Theos-Talk Archives (August 2004 Message tt00655)

In 1894 A.P. Sinnett writes about C.W. Leadbeater 
and "Mary" [Maude Travers]. He doesn't mention 
them by name but refers to them by letters of 
the alphabet.

See his 1894 article at:

http://blavatskyarchives.com/sinnettmah.htm

I wonder if this article is the first mention 
for public consumption of Mr. Leadbeater's
claims. 

Notice that Sinnett writes in this article that
this European [Leadbeater] "came into conscious 
relation with the Mahatmas while working for 
Theosophy in India in connection with the 
headquarters at Adyar."

Compare what is written in the above article 
with what Sinnett also writes in his AUTOBIOGRAPHY:

"It must have been soon after our return from this
trip [sometime during the first 5 months of 1892]
that we formed a group of the most earnest students
of the London Lodge for special work in which the 
Master [Koot Hoomi] undertook to help us. For a
long time, - up till about now, - we had kept the
secret of Mary's faculties and development [and
contact with Master K.H.], but for the group
these became known. The group included Count Bubua,
- (himself endowed with psychic faculties and in
touch with his Master Mahatma Morya) - Scott
Elliott, Miss Arundale, Mr. and Mrs. Varley, and
one or two others, and of course included Mary
and Mr. Leadbeater....." p. 44

And on page 48, Sinnett writes
that Mrs. Annie Besant "had been admitted by her own
request to the meetings of our London Lodge group
in June 1894. Up to that time her psychic faculties 
had not developed. Leadbeater was one of the
most important elements in our group, - Mary
of course the other."

Again compare all of the above with what was
quoted in my previous email:

In The Autobiography of Alfred Percy Sinnett, he wrote:

"On the 26th of April 1886. . . we went . . . to the Albemarle
Club . . . to meet a lady who was . . . desirous of making my
acquaintance . . . . . I will give her a fictitious name and call her
Mary. . . . shortly afterwards I tried a mesmeric experiment with her
(in accordance with her wish) and obtained remarkable results - she
went very easily into a trance in which she became unequivocally
clairvoyant. . . .I became convinced that she clairvoyantly saw the
mountain region in Tibet where the Master K.H. resided. . . . . It
became obvious that Mary might become a link between myself and the
Master. . . . . Mary came to stay with us . . . in February 1888 and
our regular mesmeric sittings were resumed almost every evening, the
Master [KH] talking to me through her in most cases. In this way I
gathered a great deal of miscellaneous occult information. . . . .
Mary left us to go to her own home in May 1888 having had mesmeric
sitting almost every evening while she was with us, at most of which
the Master spoke to me, - or rather dictated to her what he wished to
say. She would pass into a higher condition in which she could be in
touch with him and be enabled to repeat his words to her in reply to
my questions or remarks." pp 33 & 38-39

But Master KH in a letter (dated August 22, 1888) to Colonel Henry S.
Olcott DENIED Sinnett's claim:

"Since 1885 I have not written, nor caused to be written save thro'
her [HPB's] agency, direct or remote, a letter or line to anybody in
Europe or America, nor communicated orally with, or thro' any third
party. Theosophists should learn it. You will understand later the
significance of this declaration so keep it in mind. Her [HPB's]
fidelity to our work being constant, and her sufferings having come
upon her thro' it, neither I nor either of my Brother associates will
desert or supplant her." Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom,
Series I, 1973

Daniel
http://hpb.cc