1. What’s your name, where are you from and how long have you been a member of the TS?
My name is Katherine (Kate) Lucille Blalack . I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the U.S.A. I am originally from the Chicago area, in Illinois. I became a member of the Theosophical Society, originally, about 6 years ago. Due to some life circumstances I had to temporarily stop my formal studies, but I rejoined this past spring. At this point in my life I am fully committed to Theosophy and have found a home in the way of life.
2. Are you active in your Lodge/Section and if so, what do you do?
I am active in the Oklahoma City Lodge, which is part of the Theosophical Society in America (headquartered in Wheaton, Illinois). We meet once a week on Wednesday evenings. I use Google Hangouts to connect over the Internet to the meetings; they are actually held in Oklahoma City about 2 hours drive from where I live.
I am in charge of the OKC Lodge website and the website for the Midwest Federation section of the TS in America, and I run the Facebook pages for these groups. Recently I have also been able to start helping Jan Nicolaas Kind loading articles into the Theosophy Forward website, and I am very grateful to be able to continue this service and help him with more of the newsletter as tasks become available.
3. How did you first learn about Theosophy or come in contact with the Society?
I began studying the occult from a very early age, at around 6 years old. I questioned the nature of the universe and wondered where I came from, etc. I was fortunate to have a caregiver at the time that fostered my imagination. She ensured that I considered parts of life that go unseen. She specifically nurtured a belief in fairies and other elementals and I learned of such things.
My father is a microbiologist and molecular geneticist and my mother is an anthropologist, so they always taught me to question my assumptions about the material universe and history, to look deeper into things.
In junior high school my art professor gave me Autobiography of a Yogi (and while this is not Theosophical overtly, it opened my eyes to eastern religions).
As a teenager and young woman I began reading books on esoteric subjects, and was (and am) particularly interested in the history of angels and “otherworldly beings” such as the Djinn and Dhyan Chohans. I started studying Western Occult orders and groups in my late 20s: the Golden Dawn, Rosicrucianism and several others.
Finally, I came back to Theosophy about 6 years ago. I say that I “came back” because I realized I had read many of the books produced by Theosophical authors but had not been aware of the larger organization. I was fascinated to learn that these people were connected with. H. P. B (Blavatsky). Her writing particularly inspires me because of the multidimensionality present. I feel connected and I am grateful. I have a kindred spirit. When I read The Secret Doctrine or other texts she has written I feel like I might have written some myself.
4. What does Theosophy mean to you?
To put it simply it is a hidden language that speaks directly with our consciousness, which once “seen” gives a person the ability to communicate directly with what many people call the divine. We see the eternal nature of the universe and time is no longer confined. We are boundless.
5. What is your favorite Theosophical book and why?
I can’t pick a favorite book, but my favorite authors are Blavatsky, Geoffrey Hodson, and Joscelyn Godwin. I still have so many to read. Blavatsky’s writing to me is granular enough that the gist of all principles in Theosophy can be derived by reading her works. I like Hodson because of his description of the kingdoms of nature and elemental beings. Godwin is an extremely well read researcher and scholar with very creative ideas. I like his scholarly take and the history he imbeds in his writings. So there are a few, but there are so many. I do think it is very important to go to the source The Secret Doctrine, because therein lies the essence. Since I am an archivist by profession I greatly value primary resources. An author is always present in their words.
5. What in your opinion is the biggest challenge the TS is facing at the moment?
Our biggest challenge is learning to trust our intuition.
7. Is there anything you would wish for the future of the Theosophical Movement?
I think what I wish for is already happening, and that is for all the different distinct groups to form together as one larger connection of individuals who come together to learn from each other and also to teach. We are all connected and the more we enhance this grateful feeling, the more good we can do for humankind.
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