Theos-Talk Archives (July 2001 Message tt00344)

Gregory:
1. Did Leadbeater claim to be an Adept?
I cannot offer any comment on whether Leadbeater WAS an Adept, since I do
know possess any faculty capable of such discernment. I would, however,

Frank:
That surprises me a little bit since you have researched in the realm of
occultism for so many years, or perhaps I should regard it as a kind of
British understatement, don't?
You'll find a lot of information in the E.S.T. publications. Quick answer:

1.) Read f.e. Leadbeater's article THE AURA, reprinted in the E.S.T. booklet
"Some fundamental Teachings by C.W. Leadbeater, O.H.", Adyar, Madras, India
1937, issued by the then successor, O.H. C. Jinarajadasa, who writes in his
foreword that this collection of articles were written by CWL between
1892-95 in London.

On p. 37 C.W.L. writes:

"No doubt, to the sight of the Adept, the aura, like everything else, is
sevenfold; but to eyes regarding it from the infinitely lower level of
ordinary humanity, only five of its component parts are usually visible."
Follows on pp. 42-44 a detailed description of the "Colours In The Aura" as
C.W.L. saw it.

2.) E.S.T. Bulletin, January 1923, as quoted from DAWN, Jan. 1, 1923, p. 19
under the heading "What One Hears.":

"That in the E.S.T. Bulletin for January, Mrs. Besant tells her followers
that some years ago she "was called to Shamballa." Her colleague, "Bishop"
Leadbeater, was there, too, she declares. Dawn would like to know if Mrs.
Besant means that Mr. Leadbeater (it was about 1913) told her that she was
at Shamballa, told her what took place, and that she makes the statement on
his authority? Dawn asks this question because in another case of a similar
kind Mrs. Besant knew nothing about the asserted Inner Plane experience
until Mr. Leadbeater's "colleague" told her two years after the event."

3.) Letter of Annie Besant of April 4th, 1921, to the Australian Section of
the E.S.:
"I hereby appoint my dear Brother, the Rt. Rev. C. W. Leadbeater,
Corresponding Secretary of the E.S. in Australia, delegating to him without
reserve my powers of O.H. That which he says and does, I endorse." (DAWN
Sept. 1, 1922, p. 16).

Note that you have to be an adept in the full esoteric meaning to have the
occult powers of an O.H. - assumed the person labeled so is true and does
not misuse this office - remember f.e. the Conger tragedy in Covina 1946 -

Note also, what the office of Corresponding Secretary means in the full
esoteric sense, the office that HPB hold until her death and which is far
higher as for example the office of a P.T.S. and that this office was
vacant for some time after HPB's death and that even Judge - an Adept of the
Transhimalayan Brotherhood for himself like HPB - was not able (for what
reason ever) to take over this office - until his own successor has ended a
special occult training with Master M. to take it over.

So we have proofs that Leadbeater held the office of the Corresponding
Secretary and later on the office of the Outer Head.
Now there are only two possibilities: CWL was a rightful Adept in the full
esoteric meaning or he was a fraud. The same for Annie Besant.

4.) Read Chapter 7 of Alexandra David-Neel's book "Le sortilege du mystere",
Paris, Plon 1972 (don't know whether an English transl. exists, I have of
course a German ed.), were she describes an adventurous ceremony by a
clairvoyant, famous occultist and eager author of books about the aura and
astral travels named Larsen and who had entrance to the most important
secrets of the universe. Reading this report will make you rofl.

5.) Read the latest catalog of Leadbeater biograph Peter Michel's Aquamarin
Publishing House, p. 30, were the books of CWL are praised as "the
masterworks" and that CWL "counts without doubt to the biggest clairvoyants
und initiates of modern times" and that his books are classics of spiritual
(sic) literature.

6.) Peter Michel writes in his Leadbeater biography "Charles Webster
Leadbeater with the Eyes of the Spirit. The Biography of a big initiate" (an

American edition is in the making as one hears) that CWL was a close pupil
of HPB (!), that Tillett's biography is completly wrong (but gives no
serious arguments, excerpt on p. 100, when he argues that Tillett quotes at
length E. L. Gardner's critical staments but suppresses the refutations like
that of W. C. Burger in the March 1964 issue of "Theosofia"), that his
birthday of Febr. 17th, 1847 is still right and that all the accusations
against him are all untrue and a malevolent campaign of Katherine Tingley
and her secretary Joseph Fussell. Also Mr. Michel protests that "even today"
(??) is seems possible that a Marc Jaqua has the courage to spread the bad
book "Margaret Thomas: Theosophy vs. Neo-Theosophy" [I say: Thank you very
much, brother Marc].

Mr. Michel believes that one reason that CWL was born in 1847 was the fact,
that Annie Besant was born in 1847, too, and that the research of later
generations will find proofs that CWL's statement that he was born in 1847
is correct.

Later on Mr. Michel uses an anthroposophical phrase, when he writes (p. 91
German original ed.) that CWL must had always a cat around him and that his
cat is "already an individuality, sometimes likewise unpleasent human".

On the last page, 174, Mr. Michels ends his biography with the conclusion
that CWL's descriptions "about the higher bodies of man, his aura and the
life after death were pioneering and until today more glittering as many in
the works of H. P. Blavatsky or in the Mahatma letters" and that CWL's
ethics (sic) appealed to the highest ideals in man.

CWL's commentaries to "Light on the Path", The Voice of the Silence" and "At
the Feet of the Master" are "on equal level as the commented contents".

So you must conclude, if you accept that HPB was an Adept, that CWL was an
Adept, too.

Much more answers could be found, but who has the time for it... But I
really hope it is of any use.

Frank