Theos-Talk Archives (July 2001 Message tt00110)

Thank you, Dallas, for the lengthy comments on the ULT. If you do not know about the DES, the following may be of interest:

Following Crosbie¹s death ULT (as always anonymous) writers emphasized the esoteric importance of his work and his ³succession²: 
³Robert Crosbie preserved unbroken the link of the Second Section of the Theosophical Movement from the passing of Mr Judge in 1896, and in 1907 - just eleven years later - made that link once more Four Square amongst men. In the year 1909 the Third Section was restored by the formation of the United Lodge of Theosophists.²[Theosophy, Vol VII, No 10, August, 1919:290] ³There is always one Witness on the scene. After the death of Mr Judge, Robert Crosbie kept the link unbroken.² [ibid:290]

In real terms, the ULT has always possessed a power structure and leadership as strong - indeed, arguably stronger since its existence is concealed - than any other Theosophical Society. Indeed, a 1938 court case held that the ULT was a business belonging to the then leader, John Garrigues. The Parent Lodge of the ULT is Los Angeles has always been the de facto power centre; following Crosbie¹s death in 1919, he was succeeded by John Garrigues, after his death in 1944 by Grace Clough.

Within the ULT a separate ES, claiming continuity with that of HPB, was established in 1909 with the title ³Dzyan Esoteric School², which it claimed was the proper title of the Second Section of the Theosophical Society. Indeed, the original charters issued by HPB to lodges of the ES did have that title at their head. The DES claimed to be on ³the original lines²of the ES under HPB. It taught that HPB remained the Real Head of the School, and wherever she was referred to, capital letters (including She and Her) are used.

The first DES group was established in Los Angeles by Robert Crosbie in November 1909, and extended to San Francisco in 1911, by which time it had only 11 members. By 1923, however, the DES had extended to other major citiesin the USA. In 1928, B.P. Wadia (who resigned from the Adyar society in 1922 as a result of the Leadbeater scandals), after seven years work in New York and Washington, established groups in Europe and India, and became theEastern Agent or Secretary of the DES.

The DES works through Eastern and Western Divisions, and has both group andcorresponding members. Its work is said to be the preservation of the teachings of HPB and WQJ. Its claim to continuity with HPB¹s group is said to be supported by the fact that Crosbie alone noted that the true name of the group was meant to be DES, not just ES.

Applicants for membership must be members of the ULT for at least 3 months,abstain from alcohol and drugs, but moderate use of tobacco is permitted. Members are required to meditate for half an hour each day, and may not belong to any other occult or esoteric organization, Freemasonry excepted. No-one is asked to join; intuition should lead a member to ask about such a group. Members are not expected to deny the existence of the DES, merely toavoid discussing. The DES is divided into local Groups, each with a President.

The DES teaching documents are, essentially, those of HPB as used by WQJ, with an additional ³Preliminary Memorandum² written by Crosbie, and its own book of rules. The DES issues the Probationer¹s Pledge, the Preliminary Memorandum, the Book of Rules, and Instructions I to VI, together with Suggestions and Aids I to IX.

I have, and have read, all the works to which you refer. THE THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT (in both editions) includes no material on the "inner" history of the Theosophical Movement: for example, the DES is not even mentioned in connection with the ULT. Regardles of public statements and claims, secret, inner groups have been extraordinarily powerful in the control of all Theosophical Societies. It cannot seriously be argued that, for example, the ES within the Adyar TS has not been the real centre of political power within that Society.