Thomas Meyer Makes Historic Visit to Edmonton – Alberta – Finally!

 – by Debbie Allen

You may recall that Thomas Meyer was to have visited Edmonton in 2010 but all air travel was suspended due to the eruption of the Iceland Volcano Eyjafjallajökull in April 2010.  Mr. Meyer did touch down briefly for a few hours in Edmonton to meet the Theosophists Ernest and Rogelle Pelletier before going on to Vancouver.

However, there were no Volcanoes to stop Mr. Meyer this year so on September 12, 2011 under Alberta Northern Lights he arrived in Edmonton as scheduled to talk two nights at the Edmonton Theosophical Society centre.

You might ask, “What brought Thomas Meyer to the Theosophical circle and how does that link up with Anthroposophy?”  The answer lies in the person of D.N. Dunlop.  It turns out that both Thomas Meyer and Ernest Pelletier have an interest in D.N. Dunlop and the Irish Theosophy of his time; both have researched D.N. Dunlop’s biography; both are serious biographers, authors and publishers.  Mr. Pelletier had some years earlier re-published Irish Theosophical journals that had come to the attention of Mr. Meyer, who then ordered these publications from Mr. Pelletier, long before they met in person.

Enter on the scene Ms. Ann Watson, an Anthroposophist living on Salt Spring Island.  Ms. Watson discovered in Mr. Meyer’s books, particularly in the biography of D.N. Dunlop, Anthroposophical history that was of value for Anthroposophists today. Through Ms. Watson’s efforts, Mr. Meyer was invited to Vancouver in 2009 to speak on D.N. Dunlop and other topics.  Ms. Watson gathered together sufficient interest in and supporters of Mr. Meyer to bring Mr. Meyer back to North America in several cities in 2010 and 2011.

When Mr. Meyer heard that there were Anthroposophists in Edmonton, Alberta who would be interested in hearing what he had to say, he asked Ms. Watson to locate the Theosophists.  This Ms. Watson did, arranging for pre-visit meetings with the Pelletiers, and coming to Alberta in 2010 to meet with the Theosophists herself.

The Theosophists, Ernest and Rogelle Pelletier, are to Edmonton Theosophy what the Roboz family is for Vancouver Anthroposophy.  Their home houses the impressive Edmonton Theosophical Society Library, artifacts, and meeting place.  In 2011 the Edmonton Theosophical Society celebrated their 100^th Anniversary after coming into being through an Irish Theosophist in 1911.  This was covered in detail in the Edmonton Journal on May 20, 2011. The Edmonton Theosophical Society is a stand alone Society of Theosophists who meet every Wednesday to study Theosophy.

Mr. Pelletier published last year a significant volume on the historical aspects of the Theosophical Society, “The Judge Case – A Conspiracy Which Ruined the Theosophical Cause”.  This marvelous work contains detailed biographical history of many personalities also of interest to Anthroposophists.  This volume represents 11 years of intensive research into the historical records of various people within the Theosophical Society.

So, in the year of the 100th Anniversary of the Theosophical Society and the 150^th Anniversary of Rudolf Steiner’s birth Theosophists and Anthroposophists once again mingled to listen to the words of Mr. Meyer on topics of interest to both: biographies of significant persons from the Theosophical past and events of the current day from Mr. Meyer’s Anthroposophical perspective.

The social gathering on Tuesday September 13 and the lecture on Wednesday September 14 were attended to by a small gathering of local Edmonton Theosophists and Anthroposophists (some of whom have Theosophical connections).  As I was only able to attend the social gathering I am unable to comment on Mr. Meyer’s lecture; however, the atmosphere and the presence of like-minded seekers of truth and knowledge made for a very pleasant social evening. Having heard Mr. Meyer speak on a number of occasions now, I suspect I missed an excellent talk and conversation.

The day after Mr. Meyer left Edmonton, the Edmonton evening news had a feature on Biodynamic farming initiated through the work of Rudolf Steiner.  After just having attended this marvelous gathering, and recently returned from the Class Conference in Fair Oaks, California, I experienced a thrill at hearing Rudolf Steiner’s name mentioned on local television and credit given to him for a vibrant new way of farming in this year when we are globally celebrating the birth of Rudolf Steiner.

Anthroposophy is alive and well – even in Edmonton, Alberta.