Quest Magazine

Theosophy in Today’s Ukraine: An Interview with Svitlana Gavrylenko

Printed in the Summer 2023 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Georgiades, Erica, "Theosophy in Today’s Ukraine: An Interview with Svitlana Gavrylenko" Quest 111:3, pg 4-7

By Erica Georgiades

Svitlana Gavrylenko is general secretary of the Theosophical Society in Ukraine. She became a member of the TS in 2000. She is PhD and assistant professor in mathematics (probability theory) at Ukraine’s National Agrarian University, now retired. She is also the head of the organizing committee of the annual international forum Spiritual Development for Man and Society and of the Council of the Committee for Ethics and Humanitarian Expertise. This interview was originally conducted for the YouTube channel of the European School of Theosophy (EuST).

Erica Georgiades: Dear Svlitana, I am very happy to see you. Thank you for being here with us today. To begin, why did you not leave Ukraine when the war started?

Svitlana Gavrylenko: You see, this was not my mental, logical decision. This was my inner position without any variants. My only move was from my home to our TS headquarters; both are in the center of Kyiv. I did it four days before the war started. I felt that this is now my place.

Erica: How is the humanitarian situation over there?

Svitlana: There is no person in Ukraine who has not been touched by the war. This is an extraordinary test for everyone. Huge queues formed from the very first day of the war to military offices and formation points of territorial defense units. They were men and women, pupils, students, pensioners. Military operations began on a very wide front line; shelling and offensive operations began in the north, east, and south of the country. Because of this, millions of people were displaced in search of safe places to stay. Some of them left the country, and the majority moved to the central and western regions. It was a major humanitarian problem, for the solution of which both state services and volunteer organizations were involved in Ukraine and in most European countries. Thus Ukraine gave an impetus to reveal the spirit of brotherhood in the world. We greatly appreciate this spirit of Unity.

Erica: War is such a cruel thing: it separates family and friends, affects animals, and devastates the environment. In such difficult moments, it is important to have courage. I recall the words of Martin Luther King Jr: “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” In this way, we can move forward with infinite hope in our hearts, while of course always trying to avert the evils of war and actively working for peace. Could you please share with us what have you been doing to improve the situation over there?

Svitlana: Most of the members of the TS remained in Ukraine; some moved to the western regions. Undoubtedly, at the call of the heart, they began to look for opportunities to help people. At first, it was help for refugees and displaced persons. Many sent financial aid for the military and hospitals. After some time, huge destruction was revealed in the cities and villages that were freed from occupation. People needed the most necessary things. Our colleagues from the Theosophical Order of Service from different countries of the world came to the rescue. They sent their financial support, and our volunteers used these funds to provide humanitarian aid. We are very grateful to everyone for such cooperation.

I also want to say that there is another side to our work as Theosophists. We all know about the power of thought.

Erica: We know how a small positive thought in the morning can change the entire day—how a positive attitude in face of hardships can give us and those around us strength to move forward, paving the way for better and brighter days. In this way, we have organized online meditations from the first days of the war.

Svitlana: From the first days of the war, we felt very much the mental help of all those who sympathize with the Ukrainian people and cooperate with us, and the spiritual help of the subtle planes of existence and contact with them. From the first days, we started conducting short meditations for the protection of Ukraine with the reading of the Universal Prayer (“O Hidden Life”) according to the scheme 8–12–8. We invite our friends to join. This scheme has already been worked out since the time of Covid, which can be supplemented by an appeal to subtle forces for help for the people of Ukraine. Some of our branches hold their own internal daily meditation online meetings. At the all-Ukrainian level, joint meditations are held every Thursday at 9 p.m. to strengthen the core of the Brotherhood, support and protect Ukraine, and unite all the Light forces of the planet.

One more piece of news: there are three groups of the Order of Healing in Ukraine. They now work online. We have developed a special ritual to assist in the transition to other worlds all those killed and martyred during military operations. We feel a great need for such work in today’s situation and conduct it regularly and weekly, separately from the main service of the Order of Healing.

Erica: It is very inspiring to know you all have been doing joint meditations, focusing on peace and siblinghood. Is the TS in Ukraine active?

Svitlana: Oh, yes. Two years of experience of online activism during Covid-19 allowed us to confidently continue our activism during the destabilizing period at the beginning of the war. For some members, the only problem was the availability of an Internet connection. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the work of the Theosophical Society should be continued and even deepened. From the first days, the idea arose that it is precisely in these conditions that our work is extremely necessary both for ourselves and for the people around us.

Moreover, right now we in Ukraine are passing the most important test for truly carrying out the idea of Brotherhood. It is precisely in the conditions of crisis that people begin to realize the priority of the spiritual component in the life of individuals and societies, as well as to put universal human values above personal values. So popularization of the ideas of Theosophy is important and timely right now.

Erica: Yes, it is precisely in moments of crisis, as you say, that people begin to realize the importance of changing their lives, prioritizing what really matters: the well-being of others, the land, and the world we live in. So what kind of work you have been doing?

Svitlana: First of all, I want to note the intensification of TOS activities. Theosophists are trying to be effective in a broad volunteer movement that has swept the whole country. No one remains indifferent. This includes assistance to refugees and displaced persons, informational assistance, provision of essentials for residents of cities and towns liberated from occupation, help to hospitals, and assistance to animals. We are very grateful to our TOS colleagues from different countries of the world for the financial support that makes it possible to carry out our TOS humanitarian support actions. This is really a practical realization of the idea of Brotherhood. Many thanks to you, dear Erica, for your hearty participation in such an activity. I would like to especially note the active help of our TOS colleagues from Italy, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, America, Germany, Greece, France, Slovenia, and other countries.

Our regular activities continue. All our permanent local groups work online, all-Ukrainian events are regularly held, we invite foreign lecturers, and Internet resources are constantly updated: the website, the Facebook page, the TOS information blog, the YouTube channel. Magazines are published in electronic form: two monthly magazines: a newsletter for members and Herald of Unity (on general esoterics). Our main TS magazine, Svitoch, is published every two months, and another magazine, Theosophy and Science, comes out twice a year.

The only thing missing is physical communication, personal contacts, and touch. We want to hug our brothers and sisters, sit next to them, talk. But probably this is not the only case here.

Erica: Solidarity is the foundation of our humanity. If we cannot help each other, be there for each other in challenging moments, what would the world be? What would our humanity be? The TOS is certainly doing such a wonderful work by offering support. We also want to see you all, sit close to you, and have close contact. I am sure that this will soon will be possible, and that very soon these dark days will be a thing of the past. You have planned a pilgrimage tour to Dnipro, Odesa, and Kyiv for visiting places connected with HPB and getting to know the TS work in Ukraine. Can you share with us what places Theosophists would visit and see in this pilgrimage?

Svitlana: Yes, we have such a dream. We already expressed such a proposal at the meeting of the TS General Council just before Covid. This proposal was met with great interest and enthusiasm. Now we probably have to wait for the end of the war. We are waiting for such an opportunity and will be happy to see our brothers and sisters in the motherland of Helena Petrovna. You will be able to feel the special energy of this land, its powerful, indomitable spirit; you can breathe the air of the house where she was born and enjoy the steppe spaces where she spent her childhood years. This will be a journey to her origins, to her primary points of entry in her extremely significant incarnation, which had a planetary significance and determined a new era of evolution of humanity’s consciousness. For an initial acquaintance, we offer our guests a visit to Dnipro, Kyiv, and possibly Odesa as well.

Undoubtedly, the key place is the house where HPB was born in Dnipro. Since 2009, the Museum Center of HPB and her family has been established there, it is a state institution. As soon as the war is over, we will again resume preparations for the reception of guests. It will be a special joy for us to see our friends and give them the opportunity to visit the sacred places of the motherland of HPB.

Erica: It will be truly wonderful to have the opportunity to visit Ukraine. In fact, since 2018 I have been entertaining the idea of organizing the EuST in Ukraine, but soon Covid and the war started, and that was no longer possible. We were planning to host the EuST at the Blavatsky house. Dо you know the current condition of Blavatsky’s house?

Svitlana: Museums are cultural assets; they are closed during the war. The most valuable exhibits have been evacuated or hidden in a safe place. The building itself has security. It is currently not damaged by the explosions, but the war continues.

Erica: Cultural assets are important, but not as important as the well-being of others and the environment. Is there anything we can do to help our brothers and sisters in Ukraine?

Svitlana: Thank you, dear Erica, for your kind heart and for this question. There is no doubt that today museums are not the primary recipients of funding in our country. Since the beginning of their existence, volunteers have done a lot of good deeds; volunteer meetings were held twice a year. Thanks to such public efforts, today it is possible to gather and hold exhibitions in this building. When you come, dear Erica, and see everything with your own eyes, you will get the answer to your question about helping the Museum Center. As for helping Ukraine, your prayers, meditations, good wishes, and letters mean a lot to us today. Ukraine really needs help and does not hide it. You were one of the first to respond and offer help.

Erica: Is there anything else you would like to say?

Svitlana: I am very grateful to you, Erica, for the invitation to this conversation. I want to convey greetings from all the Theosophists of Ukraine to brothers and sisters all over the world. Today we really need your support and help. As soon as peaceful times come, we will be glad to see you in our place and meet you personally. I am sure that in these difficult times, humanity has taken a step towards Unity and Brotherhood. Let’s keep the link! I hope for meeting again at the soonest opportunity.

Erica: I am very grateful to you, Svlitana, for accepting the invitation to be here with us today. I want to convey greetings to all Ukrainians, and to assure you we are doing our best to help the situation improve. As soon peace is established, we will visit Ukraine and join the wonderful pilgrimage you envision. We wish you all strength and perseverance, moving forward with infinite hope in your hearts, for certainly better and brighter days will come.

If you wish to assist in humanitarian and animal welfare efforts, please contact Dr. Svitlana Gavrylenko at info@theosophy.in.ua.

Other resources:

Website: www.theosophy.in.ua

TOS info: https://ukr-tos.blogspot.com/

FaceBook page: www.facebook.com/theosophy.in.ua

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Gfg8YO5iaXekyxPf0p_Gg

Telegram channel: https://t.me/Theosophy_in_Ukraine

Telegram chat: https://t.me/+ilwrNVYEe0hlZjRi

Erica Georgiades is the director of the European School of Theosophy and the School of Wisdom. She is also the vice president of the Theosophical Society in Greece.

Summer 2023

VOLUME 111, NUMBER 3

CONTENTS

Theosophy in Today's Ukraine: An Interview with Svitlana Gavrylenko
Erica Geogiades

Wise Men fromt the East: The Myth of the Hierarchy of Adepts
Stephan A. Hoeller

The Reapearance of the Christ
Richard Smoley

Participating in the Work of the Masters of Wisdom
Pablo Sender

Keys of the Rosicrucians
Franz Hartmann

The French Connection: Louis Claude de Saint-Martin and the Martinist Tradition
Zane Johnson

From the Editor's Desk
Richard Smoley

Members' Forum: Journey to Adyar
Stephen Braun

Viewpoint: The Goal of the Perfect
Barbara Hebert

Becoming Osiris: The Ancient Egyptian Death Experience

Becoming Osiris: The Ancient Egyptian Death Experience

By Ruth Schumann-Antelme and Stephane Rossini
Trans. Jon Graham. Rochester, VT. Inner Traditions, 1998. Paperback, xiv + 126 pages.

This text is well researched, well put together, and beautifully designed and illustrated. Sadly, it does not live up to its subtitle.

It is a very difficult task to resurrect Osiris, not to mention to become Him. It took Isis a great deal of time, energy, sleuthing, and magic-making to find and reconstitute all fourteen parts of the dissected divine body, finding one tiny leg bone or back bone at a time and blowing off the dust. That said, it may be enough that Antelme has found a few bones of Osiris, already well picked over by so many Egyptological buzzards, and reexamined them. She docs note a few interesting bits of often overlooked information.

It may not be fair to insist that the author uplift and transform our understanding of the Osirian tradition wholly. Yet this book does not explain the ancient Egyptian belief in resurrection or the secret of "becoming" Osiris. It does not clarify the meaning of the Osirian Mysteries that so influenced the Greek mystical traditions. It does not offer a full understanding of the various landscapes of the Land of the Dead. It does not give much more than a blurb about the history of the near-death experience, or clarify the similarities and differences between the Egyptian realm, Amentet, and the Tibetan Bardo.

But the book has great pictures—wonderful line art that might make an Egyptian scribe proud. For that reason alone, I can recommend the book. The text, however, seems to be a gloss of Budge's famed Papyrus of Ani version of the Book of the Dead. It could be most fruitfully used, perhaps, by a beginning reader in tandem with Budge's translation and copy of the glyphs. It at least keeps the sacred text from looking like total gobbledygook.

There is no major "aha!" to be had here, but a few mild eyebrow raises might suffice for those with literalist interpretations of Egyptian myth and history. Antelme timidly goes-but nevertheless goes-where darn few Egyptologists dare to have gone before. The author suggests such irreverent ideas as these: the pyramids may have been initiation chambers; the loot in the tombs is more about magic than taking it with you; the Egyptians had complex ideas about sacred geometry and number, and maybe the secret initiations were a little like near-death experiences. These ideas, however, already will be familiar to readers of Schwaller de Lubica, John West, Jeremy Naydler, Robert Masters, Robert Buvall, and Graham Hancock.

It may be a dry bone, but it's at least something for the academics to chew on.

-NORMANDY ELLIS

May/June 1999

Other Creations: Rediscovering the Spirituality of Animals

By Christopher Manes
New York: Doubleday, 1997. Hardback, xii + 240 pages.

Compelled by his daughter's innocent question regarding the death of her pet rabbit, author Christopher Manes embarked on a study of the connection between animals and religion. Not satisfied with his own answer about the rabbit's fate-a journey to "rabbit heaven”- Manes realized that the question was "merely the tip of a vast iceberg concerning our spiritual relations with animals."

The book begins with an account of animals' involvement in early religious systems, including Roman, Judeo-Christian, and Native American. Citing a work entitled the Physiologus, probably composed by an Egyptian monk about 300 AD, Manes gives examples of the historical role of animals in human spirituality. This book was the predecessor of the many Western bestiaries used by Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton. In the second section of his book, "Animal Pans," Manes examines such topics as healing with the aid of animals, meat-eating, animal sacrifice, exorcism through swine, kosher dietary laws, and the Lamb of God.

Often poignant, always insightful, Manes takes the reader on a journey through the wilderness, observing animals in such diverse roles as tribal protectors, children's playthings, and sacred spirits. One such animal is the bear, whose image is the epitome of strength in battle, yet whose cuddly face is as familiar as a stuffed toy. The bear's power is so great that its very name is unspoken, the animal being referred to only as "the brown one" from earliest Germanic times. In other cultures, the bear is known as "winter sleeper," "forest master," "beewolf," or simply the "unmentionable one."

From the caves of Lascaux to the camera lens of James Balog, Manes examines the use of animals in both art and spirituality. Rich with poetry and metaphor, the stories Manes relates touch a sacredness often overlooked in an increasingly mechanical environment. Through these stories, Manes involves us in the question of how we can "again embody our spirituality in the living, organic world of bird wings, coyote music, and the inexplicable migrations of frogs under the garden gate." Manes emphasizes that "we discover spiritual values through animals," rather than merely embody religious themes in animal imagery. Animal lovers, theologians, and literary students will find material ranging from alphabets to zoology in this broad-minded, well-researched, and thought-provoking book.

-DAWNA ELAINE PAGE

May/June 1999

The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey

The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey

By Ronald Roberson
CSP. 6th ed. Rome: Pontifical Oriental Institute, 1999. Paperback, 276 pages.

Among the many Eastern spiritual traditions of our world, some of the least well-known are the varied and diverse Eastern expressions of Christianity. This sixth edition of Fr. Roberson's standard reference work on Eastern Christianity is the best starting place for any seekers interested in learning more about the history, demographics, and groupings of the member Churches of the four extant communions of Eastern Christianity that have institutional continuity with their ancient parent Churches.

The philosopher Kant teaches us that we cannot think without categories. Not knowing which questions to ask is a primary obstacle to understanding. When people first encounter Eastern Christianity they may often lack effective categories and definitions to comprehend the riches of these ancient traditions. Fr. Roberson offers considerable assistance in this journey of exploration, first in his introduction, and then in the individual sections themselves. He analyzes the Eastern Christian Churches on the basis of communion, one of the translations of the Greek term koinonia.

In classic Christian terms, a communion (or koinonia) of Churches is a grouping of ecclesial communities which, although they may follow differing liturgical and spiritual traditions, recognize the same proclamation (kerygma) of faith in one another. This enables members of one member Church to participate in the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) of another member Church within the communion.

From the beginning, this understanding of plurality and diversity has been a basic (although tragically sometimes forgotten) part of the life of the worldwide Christian community. Unity in love and faith, not uniformity in practice, is the venerable ideal.

It is important: to note that in Christian parlance, the term "church" is used to designate (l) an individual parish community; (2) a particular administrative unit, a diocese or eparchy; (3) a particular Church, family of dioceses or eparchies that share a common liturgical and spiritual tradition; (4) a communion of diverse Churches; and (5) a spiritual notion, the whole Body of Christ. Fr. Roberson's work will go a fair distance in allowing the reader to understand these various levels of meaning in regard to Eastern Christianity.

This handbook is designed to allow those beginning to explore Eastern Christianity to get an overview of the situation of Eastern Christian communities worldwide, with particular emphasis on the English-speaking world, while providing enough in-depth and current information to be of great use to the specialist.

The work is organized according to the four ancient communions of Eastern Christianity. Each section gives a brief overview of the history of the particular ecclesial group, readable for the beginner, but accurate and detailed enough for even the seasoned veteran. Following the overview, recent history and events of the Church group are reviewed, and insofar as data are available, the general distribution of communities around the world, headquarters, leadership, membership statistics, and web site.

The first communion is the Assyrian Church of the East, made up of two (or three) widely dispersed Churches throughout the world, originating in Iraq and India. These Churches share the East Syriac (East-Antiochian) liturgical, spiritual, and communal traditions.

The second communion is the Oriental Orthodox, six Churches that follow diverse traditions-Armenian, Alexandrian (Coptic and Geez of Ethiopia and former Eritrea), and West Syriac (West-Antiochion) -- but have a shared history since the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) in their definition of the way they describe the interaction of the humanity and divinity in Christ.

The third communion is the Eastern Orthodox, a very large koinonia of Churches all sharing the Byzantine tradition originating in Constantinople. This includes some thirty-two Churches and communities throughout the world. These are the Eastern Churches with which many westerners are most familiar: Greek and Russian Orthodox.

The fourth communion is the most diverse, the Eastern Catholics. These are members of some twenty-two Churches representing all of the liturgical and spiritual traditions of Eastern Christianity in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Fr. Roberson organizes his treatment of the Eastern Catholic Churches according to the individual community's correspondence with an existing Church in one of the first three communions.

It might seem at first glance that this is a book for specialists in Christian arcana and historical footnotes. Nothing could be further from the truth. Eastern Christianity is a major reality at the turn of the millennia. Of Catholics in India, 51 percent are Eastern Catholic (Malabar and Malankar}, not Roman Catholic. The Christian Community of India is almost 2000 years old. In North America there are millions of Eastern Christians of all four communions, a larger population than, for example, Episcopalians, but far less well-known. In other areas of Eastern Christian roots and large indigenous populations (such as Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Northern and Eastern Africa), the consequences of not promoting religious understanding and an acceptance of diversity arc tragically evident, and threaten to destabilize not only the spiritual life of humanity but, the very survival of our planet, because of wars and strife.

Finally, it is a disservice to the deep spiritual and historical legacy of Christianity to allow the misconception to continue that: Christianity is essentially only a Western, European phenomenon. Christianity is at its origin a Middle-Eastern wisdom path, now thoroughly acculturated with incredible diversity throughout the world's peoples. This age-old stance of unity in diversity is quite well-suited to twenty-first century pluralist nations and, if properly understood, will promote much more peaceful dialogue among religious and spiritual persons.

Whether one is seeking a spiritual tradition or wishing to know more about the millions of women and men who share the Eastern Christian life and worship and who are reemerging as vital participants in the world community, this book is an indispensable starting point.

Fr. Roberson comes to the task of preparing this work with impeccable credentials, academic, pastoral, and professional. Having completed a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Kansas in 1972, he joined the Paulist Fathers and studied theology at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC After presbyteral ordination in 1977, Fr. Roberson spent five years in pastoral ministry in Montreal. He received a doctorate from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome in 1988 with a thesis on contemporary Romanian Orthodox ecclesiology.

Quest Magazine

Theosophy in Today’s Ukraine: An Interview with Svitlana Gavrylenko

Summer 2023

Becoming Osiris: The Ancient Egyptian Death Experience

Other Creations: Rediscovering the Spirituality of Animals

The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey

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