THE U.L.T. LETTER - 2010

A Message to Friends All Over the World

United Lodge of Theosophists

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Every year, by June 25,  the

U.L.T. sends a  message to its

associates and friends all over the world

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TO SPREAD BROADCAST THE TEACHINGS OF THEOSOPHY AS

RECORDED IN THE WRITINGS OF H. P. BLAVATSKY AND WM. Q. JUDGE

United Lodge of Theosophists

A VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATION OF STUDENTS OF THEOSOPHY

245 WEST 33RD STREET, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90007, USA

June 21-25, 2010.

Dear Friends and Associates:

                                                                          

Paradoxically, history shows that times of stagnation and conflict lead to transformation. As old cycles mature, the energy of awakened mind becomes linked to the new. The inter-connectedness of nature is understood when the global environment reacts to years of neglect. Old institutions are questioned and better ones found when economic hardship and inequity are daily events. As entertainment dulls thought, boredom awakens search. 

Yet the mind may be overwhelmed before growth takes place, as the blinding glamour of new technology deepens, and cycles collide.  The inability to know what to do can produce both paralysis and useless activity.  When this happens, William Q. Judge comments that:

“I would never let the least fear or despair come before me, but if I cannot see the road, nor the goal, for the fog, I would simply sit down and wait; I would not allow the fog to make me think no road was there, and that I was not to pass it.  The fogs must lift.” (Letters That Have Helped Me, W.Q. Judge, Theosophy Co., p. 68)

This pause - sometimes mistaken for failure - is of great use, as each Arjuna views the new “field” with calmness, discerns what needs to be done, and then acts.   

By the standards of the world, the United Lodge of Theosophists remains a paradox.  It is, as Robert Crosbie pointed out, “a name given to certain principles and ideas”; and, kept alive by individual effort, it prescribes no appointed leader, follower, or authority.  It encourages cosmopolitan thought, but focuses on the books of only two writers - H. P. Blavatsky and William Q. Judge.  It speaks to the “mind of the times” while using a non-personal method of study. And in this commitment to independent study and effort - the root of U.L.T. - its deepest paradox appears.  Tutored by the world based on personal fulfillment, driven by need and curiosity, the student who encounters “theosophia” is asked to form the “nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood.”  Yet, if this unsought path is followed, as in the age-old legends where seekers for power learn that the only quest that matters is that of love and service, the on-going study of the works of H.P.B. and W.Q.J. enlightens and transforms.

From time to time, students evaluate how to keep the principle called “U.L.T.” vital and alive.  What elevates the opaque lower mind to its own real nature?  How are the tools of manas best used in a desire-based world?  Do seekers respond to the depth of the Declaration and the ideas behind the Three Fundamental Propositions?  What books are of special interest? What phrases resonate in virtually all hearts and minds?  What engenders enthusiasm and love for the teachings?  

This year, the work has continued, often with unexpected - and unwished for - challenges. In the most striking example, the Lodge in Jacmel, Haiti, its building destroyed in that country’s devastating earthquake, prevails, with a new, computer-based approach to study. The lecture-study program in Athens, Greece remains strong, although the annual workshop had to be reconfigured due to political unrest, and the White Lotus Day commemoration postponed a week since on May 8th  “there were riots in the city.”

On a lighter note, the Swedish ULT found new participation after a move to different quarters, and new study groups, with slightly different configurations, meet in Austin, Texas, and Limburg, the Netherlands. The international work in Portuguese links Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique, and other areas through the internet, sharing daily and weekly postings and a number of separate blogs. Vidya Magazine is welcomed from Santa Barbara [California, USA] , and, in India, Mumbai continues its excellent The Theosophical Movement, both publications reflecting the work of committed students.

The International Theosophy Conference held in Los Angeles in August of 2009 brought together an eclectic mix of thinkers for vigorous discussion, study, and fellowship, with the 2010 event to be held in the Hague on Aug. 12-15. As an outcome of last summer’s program, this year will see a weekend gathering again in L.A. (Aug. 20-22) where all are invited to study Theosophy together in a casual setting.  In addition, several ULT students will host a 4-day HPB Study Class at Far Horizons Camp Aug. 25th through the 29th.  

All of these meetings - and many others - blend the metaphysical structure of Theosophic text and principle with the spontaneous improvisation of thought, movement, and response that marks human creativity working not alone, but in relation with others, the true paradox faced by “The Spirit in the Body” indeed.

With fraternal best wishes,

THE UNITED LODGE OF THEOSOPHISTS

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Always visit www.Esoteric-Philosophy.com ,  www.TheosophyOnline.com  and  www.FilosofiaEsoterica.com  .

If you want to have access to a daily study of the original teachings of Theosophy, write tolutbr@terra.com.br and ask for information on the e-group E-THEOSOPHY.

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