Theosophy's Beginnings

[Bruce Michael]

Dear All
The founding members of the TS did have a fascination with "phenomena" of one kind or another. They wished to make the spiritual physically manifest, as in ectoplasm and Felt's magic shows. It was a symptom of the times materialism. They wanted to prove certain spiritual facts through 'materialisations'.The contents of the S.D.are a result of practical occultism, (as Tomberg pointed out) both by H.P.B. and the Adepts.Object No. 5: To investigate the powers innate in man. Does this mean we just read about them? Prior to the founding of the T.S., Mr.George Felt, H.B. of L., felt very inclined towards a public demonstration of the existence of nature spirits,using the magical sciences of old Egypt. The lecture was well received and afterwards as reported in Old Diary Leaves by the Colonel:

"the idea occurred to me that it would be a good thing to form a Society to pursue and promote such occult research..."

vol 1 pp 118-19 "from the Minute book" September 8th

"In consequence of a proposal of Col. Henry S. Olcott that a Society be formed for the study and elucidation of Occultism, the Cabbala, etc....."

ibid 121-122 As an aside, H.P.B. uses the word "Theosophic" in an article in the Spiritual Scientist July 1875 "the modern Theosophists, at whose head was Paracelsus." Collected Writings vol 1 pp 106, 110. K.H. writing to Hume was concerned "But a hot-bed of magic we never dreamt of. Such an organisation... is unthinkable among Europeans; and it has become next to impossible in India..." M.L. p207

I think the "Universal Brotherhood" bit was popped in later. After all who were these people? They weren't philanthropists as far as I'm aware, but occultists of one sort or another.

Robert Owen however was one the greatest philanthropists in history(mentioned in People from the other World). He would have been a wonderfulfounding member. He unfortunately died in 1858.

-Br.Bruce

 

[kpauljohnson]

Dear Bruce,

The most enlightening book I've read in recent years on the topic of the original intentions of the TS Founders is Robert Matthiesen's The Unseen Worlds of Emma Hardinge Britten. (Theosophical History Foundation, 2001) He establishes that "Chevalier Louis," the adept author(?) of Emma's two books Art Magic and Ghost Land, was based on the Baron Ernest Bunsen, and further connects him with a group of English occultists including Bulwer-Lytton and Hockley. Note that Art Magic and Ghost Land were both published in the first year of the TS's existence, by one of its major founders (Emma's role has been terribly under-studied and I plead guilty to that omission.) Moreover, they introduce the pseudonymous adept author/ inspirer as a modus operandi of Theosophical publication before HPB ever published a book. Recently reprinted by Kessinger, these two books are invaluable windows into the beginnings of the TS.

Matthiesen argues that Emma, Bunsen, and their acquaintances wanted to make the TS a school of practical occultism along the lines of the "School of the Prophets" outlined in Art Magic and Ghost Land. After Olcott and Blavatsky went to India, Emma and her husband and most of the original founders parted company with the TS. Emma later lent tacit support to the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. Its successor organization, the Church of Light, offers a series of lessons with degrees awarded for the passage thereof, covering alchemy, astrology and magic. The CofL exemplifies better than any extant Theosophical organization, IMO, what the original TS in New York was aiming to become.

Paul

 

[Nick the Pilot]

~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~

Hi everybody!

I consider Madame Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society to be two of the most slandered people and organizations in the history of America. Perhaps a little history would help.

Blavatsky's main goal in life was to point out religious teachings in various religions that had (in her and other's opinions) gone astray over the centuries. It was a distasteful task, pointing out what the church leaders did not want to hear, and making accusations against them. Blavatsky held back nothing, and was quite aggressive.

I am reminded of one particular case where Blavatsky accused the church leaders of heresy. The example was that of the teaching of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to Blavatsky, the Blessed Virgin Mary is an anthropomorphism of a cosmic principle referred to in Genesis 1:1 as the Waters. Blavatsky felt the anthropomorphism of the Waters into the Blessed Virgin Mary was heresy, and she said so. (I personally would not have used the word heresy, but she did. This is a typical example of her aggressiveness.)

(By the way, I just covered in another thread the "mystery" of how the Blessed Virgin Mary could have given birth to Jesus, yet still be a virgin, which is still the teaching of the church. Theosophy explains how the Waters gave birth to the universe (the Son) yet remained unaffected ("still virgin") by the event. However, this is off-topic, so let me return to the original topic.)

Blavatsky and others "attacked" the church in other ways, one example of which is in "interfering" in their missionary work. Let's take a look at the example of the country Sri Lanka. In the late 1800's, church missionaries had all but wiped out Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Truly, they were within inches of their goal. Along came Blavatsky and Col. Olcott (a co-founder of the Theosophical Society) and revived Buddhism in Sri Lanka, to the point where Buddhism is once again thriving there. As a matter of fact, Olcott is recognized as a national hero in Sri Lanka for his efforts in saving Buddhism (and thwarting Christianity) in Sri Lanka.

Henry Steel Olcott and the Sinhalese Buddhist Revival

The Christian missionaries, of course, were outraged. Years of work, effort, and money went down the drain. This triggered the beginning of a general campagin of slander against Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society (and continues to this very day, as we can see). I am particularly amused of the time when Blavatsky was accused of being a Russian spy! Such is the nature of being a religious pioneer.

I see the word "occult" is being bantered around. When Blavatsky wrote her books back in the 1880', occult meaning hidden or mystical. During the 1900's, occult took on the meaning of black magic and witchery. I suppose those who wish to promote "occult" as meaning witchcraft (and Theosophical meetings as hob-goblin orgies) will continue to do so.

Mention has been made as to Blavatsky's psychic abilities. As a matter of fact, she was very psychic. This gives me a chance to answer the charge that Theosophical meetings are nothing but seances. Seances were all the rage in the 1800's, and Blavatsky was very good at conducting them. (As a matter of fact, Blavatsky and Olcott met while Olcott was writing a newspaper article on seances.) One day, Blavatsky was ordered by the Mahatmas to stop giving seances (because they are a dangerous waste of psychic energy, and are misleading because they communicate with chopped-off chunks of the dead person instead of the actual dead person). This she did immediately, which alienated a large number of people. I find it ironic that people think Theosophy promotes things like seances, when the very opposite is true.

I suppose the attacks against and the Theosophical Society will continue. That is fine, because it give me more opportunities to point out Blavatsky's teachings, such as Theosophy's opposition to seances.

 

[Bruce Michael]

Peace Br. Paul
Are you the author K Paul Johnson? We had some communications a few years back. You're interested in Edgar Cayce....


>The Unseen Worlds of Emma Hardinge Britten. (Theosophical History >Foundation, 2001)

She is still talked about in spiritualist churches. I have a rare book by Britten. It is Faiths, Facts and Frauds of Religious History. It was published in Melbourne in 1879. Emma lectured in Australia in 1878.

Have you read Old Diary Leaves? It is a great read with some fantastic stories, not the least of which is George Felt's show where he summoned the elementals. There is also another interesting story about the Colonel and his use of the pentagram in healing such things as scorpion bites.


>The CofL exemplifies better than any extant Theosophical organization, I>MO, what the original TS in New York was aiming to become.

Thanks for the input,
Greetings,
Br. Bruce

 

[Bruce Michael]

Re: ~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~

Hi Br. Nick,
>Blavatsky held back nothing, and was quite aggressive.

You cannot be argued with. H.P.B.'s blistering invective and truculent manner are all too apparent in her works. But in society matters she was surprisingly tolerant. When Dr. Anna Kingsford was president of the London lodge she was supported by both H.P.B. and K.H. even though shedidn't espouse Tibetan Buddhism but a Christian Esotericism of her own brand. Besant again, demonstrated an open attitude in supporting Leadbeater whose teachings diverged from Blavatsky's. She accepted Dr. Steiner as German Leader and Archdeacon of the Esoteric section recognising that he was working in a Christian/Rosicrucian way, and this continued for over ten years until he was forced out by the Krishnamurti affair. He was of course,later vindicated by Krishnamurti himself. My point being that Theosophy is not a dogmatic religion Buddhist or otherwise. Maybe Miracle Club would have been a better name- wasn't that Olcott's suggestion? Prof. Felt of the H. B. of L. preferred "The Egyptological Society". Theosophy of course, existed hundreds of years before the Society and will continue with or without it.In a true spirit of brotherhood it cannot alienate itself by dogmatism, yet it must as "Wisdom of God" hold to the highest of ideals. Have you had a look at the theosophical history site?

I will discuss an item from there at a later date. Stay tuned.
Fond Regards,

Br. Bruce

 

[Thomas]

Re: ~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~

Blavatsky's main goal in life was to point out religious teachings in various religions that had (in her and other's opinions) gone astray over the centuries. It was a distasteful task, pointing out what the church leaders did not want to hear, and making accusations against them. Blavatsky held back nothing, and was quite aggressive.

I am reminded of one particular case where Blavatsky accused the church leaders of heresy. The example was that of the teaching of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to Blavatsky, the Blessed Virgin Mary is an anthropomorphism of a cosmic principle referred to in Genesis 1:1 as the Waters. Blavatsky felt the anthropomorphism of the Waters into the Blessed Virgin Mary was heresy, and she said so. (I personally would not have used the word heresy, but she did. This is a typical example of her aggressiveness.)

Well, I think the idea of HPB accusing a Church of heresy is somewhat laughable on a number of counts, but more to the point, if the above is the case then its a slander of HPB against the Church, for I don't know of any Christian denomination that teaches that Mary is synonymous with the Waters of Genesis.

Can you give the details of her accusation?

Thomas

 

[kpauljohnson]

Dear Bruce,

Following up your questions and comments: yes, I'm the author of Edgar Cayce in Context, published in 1998. Have been interested in Cayce since childhood because I grew up in the area where ARE is headquartered and had cousins who knew the Cayce family personally. My first enthusiasm for Theosophical history was inspired by finding Old Diary Leaves at the ARE Library in the mid-70s. It's a treasure trove and I'd like to see a single volume condensation as was done with the SD and Isis. Few people are willing to tackle a six-volume tome.

Paul

Here are a couple of posts I contributed to a yahoo group last year about the relationship between Emma H-B and HPB:

A few years back Leslie Price sent me a copy of AJ Davis's booklet
Magical Spiritualism, which was a "warning address" from 1878 in
which he took a negative view of the rise of occultism within
Spiritualism. Finding it will be a challenge but I'll try.
It strikes me that he was fighting for one particular kind of
branding for Spiritualism, while Hardinge-Britten and her
Theosophical friends were trying to broaden the meaning of the term.
Here's a Wikipedia article on branding:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand
It seems to me that for all their ideological similarities, Emma and
HPB parted ways over branding issues involving Spiritualism and
Theosophy. That is, Emma wanted to popularize Occultism and
Theosophy *within* Spiritualism as leavening influences. Despite her
divergences from traditional Spiritualism, she never stopped using
the label or promoting it. Whereas HPB, especially after leaving New
York, tended to promote Theosophy as a competing brand better than
Spiritualism, making negative comparisons. After HPB's death, Emma
was still complaining that Theosophists tried to build up Theosophy
by attacking Spiritualism.
Neither has been particularly successful as brands. Other than in
Brazil, Spiritualism has receded into being an obscure sect, not
quite as obscure as various kinds of Theosophists but not a brand
name with a meaning that is instantly recognizable. According to
adherents.com, Spiritism/Spiritualism in Brazil can have anywhere
from one to fifteen million adherents, depending on who is counted.
By far the largest concentration of Spiritualists in the world, the
Brazilian contingent has gone further in the magical/occult direction
than Emma ever imagined. Davis would surely disapprove of what has
happened to the Spiritualist brand in the last century.
http://adherents.com/Na/Na_616.html#3729

I will take your question below as an occasion to share some of the
booklet by Robert Mathiesen that was awaiting me on return from
travels. You wrote:
> One again HPB is here making the point that a true Theosophist is one
> who lives a life of pure altruism, but she also points out that true
> Theosophists do not necessarily belong to the TS. My own experience
> with Theosophical groups is that we focused upon the doctrines of the
> "Wisdom Tradition." Does anyone have any experience in a
Theosophical group where the focus was upon personal conduct?
>
Only in the broadest sense, that is a Theosophically-influenced group.
The ARE study groups to which I've belonged focused on practical daily
application of the principles in the Search for God material. But
closer in relevance to this subject is the Church of Light, which
offers a series of lessons some of which are quite practical in
nature. It draws on the inspiration of one of the TS Founders, whose
interest in practical instruction is discussed at some length in the
booklet The Unseen Worlds of Emma Hardinge Britten. Here are some
excerpts:
Only two of the founding members were women, H.P. Blavatsky and Emma
Hardinge Britten, yet hey had not only some of the strongest
personalities, but also some of the strongest credentials as
occultists, in the fledgeling society-- *equally strong* credentials,
in my considered opinion. All memoirs of the society's meetings
indicate that the atmosphere was at times thick with tension between
these two...Any dispute over the value of mediumship and Spiritualism,
when one of the parties is a medium and Spiritualist herself, can
easily degenerate into a series of personal attacks and counter-
attacks...Unlike the Later Theosophical Society, the Earlier one was
the *joint* creation, in varying but still significant ways, of *most*
or *all* of its founding members.(pp.34-35)

What originally drew her to the Theosophical Society, I am very sure,
was the wish of her old and trusted friend, Louis de B---, that an
occult "School of the Prophets" might be founded. She made this wish
her own, published articles in defense of occultism in the 1880s and
1890s in order to prepare the broad mass of Spiritualists for its
establishment, and finally, at the end of her life, she provided for a
fund to create it. Most likely it was with this very specific purpose
in mind that she reintroduced herself to H.S. Olcott after an intervale
of twenty years and cultivated the acquaintance of H.P. Blavatsky
despite the latter's decided antagonism to Spiritualism.(p. 39)

Mathiesen concludes that Emma in later life wrote bitterly about the TS
out of frustrated hopes for what she had expected it to become.