Theos-Talk Archives (January 2002 Message tt00035)

Hi, Brigitte and Jerry, et al:

JERRY: Steve, not every sentence in the MLs can be
taken literally, or even seriously. 

Not "literally, or even seriously"? That sounds like
something Dallas TenBroek would say. Yes, I certainly
agree that the rooms described did not exist in any
Tibetan temple, let alone all of them. The historical
value of the quote, though, is that mirror gazing was
used within Blavatsky's circle for the stated purpose,
not that it was used at Shigatse and Lhasa.

Brigitte: "What me sincerrely interrests ... what did
she herself practiced.

Easier to figure out what she preached than what she
practiced. Mirror gazing was for sure part of the
practice. I think it is reasonable to say she
probably met Major Buckley while she was in England
and studied with him. In the EST papers there is an
intimation that she was familiar with tantric
visualizations of the sort favored in Tibet, etc.

Here is the main quote in Isis which establishes a
connection between Blavatsky and Randolph:

"In the United States, a mystical fraternity now
exists, which claims an intimate relationship with one
of the oldest and most powerful of Eastern
Brotherhoods. It is known as the Brotherhood of Luxor,
and its faithful members have the custody of very
important secrets of science. Its ramifications extend
widely throughout the great Republic of the West.
Though this brotherhood has been long and hard at
work, the secret of its existence has been jealously
guarded. Mackenzie describes it as having "a
Rosicrucian basis, and numbering many members" ("Royal
Masonic Cyclopaedia," p. 461). But, in this, the
author is mistaken; it has no Rosicrucian basis. The
name Luxor is primarily derived from the ancient
Beloochistan city of Looksur, which lies between Bela
and Kedgee, and also gave its name to the Egyptian
city." (Isis 2.308)

She admitted elsewhere that the real name of this
fraternity was not "The Brotherhood of Luxor" but did
not give the real name. As J.P. Deveney points out,
it was P.B.Randolph's "Rosicrucian Brotherhood." That
this is true can be seen from the following
statements:

(1) Situated "in the United States." Randolph's
"Rosicrucian Brotherhood," was centered in Boston,
Massachusetts.

(2) "Now exists" (in 1877).

(3) "Claims an intimate relationship with one of the
oldest and most powerful of Eastern Brotherhoods." 
Randolph claimed to have studied in India; Brigitte
says the claim was bogus, but if that is true, the
fault is with Randolph and not Blavatsky.

(4) "Its ramifications extend widely throughout the
great Republic of the West," albeit not as widely as
its organizers might have liked. If memory serves me
well, Randolph did try to establish a group in San
Francisco, which is on the other side of the continent
from Boston.

(4) "This brotherhood has been long and hard at work,"
as of 1877. As Brigitte pointed out, Randolph's books
were coming out as early as 1862 or even earlier.

(5) "The secret of its existence has been jealously
guarded," even though Randolph and co. might have
preferred it be better known. He was not a good
promoter.

(6) "It has no Rosicrucian basis." Despite using the
name, Randolph admitted in his RAVALETTE that
"everything I have given out as Rosicrucian originated
in my own soul." (this quote from memory.)

(7) The documents Blavatsky claimed to have gotten
from them constantly urged the recipient to TRY, which
was Randolph's motto.

The credit for this insight must go to Deveney. I
should have figured that one out myself, but confess
to having had an "Aha!" experience when I read
Deveney's book. It is notable that when Chintamon et
al started "The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor" they
based it on Randolph's stuff. So others probably
figured it out before Deveney.

In Isis she refers to the mystical experience as "that
image of blinding light that he sees reflected in the
concave mirror of his own soul" Isis 1.xviii

One does not tend to buy concave mirrors in the
furniture store. Randolph had these specially made
for mirror gazing purposes.

Searching elsewhere int he same book we find
references to:

"the eternal mirror of the astral ether" (2.60)

"the mirror of astral light. Isis 2.115

"the mirror of Astral light. (Isis, Vol. I, p. 352.)

That is suggestive in terms of the statement I quoted
earlier that she tried to "collect astral light" by
will power before gazing at metal mirrors. I shall
leave it to others to decide exactly how this should
be interpreted, but I do not believe it was intended
as mere poetic fancy. I think these statements hint
at the technique she used to develop "lucidity."

There is a reference to "Apollonius, who asserted that
he could see 'the present and the future in a clear
mirror.'" 1.486

There are also some tall tales about a tiger seeing
something in a blackened mirror and also of such
mirrors being used in Mexico when the Spanish came to
plunder the place. In a footnote to the latter story
we read:

"These 'magic mirrors,' generally black, are another
proof of the universality of an identical belief. In
India these mirrors are prepared in the province of
Agra and are also fabricated in Thibet and China. And
we find them in Ancient Egypt, from whence, according
to the native historian quoted by Brasseur de
Bourbourg, the ancestors of the Quiches brought them
to Mexico; the Peruvian sunworshippers also
used it. When the Spaniards had landed, says the
historian, the King of the Quiches, ordered his
priests to consult the mirror, in order to learn the
fate of his kingdom."

The story Brigitte cites in which Blavatsky indicated
her disapproval of Randolph evidently relates to a
period after the time in which Isis was written. This
suggests, as a matter of historical interest, that the
break between her and the Randolph crowd occurred
between 1877 and the date of the story. Unfortunately
we cannot pinpoint the date very closely, only within
a time period of several years. Randolph committed
suicide in 1875, don't remember the date off hand, and
she came to New York in 1874, so her association with
him personally was probably brief, unless she met him
in Europe when he was doing his thing with Napoleon
III. She would therefore have fallen out with Dowd or
some other of Randolph's successors and not with
Randolph personally. Unfortunately, Clymer is not a
reliable source for information. In Isis she cites
Randolph's book PRE-ADAMITE MAN briefly with approval.
The phrase "pre-Adamite man" refers to the
realization in the nineteenth century that man came
into existence more than 6,000 years ago. Today that
would be a "no jive headline," but then people were
still trying to modernize without rejecting the bible
and Bishop Usher's literal interpretation of it.

As for Blavatsky never changing her tune on
reincarnation, please refer to vol. 1 of Olcott's OLD
DIARY LEAVES in which he deals honestly with this
matter and at length. His honesty, which is uncommon
among Theosophists, is one of the things I like about
Olcott. He says she did change. As I recall some of
the letters collected and published by Jinarajadasa
also contain explicit statements that she rejected
reincarnation in the New York period, but I do not own
the book, so cannot provide page and volume numbers.

Anyway, I have always heard it is a lady's prerogative
to change her mind. In Isis she makes numerous
references to God, and later she said she did not
believe in God. Those are just two changes that took
place.

Yes, Jerry, I, too, doubt Dallas owns a crystal. I
think you are right about that one. I also agree that
mere reading without direct experience is of
relatively limited value. This is especially true if
the reading is superficial and uncritical by conscious
intent. How unfortunate that some wish not only to
read uncritically and experience nothing, but to urge
that on others as well on the premise that this
constitutes the superios "heart doctrine."

Steve



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