Activities in Lodges / studygroups / spiritual meetings: spiritual quotes

[Katinka Hesselink]

Short quotes can be a great way to get to know people, get every participant to talk, and bring out what people REALLY think about important life issues.

I've got several short quote collections to start with:

Random Spiritual quotes
Random Blavatsky quote
Spiritual quotes and sayings
More spiritual quotes
Quotes about Love
Wisest quotes ever
Khalil Gibran quotes

But quotes can also be found in Blavatsky's Gems from the East and Sri Ram's various (well 2 I think) booklets Thoughts for Aspirants (the only version only has the first few chapters of volume 1).

I've done this activity on lodge festival meetings and an informal get together a mixed group of people: some spiritually interested, some not so much. It's of course wise to fit the quotes to the audience a bit. I've also been a participant of this activity at Wheaton where someone else apparently had exactly the same idea :)

Anyhow - the idea is simple: print or write out the quotes on pieces of paper. Fold them up. Put them in a hat or bowl or something. Let each participant pick one quote out. Give them a chance to read it and think about it. Talk about the quotes in turn > Each person in turn reads out their quote aloud, then what they think about it. Make it clear that what they say about it is up to them. They can say they agree, they don't understand, they disagree: whatever. If the atmosphere is good, a conversation is sure to come out of this.

[Katinka Hesselink]

Combining it with a stroll through nature does sound like a great addition to the idea. That would work in many of the theosophical centres as well.

[Kathy Gann]

I love your idea, Katinka. We did a similar thing here in Denver, but with a twist. We all met at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Each person was given a spiritual quote that had something to do with nature at the gate (I held them out, face down, and said pick a card, any card). There were only about 3 or 4 quotes, with multiple copies of each, so different people had the same quote--that was so that we could have multiple points of view on the same idea; but this could just as easily be done with all unique quotes. Everyone was to stroll contemplatively and then meet about an hour later on the deck where we got refreshments. We all took turns discussing the quote and any insights about it that arose as we walked and contemplated in nature. Everybody loved it, and we're doing it again this May.

[Katinka Hesselink]

Why thanks :)

I'm not subscribed to that magazine, but I have seen it & think it's a great magazine. I had no idea they did quotes too.

[Maureen]

Katinka, You are brilliant. Right onto it. Your ideas should be broadcast Internationally.
You remind me very much of Sonia Veelenturf, NZ member also on this theosophical site.
Another switched on person with creative ideas that work. Another source of good quotes can be found in the Theosophical Digest magazines published quarterly. Have you heard of them or read any?

[Katinka Hesselink]

:)

[Suibhne Geilt]

Life, like a dome of many-coloured glass,
stains the white radiance of eternity,
Until Death tramples it to fragments.

- Percy Bysshe Shelley (Adonais)