THE WELLINGTON STUDY GROUP

Good Company is a discussion group run by the Wellington Study Group. It serves both as a gateway for those who may wish to explore the broader work of the Wellington Study Group, and as a stand-alone event offering thoughtful conversation and reflection, the latter however is Wellington Study Groups main goal in creating Good Company. There is no expectation or pressure for anyone attending Good Company to continue beyond it—participants are welcome to simply enjoy the experience on its own terms.

The Wellington Study Group arose from another, quite different, tributary stream. Prior to WWII a society called the School of Economic Science (the “SES”) was established in London by Andrew MacLaren basically to promote the “single tax” ideas of Henry George. In the early–1950s, Andrew’s son Mr Leon MacLaren (now the leader of the SES) met Dr Roles and became interested in the Western System to which Dr Roles introduced him in detail. As a result, from about 1954 Mr MacLaren’s SES taught essentially the Western System to the public through advertised lectures on ‘Philosophy’ (it continues advertising ‘Philosophy’ lectures to the present day).

A young Wellingtonian, Nolan Howitt, attended these lectures in London, was fascinated, and on returning to Wellington gained permission to advertise a course of these Philosophy lectures to the public from 1956. These proved very successful, and by 1959, there were about 100 people enrolling in the course three times a year.

A charitable society, School of Philosophy (Wellington) Inc. (SOP) was formed and incorporated in 1961. It changed its name to Wellington Study Group Inc. in 1974 as will be explained below; under that name we continue to the present day.

Meditation leading to the connection with ‘the Shankaracharya’ and non-dualism

It was in 1959 that the two tributary streams – (1) the Study Society led by Dr Roles and, through him, (2) the SES in London and the SOP here in Wellington led by L MacLaren – encountered what proved to be (for us) the mainstream. That year an Indian yogi (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi) visited London, offering to the public a method of mantra meditation.

Dr Roles and those with him learnt the method; they immediately realised that this was a simple method of work on being for elevating one’s consciousness that they had sought for over so many years. Dr Roles was authorised to teach this meditation; and soon this meditation was introduced to members of the SES and those drawn to a newly founded ‘School of Meditation’.

In 1961 at Maharishi’s invitation Dr Roles went to Rishikesh in north India to a consortium of ‘meditation guides’. It was here that Dr Roles was introduced by Maharishi to the head of his ancient non-dualistic tradition, His Holiness Shantanand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of North India (the Shankaracharya).

From observing how he moved and the universality of his discourse, Dr Roles recognised that here was an enlightened self-realised person speaking of higher consciousness from experience. Dr Roles came to the view that the system from which the Shankaracharya spoke and the Western System had originally come from a common source, but that contact had been lost over the intervening millennia. The method of meditation and the knowledge of Self-realisation that came through the Shankaracharya and his ancient tradition fulfilled what Dr Roles had been asked to find and provided what had been lost from the Western System.

After that, everything changed. Dr Roles was invited to visit the Shankaracharya for discourse which he did in 1962. From then on there were visits in most years through to Dr Roles’ death in 1982 and by his successors in the Study Society through to 1993 before the Shankaracharya’s death in 1997.

Gradually the understanding brought through the Shankaracharya and the meditation – that at the centre of every human being there is unchanging pure consciousness and happiness – turned on its head the old ‘bottom-up’ System idea of having to work to create a soul and gain higher consciousness.

The ‘work’ which we continue in our groups to the present day is to clear away the ‘clouds’ of ignorance and habitual thinking that obscure realising who we really are.

The advent of the meditation and the ‘new’ knowledge over time transformed the approach here in the SOP. Dr Roles visited Wellington in mid-1961 soon after his first visit to the Shankaracharya, and introduced some 100 members to the meditation. It remains the cornerstone of our personal spiritual endeavour.

‘Different channels’ 1964–1972

By 1964 Mr MacLaren was leading the SES into an approach different to that of Dr Roles and the Study Society. Dr Roles then introduced Mr MacLaren to the Shankaracharya by letter so that MacLaren could visit him directly and continue to take guidance independently. This Mr MacLaren periodically did through to his death in 1994.

So the two tributary streams went in different channels for some eight years, from 1964 to 1972. The School of Philosophy (Wellington), being a SES off-shoot and following Mr MacLaren’s approach, did not have effective contact with Dr Roles and the Study Society again until 1972. That year communication was made directly with Dr Roles once again, and the link with Mr MacLaren and the SES was ended.

Nolan Howitt and the Wellington society renewed a strong association with Dr Roles and the Study Society, and in 1974 the society decided to change its name to the name it currently has: Wellington Study Group (Inc.)

Back in 1972, however, within a couple of months of ending the link with Mr MacLaren, a number of members reverted to guidance from Mr MacLaren – this led to their establishing the School of Practical Philosophy linked to the SES. After our society’s name change in 1974 to Wellington Study Group, this new society adopted the old name of School of Philosophy (Wellington). It continues under that name from its Aro Street premises with operations linked to those of the SES to the present day.

Mevlevi dervish turning & Rumi

In London in 1964 during the period that the meditation and link with the Shankaracharya was being established, another tributary stream had entered the mainstream in a remarkable way. A teacher from the Mevlevi Dervishes (‘whirling dervishes’) tradition from Istanbul taught some 60 members of the Study Society how to ‘turn’ and celebrate the authentic Mukabeleh (“face to face”) ceremony.

In 1925 Mr Ouspensky had written in his book New Model of the Universe how seeing the ceremony in Istanbul on two occasions had impressed him deeply as ‘miraculous’ and full of intense intellectual effort. A remarkable ‘chance’ meeting in England nearly 40 years later with a member of that tradition and a member of the Study Society ultimately led to a request to Istanbul for the tradition to be taught in London to society members. The training started there in 1964 and has flourished there ever since.

Two members of the WSG had learnt ‘turning’ in this tradition in 1973 while living in London. In 1982 while revisiting London, one of them, Gillian Harris, was given authority to teach the whirling dervish tradition in Wellington, and she did so – teaching some 23 members – in 1983. The tradition continues here with periodic training sessions to this present time.

The tradition was founded through Jalal u’din Rumi, the 13th-century middle-eastern philosopher/poet; and his extraordinary spiritual understanding contributes much to the depth of our mainstream spirituality.

The present - and the future?

Today those who participate in the different current activities of the Wellington Study Group are able to draw on a long line of exploration into teachings and practices that enable individuals and communities to expand beyond their own limitations into fuller realisation of their potential as human beings.

Doctor Roles and others from New Zealand and London introduced through him visited HH the Shankaracharya on some 28 occasions over 32 years. The written transcripts of the conversations on all sorts of spiritual matters that took place during these visits have left for all who are interested an extraordinary resource (referred to as ‘the Record’). This is freely drawn upon in our discussion meetings.

In our discussion meetings participants may draw on the wisdom of long-established teachings that have proved their value as well as the challenges presented through modern-day teachers on non-duality. Each person can explore in their own way through practice, and pool their experiences with others in good company. This, with meditation, offers a way to inner peace and lasting happiness.

Meditation in the mantra form taught through the ancient tradition of Shankaracharya is offered on a one-to-one basis to anyone who wishes to learn and practice it. The Mevlevi dervish turning (‘whirling dervishes’) can be viewed on regular occasions by anyone, and classes teaching it are arranged according to demand.

The WSG also has regular meditation retreats at Strathean, a beautiful retreat centre near Otaki. From 1964 until 2017, this retreat centre was owned and operated by the WSG; and we still use the facility on a regular basis.

The present members offer an open invitation now and in the future to anyone to see if the activities and interests available through the Wellington Study Group have appeal for them. The Wellington Study Group are doing this through Good Company. You are welcome to come and see!