List of Online Programs
Krotona School’s fall theme is Context and Creativity. All programs will be via Zoom. Please check program listings for updates, options for registration and scholarships, and recording availability.
REGISTER for a single session or full series, using the following options.
Online: krotonainstitute.org, via credit/debit card or PayPal
Phone: 805-646-1139
Fax: 805-646-1144
email: schoolregistrar@krotonainstitute.org
School office hours: 9 am – 5 pm Pacific Time.
Realizing Our Eternal Nature
Pablo Sender
September 28 – October 1
Tuesday – Friday, 10 am – noon PDT
The Theosophical tradition and the Hindu non-dual teachings postulate that the real cause of suffering is that we are not aware of our eternal nature. Because we identify ourselves with the impermanent aspects of our beings (body and mind), we go through life “mourning for that which is not worthy of grief,” as said Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield. But in order to realize our eternal nature, we need to start paying attention to it–learning about it, inquiring into it, contemplating it. Drawing from the writings of Theosophists such us H. P. Blavatsky and Geoffrey Hodson, and Hindu non-dual teacher Nisargadatta Maharaj, we will explore the eternal in us, and learn how to look at the world and life from this perspective.
Series $50, Single Session $15.
Awakening Heart Wisdom:
Courage, Connection, Compassion
Cynthia Overweg
October 26 – 28
Tuesday – Thursday, 10 am – 11:30 PDT
Sages and mystics throughout the world have emphasized for centuries that the highest intelligence we can encounter is the wisdom of our own heart. The great Indian mystic, Kabir Das, put it this way: “Lift the veil that obscures the heart and there you will find what you are looking for.” What are we really looking for? What is the “veil” that obscures it? How do courage, connection and compassion awaken us to an authentic relationship with our innermost being? These are some questions we’ll explore together.
Each session will include meditative inquiry, body/mind relaxation, intervals of silence, sacred music and insights from the great teachings of East and West. Join us for an exploration of the inner awareness that unites the mind with the wisdom of the heart.
Tuesday, October 26: Is it possible to live without fear? What is our relationship with courage and the spiritual search? This session includes insights from the Bhagavad Gita, the Gospel of Thomas, and Freedom from the Known.
Wednesday, October 27: In a world where everything seems to be falling apart, can we go beyond the paralysis of fear and into a deeper understanding of what it means to be fully human? Insights from The Upanishads and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene are included in this session.
Thursday, October 28: The heart is the most vital organ in the body and it also has great mystical significance in the spiritual teachings of East and West: it is considered to be the energy center of wisdom and compassion that unifies the whole of existence within us. How are we to understand this? Insights from The Voice of the Silence and The Heart Sutra are included in this session.
Series $50, Single Session $15
Please register online https://www.krotonainstitute.org/programs/
Recorded for limited availability for registrants.
Cynthia Overweg has spent most of her adult life immersed in self-inquiry and the wisdom teachings of East and West. She is the author of Silent Awareness: The Revelation That Changes Everything. Drawing on more than two decades as a spiritual teacher and retreat facilitator, her work focuses on self-transformation and the fundamental importance of inner silence to our well-being. www.cynthiaoverweg.com
Click here to learn more and to register…
Harvesting Gratitude:
A Morning of Healing and Renewal
Ananya Sri Ram Rajan and Cynthia Overweg
Saturday Retreat
October 30 9:30 am – noon PDT
Harvesting can be viewed at many different levels. When considered from a spiritual perspective, life’s journey is a harvest which can reveal our innermost being. In this discovery, a profound sense of gratitude emerges. However, gratitude is often obscured by the challenges we face. Can we reimagine our life’s journey with a new perspective that empowers us? In this two-hour meditative enquiry, we will explore how gratitude can bring healing and renewal from within. Gratitude exercises will also be offered for further practice.
Donations gratefully accepted. This session will not be recorded.
Ananya Sri Ram Rajan, president of the US Theosophical Order of Service (TOS), comes from a family of Theosophists and is currently editor of OneHeart, the online newsletter for the TOS. As a mental health counselor, a healing practitioner, and a student of Theosophy, she uses all three to encourage individuals in their spiritual/emotional wellness. She has conducted workshops internationally and contributes articles to various journals and newsletters.
Cynthia Overweg has spent most of her adult life immersed in self-inquiry and the wisdom teachings of East and West. She is the author of Silent Awareness: The Revelation That Changes Everything. Drawing on more than two decades as a spiritual teacher and retreat facilitator, her work focuses on self-transformation and the fundamental importance of inner silence to our well-being. www.cynthiaoverweg.com
Click here to learn more and to register…
2nd Biennial Forum: The Secret Doctrine
The Reawakening of the Universe
Inquiry and Application
Martin Leiderman, Elton Hall, Alex Bianchi, Kirk Gradin, Pablo Sender
Zoom Format
November 2 – 6, 2021
Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – Noon PDT
The Secret Doctrine – The Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy is H.P. Blavatsky’s greatest work. Based on a collection of secret aphorisms known as the “Stanzas of Dzyan,” it presents a panoramic view of the origin and evolution of the universe from an esoteric standpoint. In our biennial gathering, we study together these teachings in order to arrive at deeper insights and explore their applications to our lives. This year we will inquire into Stanzas I, II, and III of the first volume, which describe the reawakening of the cosmos after a period of rest and the manifestation of the Logos.
Each two-hour session includes a faculty presentation, Q & A, and a more focused inquiry, with a brief recess midway: Recorded for limited availability for registrants.
Martin Leiderman, Tuesday, November 2
Introduction to Stanzas l, ll, lll
Martin Leiderman is an industrial engineer who retired in 2019 after 37 years at an avionics company. He is a long-time student of Theosophy and a Life Member of the Theosophical Society in America as well as a national and international lecturer in Spanish and English. Presently, Martin is a Board Member of the Krotona Institute of Theosophy in Ojai, CA. He has facilitated studies at Blavatsky House-The Hague, ITC-Naarden, in Spain, Mexico, and Costa Rica, and at Krotona School of Theosophy. In addition to studies in Theosophy, particularly The Secret Doctrine, The Mahatma Letters and The Voice of the Silence, his interests include ancient Egypt, Plato and the Neoplatonists, Hermetic literature, Alchemy and comparative symbology.
Elton Hall, Wednesday, November 3
Stanza l, The Night of the Universe
Elton Hall, has been a Theosophist since 1967, an associate of ULT Santa Barbara in 1968. He taught philosophy and world religions at various universities and colleges for over 40 years. Now living in Ithaca, New York, he has joined the Board of the International Theosophical Conferences and has given presentations to that body and to various Theosophical groups in the United States. He believes that Universal Brotherhood binds all Theosophists together as a reflection of the One Life and seeks to heighten our awareness of that living truth.
Alex Bianchi, Thursday, November 4
Stanza ll, The Idea of Differentiation
Alex Bianchi was born in Italy in 1962. He became a student of Theosophy through the United Lodge of Theosophists, Los Angeles in 1990. Since then, he has been translating the theosophical writings of H.P. Blavatsky, William Q. Judge, and Robert Crosbie into Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. He aspires to create bridges among the different spiritual traditions in the light of the first and second objects of the Theosophical Society.
Kirk Gradin, Friday, November 5
Stanza lll, The Awakening of the Cosmos
Kirk Gradin is a longtime student of theosophia, an associate of the United Lodge of Theosophists (ULT) for 42 years, and the author of numerous articles, talks, and podcasts on theosophical and related themes. Since the early 1990s he has also been an architect with his own practice and completed projects in California, Arizona, Hawaii and Florida.
Pablo Sender, Saturday, November 6
Science and The Secret Doctrine
Pablo Sender, PhD, has been a member of the Theosophical Society since 1996. He has lived and worked at the international headquarters of the TS in Adyar, India, at the national center of the TS in America, and is currently residing in the Krotona Institute of Theosophy in Ojai, California. He has presented programs and retreats in India, Europe, Oceania, and the three Americas. He writes for many Theosophical journals and is the author of The Evolution of the Higher Consciousness. www.pablosender.com
$20 per session, $80 for the whole series
Scholarships, contact schoolregistrar@krotonainstitute.org for information.
Circles of Resilience™
Creating Communities of Connection
Leon Berg and Lori Austein
November 9, 16, 23, 30
Tuesdays 10 – 11:30 am PST
In these four classes we will introduce the practice of listening and speaking from the heart, with the vision of cultivating a community of practitioners in order to create more resilient families, workplaces and communities. We will:
• Explore the questions we are living with now in this time of global pandemic and climate crisis.
• Participate in grounding and resilience practices.
• Introduce various forms of circle and council.
• Engage in home practice with other participants to develop your skills and find deep connection with others.
Class size limited. Preregistration required.
Series $80, no single sessions. These sessions will not be recorded.
Lori Austein is a Trainer in the Way of Council, and has been facilitating Council groups in the U.S. and Canada for over 20 years. She was a co-coordinator of the Palms Council Project, a school based council program. Since then she has served in circles to advance the practice of Council such as the Trainer’s Mentoring Circle which shepherds the path and the people seeking to become facilitators and trainers.
Leon Berg is a founding member of the Ojai Foundation (www.ojaifoundation.org), an educational sanctuary in Southern California. He is a Senior Trainer of the Way of Council, and has been facilitating Council groups in the U.S. and abroad for over 25 years. Together with his partner, Glori Zeltzer, he teaches the Art of Intimate Conversation to couples. (www.tools-for-togetherness.com)
Finding the Quiet Mind: A Meditation Retreat
Robert Ellwood
Weekend Retreat
November 19 – 21
Friday 7:30 – 9 pm,
Saturday 10 – noon, 2 – 4 pm,
Sunday 10 – noon PST
What is meditation, what can it do for us, and how is it practiced? In this class we will look at meditation as a place of centering, a “Tranquility Base” in the midst of busy, often confused lives. Meditation can support us above all by affording us an inward connection with the larger universe of which we are parts, and its infinite consciousness. We will examine the practical issues of meditation: time, place, posture, techniques to help still and deepen the mind. We will consider carrying the realizations of meditation into the rest of life, as we learn about slipping into a meditative mind even in the midst of stress. Finally, we will look at meditation in relation to personal and cosmic evolution as it points toward the future, as well as enhancing the present and helping us transcend the past. In all sessions of this class we will have short periods of meditation, and discussion of the experience. This class will be based in part on two Quest books, my Finding the Quiet Mind and Finding Deep Joy (2nd ed.) They are recommended for supplemental reading.
Series $50, Single Session $15. Recorded for limited availability for registrants.
Register online https://www.krotonainstitute.org/programs/
Robert Ellwood, PhD, is emeritus professor of religion at the University of Southern California. He has served as vice president of the Theosophical Society in America, on the Krotona Institute Board of Direction and as director of the School of the Wisdom at the TS headquarters in Chennai, India, Dr. Ellwood presented internationally for the Society, has published widely, and authored several books on comparative religion and theosophy.
El Ser, la Inmortalidad, y la Evolucion
Angela Murillo, Gaspar Torres, Luz María Tamarit, Alberto Vidaurri
Diciembre 3 – 5
Viernes 7:30 – 9 pm, sábado 10 – 12 y de 2 – 4 pm,
domingo 10 – 12 Hora del Pacifico
Serie completa $50, una sola sesión $15
Favor de inscribirse en linea krotonainstitute.org/programs/
Grabado para disponibilidad limitada para los inscritos.
Viernes 7:30 – 9 pm, sábado 10 – 12 y de 2 – 4 pm,
domingo 10 – 12 Hora del Pacifico
Serie completa $50, una sola sesión $15
Favor de inscribirse en linea krotonainstitute.org/programs/
Grabado para disponibilidad limitada para los inscritos.
Cliquear aquí para más información e inscribirse
Angela Murillo, Viernes por la noche, diciembre 3
El Poblamiento de la Tierra
Consideraremos El Poblamiento de la Tierra de Geoffrey Barborka en relación a La Cadena Lunar, los Pitris Lunares y las clases de mónadas.
Angela Murillo Nació en Cali, Colombia, y desde muy joven empezó a estudiar obras teosóficas como Isis sin Velo y La Doctrina Secreta. Luego al llegar a los Estados Unidos pudo llegar a la Logia España, Los Angeles, y hacerse miembro de la TS desde el 2005. Ha sido Presidenta de la Logia España, donde actualmente sirve como Secretaria
Gaspar Torres, Sábado por la mañana, diciembre 4
El Poblamiento de la Tierra
Continuaremos con el tema de El Poblamiento de la Tierra de Geoffrey Barborka en estudio comparativo con la Antropogénesis de HP Blavatsky (HPB) y el desenvolvimiento de las Razas humanas.
Gaspar Torres Nació en un hogar teosófico en Cuba, se unió a la Sociedad desde joven, y fue Presidente de la Sección de ese país. Desde 2011 vive y trabaja en Krotona, y guía grupos de estudio por internet sobre las obras de HP Blavatsky, IK Taimni, así como otros temas y autores teosóficos.
Luz María Tamarit, Sábado por la tarde, diciembre 4
La existencia e inmortalidad del alma
según la filosofía perenne
Esta presentación estudiará la significación que se ha dado a través de las edades al concepto del Alma y de su Inmortalidad. Desde el tiempo de las filosofías ancestrales hasta el presente, grandes pensadores, sabios y Maestros han tratado de indagar y profundizar en esta realidad invisible para los ojos humanos, pero fundamental en nuestra evolución transpersonal y espiritual.
Luz María Tamarit NaciThe Transformat en Valencia, España, y vive en USA. Desde muy joven buscó el camino espiritual, comenzando por Krishnamurti. Es trabajadora social y continúa trabajando con jóvenes con problemas de aprendizaje. Es presidenta de la Logia España en Los Angeles y también ha servido en la junta directiva del campo teosófico Far Horizons.
Alberto Vidaurri, Domingo por la mañana, diciembre 5
La Esencia del Ser, aprendienda o scuchar su Interior
El Sonido del Alma y la experiencia del Ser, Estar y Existir.
Alberto Vidaurri tiene un BA en Comunicaciones, cinematografía y artes, y ha sido miembro de la Sociedad Teosófica en México desde joven. Él tiene experiencia como escritor creativo, traductor, productor y director de teatro, película, TV, y publicidad. Alberto es ahora miembro de la Logia España de la Sociedad Teosófica en Los Angeles, donde él coordina el Departamento de Comunicaciones.
Krotona School
46 Krotona Street
Ojai CA 93023
805 646–1139
schoolinfo@krotonainstitute.org
Library Hours
Closed until further notice
805 646–2653
library@krotonainstitute.org
Bookshop Hours
Closed until further notice
805 646–0873
bookshop@krotonainstitute.org
Krotona Institute
2 Krotona Street
Ojai CA 93023
805-646–2653
info@krotonainstitute.org