The Future? of the Adyar Theosophical Society

The Secrecy

The secrecy with which the Adyar Theosophical Society

leadership conducts the Society’s affairs is legendary.

Is this secrecy for its own sake or are some serious

issues being suppressed and kept beyond discussion?

Here are some pointers as to the sort of things that

General Council don’t want to discuss with the paying

members but I am probably only scratching the surface.

By

Dave Marsland

 

 

 

 

 

The General Council has always had a reputation for extreme secrecy, and in the days prior to the internet any Society news that was officially released by the Council was filtered through many levels of management before it reached the general membership. The leadership didn't say much and the members heard even less. I'm sure the current leadership look back on those days with nostalgia.

 

The internet age has made secrecy more obvious and more difficult, but rather than adapt to the new environment with a more open approach to their workings, the General Council have become more obsessive in their drive to maintain secrecy. Is the pursuit of secrecy just an end in itself stemming from either paranoia about the perceived power of members which threatens their control, or a belief that leadership of the Society gives them a spiritual authority which is above question? The first of these speculations probably has some substance but the second is unlikely although one national president has proclaimed himself "Spiritual Head" of his section. It is also unclear to non initiates as to how members of the Esoteric Section regard themselves and their group in relation to the general membership.

 

There must be more to all this secrecy than underlying policy or custom and practice. One major cause may be that there is an inherent lack of representation in the system. Many national groups fall below the criteria for General Council representation and have no vote at either regional or full international level. Further lack of representation occurs with national sections who do not send representation to Adyar, either because they don't have the resources or because they believe that the money is better spent elsewhere. Only 20 out of 60 national groups were represented at the 2013 Adyar Convention indicating a massive chunk of the general membership outside India unrepresented at General Council meetings.

 

At present, a proportion of each member's subscription goes to Adyar and there is a case to be made for no Adyar levy to be taken from members who are in groups with no vote at international level. Those in national sections who choose not to be represented at the Adyar Conventions may have something to discuss internally on this matter. As they are not fully representative, it is questionable as to whether the General Council has any mandate to be the governing body of the Adyar Theosophical Society.

 

Another suppressed issue is the hereditary family control of the Adyar Estate. This has been an issue for decades but the General Council never discuss it publicly and has simply allowed it to continue without addressing it. The level of control has led to a situation in which neither the General Council nor any serving International President can make a decision concerning the Adyar Estate without family approval. This limitation impairs Adyar’s capability to function as an effective international headquarters and any future international president to do the job.

 

Full transparency under these conditions is not possible for the General Council as it would reveal their weakness and the true state of the Society, leading to members demanding reform or separation. Demands for moving the headquarters to another location would also grow louder although there are probably already contingency plans to facilitate this. Family control of Adyar is therefore definitely a subject that the General Council don’t want on the 2014 election agenda and probably a major reason why the presidential candidates are asked not to respond to questions.

 

 

 

 

 

The General Council may be nervous about other issues surfacing but a pressing one at the moment is the level of membership. At the 2013 Adyar Convention, International Vice-President Mr M P Singhal was prepared to reveal a drop of around 5000 members worldwide since 2007 but this was only presented as an estimate and not an official figure. The fact that membership was mentioned in an official and reported speech suggests that a shock may be on the way regarding the issue and perhaps some National Sections no longer warrant being National Sections under the current rules. Some of the smaller groups may now be dormant or defunct and may not be in the reckoning when it comes to the election. There is no doubt that the attempt by some in the leadership to cheat the members out of the right to vote for the International President damaged the relationship between the members and leadership, and caused some to leave. The extent of the exodus may be greater than the General Council want to reveal, and there may be some attempt to conceal the figures at the conclusion of the 2014 presidential election.

 

Whatever the reasons for the secrecy, maintaining silence and telling presidential candidates not to respond to questions sends out a clear message that something is seriously wrong. There is now considerable tension between the leadership and the members, and this can only be resolved if the General Council comes clean on the issues and communicates directly with the members.

 

 

 

 

Dave Marsland

 

Posted February 4th  2013

 

Dave’s Theosophy News Board

 

Contact Dave Marsland

 

 

 

 

Theosophical Society Issues

 

 

 

The Tekels Park Family Eviction

A family has been evicted from their home at Tekels Park because

a Tekels Park Estate Limited director wanted to live in their house.

 

 

 

The Future ? of

The Adyar Theosophical Society

 

 

Will there be an Adyar Free Future?

 

 

Adyar’s Slightly International Convention

 

 

President of Nothing

Membership Decline – The Elephant in the Room

 

 

Ballast

The True Status of the

Adyar Theosophical Society Members

 

 

Open Election?

How Inconvenient

 

 

Adyar

The Voice of Stagnation

 

 

Tekels Park & Dead Animals

 

 

An Extra Box on the Ballot Paper

Suggestion for the 2014 Adyar Theosophical Society

International Presidential Election

 

 

A Society Without Members

 

 

Is the 2014 Adyar Presidential Election Invalid?

 

 

Radha Burnier Employment Services

Radha Burnier’s policy of allocating jobs to members of her own

family turned the Adyar Headquarters into the family firm.

How many suitable applicants were discounted so that

Radha Burnier could give a job to a family member?

 

 

Don’t Just Do Nothing

Stand There

Despite decades of decline and stagnation leading the

Adyar Theosophical Society to the verge of evaporation

or disintegration, the leadership have so far shown no

sign of coming up with a strategy for ensuring the

continuation of the Society as a unified body.

 

 

Adyar, the Sole Purpose of Adyar

 

 

Western President

Or

They’ll Knock Adyar Down?

 

 

Save Radha’s House

Revealing that the Adyar elite’s stately home is under threat

of compulsory land purchase and can be saved by convincing the

authorities that it is in fact an international headquarters (if true)

may have given the Theosophical Society members a brilliant

opportunity to get Adyar off their backs.

If not true then it looks like blackmail

 

 

Ignore the Voters

and Get Elected

An overview of the Adyar Theosophical Society

Presidential Election System

 

 

What an Insult to Members

Expecting members to vote for candidates while withholding

highly relevant information indicates an utter contempt by

the leadership for the general membership

 

 

Film of the Tekels Park Deer

Here is a link to a short film of the Tekels Park Deer

posted by a Camberley resident.

Everyone opposed to the killing of the Tekels Park animals

will want to see this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fkfw8amMps

 

 

International Election Protocol

This is only an idea for consideration but if the Theosophical elite

continue to treat the members with the current levels of indifference and

contempt for the duration of this election then the Adyar Theosophical

Society will be an empty shell by the time it is completed.

 

 

The Secrecy

The secrecy with which the Adyar Theosophical Society

leadership conducts the Society’s affairs is legendary.

Is this secrecy for its own sake or are some serious

issues being suppressed and kept beyond discussion?

 

 

Banging the Drum for Theosophy

Looking forward to the post Adyar era

 

 

Burnier Town Hall

Family control of Adyar has reduced the members

of the General Council to the status of town hall officials.

 

 

The Great Election

Rip-Off

Silence by elected management cheats

the members out of participating in the

running of their own organisation

 

 

Keeping the International Headquarters at Adyar

It may not be that easy

 

 

 

ABOLISH

The International President

ABOLISH

The General Council

An idea for consideration

 

 

What is Behind the

Attitude

of the

Theosophical Elite?

The Adyar Theosophical Society ruling elite denies

members the right to be consulted on issues and the

ability to convey their views directly to the leadership.

Why does the leadership of an organisation

treat its members like this in the modern era?

 

 

Towards a New Model for Theosophy

The Adyar Theosophical Society Leadership

now isolates itself within a cult of superiority

while the Society evaporates around it.

A Theosophical Society can survive but not

in the current format.

 

 

Choose a Stooge

When the Issues are Huge

Is this what is on offer to the Adyar Theosophical

Society's paying members from a ruling elite

that has a different agenda from that of the Society?

 

 

SHUT UP & VOTE

This election is really inconvenient for the leadership, isn’t it?

Why are the members being hustled into blind voting?

What are the leadership’s post-election plans?

 

 

Members No Longer Members

of their Own Society

An inter-regnum in the presidency, during which

matters are discussed, is the only course of action

with a chance of saving the Adyar Theosophical

Society as a unified body.

 

 

Now Here’s Something Worth

Keeping Quiet About

Are there plans to sell Adyar without

consulting the members?

 

 

Is There Hidden

Bad News?

A leadership shutdown combined with a total

news blackout suggests a serious hidden issue

and an intense fear of revealing it.

 

 

Control Adyar or

You Control Nothing

Is the self imposed isolation of the General Council effectively

a mass resignation as they have found, after the death of

Radha Burnier, that establishing control of Adyar is too difficult?

 

 

A Manifesto

Well Done! CVK Maithreya

 

 

Elected Representation

Not Representing

Silence is Killing the Adyar Theosophical Society.

The presidential candidates are as much victims of the

General Council’s silence rule as are the members.

The silence rule also seeks to establish General Council

control over the future president.

 

 

Make Way for the Messiahs

Have the Esoteric Section and the

General Council merged into one body?

 

 

Does Silence Mean

Game Over

for the Adyar Theosophical Society?

CVK Maithreya presented plans for the future, in

defiance of General Council instructions.

Does suppression of discussion mean that the

Adyar Theosophical Society doesn’t have a future?

 

 

Accountable Leadership Urgently Required

The General Council has abused its power

by putting itself beyond accountability.

A new leadership is needed, and fast.

 

 

Anybody There?

No Information,

Discussion forbidden,

No replies to questions.

Do the members still have a Society?

 

 

Can’t Change

Won’t Change

Those who have kept the Society time warped

in the 1930s now have the task of introducing

reform and they obviously don’t want to do it.

 

 

Beggars at the Door

Left sitting out in the cold and starved of information,

members now realise how the General Council regards them

 

Why not include this picture in any information request to General Council

officers as an indication of how members feel they are being treated.

Or just send the picture anyway.

 

 

From The Top Down

The Adyar Theosophical Society is decades

out of date and desperately in need of reform

starting with getting rid of a leadership that

refuses to be accountable to the members.

 

 

Who Owns Adyar?

 

 

 

The Royal Court of Radha Burnier

 

 

General Council Meeting 2013 Minutes

 

 

Adyar

Theosophical Society

International Rules

 

 

Something Wrong?

Making it a bit obvious aren’t you?

 

 

Publicly Denounced

The Australian Section made a formal complaint to

Radha Burnier about her victimisation of the Australian

General Secretary at the 2011 General Council meeting.

 

 

Disgraceful Treatment of an Adyar Employee

A woman sacked and evicted for complaining.

Given 13 days to get out of her home.

 

 

The Preethi Muthiah Letters

Tell A Very Sad Tale

 

 

Concerns Raised

About General Council Meetings

Looks like there has been some attempt

by a General Council member to promote

reform within the Theosophical Society

 

 

General Council

2012 Meeting Minutes

 

 

New Committee?

Make Your Wife The Chairperson

 

 

Adyar Internal Problems

that the General Council

Should Investigate

 

 

Is Adyar Still The Headquarters?

 

 

Creep On!

General Council

Or why don’t you do something

to recover Adyar for the members?

 

 

Good Campaign Pitch, Mr Singhal

 

 

Adyar Prepares for the Break-Up

 

 

Profile of Adyar

From a Victim

 

 

Adyar Family Appointment

A Job for Your Daughter

 

 

 

 

Another Family Power Appointment

For your Daughter

 

 

Bold Initiative

By Singapore Lodge

 

 

 

 

Triumph of the Weak

Don’t expect the General Council

to do anything if the election is bent

 

 

Adyar Job News

You don’t need a plan

You don’t need a degree

If your name’s Raghavan

It’s job number three

 

 

No Stand For Democracy

An appraisal of the General Council’s commitment

to maintaining the Adyar Theosophical Society

as a democratic body

 

 

Bent election?

But Vote Anyway

 

 

A Society Without Leadership

Nobody sees it, Nobody hears from it

Is it hiding somewhere? Does it exist?

 

 

Who will Believe It?

Even if the presidential election is correct and above board,

the confidence in the General Council has fallen so low

that members won’t believe it.

 

 

Supporting Adyar?

Haven’t members been cheated for long enough?

 

 

 

 

 

Long Tradition of

Bullying

at Adyar

Preethi Muthiah has highlighted an endemic problem at Adyar,

which the General Council has ignored for many years.

There are still no plans implement a grievance procedure and

Anti-bullying policy at Adyar.

 

 

Summary Dismissal

Of lady over 70 from her job at Adyar

 

 

True Purpose of the

2014 Election

What the paying members want has little to do with

this election, as the silence and lack of information show.

The real purpose of this election is for the General Council

to deliver the candidate that the Adyar ruling elite wants.

 

 

What Makes this Election Invalid?

 

 

Trouble

After the Election

 

 

Was Your Vote Counted?

Was your vote forwarded to Adyar?

Was the election actually held?

Against a background of silence, a court case and

allegations of irregularities, these are fair questions.

 

 

Not Being at Adyar

Well, it’s much easier than being a real president

 

 

Democracy in the Adyar Theosophical Society

R.I.P.

 

 

11,432 Votes

Is That All?

 

 

No Right To Complain

Well, what can you expect in an organisation where

the leadership regards the membership as ballast

Doubts about the integrity of the election

are left unresolved, rendering the result invalid.

 

 

 

 

President’s Inauguration

A Private Function

Elite Welcome

The Ballast now know their true status

 

 

Pray Silence

While the President Creeps into Office

 

 

It’s Silence as Usual

By the Adyar Theosophical Society ruling elite.

No hurry to prove the election result

But a real hurry to get the president installed

 

 

Who Can Support

The Leadership Now?

 

 

Shut Up & Pay Up

The Adyar Theosophical Society has become

a multi-level marketing operation

 

 

President?

Really?

Doubts about the election result will

make the President’s job impossible.

 

 

Adyar & the US each have

Half a President

 

 

The White Lotus Hi-Jack

President uses White Lotus Day

as a personal platform.

What was the inauguration for?

 

 

Don’t Anybody

Ask Me Anything

That’s the clear message from the

International President to the members.

 

 

 

 

 

Is this the

Great Wheaton Rip-Off?

Questions now arise over allocation of Wheaton

resources by a two job president

 

 

Master of the Small Event

Launches New Presidency

 

 

 

 

The Adyar Payments Scam

 

 

Why Did

The 2014 Election

Go Ahead?

The General Council was confronted with considerable

evidence that the election was bent but just stood there

and let it go ahead.

 

 

The Great Giveaway

What right did the General Council have to give away

control of the Adyar Theosophical Society?

 

 

 

______________________________

 

 

Links to other News Boards

 

 

The Future of the Adyar Theosophical Society

Institutional Issues

 

 

Theosophy Forum

InvisionFree

 

 

Theosophy Nexus

 

 

www.FilosofiaEsoterica.com

 

 

www.TheosophyOnline.com

 

 

www.Esoteric-Philosophy.com

 

 

Theos-Talk

 

 

Теософическое Сообщество

"Нет религии выше истины!"

The Theosophical Community
"There is no religion higher than truth!"

 

 

_____________________________

 

 

Contact Dave Marsland

 

 

/another-family-job-at-adyar.htm  /cvk-maithreya-manifesto.htm  /singapore-initiative.htm  /control-adyar-or-control-nothing.htm

/good-reason-for-silence.htm  /triumph-of-the-weak.htm  /preethi-muthiah-adyar-profile.htm  /abolitionofpresident.htm

/lack-of-representation.htm  /carry-on-creeping.htm  /preethi-muthiah-letters.htm  /attitude-of-the-theosophical-elite.htm

/international-rules.htm  /members-disqualified.htm  /does-silence-mean-game-over.htm  /gc-concerns-raised.htm

/make-way-for-the-messiahs.htm  /hidden-bad-news.htm  /something-wrong.htm  /gc-2012-minutes.htm

/adyar-internal-problems.htm  /beggars-at-the-door.htm  /cannot-change-will-not-change.htm  /new-committee-nov-7.htm

/victimisation-of-gc-member.htm  /hey-look-a-job-for-his-daughter.htm  /cvk-maithreya-manifesto.htm

/accountable-leadership-urgently-required.htm