Betty Bland – USA

An addition by the author:

Looking back over the article I wrote several years ago concerning unity among all Theosophists, I am struck by the current relevance of those comments. Since writing it, I had the opportunity to attend the 2014 International Theosophy Conference at Naarden in the Netherlands. There, many leaders and committed workers in the Theosophical movement rubbed elbows. While we peered at each other across the divide of our different backgrounds and experiences, we quickly warmed to our similarities as we socialized, reminisced, and explored priorities.

I witnessed the fire of dedication to Theosophical ideals as we came together to hammer out a covenant of common purpose. It was not easy, with each person vying for a particular point or favored aspect of our teachings. Yet, with each negotiated word, we understood each other better and gained clarity about what was most important to us. In the process, we generated a magical alchemy in which we bonded as true brothers and sisters in our great work.

James LeFevour – USA

An addition by the author:

The need for cooperation amongst all Theosophical groups is just as pressing now as it was when ITC began. For those of us who want to work together, how many avenues do we have? Not many. One would think it would be easy to find brothers of similar mind amongst the universal brotherhood.

Since my writing of the passage in Our Unity, I have experienced both extremes firsthand, i.e. both Theosophists that wish to work together as well as those who do not. The best and only solution is, as always, to press forward. Let the negativity go unnoticed, and focus on the communal and the positive. In other words, turn the other cheek.

Domen Kočevar – Slovenia

Addition by the author:

ITC is really trying to make steps towards unity among Theosophists. As a young and naive Theosophist I very much respect and support the activities of ITC. I don’t believe that Theosophist of all Paths should constitutionally merge, because that I think would be a loss. We should however, demonstrate in practice that we willfully can cooperate with one another, inspired by the same source, and willfully understand and “try” to respect the different approaches, positions and preferences of others, while at the same time our “small” personalities should never get in the way.

It is so much easier to love the neighbor of someone else, instead of loving our own neighbor. Our presentation of brotherhood is sometimes really exotic. We can philosophize about our union with other groups, religions and traditions which have no direct connection with us and are so different, so distant from our own background. We so very easily show respect through invitations, visits, being present at their very different rituals and spiritual practices. We feel the brotherly chain, talking about it and enjoying our brotherly input and connection with humanity.

Jacques Mahnich – France

An addition by the author:

Unity in diversity. This is the challenge.

And what a challenge it is, for a human community that was able, starting with the Founders and the first leaders, to build a real spiritual and worldwide movement, which soon started to split repeatedly all along its path. Unity in diversity was the key note during the 2014 ITC gathering in Naarden.

This coming-together initiative brought a special momentum to the people, leaders and representatives from the various streams of the TS community. It demonstrated that time may be ripe for a renewal of the TS Movement, with a common acknowledgment of the core values and the benefits of working together. The first step was to initiate a move to open the doors, and it required a lot of intelligent efforts.