Theosofest 2025 Presenters, Topics & Schedule
Opening Ceremony: Prayers from World Traditions
10:15 a.m., auditorium (third floor)
Join us as we share blessings and prayers with representatives from a sampling of traditions from around the world, including Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Native American, Buddhism, Baháʼí and Theosophy.
PRESENTATIONS
So, What is Theosophy Anyway? with President Douglas Keene, MD
11:00 a.m., auditorium (third floor)
When someone attends a talk on Theosophy, they might be asked by family and friends, “So, what is Theosophy anyway?” and expect an answer in one or two sentences. However, Theosophy is multifaceted, and simple depictions may not capture crucial aspects. Whether you are familiar with the organization or not, come hear a brief introductory presentation on the essential elements of this tradition.
Douglas Keene, MD has been a member of the TSA since 1980. He has served several years on the TSA Board of Directors, initially as Eastern Director and currently as President. Doug has presented throughout the United States and internationally on Theosophical topics. He is also a family doctor and has been in practice for over 30 years. Later in his career, he earned a Masters of Public Health in Global Health and worked in Lesotho, Africa for two years training native doctors.
Despacho Ceremony: A Traditional Andean Earthkeepers’ Living Prayer Offering with Jami Lieder
11:00 a.m., activity tent (outside)
This interactive ceremony, referred to as a despacho in the Andes, is rooted in gratitude for Mother Earth and extends to gratitude for all of life. It is an opportunity to release that which no longer serves one’s journey, then, with gratitude, to call in the gift of creation. The prayers and living mandala of plants and flowers are ceremonially offered in a sacred fire to pachamama (Mother Earth), or water. As the despacho is released, the intentions (prayers) are disclosed to spirit and the universe for the highest good.
Back to the Sacred Center: A Healing Pause in Shifting Winds with Billie Topa Tate
12:30 p.m., Auditorium (third floor)
Join Native American author and teacher Billie Topa Tate for a truly helpful and insightful lecture filled with tools and wisdom designed to reconnect you with your inner wisdom and the sacred rhythm of healthy life. This free gathering is a powerful moment to pause, reflect, and center yourself in the midst of life’s transitions. You’ll gain gentle techniques and insights to help you navigate change with greater peace, clarity, and purpose.
We will explore:
- Ancient wisdom for navigating uncertainty
- The role of stillness and breath in spiritual clarity
- Energy awareness as a path to personal empowerment
- How small sacred practices can create powerful change
Billie Topa Tate is the founder of MSI Wellness Center. She is Mescalero Apache and is dedicated to “Creating a Sacred Place One Person at a Time” through the indigenous native teachings of her teachers. Billie has lectured and taught at Northwestern University, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and more. Her work has been published in several publications, and she is the author of a library of meditations and books including her new book Spirit Guide Invocation – Writings of a Medicine Woman. She is dedicated to being of service to anyone who is seeking wellness, mindfulness training, and spiritual growth. Learn more at her website: msi-healing.com.
You can also join Billie Toa Tate for an online class, “The Four Directions Within: A Native American Meditation Experience,” starting on September 15.
The Role of Ayurveda in Spiritual Growth with Swati Mhaske
12:30 p.m., Nicholson Hall (lower level)
Ayurveda is not just a system of healing; it is a path to higher consciousness. This talk explores Ayurvedic practices that support spiritual evolution, including diet, meditation techniques, breathwork, and lifestyle habits that enhance mental clarity and inner harmony. Learn how balancing the doshas can elevate meditation, deepen self-awareness, and align the body with the rhythms of the universe.
Swati Mhaske, B.A.M.S., M.Sc.Pharm, is an Ayurveda practitioner with a bachelor’s degree in Ayurveda medicine and surgery and a master’s degree in scientific research and pharmaceutical medicine from India. She also has extensive hands-on training in Panchakarma (detoxification and body cleanse procedures) and offers one-on-one Ayurvedic and Panchakarma consultations in treating lifestyle disorders, hormonal imbalances, fertility issues, and other health imbalances in adults and children at her company HemaVeda in Crystal Lake. Learn more at her website: hemaveda.com.
Ascent to the Beyond: A Meditative Labyrinth Journey with Christopher Howard
12:30 p.m., labyrinth
For thousands of years, labyrinths have served as sacred tools for inner transformation, contemplation, and communion with the deeper Self. Join us for a meditative walk into the heart of “Being” through the archetypal path of the labyrinth. Guided by the timeless Buddhist mantra Gate Gate Pāragate Pārasamgate Bodhi Svāhā, this experience invites participants to journey inward toward unity with the Divine, and return infused with clarity, love, and light.
Christopher Howard is a lifelong musician with over 40 years of experience as a guitarist, music minister, and songwriter. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Music with a focus in classical guitar, Christopher blends his deep love of sound with contemplative practice. He views music as a sacred bridge to presence and transformation. A longtime volunteer at the Theosophical Society in America, Christopher brings a devotional and intuitive approach to spiritual facilitation, drawing on the power of sound, symbolism, and stillness to awaken inner awareness.
Buddha’s Teachings for Turbulent Times with John Cianciosi
2:00 p.m., auditorium (third floor)
During these turbulent times of much conflict and polarization, the Buddha’s teaching can shed light on how to approach the many challenges we encounter. In our society we generally place great emphasis on principles such as justice, being right, and the rule of law. Indeed, these qualities are necessary for a stable society, but they are not sufficient for the creation of a healthy community or a healthy planet. From the Buddhist point of view, we need to be right but also good. We need wisdom to know what is right, but to be good we also need compassion. Wisdom and compassion must work together if we are to achieve happiness and help create a better world.
John Cianciosi was ordained a Buddhist monk in Thailand in 1972 and trained under the late Venerable Ajahn Chah. Later, he was appointed abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat, the International Forest Monastery established to provide training for the growing number of Ajahn Chah’s Western disciples. In 1982, he was asked to establish a Buddhist monastery in Perth, Western Australia. For the next 14 years, he was instrumental in successfully establishing Bodhinyana Monastery and Dhammaloka Buddhist Centre. In 1995 he left monastic life and moved to the Chicago area, where he continues to share his insights and wisdom. He is the author of The Meditative Path and is currently the director of public programs at the Theosophical Society in America.
The Beauty of a Therapeutic Touch Healing Practice! with Marilyn Johnston-Svoboda
2:00 p.m., Nicholson Hall (lower level)
Imagine a world where all of our human interactions were preceded by the creation of a sense of quietness, peacefulness, and an exchange of compassionate energy. This is the world of Therapeutic Touch (TT). Compassion for self and others is at the core of the teachings and practice.
This gentle healing practice can be learned in a simple way in order to help your families, friends and one’s self. More extensive studies are available for use in healthcare and similar professions.
It creates a sense of well-being, balance, ease of pain and anxiety, and peacefulness. In addition, over time, TT practitioners find that it is a beautiful pathway to enrich and deepen one’s spiritual life.
Marilyn Johnston-Svoboda, RN, EdD, QTTP/QTTT (Qualified Therapeutic Touch Teacher), is a retired professor of nursing. Taught by Dora Kunz, who co-created TT, Dr. Johnston has led numerous workshops and conferences for over 30 years, teaching TT, imagery, and other wellness and healing modalities. She currently teaches several TT workshops each year and mentors many students. In her private practice, she creates a caring and peaceful environment in which to administer TT for those who are ill along with those who seek to maintain well-being. Marilyn is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and a credentialing trustee of the Therapeutic Touch International Organization.
Easy Yoga for Balance and Wellbeing with Vivian Thorne
2:00 p.m., activity tent (outside)
Join us for some yoga postures that can be done while standing and sitting on a chair. These easy postures benefit your mental and physical wellbeing by improving relaxation, flexibility, and strength. No experience necessary!
Vivian Thorne is a certified yoga teacher, 100 CYT, and leads women’s spiritual mindfulness retreats. She also works in pediatric public health. Yoga and meditation are a consistent part of her practice
Awakening to the Natural World: Simple Sense-Opening Exercises with Beth Bengtson
2:00 p.m., stone circle and fire pit
The benefits of spending time in the natural world are becoming increasingly well known. Learn some easy techniques to renew and deepen your connection with nature alongside Certified Forest Therapy Guide Beth Bengtson. Beth will guide participants in simple, sense-opening exercises and gentle invitations to foster awareness of and reciprocity with the more-than-human world, and give tips for incorporating nature connection practices into daily life.
Beth Bengtson has a passion for helping people connect with the natural world through knowledge and experience. She is a Certified Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, and has certifications in Natural History and N-ACT (Natural Areas Conservation Training) through The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. She has worked as an Education Program Guide at the Arboretum since 2008, teaching nature education programs to youth and adults in both lab and outdoor settings. She also works with a volunteer steward group restoring the Arboretum’s East Prairie, and leads students and youth volunteers on natural areas restoration projects. Beth has a B.A in English from the University of Iowa and, prior to entering the field of nature education, worked professionally as a writer/editor. She still enjoys writing occasional freelance and personal projects. Her work has been published in literary journals and various print and online publications.
Shaping Our Destiny: A Theosophical View of Karma with Juliana Cesano
3:30 p.m., Auditorium (third floor)
Join us to discover why understanding karma is essential for spiritual unfoldment and the evolution of humanity. This talk explores karma not as a force of fate or punishment, but as the universal law of cause and effect that operates on physical, mental, and spiritual levels. We will reflect on how every choice sends ripples through our lives, shaping not only our present circumstances but also the future challenges and possibilities that await us. In this light, karma is the self-created architect of destiny—an unwavering principle of harmony and a call to conscious, compassionate living.
Juliana Cesano is a third-generation Theosophist who has been actively involved with the Theosophical Society’s work since 1996. She became a staff member at the National Center of the Theosophical Society in America in 2007, where she currently serves as the Member Education Director and the National Secretary. She is an international speaker for the TS (Adyar).
Awakening to Soul Awareness: A Journey Through Dreams, Inspiration, and Inner Vision
With David Birr
3:30 p.m., Nicholson Hall (lower level)
Soul awareness opens the door to a deeper understanding of our life’s purpose and reveals the spiritual significance hidden within our everyday experiences. In this heartfelt and illuminating lecture, Dave invites you to explore the transformative power of soul consciousness through his own personal journey.
Drawing from vivid dreams, intuitive insights, profound meditations, and moments of inspiration, Dave will share how these experiences have shaped his path—deepening his sense of service, enriching his relationships, and guiding his creative expression. The lecture will also feature selections from his inspired writings and spiritual artwork, each a reflection of the soul’s voice and vision.
David Birr has facilitated weekly soul growth groups for 50 years and has studied and researched the seven rays for three decades. He has taught courses and presented lectures on the esoteric psychology of the seven rays and related topics, including dreams, esoteric astrology, intuition, karma, meditation, numerology, reincarnation, relationships, soul growth, and spiritual healing. He is also an environmental engineer.
Tai Chi and Qiqong for Balance and Health with Zuzana Tkacova
3:30 p.m. activity tent (outside)
Through the practice of Tai Chi your mind can achieve a stillness and clarity rarely experienced with other forms of exercise; integrating your body and mind, allowing you to achieve inner peace. This class will help you develop harmony with the world on a physical, mental, emotional and ultimately, spiritual level. This calmness pervades your whole body, leaving you less stressed and more refreshed at the end of the day. Practice strengthens the immune system, improves posture, balance, coordination, flexibility and strength, reduces blood pressure and stress, and releases tension allowing a feeling of positive energy to flow through your body.
Zuzana Tkacova began teaching Tai Chi and Qigong in 2020. She is a certified Tai Chi instructor, a Master of Medical Qigong, a certified Acupressurist, and a Reiki Practitioner. She is also a professional member of the National Qigong Association and holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Slovakia. Zuzana owns Hummingbird Qigong and teaches Tai Chi and Qigong in various locations as well as online. Additionally, she teaches Tai Chi and Qigong for cancer support centers and retirement communities. She holds a Purple Belt in Shaolin Kung Fu and currently assists her Chinese Shaolin Master in teaching beginners Kung Fu classes.
Spirit Circle Drumming with Karen Tlusty-Rissman
5:00 p.m., stone circle and fire pit
Celebrate your spirit through music and movement! Join us in sacred space for healing rhythms and dance. Based on a blend of traditions, the drum circle draws on our most ancient roots to create expressions of love and joy, raising energy that is held in silence and then sent out in offerings of prayer, followed by grounding. Although some instruments will be available, please bring drums, rattles, or other rhythm instruments if possible. Meet outdoors at the Stone Circle south of the labyrinth.
Karen Tlusty-Rissman is a musician, astrologer, artist, and celebrant of Spirit. She currently leads a variety of meditation classes in the western suburbs and has facilitated sacred circles for over 35 years. She weaves the common threads from many Earth-centered traditions as well as astrology, aromatherapy, and energy work to provide participants with a direct connection to their inner Source. Karen plays the Native American flute, concert flute, bass guitar, Tibetan singing bowls, and gong. She is available for private consultation, meditation classes, musical performances, and lessons. Visit https://starsong23.wordpress.com/about-me/