Theos-Talk Archives (May 2005 Message tt00363)

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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. 
http://blavatskyarchives.com/hpbesotericpapers.htm

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...." 

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 Theosophy 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...." Caps added.

Quoted from:

http://www.phx-ult-lodge.org/theosophica%20lmovement.htm
See 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
Probationer's 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