News & Notes
Theosophy in the Movies
The cyber-art film What Dreams May Come, about the after-life experience as envisioned in a book of the same title, received a lengthy review in Hinduism Today (February 1999, 20-23). The review considers the sources of the book and film: "Hindus seeing this movie have wondered, "Where did this come from? How did all our Hindu beliefs get here?" The answer is "indirectly," because producers Stephen Simon and Barnet Bain and author Richard Matheson have little knowledge of Hinduism. What they are familiar with is Western metaphysics, much of which derives from Theosophy, which in turn derives from Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism." It might be more accurate to say that Hinduism, Buddhism, and modern Theosophy all derive from the same source, the timeless Wisdom Tradition.
Quest Author Wins Awards
Two articles by Paul Sochaczewski published in the Quest—"Snowmen in the Jungle: Are They Our Distant Relatives?" (Summer 1998) and "Neck Rings and Loincloths—Trust Us, We Know Better Than You Do" (Winter 1998) received Honorable Mention awards in the 1998 Writer's Digest Writing Competition. The event attracted more than 9000 entries.
Dreams of Isis, an Innovator's Favorite Book
Normandi Ellis's autobiographical and mythological account Dreams of Isis: A Woman's Spiritual Sojourn (Quest Books 1995) was named by Sarah Susanka as her favorite book in U. S. News & World Report for December 28 / January 4, 1998/1999. A humanistic-spiritual architect, Susanka was one of eighteen "American innovators" whom the turn-of-the-year issue featured as people with visions that can change the world.
Veggie Burgers in Washington
Vegetarian burgers are marketed by a number of companies: Gardenburger, Inc. (which ran a commercial on the last episode of the TV series Seinfeld), the long-established meat-substitute company Worthington Foods, and Boca Burger Inc. (named for its original location in Boca Raton, Florida). Reporting on the increased popularity of veggie burgers, the Chicago Tribune (Dec. 6, 1998, sec. 5, p. 1) reported: "Boca Burgers first gained national attention in 1995 after it was reported that Hillary Clinton put her burger-loving hubby onto Boca Burgers to wean him from Big Macs. They're still served at the White House and on Air Force One, and the U.S. Senate dining room has added Boca Burgers to the menu."
1998 Audio/Video Guide Update Available
The Audio/Video Guide is a comprehensive listing of all audio and video tapes in the Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library in numerical order, with indexes by title, author (speaker), and year of publication, in a loose-leaf format that is easily updated. The Guide also includes information on how to purchase audio and video tapes.
The following 1998 updates for The Audio/Video Guide are now available: main register supplements, listing new audio and video tapes in numerical order (48 pages), $4.00; main register supplements and revised author, title, and chronological indexes (160 pages), $9.00. A completely revised 1998 Audio/Video Guide (240 pages in a binder) is available for $15.00.
To obtain a copy of the guide or an update, send a check or money order payable to Theosophical Society in America to:
Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library
P. O. Box 270
Wheaton, IL 60187-0270
Phone 630-668-1571, ext. 304