Most films and TV news reports these days seem to be filled with doom and gloom, so it is heartening to find a popular film which gives a positive message - Love Actually [Universal Studios 2003] starring Hugh Grant, Liam Neison, Keira Knightly, Emma Thompson, and others. The film is based on the observation of passengers arriving and departing at airports showing the extent of love in the community as ordinary people greet friends and relatives showing that love actually is all around us, but we often don’t notice the fact.

In the film there are several love stories for all ages and strata of society right up to the Prime Minister of Great Britain himself, played by Hugh Grant. Happy or sad, these stories all point to the primacy of love in our lives, and how we are all searching for it one way or another no matter who or where we are. If it wasn’t for ordinary people simply getting on with their lives based mainly on the search for love and harmony in families and relationships, where would the world be? The more spectacular news stories of crime and war, are like so much flotsam and jetsam floating on a sea of love that goes unnoticed because we all take it for granted that it is there.

At the beginning and end of the movie, multiple images are shown of real people greeting each other at Heathrow Airport in London. British actor Hugh Grant sums up the philosophy of the film in a short speech, speaking in his character as the British P.M.:

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion is starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it is not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it is always there: fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends.

When the planes hit the twin towers [in September 2001 in New York] as far I know, none of the ‘phone calls from people on board were messages of hatred or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaking feeling that - love actually is all around.” [Love Actually­, Universal Studios, 2003]

The custom of the Christmas tree is a very recent institution. It is of a late date not only in Russia, but also in Germany, where it was first established and whence it spread everywhere, in the New as well as in the Old World. In France the Christmas tree was adopted only after the Franco-German war, later therefore than 1870. According to Prussian chronicles, the custom of lighting the Christmas tree as we now find it in Germany was established about a hundred years ago. It penetrated into Russia about 1830, and was very soon adopted throughout the Empire by the richer classes.

It is very difficult to trace the custom historically. Its origin belongs undeniably to the highest antiquity. Fir trees have ever been held in honour by the ancient nations of Europe. As ever-green plants, and symbols of never-dying vegetation, they were sacred to the nature-deities, such as Pan, Isis, and others. According to ancient folklore the pine was born from the body of the nymph Pitys+ (the Greek name of that tree), the beloved of the gods Pan and Boreas. During the vernal festivals in honour of the great goddess of Nature, fir trees were brought into the temples decorated with fragrant violets.

The ancient Northern peoples of Europe had a like reverence for the pine and fir trees in general, and made great use of them at their various festivals. Thus, for instance, it is well known that the pagan priests of ancient Germany, when celebrating the first stage of the sun’s return toward the vernal equinox, held in their hands highly ornamented pine branches. And this points to the great probability of the now Christian custom of lighting Christmas trees being the echo of the pagan custom of regarding the pine as a symbol of a solar festival, the precursor of the birth of the Sun. It stands to reason that its adoption and establishment in Christian Germany imparted to it a new, and so to speak, Christian form. Thence fresh legends - as is always the case - explaining in their own way the origin of the ancient custom. We know of one such legend, remarkably poetical in its charming simplicity, which purports to give the origin of this now universally prevailing custom of ornamenting Christmas trees with lighted wax tapers.

Near the cave in which was born the Saviour of the world grew three trees - a pine, an olive, and a palm. On that holy eve when the guiding star of Bethlehem appeared in the heavens, that star which announced to the long-suffering world the birth of Him, who brought to mankind the glad tidings of a blissful hope, all nature rejoiced and is said to have carried to the feet of the Infant-God her best and holiest gifts.

Among others the olive tree that grew at the entrance of the cave of Bethlehem brought forth its golden fruits; the palm offered to the Babe its green and shadowy vault, as a protection against heat and storm; alone the pine had nought to offer. The poor tree stood in dismay and sorrow, vainly trying to think what it could present as a gift to the Child-Christ. Its branches were painfully drooping down, and the intense agony of its grief finally forced from its bark and branches a flood of hot transparent tears, whose large resinous and gummy drops fell thick and fast around it. A silent star, twinkling in the blue canopy of heaven, perceived these tears; and forthwith, confabulating with her companions - lo, a miracle took place. Hosts of shooting stars fell down, like unto a great rain shower, on the pine until they twinkled and shone from every needle, from top to bottom. Then trembling with joyful emotion, the pine proudly raised her drooping branches and appeared for the first time before the eyes of a wondering world, in most dazzling brightness. From that time, the legend tells us, men adopted the habit of ornamenting the pine tree on Christmas Eve with numberless lighted candles.” + A nymph beloved by the god Pan and changed into a fir tree. - [EDS.]

The following is an old Indian story teaching the philosophy of the Oneness of All as well as stressing the concept of Maya – illusion and the reality of the world.

“Once upon a time, a young man went to a venerable old gentleman and asked him to accept him as a student as he was very keen to find out about his own Self, to discover Self, and to discover therefore the Truth about Maya.

It was during the last secret lesson the Master was teaching him that all of a sudden the pupil exclaimed: “I understand. The Self is within me, the Atman that’s in me is God, therefore I am God and everything else is illusion.”

Very happy, very elated the student went on his way home, walking along the middle of the road. At the end of the road a big elephant could be seen ambling along with his Mahout on top of him. The student saw the elephant and thought to himself: “I am not going to leave the road, after all I am God and everything else is an illusion, so why should I get out of the way.”

The Mahout – the rider of the elephant – was shouting at the student to get out of the way, but he took no notice and just kept on walking. Finally, the sutdent and the elephant stood in front of each other. The student, believing he was God and all else an illusion, did not give way.

The elephant looked down at the puny human being, swung its trunk and circled the student’s waist and tossed him to the side of the road, and continued on his way.

Bruised, shocked and humiliated, the student picked himself up. He was very upset, for he could not understand how God could treat God like this.

Instead of going home, he went back to the Master and told him what had happened. The Master looked at him and smiled and said: “Yes, my Son, it is quite true, God is within you and all else is illusion. God is within the elephant and all else is illusion, but God is also within the Mahout and you did not listen to God teling you to get out of the way.”

*******************

“Throw away the books, abandon cleverness, and look, taste, feel, listen. This World is not a matter for theories.”

From a Book ‘A Thousand Path to ZEN’ by Robert Allen

Ray James:

From New South Wales we recently received the news of the passing of Ray James, a former President of our Society, on 31st July 2004. Ray was introduced to Theosophical ideas at a young age, joining a ‘Lotus Circle’ [then the children’s organisation of our Society], when he was 10 or 11years of age. In 1937 in his late teens, after hearing about the Fraterization Movement between the various branches of the Theosophical movement, initiated by G. de Purucker, he joined our T.S. He became involved in the Lotus Circle work of the Melbourne Lodge and wrote the “Quarterly Review” newsletter report of its activities. In 1947 the then Leader of our T.S., Colonel Conger, named Ray as National President of the Australian Section and he served our T.S. in this capacity until 1951. Ray continued to work with the Melbourne group until the early 1970s. On moving to New South Wales, Ray pursued his interests in esoteric philosophy as a writer of poetry and discourses on many subjects many of which are in our Melbourne library, and with Buddhist groups and the T.S. [Adyar]. Ray was a kind, sensitive, but always strong-minded servant of the Society’s work. We salute his contributions to preserving and fostering knowledge of the Ancient Wisdom in Australia.

“When you reach the mountain top,

then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your

limbs, then shall you truly dance.”

Rosien Chatz:

Rosien Chatz, a member of our T.S. since 1977, passed away on 5th July 2004. Rosien came to our shores from South Africa and her principal interest was in health and healing in relation to T.S. teaching. She was a mine of information on healthy living and diet, and she lived a long and healthy life, jogging regularly into her 90’s! Thank you for your unique input into the work of the Melbourne group, Rosien, we will miss you.

WHEN THE EARTH LAST

PICTURE IS PAINTED

When Earth’s last picture is painted,

and the tubes are twisted and

dried,

When the oldest colours are faded,

and the youngest critic had died;

We shall rest, and faith we shall

need it, - and lie down for an

aeon or two,

Till the Master of all Good

Workmen shall put us to work

anew.

Rudyard Kipling.