THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO - MAY/JUNE 2023 PROGRAM

"Everything in the Universe, throughout all its kingdoms, is conscious: i.e., endowed with a consciousness of its own kind and on its own plane of perception." - H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO: MAY-JUNE 2023 PROGRAM 

IN-PERSON: Sunday, 5/7/23, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. - WHITE LOTUS DAY (Join us in celebrating the Life & Work of the Great H.P. Blavatsky) 

ON-LINE: Sunday, 5/21/23 at 6 p.m. - Elaine Santos presents "Spring Imagery" 

IN-PERSON: Sunday, 6/11/23, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Cesar Love presents "Basketball's Hidden Stars: The Astrology Within the Game" 

ON-LINE: Sunday, 6/18/23, at 6 p.m. - Emily Shurr presents "Pilgrimage to Sovereignty" 

ON-LINE: Sunday, 6/25/23, 6 p.m. - Dr. Jeff Curtis presents "Some Surprising Things About Light"  

In-person Lodge events start at 4 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. 

To enjoy our on-line offerings, just come to https://www.facebook.com/sfts.lodge at the appointed hour on the designated evening. Free and available to the public. 

For more information, e-mail us (sftslodge at gmail.com) or inquire via Facebook Messenger.

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO - MARCH/APRIL 2023 PROGRAM

One of the many altars that adorn the Lodge rooms of the San Francisco Theosophical Society

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO: March-April 2023 PROGRAM

IN-PERSON: Sunday, 3/19/23, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Lenten Sutra Readings (Mary Power reads "The Diamond Sutra) 

ON-LINE: Sunday, 3/26/23 at 6 p.m. - Richard Power presents "The Emerald Tablet: 21st Century Insights on Its True Nature & Meaning"

IN-PERSON: Sunday, 4/9/23, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Lenten Sutra Readings (Peggy Tahir reads "Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation") 

ON-LINE: Sunday, 4/30/23, at 6 p.m. - Dr. Jeff Curtis presents "Wrapping Up on Space and Time" 

For previous talks in Dr. Curtis' ongoing series, visit the Lodge You Tube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpYsFkbGQAoqzrQRetJaXiA 

LENTEN SUTRA READINGS: The legendary American sages Joe and Guin Miller chose to mark the annual Lenten season by reading their favorite sutras aloud to each other. Every weekday morning, at 6 a.m., Joe would read "Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation" to Guin, and every weekday evening, at 6 p.m., Guin would read the "Diamond Sutra" to Joe. From Ash Wednesday to Good Friday. Those of us who gathered around Joe and Guin had the blessing of being able to attend these readings. Satsang in its truest, richest sense. After the Millers passing in 1992, a handful of us at the Lodge continued this practice, every weekday from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday at 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. We did so well into the second decade of the new Millennia. In recent years, to meet the demands of the times we are all living through, the Lodge has shifted to different iterations. This year, in February, March and April, we will devote our monthly in-person Lodge meetings to the readings: 2/26, 3/19 and 4/9 (Easter Sunday). It is an honor and a blessing to continue this deep, powerful concentration. 

To enjoy our on-line offerings, just come to https://www.facebook.com/sfts.lodge at the appointed hour on the designated evening. Free and available to the public. 

To join us for our in-person events, we require proof of fully vaccinated status at the door. In-person Lodge events start at 4 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. 

For more information, e-mail us (sftslodge at gmail.com) or inquire via Facebook Messenger.

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 PROGRAM

The great 19th Century occultist H.P. Blavatsky & the great 20th Century saint Ramana Maharshi. Central to the life of the SFTS Lodge & the journeys of legendary American sages Joe & Guin Miller. Shining forth from our Meditation Room.

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO:  JAN-FEB 2023 PROGRAM

IN-PERSON: Sunday, 1/22/23, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Conversations in Theosophy

ON-LINE: Sunday, 1/29/23 at 6 p.m. - Brenna Geehan presents "Yoga Nidra (aka Non-Sleep Deep Rest)"

ON-LINE: Sunday, 2/5/23, at 6 p.m. - Elaine Santos presents "Getting Cozy with Imagery"

ON-LINE: Sunday, 2/19/23, at 6 p.m. - Dr. Jeff Curtis presents "Regarding the Nature of Space & Time, Part 4" 

IN-PERSON: Sunday, 2/26/23, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Lenten Sutra Readings ("Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation")

For more information Brenna Geehan's work, visit https://www.brennageehan.com/

For more information on Elaine Santos' work, visit https://wellnessasart.com

For previous talks in Dr. Curtis' ongoing series, visit the Lodge You Tube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpYsFkbGQAoqzrQRetJaXiA

LENTEN SUTRA READINGS: The legendary American sages Joe and Guin Miller chose to mark the annual Lenten season by reading their favorite sutras aloud to each other. Every weekday morning, at 6 a.m., Joe would read "Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation" to Guin, and every weekday evening, at 6 p.m., Guin would read the "Diamond Sutra" to Joe. From Ash Wednesday to Good Friday. Those of us who gathered around Joe and Guin had the blessing of being able to attend these readings. Satsang in its truest, richest sense. After the Millers passing in 1992, a handful of us at the Lodge continued this practice, every weekday from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday at 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. We did so well into the second decade of the new Millennia. In recent years, to meet the demands of the times we are all living through, the Lodge has shifted to different iterations. This year, in February, March and April, we will devote our monthly in-person Lodge meetings to the readings: 2/26, 3/19 and 4/9 (Easter Sunday). It is an honor and a blessing to continue this deep, powerful concentration.

To enjoy our on-line offerings, just come to https://www.facebook.com/sfts.lodge at the appointed hour on the designated evening. Free and available to the public. 

To join us for our in-person events, we require proof of fully vaccinated status at the door. In-person Lodge events start at 4 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. 

For more information, e-mail us (sftslodge at gmail.com) or inquire via Facebook Messenger.

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

 

Green Tara, Mother of All Buddhas, Kumbum, Gyantse, Tibet.

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 

IN-PERSON: Sunday, 11/13/22, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. - SPECIAL EVENT: MPOWERDANCE Project presents "THIMBLE" (See SPECIAL EVENT NOTICE below) 

ON-LINE: Sunday, 11/20/22 at 6 p.m. - Emily Shurr presents "The Pilgrimage Within" 

ON-LINE: Sunday, 12/11/22, at 6 p.m. - Dr. Jeff Curtis presents "Regarding the Nature of Space & Time, Part 3"

IN-PERSON: Sunday, 12/18/22, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Singing Around the Yuletide Fire (Join us for the Lodge's Solstice celebration. Holiday merriment! "Ours is not a caravan of despair!")

SPECIAL EVENT

Mark your calendar for community gathering Sunday, November 13 from 4 to 6 PM, at the San Francisco Theosophical Society. MPOWERDANCE Project will host a closing reception for our year long (2021-2022) exhibition of MOTHERpeaceMOTHERwar. 

Artists presenting: 

• Mary Power will perform dance and discuss MPOWERDANCE Project’s new dance collective forming for 2023 working with her Visionary Dance Oracle, A Book of the Soul and the oracle cards. If you are interested please attend. 

• Sasha Silveanu, Artist and Anthropologist, will present her latest revelations on “My Mother Tapes”, sharing inspiration for current and future works.

• Peggy Tahir will perform “24 Radisms” work born out of breast cancer treatment and healing.

• Richard Power will discuss our climate action and spiritual archeology with his choice reading from any number of books he’s authored.

For more information see SFTS Lodge on Instagram and Facebook 

“THIMBLE” extracts the essence of MOTHERpeaceMOTHERwar. (h/t excellent capture by @frescuraobscura)

To enjoy our on-line offerings, just come to https://www.facebook.com/sfts.lodge at the appointed hour on the designated evening. Free and available to the public.

To join us for our in-person events, we require proof of fully vaccinated status at the door (including boosters). In-person Lodge events start at 4 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. 

For more information, e-mail us (sftslodge at gmail.com) or inquire via Facebook Messenger.

MPOWERDANCE Project: THIMBLE 

 #MOTHERpeaceMOTHERwar #visionaryart #visionarydanceoracle #healing #beautiful #dancelife #butoh #contemporaryart #dancecommunity #yoga #pilates #qi #spokenword #writer #breastcancerawareness #mpowerdanceproject 

#Theosophy #NoReligionHigherThanTruth #NoPowerGreaterThanLove #TheCircleIsUnbroken

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

"What are we here for, save to help each other, to love each other, to uplift each other?"
- Annie Besant, "Duties of A Theosophist" (1917)
Photo: Annie Besant circa1880s (Hayman Seleg Mendelssohn, National Portrait Gallery, London)

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 

ON-LINE: On Sunday, 9/18/22 at 6 p.m. - Courtney Wynn Sheets presents "The Art of Dying Well: Planning for the Good Death" 

IN-PERSON: On Sunday, 9/25/22, 4 p.m. to  6 p.m. - Lodge Library Hours

ON-LINE: On Sunday, 10/2/22, at 6 p.m. - Dr. Jeff Curtis presents "Regarding the Nature of Space & Time, Part 2"

IN-PERSON: On Sunday, 10/16/22, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Conversations in Theosophy 

ON-LINE: On Sunday, 10/23/22, at 6 p.m. - Elaine Santos presents "Deep Peace with Imagery"

To enjoy our on-line offerings, just come to https://www.facebook.com/sfts.lodge at the appointed hour on the designated evening. Free and available to the public. 

To join us for our in-person events, we require proof of fully vaccinated status at the door (including boosters). The September-October in-person Lodge events will start at 4 p.m. and end at 6 p.m.

For more information, e-mail us (sftslodge at gmail.com) or inquire via Facebook Messenger.

On August 19th, We Celebrate the Parinirvana of Legendary American Sage Joe Miller

Joe Miller, Legendary American Sage, circa 1980s

 NOTE: On August 19th, we celebrate the parinirvana of legendary American sage Joe Miller. This year is the 30th anniversary! Since his passing in 1992, this circle has remained open, unbroken & dedicated to the guiding principles Joe & Guin gave us: #NoReligionhigherthanTruth, #NoPowerGreaterthanLove -- @SFTSLodge

Here are two excerpts from Great Song: Life & Teachings of Joe Miller:  

IT'S FUN BEING NOBODY 

You all had to be a little bit off the beam or you wouldn't have even come here in the first place. But I am going to try to get to you what it is that makes me feel the way I do. First of all, I'm nobody. It's fun being nobody. Then you know that everybody is you and you're everyone else.
When you talk to someone you don't feel any gap between the two of you. Instead of just a conversation, you feel communion. You're talking from your heart. You quit playing games off the top of your head. Unless you want to be a con man. But in that case, even when money comes your way, you'll usually throw it away as fast as you get it. We don't want a can, we want the real thing.
Each one of you have multitudinous answers to every question. All the books you see on the walls around us don't carry one-hundreth part of THAT which is in the depth of your own being. But don't think you're going to get it by just controlling your sex force and becoming bramacharya. I'm sure that nine out of every ten people here have gone through that experience in other lives. Now you can bring the essence of what you have found there and realize it here in the midst of this circumstance.
When you come to a place in your life where there's a bind or something in your way, just take a gentle in-drawn breath & give it a blessing. You don't have to get down on your knees & hold your hands up or make the sign of the cross or even put your belly in. It's how you are inside & how you're living in this world that matters. The eternalness is within, everyone has that spark!
We're all going through a school & it's so deadly serious & dramatic. So few of us can just lean back & look at it. Observe what happens. See what you want. The main thing that everybody wants is happiness. If I find someone who doesn't want happiness, I call the nearest headshrinker.

EVOLUTION

The evolution is only for the outer vehicles we're wearing. Each of us, with that spark of Infinity within us, is pure fire from the one heart of love. That's already pure. It doesn't have to be made pure. It's already reality.

All we're doing here is finding out about these instruments. At some future time and place, we'll have grown to a stature where our bodies can be an entire planet and all the humanity the same as the particles within our physical bodies now. We'll know about all that when the life itself is love. Love and life are one. That part is already pure in each of us. But we're going through this to find out about the evolutionary facet, the desire to become aware of ourselves. We arc becoming aware of our Infinity and our oneness with the Reality.

The path which the spiritual aspirant can follow is like the gate that they depict in oriental things. It's no gate. It's no path. You individually are the path and we're the temples of the living God. Turn to that God and you'll get a hotline to the reality which is God and you'll know.

 

Joe Miller, Legendary American Sage, circa 1970s

 

 

#Theosophy #Bhaki #Jnani 

Theosophical Society of San Francisco, August 2022: "We pray to the great god 'On'!"

SFTS Lodge Charter

[NOTE: No Lodge events this August. Our summer break. In-person "Conversations in Theosophy" and live on-line presentations will resume in September. Enjoy]

Today is the 121st birthday of the San Francisco Theosophical Society (SFTS) Lodge. Our charter was signed by the remarkable Annie Besant on August 10th, 1901. SFTS Lodge has borne witness to two World Wars, the Great Depression, the rise of the Information Age and now the planetary Climate Emergency and the global Covid pandemic. 

The legendary American sages Joe and Guin Miller brought many of us into the circle of this Lodge and some of us have kept it alive and thriving since the Millers' passing in 1992. 

Yes, three decades ago. 

Joe Miller circa late 1980s

Poignantly, a new generation of members, friends and allies who never met Joe and Guin have felt the power and holy atmosphere of this space and have made it a part of their lives. 

The circle is unbroken. 

SFTS Lodge, June 2017

As Joe used to say, “We pray to the great god ‘On'!” 

EXCERPT: The motto under our symbol out there on the wall says, "There is no religion higher than Truth." Of course, we in this particular lodge have added another line to that, "And no power greater than love." Because love is what makes it all go around. That's what Theosophy is all about -- wisdom and love. There is a place in The Secret Doctrine where it states very clearly that Theosophy isn't the "love of wisdom," but rather "the wisdom of love." If each one of you thinks back over your life, you will see that it is always feeling that moves you, the feeling of love. - Joe Miller, “Great Song: Life and Teachings of Joe Miller

SFTS Lodge, October 2014

Guin Miller circa 1980s

#theosophy #theosophicalsociety #noreligionhigherthantruth #nopowergreaterthanlove #agape #bhakti #jnani #dharma #meditation #yoga #thecircleisunbroken #thegreatwheelturns