning the land referred to as Springbrook where regular TS events are held; Ernest Wagner, long serving member of Melbourne Lodge; and Yvonne Malykke, previous editor of the magazine Cosmos.

The Convention sessions began on Sunday at 2.00pm with insights on the power of service, given by the Theosophical Order of Service (TOS) facilitated by Jean Carroll, National Coordi-nator.

Starting with a short presentation by Rhonda Phillips, the Perth TOS team individually presented a different aspect of the work in Perth. Rhonda reminded us that the strength of TOS is built by like-minded people and as a group we can become inspired. She likened their symbol of a village as gathering on the village green - communicating and working together.

Gaileen talked of service through yoga – how TOS provided classes throughout the year, in-cluding chair yoga for the less mobile.

Anne described the Link of Hearts – a healing service TOS provides by request – as well as ab-sent healing.

Left: Uni Hall, Perth Some of the delegates with President Tim Boyd - front row

The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 ( January — March 2016) 5

Viv described how the team had provided backpacks to RUAH – a community services or-ganisation based in Perth which assists homeless and disadvantaged people. Each pack was filled with items to assist with difficult living conditions, as well as some treats.

Shirley explained how TOS generated funds by assisting TS at events - providing supper plates, or lunches; an excellent collabora-tion. Bina, in the absence of Renée, de-scribed how TOS supports the Grandcare movement (grandparents assisting grand-children often due to absence etc of par-ents) and made it possible for these grand-parents to have lunch at a local restaurant.

George talked about the meditation out-reach and how each of their business meetings is preceded by a meditation. And what a presentation each person gave - from the heart! We applaud this team effort, which blended into a seamless event.

Advice from Travis James, the National TS Secretary, was to ponder the First Object of the TS (To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour) but ADD to it: And to acknowledge our place in the grand scheme of things.

Jean Carroll then took us on a journey through Cambodia as she illustrated the visit by a number of TOS members in October 2015. Their ox cart trip to a village in a remote area was led by a young Cambodian who conducts a project in Siem Reap, teaching English lan-guage to disadvantaged children.

Over the years, Jean has conducted many groups on overseas trips and her questioning thought was – what had made this group so exceptional? Her conclusion was that this par-ticular trip was one which had opened the heart and that work was being done for humanity.

Sunday 4.00pm: The public lecture given by Tim Boyd was – Urban spirituality – the ageless wisdom in a crowding world.

In 2008 a first moment for humanity occurred. Global population became predominantly urban. It happened in a relatively short time, with consequences that are both wondrous and appalling. As Socrates is reported to have said: Nothing great comes without a curse: every-thing that has a light must have a shadow. We pondered briefly on the Buddhist philosophy which refused to validate the system of caste – and which upset the balance of Indian life. Nothing that is great does not have a shadow side.

Likewise cities, which are a human “invention” with the concentration of the many resources that we bring, but which too, come with a downside, their shortcomings. Thus using the

TOS Perth—presentation by the team

Linda Oliveira, Tim Boyd, Lily Boyd. Outside the lecture theatre, after the public lecture

6 The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 (January — March 2016)

sociological term ‘crowding’ which describes the condition of urban density, we can see there is more crime per capita in cities, an increasing sense of isolation; there is spread of drug use, of disease and increase in youth subculture groups. This all can lead to fear, and currents of mass hysteria when in large groups – with the source being unknown even to the participants.

One has to be aware, and such events can be avoided. Tim spoke of his own personal expe-rience as a young person at a concert when the crowd/audience began running amok. Why were they running? If you are able to control this kind of situation from your own stand-point, events can be overturned and controlled.

As man thinketh – think in secret and it comes to pass. The thoughts that we share with the world are our contribution to the world. Very often we just regurgitate other people’s thoughts. We should connect ourselves to others to be involved in the same work of the world. With 30,000 people in TS it takes not that many to make changes. We may say “What can we do, we are few?” But change in the world flows from that source.

Science and religion – can they be reconciled? was the title of Brian Harding’s talk on Monday morning. This has been a popular and recurring theme in recent conventions. A book mentioned by Brian is Huston Smith’s Forgotten Truth which apparently shows where science went wrong, illustrating the stance adopted by many scien-tists: the triumphs of modern science went to ‘man’s’ head. He came to think that what science discovers somehow casts doubts on what it does not discover, that the success it realises in its own domain throws into question the reality of domains which its devic-es cannot touch.

Another gem from this talk is that science must give up extreme ‘scientism’, and the illusion of objectivity. Science must acknowledge

that phenomena exist which cannot be explained at a purely material level.

Ken Wilber and Alfred North Whitehead seem to agree that if science can surrender its nar-row empiriscism for a broader empiricism, and if religion can surrender its bogus mythic claims in favour of an authentic spiritual experience then science and religion might begin to appear more as fraternal twins than as old enemies.

And advice to remember from Mahatma Letter no. 11: You may be and most assuredly are our superiors in every branch of physical knowledge, in spiritual sciences we were, and always will be - MASTERS.

Later on Monday morning, Linda Oliveira spoke on the rise and fall of Narcissism. We were introduced to the four yugas or ages: Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali with the bull of dhar-ma represented as standing on four, three, two or one leg, according to the degree of truth present. We are in the midst of Kali Yuga; the bull is on one leg and it would appear that only a quarter of truth is present. There is great material advance-ment but often spiritual life is ignored. A degree of narcissism exists, indicating an inflated sense of the advantages of materialism and of self. As in the Greek myth, it could eventually be self-destructive. Although the bull is currently on one leg only, in truth and goodness, we can choose to strengthen that leg.

Linda Oliveira and Tim Boyd

Brian Harding

The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 ( January — March 2016) 7

Monday afternoon – Tim Boyd spoke about The Five Seeds and applying the principles

The first seed is the seed of unity/oneness. Compassion is the Law of Laws; the desire to re-lieve the suffering of others.

The second seed is multi dimensional - I am not this body, these thoughts etc.

The third seed—There is no empty space. It is an intelligent universe with intelligent beings. How should we interact? We have thoughts and these coalesce and give energy.

The fourth seed relates to self responsibility with implications in the variety of choices that we make.

The fifth seed is spiritual evolution and the necessary applications.

On Tuesday afternoon Perry Cole ran a workshop on the After death states - in the Mahatma Letters.

This was a powerful session, resulting from the study of various theosophical sources, predominantly The Mahatma Letters.

The various states of a person transitioning through the situation of dying were discussed at with explanatory power point slides.

As is customary, Wednesday was dedicated to a day’s outing; we visited the Perth Mint, established as a branch of Britain's Royal Mint in 1899, where we witnessed an incredible gold

pouring demonstration. What had, a second earlier, been a boiling yellow liquid suddenly became gold bullion. After lunching and strolling in the magnificently verdant King’s Park we were guests at Perth Lodge whose premises house resplendent portraits of HP Blavatsky, Col Olcott and Annie Besant— works by Florence Fuller. A descriptive account of the magnificently rich history of Perth Lodge is on their website.

Post-outing: Wednesday evening was dedicated to a concert of classical, jazz and popular music by The Walker Trio, remarkably talented musicians comprising Ray Walker (guitarist) and daughters Jessica Gethin (violinist) and Sophie Curtis (celloist).

Probably most of us have heard of the current malaise of the buildings at Adyar, the TS Inter-national Headquarters. On Thursday the International President, Tim Boyd, gave a frank de-scription and assessment of the difficulties there and a programme for the future. Already a new structure has been built for the open air international convention. During 2016 a new climatically controlled building will be added to hold the archives and at a later time solar power will be installed.

One of the Friday workshops by Marie McArdle on The obvious and subtle healing benefits of water, had a myriad of effective information. Much hydration happens at night in sleep. Do not consider any drink as ‘water’ except water which optimally should be alkaline (with a Ph over 7).

All of the above is only a very brief synthesised version of what happened during the week. There were other extremely interesting sessions, which have not been included.

One way to relive this, or to experience for the first time is to borrow the DVDs or CDs which will be available soon. Convention can come to your home! Take advantage of this oppor-tunity and borrow the discs. The International President attended and spoke at the Conven-tion of the Theosophical Society in Australia. Take this opportunity to hear his talks.

Perry Cole

8 The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 (January — March 2016)

Vale Joy Mills

The TS Adyar website has been redeveloped and is now user friendly with lots of infor-mation for members and non members. Through the innovations, the 140th International Convention at Adyar was streamed live – and the sessions are still available online http://www.ts-adyar.org/content/140th-international-convention

At the Opening of the International Convention, President Tim Boyd gave greetings from one member known to many and who is no longer with us; a letter written by Joy Mills shortly before her passing, and which was relayed to participants. Although the greetings were intended specifically for the Convention, we can interpret them as being sent to members world-wide as Joy had travelled to over 50 countries in her service of the TS. Her final greetings were shared on the convention theme Compassion and Universal Responsibility

Warmest greetings and good wishes to you and all participating in the 140th Convention at Adyar

May it be a beautiful, happy and meaningful occasion bringing new inspiration as well as new courage to face the difficulties of today. Your theme is surely an in-spiring one and deserves deep thought as we consider the meaning of compassion and responsibility.

Our very presence in the world, aware of the theosophical principles of unity amidst diversity should reflect our commitment to the ideal of brotherhood. We surely have a profound responsibility to send out thoughts of beauty, healing and wonder. What is it to live compassion? What is it to live responsible lives? As we walk down the street, passing people of different colours, different ethnic roots, can we realise that they are our brothers and sisters? Can we send out thoughts of goodwill and understanding ? Do we radiate peace?

HPB emphasised that compassion is not simply a virtue that we acquire. But It is the very lawfulness of our existence. So how do we live compassion? Feel it constantly and send it out to all the world?

So my thoughts will be with you, and all present, as I know that the Convention will be truly a memorable one.

I send my thoughts and blessings and loving good wishes.

Joy Mills

Joy Mills joined TS in 1940 and had been National President of the Australian and the American Sections, as well as International Vice-President of the Theosophical Society. She travelled worldwide giving service to the TS and according to an interview her favour-ite theosophical teaching was the nature of the human being; human potential, the un-folding of consciousness; the life to be lived. The importance of dharma—fulfilling one’s responsibility in helping others. Her knowledge was deep, as was her insight.

In 1995 in Canberra a small study group was focussing on The Mahatma Letters – and sometimes we found difficulties with nuances of meanings. At that time Joy Mills was President of the Australian Section and came here to give a talk. She generously also shared her time to attend our little study group meeting. What we had found difficult, she made easy, her explanations were profound and wise. Thank you, Joy.

The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 ( January — March 2016) 9

More from Convention

Golden moments

The International President, Tim Boyd, has a captivating way of communicating with his audience – with a direct, friendly and contemporary manner.

Many things he said during Convention will be remem-bered, many will no doubt be forgotten due to our fallible memories.

A few of his remarks—which we specifically remember—are below, and when we have heard the voice of a partic-ular person, through a sensation in our mind, we can hear that person speaking when we read the printed words:

We [the Theosophical Society] are trying to remind people of the deepest knowledge that they already have resident within them. ....there are moments during a gathering such as this, where, for whatever reason we find that our usual sort of self absorptions or the thoughts that carry us, for a moment, fade away, and in that moment what you experience is something like a sense of harmony ….and in that moment we get that sense that something expands

inside. ….you don’t have to give it a name. You know when it happens and these are the moments when we are genuinely usable for these Great Ones who are looking con-tinually to find a way to make their presence felt in the world.

Thank you, Tim.

The picnic lunch at King’s Park— Tony and Franco

In the presentation hall— Carolyn and Gil with Tim and Lily

Portrait of Annie Besant by Florence Fuller: Perth Lodge

10 The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 (January — March 2016)

This article is about some of the remarkable things that plants do and how they communicate - in a word, their sentience.

It is important to keep some essential features of plants in mind: they are immobile, slower to react to sudden changes than animals and have roots, stems and leaves. They can be much longer-lived than we mortals. They do not have the organs (brains, hearts and blood vessels, etc) that characterise higher animals. In fact, it would be nonsensical for plants to have these as all an attacker would have to do to kill the plant is to destroy one of the vital organs; as it is a plant can lose up to 90% of its “body” and still survive.

Like all living creatures, plants strive to propagate their species, but while animals and humans consume food to do this, plants make food. Indeed, making food is one of plants’ major activi-ties in which carbohydrates (organic sugars) are made by photosynthesis, which is the role of chloroplasts that are usually found in leaves. It is the chloroplasts that are green, rather than the leaves themselves. Plants seek to do this efficiently by capturing as much light as possible, eg, growing towards sunlight and having “closed canopies”

The process of photosynthesis itself is intri-guing – the temperature inside leaves is care-fully controlled and is always close to the op-timum for the photosynthesis process (1.4o+2.2oC). It has been shown in a range of plant species that this temperature did not vary over a variety of climates and over 50o of latitude. Also a moment’s thought tells us that we all depend on plants at some stage in our diets and that our very existence de-pends on the chloroplasts and the process of photosynthesis. In fact, we are heavily de-

pendent on plants while plants would get on very nicely if humans vanished overnight!

Communication within the plant is required to ensure that there is a “goldilocks environ-ment” (one that is “just right”) that is controlled by the opening or closing of the stomata (pores) which are mostly on the underside of the leaves.

The question of plant behaviour and intelligence has been receiving more attention in scientific circles of late, after being relatively stagnant since the publication of Power of Movement in Plants by Charles Darwin in 1880. Reasons for this stagnation included the view that plants were some form of still life, a concept that seems to have been widely accepted from Aristote-lian times. Whereas plants have now been shown to be active in many more ways than simply moving in response to stimuli such as light and gravity. For these activities plants use process-

es like ours to see, touch, smell, hear and even taste. (See Chamovitz1 for a useful short account). This is particularly evident when plants are studied in their natural environments, not the laboratory as used always to be the case. Fairly recent advances in botanical science con-firm the view that plants are indeed sentient although this is not accepted by mainstream science.

Turning now to communication in plants, here are three recent examples that demonstrate ways in which we can communicate with plants and plants with us.

Towards acceptance of plant sentience - Tony Fearnside

This bush has a “closed canopy” so its leaves can obtain as much energy from the sun as possible

The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 ( January — March 2016) 11

(i) “The Great Banyan Tree at Adyar is a very distinct and majestic tree and is so close to the historic Blavatsky Bungalow that some of its extensive branches were touching the building. While meditating with a small group at the foot of the tree, the Tree Angel gave us the solution. She put her robe over the entire tree, but didn’t cover those branches that were threatening the bungalow. In this way, the Angel showed that it was permitted to

trim some of the branches.” 2.

(ii) Joy Mills (1920 - 2015) was a former international vice president and president of the

US and Australian Sections of the Theosophical Society; her experience was re-told by Cyn-

thia Overweg3 as follows.

“One day she hiked into the Ozarks (USA) woods that are known for their white oaks and dogwood trees along with loblolly pines, which can reach over a hundred feet in height. After a while, she found herself in front of a towering tree. ‘I became aware of the power and life in that tree. Then I became one with the tree and could have slid right into it.’ In that instant, she knew that the life in the tree and the life within her were the same. ‘At some level, it changed me’.”

(iii) In her latest book Atala Dorothy Toy reports her widespread experiences with nature spirits and tree energies and the occurrence of orbs and other energy bodies on photo-

graphs taken by digital cameras which were not visible to the photographer.4

No doubt there are many other examples in the social media, but mainstream science still does not accept the premise that plants have senses (are sentient) and communicate and display intelligence.

Are we waiting for an eminent and well regarded scientist to put his or her reputation on the line by speaking out in the same way that Ervin Laszlo considered paranormal experi-ences reported by various people (near death experiences, after death communications, messages transmitted by mediums instrumental transcommunications, past life recollec-tions and reincarnation) and postulated that human consciousness persists beyond the

body?5 After all, plants have been evolving for much much longer than humans and it would seem logical that they behave in an intelligent way.

__________________ 1.

Chamovitz, Daniel (Tel Aviv University) Plants Exhibit the Same Senses as Humans and See, Touch, Smell, Hear and Even Taste, at http://themindunleashed.org/2013/11/plants-exhibit-same-senses-as-humans.html

2.

http://adyar-renovation.org

3.

Cynthia Overweg Joy Mills: an Evolutionary Journey Quest Magazine, Spring 2012

4. Atala Dorothy Toy Nature Spirits, Spirit Guides and Ghosts – how to talk to and photograph

beings of other realms Quest Books 2012, and You tube sessions eg, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DuOYjZxq0I

5. Laszlo, Ervin and Peake, Anthony The Immortal Mind - Science and the Continuity of

Consciousness Beyond the Brain Inner Traditions, 2014. Also see:

Mancuso, Stefano and Viola, Alessandra Brilliant Green – the surprising history and science of plant intelligence. (English edition) Island Press 2015 (175 pp), and You tube sessions with Pro-fessor Stefano Mancuso, eg, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIfwFLDXFyQ

Information about the plantoid robot project, eg, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqKRNKCmzhE

12 The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 (January — March 2016)

Canberra Branch—Public Talk

International Speaker—John Vorstermans

When: 7.30pm Monday 18 April 2016 Where: Friends’ Meeting House, Cnr Bent and Condamine Streets, Turner Theme: The Seven Portals It is not often that international speakers visit Canberra Branch so we are particularly pleased that John Vorstermans will be with us on Monday 18 April. The Seven Portals takes a look at the seven keys to open the portal leading to the path of altruism and compassion — from the third fragment of The Voice of The Silence.

John Vorstermans, currently the National President of the New Zealand Section and Presi-dent of the Indo-Pacific Federation of the Theosophical Society will undertake a brief tour for the TS in Australia during April, as well as conducting classes at the School of Theosophy in Springbrook.

A natural health educator, qualified in Ayurvedic Medicine, John first became interested in Theosophy, while travelling in the USA in the early 1980’s after picking up a copy of The Secret Doctrine. This resulted in a life changing experience when the ideas presented are put into practice. John has been involved in Internet technology since 1989, having started New Zealand’s first Internet Service Provider.

International speaker—John Vorstermans

For Members - The 2016 School of Theosophy, Springbrook

When: Wednesday 20 – Tuesday 26 April 2016

Where: Springbrook Centre, 2184 Springbrook Road, Springbrook QLD

Theme: The Spiritual Path in Daily Life: Exploring The Mahatma Letters

Presenter: John Vorstermans

The general focus of this study is on the teaching presented in The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett and Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom Series I and II (edited by Jinarajadasa) that deal with the requirements for leading a spiritual life. The study begins by defining the two concepts “chelaship” or discipleship and “probation”. Several relevant letters will be examined.

The basic question which will be asked throughout the study is: To what extent are the ideas and ideals presented relevant to our lives today? Cost: $250 (includes accommodation, all sessions, meals and $10 non-refundable fee) Registrations will be accepted until Friday 8 April 2016, unless places are already filled—see registration form and flyer on National website http://austheos.org.au/whats/springbrook-events-2016.

The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 ( January — March 2016) 13

The Theosophical Order of Service

Representing theosophy in action on a daily basis.

The TOS was founded by Annie Besant in February 1908

Projects adopted for the current year, during the TOS Annual General Meeting (Perth - January 2016) are:

The four Qandeel Home Schools in Pakistan Annie Besant Animal Welfare Dispensary in Adyar Golden Link College in Pakistan (note that donations attract a matching grant from

the Kern Foundation)

TOS Brunch

On 6 February our first brunch of the year went well – the weather was glorious, company was excellent, and TS/TOS members joined to share each other’s company and food at the Botanic Gardens. From the generous donations, we have sent $90 to the Pakistan Home Schools and $50 to the Besant Veterinary Clinic, which are two of the projects adopted at the AGM in Perth.

On 23 February Barbara gave an excellent powerpoint presen-tation of the fund raising trip to Cambodia, illustrating the three main projects which benefited—Green Gecko, Free to Shine and Jimmy’s school. An general update on TOS projects was given by Janice.

TOS participants who attended the AGM - attendees were from all parts of Australia. Tim Boyd (centre front row) is President of the International Theosophical Order of Service

14 The TS in Canberra Newsletter No. 79 (January — March 2016)

FMH = Friends’ Meeting House ; ANU = Emeritus Faculty, ANU ; TBA = To be advised

Public meetings * (Feb—May and Sept—Dec) will be on the first Monday and start at 7.30 pm at:

[Friends Meeting House—Corner of Bent and Condamine Streets, Turner ACT 2612.

Saturday discussion group meetings are mainly scheduled at the Emeritus Faculty, ANU, 24 Balmain Crescent —but please check the programme .

Public meetings are open to everyone; and any who are interested in the subject are welcome at the discussion group meetings.

* Note that in the colder months - June, July, August - there will be no Monday evening meetings. These will be substituted by afternoon meetings at 2.00pm on the first Saturday of June, July, August at the Emeritus Faculty, ANU, 24 Balmain Crescent, NOT the Friends Meeting House. Check the programme for details. Annual fees for the Theosophical Society in Canberra:

Ordinary member: $75 with printed T in A / $55 with electronic T in A Student/pensioner*: $70 with printed T in A / $50 with electronic T in A Joining fee: $5 Friends : by donation Library: no charge for members; $10 for non members (reimbursed on return of book).

* Number of concession card required: as per National Executive Committee minutes of July 2004

Email: janton@netspeed.com.au phone 62887656 or 0490147020

www.austheos.org.au/Canberra/ Newsletter: Janice Scarabottolo

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN CANBERRA—PROGRAMME 2016

Day Date Speaker Topic

MONDAY 7.30pm FMH

4 April Public mtg

Dianne Kynaston TS National Speaker

The Holy Grail in the Modern World. This talk will explore the potency of the archetypal Holy Grail symbol, from the ancient myths to modern day stories such as Star Wars.

SATURDAY 2.00pm ANU

16 April Discussion gr

Facilitator: Colleen Grafton-Green

What is Truth?

MONDAY 7.30pm FMH

18 April John Vorstermans National President of TS in New Zealand (see page 12)

The Seven Portals: This presentation takes a look at the seven keys to open the portal leading to the path of altruism and compas-sion.

MONDAY 7.30pm FMH

2 May Public mtg

Gordon Herbert The human potential, the Masters and Avatars

SATURDAY 2.00pm ANU

21 May Discussion gr

Facilitator: Grahame Crookham

What is Theosophy? We shall consider some of the fundamental concepts of Theosophy.

SATURDAY 2.00pm ANU

4 June Public mtg

Grahame Crookham

Göbekli Tepe: The Turning Point—dating 9,700BC, this is the world’s oldest known megalithic structure and sanctuary; possibly the first university? (See below: in June, July, August public meetings are on 1st Saturdays at ANU)

SATURDAY 2.00pm ANU

18 June Discussion gr

Margot Herbert Meditation