Johannesburg Lodge
Johannesburg Lodge of The Theosophical Society and Garden
The Theosophical Societies around the world attract those who desire to learn more about deeper spiritual and universal truths. Theosophy looks holistically at both the constitution of the human person and of the cosmos.
The Johannesburg Lodge is the oldest lodge in Southern Africa. We offer a variety of lectures and activities centered around Theosophy and related subjects. The Johannesburg Lodge received its charter on April 14, 1899. The first Lodge President (1902) was Louis L. Playford. A magazine titled: “The South African Theosophist” was published in March 1903 and in that year membership expanded from 16 members to 123.
Mahatma Gandhi gave a lecture at the Lodge on the 22nd of August 1905 titled “The Real Life”. Although not a member he contributed much to Theosophy in Johannesburg.
Gandhi and Annie Besant
After meeting Blavatsky and Besant while studying law in the U.K., Gandhi became a member of the Blavatsky Lodge of the Theosophical Society in England. Later he would go on to lead a successful resistance to the British rule of India.
Wikipedia Link: Mohandas K. Gandhi and Theosophy https://theosophy.wiki/en/Mohandas_K._Gandhi
The Lodges amalgamated into the South African Theosophical Society in 1909 (Charter dated April 27, 1909). It changed to the “Theosophical Society in South Africa” at the Convention of May 1911 and to the “Theosophical Society in Southern Africa” in 1932.
The first Convention of the National Society was held in The Pretoria Masonic Hall on September 30, 1909. The first General Secretary was Henry Dykman, followed by E. C. Nelson from 1910 to 1916 who was an important driving force and founding member of the Society. The 1909 Charter named 7 lodges — Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria, Germiston, Pietermaritzburg, and Harmony (Johannesburg). In 1914 lodges were formed in Bulawayo and Salisbury in Rhodesia and in the Cape. In 1945 de Aar, Port Elizabeth, and Kimberley. The first Lodge premises built in South Africa was in Pretoria in 1928.
More recently, the decrease in attendance of esoteric communities is a world-wide problem. The Theosophical Society is no exception. Many members have been loyal in their participation and attendance of the Johannesburg Lodge, but sadly due to old age many members can no longer be actively involved. If The Theosophical Society is to survive in South Africa, new (younger) members will need to be recruited.
Those who do attend enjoy a wealth of various activities. These include lectures on specific topics, workshops on Theosophy, movie nights which focus on esoteric and symbolic themes and basic introduction to meditation. There is also a lending library open to members of the Lodge.
Please review the Programs tab for the current Lodge offering.
General
Name – The Johannesburg Lodge of The Theosophical Society in Southern Africa
Address – 31 Streatly Ave, corner Lothbury Avenue, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, 2092, South Africa
Contact: e-mail: tsinsa.gensec@gmail.com
Management Body – Johannesburg
President – Desmond Chapman
Secretary – Pam
Treasurer – G A Tibbitts
Please also view our Facebook page – Theosophical Society of Southern Africa – Johannesburg Lodge.