Theos-Talk Archives (August 1998 Message tt00333)

>>
>>       "Such was the bearing of Theosophical teaching on Neo-Malthusianism,
>>as laid before me by H.P. Blavatsky...
>
>Tony,
>
>An excellent passage. Not having the book, is Besant quoting an HPB letter
>or just relying on memory of a conversation with HPB?

Fairly certainly from memory (that is if she didn't have any notes).
Earlier in the chapter Annie Besant writes:

"I gave up Neo-Malthusianism in April 1891, its renunciation being part of
the outcome of two years' instruction from Mdme. H.P. Blavatsky, who showed
me however justifiable Neo-Malthusianism might be while man was regarded
only as a most perfect outcome of physical evolution, it was wholly
incompatible with the view of man as a spiritual being, whose material form
and environment were the results of his own mental activity."

It is possibly why some find it difficult to cope with the ideas (just the
theory) of celibacy, etc., because of seeing it from the earthy side only,
rather than from the spiritual too.
>
>Also, you probably know, near the end of MAHATMA LETTER 86, KH writes of
>the "brutal aura" of this pamphlet on birth-control by Besant & Bradlaugh.
>
>Of course critics on auto-pilot will utter "mere Victorian morality".
>But the reasons given by HPB are based in traditional occultism, not any
>era's ethical fashions.

Yes, agreed.

We are only tourists, and Theosophy does point out the way.  It is
interesting that the theosophical teachings are sometimes taken so
personally.   Theosophy is offering another way forward (from the continual
cycle of rebirths, the suffering, etc.....)  To take a look at another
"world" free from all the *gut* reaction conditioning.

Tony