Barbara Hebert – USA

Barbara in action at Olcott in Wheaton 

Family, friends, health, and security are undeniably precious. Yet, as students of the Ageless Wisdom, we recognize that these aspects of life are temporary. A deeper question arises: What is important in terms of our spiritual life and growth? Is it mastering our thoughts and emotions, committing to daily study and meditation, weaving theosophical teachings into our everyday actions, or serving humanity? Each of these represents vital steps in our spiritual development.  

David M. Grossman – USA

Each of us is an individual spark emanating from the absolute, rays from the one spiritual sun, so to speak, journeying through the manifested universe. This is the basic teaching of Theosophy. Theosophy further points out that there is a purpose to all this, one that is imbedded in the fabric of our being, in every being in fact, as HPB puts it:

The radical unity of the ultimate essence of each constituent part of compounds in Nature—from Star to mineral Atom, from the highest Dhyan Chohan to the smallest infusoria, in the fullest acceptation of the term, and whether applied to the spiritual, intellectual, or physical worlds—this is the one fundamental law in Occult Science.

                                                                                                                   The Secret Doctrine, vol.1, pg.120

Ananya Sri Ram – USA

The author

On March 20, 1928, a little boy was born into a wealthy family. The little boy’s father was the president of a very successful business in the town where they lived. The little boy’s mother was the daughter of the man who owned the successful business. She originally wanted to study medicine, but settled for a life of volunteer work. She knitted sweaters for the American troops fighting the war in Europe and helped at the local hospital.

Tim Boyd - India, USA

The author, always observant, this time in black and white

Rather than speak in a theoretical manner, I prefer to address the Next Steps from the point of view of my own experience and that of my co-workers at Adyar. Let me give you two quotes that might season our conversation. The first is from the Mahatma Letters: “We advise — never order. But we do influence individuals.”