Edinburgh Branch of the Theosophical Society in Scotland
AUTUMN/WINTER PROGRAMME September - December 2024
VENUE: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, 25 Palmerston Place EH12.
Talk: 7.30 - 8.50pm in the Sanctuary Room (Tea/coffee in Cafe from 7.00pm)
Admission: £5 Members / £7 Non-members. ALL WELCOME
Pay at reception desk on the night or book online with the centre https://www.arthurconandoylecentre.com/whats_on/
5 SEPT. The Myth of Death (new video from Tim Wyatt) plus discussion.
This film aims to remove the mystique and above all fear surrounding death. Backed by The Blavatsky Trust it presents a historical panorama of dying, death and rebirth featuring diverse traditions down the ages and across the globe. It examines contemporary attitudes to death and dying and challenges the materialistic view that death spells annihilation, oblivion and extinction of consciousness. It presents the alternative view – that consciousness survives death of the physical body. Produced and presented by film-maker Tim Wyatt (and based on his book Everyone’s Book Of The Dead), also highlights rapidly changing attitudes about death with around 30-35 per cent of people in Europe and the US now believing in rebirth.
12 SEPT. Spiral Dynamics (and Integral Theory) in the evolution of value systems. Dr. David Cole, GRID Centre, Heriot-Watt University.
Spiral dynamics and the evolution of human values. While Abraham Maslow was formulating the hierarchy of human needs, psychologist Clare W. Graves was examining what makes people different in their behaviours, values, and worldviews. Over 20 years of research yielded what Graves called the levels of existence. Questioning thousands of participants in longitudinal studies, he found there are specific stages of development in human values. Grave’s detailed research, however, revealed many psychological insights that went beyond Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Grave’s research was picked up by Christopher Cowan and Don Beck who coined the term “spiral dynamics®”. Not widely accepted and fraught with difficulties, does this model offer explanatory power? I think it does. Do you agree?
Dr David Cole has a PhD in Computational Chemistry, University of Surrey, a Diploma in Systems Thinking, Open University, currently studying MSc in Systems Thinking in Practice (StiP), Open University. He works for the Global Research Innovation and Discovery Centre (GRID) at Heriot-Watt University as Innovation Strategist, creating ethical technology applications that help mitigate our contemporary ecological crises systemically.
19 SEPT. Exploring The Chakras: managing your spiritual energy in daily life.
Allan Meers, Melbourne, Australia TS.
The presentation will touch upon key points, highlighting the energies present in each of the chakras, as well as the energies of yin and yang. The importance of balancing your chakra system will be discussed, along with the benefits of aligning with your Source and being centred in the Self. The purpose and function of the chakras will be considered as well as their connection to Numerology, the Tarot and the Enneagram. The chakras also have a deep connection with the Great Rays, initially described by Blavatsky and explained further by various Theosophists such as Michael Robbins in his book, Tapestry of the Gods.
Allan Meers was born in Edinburgh and emigrated to Australia over 40 years ago. While he started working life as a chartered accountant, he stepped into spiritual life at the age of 29, joining the Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual group based in India. He then followed the Western Mystery School tradition, exploring a variety of paths including A Course in Miracles, the Seth Material, and the work of Edgar Cayce and Carolyn Myss. Allan’s writing draws upon the principles of the Secret Tradition and its application to the Chakras, the Tarot, the Enneagram, and Numerology.
26 SEPT. “Encounters With Coincidence – Science, Synchronicity and the Supernatural.”
Dr. Paul Broks
One Christmas, long ago, my father and father-in-law unwrapped the gifts they had bought for each other: Arthur Koestler’s book The Roots of Coincidence. (Margaret K., personal communication)
The Oxford English Dictionary defines coincidence as “A remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.” What is the nature of coincidence? Can all coincidences be put down to “pure chance” or, in some cases, are there other influences at play? Some coincidences are mundane, others more mysterious and freighted with meaning, and the way we interpret coincidence is to a large degree a reflection of our worldview – our fundamental beliefs about the nature of reality. With a background in neuropsychology, I am inclined to view coincidences from a Naturalist point of view: they are due to random chance; our pattern-hungry brains are primed to detect and assign meaning to them, and their significance is exaggerated by our poor intuitive understanding of probability. Coincidences automatically trigger magical thinking.
But here’s the thing. I may be a thoroughgoing Naturalist, yet – and this comes as a surprise to some of my friends and colleagues – I would rather not be. Or, to put it another way, I’m excited by the idea that Naturalism might be wrong (or at least incomplete), and I’m prepared to consider the possibility that it is. Coincidences are a gateway into this misty field of doubt.
Drawing on my own and others’ experiences, and re-visiting some famous cases, I’ll review the evidence and arguments for both Naturalist and paranormal explanations of coincidence, including C.G. Jung’s theory of Synchronicity.
Paul Broks. I am a neuropsychologist turned freelance writer. I trained as a clinical psychologist at Oxford University, where I subsequently completed a doctorate. After a period as a research scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, I went on to pursue a career as an NHS clinical neuropsychologist. I’ve held academic appointments at the universities of Sheffield, Birmingham and Plymouth and have, among other areas of interest, published papers on the neurochemistry of Alzheimer’s disease, the neuropsychology of autism, and the functions of the amygdala.
My first book, Into the Silent Land (Atlantic Books, 2003) is a mix of neurological case stories and speculative fictions. It was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. My second book, The Darker the Night, The Brighter the Stars (Penguin) also combines fiction and non-fiction and takes the form of an extended meditation on grief. I’m currently working on The Golden Beetle: Coincidence, Consciousness and the Uncanny (Penguin, forthcoming). My other work includes documentary film scripts, BBC radio scripts, and columns for The Times and Prospect magazine.
3 OCT. Art as the unique meeting place of the Conscious and the Unconscious. Professor Edward Campbell
German philosopher F.W.J. Schelling wrote in 1800 of ‘the unconscious as a peculiarly human experience of the hiddenness of the mind to itself’. Building on Kant's insight that genius is what produces completely unforeseeable innovation in art, Schelling explains that genius operates through the unity of conscious and unconscious aspects of the mind. Indeed, for Schelling, in this period of his development, art in its uniting of the conscious and the unconscious is thereby capable of doing something that nothing else can. For a piece of music, visual art, sculpture or writing to qualify as a work of art it needs to exhibit these two moments - of conscious and unconscious working. While every artwork must show evidence of skill, it also requires that ‘unconscious moment that enters the work of art not as a result of the effort of the artist but, instead, as the reflex of ‘grace’ . No work of art will result without the presence of both of these moments and each is judged to be valueless without the other. Reflecting on the completed work of art, philosopher Theodor Adorno suggested that works of art are fundamentally enigmatic in nature and that they challenge us to try to imagine what was the question for which a particular artwork might be the answer.
Starting out from these reflections, the talk explores the question of the unconscious in the work of art and art’s enigmatic quality.
Edward Campbell is Emeritus Professor of Music and Aesthetics at the University of Aberdeen. He has published widely on aspects of contemporary music and aesthetics, including historical, analytical and aesthetic approaches to European modernism, as well as the music and writings of Pierre Boulez, critical theory and contemporary European modernism. He is the author of Boulez, Music and Philosophy (CUP, 2010) and Music after Deleuze (Bloomsbury, 2013), contributing co-editor and translator of Pierre Boulez Studies (CUP, 2016) and The Cambridge Stravinsky Encyclopedia (CUP, 2021) and is contributing editor of Pierre Boulez in Context (CUP, 2025).
10 OCT Universal Law. Natasha Rocha, Edinburgh TS.
Come along with Natasha as she explores the eye-opening world of Theosophy through her diploma studies. She'll share the key lessons and wisdom she's gained from this deep dive, helping us all learn more about life's big questions. We'll follow the diploma's lesson plan together.
In this class we'll look at "Universal Law." Natasha will walk us through the main ideas of this important topic, showing how it matters in our everyday lives. After she shares what she's learned, we'll have a group talk where everyone can share their thoughts and ask questions. Our second meeting (14th November) looks at "Karma as a Balancer, Teacher, and Self-Starter."
All welcome, whether you are simply curious about Theosophy or a seasoned student!
Natasha was born into a Portuguese family in South Africa. She spent 13 years in Edinburgh, Scotland, another 10 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She has returned to the beautiful city of Edinburgh, which also happens to be the birthplace of her daughters. Driven by a reawakening, Natasha transitioned from a corporate career to embrace her deep passion for assisting others through natural healing therapies such as akashic records, Craniosacral Therapy (CST), SomatoEmotional Release, and Reiki. Natasha is the visionary behind Raising the Vibes Academy of Consciousness, an online spiritual learning centre designed to empower people in nurturing and honing their innate spiritual abilities.
17 OCT. Understanding Ian McGilchrist. Professor Lance Butler
Iain McGilchrist is one of the most significant philosophers of our time. His The Master and His Emissary (2009) and more recently his monumental The Matter With Things (2021) have made a considerable impact on modern thinking about science, the world, the brain, the mind and the spiritual. Iain has been invited to every corner of the globe to lecture and has twice spoken at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre. Lance Butler is a close personal friend of Iain's and has spent time with him at his home on Skye. Iain's work is revolutionary and it offers, on an entirely rational and scientific basis, a new and in some ways more optimistic way of seeing our lives and our world. His influences include brilliant but neglected philosophers (Schelling, Bergson), mystics (Eckhart, Nicolas Cusanus), scientists and psychologists, Buddhists and Hindus. His synthesis of these ideas is astonishing. But Iain's work, though perspicuously written, is difficult for many of us to grasp in its entirety. Lance hopes to explain and illustrate it in an accessible way. After that you may be able to read, or return to, his books themselves with greater confidence.
Lance Butler lectured in English Literature at the University of Stirling for 30 years, and for 15 years at the University of Pau. He has written books on Thomas Hardy, Samuel Beckett, Victorian Doubt and Literary Stylistics. His spiritual interests include: mysticism, oriental religions, NDEs, parapsychology, poetry and spirituality. He was Chairman of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre,Edinburgh,from 2020-2024.
24 OCT. Spiritual Wisdom in the Body: a new approach to healing.
Mike Hall, Edinburgh TS.
Discover The Breath of Life, the souls breath in the body. The Breath of Life is considered to carry a subtle yet powerful potency or force which produces subtle rhythms as it is transmitted around the body. As long as the Breath of Life is expressed throughout the body, health will follow.
Mike Hall's involvement in the healing arts has seen his work highlighted in the award winning book " In Praise of Slow" and New Scientist Magazine. He is currently President of The Edinburgh Theosophical Society.
31 OCT. Crossing the Veil. Dawn Eva Berry, Edinburgh TS.
Join Dawn Eva Berry as she guides us through "Crossing the Veil," a fascinating exploration of consciousness. This talk will delve into the realms of the conscious, unconscious and superconscious, examining their relationship and impact on our lives. We will also explore the profound concept of unity consciousness and how it can transform our understanding of interconnectedness. Exploring teachings, concepts, personal understandings and experiences.
Dawn Eva Berry is a dedicated metaphysical practitioner and a member of the Theosophical Society, the International Alchemy Guild, and the Hermetic Society of the Golden Dawn. She specialises in guiding individuals towards self-awareness and personal transformation through the Art of Alchemy.
7 NOV. The Nearly Picts of Lothian. Iain Grimston
In the excellent book ‘The King in the North’ by Gordon Noble and Nicholas Evans (2019), Evans says of Lothian that it was ‘never Pictish’. In this talk Iain Grimston will seek to challenge that idea by looking at three pieces of evidence to the contrary in the Edinburgh area. And through consideration and discussion of such evidence he will further examine how our ideas of identity in their strict categories - Pictish, Brythonic, Anglo Saxon etc. may be less useful than we have hitherto imagined. Perhaps culture is more of a response to the land rather than to our genes and DNA?
Iain Grimston is a frequent contributor to the TS Talks series. He is passionate about many things including Scottish history and culture. For many years he has been a freelance tour guide in Scotland. Recently he worked as an Autism Practitioner in the care sector, however he now finds himself back at tour guiding. Previously Iain was manager at Craigmillar Castle and then Rosslyn Chapel.
14 NOV. Karma as Balancer, Teacher & Self-Starter. Natasha Rocha, Edinburgh TS.
Come along with Natasha as she explores the eye-opening world of Theosophy through her diploma studies. She'll share the key lessons and wisdom she's gained from this deep dive, helping us all learn more about life's big questions. We'll follow the diploma's lesson plan together. We'll unpack the complex web of Life, Death, and Rebirth, seeing these endless cycles in a new light. Natasha will explain how karma shapes our lives and helps us grow spiritually. Then, we'll open up for a group chat to hear your ideas about this topic.
All welcome, whether you are simply curious about Theosophy or a seasoned student!
Natasha was born into a Portuguese family in South Africa. She spent 13 years in Edinburgh, Scotland, another 10 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She has returned to the beautiful city of Edinburgh, which also happens to be the birthplace of her daughters. Driven by a reawakening, Natasha transitioned from a corporate career to embrace her deep passion for assisting others through natural healing therapies such as akashic records, Craniosacral Therapy (CST), SomatoEmotional Release, and Reiki. Natasha is the visionary behind Raising the Vibes Academy of Consciousness, an online spiritual learning centre designed to empower people in nurturing and honing their innate spiritual abilities.
21 NOV. ARTHUR, the British, the Votadini & the Myths.
Isabella Lennie, Edinburgh TS.
The Votadini, a Tribe in what is now Lothian, Borders and South as far as the river Tyne at Newcastle upon Tyne. A people long federate with Rome, as were the Britons of Strathclyde. In the 5th century there was no Scotland, England or Wales, instead, there was Ireland (Hibernia), Britannia and Caledonia (native Alba). Cunedda, (Kenneth) Chief of the Votadini and great grandfather of Arthur, was descended from Anna of Arimathea, daughter of Joseph of Arimathea, Anna being therefore a first cousin of the Virgin Mary. Here is history suppressed ! This connection with the Davidic family tree may interest Theosophists and students of all religions and none.
Isabella Lennie Dip. RSAMD. FSA Scot. Retired Blue Badged Scottish Tourist Guide and Guide Trainer. Vice President Theosophical Society, Edinburgh Lodge
28 NOV. Spiritual Insights from the European School of Theosophy, Switzerland. Mike Hall, Edinburgh TS.
The theme of the 2024 school was: 'Gateways to Mystical States of Consciousness'. The EuST’s programme is primarily based on the study of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s writings, The Mahatma Letters, and other foundational literature of the modern Theosophical Movement. Topics related to religious studies, philosophy, science, the arts and mythology are also blended into the programme. The EuST is not-for-profit and independent, not affiliated with any organisation, Theosophical or otherwise.
Mike Hall was a presenter at the European School earlier this month and will give an overview of this year's school. He is currently President of the Edinburgh Theosophical Society.
5 DEC. The music of JS Bach: the Apotheosis of the High Baroque.
Talk and Piano Recital by Michael Wilson, Edinburgh TS.
As a music graduate and church organist with over 30 years experience,TS Edinburgh member Michael has had significant exposure to the music of JS Bach. In this talk which will include musical examples played on the piano, Michael will explore Bach's style and methods of composition, shed light on why his
music enjoys such popularity today, and posit the question: what is Bach's music really "about"?
12 DEC. CHRISTMAS SOCIAL – ALL WELCOME
FIND US ON FACEBOOK: Theosophical-Society-Edinburgh-Lodge
