Theos-Talk Archives (May 2005 Message tt00248)

Saturday, May 7, 2005
 
Dear ----- [a ULT student],
 
You wrote to me the following when I gave you 
the two examples from Theosophy Company publications 
of the publishing of excerpts from the Esoteric 
materials.
 
[Extract from ULT student's email deleted.] 

Today I have collated together from diverse sources 
the FOLLOWING draft of an article I plan to issue 
on my website in the near future.
 
I ask you to seriously consider what is stated in 
this article in light of what you said above.
 
Any comments would be appreciated.
 
"There is no religion, belief or opinion higher than Truth."
 
Daniel
 
------------------------------------------------------------

Did Mr. Crosbie Break the Seventh Clause of His Solemn 
Pledge as a Member of the Esoteric School?

During Mme. Blavatsky's life, her esoteric instructions were given
to members of the Esoteric Section of the Theosophical Society by 
Blavatsky as Outer Head of the E.S. directly representing a Master 
who was the Inner Head.
 
Each new member took a pledge NOT to discuss or show the esoteric 
documents to non-members.
 
See rule 7 on page 2 of the 1888 pledge folder at:
 
http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/espage2.htm
 
Robert Crosbie joined the Esoteric Section during HPB's life and he
took the same pledge.
 
At H.P.B.'s death, Annie Besant and William Judge became joint Outer 
Heads. In other words, "the full charge and management of the 
school" was given jointly to Mrs. Besant and Mr. Judge.
 
See the relevant ES documents in my ESOTERIC PAPERS OF MADAME 
BLAVATSKY, pp. 325-334.
 
Mrs. Besant and Mr. Judge jointly sent out to all members of the 
school a new pledge (see p. 326 of ESOTERIC PAPERS for a facsimile 
of the new pledge form).
 
Robert Crosbie took that new pledge. The 7th rule of that pledge
reads in part:
 
"I pledge myself to preserve inviolable secrecy as regards...all 
confidential documents..." and to return those documents if 
requested to do so.
 
In Nov. 1894, Mr. Judge declared that Mrs. Besant was no longer 
joint outer head with him of the esoteric school. 
 
See Judge's Order of 1894 at:  
http://blavatskyarchives.com/judgebmd1894.htm
 
See also Mrs. Besant's reply to Mr. Judge's order at: 
 
http://blavatskyarchives.com/besantes1894.htm
 
At Judge's death in 1896, Mrs. Katherine Tingley became outer head 
of Judge's esoteric school.  
 
See the relevant document at:
 
http://blavatskyarchives.com/stokesestapril96.htm
 
At this time, Robert Crosbie accepted Mrs. Tingley as the new Outer 
Head of the esoteric school.  
 
See Mr. Crosbie's own words as given in several documents to be 
found at:
 
http://blavatskyarchives.com/stokescrosbie.htm
 
Mr. Crosbie even signed the following pledge:
 
"I . . . recognizing the person called Purple [Mrs. Tingley] as 
being the agent of the Master I serve . . . do hereby unreservedly 
pledge myself, by my Higher Self, to unquestioning loyalty, devotion 
and obedience to her and to her support and defence as such agent, 
under any and all circumstances and conditions to the extent of my 
available means, utmost exertion, and with my life if need be. . . . 
So Help me my Higher Self. 
 
(Signed) Robert Crosbie 
 
Witness my hand, this 22d day of May, Eighteen hundred and Ninety-
seven." 

In 1904, Mr. Crosbie withdrew from the Point Loma Theosophical 
Society, San Diego, California and also severed his membership in 
the esoteric school headed by Mrs. Tingley.

Mr. Crosbie then moved to Los Angeles.
 
The editors of Thesophy magazine tell us:
 
"There is also the association of Theosophical students known as the
United Lodge of Theosophists [U.L.T.], formed in 1909 in Los Angeles,
California, under the inspiration and guidance of Robert Crosbie."

".... He secured work in Los Angeles and gradually began to
gather around him a few students—most of them ENTIRELY NEW to
Theosophy—to undertake once more the task of promulgating
Theosophy in the same form as originally presented by the Founders
of the Movement." 

"When, in 1909, he had been joined by a small nucleus of persons who 
shared this ideal, The United Lodge of Theosophists was formed to 
carry out the purposes in view...." Bold added.
 
Quoted from:

http://www.phx-ult-lodge.org/theosophica%20lmovement.htm
pp. 316-318.
 
Also at the same time (1909) within the U.L.T., a separate esoteric 
school was organized with the name "Dzyan Esoteric School" [D.E.S.].
 
Gregory Tillett writes:
 
"The first DES group was established in Los Angeles by Robert 
Crosbie in November 1909, and extended to San Francisco in 1911, by 
which time it had only 11 members. By 1923, however, the DES had 
extended to other major cities in the USA. In 1928, B.P. Wadia (who 
resigned from the Adyar society in 1922 as a result of the 
Leadbeater scandals), after seven years work in New York and
Washington, established groups in Europe and India, and became the 
Eastern Agent or Secretary of the DES."
 
"The DES works through Eastern and Western Divisions, and has both 
group and corresponding members...."
 
"The DES teaching documents are, essentially, those of HPB as used 
by WQJ, with an additional "Preliminary Memorandum" written by 
Crosbie, and its own book of rules. The DES issues the
Probationer¹s 
Pledge, the Preliminary Memorandum, the Book of Rules, and 
Instructions I to VI, together with Suggestions and Aids I to IX."
 
Quoted from: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theos-talk/message/1901
 
See also:
 
http://members.tripod.com/davidgreen_2/dzyanesoteric.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theos-talk/message/1870
 
See a photofacsimile of the D.E.S. document titled "To Applicants 
for Admission to the D.E.S." at:
 
http://www.geocities.com/danielhcaldwell/des5.jpg
 
As already related above, Robert Crosbie had taken the original 
pledge sent by H.P.Blavatsky NOT to discuss or reveal the E.S.T.S. 
instructions and papers to non-members.
 
He reaffirmed that again in 1891 when Judge and Besant took charge 
of the Esoteric School.

Yet in 1909 --- years after the death of both Blavatsky and Judge, 
and after he had severed his relationship with Mrs. Tingley and her 
Esoteric School, Mr. Crosbie decided to form a "Dzyan Esoteric 
School".
 
He also decided to issue reprints of all of Blavatsky's and Judge's 
esoteric instructions to people "entirely new to Theosophy" who 
would become members of his newly formed school.

It is clear that Blavatsky & Judge issued the instructions at the 
direction of the Masters.
 
But who gave the permission to Crosbie in 1909 that he could reprint 
the esoteric instructions and allow new people to have access to 
this esoteric material?
 
Who gave Mr. Crosbie the authority or right to disregard his 
original pledges & offer these instructions to new students?
 
Did Mr Crosbie violate his original pledges by allowing other people 
to have copies of Blavatsky's & Judge's esoteric instructions?

Relevant to this, David Green has written:
 
"Mr John Garrigues et al in one of the ULT histories of Modern 
Theosophy did not hesitate to attack Mrs Annie Besant on the very 
same issue. 
 
"Read Mr Garrigues' words----- 
 
'In Mrs. Besant's 'Third Volume' [of The Secret Doctrine, 1897] are 
incorporated the private papers originally issued by H.P.B. to the 
E.S., and in reprinting these Mrs. Besant . . . broke the seventh 
clause of her solemn pledge as a member of the Esoteric 
School. . . .' The Theosophical Movement 1875-1925, pages 571-572.

"If Mrs Besant was guilty of what Mr Garrigues accused her, then is 
it not equally fair to at least pose the question----- 
 
"Did not Mr Robert Crosbie violate his original 'solemn' E.S. pledge 
by reissuing (through the DES) Blavatsky's esoteric instructions to 
new students under an oath of secrecy?
 
"If Mrs Besant was guilty of breaking her pledge, why not also Mr 
Crosbie?"
 
The above several paragraphs summarized and quoted from:  
 
http://members.tripod.com/davidgreen_2/breakpledge.htm