Krotona at 100 with Elena Dovalsantos, Maria Parisen & Dr. Pablo Sender

The cover story of the Spring OQ celebrates the Krotona Institute for Theosophy Center's 100th anniversary with a fascinating interview with Dr. Pablo Sender, Maria Parisen and Elena Dovalsantos. The story was written by Kate Fernandez based on this podcast . The event will be celebrated April 15th through April 26 at the august institution that stands on the hillside in the center of the Ojai Valley, often called "the navel of Ojai." The Krotona Center was founded by the Theosophical Society as it outgrew its facilities in Hollywood. Annie Besant raised the money for the Theosophists to purchase the 175 acres on which Krotona stands, as well as another 465 acres in Upper Ojai, which she called "Happy Valley," and which houses both Besant Hill School and the Ojai Foundation. Theosophical Society luminaries will be gathering from all over the world to teach, learn and celebrate. "We focus more on living the teachings, rather than just teaching and trying to spread it," said Dovalsantos. Annie Besant herself visited Ojai for several months in 1927 to check on the facility. She called Ojai "this smiling vale" and foresaw Ojai as an important place in the evolution of humanity. We talked about why Theosophy speaks clearly to a troubled world, its role in Ojai's culture, the beauty of its grounds, how the public can get involved or at least satisfy their curiosity and more. We did not talk about blue whale migrations, the tragic death of the Central Park owl or ancient aliens. Check out KrotonaInstitute.org for more information on this important local landmark and their long and colorful history and future plans. The cover of the Spring OQ features an original artwork by our creative director, Uta Ritke.