Service Projects for all Humanity

An International Online Service Community, by TOS-USA

by Robin Robertson (Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 2009, 182pp.)
A book review by Rene Wadlow

The most important lesson
but one that’s seldom adequately learned
is that, like sub-atomic particles,
everything with life exists
within a field of force
in which all affect and are affected
by each one of the others;
and that we, the individuals,
and all other individuals like
a blade of grass, whale or bacterium,
are not self-existent, but the products
of this unceasing reciprocity.

Adam Curle “The First Lesson”

There is a spiritual alchemy, by means of which adversity, resulting from attitudes and actions motivated by fear, ignorance and selfishness can be transformed by the deliberate exertion of energies and the enactment of deeds motivated by knowledge and love. This process of transformation of the imperfections of existence into a higher state of being is the theme of Robin Robertson’s useful book.  read more »

Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 2009
book review by Rene Wadlow

Homer’s Odyssey is a journey through personal transformation to wholeness. During this journey, there is an interplay between the masculine and feminine principles. Masculine and feminine principles are part of the psyche shared by both sexes. In fact, as the masculine principle dominates in many societies, the masculine dominates in many women as well as men, and our understanding of the feminine is still very limited.

The masculine and feminine energies are the two creative forces in the world, which when working together create wholeness. If we take the yin/yang symbol of the masculine and feminine principles operating within our individual and collective psyches, they give us a deeper understanding of the evolution of consciousness and our potential for synthesising these two principles in a consciousness that is neither masculine nor feminine but embraces and transcends both.  read more »

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Today, many of the members of the TOS in the U. S. are not necessarily connected with the Theosophical Society. However, it can easily be said that the TOS would not have survived during its early inception without the support of the Theosophical Society in America (TSA) and a number of theosophists through the years.  read more »

We have received a most generous offer. Between now and July 26th any donations received up to a total of $5000 will be matched dollar for dollar.  read more »

Susan Elizabeth Hale
Sacred Space, Sacred Sound
(Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 2007, 298pp.)

Now I have you
Now in a moment I know what I am for. I awake
And already a thousand singers, a thousand songs,
A thousand warbling echoes have started
to life within me, never to die.
Walt Whitman

Susan Hale has written an impressive book dealing with the setting, the sounds and the sense of sites considered sacred or holy. As she writes “a sacred space is a natural or created place where spiritual experiences are enhanced and ritual acts of worship are performed…A sacred space is a temenos, a Greek word meaning an enclosure that makes it possible to enter into a relationship with a greater reality.”  read more »

Recently, I had the pleasure and privilege of meeting Lance McWilliams, a Colorado man who embodies the spirit of altruism. I’m writing to increase awareness of the work he’s doing in Kenya.

Lance has adopted a rather unusual orphanage in Kisii, Kenya—it’s specifically for deaf orphans. Can you imagine being an orphan? Within the unthinkable poverty and violence so common in Africa? And without the ability to hear or communicate normally with those around you? Such is the plight of these children; and Lance, who is himself deaf, has taken these kids under his wing.  read more »

by Howard Murphet, Quest Books, 1972, 339pp.
Book review by Rene Wadlow

There is, in a period of transition, a need for individuals with the specific talents of organization and the ability to translate doctrines into social policy. Henry Steel Olcott was such an individual.

The last quarter of the 1800s was a period very much like our own — a period of transition with no firm guidelines as to the shape of the period to come. It was a period, like ours, of cross currents, of strong positive and negative movements.  read more »

Gill Farrer-Halls, Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 1998, 160pp.
book review by Rene Wadlow

Eric Hoffer, who spent his working life as a longshoreman in the California ports during the 1940-1950s when labor conflicts were at their worst, has written “ Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul. Where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless.”

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama who was trained from a young age for spiritual leadership also places his central emphasis on compassion.  read more »

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I am extremely happy to report that we have met and exceeded our fundraising goal for the Golden Link School in the Philippines. For those who may not be familiar, in February of 2008 John Kern of the Kern Foundation approached the TOS/USA with a challenge. He offered to match dollar for dollar any amount we could raise for the Golden Link School up to $30,000. We had until December 31st to do it. When we began our efforts I felt confident that our global TOS community would respond and that we would reach the $30,000 mark. At that time we did not anticipate the global economic downturn that soon engulfed us.  read more »

If you (or someone you know) has combat experience from Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan, you may be eligible for a stress study. If you qualify, you will receive six free private sessions of an advanced self-help technique which has helped many vets release the stress of combat memories. 

These sessions will take place near your home, or over the phone. This study is sponsored by a private research nonprofit not affiliated with any government organization. All personal information is kept completely confidential.  read more »

Patrice Chaplin: City of Secrets (Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 2007, 336pp.)
A book review by Rene Wadlow

Patrice Chaplin is a writer of books and films, and her presentation of the hidden aspects of Gerona, an old Catalan city near Barcelona, has all the characteristics of a film script: short chapters, lively dialogue, and memorable scenes where the action takes place. Catalonia is divided between Spain and France, but there is a cultural unity to Catalan culture, and people have passed across the State frontiers when political events created the need: Spanish Republicans as the Civil War ended in 1939 moved into France; refugees from France and beyond crossed into Spain in the early 1940s as Nazi armies advanced; and anti-Franco activists moved back and forth to France in the 1950s.  read more »