Edinburgh Branch of the Theosophical Society in Scotland
At the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre
SPRING/SUMMER PROGRAMME April - June 2025
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/
24 APRIL Optimism as a moral responsibility: Personal and Collective Flourishing in a Probabilistic Universe. Rob Panton, Edinburgh TS.
From Clinical Psychology to the Nature of Our Reality: Exploring the moral and pragmatic case for a positive world view and presenting a powerful toolkit to quickly implement lasting optimism, meaning and peace in your life and the lives of others.
Rob Panton is a software engineer and therapist specialising for the past ten years in PTSD and relationship counselling, utilising the unique properties of Humanistic Psychology, Positive Psychology, and Happiness Science in his practice. Having overcome childhood adversity, significant loss and illness of his own, Rob discovered the power of Positive Psychology for personal healing and now dedicates his time to understanding and sharing science-backed strategies to promote mental and physical well-being, enabling individuals to not only heal but thrive, and inspire thriving in others.
1 MAY The Four Elements Alchemy. Maimouna Ly
A discussion and interactive experience about the four elements, beyond their physical substances constituting our bodies, understanding their spiritual forces can help us transform our lives. During this talk, we will reflect on the role of the four elements and how we can use their wisdom in our daily lives and practices.
Maimouna Ly is a Shaman and an Artist. She divides her time between her spiritual journey and her creative practices involving music and writing. She works as a Spiritual Healer and Holistic Therapist at the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre.
8 MAY Are Robots On A Spiritual Quest? Morgan Lloyd, Edinburgh TS.
A talk leading into discussion exloring whether artificial intelligence is conscious. Is artificial intelligence in the next phase of human development?
Morgan travelled from an early age experiencing a diverse range of cultures. His main interests are the nature of existence and visiting spiritual centres globally. He has experience in the teaching of Yoga, Chi Kung and Holistic Personal Training.
15 MAY Human Constitution. 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 "Human Constitution" 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. All welcome, whether you are simply curious about Theosophy or a seasoned student! (This talk was originally scheduled for 6 FEB. 2025)
Natasha Rocha was born into a Portuguese family in South Africa. 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 center designed to empower people in nurturing and honing their innate spiritual abilities.
22 MAY Living With Grief. Dr. Valerie Harkness
In this talk, Dr. Valerie Harkness will explore the personal and spiritual changes that grief can bring. Drawing from her own experience as well as her research in parapsychology and the psychology of well-being, she will shed light on the complex and multifaceted ways in which people grow through grief. She will also refer to her findings on the relationship between grief and mediumship (from a research project carried out in collaboration with the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre). What emotions come into play when we lose a loved one? How do we find the strength to go on when life feels empty? As time goes by, both our emotions and our understanding of happiness change. But how can we transform sadness - even despair - into something that resembles happiness ? And what makes that transformation possible? These are just some of the questions Dr. Harkness will explore in her talk on grief, love, and hope.
Valerie Harkness works in education, teaching and offering lectures and workshops in the UK and abroad. Whilst she specialises in languages, theories of learning, intercultural understanding and creativity, she is particularly interested in connectedness and how people can learn from one another. Valerie has a Ph.D in education. She was a teacher educator before opening and directing an Alliance Française and more recently, a community school in her area in collaboration with the local theatre. She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Linguists and a Chartered Linguist. As a poet and a writer, Valerie has had a number of poetry collections published in France and short stories in the UK. She has also contributed to poetry anthologies. She is the editor of an on-line poetry journal (Dailleurspoésie.com) dedicated to French speaking poets from around the world. She is now engaged in a variety of writing, researching and teaching initiatives including intercultural perspectives, the role of beauty, and spirituality.
29 MAY The Psychic Self: Awakening Your Inner Senses.
Natasha Rocha, Edinburgh TS, and Jon Binnie
Psychic ability isn’t a special power—it’s your natural state, long buried beneath conditioning, distraction, and doubt. In this illuminating and soul-stirring talk, Natasha Rocha and Jon Binnie guide you through the sacred process of reawakening your psychic self. Drawing from Akashic wisdom, multidimensional awareness, and personal experience, they’ll explore how to reconnect with your inner senses, reclaim your soul’s original language, and live in resonance with the unseen realms that are always speaking. This isn’t a performance. It’s a remembrance. An invitation to return to the part of you that has always known. Come with curiosity. Leave with deeper trust in your own light.
Natasha Rocha is a soul guide, Akashic Records teacher, and Reiki Master with a gift for helping others remember who they are beneath the noise. Founder of Raising the Vibes, she teaches energy mastery and intuitive development grounded in practical wisdom and sacred truth. Natasha empowers others to reclaim their sovereignty and live from soul alignment.
Jon Binnie is a multidimensional channel, spiritual explorer, and cosmic communicator. Known for his high-frequency presence and deep connection to the unseen realms, Jon works with star beings, higher dimensional guides, and the collective field to support awakening and soul evolution. His work bridges the mystical with the deeply human.
5 JUNE Poetry & Spirituality Revisited. Lance Butler
This lecture will give you an insight into the inherent connection between poetry and spirituality. Poetry is the most spiritually-inclined of all the literary genres. It is the personal, open-minded product of the brain’s right hemisphere and involves uplift and imagination. We will explore a number of poems in English that focus on spiritual encounters and ideas. No preparation is necessary, and the poems will be provided at the start of the session. Discussion will be welcome.
Professor Lance Butler taught literature, literary theory, and stylistics at the Universities of Stirling in the UK, and Pau in France before retiring to Edinburgh recently. For over three years, Lance held the position of Chairman at the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre before handing over the role to Alan Balfour and transitioning to a trustee. He has held many talks at the Centre on a wide variety of subjects, such as Christianity and Spirituality and Poetry and Spirituality.
12 JUNE Synchronicities in the Tarot cards: pick-a-pile reading with Ilaria
A chance to see first-hand how Pick-a-Pile/Pick-a-Deck readings, so popular on YouTube and Social Media, work. Join Ilaria as she explains the process, and invites everyone to pick the set they feel most drawn to. Will there be a message in the cards for you? Will the reading you select resonate with your situation? An evening of Synchronicities and Tarot fun awaits you.
Ilaria Patrizii Bernardi is an intuitive Tarot reader and Reiki Master with a lot of curiosity for spiritual approaches and self-growth tools/knowledge. She moved here with her partner eleven years ago and fell in love with Scotland. Ilaria has a Tarot practice based at the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre.
19 JUNE The Sacred. Maurice Franceschi, Edinburgh TS
The talk will ask what The Sacred is, reflecting on the answers we find in religion, science, the arts and our own experiences.
Maurice Franceschi has been attending and contributing to TS Edinburgh talks and programmes for many years.
26 JUNE Edinburgh TS Annual General Meeting.
PROGRAMME RESTARTS SEPTEMBER 2025
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https://www.arthurconandoylecentre.com/whats_on/
FIND US ON FACEBOOK: Theosophical-Society-Edinburgh-Lodge
