Theos-Talk Archives (January 2005 Message tt00986)

Leadbeater claimed that the Master KH had asked him for the manuscript of 
"The Astral Plane" to be deposited in the Museum of Records of the Great 
White Brotherhood because the book was "a landmark for the intellectual 
history of mankind" - never before had such a scientific study of the 
astral plane been undertaken, according to the Master. The manuscript was 
placed in a box and left overnight; the following morning it had 
"disappeared".
These details are found in Jinarajadasa's introduction to some editions 
of "The Astral Plane" - e.g. the TPH, Adyar edition, 1970:xvii. 
Jinarajadasa was living with Leadbeater at the time "The Astral Plane" 
was written and the manuscript "disappeared".

"The Astral Plane" (1895) was followed by "The Devachanic Plane" (1896), 
and "Invisible Helpers" (1896). From 1894 Leadbeater began his research 
into past lives, which led to the series "The Soul's Growth Through 
Reincarnation" which appeared in "The Theosophist" but was not published 
in book form until 1941 when the first of four volumes was released. 

In 1896 Leadbeater and Besant began their research into occult history 
(published in "The Theosophist" over time and then in book form as "Man: 
Whence, How and Whither" in 1913) and into "occult chemistry" (published 
in "The Theosophist" over time and then in book form as "Occult 
Chemistry",the first, relatively small, edition of which was released in 
1908).

Dr Gregory Tillett