Wednesday, 4 February 2026

Universal Brother/Sisterhood playlist 3 - Folk/Pop

Theosophy can be considered to have influenced the folk music revival via Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901–1953),
American composer and folk music specialist, who was the step-mother of Pete Seeger. She took piano lessons with Djane Lavoie-Herz, who sparked her  interest in theosophy and Scriabin, and later met Dane Rudhyar and Henry Cowell. For Canadian folk musicians, such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, and Leonard Cohen, there is the influence of the Vancouver Poetry Society. Hence, we have a confluence of Theosophical musical, poetic, and civil rights influences converging in the formation of one of the most important popular music currents of the 20th century. 
  
1-Peter Paul & Mary, Because All Men Are Brothers, (1965, See What Tomorrow Brings)
J.S. Bach, words Tom Glazer & Pete Seeger
My brother's fears are my fears yellow white or brown
My brother's tears are my tears the whole wide world around.
 
2- Trini Lopez, If I Had A Hammer (1963)
I'd hammer about the love between my brothers and my sisters
All, all over this land
 
3-New Seekers, I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (1971)
I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to see the world for once
All standing hand in hand
And hear them echo through the hills
For peace throughout the land
 
4- Carole King, You've got a friend (1971)
You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running, to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
 
5- Cat Stevens, Peace Train (1971)
Oh, I've been smiling lately
Dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be
Someday it's going to come
'Cause out on the edge of darkness
There rides the peace train
 
6- John Lennon, Imagine (1971)
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
 
7- Elvis Costello, What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding? (1974)
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry
What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding?
 
8- Three Dog Night, The Road to Shamballa (1975)
I can tell my sister by the flowers in her eyes
On the road to Shambala
I can tell my brother by the flowers in his eyes
On the road to Shambala
 
9- ELO, All over the world (Xanadu, 1980)
All over the world
Everybody got the word
Everybody everywhere is gonna feel tonight
Everybody gonna have a good time
Everybody will shine 'til the daylight
 
10- Pat Benatar, We belong (1984)
We belong to the light,we belong to the thunder
Whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better
we belong together
 
11- Billy Bragg, The Internationale (1990)
So come brothers and sisters
For the struggle carries on
The Internationale
Unites the world in song
For this is the time and place!
The international ideal
Unites the human race
 
12-Joni Mitchell, Woodstock, Travelogue (2002)
We are stardust, we are golden
We are billion-year-old carbon
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden
 
13- A Fine Frenzy, The Minnow & the Trout (2008)
And I said, Please, I know that we're different
We were one cell in the sea in the beginning
And what we're made of was all the same once
We're not that different after all?
 
14- Regina Spektor, Human of the Year(Far, 2009)
And though they do not know it
All mankind are now your brothers
 
15- Brenda Montana, Together as One (2022)
Ungasiktumut tikiutisimagannuk
Puigurtailigit ulluriat maliglugit
Qaujimavunga katilaarmigannuk
Atausinngurlunuk

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Universal Brother/Sisterhood playlist 2 - R & B/Soul

The notion of Universal Brotherhood took root in black culture via Freemasonry: ''By 1900, Prince Hall masonry had become a forum for politicised African-Americans, with Booker T Washington (1856-1915) and W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) serving as active members. Throughout the 20th century, many key figures in the civil rights movement were attracted to freemasonry. The father of Martin Luther King Jr – Martin Luther King Sr (1900-84) – was a member of the 23rd lodge in Atlanta, Georgia.'' ( https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jul/02/secret-jazz-freemason-history-duke-ellington-sun-ra ). With the civil rights movement in the 1960s, black culture became a nexus for strong social justice discourse, with several prominent r&b and soul artists becoming eloquent voices for social commentary.
 
1) Myra - Dancing In The Street (1964)
It's just an invitation across the nation A chance for folks to meet There'll be laughing, singing and music swinging  
 
2) Sly & The Family Stone - Everyday People (Stand! 1969)
I am no better and neither are you We're all the same, whatever we do You love me, you hate me You know me and then You can't figure out the bag I'm in I am everyday people 
 
3) The 5th Dimension - Aquarius - Let The Sunshine In (1969)
Harmony and understanding Sympathy and trust abounding No more falsehoods or derisions Golden living dreams of visions Mystic crystal revelation 
 
4) Curtis Mayfield, Keep On Keeping On (Roots, 1971)
Teach them to be strong, & when they are grown They can proudly imply that we were an alright guy For all the wrong now is right This nation's people are now united as one 
 
5) Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (1971)
We don't need to escalate You see, war is not the answer For only love can conquer hate You know we've got to find a way To bring some lovin' here today 
 
6) Bill Withers - Lean on me (1973)
You just call on me brother When you need a hand We all need somebody to lean on I just might have a problem that you'll understand 
 
7) Why can't we be friends? (War, 1975)
The color of your skin don't matter to me As long as we can live in harmony Why can't we be friends? 
 
8) Bee Gees stayin' alive (1977)
Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin' And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive 
 
9) Bob Marley - One Love (Exodus, 1977)
One love, one heart Let's get together and feel all right Hear the children cryin' 
 
10) Sister Sledge We are family (1979)
We are family I got all my sisters with me Get up everybody and sing Everyone can see we're together As we walk on by and we fly just like birds of a feather I won't tell no lie 

11) Sade Why can't we be together (Diamond Life, 1984)
I said: "No matter, no matter what color" You are still my brother Everybody wants to live together Why can't we be together 
 
12) We are the world (USA for Africa, 1985)
We are the world We are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving 
 
13) Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers - Brothers & Sisters (1993)
Some are black and brown Others white and light That's all the difference I can remember But this we must realize We are all brothers and sisters 
 
14) Beastie Boys Bodhisattva Vow (Ill Communication 1994)
For the sake of all beings I seek The enlightened mind that I know I'll reap Respect to Shantideva and all the others Who brought down the Dharma for the sisters and brothers 
 
15) Angelique Kidjo - "We Are One" 2014
Or am I just one part Of some big plan? Your journey has only begun Is our pride, deep inside We are one Family, family, we are one One family under the sun You will find when you see
 
16) Mystic - Universal Brotherhood (2021)
It's often been said that, great discoveries When they come into the lives of men Affect their attitudes towards men's place in life Men's views, his philosophy And there's surely some truth in it
 
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Universal Brother/Sisterhood playlist 1 - Rock

This notion of universal brother and sisterhood is an idea that has a rich history and has inspired  many great thinkers from different walks of life, musicians, poets, philosophers, athletes, politicians, novelists, playwrights, actors, social activists and spiritual leaders. It's a notion that may sometimes wane in popularity, but never really grows old, and thus it can be helpful to look at a sample of eloquent reflections on the subject by some distinguished figures of history, which can be even more relevant, timely, and even necessary, in more turbulent times. In the modern bump and grind world of rock music, which speaks to average working class people, this notion continues to inspire creative and dramatic expression.
 
1- The Kinks, Strangers (Lola etc...,1970) 
Strangers on this road we are on We are not two we are one
 
2- Rush, Closer to the heart (A Farewell to Kings, 1977) 
Philosophers and ploughmen Each must know his part To sow a new mentality 
 
3- Styx, The Grand Illusion, (1978)
So if you think your life is complete confusion Because your neighbors got it made Just remember that it's a grand illusion And deep inside we're all the same
 
4- Gino Vannelli, Brother to brother (1978)
Oh mothers and fathers Where will tomorrow's children be? Oh brother, my brother Let us live our lives in peace 
 
5- Crazy Train (Bob Daisley, 1980)
Crazy, but that's how it goes Millions of people living as foes Maybe it's not too late To learn how to love And forget how to hate 
 
6- Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure (1981) 
& love dares you to care for The people on the edge of the night & love dares you to change our way of Caring about ourselves This is our last dance This is ourselves 
 
7- Slade - My Oh My (The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome, 1983)
So let's all pull together, my oh my Yeah, let's all pull together, my oh my We can ride the stormy weather If we all get out and try 
 
8- Dire Straits, Brothers in arms (1985)
But it's written in the starlight And every line in your palm We're fools to make war On our brothers in arms 
 
9- Midnight Oil, The Dead Heart (1987)
We carry in our hearts the true country And that cannot be stolen We follow in the steps of our ancestry And that cannot be broken 
 
10- Scorpions, Wind of change (Crazy World, 1990)
The world is closing in And did you ever think That we could be so close, like brothers? The future's in the air I can feel it everywhere Blowing with the wind of change 
 
11- U2, One (1991)
One love, one blood One life, you got to do what you should One life,with each other Sisters, brothers One life but we're not the same We get to carry each other 
 
12- R.E..M.,  Everybody hurts (Automatic for the People, 1992)
 When you're sure you've had enough Of this life, well hang on Don't let yourself go 'Cause everybody cries Everybody hurts sometimes 
 
13- Sam Roberts Band - We're All In This Together (Lo-Fantasy, 2014)
we're the thief, we're the judge, we're the jury. We're all in this together, so keep moving don't stop 
 
 
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Monday, 19 January 2026

Martin Luther King Jr. - What America Owes Its Immigrants

As part of our social activism calendar, we are marking  MartinLuther King Jr. Day (January 19) with a short speech by Mr. King. It is a short speech, barely filling a half of a page of text, but it was chosen because it is a topic that is currently of a compelling relevance, with major wars wreaking havoc in Eurasia and the Middle East, record refugee numbers, domestic violence epidemics, and an urban homelessness crisis, we can see how far we have gone from the imperfect, utopic, yet optimistic, idealistic, 1960s baby-boom period. We can see here how many of the problems are based on an inability for peaceful, tolerant  and equitable co-existence.
 
Although short, it still eloquently and poetically shows how Theosophical values of compassion, tolerance, inclusiveness, universal brother/sisterhood, oneness of humanity, global inter-connectedness, which can form a solid foundation for equal human rights and justice for all, beyond all forms of discrimination, exclusion and partiality. Moreover, there is reference to the doctrine of karma ('If we deny justice to the newcomer today, tomorrow that denial will find its way back to our own doorstep.') As King pithily puts it:' 
“We may have all come on different SHIPS, but we’re in the same BOAT now.”
 
My brothers and my sisters, we stand again at a threshold of conscience, a place where the nation must decide whether it will live the creed it carved into stone or continue to run from the promise it made to the world. For too long, America has stretched out her hand to the weary and the wandering, yet pulled it back when the stranger drew near. But I am here to say that a nation cannot bless the earth while building walls around its own compassion. 
 
Some say close the gates. Some whisper there is not enough room at the table. But I say to you, fear is a poor architect of a house meant for freedom. This land was not shaped by one color or one tongue. It was carved by the sweat of immigrants, the dreams of refugees, and the blood of the enslaved. Together they built a nation that has not always loved them back. We are told that newcomers are burdened. But history testifies that the immigrant is the seed of renewal. The bold soul who leaves the known for the unknown. And by courage alone, it spans the boundary of what is possible. 
 
Let us never forget nobody chooses to uproot their life for comfort. People cross deserts and oceans because staying means death, despair or silence. We who preach liberty to the nations cannot turn our backs when the nations come knocking at our door. And though men draw borders with pins and fences, God draws only one circle, the circle of humanity. Within that circle, no race is foreign, no language is alien and no child is illegal. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.
 
If we deny justice to the newcomer today, tomorrow that denial will find its way back to our own doorstep. The chains forged for one group soon rattle on the wrist of us all. My friends, the question before us is not simply who belongs here, but who are we willing to become? Will we be the nation that trembles when strangers arrive? Or the nation that remembers it was once a stranger itself? Will we clutch our blessings like misers? Or scatter them like seeds destined to grow. 
 
Let us choose the courage of welcome. Let us build bridges wider than the rivers and hearts deeper than the politics of the moment. And when history turns the page and our grandchildren ask, "How did you treat the ones who came seeking refuge?" Let us answer with clear voices and clean hands. We widened the door. We stood for dignity. We believe the world is big enough for all of God's children. For that is how freedom rises. Not by shutting people out, but by inviting the world in and daring to live as one human family. 
 
See also:
https://blavatskynews2.blogspot.com/2020/06/blavatsky-american-feminist-civil.html 
https://theosophyproject.blogspot.com/2020/06/in-writings-andspeeches-of-eloquent-and.html 
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Tuesday, 6 January 2026

Peaceful Social Activism Calendar

Being an inherently philanthropic movement, I would like to humbly suggest that Theosophical efforts have had a certain influence on modern humanitarian and social activist movements. Modern technocratic capitalist society prides itself in its scientific advances and material comfort, at least for those who live in the developed western world. However, the ethical problem seems to have slipped away somehow. Religion no longer knows how to inspire morality, philosophers get lost in specialized theoretical speculations, and politicians like to legislate the loftiest ethical visions that have no way of being applied practically, whereas modern ethical works are basically concerned with how to navigate overabundance.  
  
One way that humanitarian values have managed to be encouraged, is with the United Nations calendars of special theme days, of which there are many. The United Nations (UN) centers its mission around core values like peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance, and solidarity, enshrined in its Charter and guiding principles, aiming to prevent conflict, uphold dignity, ensure equality, and foster global cooperation for a better world , emphasizing that these values are interconnected pillars of security, development, and human dignity. Below is a selection, one day per month, that may be compatible with Theosophical spiritual values. Would it not be beneficial to promote the values inherent in these daily reminders, in a more concerted and united way? Hashtags have been included for more cohesive on-line efforts. Moreover, for a more diverse perspective, a second list of theme days has been included that is more independent of the United Nations. 
  
Ideally, one could take some time on the specified day to develop a reflection on how Theosophical values can contribute to the healthy flourishing of the theme in question. Now if one considers that the basic ethical approach of Theosophy is based in the practical, active application of duty-based ethics, then a more enterprising approach would be to develop concrete events in one's community in order to inform, promote and encourage the values in question in each person's daily life. In the word's of H. P. Blavatsky, 'It is not enough to laud the body and branches, as sources of morality and wisdom and benevolance, for they will always be judged by the outward world by the fruits, not by the pretensions, not by what they say, but by what they do.' (The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky to A. P. Sinnett, p. 141)
 
Jan 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Day #MLKDay 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr._Day
 
Feb. 1-7 World Interfaith Harmony Week
https://worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com/
 
Feb 4 International Day of Human Fraternity  #HumanFraternityDay #InternationalDayofHumanFraternity
https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-fraternity
 
March 21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination  #AntiRacismDay #FightRacism #StopAsianHate #BlackLivesMatter
https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
  
April 15 World Art Day
https://www.unesco.org/en/days/world-art
 
May 21 International Day for Cultural Diversity #CulturalDiversityDay #WDCDDD 
https://www.un.org/en/observances/cultural-diversity-day
 
June 5 World Environment Day #WorldEnvironmentDay
https://www.un.org/en/observances/environment-day
 
July 30 International Day of Friendship #FriendshipDay
https://www.un.org/en/observances/friendship-day
 
August 9 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples #WeAreIndigenous #IndigenousPeoplesDay
https://www.un.org/en/observances/indigenous-day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_the_World%27s_Indigenous_Peoples
 
Sept 21 International Day of Peace #PeaceDay
https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace
 
Oct 2 International Day of non-violence (Gandhi’s birthday)
https://www.un.org/en/observances/non-violence-day
 
Nov 16 International Day for Tolerance  #ToleranceDay
https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/international-day-tolerance-16-november
 
Dec 10 Human Rights Day #HumanRightsDay #16DaysofAction #IHRD2022
https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day
 
Variant list
 
Jan 27 International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust #HolocaustRemembranceDay
https://www.unesco.org/en/days/holocaust-remembrance
 
Feb 20 World Day of Social Justice
https://www.un.org/en/observances/social-justice-day
 
March 21 World Poetry Day #WorldPoetryDay
https://www.unesco.org/en/days/poetry
 
April 22 Earth Day  #EarthDay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day https://www.earthday.org/
 
May 18 International Museum Day #InternationalMuseumday
https://icom.museum/en/international-museum-day-2/
 
June 8 World Ocean Day  #WorldOceansDay
https://worldoceanday.org//
 
July 24 International Self-Care Day #SelfCareDay #InternationalSelfCareDay
https://www.selfcarefederation.org/international-self-care-day-page
 
August 19 World Humanitarian Day
https://www.un.org/en/observances/humanitarian-day
 
Sept 20 Word Cleanup Day
https://www.worldcleanupday.org/
 
Oct 1 International Music Day
https://imc-cim.org/international-music-day/
 
Nov 1 World Vegan Day #WorldVeganDay
https://vegan-day.org/en/
 
Dec 10 International Animal Rights Day
https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/our-campaigns/sentience/animal-awareness-days/international-animal-rights-day/
 
ps- For the more combative, tenacious souls willing to face the more virulent causes of pain and suffering in the world, a list of some of the more prevalent vices that plague society, and the days aimed at their vigorous opposition:
1st Tuesday in April SAAM (Sexual Assault Awareness Month) Day of Action
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/saam-day-of-action-first-tuesday-in-april

Mar 4 World Obesity Day 
https://www.worldobesityday.org/ 

April 7 World Health Day
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Day
 
May 31  World No Tobacco Day (WNTD)
https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-no-tobacco-day
 
June 26   International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, or World Drug Day
https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-drug-abuse-day
 
October 3 World Alcohol-Free Day
https://movendi.ngo/what-we-do/lifestyle/world-alcohol-free-day/

November 18 World Day for Prevention and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Violence
https://www.togetherforgirls.org/en/international-days/world-day-for-the-prevention-of-and-healing-from-child-sexual-exploitation-abuse-and-violence
  
see also:
https://www.humanrightscareers.com/magazine/human-rights-calendar/
https://www.coe.int/en/web/compass/human-rights-calendar 
https://www.sportsengine.com/blog/how-to-encourage-people-to-volunteer/ 
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