Theos-Talk Archives (December 2002 Message tt00540)

Folks,

Several times I've been accused of being part of anti-Theosophical conspiracies, all (IIRC) at times I was a committed and longtime Theosophist. (FYI ex-Theosophist, but not anti-Theosophist, would characterize me for the last several years.) First time was in London at a Theosophical History Conference, where Jean Overton Fuller accused me of being part of a conspiracy to take over Theosophy by the Shah School of Sufism. (Idries, that is, because I cited some of his books.) Later, after my first self-published book came out, it was "dugpas" I was alleged to be in cahoots with, by several people including a high official in one of the TSes. More recently, online, it was "the Jesuits" I was supposed to be in cahoots with. Problem with all these accusations is that I have never known any Jesuits, and have had only limited contact years ago with a few American admirers of Tibetan Buddhism and Idries Shah. All this was made up of whole cloth and says more about conspiratorial mindsets in the world of Theosophists than it does about me.

Have had very little contact with Crowleyite and Thelemic folks either, but can recall two conversations 11 and 22 years respectively ago with two individuals who were into this movement. As with the friends who were admirers of Shah and Tibetan Buddhist masters (different friends), these people showed only the slightest interest in Theosophy. They were all rather condescending about it and regarded it as a dying movement with one foot in the grave.

My incredulity about accusations of infiltration, undermining, takeover attempts, etc., is thus based on personal experience of totally off-the-wall accusations. It does not appear that anyone is interested enough in Theosophy to want to take it over, undermine it, infiltrate it, etc.

What is odd about Brigitte and her website is that when initially contacting me she showed no such hostility to HPB and Theosophy as later came out online here and elsewhere. Indeed for more than a year no such partisanship was evident. But gradually, as she became engaged in wrangles with Theosophists, she became more and more an anti-Theosophical polemicist and thus someone I had to dissociate myself from. This appears to me more the result of how she was treated by Theosophists online than what she brought to the discussion in the first place. Belief in anti-Theosophical conspiracy thus may have actually helped create one.

How Theosophists appear online to others is really not my problem anymore, so there is no point in my resisting this tendency towards conspiracy theories that manifest from time to time. So will let it pass henceforth. As time allows perhaps I'll educate myself a bit more about Crowley et al, but don't relish doing so. As a matter of principle, I think accusers bear the burden of evidence, and insinuations or outright accusations pollute the atmosphere. But rather than debate whether Crowleyites, or Jesuits, or Shah Sufis, or Baileyites, or dugpas, are out to infiltrate, undermine, or take over Theosophy, I'd prefer to discuss whether *anyone* would and if so, whatever for? 

Am not a total a priori disbeliever in takeover, infiltraton, etc., because a group of evangelical Christians really did infiltrate and take over the ARE some years ago and I was on the front lines fighting against it. (They were ousted but the cure was worse than the disease as C.T. Cayce ended up with unlimited dictatorial power in the wake of the Christian takeover debacle.) So such things can happen. But ARE had resources and visibility that made it an appealing target for such, whereas I don't see the Theosophical organizations in such light.

Welcome any comments on efforts to infiltrate, undermine, or take over Theosophy-- and/or Theosophists' proclivity to imagine such things.

Cheers,

Paul