((Global Dialogue: Universal Communication of Wisdom in the 21st Century)).

KEYNOTE ADDRESS presented by Professor Ashok Gangadean, Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Haverford College. Founder-Director of the Global Dialogue Institute. Co-Convener of the World Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality.

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Ashok Gangadean talks with Regina Meredith of the Conscious Media Network on Deep Dialogue. Click the link below to view the interview:

Preview of interview with Ashok Gangadean on Deep Dialogue

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ABSTRACT: As we enter the 21^st Century it is clear that we have crossed into an unprecedented global age where our diverse cultures, worldviews, ideologies, religions and wisdom traditions encounter each other in the marketplace of our global village.  And this phase of globalization challenges our human family to step back from privileging our more localized cultural lens and to devote our hearts and minds into a more inclusive global space in awakening the dormant global mind.  Indeed, when we rise into this more expansive global mindspace it is clear that our collective global wisdom has been calling us to make this dimensional shift for millennia. The Theosophical tradition flows from this global consensus which teaches diverse ways of awakening higher global consciousness as our human species matures as fully integral persons. The Theosophical tradition is exemplary in moving humanity to this global awakening and opens common ground for the convergence of science, philosophy and spirituality.  In this way the awakening of the global mind through the power of deep dialogue opens a new frontier to sustainable global cultures.

PANEL PRESENTATION

Universal Theosophical Ideas for a Global Dialogue.

Moderated by Steven H. Levy M.D.

ABSTRACT: Historical traces of the presence and influence of the Theosophical Movement both visible and invisible, can be discerned through awareness of its three objects. These include the establishment of a nucleus of universal brotherhood, the comparative study of sciences, religions, and philosophies, and the investigation of the unseen laws and powers inherent in Man and Nature. Theosophy itself, the accumulated wisdom of the ages, which synthesizes science, religion, and philosophy, is based on three fundamental ideas, which act as the “DNA” or essential building blocks for all subsequent structures of knowledge and wisdom it contains. It proposes a universal perspective regarding Deity, Law and Evolution. Details given out regarding the origin and evolution of the universe and Man can be summarized by the phrase, “As above so below,” or if one prefers, “Man is the microcosm of the macrocosm.” This panel will present these objects and fundamental ideas as a basis upon which Global Dialogue can ensue, leading towards a greater understanding of Life, Soul, Spirit and its Great Purpose.

PANEL: Leslie Pochos - The Three Objects of the Theosophical Movement; Diane Kushmir - The Three Fundamentals of Theosophy ; Tom Kehoe - Seven Principles of Man; Associates of ULT Philadelphia.

Integrating the Six Schools of Indian Philosophy for the Purpose of Global Dialogue

PRESENTER: Eugene Jennings M.D., Practicing as a General Psychiatrist in Pennsylvania, Medical Director of a local Residential Facility, affiliated with the local Community Hospital, and involved in private practice. He is a student of the United Lodge of Theosophists, New York City, and of the Pennsylvania study group.

ABSTRACT: Madame Blavatsky speaks of the Esoteric Wisdom as the Synthesis or Central Point from which the six Schools of Indian Philosophy radiate. We will briefly review these six schools in their application as the six principles of which the Esoteric Wisdom Tradition is the Seventh. As such, we will recognize the Esoteric Tradition as the means for a universal dialogue among all traditions seeking The Eternal Spiritual Light and Truth.

The Timeless Message of the Upanishads

PRESENTER: Hal Rosenblatt is an associate of and speaker at the United Lodge of Theosophists in New York City.

 

ABSTRACT: This talk will 1) briefly discuss the nature of the Upanishads, including their source, relation to the Vedas, age, style of presentation and purpose; 2) demonstrate how selected passages from the Upanishads express the fundamental ideas of Theosophy; and 3) show the value of the Upanishads today, including what suggestions they offer for daily living.

Islam and the Theosophical Doctrine

PRESENTER: Dr. Judy D. Saltzman, Professor Emerita, Philosophy Department, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, received   her B.A. from   San Jose State University and M.A. from UC Berkeley in philosophy. After   a year as Fulbright Scholar in Germany, she completed her Ph.D. in religious studies at UC Santa Barbara. She is the author of number of publications, including, The Concept of Spiritual Knowledge in the Philosophy of Seyyed Hossein Nasr in The Library of Living Philosophers series.

ABSTRACT: This presentation will examine how the deepest mystical/philosophical teachings of Islam are in complete sympathy with Theosophy. Although H.P. Blavatsky makes only a few critical comments about the external religious structure of Islam, it is clear that she admires the universality of the Sufis and the secret teachings of the Druzes. Furthermore, it will be demonstrated how the deepest insights of Islamic philosophers are Theosophical in essence, and how they carry through the true aim of   philosophy which is al hikmah al-italiyyah  (Theosophia in the sense of Divine or God-like wisdom).

The Practical Philosophy of the Sufis

PRESENTER: Steven H. Levy M.D. – Psychiatrist practicing in Philadelphia, Pa. A long-standing associate of the United Lodge of Theosophists, Philadelphia Lodge.

ABSTRACT: H. P. Blavatsky refers to Psychology as the Science of the Soul. For the Sufi, Mysticism is the Science of Reality, and the Reality behind All Science, just as Occultism is for the Theosophist. A practical knowledge of true psychology can only be based on a working knowledge of the Soul and its faculties. In the spirit of dialogue, we will explore the Sufi classification of human principles and their corresponding principles in Theosophic thought in order to better understand the external and internal influences that act on the human mind and its perceptions.

Does the Absolute Love You?

PRESENTER: Dr. James Colbert completed doctoral requirements at UCLA in both Public Health and Psychology.  He is a licensed clinical psychologist and has been thirty years in private and hospital practice.

ABSTRACT: In part, due to psychology as a profession plus a long-standing association with Theosophy, many who have experienced loss or tragedy have asked the author for Theosophical perspectives.  Strongly exhibited is a desire for “spiritual connection.” This presentation directly addresses this often-overwhelming need and examines different traditions offering support, love, and compassion placing pertinent Theosophical literature within this framework.  The sometimes strongly expressed need for a God that loves you and the difficulty of finding support for what appears to be an abstraction - the Absolute, is examined.  A unique perspective from H.P.B.’s rarely mentioned articles concerning Compassion/Love and the Absolute are given full focus.

Living the Higher Life

PRESENTER: An Associate of United Lodge of Theosophists.

ABSTRACT: What are the principles involved in living the higher life and what are the difficulties students encounter in trying to apply these principles to their daily lives? How do we overcome our habitual, evil propensities and strengthen our noble qualities thereby helping to uplift our families, our nation and humanity as a whole? These and related ideas will be explored as we come to an understanding of “living the higher life.”

Dinner

 

Neuroplasticity: Modern Truths for Making the Brain Porous to the Influences of the Soul

PRESENTER: Helena Kerekhazi, M.S. Ed., PhD. Neuropsychology Candidate. Ms. Kerekhazi is a researcher, teacher and developer of therapeutic protocols to enhance the Neuroplasticity of the brain for clients in her Clinical practice in Scarsdale, New York. She is a long standing student of theosophical doctrine, and an associate of the United Lodge of Theosophists, New York City.

ABSTRACT: Our thinking can modify the brain so that it is fully receptive to the ideas and impulses of the Soul. How can we enhance this process so that the brain is more consciously aware of its connection with the Soul? What happens when the Soul makes contact? How can we facilitate this connection, bringing the influence, activity and content of the Soul into our daily lives? These are some of the questions to be explored as we examine the concept of Neuroplasticity and the influence of Soul.

Synesthesia: Hearing Colors, Seeing Sounds: The Return of an Ancient Sense

PRESENTER: Odin Townley. Founder/editor of Theosophy Watch Newsletter, "Theosophy Today" website, and TheosophyWeb on Google and YouTube, and a life long student-teacher of Theosophy. He began his theosophical service by teaching children in Theosophy School and as Group Leader in Pathfinders (a non-sectarian “scouts” group). Later, Odin participated in Associate Pathfinders developing articles for Theosophy Magazine’s “Youth Companions Ask and Answer” forum. He continues as a lecturer and a Wednesday class co-chair at ULT, and co-chair of the Monday Night Secret Doctrine Class.

ABSTRACT: Recent research on the brain shows the multifaceted and mysterious potential of human perceptive faculties. Theosophy teaches that, like humans, all planets are living, evolving intelligent biospheres. Humans and planet Earth are co-evolutionary companions whose natures are cyclically transforming. More complex senses are returning to humanity, coadunate with gradual upgrades in the core substance of the globe called “permeability.”    H. P. Blavatsky explained that “under our very eyes, the new Race and Races are preparing to be formed, and that it is in America that the transformation will take place, and has already silently commenced." These transformations, it is theorized, are observable as synethesia, savant syndrome, autism and other conditions. The occult theosophical system proposes a sevenfold plan played out on seven globes of the Earth Chain, and compassionately overseen by now hidden spiritual guides of humanity.

Theosophical Dream Yoga I & II – Withdrawal, Merging and Blending Of The States

PRESENTER PART I: Steven H. Levy M.D. Psychiatrist practicing in Philadelphia, Pa. A long-standing associate of the United Lodge of Theosophists, Philadelphia Lodge.

 

ABSTRACT: “Wisdom” cannot be communicated through dialogue. It must be experienced and realized. It has often been said “in dreams and visions of the night man is instructed,” but not all dreams are instructive. A prerequisite to acquiring wisdom in dreams is the ability to make “the brain porous to the influences of the soul” while at the same time exercising spiritual discrimination. During this talk, a practical theosophical method is explored for acquiring wisdom through dreams in and by the light of theosophical doctrine.

 

PRESENTER PART II: Eugene Jennings, M.D.

ABSTRACT: The withdrawal of the senses and mind after appropriate purification and discipline according to morality, ethics and unconditional service serve as the basis for approaching and participating in one’s Inner Higher Nature or the Immortal Individuality. This presentation will explore the idea of using the states of waking, sleep and dream, deep sleep, and if time allows, death, to transcend our incarnate human mind in order to participate consciously in the True Life of the Immortal Soul.

The Mind-Heart Connection: Scientific Evidence and Practical Applications

PRESENTER: Steven H. Levy M.D.

ABSTRACT: One of the timeless truths communicated globally to humanity is that the heart and mind are connected. As such, driven by our selfishness or altruistic behaviors heart and mind act and react reciprocally upon each other for better or worse. Modern science has discovered that the physical heart has a neural, hormonal, and electromagnetic connection with the brain, organs, and every cell of the body. Today we will explore how the heart can train the mind, what the goal of this training is, its transformative effects, and how a global dialogue regarding this wisdom has ever been in existence.

Meditation: Recognizing Stages and Content

PRESENTER: Eugene Jennings, M.D.

ABSTRACT: We often speak of meditation as if it were a linear process. We seldom attempt to explore its inner domain according to the stages we must traverse and the content that reveals itself during this Inner Journey. Using several sources, which include Patanjali’s yoga aphorisms, works by HPB and WQJ, as well as works of the Mystics, Neo-Platonist, and the commentary notes on the Pistis Sophia by HPB, we will attempt to shed some light within this ever deepening and revelatory world of the Inner Soul.

Learning from the Embryo

PRESENTER: Henk Bezemer M.Sc. Biologist, currently working as a High School teacher in the Netherlands. He is one of the editors of the Dutch journal of the Theosophical Society, Point Loma Den Haag. He has given many public lectures on the theme of “Theosophy and Biology.”

ABSTRACT: During this presentation a consideration of what is birth, our duties as parents and family members, and the role of stem cells and embryological growth will occur. We will look at embryological growth especially as it relates to the formation of our heart as a historical record of the unfolding of our consciousness.  Subsequently two questions will be discussed. 1) Do the theosophical principals give us insights related to the scientific discoveries on embryological growth? And 2) Are these theosophical insights applicable to our day-to-day lives?

THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THEOSOPHY TO GLOBALIZATION: AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE

 

PRESENTER: Dr. Robert S. Corrington. Robert S. Corrington is Professor of Philosophical Theology in the Graduate Division of Religion of Drew University in Madison, NJ 07940. He is the author of nine books covering such areas as depth psychology, American Pragmatism and Naturalism, the phenomenology of the German tradition (Husserl and Heidegger), the post-monotheist religion of nature, and issues in exoteric Western and South Asian Philosophy. 

 

ABSTRACT: Virtually all Neo-Darwinian accounts of religion stress both its innate tribalism and its built-in tendency toward psychological and physical violence. Even more starkly, such accounts see religion as a “pathogen,” and as such, no longer having any positive adaptive value for our species—in short, our religious beliefs may be the most toxic thing about us. Yet evolutionary psychologists are only working on the exoteric plane where, indeed, their critique has some merit. Theosophy, on the other hand, articulates and celebrates the much deeper truth of ancient and global esoteric religion. And no other spiritual movement has been nearly as successful at conquering the tribalism’s of race, class, gender, and nation state.

[Times and content subject to minor modifications]