fohat winter 1997

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Volume I, Number 4 Winter 1997

Paintill9 a Pictureon MotiveNabatheanAgricuLture:

A cfiafdean Cookat Self-CuLture

DNA:The Mora!Question

Earry canadian Theosophists and SociaL Refonn

AVehicle for the Ancient Wisdom Tradition


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FOHATS MISSION

With humanity now at a crossroads with respect to its future evolution, the time is rightfor a magazine that will help to create the environment needed for every aspiringindividual to realize his or her own inner potential. Words by themselves are lifelessshells if they do not find a home in an individual possessed of a good will bent towardsmanifesting Truth in self so as to eventually come to that state where Father and Sonare one. Today, Man is bombarded by empty dogma from every corner. Words aretwisted in order to serve the selfish desires of the few. Confusion and ignorance reignsupreme. How do we lift ourselves from this state of darkness?

There has existed from the beginning of time a doctrine, sometimes referred to as the

Ancient Wisdom Tradition, which points the individual towards the essential Wisdomor Truth embodied in the Cosmos and correspondingly in Man and in the smallest atomfound in Nature. This essential nature shared by all things is the basis of the doctrineof Universal Brotherhood and the source of Mans compassion for all living things.It is our Unknowable Source and our Spiritual destiny. A wise compassion basedon an understanding of this Ancient Wisdom Tradition will enable Mankind to performwith greater clarity its duties of compassion and lift Man and all those beings followingin its wake towards a more enlightened future. How do we reconcile the many differenttraditions battling for Truth?

It is said that all of the Great Religions of the world find their source in the AncientWisdom Tradition. This tradition points the individual possessed of good will towardsthe Truth that lies at the centre of all of us. Consequently, if readers were to adoptthe motto There is no Religion Higher than Truth and also to proceed in a spirit ofbrotherly good will, each of us following his or her own tradition would come to a bodyof understanding that all could agree on. The environment for this pursuit is a desirefor Truth and brotherly good will. Vigilance is the key to maintaining this environment.Anyone who questions the motives of another; anyone who tries to insinuate thatanother has an agenda other than the pursuit of Truth; anyone who by way of meresuspicions blackens the name of another, participates in the destruction of the environ-ment of Truth. Vigilance is the key to a brotherly community pursuing Truth. Truth isthe goal, brotherhood is the means, and vigilance is our duty. The synthesis of thesethree elements is J na-Yoga which has been described as one of the safest and mosteffective of all the Yogas. This magazine is an invitation for followers of all traditionsto enter into a dialogue whose goal is Truth and whose means is Universal Brother-hood.

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EditorRobert Bruce MacDonald

Managing Editor

JoAnne MacDonald

Assistant Editors

Rogelle PelletierDolores Brisson

Publisher

Edmonton TheosophicalSociety

The pages of Fohat are an openforum dedicated to the pursuit ofTruth, and consequently theviews and opinions expressedherein are those of the authorsanddo notnecessarily reflect theviews of the publisher unlessotherwise specifically stated.

Any articles or correspondencemay be sent to:

FOHATBox 4587

Edmonton, AlbertaCanada T6E 5G4

E-mail: [email protected]

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Become anAssociate of Edmonton TSand help support its efforts.

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Cover Design: Donna Pinkard

ISSN 1205-9676

FOHATA Quarterly Publication of Edmonton Theosophical Society

Volume I, No. 4Winter 1997

ContentsEditorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

DoNotAlter? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78by Dolores Brisson

Early Canadian Theosophists and Social Reform . . . 81by Ted G. Davy

Force of Motive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84by Dara Eklund

Nabathean Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86by Richard Robb

A Psychological View of Fohat . . . . . . . . . . . . 88by Gerald Schueler, Ph.D.

Musings From A Secret Doctrine Class . . . . . . . . 89by Laurier Auger

Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Theosophical Friends Remembered . . . . . . . . . . 91

To be featured in coming issues:

A look at the Meditation Diagram of H.P.B.;

Thought Entities and Health;

AND MUCH MORE!


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Editorial

A FEARLESS JOURNEYYea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow

of death, I will fear no evil. ( P s a l m 2 3 : 4 )

I will fear no evil. This is an affirmation that iseasily said, but not easily accomplished. Fearlurks in the shadows of the mind, and is pro-duced from the attachments that we hold to thisworld. Often, we do not do things because wefear what others might think, what they mightsay, or what they might do. We envision acourse of action and then do not carry it outbecause of fear. We fear because we lack per-spective we are ignorant. Great visions,beautiful visions, virtuous visions are aban-doned because of fear. How does fear deflect us

from the virtuous path?

There are times in our life when, through thenatural course of events, we come to gain newinsights we broaden our perspective. Newinsights produce for us new possibilities, newpaths. The introspective man who is aware ofhis strengths and talents can take his newinsight into the world, couple it with his talentsand envision a contribution that he can maketo the world whether that contribution in-volves working for oneself, ones family, commu-

nity, etc. We are all at different stages and canmake contributions in different areas. Thereare often several paths that one can take whennew insights are developed. Motive is the prin-ciple that will determine what path we decideupon; motive is the key to determining whetherwe use our new insight for good or for bad.

In The Mahatma Letters, K.H. reminds us that[m]otive is everything

( 2 n d e d . p . 1 3 2 )

. Motivecolours our thoughts and our acts. If we workfor our family when we are capable of broaden-

ing our scope and work for a better community,then for some reason we have limited ourselvesand limited our act. That is not to say that familyis not important, but a community just is acollection of families, so it is always the case thatwhen we improve a community, every family init can benefit. If we are capable of lifting a wholecommunity and we limit ourselves to our ownfamily, then we have not realized our potential

and we have left ourselves open to the field ofkarma. We limit ourselves out of fear, and fearis the seed that blooms in time into sorrow. Howthen do we overcome fear?

When we walk into unfamiliar territory, we arenaturally tentative. We have not experiencedsuccess in our new arena and we possess doubtas to whether we can succeed. To battle thisdoubt, we are supplied with two things. We aresupplied with a mentor who has travelled thispath before us and can encourage us and point

the way, and we are supplied with our own innerfaith based on our understanding of who we areand of what we are capable. To be able toenvision something is to be able to accomplishsomething. If we can envision something and astep by step process to accomplish that some-thing, then by putting in the effort we can realizethat something. When we get overwhelmed byall the work that we have to do and doubt ourability to do it, then we lose out to fear. However,if we trust our mentor and trust our own abili-ties, then we can overcome our fears as we walk

through the shadows of the valleys of our jour-ney.

Judge in his article, Musings on the True The-osophists Path, reminds us that whatever workis allotted to us, we ought to give it carefulattention. He writes:

[A]s you live your life each day with anuplifted purpose and unselfish desire,each and every event will bear for you adeep significancean occult mean-

ingand as you learn their import, so doyou fit yourself for higher work.( E c h o e s o f

t h e O r i e n t I , P L P , 1 9 7 5 , p . 2 2 )

Whatever our current vision, be it grand orsmall, we ought to do it unselfishly and do it tothe best of our ability, for out of that will growthe qualities needed to attempt and successfullynavigate greater journeys in the future.

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Letters to the Editor:

The article on vampirism by Rogelle Pelletierwas quite an eye opener. She showed thatonly the lower principles are responsible forcausing havoc in the lives of the people. Sheshowed us to escape from this trap by rejectinghedonism, Trishna (Thirst of Cravings), greed,selfishness, depravity and other unethical be-haviors.

Vampirism affects the weak and the vulner-able and those of us who become easy victimsof mental poisoning. It was rather interesting

to see how rampant vampirism is C handshak-ing, sleeping in the same bed or sitting closeto each other. This might be the reason thatBrahmins avoided handshake with lowercastes. They avoided even the shadow of theirlower caste brothers. The Brahmins sufferedfrom the misunderstanding that all lowercastes are men of passion and evil. Theyperhaps did not realize that a Brahmin can bea vampire against another Brahmin. TreatingLower Castes like that was a denial of theDivine principles in others and the denial of

the Principles of Brotherhood of humanity.

I would like to add that the real vampires wereperpetrators of Inquisitions, Crusades, killersof witches and heretics, those who enslavedour African brothers and those who committedcrimes in Nazi and Communist concentrationcamps. Ethnic cleansing, terrorism and fa-naticism create conditions of vampirism.Vampirism germinates where men engage inviolence against their fellow human beings.

Also, I would like to add other antidotes tovampirism:

- Acts of kindness and compassion create amagnetic field or crystal wall as mentioned inthe article,

- True acts of generosity,

- Engage in some form of Metta (loving kind-ness) meditation and prayers,

- The Buddhist Ashtmarga (8 fold path) astaught by Siddhartha, the Buddha. His sim-ple advice was:

Cease to do evilLearn to do goodCleanse your heart.

Finally, I must add that the author of thearticle on vampirism expressed the escape

from vampirism very elegantly keep yourconsciousness elevated.

P r e m K a l i a

On the vampirism article, one wonders howvampirizing someone ties in with the conceptof the body not generating energy, but being aconductor of universally present prana. (See

TRANSACTIONS, p 71; EOO III, p. 11). Vam-pirism must somehow affect the integ-rity/harmony/cohesion of the physical orastral body. Also on RBMs editorial - making

as much money as one can to spread Theoso-phy is undoubtedly of a karmic predispositionin the area; if not predisposed in that way, oneshould follow his own inclinations/optionsinstead of straining in the wrong directionagainst the personal karmic current. HPBnever had more than a few trunks of belong-ings.

J a k e J a q u a

It has come to my attention recently thatparasites, unbeknownst to most, affect over

80% of western populations. There is a par-ticular parasite called the hook worm that candrain one cc of blood from its host per day. Acolony of hook worms could consequently de-plete a lot of energy from an individual. Whattype of thoughts produce the environmentneeded for such vampires to live in particu-lar individuals, and why is this type of vam-pirism so rampant today?

J . R o b e r t s

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DoNotAlter?Dolores Brisson

In the late seventies a new episode began in the saga of DNA mobility. Scientists learned how to joinat will genes from cells of widely different origins and to introduce the combined molecules into yet

another set of different cells. Humans=

ability to produce new gene combinations freed DNA from theconstraints imposed by nature and placed it in the hands of scientists. DNA the master had beenmade slave an awesome event that the human imagination could hardly cope with. Like any eventof possibly enormous significance, it has generated anxiety and profound emotional reactions, rangingfrom exhilaration to fear. Is this the beginning of a new stage of life?

( D e s i g n 1 2 7 )

Controversies surrounding genetic engineer-ing mount as science slices through onebarrier after another. Successful animal clon-ing and of late, animal clones carrying humangenes, are key issues. What is the motive be-hind genetic engineering? What impact will ithave on mankind and on all life? No longerhaving to wait for nature to takes its course,what are the consequences of interfering withnatural laws and natural evolution? The pos-sibility of human clones haunts the minds of anirresolute world. Would human clones be de-void of soul and spirit? Surely life is more thanthe simple expression of instructions regulatedby genes.

Genetic research is in its early stages; leadingengineers have no reassuring answers and they

admit it. Their experiments are far from com-plete. In one sense, biological researchers arecourageous trail blazers. Had man cowardlydismissed new endeavours in the past for fearof uncertainties and unknowns, he would nothave progressed. As life unfolds humanitylearns to traverse diverse barriers, one afteranother, and it will continue to do so. Why ismankind so often faced with adversities? Be-cause nature is dual; there is a positive and

negative side to all of manifestation. Due to theintrinsic nature of genetics, man can expect atower of challenges; recombinant DNA is nosmall matter.

The DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of a cell is thematerial in which the genetic instructions of allliving things are embodied; it is the source andmaster of all heredity the thread of life. Ingenetic engineering, fragments of cloned DNAcan be fused together in any order and orienta-tion the scientist wishes so as to build new DNAsequences. A library of various segments isestablished from viruses to human chromo-somes. Cloning is a process of nuclear transferusing a micro-manipulation technique. A cloneis a group of identical cells or organisms thatare descended from a common ancestor

through asexual reproduction( C l o n i n g 1 1 5 )

. Inasexual reproduction, the offspring comes fromonly one parent so all cells in the clone containthe same genetic material as the parent. Theyare copies of the original an extension of asingle individual. In successful animal cloning,researchers extract mammary cells from anadult, remove the nucleus containing the ge-netic material from another animals unfertil-ized egg, and fuse the mammary cell (with its

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own DNA) to that egg with electricitywhich givesit the impetus to start to grow into an embryo.

This growing embryo is transplanted into theuterus of another animal a surrogate mother.

The end result is an animal that has the samegenetic information as the animal that providedthe mammary cell. What purpose does all thistime, money and energy serve?

What we can discern as the motive is the benefitto mankind, i.e. through medicine and health.Peering into obscure horizons, optimism pre-vails among the scientific community. They seethe benefits of cloning and amplifying DNA asnumerous: the production of new drugs and/ora better supply of existing drugs; xenotrans-plantation i.e. transplanting animal organsinto humans; creating transgenic animals car-rying human genes of therapeutic value; im-provement of crops and subsequent alteration

of the food chain; and treatment of disease andgene defects. These are a few items of aninterminable list that augments daily. Fromgerm cell therapy to agriculture, no departmentin nature remains undisturbed. In one exam-ple, Saskatchewan is growing canola with hu-man genes, enabling the plant to producehuman protein

( G e n e t i c 2 3 )

. But are these al-terations benefi-cial?

There are risks in-

volved. What con-trol factor can

ensure it will not bring about other ills? Howmany individuals will suffer damage? Can sci-ence undo altered genes? In June 1997, onCNN, Larry King interviewed leading biologistDr. Ian Wilmut, Dollys (the sheep) successfulcreator. Dr. Wilmuts motive is that he believesthis is for the greater good. Stating the cloningissue is mainly for study purposes, he hopes todevelop precise genetic modifications in cells

with selected precise changes to treat geneticdiseases and produce health care products.During the interview, the question arose: iftransplanting an animal organ into our bodymeant adding 20 years to our life, how many ofus would allow it? Probably many of us! Goodintentions notwithstanding, are we not infring-ing upon the delicate ecological balance in na-ture and natural laws?

Eliphas Levi, when commenting on naturallaws, writes:

Man ought to direct and correct nature,but he must never violate her laws. Ifman, by combating nature, attempts tobecome god in opposition to God, he fallslower than the brute and deserves to becalled a demon. . . . Man is exactly worthas much as he makes himself worth.( N a t u r e 4 4 - 4 5 )

To what extent have we learned to live in har-mony with Nature and in conformity with theLaw of Evolution? Physical nature moves for-ward with her great combination of physicalforces, ever creeping toward perfection. Canthe mind of man keep still long enough to learnhow to follow Nature? ?Every ideal, not in ac-cordance with nature, is a monstrosity@ claimsLevi

( T h o u g h t s 4 6 )

. Let us take heed that a carte

blanche for shuffling genes, especially betweenkingdoms, for whatever purpose, does not endin long-term disastrous results. Is man utiliz-ing the tool of wisdom whilst he geneticallymanipulates life? Is this magnificent techno-logical advancement premature to or in linewith our ability to discern between good andbad?

Proper human moraland ethical develop-ment is a prerequi-

site if geneticengineering is to beadvantageous. Not

all scientists have the ethical and moral valuesessential to working with this double-edgedsword. As some see moral standards as rela-tive, others fear this new technology will get outof hand. Not all scientists are cut from the samemoral cloth:

There is a gradient in the standard ofmorality to be applied to various condi-tions of men, according to their educa-

tion, training, and, more particularly, thesphere of life in which they move. . . .[T]here is in man the consciousness ofgood and evil which is more or less acuteaccording to the degree in which the activereason opposes his natural instincts. Tothe extent that this consciousness ofgood and evil has awakened in man, tothat extent moral responsibility may bepredicated of him.

( Q u e s t i o n 2 9 - 3 0 )

Is this magnificent technological advance-ment premature to or in line with our abilityto discern between good and bad?

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Ones own moral standard may not be accept-able to others, nor does popularity make a viewcorrect. As stated by Levi, [a] multitude of foolscannot make folly reasonable, nor does an errorbecome venerable on account of its being old.( T h o u g h t s 4 6 )

People from all walks of life are aware that

asexual human cloning could be occurring atthis very minute somewhere on the planet, re-gardless of cloning regulations in any country.Cloning for the wrong motive will or will notoccur, depending on the degree of the engineersmoral development. For most, human cloningis illogical; it serves no purpose; it may bepossible to produce a physical genetic copy, butit is impossible to reproduce a personality. OnNature Magazine, a program aired on CNN onFebruary 25, 1997, a member of the NationalAdvisory Board on Ethics and Reproduction

alluded to this. Karen Rothenberg questionedwhat constituted the real human being andwhat maintains its dignity, making reference tosoul. What of soul and spirit? Life cannot bedefined as a chemical reaction, common ele-ments combining to form molecules a multi-plication of the DNA. This definition is toosimple; it leaves one feeling virus-like and des-titute. Soul and spirit are the most importantconstituents of man. The lack of the objectiveexistence of soul or spirit under the cognizanceof any exact law of science does not eradicate it.

The East believes that a souls attraction to-wards a particular parent or family, and theformation of a suitable physical body to expressand develop innate tendencies, take place ac-cording to the karma generated by it in its pastincarnations. The germinating foetus in thewomb of a woman through natural reproduc-tion requires its life-giving principle, then asoul, which is ready to commence its sojournon earth. Knowing their greatest responsibility,natural parents help their child develop Mind.In the case of a cloned child, who is the father?From whence comes the male element, Spirit?

The whole scenario seems wrong. In its visibleaspect, nature has provided DNA with the codeof life. It is the material link between genera-tions and contains the genetic information thatspecifies hereditary characteristics. In the caseof cloning and recombinant DNA, Man in es-sence, is tampering with the natural course ofevolution, forever affecting future generations.Natural sexual reproduction (23 chromosomes

from the mother and 23 from the father) hasbeen occurring for millions of years. John Grib-bin writes:

So the success of sexual reproduction asa means of mixing genetic material, en-suring sufficient variability in a popula-tion to cope, by adapting, to a changingenvironment, led directly to the evolutionof two sexes and to the pattern in whichthere are roughly equal numbers ofmales and females. ( G e n e s i s 2 4 3 )

Apart from natural reproduction, Nature hasnot relegated the powers of creation to man-kind, at least not at this stage of our evolution.What are the real implications of asexual repro-duction?

Even the cloning of animals has repercussions.The assumption that animals have no soul of

any kind is based upon insecure foundations.Neither animal nor man can prove this. Manmust recognize that the powers that be have notgiven him authority over the life and death ofanimals lower than himself, nor the right totorture them. Many believe that animals existsolely for our own benefit, creatures to be ex-ploited without question as if we have dominionover them (instead of being their guardians).We must develop a sense of charity towardsthem. We want the best science has to offer sothat we may improve our health or prolong our

life; the success of humanly acceptable healthproducts is based on animal testing. Currentbiological research allows for the invasive crea-tion of genetic diseases in sheep, enabling thedisease to flourish so it may be studied in moredetail; it also allows for better drug testing. Towhat extent we can exploit the lower kingdomfor our own benefit? Caution is required. Man-kind has a great karmic debt to the animalkingdom. Torture and terrible abuse have beenendlessly endured by these lesser creatures onour account. If this new technology is another

carte blanche for more abuse it should bebanned; it is working against nature.

How much genetic engineering will continue toslip imperceptibly into our lives? Will the pro-posed benefits of genetic engineering material-ize? What will be the real consequences ofinterfering with natural evolution? Only timewill tell. Future generations will either reap the

. . . continued on page 92

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EARLYCANADIANTHEOSOPHISTS

AND

SOCIALREFORMTed G. Davy

When the Theosophical Society was formedin 1875, probably the majority of its ear-liest members were Spiritualists and/or othersinterested in what later came to be described inthe Societys third object as investigating un-explained laws of nature and the powers latentin man. In the following years, to at least the

mid 1890s, a different sort of member, lessinterested in phenomena, was attracted ratherby the ideals encapsulated in the Societys firstobject: that of universal brotherhood. Al-though this object reads like a clichtoday, in the 19th century universalbrotherhood was a daring new con-cept; and the qualification with-out distinction of race,creed, sex, caste or col-our was radical in theextreme.1 No wonder

then that the Societyheld considerable appealto some radical thinkers.

Of these a small but sig-nificant number were ac-tive in one or other of the severalcontemporary movements of the time whosegoal was social reform. This was as true inCanada as elsewhere. What did social reformmean in 1890s Canada? Various activistschampioned any number of different reform

theories. The diversity that existed is indicatedin an observation of pioneer Canadian Theoso-phist Albert E.S. Smythe. Regarding a forth-coming talk in Toronto on Single Taxation in1900 he wrote:

I am glad to have this opportunity ofexpressing my sympathy with this par-ticular aspect of the social reform move-ment, for there appears to be animpression abroad that students of The-

osophy neglect everything pertaining towhat are called practical measures.Personally, I take a hearty interest in allthe advance movements, and see admi-rable features in the programmes of So-cialists, Nationalists, Communists,Co-operators, and a dozen other more or

less political parties.2

In spite of his positive attitude, Smythe appar-ently did not himself take an active role in anyof the movements. Indeed, in a more criticalvein he followed the above statement by regret-ting that all those earnest men and women are

usually more or less opposed to each othersmethods, so that vast energies which,combined upon any one point of reform,

would almost certainly carry it to asuccessful issue . . . 3

From a historical per-spective, among Smythes

unnamed dozen other,pride of place surely belongs

to the movement for womensenfranchisement. That Canadian

Theosophists would be active in thiscause is hardly surprising. As one Cana-

dian historian has observed, Between the years1890 and 1920, Theosophy was the one relig-ion which consistently advocated equality of

the sexes.4

The beginning of the long butultimately successful struggle to obtain votesfor women was due in no small part to theinitiative and strenuous efforts of two earlyCanadian Theosophists, both charter membersof the Toronto Theosophical Society. One, Dr.Emily Stowe (1831-1903) was the first womandoctor to practice in Canada, but who had totrain for her profession in the U.S.A.; the otherwas her daughter, Dr. Augusta Stowe-Gullen

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(1857-1943), the first woman to graduate froma Canadian medical college. The barriers towomen practising medicine in their day wereenormous, so both had first hand knowledgeand bitter experience of inequitable treatmentsuffered by women, even such brilliant andwell-qualified women such as they, in the latterhalf of the 19th century.

Dr. Stowe began the push for womens suffragein Canada as early as 1877 and remained itsleading advocate until her death, after whichDr. Stowe-Gullen continued the campaign.5

With Flora MacDonald Denison (1867-1921),another associate of the Toronto T.S., theytoiled for years to obtain the vote for women, aright only finally recognized in some provincesduring World War I, federally in 1918, and otherprovinces soon after, except Qubec which heldout until 1940.

As for othermovements, it isof course wrongto equate cur-rent concep-tions of suchterms as Social-ism and Com-munism withthose of a hun-dred years ago.At that time,Communismwas hardly or-

ganized in Can-ada; and as

Smythe intimated, Socialism was thinly spread,due in part to its many divisions.

Few studies are available to give a proper per-spective of socialism in Canada in the latter partof the nineteenth century.6 It is clear, however,

that the labour movement was already on therise and increasingly active; its focus was onwages and working conditions. One or more ofthe several models of socialism also appealed toa small number of intellectuals not necessarilydirectly connected with labour. These mostlyadopted a passive approach to their goals. Forthe most part the general public was not in-volved; indeed, was largely ignorant of whatsocialism was all about.

Some may argue that H.P. Blavatskys criticismof socialism in her early writings should havedeterred Theosophists from associating with it.For example . . . the insane dreams of Social-ism and Communism, which [the Society] ab-hors as both are but disguised conspiracies ofbrutal force and sluggishness against honestlabour.7 (It is likely, however, that in this

instance she was referring to the Nihilist-So-cialists8 of her native Russia.) Also, one of theoriginal founders of the T.S. in 1875, CharlesSotheran, one of the best known socialists of theday, blamed his broken friendship with Ma-dame Blavatsky on her attitude to his preachingrevolutionary doctrines.9

On the other hand, in The Key to Theosophyshedescribed Jesus and the Buddha as preachingmost unmistakably Socialism of the noblest andhighest type, self-sacrifice to the bitter end. 1 0

She praised two English Socialist members ofthe T.S., (almost certainly Annie Besant beingone and Herbert Burrows the other) as beingexemplars to other Theosophists. 1 1 Again, hersupportive attitude towards Edward BellamysNationalism explains why many Theosophists,especially in the U.S.A. were active in thatmovement.:

The organization of Society, depicted byEdward Bellamy, in his magnificent workLooking Backward, admirably repre-sents the Theosophical idea of whatshould be the first great step towards thefull realization of universal brother-hood.1 2

In praising the Nationalist Movement as anapplication of Theosophy, however, she wascareful to caution members that it is the latterwhich must ever stand first in your sight. 1 3

So it was that in the 1890s, a number of mem-bers of the Theosophical Society joined variouscauses through which they sought to bring

about social reform. They saw no conflict be-tween the respective ideologies: brotherhoodwas a term as much used by socialists as by

Theosophists. The situation was summed upby a Socialist-Theosophist at the turn of thecentury:

Theosophy appeals to Socialists be-cause of its cosmopolitan character, itsworld-wide philosophy, based on the es-sential ideas common to all the higher

D r . E m i l y S t o w e ( 1 8 3 1 - 1 9 0 3 )

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religions, accepting all that is good andenduring that has been taught us by allthe great ones past and present, thesages, philosophers and reformers of alltime. In like manner Socialism shouldappeal to Theosophists as a movementfor Freedom, and Justice to all, withoutwhich Brotherhood is impossible of reali-

zation . . .1 4

Some socialists were probably first attracted tothe T.S. prompted by Annie Besants conver-sion to Theosophy in 1888. This was especiallyso in England where Mrs. Besant had been ahigh profile Fabian socialist for many years.Her fame was widespread and although her firstvisit to Canada was not until 1893, the sameattraction perhaps also accounts for severalCanadian socialists joining the Society as earlyas 1891.

There is justification for this assumption. In1895, when the American Section (which in-cluded Canadian members and branches) splitas a result of the Judge case, most of theknown Toronto T.S. socialist members werethose who elected to remain attached to theSociety headquartered at Adyar, India: the sec-tor of the movement in which Besant was thethen rising star. The majority of the Torontomembers, however, remained loyal to WilliamQ. Judge and affiliated with the Theosophical

Society in America, forming the Beaver T.S. forthis purpose. The situation was bluntly statedin a report from this branch:

Those members remaining in the oldToronto T.S. are interested mainly insocialism, and only in Theosophy to theextent that the latter chimes with theformer. This had always been a bone ofcontention among the two factions, andit is perhaps as well that the division hascome about.1 5

In spite of this querulous opinion, the separa-tion of the two branches apparently occurred ina spirit of co-operation. For instance, a com-plete set of Minutes of the Toronto T.S., coveringfour years, was hand-copiedfor the Beaver T.S.

It is known that in 1894 at least six of theToronto Theosophist-Socialists were also offi-cers of the Socialist League of Canada, includ-

ing its President and Vice-President. Prominentamong the names is (Thomas) Phillips

Thompson (1843-1933) who served as a Direc-tor.1 6 In the 1890s Thompson was by far thebest known socialist in Canada. A journalist,his writings enjoyed an international reputa-tion, and his personal integrity was respectedbeyond socialist circles. His character may be

judged from a statement by one of the oppo-site political persuasion. Don, pseudonymof a regular columnist in the influential Ca-

nadian magazine Saturday Night, describedhim as one of the few men who have claimson the province and country because he hasserved them without thought of pay or pro-motion . . . 1 7

Phillips Thompson evidently saw no conflict inhis involvement with a number of organizationswhose primary goal was social reform. LikeSmythe, he was aware of their contrastingmethods, but saw the overall situation in asimpler perspective:

While all schools of social reformers arepractically agreed as to the evils andabuses of the existing conditions, thereare considerable differences of opinionas to the remedies which ought to beapplied . . . the two main lines uponwhich reform is advocated may bebroadly classified as those of Socialismand the Single Tax. 1 8


D r . A u g u s t a S t o w e - G u l l e n ( 1 8 5 7 - 1 9 4 3 )

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Force

ofMotiveBy Dara Eklund

We are able to give our acts the energyof pure motive, even as we weed outthe selfish impulses gathering

around the simplest deeds. Will is an imper-sonal force in the light of Theosophy. We canchoose to use this force for good or evil, inharmony with Natures Laws or opposed tothem. The force and quality of motive canswallow up willful personal desires, just as anoctaves overtone absorbs all lesser vibrationsin its scale. Behind Will stands desire is oneway of seeing the transformation of desires intoa superior force.

The pervading idea throughout G. de Puruckers

devotional, The Golden Precepts, is that westrive to blend the self personal into the SelfIndividual, and to relinquish the Self Individualto Self Universal.

Having been warned to guard well our motives,we might also consider a less passive approach,granting of course that eternal vigilance re-quires a positive discipline. The latter might beconsidered like a bonsai tree that is rigidlyrestricted in its early years until it is shaped tothe gardeners desire. Once a pine is full grown,

it is too late to bonsai it. What might be con-sidered, is an approach to purifying motivesfrom within outwards, being in harmony withthe Law of Laws . . . Compassion Absolute. . . thereby learning the fitness of all things,the law of love eternal. [ V o i c e o f t h e S i l e n c e , F r a g m e n t I I I , p . 6 9 ( T U P e d . ) ]

One may train oneself for positive acts of kind-ness by seeking to enact any task with a motive

free of self concern. One may seek to be cheer-fully energetic in the common everyday things.Needed chores can be performed as if they werechosen tasks, learning to love what we must do,not do what we love. We can seek out new waysto help others, listening for clues in casualremarks, wistful statements of needs (not justdesires). We can watch for their progress, their

attainments. This is when we have learned thatform of Buddhist precept which deliberatelytakes joy in the harvest of anothers merit.

It is all a matter of focus. A diabetic can developa taste for those foods which are acceptable tohis life-stream. An artist can block out distrac-tions by becoming one with his work, carelessof expectations about how the artwork will bereceived. Not every writer composes in order toget the Nobel prize. Not every writer accepts an

award when offered.

Recently the poetess Adrienne Rich refused theNational Medal for the Arts from the WhiteHouse, stating in the Los Angeles Times BookReview

( A u g . 8 ,

=

9 7 , p . 3 ) that as long as artists asa whole were not encouraged by governmentactions, she felt it was a travesty to accept themuch prized award. In this case the Congresshad just voted to end the National Endowmentfor the Arts. Both major parties have displayeda crude affinity for the interests of corporatepower while deserting the majority of the people. . . wrote Rich. In her letter to the EndowmentOffice at Washington D.C., she stated that . . .art means nothing if it simply decorates thedinner table of power which holds it hos-tage. . . . I dont think we can separate art fromoverall human dignity and hope. My concernfor my country is inextrica-ble from my concerns asan artist. Icould not par-ticipate in a rit-ual which would feelso hypocritical to me.

In the =97 Autumnissue ofQuestmaga-zine Gary Corseri re-fers to the aspects of

Taoism which affectthe arts. One of them

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is humility. Mr. Corseri writes:

Beginning with the Renaissance, whenWesterners rediscovered the Greek vir-tues of individualism, we have tended toglorify the artist above the art. The trendbecame pronounced during the Roman-tic revolution of the 18th and 19th cen-turies. In our own times, it appears thatcelebrity is the main thing, not art, andthe idea is to get famous however one canand as fast as one can. I recently heardmodern art defined by a serious criticas whatever the artist does (or was it,whatever the artist says it is? whichis even worse). . . . We need to rememberthat the great cathedrals of the MiddleAges were built and ornamented bynameless artisans . . . 1

In his little Dutch classic Wu Wei: A Phantasybased on the Philosophy of Lao-Tse,2 Henri Borelwrote about his dialogue with a Taoist sage inwhich the term poet is refrained in its purestmeaning:

A poet can only live for his art, which heloves as art, and not as a means forsecuring a vague earthly enjoyment . . .Consequently the poet is neither in de-spair when he is not heard, nor happywhen he is fted. . . . The judgment of the

common people is not even so much asindifferent to him it simply does notexist for him. . . . The sound of humancomment on his work escapes him en-tirely, and he knows not whether he befamous or forgotten.

There arrives a time when the expression of ourdaily acts has gained a quality of all-embracinglove, which is the noblest art of all. Then thefocus on the impersonal wider scene of servicehas become so natural that our lives can be-come like a lark singing for sheer joy. Again,quoting Wu Wei (pp. 12-13):

Father I said, what thou sayest isbeautiful as the sea, and it seems assimple as nature; but surely it is not soeasy this strifeless, inactive absorp-tion of man into Tao?

Do not confuse words one with an-other he replied. By strifelessness

Wu-Wei , Lao-Tse did not mean com-mon inaction , not mere idling, withclosed eyes. He meant: relaxation fromearthly activity, from desire the crav-ing for unreal things. But he did exact

activity in realthings. He implied a pow-erful movement of the soul, which mustbe freed from its gloomy body like a birdfrom its cage. He meant a yielding tothe inner motive-force which we derivefrom Tao and which leads us to Taoagain. And, believe me: this movementis as natural as that o f the cloudabove us.@ . . .

Perhaps we need to dip our pens into the ink

pot of the Japanese Sumi painter and providethe signature of our deeds as free-flowing fromthe waters of the Heart.

N O T E S

1 . T h e Q u e s t , S e p t e m b e r 1 9 9 7 , p . 3 9 .

2 . A u t h o r i z e d v e r s i o n t r a n s l a t e d b y M e r e d i t h I a n s o n . L o n d o n , L u z a c & C o . , 1 9 0 3 , p p . 3 2 - 3 3 .

We . . . always judge men by their motives and the moral effects oftheir action: for the worlds false standards and prejudice we haveno respect. C K.H. (Mahatma Letters, TUP, 386)

A free sample copy of Fohatwill be sent to anyone you might suggest.Subscriptions can be purchased according to the rates noted on page 3.

Visit our website: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/9530

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Nabathean AgricultureRichard Robb

[Richard Robb introduces this rare Chaldean work - mentioned by H.P.B. in The Secret Doctrine (II, 452-58)-to the readers ofFohat; a translation of the first 40 pages to be printed in subsequent issues ofFohat. - Editor]

This innocuous title hides the true meaning ofone of the most ancient literary relics extant inthe exoteric world. It has been well knownamong the Arabs as a curiosity from the firstland or Chaldea, primarily due to its inclusionin the famous Fihrist Ul-Ulum, by AbuIfaraj Ma-hommed Ibn Yaqub un Nadim (died A.D. 995).

This title roughly translated would be, List of allbooks of all nations that were to be found inArabic. The Fihrist of al-Nadimhas been trans-lated into English by Bayard Dodge, 2 vols,1,149 pages, Columbia U. Press, NYC, 1970. It

is not just a bibliography, but contains extensiveannotations concerning the background ofmany sects, peoples, places, etc. Since Arabicis unchanged in 1,300 years due to the admoni-tions of the Koran, we are fortunate to havepreserved in that language a number of valuableworks, including Nabathean Agriculture. Mai-monides, the sephardic jew enamoured of Aris-totle, writes of it in his Mor Nabuchem, translatedas Guide for the Perplexed, by M. Friedlander,Dover Pubs., NYC, 1973 and later editions (seep.313+). It was also of interest to King Alphonso

X, of Spain, and lastly, in the 19th century cameunder the microscopic scrutiny of Daniel Chwol-sohn. In The Secret Doctrine Vol. II, pp.452-58,the section on Adam-Adami refers to Chwol-sohns 1838 Lecture, Uber die Ueberreste derAltbabylonischen Literatur; which was publishedin Memoires LAcademe Imperiale des Sciencesde St Petersbourg, tome VIII, 1859. Chwolsohnheld a chair at the University, and was a scholarin many languages. (for biography see: Blavat-sky Collected Writings Vol. VIII, p.422.)

Nabathean Agriculture is a translation from oldChaldean, by a Chaldean known as IbnWahshiya, being 1,250 pages in the Arabic text.The Encyclopedia of Islam, p.963 has a review ofsome of his more well known works, and in-cludes the following: From his works as a wholethere emerges a striking resemblance betweenhis opinions and those of the Neo-platonistschool of Syria founded by Iamblichus. Withgood reason, as one of the appended names of

Ibn Wahshiya is al-Sufi. In the Fihrist, al-Nadimcites 29 works he found by Ibn Wahshiya, allconcerned with occult studies, alchemy, astrol-ogy, etc. Two of his works have been translatedinto English, and students of Theosophy willimmediately recognize qualities that are not un-familiar. One is The Long Desired knowledge ofOccult Alphabets Attained, translated byJoseph Hammer as: Ancient Alphabets and Hi-eroglyphic Charactersby I.W., London, 1806. Inthis work, Ibn Wahshiya mentions five otherworks he has translated.

The value of Ibn Wahshiyas writings is againseen in a recent translation of the short tractentitled ?Book of Poisons@, in Transactions of theAmerican Philosophical Society, New Series, Vol.56, Part 7, Philadelphia, 1966. Its translator,Martin Levey, thinks he has a work of MedievalArabic toxicology. The text opens with IbnWahshiya devoting nearly half the work to hisson, admonishing him to guard the treatise fromthe profane, to allow only individuals of thehighest moral and ethical standards to see it, and

extolling the virtues of higher mind etc. Then,he proceeds to describe the conjuring or fabrica-tion of talismans: one which kills by being ob-served, one which kills by its smell, one whichkills by sound, being touched, ingested, instillsterror, etc. This paradox was entirely lost on Mr.Levey, the translator, as he views it as a simpleliterary curiosity. He fails to realize that when aSufi says one of the highest character, he meansthe initiated, and that all esoteric writings needa key to penetrate beyond the literal meaning;that the ?Book of Poisons@ is an intentional blind.

Similar blinds can be found in some Hindu tan-tras, translated by Sir Richard Burton in the lastcentury, and in the Tibetan tantras, which if readliterally, are disgusting pornography. But withthe keys they reveal profound secrets of nature;available only to those who have dedicated theirlives, and been tested beyond question. Thesequalities of Ibn Wahshiya bear directly upon ourattitude when considering the writings andtranslations he has preserved for us.

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Agriculture has always been an allegoricalterm to describe the cultivation of the humanconstitution. Thus, when we read of a son, itmeans a chela, when we read of black man, itdoesnt mean someone from Africa, it refers to aNaga or one proficient in occult science.Nabathean Agricultureis an occult treatise, un-suspected by 1,300 years of culture that per-

petuated it. As deduced by internal evidenceand statements, Chwolsohn places the originalmanuscript of Qu-Tamy, the farmer who com-piled Nabathean Agriculture, at approximately1350 BC. Qu-Tamy states that he had compiledthe work from two previous texts, the oldest ofwhich was by the sage Dahgrit who lived, accord-ing to calculations based on Saturn cycles,18,000 years prior to his time, or about 21,000

years ago. The map of the world would haveincluded the last islands of Atlantis, and masto-dons were roaming Asia and North America.

HPB describes Qu-Tamy as an adept-scribe andasserts that Nabathean Agriculture is the alle-gorical rendering of the religion of the earliestnations of the Fifth Race (SD II, 457), and that?the doctrines propounded . . . were originallytold by Saturn to the Moon, who communicatedthem to her idol.@ (SD II, 453)

There is abundant evidence of the existence ofan idol of a moon god at Harran in northernMesopotamia, or what is now eastern Turkeynear the southern border. Harran was known

for its idol of the moon god Sin, which was anoracle known throughout the Middle East, sinceits establishment by Ur around 2000 BC. Itretained its ancient ways largely unchanged un-til its final destruction by Kublai Khan circa A.D.1250. In the era of Assyrian King Shamshi-Adad(1813-1781 B.C.) Harran was protected as animportant trade route, and center of luxurygoods (Ezekiel 27:23) on the caravan route be-tween Antioch and Nineveh. King Adad-Nirari(1307-1275 B.C.) reports that he conquered thefortress of Kharani and annexed it to his do-main. Tiglath-Pileser the First=s (1115-1077B.C.) inscriptions exempted Harran from certaintaxes, and Sargon (721-705 B.C.) restored privi-leges to the free city of Harran lost duringrebellion (2 Kings 19:12, Isaiah 37:12). Theprominence of Harran was in large part due toits protecting deity, Sin, the oracle of the moongod, and guardian of treaties, whose templeEhulhul was restored several times, notably by

Shalmaneser III (859-824 B.C.), and Nabonidus(555-539 B.C.).

Muslims held Harran in veneration as the homeof Abraham before his departure to Canaan.With a population of 20,000, seventeen temples,extensive walls and fortifications, this pagancity retained its identity in the face of repeated

political and religious pressures. In The Omensof Babylon, by Michael Baigent, London, 1994,the temples are described: the moon god Sin wasoctagonal, its idol of silver on a pedestal of threesteps; the Sun was rectangular with a golden idolon a pedestal of six steps; Mercury was hexago-nal outside, square inside, its idol cast of anamalgam of all other metals and filled with quick-silver, mounted on a pedestal of four steps;Venus was triangular, one side longer than theother two, its copper idol on a pedestal of fivesteps; Mars was red and oblong, its idol of iron

on a pedestal of seven steps; Jupiter was built ofgreen stone on a triangular base with a pointedroof, its idol of tin upon a pedestal of eight steps;the temple of Saturn was hexagonal, of blackstone, and its idol of lead on a pedestal of ninesteps. There were as well, temples of The FirstCause, which the Harranians considered asomnipresent, infinite and unknowable withoutattributes; the temple of World Order; of Ne-cessity; a temple of the Soul, a temple ofHermes, etc.

The list of teachers, scholars, and Iuminarieswho emanated from Harran, its 3,000 year his-tory, and the complete secrecy of its religio-philo-sophical tenets, seems to indicate this was thesite of a school of initiation, with the usualoutward observances by the multitude, and theimplied existence of something more elevatedobscured. Why else would Zoroaster, Apolloniusof Tyana, Emperor Julian all make a point ofgoing there? Strong evidence suggests that theNeoplatonists Damascius and Simplicius revivedthe hermetic tradition there after the Athenianschool was closed by Justinian. For an exhaus-tive analysis see: City of the Moon God, by TamaraM. Green, E.J. Brill, Leiden, 1992. This is ascholarly and detailed work that seems to ques-tion every bit of evidence, even the existence ofIbn Wahshiya. Another recent publication is TheKnowledge of Life; The Origins and Early Historyof the Mandaeans and Their Relation to the Sabi-ans of the Quran and to the Harranians, by


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A Psychological Viewof Fohat

Gerald Schueler, Ph.D.

In Jungs On The Nature of the Psyche, he statesthat the archetypes of the collective uncon-scious possess a psychoid factor in that theyseem to possess a psychoid nature. AnielaJaffe, one of Jungs students, wrote that Psy-choid is an adjectival concept expressing thepossibility of something being as much psychicas non-psychic (1983, The Myth of Meaning inthe Work of C. G. Jung, Hull (trans), Zorich,Daimon, p. 23, first published in 1970). In otherwords, psychic stuff and material stuff are

not necessarily two separated and dissimilarmaterials. She also tells us:

Among the physicists it was Pauli whoconstructed the bridge to the psychologyof the unconscious, using for this pur-pose the concept of the psychoid arche-type. According to Pauli the intimateconnection between the human mindand the external world . . . is due to thefact that our ideas are arranged in anorderly manner by these archetypes. Aspsychoid structural elements they arethe vehicles of that autonomous andtranscendental order, through to the ob-

jective, which unites mind and world.They function, to repeat Pauli, as thesought-for bridge between sense percep-tions and ideas and are, accordingly, anecessary presupposition even for evolv-ing a scientific theory of nature. ( J a f f e , p .3 3 )

Wolfgang Pauli collaborated with Jung on thedevelopment of the rather mysterious concept ofsynchronicity. In essence, a synchronicity isany acausal objective event that is subjectivelymeaningful; usually an expected interface be-tween our subjective self (the I) and our objectiveworld (the Not-I). Synchronicities often bridgespace and/or time as well as between psycheand world. What Pauli is saying in Jaffes quoteabove, is that there is a bridge between our innersubjective environment and our outer objective

environment, and that this bridge is due to thepsychoid structural elements of the arche-types.

According to HPBs The Secret Doctrine andother of her works, the connecting bridge be-tween our self and our world is called Fohat. Inthe Monadic Model that I described previously(see the Summer 1997 issue ofFohat) it is Fohatthat unites the subjective I and its objectiveNot-I to comprise the threefold I-Not-I Monad.

Now we are in a position to look at this trinitypsychologically, or at least from a Jungian view-point. Fohat, apparently a Tibetan term,equates to the psychoid structural elements ofthe archetypes of the collective unconscious.

Actually, the impact of looking at Fohat psycho-logically can have enormous repercussions.Fohat, for example, explains how synchronicityworks. Synchronicity is an acausal principlethat Jung and Pauli describe as complementaryto and independent of causality. Now, in a very

real sense, causality is none other than karma,both being defined as the law of cause and effect.Synchronicity, and therefore Fohat, both workoutside of causality and therefore outside ofkarma. Their actions are not karmically de-pendent. In order to accept this idea, we mustbe open to the possibility that not all events inour lives come about from our karma, or at leastnot from our personal karma (I believe thatcollective karma is, in fact, how synchronicitieswork). In addition to order, there is chaos.Sometimes things happen to us synchronisti-

cally rather than karmically, simply because weare human beings. As Jung says, The syn-chronicity principle possesses properties thatmay help to clear up the body-soul problem.Above all it is the fact of causeless order, orrather, of meaningful orderedness, that maythrow light on psychophysical parallelism (Syn-chronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle,


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Musings From A Secret Doctrine Class

Generally speaking, Humanity is caught up in theworld of matter, that is to say, that Man has hisbeing here, with his physical form and accompanyingsenses, variety of passions, emotions and desire. TheMind principle is concerned mostly with worldlythings, yet there is an inherent yearning for knowl-

edge of something greater. It is held back to whateverextent, by the attraction to that which it has alreadybecome familiar and comfortable with. Althoughhumanity is at a point where it learns most from theexample of others, the responsibility to a large extent,is on the individual to take the initiative to seek outthe answers to that inherent yearning.

The Mind principle is the focal point at which Mannow stands in his state of evolution. It is the pointto which humanity has developed according to theimpulse of the life wave moving along the descendingarc of the evolutionary cycle, and from which Human-

ity must now decide whether it will remain at thispoint (which is in essence falling back) or if it willfollow the Spiritual wave on its ascending arc.

The wise advice of one of the Mahatmas is given inThe Secret Doctrine (I:167):

Lead the life necessary for the acquisition ofsuch knowledge and powers, and Wisdom willcome to you naturally. Whenever you are ableto attune your consciousness to any of theseven chords of Universal Consciousness,those chords that run along the sounding-board of Kosmos, vibrating from one Eternity

to another; when you have studied thor-oughly the music of the Spheres, then onlywill you become quite free to share yourknowledge with those with whom it is safe todo so. Meanwhile, be prudent. Do not giveout the great Truths that are the inheritanceof the future Races, to our present generation.Do not attempt to unveil the secret of beingand non-being to those unable to see thehidden meaning of Apollos Heptachordthelyre of the radiant god, in each of the sevenstrings of which dwelleth the Spirit, Soul andAstral body of the Kosmos, whose shell only

has now fallen into the hands of ModernScience. . . . . . Be prudent, we say, prudentand wise, and above all take care what thosewho learn from you believe in; lest by deceiv-ing themselves they deceive others . . . . forsuch is the fate of every truth with which menare, as yet, unfamiliar. . . . . Let rather theplanetary chains and other super- and sub-

cosmic mysteries remain a dreamland forthose who can neither see, nor yet believethat others can. . . .

It is clearly stated above that caution should alwaysbe exercised when speaking to others about occult

mysteries, that silence is often the best option, andthat one must be no less than an Adept before beingfree of the ignorance that blinds one from perfectlyseeing or perceiving the causes and effects of everyaction.

The above quote also demonstrates the differencebetween an Adept of the White Brotherhood and aBrother of the Shadow. Both are Spiritually devel-oped but one is spiritually good, the other spiritu-ally evil. Eliphas Levi states in his article DEATHthat only that which is either Good or Evil survivesas Nature spues the >lukewarm= . . . out of her

mouth. . . .* The Dugpas or Brothers of theShadow are willing to share their knowledge withothers who might then misuse it and have to returnto them for more knowledge. The follower is therebytrapped and under the control of the Sorcerer. TheAdept of the White Brotherhood, on the other hand,knows who is ready for the path towards wisdomand gives hints and clues, leaving them to work outthe mysteries for themselves. By leading a cleanlife while aspiring for truth, the experiences areprovided for a person to live through and learn firsthand, thus developing Character with every suc-cessful trial and thereby acquiring Knowledge and

Wisdom. The Adept does not interfere in the pro-gress of an individual.

As the main purpose of The Secret Doctrine and ofthe Theosophical Teaching in general is to help Manto develop the Mind and Intuitive principles, manymysteries are left to the student to ponder over anddecipher as best he can. If the Founders of theTheosophical Society and the Mahatmas thatbacked them had written all the Esoteric Teachingsdown in detail for all to see, leaving nothing for theIntuition and the Higher Mind, then True Knowl-edge reinforced with Experience and Wisdom would

be sacrificed to the knowledge of facts and figures,a capacity of the lower Mind. A short but pertinentverse quoted by one of these Mahatmas should beborne in mind

( S D I , 1 6 5 )

:

. . . . . . . . . knowledge dwellsIn heads replete with thoughts of other men,Wisdom in minds attentive to their own. . . .

L a u r i e r A u g e r

* F o u n d i n T h e L e t t e r s o f H . P . B l a v a t s k y t o A . P . S i n n e t t , P a s a d e n a : T h e o s o p h i c a l U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 7 3 , p . 3 7 3 .

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Book ReviewsAfter Death Consciousness and Processes, compiled by Geoffrey A. Farthing. Point Loma Publications, P.0.Box 6507, San Diego, CA 92166, U.S.A. 1996. xxviii + 306 pp. Softcover. Price $20.00 U.S.

Geoffrey Farthing, the well-known Theosophical lec-

turer and author of such books as Theosophy, WhatsIt All About?, When We Die, Exploring the Great Be-yond, and Deity, Cosmos and Man, has now given usa scholarly compilation in one volume on the AfterDeath States from the moment of death to the timeof rebirth. Also covered are the human constitution,suicides, accidental death, psychic and spiritualisticphenomena, and immortality.

In the Introduction the reader is familiarised with theTheosophical concepts of Mans Seven Principles andthe After Death States and Processes. A Synopsis isalso included giving a brief resume of each chapter.

These chapters are a compilation of extracts fromBlavatskys writings on the subject from Isis Un-veiled, The Key to Theosophy, The Secret Doctrine, theCollected Writings and Esoteric School of TheosophyInstructions. There are also many extracts from TheMahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett.

Chapter I, The Constitution of Man, outlines theSeven Principles and goes into some detail regardingthe function of each. Helpful diagrams are alsoincluded. The following chapters take the readerfrom Dying and Immediately Afterwards throughthe various stages leading to the entry into Devachan.

Each stage contains information in some detail, par-ticularly in extracts from The Mahatma Letters to A.P.Sinnettwhen Sinnett had been questioning the Mas-ter K.H. on the After Death States. Chapter V dealswith Karma and Reincarnation answering manyquestions raised regarding the Ego, the Skandhas,the reasons for reincarnation as related to the indi-viduals karma.

Chapter VI is titled Exceptions: Suicides and Acci-dents. In replying to a question from Sinnett on thissubject, the Master K.H. replies Motive is everythingand man is punished in a case ofdirectresponsibility,never otherwise. In the victims case the natural hourof death was anticipated accidentally, while in that ofthe suicide, death is brought on voluntarily and witha full and deliberate knowledge of its immediateconsequences. The Master also intimates that acci-dents occur under the most various circumstancesand such circumstances will determine the afterdeath state of the victim though they will have toremain within the earths attraction, and in its atmos-phere the Kama Loka till the very last momentof what would have been the natural duration of their

lives. It is a sin therefore to tempt them back to an

artificial life via mediums and sensitives.

Chapter VII deals with Psychic and Spiritual Phe-nomena and the compiler notes that this chaptercontains only the more important passages on thesubject from the books. Much more information isavailable. The extracts refer to mediums, the dangersof the seance room, shells, the double, elementalsand elementaries and enquiries raised on these sub-jects in a question and answer format.

The first part of Chapter VIII, Immortality and Sup-plementary Material, answers questions regarding

Mans immortality and continues with an extractfrom the Collected Writingson Doubles and Ex-Dou-bles as well as Blavatsky Lodge Minutes held onJune 16, 1887, when the subject of Magnetism wasdiscussed. Then follow miscellaneous extracts allrelated to the subject of this book including one fromthe Esoteric Writings of Subba Rao on Thoughts onKama-Loka.

Appendix A contains Mahatma Letter No.16 in whichquestions by A.P. Sinnett to the Master K.H. particu-larly in regard to Devachan are answered. Studentswho have studied the Mahatma Letters will recollect

that Sinnett was having some difficulty as to theDevachanic state and had asked the Master to ex-plain it in more detail.

Appendix B contains Mahatma Letter No. 20C regard-ing Sinnetts continuing problem with theDevachanic and other states of consciousness. Whathe saw in that given out by Eliphas Levi and ex-pounded by H.P.B. seemed to him to be in directconflict with the Masters teaching. Master K.H.points out that the confusion arises from the differ-ence in meaning of words used. A useful Glossaryand Index complete the book.

Geoffrey Farthing is to be thanked for compiling inthis one book so much information from the variouswritings on this important subject. It is a book thatcould be picked up with advantage by a first timeenquirer but would also provide a student of Theoso-phy with much food for thought. As the MahatmaLetters remind us: He who holds the keys to thesecrets of Death is possessed of the keys of Life.

D o r i s D a v y

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Theosophical Friends Remembered

LAETITIA VAN HEES

Laetitia van Hees was born inHolland in 1921. Her parents

were both Theosophists andvegetarians, and through theirexample she grew up with a rev-erence for life all life anideal she sustained to the veryend.

Like most of her generation in Europe, Laetitiaexperienced the horrors and privations of war.Only those who shared such experience knowhow lasting is the terror of those times, and shecarried some dreadful memories through the

rest of her life.

Laetitia trained as a teacher, specializing inearly childhood education. Those who knewher in later life have no doubt she was anexcellent teacher.

Following the end of the war, she met andmarried Hank van Hees, a geologist. Had theylived, they would have celebrated their 50thwedding anniversary this year. His work tookhim to Indonesia, where they lived and where

the first two of their three children were born.Later they moved to Canada, settling initiallyin Regina before moving permanently to Cal-gary.

Laetitia and Hank joined the Calgary T.S. in1975, and thereafter their fine minds and en-

thusiasm helped the Lodge to enter a new cycleof activity. They regularly attended and con-tributed to the weekly discussion group meet-ings, and their papers presented atend-of-month sessions were always originaland interesting.

Madame Blavatsky once defined Theosophistsas those who make Theosophy a living powerin their lives. Laetitia and Hank van Heeswould certainly be so described. Their closepartnership sadly came to an end when Hank

died in 1993.

Laetitia continued to pour energy into herTheosophical and other interests, includingpainting, music and hiking. Her death on No-vember 4, 1997 came as a shock to her family,fellow students and friends.

Laetitia served the Calgary Theosophical Soci-ety at various times as Secretary, Treasurerand Librarian, and she fulfilled every duty withdiligence. We send her on her way with loving

thoughts, but words cannot express the losswe share.

D . & T . D .

Princeton University Press, trans. R.F.C. Hull,1973, p. 90, from Collected Works Vol. 8).

The body-soul problem is the age-old questionof which is the cause and which the effect. Doesthe body cause the soul, as materialism sug-

gests? Or does the soul cause the body asoccultism would suggest? The cause-effect re-lationship between body and soul often seemsto operate in both directions. The propertiespossessed by the synchronicity principle arenone other than the psychoid structural ele-ments mentioned by Pauli. Therefore, the prop-erties of the synchronicity principle referred toby Jung are what theosophists call Fohat.

It is Fohat, in its psychological dimension, thatbridges mind and body. When we think ofourself and the world around us, we usuallyconsider our body as part of our I, which is tosay part of our sense of identity. But one of thethings theosophy and occultism teach us is that

we are not our physical bodies. So, when weshift our sense of identity to our mind or soul,then our body becomes part of our Not-I. Fohatworks as the interconnecting link no matter howwe define the I and Not-I. It will connect souland body just as easily as body and world, andbased on the very same principle. It is Fohatthat allows us to find meaning for those eventsin our lives that seem to happen to us withoutany obvious cause.

. . . Fohat continued from page 88

WINTER 1997 91


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Sinasi Gndz. Oxford U. Press, 1994 (pp.

vii,255). This is an excellent work by a clear andlucid writer, and has a bibliography of over 220entries. Another interesting fact has come tolight concerning Harranians. The EgyptologistSelim Hassan* made extensive excavations onthe Giza plateau in the 1930s and 40s, anduncovered evidence that a colony of foreignershad resided in the immediate vicinity of theSphinx. These were Canaanites from the sacredcity of Harran, and commemorative stelae showthey worshiped the Sphinx as the god Hwl. (SeeThe Religion of No-Religion, by Frederic Spiegel-

berg, published at Stanford, California by J.L.

Delkin, 1953; see pp.4-5).

Since Harran seems to be pivotal to the esoterictraditions of the middle east, the source of manywise and scholarly individuals, and the site ofthe oracle Sin that continued for three millenni-ums, it is intriguing to note that HPB does notmention it, only implying a connection betweenIbn Wahshiya and the talking idol there. Per-haps the future will prove interesting, as Harranhas never been excavated.

* Selim Hassan, Excavations at Giza, Government Press, Cairo, 1946, Vol. VI, Part I, pp.34-5.

benefits or suffer the consequences. On June22, 1997, at the G7 Summit meeting in the USA,human cloning was banned. Should humancloning ever become a reality, of interest wouldbe understanding the differences between lifestarted with electricity versus the natural proc-ess which Paracelsus calls Ens seminis, Ens

proprietatis and the Mysterium Magnum. Onthe subject of discernment and our ability tomake proper decisions, this famous alchemistwrote [o]n this intimate relationship betweenthe Universe and Man depends the harmony bywhich the Infinite becomes intimately connected

with the Finite, the immeasurably great with thesmall

( P a r a c e l s u s 6 8 - 6 9 )

. Mans gifts of mind andreason are overshadowed by Divine spirit. Dueto this fact, Man in the far distant future will bea wiser being; there will be no veils masking hisperception; reliance on experiment will be his-tory. But for now we linger in the dark. As

authors of the book on genetic engineering, allwe have at best are feeble impressions of the nextpage. The future will lend to the ending and themoral of the story, which might be far beyondanything the human mind can fathom, be itbeneficial or destructive.

A b b r e v i a t i o n s o f W o r k C i t e d

C l o n i n g H y d e , M a r g a r e t O . , a n d L a w r e n c e E . H y d e . C l o n i n g a n d t h e N e w G e n e t i c s . H i l l s i d e , N J : E n s l o w P u b l i s h -

e r s , I n c . , 1 9 8 4 .

D e s i g n D u l b e c c o , R e n a t o . T h e D e s i g n o f L i f e . N e w H a v e n a n d L o n d o n : Y a l e U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 8 7 .

G e n e s i s G r i b b i n , J o h n . G e n e s i s : T h e O r i g i n s o f M a n a n d t h e U n i v e r s e . N e w Y o r k : D e l a c o r t e P r e s s / E l e a n o r

F r i e d e , 1 9 8 1 .

G e n e t i c B a r c z a k , C a r o l a . G e n e t i c E n g i n e e r i n g : L o o k W h a t W e r e H a v i n g F o r D i n n e r . H e a l t h N a t u r a l l y A p r i l /

M a y 1 9 9 7 : 2 2 - 2 4 .

N a t u r e L e v i , E l i p h a s . M a g n e t i c I r r e g u l a r i t i e s a n d C r i m e s A g a i n s t N a t u r e . T h e P r a s n o t t a r a v o l . I V ( 1 8 9 4 ) : 4 4 - 4 6 .

P a r a c e l s u s H a r t m a n n , F r a n z . T h e L i f e o f P a r a c e l s u s . L o n d o n : K e g a n , P a u l , T r e n c h , T r b n e r & C o . L t d . , 1 8 8 7 .

Q u e s t i o n Q u e s t i o n C X I V . T h e P r a s n o t t a r a v o l . I V ( 1 8 9 4 ) : 2 7 - 3 0 .

T h o u g h t s L e v i , E l i p h a s . S t r a y T h o u g h t s . T h e P r a s n o t t a r a v o l . I V ( 1 8 9 4 ) : 4 6 - 4 7 .

. . . DNA continued from page 80

. . . Agriculture continued from page 87

A recent publication ofNabathean Agriculture has been issued by Institut Francais De Damas,* a critical edition drawing upon allknown manuscripts that could be found, with a French introduction by Toufic Fahd, Damascus, 1993. ISBN 2-901315-01-1. It issaid to be about 700pages. A fewcopieshave appeared in major university libraries in theUSA, butefforts to obtaina copy throughnormal channels have proved fruitless.

However, the library of the University at Leiden, Holland, has provided a microfilm of their copy ofNabathean Agriculture, andit is this that was used to translate the first 40 pages of the manuscript. Translated by Bill Bittar.

* The two volume set may be ordered from: Sulaimans Bookshop, P.O. Box 13-6643, Beirut, Lebanon; the price is $100 includingshipping as of December, 1997.

92 FOHAT


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Thompson himself was active in both camps, aswell as being supportive of Nationalism. In1891, the year in which he joined the T.S., hewas appointed editor of The Labor Advocate, asocialist weekly newspaper published in

Toronto. Although short-lived, it opened the

floodgates for a socialist debate which wouldpreoccupy labour editors for decades tocome.1 9 As well as reports of organized labouractivities locally and around the world, it alsocarried items of interest to followers of the moretheoretical aspects of socialism such as Single

Tax and Nationalism.

Thompson appointed Mrs. [Mary] E. DayMacPherson, yet another of the five chartermembers of the Toronto T.S., as editor of a pagein the Advocate headed simply WOMAN. It

must have been no easy task to bring out theirnewspaper every week (some issues stretchedto 16 pages) the more so considering that botheditors contributed their time as a labour oflove. Even so, the publication could not sup-port itself, and lasted less than a year.

Little is known about Mrs. Macpherson. Shehad originally joined the T.S. through the AryanBranch in New York City in 1887. It is not clearwhen she moved to Canada (apparently initiallyto Guelph, Ontario), but she had obviously

settled in Toronto by at least 1890. Some timelater she returned to the U.S.A., perhaps asearly as 1892, rejoining the Aryan T.S., andlater becoming a member-at-large.2 0 A sup-porter of William Q. Judge, she would have beenan exception to those early Canadian Theoso-phist-Socialists who were admirers of AnnieBesant.

There is no record of Duncan Sutherland Ma-corquodale, a Single Taxer, as being among theearly members of the Toronto T.S., but he cer-

tainly associated with them. In the first Cana-dian Theosophical magazine, The Lamp, editorAlbert E.S. Smythe ran a serialized satire byMacorquodale entitled The Mystery of theMoon. 2 1 In a note on the authors passingsome 45 years later, Smythe described the se-ries as a highly humorous topsy-turvey pictureof social reform. 2 2

Like their American counterparts, several Ca-nadian T.S. members were active in promotingNationalism.2 3 Mrs. E. Day MacPherson wasan ardent Nationalist (as was Phillips

Thompson C each chaired a committee of thelocal Nationalist Association). In her editorial

capacity, she frequently linked Theosophicalprinciples to this cause. One of her early con-tributions to the Labor Advocatewas an article,presumably a shortened version of a talk givento the Nationalist Association, entitled Theoso-phy Considered In Relation To The Great SocialProblem.2 4 The sub-title of the article is Na-tionalism the Only System that Harmonizeswith its Teachings C A Practical Application ofthe Laws of Occultism. Of special interest isthat this is the earliest record of a Theosophicaltalk being given in Canada: it took place in

January, 1891, prior to the formation of theToronto T.S.

Another early Canadian Theosophist, lawyerFernando Elwood Titus (1857-1954), an activemember for over 62 years, was elected Presidentof the Toronto Nationalist Association in 1891.He must have enjoyed the confidence and re-spect of Toronto social reformers of all stripesbecause he was appointed to chair a joint com-mittee composed of representatives of the

Trades & Labor Council, Single Taxers, Nation-

alists, Knights of Labor, the Womens Enfran-chisement Association, and other groups.

There is nothing to suggest that the Canadiansocialist-theosophists proselytised their reformenthusiasms within the T.S., obviously respect-ing the apolitical character of the Movement.On the other hand, thanks to Thompson andMacPherson, Theosophy was given generousexposure in the socialist press. For example,on the womens page ofThe Labor AdvocateMrs.MacPherson wrote articles extolling Theosophi-

cal ideals, stoutly defended Madame Blavatskyfrom criticism, and frequently found room toinsert a short quotation from The Secret Doc-trine. Phillips Thompson likewise saw a closelink between his two interests. In The LaborAdvocate he wrote a brief but sympathetic edi-torial obituary when H.P. Blavatsky died inMay, 1891 and reprinted a longer obituary fromThe Jury. In 1903, an article under his byline,Socialism and Theosophy, appeared in West-

. . . Reform continued from page 83

WINTER 1997 93


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ern Socialist.2 5 It contains a strong defence ofTheosophical principles, including humanbrotherhood and karma.

* * *

Records are lacking to continue this study intothe early decades of the 20th century, but it

appears the socialism-theosophy link in Can-

ada weakened as the years went by. Could theyhave foreseen the long term results of theirefforts, the early Canadian Theosophists whowere also social reformers would have mixedfrustration with rejoicing. Some struggles suchas womens suffrage, were victorious and arenow taken for granted; others, including equalpay for equal work are still on the social reform

agenda more than a hundred years later.

N O T E S

1 . T h e t e r m B r o t h e r h o o d o f H u m a n i t y a p p e a r e d f i r s t i n t h e 1 8 7 8 v e r s i o n o f t h e S o c i e t y s o b j e c t s . U n i v e r s a l w a s

a d d e d i n 1 8 7 9 . I n t h e 1 8 8 1 r e v i s i o n , t h e f i r s t o b j e c t t o o k o n t h e f a m i l i a r T o f o r m t h e N u c l e u s o f a U n i v e r s a l

B r o t h e r h o o d o f H u m a n i t y . I n 1 8 8 6 t h e p h r a s e w i t h o u t d i s t i n c t i o n o f r a c e , c r e e d o r c o l o u r w a s a p p e n d e d , a n d

t o w h i c h t w o y e a r s l a t e r w a s a d d e d s e x a n d c a s t e .

2 . A l b e r t E . S . S m y t h e , T h e L a m p , I V : 8 5 ( M a y 1 9 0 0 ) .

3 . I b i d . , 8 5 - 8 6 .

4 . M i c h e l l e L a c o m b e , T h e o s o p h y a n d t h e C a n a d i a n I d e a l i s t T r a d i t i o n : A P r e l i m i n a r y E x p l o r a t i o n i n J o u r n a l o f

C a n a d i a n S t u d i e s , 1 7 : 2 ( S u m m e r 1 9 8 2 ) 1 0 6 .

5 . J o a n n e E m i l y T h o m p s o n , T h e I n f l u e n c e o f D r . E m i l y H o w a r d S t o w e o n t h e W o m a n S u f f r a g e M o v e m e n t i n

C a n a d a , O n t a r i o H i s t o r y , L I V : 4 ( D e c 1 9 6 2 ) 2 5 3 - 2 7 5 . T h i s a d m i r a b l e p a p e r a l s o r e p o r t s o n D r . A u g u s t a S t o w e -

G u l l e n s s u f f r a g e a c t i v i t i e s .

6 . A n e x c e p t i o n i s R a m s a y C o o k s e x c e l l e n t s t u d y , T h e R e g e n e r a t o r s : S o c i a l C r i t i c i s m i n L a t e V i c t o r i a n E n g l i s h C a n -

a d a . O f p a r t i c u l a r i m p o r t a n c e i s C h a p t e r 9 , ` T h e N e w C i t y o f F r i e n d s : E v o l u t i o n , T h e o s o p h y a n d S o c i a l i s m .

7 . H . P . B l a v a t s k y , W h a t a r e t h e T h e o s o p h i s t s ? i n H . P . B l a v a t s k y C o l l e c t e d W r i t i n g s ( B : C W ) I I : 1 0 5 .

8 . c f : M i s c e l l a n e o u s N o t e s i n B : C W I I I : 2 0 7 .

9 . A l i c e H y n e m a n S o t h e r a n , R e m i n i s c e n c e s o f C h a r l e s S o t h e r a n i n C h a r l e s S o t h e r a n s H o r a c e G r e e l e y a n d o t h e r

P i o n e e r s o f A m e r i c a n S o c i a l i s m , x v i .

1 0 . H . P . B l a v a t s k y , T h e K e y t o T h e o s o p h y , 7 9 .

1 1 . H . P . B l a v a t s k y , W h a t S h a l l W e D o F o r O u r F e l l o w - M e n ? i n B : C W X I : 4 7 8 . S e e a l s o B : C W X I I : 1 5 2 .

1 2 . H . P . B l a v a t s k y , T h e K e y t o T h e o s o p h y , 4 4 .

1 3 . T h i r d L e t t e r t o A m e r i c a n C o n v e n t i o n i n B : C W X I : 1 5 5 .

1 4 . T . M u s e , S o c i a l i s m i n R e l a t i o n t o T h e o s o p h y , T h e E n g l i s h T h e o s o p h i s t I I I : 1 0 ( J a n 1 9 0 0 ) 2 1 9 .

1 5 . T h e P a t h , X : 1 6 7 .

1 6 . T h e L a m p , I : 1 2 ( A u g 1 8 9 4 ) . I n a d d i t i o n t o P h i l l i p s T h o m p s o n , t h e i d e n t i f i a b l e T h e o s o p h i s t s i n t h e S o c i a l i s t

L e a g u e a r e C h a r l e s A r m s t r o n g , D r . L e l i a D a v i s , W i l l i a m S c o t t , M a r g a r e t S i m p s o n a n d W i l l i a m J . W a t s o n .

1 7 . T o r o n t o S a t u r d a y N i g h t 7 : 4 4 ( S e p 2 2 1 8 9 4 ) , 2 . R e p t T h e L a m p I : 4 4 ( O c t 1 8 9 4 ) w i t h o u t a c k n o w l e d g m e n t o f t h e

s o u r c e .

1 8 . P h i l l i p s T h o m p s o n , e d i t o r i a l i n T h e L a b o r A d v o c a t e I : 4 1 ( S e p 1 1 , 1 8 9 1 ) p . 3 2 4 .

1 9 . R o n V e r z u h , T h o m p s o n s L a s t S t a n d , R a d i c a l R a g : T h e P i o n e e r L a b o u r P r e s s i n C a n a d a , 8 1 .

2 0 . L e t t e r d a t e d J a n u a r y 1 1 , 1 9 7 8 , f r o m R . K i r b y V a n M a t e r , S e c r e t a r y G e n e r a l , T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y I n t e r n a t i o n a l .

2 1 . T h e L a m p , I : 1 5 7 , 1 7 3 , 1 8 9 ; I I : 1 4 , 2 9 , 4 6 , 6 1 , 7 7 , 9 2 , 1 0 6 . ( M a y 1 8 9 5 - F e b 1 8 9 6 ) . M a c o r q u o d a l e w r o t e u n d e r

t h e p s e u d o n y m O . G . W h i t t a k e r .

2 2 . T h e C a n a d i a n T h e o s o p h i s t , X X I I : 7 ( S e p 1 9 4 1 ) , 1 9 7 .

2 3 . O n N a t i o n a l i s m , s e e A r t h u r E . M o r g a n , T h e o s o p h y a n d t h e N a t i o n a l i s t M o v e m e n t , E d w a r d B e l l a m y , 2 6 0 - 2 7 5 ;

s e e a l s o J a m e s B i g g s , T h e o s o p h y a n d N a t i o n a l i s m : A D i a l o g u e i n T h e o s o p h i c a l H i s t o r y I V : 4 - 5 ( O c t 1 9 9 2 - J a n

1 9 9 3 ) , 1 2 1 - 1 3 3 . H o w e v e r t h i s l a t t e r s t u d y , w h i l e u s e f u l , i s n o t e x h a u s t i v e r e g a r d i n g t h e r o l e o f T h e o s o p h i s t s w h o

s u p p o r t e d t h e N a t i o n a l i s t m o v e m e n t .

2 4 . L a b o r A d v o c a t e , 1 3 F e b r u a r y , 1 8 9 1 . R e p t : T h e C a n a d i a n T h e o s o p h i s t , 7 2 : 1 ( M a r - A p r 1 9 9 1 ) , 2 - 5 .

2 5 . W e s t e r n S o c i a l i s t , A p r 2 4 1 9 0 3 .

94 FOHAT


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A CALL FOR PAPERS

on

THE WORKS AND INFLUENCE OF

H.P. BLAVATSKY

A Forum For Presentations and Open Dialogue

Readers are reminded that Edmonton T.S. will be hosting a Conference July 3 - 5,1998 for the presentation of previously unpublished papers focussing on what H.P.Blavatsky presented and/or her influence on 20th century thought in the fields ofscience, literature, art, music, religion, philosophy, health, psychology, sociology, etc.Guidelines for papers are available upon request. Please advise the ConferenceCommittee as early as possible of your intentions to participate. The deadline forsubmissions is March 31, 1998.

The Conference will be held at the Holiday Inn - The Palace where facilities have been

booked and a block of rooms reserved at reasonable rates for those attending andtheir families. The hotel is conveniently located a short distance from EdmontonInternational Airport, and also provides a shuttle service for guests.

For further details and information, please contact:

Edmonton Theosophical SocietyBox 4587Edmonton, AlbertaT6E 5G4

or via e-mail: [email protected]@netcom.ca

Everyone is welcome to attend. Please feel free to mention this conference to otherswhom you feel may be interested.

or:


24/24

30hat is the Steed, 71wught is the 2?ider

,Jtis the "bridge" by which the ",Jdeas" existing in the "rnivine71wught" are impressed on Cosmic substance as the "laws of::Nature." 30hat is thus the dynamic eneroy of Cosmic,Jdeation; or, regarded from the other side, it is the intelligentmedium, the guiding power ofall a n i ~ s t a t i o n . ... 7hus fromSpirit, or Cosmic ,Jdeation, comes our consciousness; fromCosmic Substance the several vehicles in which thatconsciousness is individualized and attains to self - orr4f.ective - consciousness; while 30hat, in its variousmanifestations, is the mysterious link between ~ i n d and~ t t e r , the animating principle electrifying every atom intolife. - Secret rnoctrine I, 16

/-- - " FOHAT,/ -- Box 4587. ~ Edmonton, Alberta~ Canada, T6E 5G4

fohat winter 1997

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