Democracy and Theosophy: Living in Transformational Times

Jayne Fleener

Onsite and Zoom

Weekend November 1 – 3

Friday 7:30 – 9 pm, Saturday 10 am – noon, 2 – 4 pm, Sunday 1 – 3 pm PDT

This interactive workshop will explore the relationship between democracy and theosophy, with a specific emphasis on futures’ possibilities. Starting with what have been termed the fundamental flaws of democracy by Plato, Marx and deTocqueville, we will examine democracy’s promise for and connections with theosophical tenets and the creation of wisdom cultures. Connections between democracy and theosophy from early theosophical writings of Blavatsky, Besant, and Olcott will include the establishment of the TS in the United States, the role of religion in society, the focus on scientific exploration and innovation, and the support of cultural values for free will and universal brotherhood.

The four sessions will be organized by the “weight of history,” “push of the present,” and “pull of the future” to lead us to an engagement with theosophical futures. The pull of the future, in particular, will explore how our relationship with the future is changing with postnormal science in transnormal times, at the cusp of transformational change and the future of humanity. Our role as theosophists will be examined as the “karma of democracy” is explored.

Single session $15 Series $50

Dr. Jayne Fleener is an educational futurist and currently dean and professor emerita at North Carolina State University. She was recently appointed to the international board of The Centre for Postnormal Policy and Future Studies and is an active member of the Association of Professional Futurists (APF) and the World Federation of Futures Studies (WFFS). She is an active member of the TSA and Krotona’s Partners in Theosophy initiative, and will be co-facilitating a course for the National Lodge Virtual Study Center on Theosophy and World Religions.