The challenges that face the Theosophical society Adyar

If the TS is going to move forward into the 21st century in a way that is of use to humanity, we’re going to have to face some real issues, instead of getting side tracked into personal complaints.

Real issues we’re facing:

• how to build community online in a way that is productive and helps people grow spiritually
• how to build community offline: help our lodges grow and be places of real study and a meeting place for people of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds
• how to transform our magazines into well… magazines. Quest is an actual magazine in this sense, though it might have a higher percentage of in depth theosophical content. The Theosophist and the Dutch magazine Theosofia (two of the magazines I know) aren’t magazines in any other sense than that they’re published in a magazine format. They don’t have a column for letters sent in, for instance. Theosofia doesn’t even have a column by the editors.

One issue complained about recently on theos-talk is valid though: how important should it be whether people are first, second or third generation theosophists? (I’m first btw)

There’s a grey line here. It’s natural to trust family more than others, but when a family member turns out to not be very good at the job you gave them, they should be replaced.

At Adyar another issue is also pressing: the issue of caste. Can something be done about the prevalence of high caste Indians in positions of power? Or on other words: is enough done to reach out to lower caste (varna, jati whatever you want to call it) members of the TS? Does the Indian section even have such members in positions of influence?

In the West, similarly, are we reaching out to people of color enough? to Muslims? And if we should, how should that be done?

Those are just a few of the issues I think about when I think about where the TS is headed, or should be headed. I do wonder: what do you all think the real challenges of the TS are?