Canberra Group
Meets third Saturday of each month from 2 to 4pm
Coordinator: Gordon Herbert
Mobile: 0466 464 064
Postal Address: 9 Backhouse Street, Latham, ACT 2615
Email: [email protected]
Bulletins: Current and previous Bulletins from the Canberra Group can be viewed at: Canberra Group Bulletins
Meeting place: Friends' Meeting House, 17 Bent Steet, Turner (on the corner of Bent and Condamine Streets)
Meet: 2 - 4 pm 3rd Saturday each month.
2026 Programme
2pm Saturday 20 June
Topic: Yeshua the Nazorene
Presenter: Terry Curtin
About the Presentation
This follows Terry’s earlier presentation, “The Gospel of the Beloved Companion" (GBC), a gnostic gospel attributed to Miryam of Bethany, known as Mary Magdalene. She gives a strikingly different picture of who Yeshua is compared to the Jesus of the “canonical” gospels. “Nazorene” - from the Hebrew nazir (branch)- refers to a religious sect devoted to the prophet Isaiah’s vision of a coming messiah, a descendent of David, the son of Jesse.
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord” Isaiah 11: 1-2
The presentation will begin with comments on Yeshua’s Nazorene identity, followed by a reflection on his relationship with each of us.
“This is my commandment that you love one another, even as I have loved you… You are my friends... no longer do I call you students... everything I have heard from the Spirit, I have made known to you…I have told you these things that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world...” GBC 35;24-25
Working from 3 pairs of Tarot cards and the text of the GBC, the following themes will be explored,
- The Expulsion of the Feminine: Two of Swords and The Queen of Cups.
- The Holy Suspension: The Hanged Man and the Three of Pentacles.
- The Divine Reunion: The Knight of Swords and the Ace of Wands.
Comments and questions are invited.
About the Presenter: Terry Curtin underwent a profound change in his understanding of the Christian message, which he described in an essay in 2025 entitled Adult Christianity. After training for the Catholic priesthood, he became disillusioned with its narrowness and moved away from the conventional Irish Roman Catholic viewpoint. He now believes that Christianity can only be genuinely beneficial if it restores the feminine voice that has long been silenced. A fundamental starting point, in his view, is the gospel of Mary Magdalene in its complete form known as the Gospel of the Beloved Companion.
Swiss psychologist Carl Jung's ideas about the soul shaped Terry’s outlook. Also important was Jung’s insightful understanding of gnostic Christianity, his acknowledgement of the value of the Tarot and the esoteric Jewish theology/cosmology known as the Kabbalah.
Alongside his career in the Commonwealth Public Service and private enterprise, Terry gained considerable experience working as a Catholic layperson and a transpersonal counsellor. His qualifications include: BA in Psychology and Political Science (1967), B Theology (1992), MA Theology (2001), Diploma in Transpersonal Counselling (2006).
2.00pm Saturday 18 July
The July event “Christmas in July”
Convener: Gordon Herbert
“Christmas in July” is a get-together in which various members present a short 10-to-15-minute contribution relevant to either theosophy or personal talents. Such items might include storytelling, a short reading, favorite poem, brief talk, discussion, guided meditation, musical item, an artwork, etc. We extend the invitation to members to present a short item at this gathering. You can do this by emailing our Coordinator Gordon Herbert at [email protected]) with a short description of the item you wish to present. We currently have a number of members and friends that have offered.
In the spirit of “Christmas in July” we will also invite members and friends to share traditional and not-so traditional vegetarian food.
About the Convenor: Gordon began his spiritual search while research and teaching at the ANU and Macquarie Universities. His interests include evolution and development, symbols and myths, religions, astrology, modern revelations, universal theosophy and the works of Djwhal Khul. For 27 years he managed foreign aid in the Government’s Development Assistance Agency (AusAID), including posting as Head of Aid at the Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka. His book on stages of spiritual and social development is free on line at http://www.progressions.info and is also held in the TS library in Sydney. Gordon has made many presentations to the Canberra TS Group. As a Convener he encourages an inclusive approach, including everyone who wishes in discussion to help with a greater understanding and enjoyment.
2.00pm Saturday 15 August
Topic: How Our Universe Works – and How We Can Help
Presenter: Gordon Herbert
About the Presentation
The universe is alive, awake, and manifesting the heart and soul of the Creator in all – including us. Theosophical understanding of Creation and Law shows us how the universe evolves, and even its reason for incarnation. The interaction of universal Spirit and Matter creates individual conscious I AM I, souls of many kinds. The purpose of evolution of the universe seems to be the expansion of radiant intelligence and love through the agency of infinite mind. Spirit absorbs these evolved qualities for further upliftment of the Whole. We all, as spirit, soul and personality, develop together in a mechanism common to all levels of the universe. We humanity have a specific role and influence to play in the energy network and purpose of our universe.
The cycles of universal reincarnation open us to ideas of Universal Logoic ascension, multiple universes, and scientific speculation about bouncing universes. An understanding of the relevance of it all helps us to better manage our lives, with a sense of proportion, certainty about our role and purpose, our expanding awareness, and our interrelated cosmic Life. We now know that inherently we all have the wisdom and creativity of our Creator at hand.
This “big picture” talk will be followed by a more human-focused talk about our next era revelation later in the year.
About the Presenter: Gordon began his spiritual search while research and teaching at the ANU and Macquarie Universities. His academic training is in psychology and the geography of social and economic development. He was offered tenure and a PhD at Macquarie University but decided instead to study the ancient and modern wisdoms. He has been practicing these wisdoms for over 50 years. His research includes evolution and development, symbols and myths, religions, astrology, modern revelations, universal theosophy and the works of Djwhal Khul. After his academic profession Gordon for 27 years managed foreign aid in the Australian Government’s Development Assistance Agency (AusAID), including posting as Head of Aid at the Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka. His book on stages of spiritual and social development is free on line at http://www.progressions.info and is also held in the Theosophical Society library in Sydney. Gordon has made many presentations to the Canberra TS Group.
