Theos-Talk Archives (December 2001 Message tt00553)

Hi, Brigitte:

Re your question about Blavatsky and Randolph:

There is plenty of reason to believe (1) Blavatsky
used mirror gazing to develop her clairvoyance, and
(2) was at least familiar with Randolph's manual of
mirror gazing entitled SEERSHIP, whether he was her
original teacher or not.

Consider the following quote from THE TRANSACTIONS OF
THE BLAVATSKY LODGE:

"If the Astral Light is collected in a cup or metal
vessel hy willpower, and the eyes fixed on
some point in it with a strong will to see, a waking
vision or 'dream' is the result, if the person is at
all sensitive. The reflections in the Astral Light are
seen better with closed eyes, and, in sleep, still
more distinctly. From a lucid state, vision becomes
translucid; from normal organic consciousness it rises
to a transcendental state of consciousness."

This is clearly a reference to mirror gazing, using a
metal surface instead of a glass mirror. Now consider
the following from mahatma letter #127:

"The methods used for developing lucidity in our
chelas may be easily used by you. Every temple has a
dark room, the north wall of which is entirely covered
with a sheet of mixed metal, chiefly copper, very
highly polished, with a surface capable of reflecting
in it things, as well as a mirror. The chela sits on
an insulated stool, a three-legged bench placed in a
flat-bottomed vessel of thick glass, - the lama
operator likewise, the two forming with the mirror
wall a triangle. A magnet with the North Pole up is
suspended over the crown of the chela's head without
touching it. The operator having started the thing
going leaves the chela alone gazing on the wall, and
after the third time is no longer required."

Here again we have a clear reference to mirror gazing,
again using a metal surface for a mirror. The
experiment indicates considerable western influence. 
We now know that this setup did not in fact exist in
"every temple" in Tibet. The idea of using a mirror
of mixed metals comes from Paracelsus, as Hartmann
showed. The magnet also indicates a western
influence.

Now notice the statement that mirror gazing techniques
constitute "the methods used for developing lucidity
in our chelas." That is pretty explicit. That is a
category in which Blavatsky would have included
herself. Notice also the statement that "the chela
sits on an insulated stool, a threelegged
bench placed in a flatbottomed vessel of thick
glass." That idea, that the seer should sit in a
chair electrically insulated from the ground using
glass, comes from Randolph's book SEERSHIP.

Now consider this piece of doggerel, from mahatma
letter # 19:

"No curtain hides the spheres Elysian,
Nor these poor shells of half transparent dust;
For all that blinds the spirit's vision
Is pride and hate and lust." (Not for publication)

That is given unattributed and appears unattributed in
Randolph's book as well.

She also makes reference to the unusually constructed
mirrors Randolph sold, etc.

Now consider the following story, entitled "Consulting
the Mirror of a Koordish Seer" from Isis Unveiled:

"Travelling from one tribe to the other, we passed
some time in company with these Koords. ... [2.631] A
very expensive saddle, a carpet, and two Circassian
daggers, richly mounted and chiselled in gold, had
been stolen from the tent, and that the Koords, with
the chief of the tribe at the head, had come, taking
Allah for their witness that the culprit could not
belong to their tribe. ...

"A suggestion was then made by a Georgian belonging to
our caravan to have resort to the light of the koodian
of their tribe. This was arranged in great secrecy and
solemnity, and the interview appointed to take place
at midnight, when the moon would be at its full. ...

"A large hole, or square aperture, was managed in the
arched roof of the tent, and through it poured in
vertically the radiant moonbeams, mingling with the
vacillating triple flame of the little lamp. After
several minutes of incantations, addressed, as it
seemed to us, to the moon [i.e., allah], the conjurer,
an old man of tremendous stature, whose pyramidal
turban touched the top of the tent, produced a round
lookingglass, of the kind known as 'Persian
mirrors.' Having unscrewed its cover, he then
proceeded to breathe on it, for over ten minutes, and
wipe off the moisture from the surface with a package
of herbs, muttering incantations the while sotto voce.
After every wiping the glass became more and more
brilliant, till its crystal seemed to radiate
refulgent phosphoric rays in every direction. At last
the operation was ended; the old man, with the mirror
in his hand, remained as motionless as if he had been
a statue. 'Look, Hanoum . . . look steadily,' he
whispered, hardly moving his lips. Shadows and dark
spots began gathering, where one moment before nothing
was reflected but the radiant face of the full moon. A
few more seconds, and there appeared the
wellknown saddle, carpet, and daggers, which
seemed to be rising as from a deep, clear water, and
becoming with every instant more definitely outlined.
Then a still darker shadow appeared hovering over
these objects, which gradually condensed itself, and
then came out, as visibly as at the small end of a
telescope, the full figure of a man crouching over
them.

"'I know him!' exclaimed the writer. 'It is the Tartar
who came to us last night, offering to sell his
mule!'"

"The image disappeared, as if by enchantment. The old
man nodded assent, but remained motionless. Then he
muttered again some strange words, and suddenly began
a song. The tune was slow and monotonous, but after he
had sung a few stanzas in the same unknown tongue,
without [2.632] changing either rhythm or tune, he
pronounced, recitativelike, the following
words, in his broken Russian:

"'Now, Hanoum, look well, whether we will catch him
 the fate of the robber  we will learn
this night.'"

"The same shadows began gathering, and then, almost
without transition, we saw the man lying on his back,
in a pool of blood, across the saddle, and two other
men galloping off at a distance.
Horrorstricken, and sick at the sight of this
picture, we desired to see no more. The old man,
leaving the tent, called some of the Koords standing
outside, and seemed to give them instructions. Two
minutes later, a dozen of horsemen were galloping off
at full speed down the side of the mountain on which
we were encamped.

"Early in the morning they returned with the lost
objects. The saddle was all covered with coagulated
blood, and of course abandoned to them. The story they
told was, that upon coming in sight of the fugitive,
they saw disappearing over the crest of a distant hill
two horsemen, and upon riding up, the Tartar thief was
found dead upon the stolen property, exactly as we had
seen him in the magical glass. He had been murdered by
the two banditti, whose evident design to rob him was
interrupted by the sudden appearance of the party sent
by the old Koodian."

This is a well known phenomenon called "double vision"
in which two people see images in the same glass at
the same time. There is no way to know that both saw
the SAME image, and no reason to believe they did. 
Anyway, whatever the story proves, it proves B;avatsky
was familiar with mirror gazing.

Lastly, consider Wachtmeister's account that Blavatsky
"made a vacuum" in space rather than using a mirror in
1886. Evidently she was able to dispense with the
mirror by then.

I could collect numerous other references, but you see
the point. No comment on whether this qualifies as
"paranormal." I shall leave that to others. My
interest here is historical. But it is not a fraud. 
Some people really do find if they relax their eyes
and stare into a mirror they get visions of various
sorts. This therefore appears to be the basis of many
of the wonder stories.

Steve



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