Last Friday of the month, 7:00 – 7:30 p.m. CT

Join us each month for a group meditation for world peace. This short program features a discussion regarding peace and unity among all people followed by a 15-minute World Peace Meditation. Each month will feature a different speaker and meditation and will represent a variety of spiritual and religious traditions.

These meditations will also be livestreamed on our website, YouTube Channel and Facebook page.

You are invited to stay for a short discussion after the meditation.

Free and open to all!

Fridays, 7:00 – 8:15 p.m.

July 7 – September 1 (8 sessions) no class July 14

This yoga class, open to all ages and levels, will focus on present moment awareness of the postures. Classes begin with a short meditation and transition into a conscious and gentle movement that will take us to different asanas (postures). As a deeper connection with our inner nature is established, relaxation, flexibility, and strength develop.

Juliana Cesano has been a member of the Theosophical Society for twenty years. She spent two years at the international headquarters in Chennai, India. She is a certified yoga teacher, 200 CYT, and is currently the manager of the Quest Book Shop at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society in America.

July – September classes: $95 nonmembers $80 members $14 per session

Register here

Or, call 630-668-1571, ext. 315 or e-mail: info@theosophical.org.

She also teaches Meditative Yoga on Tuesdays.

First Saturday of the month, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Please note: The group is meeting at the Quest Book Shop! Please refer to the Book Shop (630-665-0123) or www.facebook.com/QuestBookShop for future meeting information.

You are invited to participate in a shared group experience of card discussion, exploration of different spreads, and partnering up for readings. Learn why some cards resonate with us more than others and make use of the cards as a tool for personal insight and guidance. We’ll entertain Tarot lore, hone our craft, and gain confident familiarity with the cards, developing techniques for flow, rhythm, and personality in our readings. Please bring your deck(s), pen, and paper.

Tania Brown received her first Tarot deck as a Christmas present from her father. She uses a Paul Foster Case B.O.T.A deck and feels that readings are an epic inner journey. Like a physical mirror, the Tarot is the internal reflection, calling for self-awareness to make healthy choices that enliven us. Tania is a reader at the Quest Book Shop on Tuesdays.

$15 nonmembers $10 members

Saturdays, ongoing, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

 Reconvenes September 13, (no meeting November 29 or December 27) 

This study group continues the exploration of Plato’s works, now focusing on the Timaeus, with the aim of understanding the significance of his philosophy in the history of western civilization and its religious tradition.

Donna Adler, Ph.D., a lawyer trained in philosophical theology, made an in-depth study of the Platonic tradition in the process of writing her dissertation on St. Augustine’s thought. Dr. Adler has continued her exploration of ancient philosophy and has written a book on Plato’s Timaeus that she is preparing for publication.

$10 per session

Saturdays, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
 4th Saturday of the month

September 27, October 25, November 22, no meeting December 27

Explore the Tarot as a vibrant tool for self-discovery and intuitive development, in a monthly drop-in program facilitated by Paul Quinn, author of Tarot for Life (2009, Quest Books). Enjoy learning ways of doing Tarot readings for yourself and others, in a creative, focused, and supportive environment. Familiarity with Tarot basics is recommended, but anyone is welcome to drop in and observe, or if time permits, have their cards read.

Paul Quinn is the author of the Quest Books best seller, Tarot for Life: Reading the Cards for Everyday Guidance and Growth which the American Tarot Association calls “a must-read.” Listed by Chicago Magazine as a "top talent" in Tarot, Paul conducts Tarot consultations and classes and has been interviewed on radio programs internationally. Visit his Web site: http://www.thespiritedlife.com/

$20 per session   

Third Saturday of the month 2-4 p.m. 

Through ceremony, games, story-telling, and creative activities, the Order of the Round Table helps youth grow as useful and happy members of society. It promotes awareness of unity, stimulates love of nature and animals, and encourages a life of harmony and compassion.

For information on the group please  e-mail orderoftheroundtable@theosophical.org

Saturday, 1:00-3:15 p.m. (3 sessions)

January 18, February 15, March 1 

For vegetarian meals that go beyond your Mama’s soy burgers, join Michele Shields and Pamela Myers in the quest to eat mindfully, healthfully, and from a place of spirituality. Class includes preparation, dining, and discussion, and all groceries are supplied. Sign up for all 3 sessions and bring your appetite! 

January 18 — Cooking with Whole Grains (register by January 10) 

Did you know? . . . U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that adults consume at least three servings of whole grains every day. Historically, many of our grains sprouted accidentally in the harvesting process, a coincidence that modern techniques have largely eliminated. Join Michele to explore, prepare, and savor the taste, texture, and nutrition that Cooking with Whole Grains brings to meals. 

February 15 — Ayurvedic Winter Food Fest (register by February 7) 

Pamela presents a menu focusing on foods for Winter. Guided by Ayurvedic insights, prepare a full-course meal with recipes and ingredients that best suit this season. Enjoy an appetizing, Ayurvedic Winter Food Fest (menu to be announced). 

March 1 — Snack Foods (register by February 21) 

It has been recommended that we decrease our portion size and increase the number of meals we eat throughout the day. What if we could make these morsels of food work to benefit our bodies and mind? Join Michele for the “health” of it, as we examine the Snack Attack from a new perspective. 

$35 per class guests        $30 per class members       $85 for all 3 classes 

Pamela Myers, AyC, LMT, RYT, is a certified Ayurveda practitioner and directs the Anahata Center in Lombard, IL. Having studied in India and China and with 20 years of experience, she maintains an Ayurvedic focus in her consultation, therapy, and class offerings. For more information, visit anahata9.net. 

Michele Shields, a member of the Theosophical Society, senior cook at the national center, and naturally inclined toward practical spirituality, is ready to share 20 years of research and experience in cooking vegetarian.

 

Pre-register by phone 630-668-1571, ext. 315 or by e-mail.

 

FREE WEBCAST  
Thursday, May 18, 7:00 p.m. CT

Saturdays, 11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
July 6 -August 24 (7 sessions) No class July 20 

September 21 – Dec 21 (13 sessions) No class November 30

In yoga we experience the spiritual by cultivating awareness. Through asana practice, students begin the inner journey toward self-realization and forging a conscious relationship with that which is beyond the "little" self. We can then apply that connection to bring understanding, depth, and meaning into everyday life.

Ellen Duff trained at the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, CA and has taught at Yoga Among Friends since its inception in 1998. She is certified as a Relax and Renew Trainer® from Judith Hanson Lasater, specializing in using yoga poses to help us learn to relax and rest deeply.  

$70 guests    $56 members    ($12 per class)

Fall 
$120 guests    $108 members    (or $12 per class)

 

Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong

Mondays, 7:00–8:00 p.m.

 April 1–June 24 (12 sessions) No class May 27.

This program will focus on the foundational aspects of Tai Chi Chuan. Students will learn principles that allow for a type of movement, the feeling of which is exquisite and hard to describe. Imagine the experience of being blown about by a gentle breeze coming from inside you, yet still being firmly rooted in the ground and cradled in the moment. Stillness, silence, and their union will also be cultivated.

Ben Furman has studied Tai Chi Chuan with several first and second generation students of Professor Cheng Man-Ching and is certified to teach Level I Spring Forest Qigong by its founder Master Chunyi Lin.

Donations requested. Practice required.

Please consider others: Do not wear any perfume, cologne, or scented lotions.

FREE WEBCAST   
Thursday, January 19, 7:00 p.m. CT

Saturdays, 3:00-4:30 p.m.

January 12 – February 9 (5 sessions) No class January 26

This series explores the writings of Greek philosopher, Plato, and the themes that are relevant for our time. Selected texts will consider the practice of virtue and its practical application, the problems of unity and diversity in human community, and the perception of the rhythmic and harmonic form of the cosmos. Issues addressed in Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave” will also be investigated.

Donna Adler, PhD, a lawyer trained in philosophical theology, made an in-depth study of the Platonic tradition in the process of writing her dissertation on St. Augustine’s thought. Dr. Adler has continued her exploration of ancient philosophy and has written a book on Plato’s Timaeus that she is preparing for publication. It is one of  several manuscripts and articles that she hopes will one day see the light of day.

Plato Gems Reading List
In the new year, we will read

Laws, Epinomis, Statesman, Sophist, and Philebus.

$60 guests     $48 members     $12 per session

Enrollment for the series is encouraged!

Preregister by phone 630-668-1571, ext. 315 or by mail.

Wednesdays, 7 p.m.
June 1, 8, 15, 22 Live Webcast

Our speaker for the June series of Living Theosophy, Pablo Sender, will discuss the deep and practical teachings found in The Voice of the Silence by Mme. Blavatsky. This small book is a classic of Theosophical mysticism concerning the seeker's inner awakening and development, which in the end leads to a choice between the compassionate path and the path for self alone. These 40-minute lectures will be Webcast live and later made available online at the Media Library.

Pablo Sender, Ph.D., became a member of the Theosophical Society in his native Argentina and has presented Theosophical lectures, seminars, and classes in India, Spain, the U. S., and South America. He has published articles in Spanish and English in several Theosophical journals, which can be found on his website, www.pablosender.com.

For more information, please call 630-668-1571 ext. 315.

$5 suggested donation

The Theosophical Society in America launched an exciting new technology which will allow us to bring live programs to you, right in the comfort of your own home! Now, those of us who are home-bound, or living too far away to attend a lecture or class at the National Center, can still share in the wisdom and insights of our wonderful instructors and presenters.   

Tuesdays, March 6 - 27, 7:30 - 9 PM (Central Time)
$90 (4 sessions) 

 It's been said a picture is worth a thousand words. If this is true, imagine for a moment how many words must be contained in these 78 pictured cards. The capabilities of the symbolic illustrations of the Tarot is staggering. It seems to be as simple, and as complicated as that.
Easy to understand yet deep. These classes are geared for knowing how to use the Tarot for divination, psychic awareness and tapping into the full potential of the mind. Whether you are intrigued by their mystery, philosophy or symbolism you need to be able  to "use" the Tarot before you can delve deeper into their meaning. Then your journey can begin in understanding the many concepts and systems available involving these curious cards. Take this class today and read your Tarot cards this very evening. Get ready for a new way of "seeing", using the Tarot.

Some of the issues that will be covered:
1) History and background of the Tarot
2) Starting point definitions of each card.
3) Basic Intuitive interpretation techniques of the cards.
4) Breakdown of a card layout and how to apply it in a reading. 

Vincent Pitisci is a lifelong student of metaphysics and mysticism since early childhood, having been raised by parents who were members of the Theosophical Society. He has been a professional Psychic/Tarot advisor since 1992 and currently is a house reader at the National Center of the Theosophical Society's  Quest Book Store.

Register Here
For more information contact Dan Smolla: dsmolla@theosophical.org

 

 

The Dream Circle
An Online Dream Study Group

Wednesdays,  12:30-1:30 PM (Central Time)

A second series of classes will be scheduled following this series depending on availability. 

Dream sharing has been an integral part of many cultures, helping individuals to recognize the symbolic language in which our dreams speak to us. As HPB wrote: “Knowledge comes in visions, first in dreams …”. The interpretation of the symbols in our dreams, helps us to access this knowledge of the Spirit (Self) that speaks to us from our subconscious. 

Participants bring a dream to each class session, and are prepared to present the facts of the dream, the life event that may have stimulated it and the emotions as felt within the dream and on awakening. Discussion of the dream is then opened up to the other members who respond beginning: “If this were my dream …” and who then give their views of what the dream means. Dreams often reveal sensitive personal information. There is tacit agreement that the dreams of participants will not be discussed outside the group, and the dreamer may cut off discussion of his/her dream at any time. 

The facilitators are Weyler Greene, PhD and Sy Ginsburg, JD. Dr. Greene is the C.G. Jung Center Analyst in Residence and Clinical Consultant in the June Singer Clinic, Evanston, Illinois. Seymour (Sy) Ginsburg was a 19 year pupil of Sri Madhava Ashish, author of the Study Group textbook, An Open Window: Dream as Everyman’s Guide to the Spirit, (Penguin, 2007). The supplemental textbook is C.G. Jung, Man and his Symbols (Dell, 1968). Both are available at the Quest Bookshop. (630) 665-0123 

Because of the interactive nature of this study group, participation is necessarily limited.  If you would like and are able to participate regularly, please email Jim Bosco, Chief of Staff. jbosco@theosophical.org.

Wheaton-Olcott Theosophical Study Center
Wednesdays, 7 - 8 PM,

 http://theosophical.weebly.com/

We are pleased to announce that the Wheaton-Olcott Theosophical Study Center, which meets at the National Center of the Theosophical Society in America, will embark upon a program of study open to members of the Theosophical Society. Attendance is free and can be online or in person. Visit the Study Center's webpage to see the resources and topics we will begin to explore this year. Send an email to dsmolla@theosophical.org letting us know the name under which you are a member of the TS in America, and we will e-mail you back an ID and password. Then click here and sign in the online room with the information we sent you.

The three main areas of research and study this season will concern the roots of modern Theosophy, the work of the Theosophical Society, and the main Theosophical teachings. Various articles and excerpts from books will form the basis of our study. We will look at the development of theosophical ideals throughout the ages from Pythagoras, Plato, Neo-platonism, Meister Eckhart, J. Boehme and more. We will explore the impact of Theosophy on the world in science, philosophy, religion, education and the arts; and ponder over the message of Theosophical leaders including past international TS presidents, about the essential nature of our work as a Society. We will then be guided through the foundational concepts of what it is called modern Theosophy, such as the ultimate reality; the manifestation of the universe; the laws of periodicity, cause and effect or karma, reincarnation, and evolution; the constitution of human beings, the macrocosm reflected in the microcosm, and others.

The Mahatma Letters
Thursdays 12:30 - 1:30 PM
With Jon Knebel 

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The Thursday staff study group is continuing in webinar format. Jon Knebel facilitates this group studying the Mahatma Letters and you are welcome to participate online from wherever you are! .

Buy the Mahatma Letters at Quest Bookshop with 20% discount!

Recording and Handouts

 

 

Online Gurdjieff Study Group

Fridays, weekly 10:00-11:15 AM (Central Time) ongoing

The practical teaching of G.I. Gurdjieff (1866-1949) requires ongoing self-observation over many years. The purpose of such self-observation while making the effort to self-remember is to gradually free us from our identifications with fears and desires in their many forms. This helps us to realize that we are not the body-brain-ego organism that we have been mistakenly taught to believe is our true identity. 

For this purpose pupils typically organize themselves into ongoing groups that meet regularly in order to share their self-observations, and in support of their ongoing efforts to remember themselves. “Remember yourself always and everywhere” is the aphorism expressing the central teaching that Gurdjieff brought. This online Gurdjieff Study group has been meeting weekly since the beginning of 2011. Participants bring their self-observations to share at the beginning of each meeting. Afterward, there takes place a reading from the course textbook, Nicoll, Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, Vol. 1, and from which a psychological exercise is selected for participants to work on in between the group meetings. 

This is not an introductory group, so you need to be familiar with Gurdjieff’s concepts and terminology in order to participate. If you are not, please download the introductory book Ginsburg, Gurdjieff Unveiled (Lighthouse, 2001) which is now offered as a free Ebook on the Theosophical Society website. After reading this book, if you would like to participate, please email syginsburg@aol.com for further information. Because of the interactive nature of this Study Group, participation is necessarily limited. 

The facilitator of this Study Group is Seymour (Sy) Ginsburg. Sy studied Gurdjieff’s teaching for nineteen years under the tutelage of Sri Madhava Ashish and has co-facilitated the ongoing Gurdjieff Study Group at the Theosophical Society in Miami (Deerfield Beach) since 1993.

Meditation Practices and Perspectives
Every Sunday at 9:30 AM  
With Jim Bosco

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Each week we will have discussion, instructional guided meditation, and silent meditation time covering various meditation methods. We will also cover all aspects of beginning and sustaining a regular meditation practice. This group will be suitable for all levels of meditators from beginners learning meditation to experts seeking fellowship and the opportunity to share their experiences.

 

 

Reel-Time Theosophy

Last Sunday of every month,
With Steve Schweizer

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This monthly Webinar will look at some of the educational video programs produced at the Theosophical Society in America. Steve Schweizer, a writer and producer for the Society since 1984, will introduce each program, revealing something of the story behind the production of each title. Following an online showing of the program, there will be time for open discussion among Webinar participants, exploring ways in which each title could be used as part of Theosophical programming both at local TS meetings and as a part of online study.

 

Sundays,  11 a.m. 

 
 Each week, a topic related to meditation will be presented and discussed, followed by a brief guided meditation and longer silent meditation. Instruction will be provided for beginners, but practitioners of all levels are encouraged to share their path of meditation.

Jim Bosco, a student of Theosophy and meditation for over 35 years, has studied at the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy and the Temple of Kriya Yoga.

No charge. Donations appreciated.

For more information, please call 630-668-1571, ext. 315.

 

 

Third Saturday of the month,    2–4 p.m.
For children and young people

Through ceremony, games, story-telling, and creative activities, the Order of the Round Table helps youth grow as useful and happy members of society. It promotes awareness of unity, stimulates love of nature and animals, and encourages a life of harmony and compassion. Contact: olcottroundtable@yahoo.com.

Wednesdays, 6:00-6:45 p.m.

We provide a space and time for silence in the meditation room. Sit quietly or meditate upon a quote from the chalice on the center table.

For more information, please call 630-668-1571 ext. 315.