\
|
My name is Jérémie, I am 28 years old and I live in Lausanne, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. I have been a member of the TS for less than a year, I formally joined at the beginning of 2023.
2. Are you active in your Lodge/Section and if so, what do you do?
The Swiss lodge in Geneva is set to be reborn soon, as it has been quiet in the past years (from what I understood as a newcomer). There is a will to develop the Lodge and to organize events. We take part in weekly zoom-meetings, meditating and studying texts and/or conferences.
3. How did you first learn about Theosophy or come in contact with the Society?
At first I had great interest for Eastern philosophies, especially Buddhism. When I was 21 I spent some time in Burma living in a Community and following a Buddhist teaching. This experience was life-changing from a spiritual perspective and all my readings have been spirituality-related from then on. With more or less dedication depending on the period.
A few years ago, I had a very special experience with a friend of mine who gave me a book, saying “Hey I read this book from my dad’s bookshelf and it made me think of you. Read it!”. So I did, and it had a very strong impact on my inner self. Even though in the edition she gave me the author was anonymous, I discovered who wrote it through some researching and it was Cyril Scott, an English composer and theosophist.
I had never heard about Theosophy before, or at least not that I remember. I started digging and what a discovery. I felt like I discovered about a word (Theosophy), but the essence of it I had it in me and my thoughts for a long time. This is why I considered I learned a “label”, that permits me to find a related community and society (TS). I felt that this philosophy I had discovered was tailored for me, as it joined so much of my inner thoughts I had before discovering it.
4. What does Theosophy mean to you?
To me, and at this point of my life, Theosophy represents the main chapter of my spiritual path. As I said before, I’ve always been interested in various philosophies and religions, but I’ve never been able to embrace one fully as I had an anti-dogmatic and anti-institutional-led approach. Discovering Theosophy has been sort of a “legitimating” of my own thoughts, in a period I was unsecure about my opinions and I needed some reassurance.
5. What is your favorite Theosophical book and why?
The Initiate by Cyril Scott. The book that brought me to Theosophy as explained before!
This book is beautiful, captivating, thoughts-triggering and written in a very understandable way. It means a lot to me from a personal perspective.
6. What in your opinion is the biggest challenge the TS is facing at the moment?
As I haven’t been in the TS for long, I do not have the global vision needed to properly answer. However, a challenge that I’ve been facing at a local level and one that seems to be generalized from what I heard during the gathering of WFYT in Naarden is the lack of young people. I see it as a challenge in my practice as I would love to be able to share my thoughts with people of my age, going through the same generation-related struggles.
On the other hand, I personally do not feel at ease with “sharing the word” and with publicity in order to recruit young members. In my personal case, Theosophy came to me when I needed it. I do not feel at ease with proselytizing which I see as interfering with someone who might not be at this point of his/her spiritual path.
Nevertheless, I am convinced that we are going through an era with more and more people in need of spirituality (through Theosophy and other philosophies), and that the TS will play a role accompanying them.
7. Is there anything you would wish for the future of the Theosophical Movement?
I do not wish anything for the movement itself, except to stay as it is, a companion on the path of so many individuals. I think it has to stay a companion, not be taken too seriously, not showing the way but encouraging one to find his/her own, and be the spark so many people need in their spiritual path.
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.
