Part of me still can’t believe it. But I’ve had this from various online contacts, so I guess it’s true: there is a proposal which will go to the general council which, if adopted, will change a number of things about the practical organisation of the Theosophical Society.
The main change will be that we as members of the Theosophical Society no longer get a vote in who becomes the next president of the Theosophical Society (TS).
This is an outrage to me.
I’m proud of the TS for being a religious organisation that elects its presidents. It’s one of the reasons why I am a reasonably active member: there is an attempt at an open organisation in which members can search for spiritual truth despite having religious differences. Now the organisation isn’t as open as I might like, but as long as the president is directly elected by the members, there is always a chance for change.
This proposal therefor goes to the heart of what makes me a proud theosophist. One of my responses yesterday as I got this news was: I don’t know if I want to remain a member of the TS if this goes through. Another response was: if P. Krishna had been a candidate, none of this would have happened.
I’ve set up a poll in which the main points of the proposal are laid out. Go check it out and give your vote on the various questions. One of the main questions I ask is: would you have voted for P. Krishna? Would you vote for him now?
Katinka Hesselink
[...] I’ve gone on record saying that I would quit my membership of the TS if the proposal I discussed the other day goes through. In this post I will explain why it matters so much to me that I would give up my [...]
I recall that several years ago as a member I attended W/E workshops, forums and what have you at the TS.
One evening I sat viewing a film on the life of Madame Blatsky the original Russian founder, and was so touched by her compassionate ways, that at the end of the film I made a comment to the effect that I have not met anyone at the TS who was so friendly and open like her. The response from Betty Bland who was conducting the event that evening was: ” When I take over as president all that will change as I will try to create a friendly, unbiased, peaceful environment.”
I never forgot those words, but I seldom returned but since then I have heard that the TS has changed from an ‘elite’ academic crowd to one witn a welcoming attitude for all ethnic participants. I am sorry that she was not selected to continue as President.
Hi, I’m glad to hear the atmosphere of the TSA has improved