Thursday, February 18, 7 p.m.

GONG BATH:  Infuse Yourself with Sacred Sound

Infuse yourself with the rising and falling rhythms, tonalities, and vibrations of a huge gong tuned to the sound of the primordial AUM, the Universal Chord. BRING a blanket and floor mat/towel to lie on.   

Richard Rudis (Sonam Dorje) is a sound pioneer and a pilgrim of Eastern philosophy and Buddhism.

$20 prepaid/$25 [if less than 1 week before]
Space is limited. Register early to assure a space. 

Thursday, February 25, 7 p.m. Live Webcast 

Seven Stars of Hinduism

Hinduism is a complex religion with rituals, extensive mythology, and numerous practices. The core beliefs of Hinduism can get eclipsed and lead to misunderstanding about Hinduism. Our speaker has organized the fundamental beliefs in an easy to understand fashion and discusses how they relate to everyday life.

Dileep Thatte, MS, MBA, was born in India where he spent his early years. He has been a senior executive heading international operations in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Canada. He is an ardent student of religious philosophy.

$10 guests                        $5 members     

Thursday, March 4, 7 p.m.

The Seven Rules for Intuitive Health

Learn the 7 basic rules for intuitive health. Discover how to improve your health, relationships, and the quality of your decisions by balancing the intuitive and the rational dimensions of life. Be prepared for an evening of laughter and learning.

Mona Lisa Schulz, MD, PhD, is a professional medical intuitive who is also a physician and brain scientist. Her latest book is The Intuitive Advisor. See 3/6 workshop.

$10 guests                        $5 members      

Book signing after the program

Saturday Workshop, March 6, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Learn to Use Your Intuition to Improve Your Health and Your Life

Whether it's a loveless marriage, family frustrations, or a dead-end job, we all at times face situations that seem insoluble to us; and these can cause us such stress that our health can suffer greatly.

Experientially learn how to best work with our own intuitive styles to enhance healing our bodies.

• Discover grounded, practical ways to access our psychic skills so that our innate intuitive abilities can serve us.
• Explore a powerful tool to break through life’s ruts and effectively address such stress-related ailments as fatigue, allergies, skin problems, weight issues, poor digestion, depression, anxiety, and addictions.
• Use Dr. Schulz’s "Seven Rules for Intuitive Health" to begin a "mind-body makeover" and move forward with our lives.

Mona Lisa Schulz, MD, PhD, is a neuropsychiatrist, neuroscientist, and medical intuitive with 20 years experience. She is the author of Awakening Intuition and most recently The Intuitive Advisor. See 3/4 program.

$65 guests          (lunch on your own)        $55 members

Pre-register by phone (630-668-1571, ext. 300) or mail. Cost is $70/$60 at the door.

Thursday, March 11, 7 p.m.

Hemispheric Synchronization

Learn about and have demonstrated the focused, whole-brain state known as hemispheric synchronization, or Hemi-sync, in which the left and right hemispheres are working together in a state of coherence. This patented technology has been refined with 50 years of research by the Monroe Institute and can lead to various states of consciousness ranging from deep relaxation to expanded awareness and other states.

Bob Holbrook has been a residential and outreach trainer for The Monroe Institute for over 10 years		Marinda Stopforth has been an outreach trainer for 5 years and a residential trainer for 2 years.

$10 guests                        $5 members   

Thursday, March 18, 7 p.m. 

Spring Equinox Ceremony & Labyrinth Walk

Celebrate the return of spring with a silent, mystical, candlelight walk harnessing the power of the group energy to the power of the labyrinth and the power of the cosmos at equinox time. Bring a candle and 3 small written prayers to place in the center of the labyrinth as seeds for fruition in this year’s growing season: 1 for yourself, 1 for the land, and 1 for the world. Dress warmly.  

Atala Toy is an author, a teacher of meditation, and a member of the Labyrinth Society. Her latest book is We Are Not ALONE.

$10 guests                        $5 members  

Thursday, March 25, 7 p.m.   

Transformation Through Conscious Giving

Few appreciate the true power of the practice of generosity. It can bring about an internal transformation. By the simple act of full conscious giving on a daily basis we will experience an astonishing and observable change in our lives. In giving we take a step beyond our personal boundary and move closer to freedom. You are invited to take the challenge and see for yourself.

John Cianciosi is an author on meditation and was an ordained Buddhist monk in the Thai Theravada tradition for more than 20 years. See also meditation classes.

No charge. Donations welcomed. Refreshments will follow the program.

Thursday, April 1, 7 - 9 p.m. Live Webcast

Unpacking the Parables:  Jesus as Wisdom Teacher

We’re told that Jesus taught in parables.  What is a parable and why is it such an effective teaching method?  What do we learn about Jesus as a teacher and about his message from these parables?

Ron Miller, PhD is a cofounder of Common Ground and chair of the Religion Department at Lake Forest College. His many books include The Hidden Gospel of Matthew, The Gospel of Thomas, and Healing the Jewish-Christian Rift.

$10 guests                        $5 members    

Thursday, April 8, 7 p.m. 

Hmong-American Shamanic Healing

The phenomenon of shamanism is examined as a traditional healing practice among the Hmong-Americans who utilize it for the treatment of spiritually-focused concerns which only a shaman practitioner is qualified to treat. The shaman must journey in trance to find and secure a person’s lost soul in order to restore health. A video clip of this process will be shown.
 
Lisa Capps, PhD, RN, is an assistant professor at West Suburban College of Nursing in Oak Park, IL, and a medical anthropologist who has done ethnographic research with the Hmong in Thailand and in the mid-western United States with Hmong-Americans.

$10 guests                        $5 members     

Thursday, April 15, 7 p.m. Live Webcast

Kandinsky, Spiritual Insight, and Abstract Art

Wassily Kandinsky, a major figure in abstract art, was deeply influenced by Theosophy. Through his contact with Theosophy, he became interested in perceiving and depicting the inner life, rather than mere external form. We shall explore Theosophical ideas that inspired the artist as well as their influence on the way we perceive reality.

Dan Noga has studied metaphysics for 12 years and witnessed the potential that esoteric teachings hold for positive transformation.

$10 guests                        $5 members

Saturday Workshop, April 17, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Therapeutic Touch:  Learning a Healing Modality

Learn the holistic principles of TT; it will be demonstrated, basic uses described, and a short history given. Experience how TT can be integrated into one's life for peace and relaxation as well as into working with others for healing. Hands-on practice is included. This workshop is for individuals in health care and non-medical caregivers.

Marilyn Johnston, EdD, RN, is professor of nursing, College of DuPage. Her doctoral dissertation was on TT. She has taught and practiced TT for over 30 years and studied with TT founders Dora Kunz and Delores Krieger.

$55 guests          (lunch on your own)        $45 members
$20 current students of nursing (with ID)

Pre-register by phone (630-668-1571, ext. 300) or mail.

Thursday, April 22, 7 p.m. Live Webcast 

Cosmos, Soul, and Holy Ecology

To see a World in a Grain of Sand and Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and Eternity in an hour. – William Blake

Discover earth-care as soul-care and share in what Thomas Berry called “The Great Work” – to assist “the human community toward a more appropriate relationship with this stupendous creation…” Using his writings and remarkable images of the cosmos and the world, participants will experience the awe and exuberance that was Thomas Berry’s hallmark approach to the Creation and to the Divine.

Sr. Gabriele Uhlein, OSF, PhD, is known for her refreshingly practical spiritual perspectives. Sr. Gabriele offers learning opportunities grounded in the experience and wisdom of the Christian mystics as well as contemporary spiritual thought both east and west. 

$10 guests                        $5 members    

Saturday, April 24, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. (Meet at 9 a.m.)  

Celebrate World Tai Chi & Qigong Day!

The Theosophical Society will join numerous sites worldwide where Tai Chi and Qigong teachers will lead participants in their respective styles, creating a wave of peace and harmony moving around the globe. Gather outside at 9 a.m. (indoors, if inclement weather). This is a FREE EVENT! All welcome! No experience required! www.worldtaichiday.org.

Thursday, April 29, 7 p.m.

The Key of Life:  A Metaphysical Investigation

What if you could clearly read the "signs” that are constantly surrounding us and in the process unlock the meaning of life—present, past, and future? The Key of Life will open that door for you!
 
Randy Rogers is an author and president of Telefilm, Inc., a Los Angeles-based production company handling the promotion of Hollywood blockbusters like The Matrix, Harry Potter, Batman, and Indiana Jones. He has earned several Emmy nominations during a career in newspapers, television, and motion pictures.

$10 guests                        $5 members     

Book signing after the program

Thursday, May 6, 7 p.m. Live Webcast 

White Lotus Day:  Awakening to Higher Consciousness

White Lotus Day commemorates the death of H. P. Blavatsky and celebrates her life and teachings. Our materialistic culture doesn’t give us the tools we need to stimulate the awakening of our spiritual consciousness. Our daily life tends to anchor us to the personal consciousness. Explore a Theosophical approach to reaching our higher consciousness so that it can become a living force in our daily life. The evening includes readings suggested by HPB.

Pablo Sender, PhD, is a microbiologist who is a member of the Theosophical Society in Argentina. He has worked and given classes at the Society's international headquarters in Chennai, India, and at Olcott.

No charge. Refreshments will follow the program.

Thursday, May 13, 7 - 9 p.m. Live Webcast

The Evolution of God

Robert Wright’s latest book, The Evolution of God, offers an account of the development of the idea of God from the perspective of evolutionary psychology. He’s a skeptic; but he excels at tracing how human conceptions of God have evolved over time and, in the process, have proved quite adaptive.
 
Jim Kenney is cofounder of Common Ground and a trustee of the International Interreligious Peace Council. His just published book is Thriving in the Crosscurrent: Hope and Clarity in a Time of Cultural Sea Change.

$10 guests                        $5 members     

Book signing after the program

Thursday, May 20, 7 p.m.

An American Businessman Encounters his Spiritual Teachers

Our speaker’s spiritual search led him to meet Sri Madhava Ashish (nee Alexander Phipps), a Scottish engineer turned Hindu monk. He shares with us the importance of Gurdjieff, paying attention to dreams, and Ashish's wisdom and instructions about the intentional effort that is required of us to move from our identification with the personality into a higher non-egoistic consciousness.
 
Sy Ginsburg, JD, was cofounder of a predecessor business and the first president of Toys-R-Us. He is past President of the Theosophical Society in Miami, where he teaches classes. He is the author of The Masters Speak: An American Businessman Encounters Ashish and Gurdjieff. See June Gurdjieff classes.

$10 guests                        $5 members     

Book signing after the program

Saturday, June 12, 4 p.m.

Mindfulness Meditation According to the Buddha

To be aware of one's body, feelings, mind, and mind-objects is to live in the Present.

    Ven. Olande Ananda Thero, vice patron of the TS in Sri Lanka, is the resident teacher of the Pagoda Meditation Center in Sri Lanka.
  
   Suggested donation: $5 - $10 

On Going Classes

Tuesdays, Jan. 5 – Feb. 23 (8 classes), 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesdays, March 2 – May 18 (12 classes), 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Hatha Yoga

New instructor

Relax your body, mind, and spirit while you enjoy the extraordinary health benefits of yoga designed to help the body rejuvenate and strengthen itself.

Ellen Duff is a graduate of the White Lotus Foundation teacher training.

1st session:  $90 guests   (prepaid, or $14 per class)       $80 members
2nd session:  $135 guests   (prepaid, or $14 per class)       $120 members

Wednesdays, Jan. 6 – Feb. 24 (8 classes), noon – 1 p.m.
Wednesdays, March 3 – May 19 (12 classes), noon – 1 p.m.

Qigong & Tai Ji for Health & Vitality

Qigong and Tai Ji are ancient forms of meditative movement based on Chinese traditional medicine using the mind and body to harmonize energy. These movements aid your immune system, improve mental clarity and mood, boost physical energy, and relieve stress.

Renee Ryan, co-director of the Lightheart Center, has practiced the healing arts for 30 years and has studied Qigong and Tai Ji in the United States, China, and Korea.

1st session:  $60 guests     (prepaid, or $9 per class)              $50 members
2nd session:  $90 guests     (prepaid, or $9 per class)              $80 members

Wednesdays, Jan. 6 – Feb. 24 (8 classes), 7 – 8:15 p.m.
Wednesdays, March 3 – May 19 (12 classes), 7 – 8:15 p.m.

Kripalu Yoga

1st session:   $75 guests   (prepaid, or $12 per class)       $65 members
2nd session:  $115 guests   (prepaid, or $12 per class)       $100 members

Kripalu Yoga is a slow flow yoga practice designed for healing the body/mind/emotions.

Relax, breathe, feel, allow, and observe is the methodology. Pranayama and mediation will be included as well as Ayurveda insights for balancing health.

Pamela Myers began her practice in 1968 and her teaching in 1991.  Her certifications are through Kripalu~ Center for Yoga and Health in Yoga and Ayurveda.

Wednesdays, Jan. 6/20, Feb. 3/17, March 3/17, April 7/21, May 5/19, 7:30 p.m.

Therapeutic Touch Practice Circle

A Therapeutic Touch group for healing meets for practice and experience under the guidance of Marilyn Johnston, EdD, RN, (3rd Wed.) and Sue Wright, RN, DNSc, (1st Wed.)  Both of them learned TT from the founders of this healing practice, Dora Kunz & Delores Krieger, and they have been teaching and practicing TT for over 30 years EACH. If you need healing or wish to practice this technique, come and join us! 

Marilyn Johnston	Sue Wright

Suggested donation per session: $5

Saturdays, Jan. 9 – Feb. 27 (8 classes), 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Saturdays, March 6 – April 24 (8 classes), 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Hatha Yoga

Relax your body, mind, and spirit while you enjoy the extraordinary health benefits of yoga designed to help the body rejuvenate and strengthen itself.

Ellen Duff is a graduate of the White Lotus Foundation teacher training.

Each session:  $75 guests   (prepaid, or $12 per class)       $65 members

Sundays, January 10 – May 23, 11 a.m.

Meditation Group

Discussion, guided meditation, and silent meditation are included. All are welcome!

Jim Bosco has been a student of Theosophy and meditation for 35 years.

No charge. Donations appreciated.

Sundays, January 10 – May 23, 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Discovering Enlightenment: The Wisdom of the Advaita Masters

This is a course of practical work toward learning how to stand in higher consciousness. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj tells us how to do this by describing the natural state of awareness to seekers who discovered his enlightened presence. His advice was recorded and published as I Am That. Each week we read seekers’ questions and Nisargadatta’s replies from the book and select exercises to work on during the week. At the next meeting we share our self-observations. One may join the course at any time.

Facilitators: Sy Ginsburg, a past president of the Miami, Florida Theosophical Society branch, who met Nisargadatta in India in 1979 and 1981; Jon Knebel and Pam King, students of Theosophy and Advaita Vedanta.

Suggested donation each class: $5

Wednesdays, Jan. 13 – Feb. 3 (4 weeks), 7 - 9 p.m.

Beginning Astrology Classes:  Learning the Language of Astrology

Learn to identify and understand the basic elements of a birth chart, and have fun doing it. We will look at the signs, houses, planets, and aspects. This is not a class on how to interpret a birth chart, not yet at least!  In registering, students give their birth information (birth date, time, and place) so that the instructor can prepare their charts for the first class. Participants may tape the classes. Dave strongly recommends purchasing the book Sun Signs by Linda Goodman, which can be purchased from the Quest Book Shop.

Dave Gunning has been an astrological consultant, teacher and lecturer for the past 37 years. He also has written articles for Dell Horoscope magazine. His readings come from a spiritual and psychological point of view. See 1/7 program. 

$120 guests               $105 members

Pre-register by phone (630-668-1571, ext. 300) or mail.

Wednesdays, Feb. 10 – March 3 (4 weeks), 7 - 9 p.m.

Beginning Astrology II:  Combining the Components of the Birth Chart

Many students of astrology understand the meaning of the symbols for the signs, houses, planets, and aspects when viewed alone. When they see them all together in relationship to one another in the birth chart however, they have a difficult time interpreting what it all means. In this 4-week class we will have fun combining the basic components of the birth chart, namely: signs on the house cusps, planets in the signs, and planets in the houses. If you feel that you are at this level of astrology, then this class will help you with basic chart delineation.

Dave Gunning has been an astrological consultant, teacher and lecturer for the past 37 years. He also has written articles for Dell Horoscope magazine. His readings come from a spiritual and psychological point of view. See 1/7 program. 

$120 guests               $105 members

Pre-register by phone (630-668-1571, ext. 300) or mail.

Tuesdays, March 2 – March 30 (5 classes), 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Meditation Classes: Mindfulness, Bliss, And Beyond

This intermediate meditation course is inspired by the teachings of Ajahn Brahm. Emphasis is on practice. Explore each of the steps that allow us to gradually abandon the jungle of thoughts and move towards increasing states of peace, stillness, and silence. Within this peace we discover the bliss of concentration that opens the way to radical insights and freedom. Each class includes a 30-minute silent meditation.

John Cianciosi was an ordained Buddhist monk in the Thai Theravada tradition for more than 20 years, serving as spiritual director of monasteries in Thailand and Australia. He is the author of True Freedom and The Meditative Path: A Gentle Way to Awareness, Concentration, and Serenity. See 3/25 program.

Enrollment is only for the complete series. Preregister by phone (630-668-1571, ext. 300) or mail.

$60 guests               $50 members

April 23–25, 2010, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glen Ellyn, IL

Healing Our Religious Wounds

Many people today have become alienated from their own spirituality. Some have suffered a loss of faith. Others have been terrorized by images of a vindictive God. Still others have been abused physically. Many are feeling a need to confront their wounds from their religious backgrounds. This conference will combine lectures and simple movement practices with supportive group work in order to help participants face, forgive, and heal the personal wounds they have suffered from their religions. People of all faiths are welcome! Presenters will include Bishop John Shelby Spong, best-selling author of Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, A New Christianity for a New World, and Why Christianity Must Change or Die. See www.healingourreligiouswounds.org for more information.

Tuesdays, April 6 – May 4 (5 classes), 7 – 8:30 p.m.

What Is Man?

This continuing study class will look at part 1 of Sri Madhava Ashish’s book Man, Son of Man, which is a commentary on volume 2 of The Secret Doctrine.

David Bruce is the director of education for the Theosophical Society in America.

$60 guests     (or $15 per class)              $50 members

Sundays, May 23 – June 13 (4 weeks), 3:30 – 5 p.m.

Gurdjieff Unveiled:  An Introduction to the Teachings of Gurdjieff

Called Esoteric Christianity by G.I. Gurdjieff, a Greek-Armenian mystic, this teaching of non-dualism maintains that there is no qualitative difference between man and God. This course aims to impart its basic propositions so that the student is then able to engage in a practical study of self-observation and self-awareness that is the hallmark of what Gurdjieff called “work on oneself.”

Sy Ginsburg has studied Gurdjieff’s teaching for more than 30 years. He is a founder of the International Gurdjieff All & Everything Conference and a cofounder of the Gurdjieff Institute of Florida. See 5/20 program.

$50 guests     (or $15 per class)              $40 members

The following programs are sponsored by Friends of Olcott. All proceeds benefit the H. S. Olcott Memorial Library:

Call 630-668-1571 x304 for more information or visit

A 15-week program designed to provide an education in Theosophy and its relationship to philosophy, science, religion, and the arts, including its integration into daily life, deepening an understanding of our place in the world as spiritual beings. Students may choose to present a project, i.e., an article, a lecture, a film, or even a painting, an expression based in the student’s particular interests.

Class Format

Calendar

DIVINITY- $40 for 5 weeks, or $10 / class

Jan 9-   DIVINITY and the Arts

Dan Smolla

Jan 16-  DIVINITY and Philosophy

Govert Schuller

Jan 23-  DIVINITY and Religion

Richard Smoley

Jan 30-  DIVINITY and Science   

Jon Knebel

Feb 6-  DIVINITY and Theosophy

Dan Noga

AWARENESS- $40 for 5 weeks, or $10 / class

Feb 20-  AWARENESS and the Arts

Dan Smolla

Feb 27-  AWARENESS and Philosophy

Govert Schuller

Mar 6-   AWARENESS and Religion

Juli Cesano

Mar 13-  AWARENESS and Science   

Jim Bosco

Mar 20-  AWARENESS and Theosophy

Pablo Sender

EVOLUTION- $40 for 5 weeks, or $10 / class

Apr 3-   EVOLUTION and the Arts

Dan Smolla

Apr 1-0  EVOLUTION and Philosophy

Govert Schuller

Apr 17-  EVOLUTION and Religion

Richard Smoley

Apr 24-  EVOLUTION and Science

Pablo Sender

May 1-  EVOLUTION and Theosophy

Juli Cesano

July 16–24, 2010

Spiritual Pilgrimage in Italy

After the congress, the Society sponsors a weeklong spiritual pilgrimage in Italy. Explore the art, architecture, ruins, and religious traditions of Rome, Pompeii, Assisi, Florence, Pisa, and Venice. Cost: approximately $2000 per person (double occupancy). Maximum tour size: 40. All travel arrangements, air and tour, are by Sydne Griffin, Canyon Creek Travel Agency, (800) 952-1998. For details, go to www.theosophical.org/events/italy/index.html.