Version: October 10, 2004
The 1998 Convention was a special time of gentleness, honesty, nurturing, visiting, and comradeship. Through these qualities have come the force of enfolding love and balance from Those on the inner planes. We have been given the gift of grace, that special touch of the Divine, and now have the opportunity to share that grace with everything and everyone in our lives.
This grace is always available to us; our responsibility is to recognize it for what it is and then to use it. The deepening awareness of our connection with All-That-Is brings a different dimension to our lives, focusing our attention on all that is true, all that is real, all that is beyond the illusionary details of everyday life, and showing us where our place of service might be.
All places of service have equal honor. Evolution consists of a gradual growth of consciousness and awareness, and the entire process is one of building a new body or form, working through it to the point of outgrowing it, and then laying it aside to take up yet another one. Only our own Higher Self knows just where we need to be in terms of service, if we will but listen.
No matter where our place of service and dedication is, as we listen with inner ear and heart, we hear the song of compassion, love, and insight that enables us to strive to find the middle path of balance between form and Spirit.
This Convention has brought clarity and focus on the wonderful process of evolving consciousness. May this force of Love, Light, Joy, and Peace touch the hearts of all.
- Eleanor L. Shumway
Guardian in Chief
August 1-9, 1998
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1
At 10 a.m., many residents of the community gathered to clean and polish the University Center, Temple, and Hiawatha Lodge.
The Noon Service was conducted by Zelma and George Colendich.
At 2 p.m., there was an Open House in the University Center featuring "The Song of Hiawatha," a show of Harold Forgostein's paintings depicting events from the life of Hiawatha. The oil paintings are shown alongside the artist's working watercolor sketches, providing a glimpse into his creative process. Also on view are many photos, furniture, and artifacts from the early days of The Temple in honor of our Centennial Year.
At 7 p.m., the community gathered in Hiawatha Lodge for the informal opening of Convention.
Chris Thyrring read In the Lodge of the Red Star:
In the Lodge of the Red Star we have met and renewed our allegiance to the Tribes. . .to the Warrior Forces of the Universal Chief of Life. His war lance is the flaming sun. His Peace Pipe is the silvery moon. His lance has points as many as the sands of the sea, and no one can escape them. When the Great Chief lights his pipe at night and passes it to his brothers, the Star Men, great rings and wreaths of light glow in the sky. This is the voiceless Chant of Peace that bears to the Great Spirit the message that all is well with his world children. And the Great Spirit lights another star with love; another soul glows with the fires of hope and faith in the Master Chief, whose songs of life and sweetness fill the cabins of the tribes.
- Hiawatha
Everyone sang Bless This House, accompanied by Nashoma Carlson. The program that followed included a skit by Ron Carlson, two songs by Ivan Ulz, and a group sing-along accompanied by Ivan on the guitar and Nashoma on the piano.
The Guardian in Chief, Eleanor Shumway, officially opened the 99th Convention in the Blue Star Memorial Temple:
I want to extend to all of you a warm welcome to the formal opening of the 99th Convention of The Temple of the People. This particular Convention is an opportunity for us to gather together in various ways to celebrate the out picturing of the Master's love and guidance. In November 1898, the first Temple gathering occurred in Syracuse, a tiny, but important nucleus of the Lodge work. From the beginning we have been asked to honor the connection between all forms of life by every thought, word, and deed during every day. We are learning that unless we can be the things we believe in, those ideals remain on a spiritual shelf, gathering dust. Only as we put them into action, do they glow with the Light and Love of God. We have been granted guidance and directions in rich abundance, being asked in return simply to use them to the best of our ability with all our heart and mind.
The congregation then stood to sing the Convocation Hymn, Gitche Manito the Mighty, accompanied by Nashoma Carlson.
The Guardian in Chief invoked the blessings of the Great White Lodge on all proceedings:
In the name of the Great White Lodge and by the power vested in me as the Guardian in Chief of The Temple of the People, I hereby open this 99th Annual Convention by invoking the guidance and blessings of the Powers that rule the destinies of worlds and races, the Brothers of the Fire Mist, the Dhyan Chohans and Dhyani Buddhas, and the Masters of Love and Wisdom, on all proceedings and all who participate in person or in spirit in the Convention for the benefit of all humanity, promoting the Brother/Sisterhood of all Creation.
The sacred charge, Warriors of Light, was sung by Ivan Ulz, accompanied by Nashoma Carlson. The congregation joined for the final part of the charge.
The Master's Message to the Convention was then read by the Guardian in Chief:
My Dear Sons and Daughters:
Greetings to my beloved children as you meet in Convention. You are feeling deeply the call of the quickening forces that are bringing this century to a close. You, as well as all humanity, are looking for tremendous changes as you feel these forces upwelling within yourselves. With the voice of mind and body, you call for new directions, new instructions, new words to help you through these times, and new proofs that I am ever with you. Truth is timeless; your Higher Self knows such Truth is within and about you, awaiting your recognition.
I have told you again and yet again that I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. My duty calls for expenditure of time and effort in other directions as well as with you. If you could see with my eyes, you would see that you do have the inner strength and ability to meet the challenges you face today. You are more nearly whole than you dare to dream. Your responsibility is to find that inner strength by the self-discipline of looking within. Daily times of quiet, meditation, and prayer are the surest means of touching and using the very real connection with me and my Brothers of the White Lodge.
I cannot spare you the trials that come upon you. Unless you feel the pressure of the evolutionary forces sent out for your ultimate development, it would simply prove that they were not helping you upward as rapidly as it is possible for you to advance. At the moment you acknowledged that there was a Power beyond the physical plane, you began the conscious process of spiritual unfoldment. Through many long lifetimes you have been fitting yourselves to tread the Path of Discipleship.
It matters not what names you call that Path. What matters deeply is that you learn to find the Father-Mother-Son in every materialized object, or form of life. I have put into your hands, minds, and hearts all the tools necessary to carry you forward far into the future. Indeed, I have used the same words over and over again, knowing that at some point the spark of illumination will thrill through your beings and propel you forward toward the heights of your ideals and aspirations. Remember, after the moment of illumination, there must come a time of assimilation. As your inner and outer bodies are nourished by the illumination, then comes the time for action.
I told you nearly one hundred years ago that as the outer work grows and the demands on the Agent become more incessant, there will also come more chances for sacrifice, for to all appearances you will often be called to sacrifice the inner communion with each other and with me for the sake of the performance of these outer duties. My children, it is only an apparent sacrifice because our inner bonds are never broken; they are always there for you to know and use. You have been placed in the midst of the turmoil and fight. It is useless to say you are not fitted for this, you must become fitted for it and all else that brings you into the heart of things and people. As you prepare yourselves for the turmoil and fight, you must bring Joy, Light, and Love to the process. They will sustain you and all who come to you for nourishment.
I am sending more people to your doors, called by their inner connection with me and the Great White Lodge. I ask you to greet them, to share the riches I have given you in words they can understand; to enfold them in your love and understanding. By so doing, you become the arms of my soul outstretched in Love and Understanding. By so doing, you yourselves are enfolded in Love and Understanding.
The Clarion Call goes forth to all. You must prepare the place within each heart for the advent once again of the Avatar. Heed well that call, my children.
In tender love,
Your Father-Brother, Hilarion
The congregation then sang Creeds Disappear, Hearts Remain, accompanied by Nashoma Carlson. The service was concluded with the Feast of Fulfillment.
The Noon Healing Service was conducted by Eleanor Shumway and George Colendich.
At 1:30 p.m., the community gathered at Hiawatha Lodge for a luncheon and a chance to visit over the community photo albums.
The Healing Service was conducted by Nashoma and Ron Carlson.
At 7 p.m., the Temple officers presented their annual reports in the Temple.
Report of a Delegate at Large
The first week of August, 1997 was a momentous one indeed. August 2,
I moved into my newly purchased home, the very first all by myself - "Look,
Ma, I'm really grown up now!" August 1 was the first day our struggling
little Unity Church in Riverside, where I live, was again without an official
spiritual leader. As President of the Board of Trustees, the responsibility
of keeping things running fell on my shoulders. Fortunately, it was only
six months before we found a new minister. And, lastly, the first week
of August was when I assumed the mantle of Delegate at Large of The Temple
of the People.
Eleanor told me that the office of Delegate at Large was mostly a symbolic
one, the Temple's way of officially acknowledging that there are members
who must live and serve outside the "womb" of Halcyon. I appreciate that.
Another person said that he particularly respected the Delegates at Large,
since they are "out there alone." I must admit that I used to feel that
way - isolated and alone - but I have learned that as long as I'm able
to look into the eyes of children or adults who haven't forgotten, I am
never spiritually alone.
While serving as the Delegate at Large, I was blessed beyond belief.
Not only did I serve as a symbol for the Temple to officially recognize
non-Halcyonites, I was given a wonderful opportunity for a year of exponential
spiritual growth.
Thank you.
- Cathy Greer
Report of Another Delegate at Large
I am blessed I have the Temple and our dear Temple sisters and brothers
in this cruel world. There is a long list of things I can thank you for.
Always I remember it and bless my fortune for having this saving island
in my soul and in my mind. I really know I would be unceasingly unhappy
without it. I bless this passing year which gave me the chance to feel
myself closer to the Temple in my heart, if it be possible to feel it more
closely, for I don't know of anything I could love more than the Master,
and consequently His Temple and His children. I thank you for this year
as I served as Delegate at Large. This is a really great event.
In conclusion, I want to send to everybody the very best wishes. You
are in my heart and mind always.
- Yolanta Pisareva
Report of the Treasurer
Last week, while in the Redwoods, I marveled at the miracle of trees,
wondered what I could possibly add to the eloquent Treasurers' Reports
given in the last 98 years, and thought about 100 years of the Temple.
100 years ago, one Sequoia sempervirens began life humbly enough - a
small kernel that held within it the potential to become an immense sentinel.
Circumstances being right, it reached deep into the earth and high into
the heavens, adding one ring each year, fulfilling its destiny and taking
its place in creation. That it attained such magnitude by growing just
a little bit, just one day at a time, is nearly beyond comprehension.
100 years ago, the Temple was also gestating and, like the tree, has
been daily deliberately fulfilling its mission to humanity. We weren't
around when the Temple was formed, so we don't know first-hand the blood,
sweat and tears shed in Syracuse, New York, at the Temple's founding, nor
at the move to this place called Halcyon five years later, nor of the scrimping
and saving required to finally build this building in 1923. The altars
before us embody and radiate the effort, the love, the commitment, and
the sacrifices of innumerable others on many planes to our higher purpose:
the preparation of a place where it might become possible for the overshadowing
Christ to enter and send forth the message which the world has waited for
so long.
Every year, the first notes of Warriors of Light galvanize the lot of
us, no matter how diverse, into one single heart and mind as the great
wave of Convention forces comes washing through this room. Yesterday was
no different. Our singer allowed the power of the Temple to fill his voice
with something far beyond himself, and this building filled with those
who have given their all so that we may sit here today. The unseen and
the seen were all here, welded together as One.
Convention is a time to recall the goals and guiding principles of the
Temple as we fulfill the privilege and responsibility to build for those
who follow, just as each year's challenges imprint a tree's rings for all
to see. Convention reminds us of the sacrifices made before us for us,
so we never forget the reason for our presence here.
Unseen souls and immeasurable qualities are one part of the Temple treasury.
Love, will, wisdom, Brother/Sisterhood, the Twelve Principles, our predecessors
and their efforts, all give us strength and direction. But the Master's
work doesn't happen without living, breathing human beings - us. We are
also part of the Temple treasury, and it is our turn to serve. When our
lives are lived in accord with the law of Love in service to humanity,
we contribute to the manifestation of the Master's presence in all our
lives - the reunion of Spirit and Matter, the work of the Great White Brotherhood
come to pass on the earth plane.
Perhaps Dr. Dower would forgive me for changing one word, but he calls
forth our connection to and reliance on the unseen aspects of the Temple
treasury most eloquently in this grace: "In the name of eternal Light,
Life and Love; in the name of that divineness that inheres in all grades
of matter and spirit; in the name of the beauty, fragrance and form in
the flower world, the refreshing green of nature, the spirit of flame in
fire, the outpouring of life from stars and suns in celestial spaces: in
the name of all that is pure and holy, we ask that this Temple be blessed,
and that its radiant essence may consecrate us to selfless Service, now
and forevermore."
- Marti Fast
Report of the Scribe
The Lipikas [FOOTNOTE: cf. Theosophical Glossary, p. 190], the celestial
recorders, the "Scribes" who record every word and deed, said or done by
man while on this earth, took their pen which they plucked from the wings
of the Great Bird Hamsa, and wrote:
"Out of the inner spheres have I called into existence on the seven
planes of matter, a new Adam, a new Eve, for the Seventh Race. I tell you
that ye may bear me witness when the time comes."
When the Temple, ensuing from the Theosophical Society, became re-established
on the physical plane one hundred years ago in 1898, its co-founders were
told that the long-prophesied day for the return - or rather, new presence
- of a mighty cosmic force had come. They were told that a child, the very
first forerunner of the far distant Seventh Race, was about to enter the
Earth sphere in 1899, and that it would emerge as the new Avatar. Also,
it would be connected to Jesus.
To understand fully the events of the past hundred years from a Temple
perspective, we need to go back to Helena Blavatsky. Her writings, coming
collectively from the Lodge, tell us that Jesus lived over a century earlier
than assumed, was a different person and an occultist, and was killed by
exotericists, followers of organized or dogmatic religion, for his daring
to teach the Secret Doctrine. Blavatsky says that the real Jesus, as the
Mahatmas maintain, was born about 120 B.C. in a city called Lud or Lydda
in the heartland of ancient Palestine; his real name was Jehoshua [Yeshu]
Ben-Panthera or Pandira; his father was a Roman soldier; his mother was
a woman named Stada [FOOTNOTE: The "fallen one."] (alias Miriam); his teacher
was a famous Rabbi named Perahiah [FOOTNOTE: Jehoshua Ben Perahiah [Rabbi
Joshua], President of the Sanhedrin [Jewish legal and religious institution
in Jerusalem which exercised the function of a court] in the latter half
of the 2nd century B.C. At the time of the prosecution of the Pharisees
by John Hyrcanus, Joshua Ben Perahiah was deposed, and he fled to Alexandria,
and even the Talmud [Sanhedrin, 106b, and Sotah, 47a, Talmud, ed. Amsterdam
& Berlin, 1865] mentions Yeshu, "a pupil" of Rabbi Joshua. When about
88 B.C. persecution ceased and the Pharisees triumphed over the Sadducees,
Perahiah was recalled to Jerusalem by Simeon Ben Shetah, a successor of
Perahiah in presiding over the Sanhedrin. (cf. CW, Vol. VIII, pp. 460)]
who, becoming compromised in the uprising of the Pharisees against King
Alexander Jannaeus in 105 B.C., had to flee to Egypt, taking his favorite
disciple with him; in Alexandria, he was initiated into the Egyptian mysteries
or magic, and upon his return to Palestine, being charged with heresy and
sorcery, he was tried, sentenced, and hung on the tree of infamy (Roman
Cross) outside his birthplace Lud or Lydda in 70 B.C. [FOOTNOTE: A Word
With "Zero", in: H. P. Blavatsky, Collected Writings, Vol. IV,
p. 362]
Blavatsky also says that the true length of the Avataric cycle is not
two thousand but about 2155 solar years, "but having a true significance
only when computed by lunar months". [FOOTNOTE: The Esoteric Character
of the Gospels, In: H. P. Blavatsky, Collected Writings, Vol.
VIII, p. 174]
Blavatsky also says that in the Gospel according to St. Matthew the
original word "presence" was mistranslated and twisted into "coming," and
"consummation of the age" was changed to "the end of the world"; and therefore,
stresses Blavatsky, the true meaning of the expression "the coming of Christ"
is "the presence of the Christos in a regenerated world, and not at all
the actual coming in body of Christ Jesus; and this Christ is to be sought
neither in the wilderness nor in the inner chambers, nor in the sanctuary
of any temple or church built by man; for Christ - the true esoteric Savior
- is no man, but the Divine Principle in every human being". [FOOTNOTE:
The Esoteric Character of the Gospels, In: H. P. Blavatsky, Collected
Writings, Vol. VIII, p. 173]
The Temple is a Lodge effort to pour forth these forces emanating from
the heart of the Christos into the hearts of humanity. The true history
of the Temple is the history of the Avatar, or rather the history of average
humans reacting to this mighty force of Love welling up in the heart of
all Nature. Even the Guides and Masters of Humanity would have been powerless
against the forces of accumulated evil threatening this planet, had it
not been for this child, this forerunner from the Seventh Race, who is
ensouled since 1928 by the Eternal Son and will be the central figure of
a New Humanity.
In the one-hundredth year of our existence, it is today that we must
judge a century of Temple work. We have been average humans, with faults
a-plenty, and certainly not better than other Theosophists or seekers for
truth. We have tried, again and again, to live by the Golden Rule, to see
our fellow man as family, and to fall back on the spiritual standpoint
in times of crisis. We have had to realize that we are still very far from
the state of the Seventh Race which, according to Blavatsky, will have
to be attained before "the Lamb and Lion shall lie down together," or Love
and Peace can prevail in the ranks of humanity. But at least we tried.
Often, we have blindly chased away from among our own ranks those we were
intended to cherish most or who would have been appropriate for us to so
cherish. More often than not, we hurt our greatest benefactors the deepest,
and begged for the rules of discipleship to be suspended for our sake.
Deep down in our hearts we knew that all of us would have gone down without
our Father who brought us here from Syracuse, and that even He could not
have done much for us - humanity - without that mighty power that came
to our rescue, that power about which Judge, in his rendering of the Bhagavad
Gita, tellingly says: "I produce myself among creatures, O son of Bharata,
whenever there is a decline of virtue and an insurrection of vice and injustice
in the world; and thus I incarnate from age to age for the preservation
of the just, the destruction of the wicked, and the establishment of righteousness."
[FOOTNOTE: The Bhagavad - Gita, rendering by W. Q. Judge, New York &
London 1894, p. 31]
But we also learned the value of individual effort. We learned that
without that, none of us could truly participate in building the Temple.
We learned that intense desire for growth was the most dangerous thing
because it only showed the condition of a wayward child ready to sacrifice
all for one single personal whim. We learned that we were slaves to words,
and that Masters wanted to go beyond words. We learned that it was dangerous
to be too much attached to opinions, because, again, the opinionated person
- just like the human with an agenda - was but a wayward child who by his
behavior showed he could not hear the voice of his Father yet. We learned
that the Avatar was here but that nobody could find him outside because
he was, or rather is, all the while on the inside, and those who have eyes
will see him there, and those who have ears will hear him there. We learned
that nothing was outside, every thing being inside. We learned that despite
our perhaps strange looks, we were in great company, and that the bonds
between us were forged in the fires of many lives we all lived and died
together. We learned that there was no high or low; that we were all one
with one another and all Nature and the entire Universe; that this consciousness
of oneness will set us free; that we were not separated from the Lodge
but one with it; that thoughts were much more important than deeds because
one day every thing we think of will take form on the material plane. But
most of all we learned that love was a power that conquered all, and that
the Avatar - for our comprehension, the Master Jesus - was Love, pure Love.
Now that a hundred years are full this year, we know what lies ahead: we
have teachings - the full value of which we do not understand yet - teachings
aplenty for the next couple of ages and we must give these to the poor
- ourselves, and those who come to us; and we must build, both interiorly
and exteriorly, The City That Is To Be for the Central Figure of the New
Humanity.
We have all the tools. We have the Temple, the People, and the Master
Mason to rebuild it within three days.
As a poet and musician once wrote:
"...We walked both sides of every street
In all kinds of windy weather
But that was never our defeat
As long as we could walk together...
... So lay your hands upon me now
And cast this darkness from my soul
You alone can light my way
You alone can make me whole
Once again ..." [FOOTNOTE: Crossroads by Don McLean]
- Istvan Balogh
Report of the Inner Guard
Greetings and love to each of you!
It's been a tremendous honor to serve as the Inner Guard for The
Temple of the People this past year. The gift of love and energy you have
all shared with me has been more than I could have ever imagined. My gift
to you has been to strive diligently to reflect this wonderful love and
energy from each of you to each and every one I meet each day.
Our Guardian in Chief tells us that the office of Inner Guard symbolizes
the responsibility to the feminine aspect of manifestation - the nurturing,
indwelling spiritual force. I think this boils down to one of the many
realizations of the Golden Rule: determining how we wish to be treated,
thereby knowing how to treat others. Only when we reach deep within ourselves
and rip out all the unnecessary undergrowth that we have accumulated over
the last year can we begin to see the wonderful straight and tall beings
each of us are. This can make it easier to show our best selves with others.
When we have found that special spot in our own hearts, we can see that
the same special spot is in everyone we meet.
Thank you to each and every one of you for your input over the last
year, spoken and unspoken. A special thank-you to my family for their support
and love each and every day.
In the coming year I wish each of you, as well as peace, love and
light, the will to continue growing.
Thank you.
- Margaret Thyrring
Report of the Outer Guard
This has been an exciting year, and we have had a great group of
officers to help support the Guardian in Chief, and to keep strong the
Guardian Wall. The position of Outer Guard symbolizes the responsibility
to the masculine aspect - the protecting, questing, balancing force. This
I believe pertains to all of us.
To help with the questing part, we have our 10:30 Sunday service,
noon healing service every day, and also a half-hour meditation at 7 p.m.
on Sunday here in the Temple. Also there are Tuesday and Friday 5:30 p.m.
study classes held in the University Center. These activities are not physically
strenuous, and they feed our soul. They are things to do while taking a
break from doing things that feed our stomachs. Maybe a little questing
would not be so bad!
Thank you.
- Ron Carlson
Report of the Guardian in Chief
Here we stand, on the eve of the centennial celebration of The Temple
of the People. We look back over the past one hundred years, we examine
the present moments, we look forward to tomorrow, and many, many more tomorrows.
During 1998 I have focused on the past, sharing the joys and sorrows,
the idealism and sacrifices, the very human ups and downs of all those
who have gone before us in the Temple work. We are given a body of teachings
that are a distillation of the wisdom of the ages and are asked to use
them. We are rich with the physical and spiritual contributions over the
years from Templars in far flung places: Germany, Russia, Nigeria, Ghana,
England, Iceland, the Philippines, Japan, Puerto Rico, Italy, Sweden, Mexico
and Canada. Here we have a gleaming Temple building, a community named
Halcyon, our unique homes, the beauty of our surroundings, and all the
things that we treasure because of the rich foundation built slowly by
real people, doing and saying real things; feeling inspired or disgruntled;
thrilling to the Master's touch or falling through the space of black despair.
I do not wish to imply that we need to worship the past, elevating our
predecessors onto pedestals. Rather I suggest that we honor the past, paying
tribute by service through our lives to those ordinary folk who were drawn
to the Temple work by the same keynote that we have felt. They serve as
our teachers by example more than by words.
A point has come up in several conversations over the past many months
to the effect that it is too bad that there are no replacements for those
seemingly "larger-than-life" people of days gone by. Those people we read
about, or even knew, such as Ella Vogtherr, Ellen Veblen, Herman Volz,
Edward Twistman, John and Agnes Varian, Ebba Whitney, Joyce Hedin, Otto
Westfall. The list goes on and on. All came, all contributed what they
could in ways peculiarly suited to each individual, and all went on to
other planes, to continue the work of the Great White Lodge.
My response to these queries about "where have all the good guys
gone?" is that we are too close to the picture of the present to see the
real truth. Each of us, when the time comes to be viewed as the past by
the future Temple members, will assume the "larger than life" mantle that
we drop on the shoulders of others. We are the "good guys," working on
our commitment to the Temple and our discipleship to the Great White Lodge.
Many of us yearn for the seemingly more simple days of parlor games, musical
evenings, and good conversation, with more time to work in the garden or
be together in other ways. But we live in the days of TV, computers, email,
the Internet, fast food, fast lanes, and constant communication overload.
Our present-day, unique task is to fashion the bridge between the inner
and outer world using the tried and true tools of yesteryear in terms of
today's realities.
In any month of any year of the past 100 years, our Teachings have
offered us the tools to build this bridge. The Ten Rules of Discipleship
are the foundation, strong and permanent, and they tell it like it is.
There is no room for negotiation. The many Temple books, pamphlets, and
study courses available build on the foundation of the Ten Rules, all continually
emphasizing our responsibility to make choices. These important choices
are not the big ones which seem to fall into place when they come up; rather
they are the small daily choices of thought, word, and deed as we go about
our daily living. How many times and in how many ways throughout the Temple
Teachings have we been told there are no little things? The responsibility
of that statement is oft times overwhelming, and yet by meeting that responsibility
minute by minute, there comes a flow of love and nurturing from the Master
that honors our choices and helps us develop the strength for the next
choice.
One fact that becomes increasingly clear to me is that we are not
told what to do, or how and when to do it. Within certain broad parameters,
Templars everywhere are asked to do what is right; that "right "determined
by active inner participation with the Higher Law. Our lower selves often
want no part of that Higher stuff. We are reminded of that old adage: "Better
the familiar darkness than the unfamiliar Light." In our journey toward
that Light, we are asked to bring an adherence to principle, a sense of
participating in something larger than ourselves to everything we do, be
it weeding the garden, hammering a nail, talking to our neighbor, or attending
a class or meeting when we would rather be somewhere else. Many of us here
remember a past Guardian in Chief saying, when we complained that we didn't
get anything out of a meeting or class, "It isn't what you get out of it
that matters, what matters is what you bring to it."
Our responsibility to study the teachings and use them popped into
my mind as I read this little story in Country magazine:
"The parents of a college freshman gave him a Bible when he left
for school ... assuring him it would be a comfort while he was away from
home.
"After he arrived at school, the college student began sending letters
asking his parents for money. They responded by telling him to read his
Bible - citing chapter and verse.
"When the student came home for semester break, his parents told
him how disappointed they were that he hadn't been reading the Scriptures.
"'How did you know?' the college student confessed.
"'Because we used $20 bills as bookmarks for the passages we wanted
you to read.'"
I don't know about you, but the more I delve into our wealth of instruction,
the more treasure I am finding, treasure that I can spend as readily as
$20 bills. And spend it I must. Of course it would be easier if someone
handed us the treasure; then when things go wrong we can blame the guy
(or gal) doing the handing. This is the pivotal point of the Temple Teachings:
self-responsibility, coupled with responsibility to our families, to the
group, to the Lodge Agent, and to the Master.
As Guardian in Chief, I cannot impose this self-responsibility upon
anyone. However, as I work with the increasing clarity of purpose within
my own consciousness, I can articulate what I am learning and perhaps you
can glean tools to use in your own process. This Convention Year of 1997-98,
has been for me the first in a second seven-year cycle as Guardian in Chief.
As I mentioned earlier, it is also a year of looking back as well as forward.
In looking back over the past fifty-six years of living in Halcyon and
about thirty years of very active participation in this group, I see a
lot of rich living, of wonderful, instructive, but not always comfortable,
interaction with the many diverse people in my Halcyon family. I see some
things I might have done differently. I see my own very human need to fix
everything for everybody, ensuring a fail-safe, beautiful, comfortable
environment where we all live happily ever after. I suppose I've always
known that this "never-never land" would not be possible, but only in the
past very few years have I truly come to accept it and to begin to live
it, realizing that my responsibility is to allow all of you to have your
own opportunities to try, to possibly fail, to try again, to succeed, to
bring your richness of spirit and being to the group and so to enrich us
all. There have been times when I have been Taurus stubborn in feeling
"my way is the best way," missing the fact that other ways are right ways
too.
I want you to know now, that although I've always tried to do "it"
for you, whatever "it" may be, I hereby acknowledge that you and Templars
everywhere are self-responsible, fully functioning human beings whom I
cherish deeply enough to allow you to bring your talents, your strengths,
and your weaknesses to the altar of our common brother/sisterhood. For
example: I began one step in this process by finally turning completely
loose of Hiawatha Lodge. We currently have a committee of four people that
is arranging events, furniture, food, and fun in their own warm style,
not an imitation of my style, nor under my direct supervision. I find I
really like it! More and more of the daily supervision of maintenance is
in other hands. More of my time is available to communicate through email,
letters, and responding to those of you who come to me to share a happiness
or a burden.
The living paradox for me is that I am the Guardian in Chief of The
Temple of the People, a Corporation Sole, and as such there are decisions
that I alone am responsible for. I am accountable to the State and Federal
governments in physical plane matters, but much more to the point is my
accountability to Master Hilarion and my growing awareness of His presence
in my life, a growing trust in our connection. With trust and awareness
comes the sureness that there is only one way. As He tells us, "Either
I am the Truth and my words are true, or I and my words are a living lie.
If my words have the ring of truth when I say to you that you are my children
and your higher evolution on certain lines rests on your solidarity of
purpose, your unity, your staunchness, your willingness and ability to
forward the plans of the Lodge, then it is evident your duty as well as
inclination would be to act upon my words in all respects. If my words
have the ring of untruth, of falsity, the quicker you are disbanded the
better." There is no wiggle room, but there is a world of Love and protection.
Appointed each year is a board of Temple Officers. I meet regularly
with them on matters concerning the Temple. These officers are Inner Guard,
Outer Guard, Scribe, Treasurer and three Delegates-at-Large. Each office
symbolizes a certain aspect or facet of the Temple work. The office of
Inner Guard symbolizes the responsibility to the feminine aspect of manifestation,
the nurturing, connecting, indwelling spiritual force. The position of
Outer Guard symbolizes the responsibility to the masculine aspect, the
protecting, questing, balancing force. The position of Treasurer symbolizes
the responsibility to our storehouse of spiritual treasure filled with
the jewels we have been given to use, to care for and enhance. The position
of Scribe symbolizes the responsibility to the records of our aspirations,
hopes, and faith and the flow of these to and from all human hearts and
minds.
The three positions of Delegates-at-Large, chosen from those Temple
members who do not live here in Halcyon, symbolize the many members world-wide
whose dedication to the Truth expressed through the Temple teachings is
inspiring. They are meeting the challenge of putting these teachings into
daily practice without the outer group support and daily meetings that
we enjoy here at the Center.
For the ensuing year the officers of the Religious Society of The
Temple of the People will be Margaret Thyrring, Inner Guard; Ron Carlson,
Outer Guard; Marti Fast, Treasurer; Istvan Balogh, Scribe; with Larry Abrahamsen
in San Francisco, Jeremy Wight in London, and Franz Hirthammer, as Delegates-at-Large.
As in years gone by, each one will bring their own consciousness to the
office, thereby enlarging, sustaining, and nurturing the Temple, themselves,
and all of us.
As Guardian in Chief, the appointed agent of the Master of the White
Lodge, I give you His words: "My Children, have I never said words of encouragement
to you? Have I ever discouraged you, except to slow down your too rapidly
moving feet? You know my heart as well you know that you live and breathe,
that my arms are around you night and day, in the depths and out of them.
I have never left one of my little ones alone; at times you have left me,
but I shall never do so, neither can I when you are a part of myself, part
of my life. From my soul I wish I could convey to you the love I feel for
you, the desire I have for your advancement; but every mother knows that
if her child is to grow strong it must walk by itself, it must learn all
it knows of physical conditions by pain, and this process continues to
the end. But there is no reason why you should not see the beauty, the
good, the glory there is in life. It is around you on every side, it is
yours to take and use as it seems best to you, always in the right spirit.
I would not have you look at the hells of life, but at the heavens which
also lie around you. Hold fast to me and to each other."
Thank you.
- Eleanor L. Shumway
Guardian in Chief
At 10 a.m., the Social Sciences meeting was held in the Temple. The Guardian in Chief opened the meeting:
I want to welcome you to this morning's gathering. The theme for these talks is the principle of Justice. As we move through this Centennial Year we have been focusing on the twelve principles, a different one each month. These principles of Love, Will, Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Hope, Truth, Justice, Loyalty, Honesty, Service, and Obedience contain the essence of the manifested universe. Humanity was given the gift of choice and each of us must choose to put these principles into daily practice. As we do so, an equal force flows into our lives enhancing, uplifting and enlightening everything we do. It can be a wonderful circle of harmony with All That Is.
This morning I asked that you consider the principle of Justice. This will cover as many aspects as there are people in this room.
I came to this session, not having the slightest idea of whether or what I would have to say. But it occurred to me driving here back from work that justice is a subject to which I have given a lot of thought over the years, starting with: What in heaven's name is it?
Justice seems to me to be one of those ideas that initially fits right in, so we just sort of start taking it for granted. This of course makes it too easy to think that we know all about it until the time comes to test the idea, until the time comes to decide whether we have been dealt with justly or not.
Then, all of a sudden, we find that what we're doing is anything but justice, as a rule! It's awfully easy, in one or another of the many vicissitudes that life throws at us, to say, "Foul play! That isn't fair!" But when we do that, we would do very well to examine our motives: Why do we feel unfairly dealt with? Why do we feel we have anything to say? Why are we protesting? What do we hope to accomplish in this way?
I have thought this through sometimes when I felt like protesting. I wound up not protesting, because I realized that what I would have been pushing was really an agenda of selfishness, and not anything that I could properly call Justice, with the capital J.
I propound that Justice is not something we can touch with our outer minds, not something we can touch with our outer fingertips. Justice is something that must smack of Love. Justice is something that must smack of the Divine. The Divine in us? Sure! We all have some of that. But we are at our best giving, when we are just. We are not at our best when we are demanding, when we are worrying about whether somebody else got more than we did, whether somebody else was fair to us.
There is a very large grace, in my opinion, in having and expressing the simple realization that Life comes without any guarantee tags. It's a risk, essentially. It's quintessentially an adventure. We realize sooner or later that the guarantees would make Life a drudge and not an opportunity. True Justice, as far as I am concerned, is the Great Question Mark in the Sky that allows us the chance to create, to succeed, and eventually to know that I AM.
Thank you.
- Willy Gommel
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You reap what you sow. You get what you give. Judge not, that you be not judged. Karma - Cause and Effect. What goes around comes around. The measure you give will be the measure you get. As scientists say, every action causes an equal but opposite reaction.
Our lives and all life - the whole universe - at any given moment are rife with the results, the effects, of causes which were set into motion previously and, concurrently at any given moment, we are setting into motion the causes that will be reaped by us in the future. In my opinion, this all boils down to Justice.
Now, my apple fell from the same tree as Willy's, so it should not surprise you that I looked up Justice in the dictionary. The third definition says: "Administration of law according to rules of law or equity."
I think we all agree that the universe has been divinely set up with absolute, immutable laws. Therefore, if we define Justice as the dictionary does, as the administration of law, and we know that the universe operates on immutable law, then the only conclusion we can logically draw is that Justice is an integral part of the universe.
The wonderful thing is that if we know we have sent forth a cause for which we know there will be a painful result, we can mitigate the effect by putting a new cause into motion. One way to advance yourself on the Path, to achieve a higher consciousness, is to learn to use Universal Law and Justice for the good of all. After all, isn't that what it's all about?
- Cathy Greer
"So long as his self interest will lead him into injustice, so long is the path of power barred - for Justice is corollary with Divine Will."
- Teachings of the Temple, Vol. 1, p. 279.
We know, on all levels within ourselves, that we must choose the way of Justice. Sharing injustice with our sisters and brothers brings us more heartache than we care to admit. As well as sharing justice with others, we must also be just to our own selves: to participate in life in a manner worthy of our best ability.
- Margaret Thyrring
To bring force from inner planes to the outer requires a major effort, and is the main reason why we are word-bound. Words enslave and deceive us for the reason that they are very gross physical clothing, comparable to a strait jacket or a suit of armor. Just as we outgrew the breastplate we wore 700 or 4400 years ago, many words we used yesterday just do not seem to fit today, with the old meaning gone and the new meaning as plain as chaos and as safe a ground to tread as quagmire.
Take, for example, "Justice." The more we watch television, the more we are inclined to see images of police cars chasing some real or imagined criminal, some poor fellow whom we ourselves and our system of society made ill and hungry, when hearing this word "Justice." Then we see lawyers wheeling-dealing over a so-called suspect's alleged crime and real punishment; so, after a while of watching these televised images, we tend not only to believe that the meaning of the word Justice is to hunt down and punish and torture and execute and make money-changing deals over, ill and sick people who properly ought to be administered medical treatment and not poison gas, but also, that it is a normal, natural, and proper thing to do so. So, reading or hearing this word Justice we do not think of social justice, we do not waste thought on the fact that one person having it all when another human has nothing simply does not feel right.
All Nature teaches us that there is no such thing that a single fish, a single bird or a single snake that can have it all while the others get nothing. Only man invented the idea that you can have something for nothing, which is the same as to say that we could steal from others with impunity. Man, bent on repairing his broken watch by wielding a sledgehammer, ever tries to tinker with his own inner or psychological imbalance by outer means or instruments which are not only gross but wholly inadequate, because the cause of dysfunction is really on other planes.
As things stand now with American English that is getting corrupted more and more with every passing minute, the word "self-responsibility" seems much more adequate to express the idea of justice. Of course we have taken self-responsibility in a very different sense from that usually attributed to the word. In our context here, we certainly do not think that anybody should ever interpret the word self-responsibility in the sense that people should take care only of them selves, support only themselves, and trample down all the rest of mishap humanity. So please do not take self-responsibility in the sense of a mistaken "pursuit of happiness," as we usually do with Jefferson's, twisting an originally much more noble, even spiritual sentiment out of its every meaning. No, self-responsibility is the opposite of selfishness. Its true meaning should be that a single human realizes his or her own individual responsibility to all and everyone that exists. self-responsibility is the feeling or realizing that everything is one, that the self is everywhere, in each atom, star, blade of grass, dog, sick person, or enemy. Self-responsibility is the realization that we are not alone, that there should be solidarity forever with every thing created, understanding the communistic unity of the Great White Lodge of Masters and of the Universe.
It is obvious then, that there cannot be justice where the collective is not responsible for the welfare or well-being of the individual. Again, the animal kingdom, where there still remains a natural order of things uncorrupted by man, shows the way: the sick and dying animal is helped by others of its kin; there is no such thing as one ant or one coral reef letting one another down.
People like to excuse wrong conditions with the slogan, "There is no such thing as perfection on the physical plane." Why not say that because everybody commits crimes, let's do the same? The fact of being on the physical plane is no excuse for not trying to strive, and why not strive for perfection? One day, everything will have to be perfect. One day all matter, force and consciousness will have to be saved to attain the condition of the nameless, attributeless Parabrahman, so why not begin it now? Why not try out Absolute Justice?
But such Justice cannot come from outer reform. Outer reforms are surely needed and urgently so, unless we want the planet to blow up in our faces, but all outer reform is useless without inner effort. We have to see things from an inner standpoint, from the standpoint of the fourth dimension where all is one and no separation can prevail, and act out this consciousness of oneness. Acting out means carrying it in our hearts, because the mere thought will change everything. The entire Universe is created by a single thought of Brahma, thoughts are all powerful, unconquerable, victorious. Outer action will follow the thought. Go for Absolute Justice in your heart, do perfect service in perfect justice by understanding that it is in reality Love in action. When this love is born in our hearts, we will think and act Absolute Justice both in our small world of family and friends, and the big world of politics, not by changing parties but by asking our politicians we voted into power for initiating reforms.
- Istvan Balogh
Just about everything that I prepared to say has been covered. What comes to my mind is a story of two countries that are engaged in a religious war, each believing in its own God, the citizens of each country killing, killing, killing each other back and forth. One man loses his son in the war, killed by a religious person of the other side. So in turn, he goes and finds that same man who killed his son in the war as the war continues, and kills his son. Thinking that was just and right, he is given the chance to have pure Justice by being given the son of the man that he killed to raise, not to raise him by his own God and religion, but to raise that child in the religion that he was in fact fighting against, in the beliefs of the enemy country.
For myself, I think of one of the examples in the teachings given over and over again of Justice, where the stone is thrown into the pond of water. The stone causes the ripple that goes to the shore, and the ripple comes back and goes from the center to the other side of the pond. Though we don't see that ripple continue, it does continue through many cycles back and forth until the negative act of the stone being thrown into the pond is finally neutralized. Then there is Justice.
For myself, I can only think that, rather than to give an example of me throwing a stone into somebody else's pond, I am the pond of water, and I've had stone upon stone tossed into myself, my being, my pond. I have not evolved to a point where the negativity can be neutralized in me: after so many stones have been thrown into my essence, me, the water, all I am, I only see two ways to have Justice for myself at this time, because I have not evolved to the point where I can take it to a full neutralization.
I can enhance myself to become more and more water, to go deeper and deeper, till the stone that's thrown into me causes nothing but silence. This is the best way that I know how to protect myself, my being, my pond.
The other way that I can do it is to just dry up and let my water soak so deep into my soil that the pond does not show - I will just be dry, and your stone just can go onto the soil for now.
I don't have the strength, I don't have the courage; I am not enough to have my pond of water be disturbed. Maybe in a few years, as I make my commitment every year to the Temple, we'll see where my Justice is and how my pond of water will evolve.
- Zelma Colendich
The Healing Service was conducted by Marti Fast and Willy Gommel.
At 5:30 p.m., in the University Center, the Guardian in Chief read material from the Temple archives for the study class.
At 7:30 p.m., the community gathered at the home of Mary Orcutt and Aureliano Rodriguez for a dessert pot-luck and campfire. Around the fire, inspirational readings were shared and Ivan Ulz played the guitar, hosting a sing-along.
At 10:30 a.m., Ivan Ulz presented a special concert for children which was enjoyed by children young and old.
The Healing Service was conducted by Margaret and Chris Thyrring.
At 7:30 p.m., a joyful evening of dessert and companionship was celebrated at the home of Willy Gommel.
The Healing Service was conducted by Barbara and Rick Ricardo.
At 7:30 p.m., a town meeting was held in Hiawatha Lodge.
At 7:30 p.m., a town meeting was held in Hiawatha Lodge.
At 10:30 a.m., a meeting entitled "About the Inner Orders of the Temple" was held in the Temple. Papers about the different Inner Orders were read by the Temple Officers.
The Healing Service was conducted by Linda Rollison and Istvan Balogh.
At 5:30 p.m., the Study Class was held in the University Center. The Guardian in Chief read letters from the Temple Archives.
After the class a potluck dinner was enjoyed at the home of Barbara and Rick Ricardo.
At 10 a.m., community members drove to visit our Temple brother, Bernard Lentz, in Atascadero, and then to Temple sister Anora Gibson in Morro Bay.
The Healing Service was conducted by Chris Thyrring and Derene Darrah.
At 10:30 a.m., the Temple Builders' Program was held in the Temple. The Guardian in Chief spoke of the Builders - the children's department:
Over the years, the work of the Temple Builders has covered many approaches, many activities, and many children. There have been times when there was only one Builder, and others when the circle numbered fifteen or more. Now as we welcome another group of younger children, we want to tell our older Builders how proud we are of them. All of you who have been Builders have a strong foundation of group living, of serious discussions as well as shared laughter, and lots of love and support. As you continue in your life experiences, all that you have absorbed here will flower in unexpected ways. We have confidence in your strengths, in your ideals and goals. We love you.
Several past Builders' Teachers offered comments.
The candles were lit by Violet Drummond, Kristel Thyrring, Eleanor Herrera, and Gloria Quale. The offering was taken by Lauren Lempke, Larissa Ellis, Johnny Foremaster, and Michael Clark. The candles were extinguished by Tara Herold, Kristel Thyrring, Travis Herrera, and Mindee Thyrring.
The Healing Service was conducted by Derene Darrah and Ron Carlson.
At 2 p.m., the annual Ice Cream Social made us all very happy at the home of Karen and Will White. We all brought our favorite toppings while Karen and Will supplied the ice cream.
At 7 p.m. the Candlelight Convention Benediction Service was celebrated in the Temple.
- Linda A. Rollison
ENGLAND
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GERMANY
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Temple groups: Several Temple members and friends in New York City meet every week to study and discuss the Temple Teachings. There are also groups that meet regularly in London, England, and in several locations in Germany. Anyone wishing more information about these groups can call the Temple offices in Halcyon.
William Quan Judge Library serves Temple members, residents of Halcyon, and friends with an interest in Theosophy, or who are doing research involving some of our special collections. Our library is staffed by volunteers; hours are Mondays, 9-11 a.m. and 6-8 p.m., and Fridays, 9 a.m.-12 noon. Other hours are by appointment through the Temple office.
The University Center Gallery is open by appointment. Please call the Temple office at (805) 489-2822 for information. This year the exhibition consists of paintings by Harold E. Forgostein, fourth Guardian in Chief of the Temple. This exhibit, "The Song of Hiawatha," features 12 of the series of 24 four-by-four-foot oils depicting the life and legends of Hiawatha and the League of Six Nations, along with their working watercolor sketches. The sketches give the viewers a glimpse of the creative process Forgostein experienced as he developed the final compositions for the larger paintings. Also on display are many interesting articles and artifacts accumulated throughout Temple history.
The Temple Healing Service is held at 12:00 Noon each day in the Temple. All are welcome to attend. A Meditation Meeting is held in the Temple on Sunday evening from 7 to 7:30.
Study Classes under the auspices of Temple Officers and various Temple Orders are held regularly in the University Center on Tuesdays and Fridays at 5:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Sunday Services are held at 10:30 a.m. in the Temple. The Feast of Fulfillment (the Communion Service of the Temple) is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month. The last Sunday of each month is a prayer and meditation meeting. All other Sundays are speakers meetings. The public is cordially invited to all services.
Speakers in the Sunday services were: June 21: Mary Workman, Hope through Shadows; July 12: Eleanor Shumway, What The Temple Means to Me by Roberta Shumway, 1983; July 19: Barbara Ricardo, Mourning; August 16: Ivan Ulz, Justice; August 23: Eleanor Shumway, Three Weeks and Beyond.
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