In a previous article, I wrote:
The original Theosophical Society was established with apolitical and non-violent peace- building policies.
Theosophists are of necessity the friends of all movements in the world, whether intellectual or simply practical, for the amelioration of the condition of mankind. We are the friends of all those who fight against drunkenness, against cruelty to animals, against injustice to women, against corruption in society or in government, although we do not meddle in politics. We are the friends of those who exercise practical charity, who seek to lift a little of the tremendous weight of misery that is crushing down the poor. (Letter I — 1888 Second Annual Convention — April 22-23, CW 9:247)
More formally, she states her concern about individual reform over administrative reforms:
Enq. Do you take any part in politics? Theo. As a Society, we carefully avoid them, for the reasons given below.To seek to achieve political reforms before we have effected a reform in human nature, is like putting new wine into old bottles.
Make men feel and recognize in their innermost hearts what is their
real, true duty to all men, and every old abuse of power, every
iniquitous law in the national policy, based on human, social or
political selfishness, will disappear of itself. Foolish is the gardener
who seeks to weed his flower-bed of poisonous plants by cutting them
off from the surface of the soil, instead of tearing them out by the
roots. No lasting political reform can be ever achieved with the same
selfish men at the head of affairs as of old. (Key to Theosophy, Section 12, The Relation of the T.S. to Political Reforms)
More philosophically, she proposes a stoic attitude towards politics:
Unconcerned about politics; ... the Society cares
but little about the outward human management of the material world.
The whole of its aspirations are directed toward the occult truths of
the visible and invisible worlds. Whether the physical man be under the
rule of an empire or a republic, concerns only the man of matter. His
body may be enslaved; as to his Soul, he has the right to give to his
rulers the proud answer of Socrates to his Judges. They have no sway
over the inner man. ( [The Theosophist, Vol. I, No. 1, October, 1879, p. 7], Collected Writings, 2, 105)
My personal view is that the original
policies entail that a writer, lecturer or administrator in a theosophical
organization should refrain from publicly taking active political roles and
expressing partisan political views. However, doing this is not so easy. Elsewhere she states:
One strategy that she advises is to keep things impersonal and objective, rather than focusing on specific people in a personal, ad hominem way:
“We may be told, perhaps, that we ourselves are the first to break the ethical law we are upholding. That our theosophical periodicals are full of “denunciations”, and “Lucifer” lowers his torch to throw light on every evil, to the best of his ability. We reply – this is quite another thing. We denounce indignantly systems and organisations, evils, social and religious – cant above all: we abstain from denouncing persons. The latter are the children of their century, the victims of their environment and of the Spirit of the Age.” ("Is Denunciation a Duty?", Lucifer, December, 1888, CW, 10, 198)
Natalija Obrenović (15 May 1859 – 8 May 1941), née Keshko, known as Natalie of Serbia, was the Princess of Serbia from 1875 to 1882 and then Queen of Serbia from 1882 to 1889 as the wife of Milan I of Serbia.
