Theos-Talk Archives (June 2004 Message tt00246)

Leon wrote:

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Not to say that HPB would have had to stoop to such 
mundane levels. But, I like to think of Madame 
Blavatsky, in addition to her brilliant mind and 
great oratory, writing, artistic and musical skills, 
as being a real hearty, down to Earth type of character 
who liked a good joke and playing harmless tricks on
gullible people. Since she easily exposed all the 
phony phenomena of the spiritualist tricksters -- 
as the old saying goes -- it takes good one to know
one. ;-)

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Bart replied:

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That is pretty close to my own thoughts on the 
matter, although, in addition, I think that she 
used phenomena, real or faked, as an attention getter, 
kind of like a speaker may open a speech with a
joke to get the audience in a receptive mood for 
the real message.

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H.P.B. wrote the following to Mrs. A.P.Sinnett
on the IMPLICATIONS of the accusation
that she performed fake occult phenomena:

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You "cannot imagine how anyone knowing you (me)
can believe you (me) guilty" -- guilty of the
asinine actions charged upon me? Nor could I --
six months ago, but now I can. . . . Of course,
you all who believe in, and respect the Masters
cannot without losing every belief in Them, think
me guilty. Those who feel no discrepancy in
the idea (Hume was one of such) of filthy lying
and fraud even for the good of the cause -- being
associated with work done for the Masters -- are
congenital Jesuits. One capable of believing that
such pure and holy hands can touch and handle
with no sense of squeamishness such a filthy
instrument, as I am now represented to be -- are
natural born fools, or capable themselves of working
on the principle that "the end justifies the means."
Therefore, while thanking you, and appreciating
fully the great kindness of your heart that dictated
you such words as -- "were I convinced tomorrow
that you had written those wretched letters I
should love you still" -- I answer -- I hope
you would not, and this for your own sake. Had
I written even one of those idiotic and at
bottom infamous interpolations now made to
appear in the said letters; had I been
guilty once only -- of a deliberate, purposely
concocted fraud, especially when those deceived
were my best, my truest friends -- no "love"
for such one as I! At best -- pity or eternal
contempt. Pity, if proved that I was an irresponsible
lunatic, a hallucinated medium made to trick by my
"guides" whom I was representing as Mahatmas;
contempt -- if a conscious fraud -- but then where
would be the Masters?
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Quoted from:
http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/hpb-aps/bl-45.htm

Daniel
http://hpb.cc
http://theosophy.info