- What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?
My name is Christopher See. I am from Manila, the Philippines and have been a member of the Theosophical Society since 2000 (21 years).
- Are you active in your Lodge/Section and if so, what do you do?
Here are my current activities in the TS:
I am the current President of Pranava lodge. Our lodge aims to help our members live the Theosophical life- a life of study, meditation and service. We are currently studying the three gems of Theosophy. Every 4th meeting I lead our lodge in doing Metta or Loving-kindness meditation. We also aim to be active in service activities throughout the year.
I lead a TOS healing meditation group. We meet once a month to send loving thoughts and prayers to people in need.
I am currently the secretary for the Philippine Theosophical order of service. I am a Nurse by Profession and we usually hold public health talks as part of our service activities.
I am the Adviser for FreeSpace, the Youth group of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines. I help the core group of FreeSpace in planning out activities that help the youth in character-building.
I am also a current Board of Trustee in the Philippine Section of the TS. We try to create series of activities that will help enrich the spiritual lives our members.
- How did you first learn about Theosophy or come in contact with the Society?
When I was younger I had an interest in psychism. I joined a group of parapsychologists who suggested I attend TS lodge meetings. They said that I had a very analytical and Philosophical mind and they suggested that I might enjoy Theosophy. Eventually my interest in psychism waned but my love for Theosophy increased.
Theosophy provided me a spiritual philosophy, a paradigm and an almost all-encompassing view of life. It helps me to see who I am, what it means to be human and what my relations are as a human to the universe around me. My initial interest in psychism was because I wanted to know more about life. I wanted to break down the universe to its component parts and see how it ticks. Theosophy provided me this in a non-dogmatic way.
- What does Theosophy mean to you?
Theosophy is a spiritual philosophy, a paradigm and a way of viewing life. It helps me to find meaning in my daily living. It gives answers to many of life’s questions. For example, the concept of Karma and Reincarnation answers so many questions left unanswered by orthodox religion. Why is one person born handicapped while another is born healthy? Its answer also inspires us to become better people. For example, if we understand karma then we know that our current suffering is due to our past actions. And if we want to create a better condition for the future then we must sow good deeds in our present life.
Theosophy is also a way of life. It is a life of study, meditation and service. It is a way for us to becoming better individuals It inspires us to become better people and it gives us practical advise on how to handle the challenges and difficulties in life.
Theosophy is a way for us to attain higher awareness. It tells us what this higher awareness, why we should seek for it and it provides us practical ways to achieve this higher awareness.
- What is your favorite Theosophical book and why?
At the feet of the Master by Krishnamurti. This presents the Theosophical life in a clear and practical manner.
Self-Culture in the light of the Ageless Wisdom by I.K. Taimni. This presents the constitution of man in a clear and concise manner. The constitution of man is one of my favorite topics I like to discuss in Theosophy. It helps us to understand who or what man is and our place within the greater scheme of things.
Glamour: A world problem by Alice Bailey. This book changed my life. It helped me to be aware of the Glamours, illusions and Maya in daily life.
- What in your opinion is the biggest challenge the TS is facing at the moment?
I think TS needs to be able to rise above the misconceptions surrounding it today. Many people have many misconceptions about the TS. Some think that the TS is a cult. Others think that it is a debate society, while some think that it is a place where people talk about abstract philosophies no one can understand.
If we help people see Theosophy for what it really is then more people, young and old, will probably want to join this movement. If we can help people see that the Theosophical Society is an organization that helps promote Universal Brotherhood. It is a safe place where people can freely study comparative religion and philosophy safe from prejudice and dogmatism. It is a place where we can understand the hidden laws of nature.
- Is there anything you would wish for the future of the Theosophical Movement?
I wish that the Theosophical Movement will be more popular in the future. Today there are very few who know about the movement I hope that in the future knowledge of Theosophy will be more accessible to the general public. I hope we will be able to succeed in our goal to mainstream Theosophy.
From the editor:
Opinions and ideas expressed in the mini-interviews are exclusively of those who are being interviewed. They don’t necessarily represent the ideas and opinions of the compilers of Theosophy Forward. The responses of the interviewees are not edited for content. Some contributors give short answers to the questions while others touch upon the subject more elaborately.
