Theos-Talk Archives (December 2003 Message tt00295)

I commented on the quotation that was given. The subject was Chelas
and Mediums. I commented on Mediums. If the context is mediums only,
and spiritualistic mediums in modern day spiritualist churches, Well,
check it out and make your own decision.

I commented on mediums and modern spiritualistic churches, here in the
US, in the last 50 years.

Those who "sat for development" were pretty much "consciously and
voluntarily submit his will to another being". I have been in many
different churches, and have never met a maniac, or cut-throat in any
one of them. I have been bored in some of them, which is why I quit
going many years ago.

Your expanded quotation alters the discussion somewhat.

Dennis

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Daniel H. Caldwell" <danielhcaldwell@yahoo.com>
To: ".DanielHCaldwell" <danielhcaldwell@yahoo.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 5:23 PM
Subject: Theos-World Dennis on HPB's Comments about "Mediums"


> Dennis, you wrote in part:
>
> "Some of these quotations are as absurd as any I have
> ever seen."
>
> "I suggest that if Roberto or any one else should have
> any curiosity at all, they look up some local
> spiritualistic churches, and go to some services, and
> observe and judge for themselves."
>
> "You will find most of them very boring, but you will
> find few if any maniacs, thieves, ravishers,
> murderers, or cut-throats."
>
> "In my opinion, HPB was out of touch with reality when
> she was writing these paragraphs. I don't think these
> things were true even when she was alive."
>
> "I think she was (and is) mistaken."
>
> Dennis, I invite you and other readers to carefully
> reconsider exactly what HPB wrote. I quote two
> paragraphs:
>
> ------------------------------
>
> A person may consciously and voluntarily submit his
> will to another being and become his slave. This other
> being may be a human being, and the medium will then
> be his obedient servant and may be used by him for
> good or for bad purposes. This other "being" may be an
> idea, such as love, greediness, hate, jealousy,
> avarice, or some other passion, and the effect on the
> medium will be proportionate to the strength of the
> idea and the amount of self-control left in the
> medium. This "other being" may be an elementary or an
> elemental, and the poor medium become a epileptic, a
> maniac or a criminal. This "other being" may be the
> man's own higher principle, either alone or put into
> rapport with another ray of the collective universal
> spiritual principle, and the "medium" will then be a
> great genius, a writer, a poet, an artist, a musician,
> an inventor, and so on. This "other being" may be one
> of those exalted beings, called Mahatmas, and the
> conscious and voluntary medium will then be called
> their "Chela."
>
> Again, a person may never in his life have heard the
> word "Medium" and still be a strong Medium, although
> entirely unconscious of the fact. His actions may be
> more or less influenced unconsciously by his visible
> or invisible surroundings. He may become a prey to
> Elementaries or Elementals, even without knowing the
> meaning of these words, and he may consequently become
> a thief, a murderer, a ravisher, a drunkard or a
> cut-throat, and it has often enough been proved that
> crimes frequently become epidemic; or again he may by
> certain invisible influences be made to accomplish
> acts which are not at all consistent with his
> character such as previously known. He may be a great
> liar and for once by some unseen influence be induced
> to speak the truth; he may be ordinarily very much
> afraid and yet on some great occasion and on the spur
> of the moment commit an act of heroism; he may be a
> street-robber and vagabond and suddenly do an act of
> generosity, etc
>
> ---------------------------------
>
> One should carefully read HPB's whole article which
> can be found at:
>
> http://blavatsky.net/blavatsky/arts/AreChelasMediums.htm
>
> As far as I can tell, Dennis, you are taking what HPB
> wrote completely OUT OF CONTEXT.
>
> In the above paragraphs HPB is NOT speaking
> specifically about "mediums" you would find at
> "spiritualistic churches."
>
> She is not saying that a "medium" at one of those
> churches will become "a thief, a murderer, a ravisher,
> a drunkard or a cut-throat."
>
> Her context is FAR WIDER.
>
> Notice HPB's wording:
>
> ". . . a person may never in his life have heard the
> word "Medium" and still be a strong Medium, although
> entirely unconscious of the fact. His actions may be
> more or less influenced unconsciously by his visible
> or invisible surroundings. He may become a prey to
> Elementaries or Elementals, even without knowing the
> meaning of these words, and he may consequently become
> a thief, a murderer, a ravisher, a drunkard or a
> cut-throat. . . . "
>
> Daniel H. Caldwell
> BLAVATSKY STUDY CENTER/BLAVATSKY ARCHIVES
> http://blavatskyarchives.com/introduction.htm
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> "...Contrast alone can enable us to appreciate things
> at their right value; and unless a judge compares
> notes and hears both sides he can hardly come to a
> correct decision."
> H.P. Blavatsky. The Theosophist, July, 1881, p. 2
> ---------------------------------------------
> You can always access our main site by
> simply typing into the URL address
> bar the following 6 characters:
>
> hpb.cc
>
> Blavatsy Study Center now has a mirror
> site at:
>
> http://www.theosophy.info/
>