---

KROTONA SCHOOL OF THEOSOPHY
PROGRAMS FALL-WINTER 2025

Unveiling Theosophy: Course I The Divine Plan

August 5-September 16
Ananya Sri Ram and Maria Parisen
Tuesdays 4 – 5:30 pm PT, 6 – 7:30 CT, 7 – 8:30 ET
Zoom Only

This 7-week course offers live facilitation of the Online School of Theosophy (OST) course “The Divine Plan.” Following the course units offered on the OST, students will come together online each week to enquire and discuss the material offered in each unit, culminating in an onsite retreat at Krotona Institute September 26-28 2025 with support from the George and Kathleen Anderson Charitable Trust. To attend the retreat, students need to complete the whole course. The retreat will provide a practical application of the material studied and discussed. Students need to register for the program through the Krotona Institute website and open an account on the Online School (https://study.theosophical.org/ ) if they do not have one already. Once a student is registered for the class, more information will be provided by email.

No Charge. Donations Welcomed

Click here to register

Ananya Sri Ram has been a student of Theosophy since 1983 and incorporates theosophical principles into her practice as a licensed therapist. Past president of the Theosophical Order of Service, USA, she co-teaches an introductory online theosophical course for the Theosophical Society in America (TSA) and contributes to the online journal Theosophy Forward. She currently serves as the director of the Krotona School in Ojai, California.

Maria Parisen has been a T.S. member since 1969 and active for 40 years in the T.S. in Detroit, has served on the national boards of the Theosophical Society in America, the Theosophical Order of Service and currently the Krotona Institute. A resident of Krotona since 2003, and director of its School of Theosophy for 15 years, she has taught for the T.S. internationally and compiled the Quest anthology Angels and Mortals: Their Co-Creative Power.

Great Films, Timeless Themes

September 25-October 16
Catherine Ann Jones
Thursdays 6:30-8:30 PT
Onsite Krotona Hall

The essence of Theosophy is the perfect harmonizing
of the divine with the human in Man.
–H.P. Blavatsky

Film is one of the most important mediums of our times. Producer David Putnam (Chariots of Fire, the Mission) once said, “If films were what they might be, there would be no need to go to church.” Four films will be screened as a catalyst to explore universal facets of human experience and philosophical themes. Catherine will introduce each film briefly. After screening an open dialogue will follow.

• September 25: Shining Night: A portrait of composer Morten Lauridsen (2012). A man, an island, and contemporary music that moves the world.
• October 2: The Gathering Storm (2002). Winston Churchill’s wilderness years prior to WW II, when only he could see the threat that Adolf Hitler and a rearmed Germany posed to Europe. Starring Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave.
• October 9: The Bear (1999). Set in 1885 in the majestic mountains of British Columbia. The greatest thrill is not to kill but to let live.
• October 16: Jules (2023). A sci-fi comedy-drama starring Ben Kingsley. A man’s quiet life gets upended when a UFO crashes in his backyard in rural Pennsylvania. Who could believe him?

Single Session $15 Series $50
Students by donation

Click here to register

Catherine Ann Jones, M.A. is an award-winning author, playwright, and screenwriter (The Christmas Wife, Unlikely Angel, Touched by an Angel series) and author of eight books. A Fulbright Research Scholar to India with over 30 years of teaching experience at The New School University (NYC) and U.S.C. Film School (LA) along with workshops at the Esalen and Omega Institutes, and in Europe and Asia. Her six online courses at DailyOM have drawn over 60,000 subscribers. Blog, workshop schedule, writing and personal consultations: www.wayofstory.com

Gentle Yoga Series

October 2-November 13
Alana Mitnick
Thursday Mornings 10am-11:15am (No class October 23)
Onsite and Zoom

In this 6-week yoga series we will explore what it feels like to move gently, from a place of self-compassion and embodied ease. Drawing awareness towards the breath and subtle sensations, we explore simple asanas, somatic movements, and meditation techniques designed to calm the nervous system – offering relief, increasing mobility, and inspiring a flow of energy.

Drop-ins welcome!

Please bring a yoga mat, a yoga blanket (or towel), and any props you would like to use during your practice.

Single Session $20, Series $110

Click here to register

Alana Mitnick, E-RYT 500, YACEP, has been teaching yoga in the Ojai Valley for nearly 20 years. A spiritual searcher by nature, Alana is devoted to a path of service and integrity. She offers yoga and meditation classes that are accessible to people of all ages, bodies, and abilities. A dedicated student of Yoga since 1996, Alana attended her first Iyengar class for seniors at the age of fifteen. Some of her most influential teachers include: Kira Sloane, Ravi Ravindra, Erich Schiffmann, and Tias Little. In 2011, Alana attended the School of the Wisdom at the Theosophical Society Adyar, India, deepening her understanding and appreciation for theosophy and yoga philosophy. Alana demonstrates skillful and compassionate leadership within the yoga community. She was a studio owner of the Ojai Yoga Shala for five years and served as Content Producer at Yoga Anytime from 2014-2022. Currently, Alana co-teaches 200-hour Yoga Teacher Trainings and leads Restorative and Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings.

---

Radiance and Reflection: The Making of Mandalas

October 11
David Orr
Saturday 10am-noon, 2-4 pm

Onsite and Zoom

The Mandala has long served as a symbol representing the universe. C.G. Jung noted that although the mandala is most often associated with Eastern thought, the form has appeared in myriad cultures for centuries. In his introduction to The Red Book, Sonu Shamdasani noted that Jung “held that the mandala represented one of the best examples of the universality of an archetype.” David Orr will take you through his own work with Mandalas, discuss their use across cultural and philosophical spectrums, then open the process to attendees. The series will demonstrate how the mandala appears in myriad belief systems, exploring similarities between various uses of the form—ranging from ancient celestial maps, sacred geometry, and contemporary diagram used in particle physics. David will guide your own creation of mandala symbology using elements of your own mythology. Sessions will include artist lectures, mandala making, and group discussion.

Single Session $20 Series $35

Click here to register

David Orr is a visual artist based in California. He exhibits his work internationally, and has spoken about it at a wide range of venues including Cal State LA, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Death Salon, Dublintellectual Ireland, The Director’s Guild of America, The Mütter Museum, The New School, Parsons School of Design, The Philosophical Research Society, Reed College, Tibet House NYC, and UCLA. He is a member of The Long Now Foundation, a non-profit that “aims to provide a counterpoint to what it views as today’s “faster/cheaper” mindset and to promote “slower/better” thinking.”

---

Our World, Its Growth and Development

October 23-26
Martin Leiderman, Pablo and Michele Sender, Ariel Tarazaga and Eva Moberg
Fourth Biennial Secret Doctrine Forum: Stanza VI
Thursday – Saturday 10am to noon, 2-4pm
Sunday 10am-noon
Onsite and Zoom

This Work I Dedicate to all True Theosophists in every Country,
and of every Race, for they called it forth, and for them it is recorded.
–Helena Blavatsky, 1888

The Secret Doctrine – The Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy, is H. P. Blavatsky’s greatest work. Based on the secret aphorisms in the ancient Stanzas of Dzyan, it presents a panoramic, esoteric view of the evolution of all life. HPB states, “These truths are in no sense put forward as a revelation . . . For what is contained in this work is to be found scattered throughout thousands of volumes embodying the scriptures of the great Asiatic and early European religions, hidden under glyph and symbol . . . left unnoticed because of this veil. What is now attempted is to gather the oldest tenets together and to make of them one harmonious and unbroken whole.”

In this recurring forum, we explore together various themes to arrive at deeper insights into the teachings and their applications to our lives. Continuing our study of the seven stanzas in Volume I, Cosmic Evolution, our inquiry focuses on Stanza VI (Our World, Its Growth and Development.)

Single Session $15 Day $25 Full Series $80

Click here to register

---

Poetry As Portal: An Exploration

November 1
Karen Hesli
Saturday 10am – noon, 2-4pm
Onsite only

This is a day for retreating alone and together. Our jumping off point will be to reflect on these 2 quotes:

“To understand life is to understand ourselves. That is both the beginning and end of education.”
–Education and the Significance of Life, J. Krishnamurti

“Every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”
–Song of Myself, Walt Whitman

Each of the two sessions will begin with reading selected poems aloud together, followed by reflection and sharing related to the theme. We will then each enjoy time in nature alone, for creating a poem or poetic expression, sketching, poetic movement, or further reflection. Sharing with the group will follow, with attentive listening and appreciation.

Karen Hesli After a decade of teaching in Minneapolis Public Schools, Karen was introduced to a different kind of learning encouraged by philosopher/educator J. Krishnamurti. In 1980 she discovered the gift of her “lifelong education of inquiry” at Oak Grove School,
where she worked in various teaching and administrative positions until retiring in 2018.

In Karen’s words, ” Poetry came to me steadily through the years, mostly via students, whose natural language was effortlessly, right-brainedly, poetic. Now I admit to being an evangelist for poetry. I see poetry as equipment for life. The right poem opens doors, bridges several worlds, interrupts entrenched thinking or catalyzes honest reflection. I love to share poems that have moved me over the years; not as examples of ‘iambic pentameter,’ but ones that ask what is in your heart as a human being or what moves and nurtures your life.

Single Session $20 Day $35

Click here to register

---

La Vida Espiritual en la Vida y en la Muerte

Fin de semana español
diciembre 5-7
Elvira Carbonell and Francisco Cueva
Viernes 7:30 – 9 pm, Sabado 10 – noon, 2 – 4 pm, Domingo 10 – noon
En persona et Zoom

Este fin de semana exploraremos lo que los Grandes Maestros y Teósofos han enseñado acerca de la vida espiritual y su desarrollo en el hombre, en este plano físico y después de la muerte en el Devachan. La hermana Elvira Carbonell presentará con diapositivas lo que es el Devachan, como se llega a él y una vez en el Devachan, cual sera su proceso. El hermano Francisco Cuevas de Chile tratará mas ahondo el tema de la vida espiritual, su desarrollo y realización plena. Muchos de los temas que serán tratados salen de diferentes fuentes como La Doctrina Secreta, Las Cartas de los Maestros, Budismo Esotérico de AP Sinnett y Devachan de CW Leadbeater, entre otros.

Se agradecen las donaciones

haga clic aquí para registrarse

Elvira Carbonell Original de Cuba, emigrando a los EEUU a la edad de 13 años. Graduada de UCLA en Matemáticas y Estadísticas Aplicadas. Ingresó a la Sociedad Teosofica en America en el año 1987. Desde entonces, ella ha sido una estudiante asidua de la filosofía Teosófica. Trabajó como voluntaria en la sede Internacional de Adyar, India y para la sede nacional de America en Wheaton, USA, por varios años. Es miembro de la Logia España de Los Angeles y actualmente enseña matemáticas, lectura, etc., a adultos quienes están interesados en obtener su diploma de secundaria o certificado de vocación especifica.

Francisco Cuevas Torres Nacido en Chile, de profesión Ingeniero Informático e Industrial con Licenciatura en Ciencias mención Industrias, es miembro de la Sociedad Teosófica desde 2017. Fue Secretario de Rama los años 2019, 2020 y 2021. Desde el año 2023 a la fecha actual forma parte de la Directiva Nacional de la Sociedad Teosófica en Chile como Secretario de la institución. A partir del año 2023 hasta la actualidad es parte del equipo de The School of The Wisdom Adyar, apoyando el desarrollo y gestión de los cursos Online y Presencial (Adyar) de la Escuela de la Sabiduría.

---

Pathways to the Heart: Contemplative Prayer Practices, East and West

December 11-14
Spiritual Retreat
David Odorisio
Thursday 7:00-8:30pm, Friday & Saturday 10am-noon, 2-4 pm
Sunday 10am – noon
Onsite and Zoom

Mystical and monastic traditions over centuries have developed advanced spiritual technologies for alchemizing human potential. Early Christian monastics referred to this as the path of the gnostikē, while later Sufi mystics called it ma’rifa — direct, experiential knowledge of the Divine. Rooted in a shared understanding of spiritual perception centered in the heart, these two traditions each developed rigorous psychological maps for navigating shadow, resistance, and transformation.

This weekend retreat introduces the spiritual psychology of Christian monasticism and Sufi mysticism, placing them in direct conversation with one another. It invites participants to consider the inner path as one of radical integration, clarity, and awakening. Through gentle guided contemplative exercises, participants are invited to engage more directly with these inner technologies of Sufi mysticism and Christian monasticism. Together, we will explore heart-centered contemplative practices which transcend division and assist us in leading lives of conscious compassionate relationship.

Accommodation available. Two night minimum. Please call 805-646-1139 or click here
Single sessions $20 Series $110

Click here to register

David M. Odorisio, PhD, is Chair and Core Faculty in the Mythological Studies and Psychology, Religion, and Consciousness programs at Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA. He is editor of the extraordinary work Thomas Merton in California: The Redwoods Conferences and Letters, and Merton and Hinduism: The Yoga of the Heart. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Mysticism Unit for the American Academy of Religion. David speaks regularly about, and leads retreats and workshops on, the life and writings of Thomas Merton. www.ahomeforsoul.com