There are times when we stumble upon places that feel like home. These places may have an ancient aura that speaks to us and remind us who we are and what our purpose is on this earth. They inspire to expand and create. Most of these places are right around the corner from where we live, though we might not have ever noticed they exist.
The Theosophical Society is such a place for me. Over a year ago, my niece Sandy invited me to speak at TS about Mesopotamian priestesses and goddesses. Sandy Naimou is a board member of TS. She teaches yoga full-time, primarily at GM, holds a B.A. in psychology, a M.A. in women’s and gender studies, and is currently a TSD board member. She stumbled upon TS when her older son’s Waldorf School was going to close.
“He’d been there for three years,” she said, “and I jumped on board with other parents to save the school.”
She ended up learning from the parents about Rudolph Steiner and his spiritual philosophy of anthroposophy. Sandy went to the library and checked out books about Steiner which talked about theosophy.
“It was mentally challenging reading but I had to know more,” she said.
One day, she had a conversation with a man at the farmer’s market about TS and was surprised when he said, “It’s only a quarter mile from here, around the corner.”
She couldn’t believe that it was so close to her home. Eventually her son’s school did close, but it introduced her to a world she wouldn’t have otherwise known existed.
“The books at the Theosophical Society address so many of my questions,” she said. “As a Chaldean, I found an ethnic tie to the past. I learned that Chaldeans are a part of this history of ancient wisdom. There are Chaldean Oracles and Chaldean magicians and Nestorians, words I’d never heard of before because they were kept hidden.”
When I spoke at TS about the priestesses and goddesses of Ancient Mesopotamia, I realized how important it was for these deities to be further researched and brought together in a book. I started to work on this subject immediately, using resources from the TS library, such as The Chaldean Account of Genesis. I learned a great deal about my heritage, the history of my birthplace, and I published my 13th book, Mesopotamian Goddesses: Unveiling Your Feminine Power, which was released January 6, 2019. Through the process, I felt the blessings of Russian noblewoman Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.
The Theosophical Society was founded in late 1875 in New York City by Madame Blavatsky, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, and others. Olcott was its first president and continued until his death in 1907. In 1879, Madame Blavatsky and Col. Olcott moved to India, where they eventually set up international headquarters at Adyar on the Bay of Bengal.
The first Russian woman to be naturalized as an American citizen, Madame Blavatsky was widely traveled and she published Isis Unveiled, a book outlining her Theosophical world-view. She described Theosophy as “the synthesis of science, religion, and philosophy,” proclaiming that it was reviving an “ancient wisdom” which underlay all the world’s religions.
The Detroit Lodge was formed on August 14, 1897, was very active and its meetings took place in various places until the late 1970s when it moved to 27745 Woodward Ave in Berkley which has been its location ever since.
“The Theosophical Society is not a religion but a way of life,” said Mary Jo Kokochak, current president of TS who has been a member for over 44 years. “It encourages individual research, is non-dogmatic, but also provides essential principles on which to build an intelligent philosophy of life. It is practical and emphasizes service, living a ‘harmless’ life, and compassion for all beings.”
Mary Jo formerly worked for the department of social services in Detroit and for vocational rehabilitation services in Pontiac. During those years, she lived in Southfield and traveled every day to the inner city. The discrepancy between how people lived in the inner city and in Pontiac was so different than the comfort she lived in Southfield, it bothered her and caused her to question the situation of life. She wondered, “Why do some people experience poverty, hardships and suffering and why I’m fortunate to have a happy life? Why are some people born healthy, others with physical handicaps?”
One day, browsing the aisles of the May Flower Bookstore in Ferndale, she came across a book called Egyptian Book of the Dead.
“It like fell on top of me,” she said. “Another day another book at the bookstore fell on top of me.”
She began reading these books at a time when she was going through traumatic experiences. Within two years, the doctors discovered a tumor in her breast; then she got a divorce; followed by a car accident where she had a near death experience and saw white light; and she lost all possessions when her home burned down.
“I ran out barefoot in my bathrobe,” she said. “That’s when I finally got the message and started seriously searching for the meaning of life.”
She joined the Theosophical Society where she immediately felt at home.
“I realized that each individual comes to this world specific to their life as well as general purpose in all of life,” she said.
She later moved to TS’s headquarters in Wheaton, Illinois and got a Master’s degree in library science. She worked as a librarian for seven years, got married, and moved to Ojai, California where she worked at Krotona Institute of Theosophy as a librarian. Eventually she returned to Michigan.
Today the International TS has members in almost 70 countries around the world. Their three objectives are to form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color; to encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy, and science,; and to investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in man.
Since my first time speaking at the TS, I’ve had many wonderful opportunities to give talks and do workshops about my areas of expertise in writing, shamanism and mysticism. I’m looking forward to my next talk there on International Women’s Day, March 8th at 7pm, where I’ll be discussing Mesopotamian Goddesses, the Untold Stories.
To learn more, visit www.tsdetroit.org
