Theos-Talk Archives (May 2005 Message tt00613)

May 23 2005

Dear Krishtar:

This may help you - see in particular pp. 291-2

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Pages from the THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT (1875-1950)
pp. 290 - 300

ADYAR THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY

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THE DEATH OF MR. JUDGE, in less than a year after the separation of the
American Section from the parent Society and the formation of the T.S. in
A., left Col. Olcott in the unique position of sole survivor of the original
Three Founders of the Theosophical Society. 

Col. Olcott was now the "grand old man" of the Movement, still at the head
of the Society, and many who might have remained indifferent to Mrs.
Besant's claims as "successor" to H.P.B. were undoubtedly influenced by the
name, "The Theosophical Society," and the venerable President-Founder's
connection with it. The entirety of the Indian and Australasian membership
were faithful to this society. 

In Great Britain, on the Continent, and, to some extent in the United
States, the ability and reputation of Mrs. Besant, the secondary but
considerable influence of Mr. Sinnett and other writers and leaders, coupled
with the fact that the Besant-Olcott faction was the accuser, and not the
accused, in the controversy with Mr. Judge, gave the original Society a
special advantage in gaining and holding public attention. 

The course followed by the T.S., however, was hardly one to attract
serious-minded people to the support of the Theosophic Cause. The ageing
Olcott became increasingly a mere figure-head, while Mrs. Besant's flair for
dramatic pronouncements and claims came gradually to dominate the activities
of the Adyar Society. 

In the summer of 1899, Mrs. Besant withdrew the pledge, memorandum, and
instructions of H.P.B. and substituted a new "pledge" for her "esoteric"
students. This was followed by "studies" and "instructions" of her own, and
by the circulation in her "School" of the literary results of "occult
investigations" pursued by Mr. Leadbeater and herself. The latter were
eventually published as OCCULT CHEMISTRY AND THOUGHT FORMS. 

In 1906, charges of sexual misconduct with and infamous teachings to
boys entrusted to his care were brought against Mr. Leadbeater. An inquiry
into the matter was held by Col. Olcott in London. After admitting enough of
the charges to 

291----------------BESANT INVITES LEADBEATER TO RETURN

shock severely and disgust the members of Olcott's committee of inquiry,
Leadbeater resigned from the Society. 

Col. Olcott, who had come to regard Mr. Leadbeater as an "agent of the
Masters," was much disturbed by this development, which probably hastened
his death. Meanwhile, there was the question of who was to "succeed" him as
President of the Society. Mr. Chakravarti and others endeavored to procure
the endorsement by Col. Olcott of Bertram Keightley as the next President of
the Society, while followers of Mrs. Besant sought the same on her behalf. 

After Olcott died, early in 1907, Mrs. Besant declared that the "Masters"
had come to the T.S. Headquarters at Adyar and "impressed" her that she was
to be Olcott's "Successor," just as she had already "succeeded" H.P.B.
Supported in this by the "clairvoyant" testimony of two women, Mrs.
Hotchener (Mrs. Marie Russak) and Miss Renda, Mrs. Besant rode to victory
and became the new President of the Society. 

At the outset, Mr. Sinnett rejected these "Adyar Manifestations," declaring
them to be anything but what they were claimed to be, and G.R.S. Mead also
revolted against them. During the war of claims, pro and con, which ensued,
Mrs. Besant issued a booklet, H.P.B. AND THE MASTERS OF WISDOM, purporting
to be a defense of H.P.B. against the Coulomb--S.P.R. charges of more than
twenty years earlier. Actually, however, it presented its author in the
frame of H.P.B.'s martyrdom and persecution. Was not Mrs. Besant now accused
of fabricating the evidence of "occult" relationships, even as had been
H.P.B.? Mrs. Besant was overwhelmingly elected to the Presidency by members
who believed her to have been "appointed by the Master." 

Mrs. Besant at once began a campaign for the restoration of the repute
of her colleague, Mr. Leadbeater. He was soon invited to return to the
Society and as the years went by became increasingly "the power behind the
throne" in Mrs. Besant's wing of the movement. 

In due course (in 1911), Mrs. Besant promoted "The Order of the Star in the
East" to herald the "coming Christ." This was followed by a number of
adjunct and affiliated orders and organizations, best known of which was
Co-Masonry, followed by the "LIBERAL CATHOLIC CHURCH." 

What happened to the Theosophical Society, through the years, under the
guidance of Mrs. Besant, became abundantly 

292------------------- THE THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT 

clear during a "Star" Congress held at Ommen, Holland, in 1925.

That this event should have taken place in the year that was the
fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Theosophical Movement, and on
August 11, the anniversary of H.P.B.'s birth, only throws into greater
relief the almost immeasurable departure from the original spirit of the
Movement, to which Mrs. Besant had led her faithful followers. 

The purpose of the Congress was to further the "Krishnamurti" cult, for this
young Hindu had been burdened by Mrs. Besant with the task of "saving the
world." In her opening address, which teems with supernaturalism and
breathless references to personages like "the Nameless One" and "Lords of
the Fire," she told her listeners: 

"And now I have to give you, by command of the King, His message, and
some of the messages of the Lord Maitreya and His great Brothers. . . what I
am saying, as to matter of announcement, is definitely at the command of the
King whom I serve. 

His taking possession of His chosen vehicle . . . will be soon. Then He
will choose, as before, His twelve apostles . . . and their chief, the Lord
Himself. He has already chosen them, but I have only the command to mention
seven who have reached the stage of Arhatship, 

Who were the "Arhats"?

The first two [Mrs. Besant continued), my brother Charles Leadbeater and
myself, . . . C. Jinarajadasa, . . . George Arundale, 
Oscar Kollerstrom, . . . Rukmini Arundale, 

I left out one and must leave out another. Naturally, our Krishnaji was
one, but he is to be the vehicle of the Lord. And the other is one who is
very dear to all of us, as to the whole Brotherhood: Bishop James Wedgwood.
He had borne his crucifixion before the seal of Arhatship was set upon him
by his King. 

Those are the first seven of the twelve whom He has chosen, with Himself
as the thirteenth. "Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye do well, for so I
am." . 

Now the wonder may come into your mind: H.P.B. was the only one who was
really announced as the messenger of the Master. 

Since then the world has grown a good deal, and it is possible that while
the few may be repelled, many thousands will be attracted to the Christ. . .
. Whatever the effect, since He has said it, it is done. . . "

293----------------"ARHATS," "WORLD-MOTHER," AND "MESSIAH"

A continuous stream of this sort of "revelation" pervades the annals of the
Theosophical Society of this period. For example, while, in 1925, Rukmini
Arundale, George Arundale's young wife, had reached the degree of "Arhat,"
by 1928 she was ready for promotion to the almost ineffable position of
"World-Mother," embodying the power of "Durga and Lakshmi and
Sarasvati"-aspects of the Hindu Trimurti "in Its feminine manifestation." 

Mr. Jeddu Krishnamurti, however, who had been either potentially or actually
"Lord of the World" since 1909, and openly declared as such in 1911,
eventually became unable to participate in these pretensions, for in 1929 he
dissolved the "Order of the Star in the East" and proceeded to ignore both
the LIBERAL CATHOLIC CHURCH and the WORLD-MOTHER. 

He abolished his own office of "Lord" or "World-Savior" entirely and
withdrew to the relative obscurity of an ordinary human being. Since that
time he has been occupied with lecture tours, and has gained a considerable
following, both in the United States and Europe. His principal counsel to
his listeners is for them to depend upon themselves, and no one else, for
spiritual enlightenment. 

Mrs. Besant might be slowed down a bit by the defection of Krishnamurti, but
she could hardly be stopped. A year and a half later, she published an
article purporting to relate what went on in the councils of "the Hierarchy
who are the real rulers of the world" on the occasion of deciding who the
Messenger to the world would be. This account, which Mrs. Besant explained
had been "sent" to her, runs in part: 

The question seems to have been as to whether use should he made of
H.P.B. or of Annie Besant. . . . The use of H.P.B. would involve the
accentuation of the occult side, and a sharp conflict with Materialism. The
use of Annie Besant would involve the accentuation of the Brotherhood side
generally, with little conflict, at that time, with the materialistic
attitude. H.P.B. was immediately available. Annie Besant would not be
available so early. Hence the Society, if she were to be the principal
medium, could only be founded many years later, instead of in 1875. Some of
the Elder Brethren were frankly anxious about the stressing of the occult
side. . . 

H.P.B. was . . . no less heroic than the one who would be her great
successor, . . . She was an admirable channel for the Masters, and entirely
selfless-utterly Their servant, no less than Annie Besant. 

294 -------------------THE THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT 

In any case, the need of the world was urgent. Would it be safe to wait
until 1891, with the advent of a world-catastrophe (1914-1918) in prospect?
On the other hand, would it be wise to wait in view of the urgent need for
the preparation of the world to receive its Lord in the first half of the
twentieth century? 

. . Herein lay a risk, a risk that would not have been taken . . but for
the guarantee offered by our great Masters. . . . These two Great Ones
offered to make Themselves personally responsible for an experiment both
dangerous and desirable. They would watch over it with the utmost care and
guard by all means in Their power against the development of the occult side
into those terrible exaggerations which in the past have led to such great
disasters. 

Anyone who digs through the files of the Theosophist for almost any
year since Olcott's death will find sufficient material of this sort to
convict Mrs. Besant of either unconscionable deception or a "spiritual"
vanity which carried her far beyond the bounds of sanity, to the point where
she was able to believe what she said about herself. "Materialism" is spoken
of in the above "communications," but surely, an honestly doubting
materialism of the "scientific" sort would have been much more desirable
than the psychic maunderings which have passed under the name of "Theosophy"
in Mrs. Besant's society for nearly half a century. The "materialism" of the
modern world has at least been a protection for the many against the
sentimental nonsense to which the Theosophical Society descended under Mrs.
Besant's tutelage. 

Mrs. Besant died at Adyar, Madras, India, on September 20, 1933. Her
death was soon followed by that of C. W. Leadbeater, who, since 1895, had
been the determining influence in her career and in that of the Theosophical
Society of which she was President, as in its "esoteric section" of which
she was the head.

Mr. George S. Arundale succeeded to the Presidency of the Society, with Mr.
C. Jinarajadasa at the head of its esoteric section. Neither Mr. Arundale
nor Mr. Jinarajadasa enjoyed anything like the fame of Mrs. Besant, a
circumstance which can hardly be regarded as unfortunate, in view of the
weird collection of presumptions and declarations which they had inherited
from her. In any event, every possible claim had been made during Mrs.
Besant's lifetime, so that anything said on behalf of Mr. Arundale would be
found anti-climactic. During the latter's term, there were occasional
evidences of a 

295----------------MR. ARUNDALE RECOMMENDS THE "S. D."

renewed interest in the writings of H. P. Blavatsky. 

About forty years ago [1910], in the heyday of the Besant-Leadbeater regime,
"Bishop" Leadbeater had published a list of books said to be suitable for an
education in "straight" Theosophy. Of some thirty volumes recommended, all
but one were the productions of "Arhat" Leadbeater and "Arhat" Besant. 

These two kept on adding to their revelations until the end of their
careers, so that the members of their society had hardly any real knowledge
at all of the original presentation of the Theosophical philosophy. In 1934,
however, Mr. Arundale announced that he was renewing his acquaintance with
THE SECRET DOCTRINE, an experience which he thereupon recommended to others.


THE SECRET DOCTRINE [he wrote] is a challenge to effort and never an
imposition of authority. Every page is a call to a voyage of discovery, and
only he who sets out upon his travels can hope to begin to understand the
book. 

There were other indications that Mr. Arundale was thinking things over.
In the editorial section of the Theosophist, he told of a conversation with
a woman who had recently resigned from the Society. When he asked her why,
she replied by saying that most of the lectures at the lodge she attended
"were about everything except Theosophy." Mr. Arundale described the
experience of this woman: 

What she expected was a serious study of Theosophy and then
study-classes to gain a more or less comprehensive grasp of our science. She
said she found the syllabus full of addresses on Astrology, Financial
Schemes, India, Archaeology, and so forth-all interesting, but for the most
part dealt with more ably by bodies specializing in such subjects. What she
wanted was Theosophy, and a progressive course in it. For what other reason,
she asked, would she join the Theosophical Society? . . . I must admit I was
inclined to agree with her; and I wonder how far she represents the average
enquirer and our failure to offer him that for which he comes.

Mr. Arundale died at Adyar on August 12, 1945, at the age of sixty-six
years. He was succeeded in office by Mr. C. Jinarajadasa, who is the present
President of the Theosophical Society. So far, Mr. Jinarajadasa's rule has
been marked by a peculiarly "esthetic" emphasis in his published writings,
and numerous references to "God." A recent T.S. publication, for example,
contains a brief treatise on the "Theosophical 

296 -------------------THE THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT 

Heaven," and how to get into it. "Being artistic," according to Mr.
Jinarajadasa, is one of the prerequisites. As he put it: 

why should I exact an artistic nature as one of the qualifications to
enter into the Theosophical Heaven? 

Because the Theosophical Heaven is not merely a place of goodness and
devotion. It is also a place where the Divine Mind manifests itself in
fullness; it is such a Heaven as Plato dreamed of, when he postulated the
Ultimate Reality as a triple embodiment of the Good, the True, and the
Beautiful. . . . If, therefore, as you enter Heaven, you were merely pious
and tenderhearted, but not intellectual or artistic, your understanding of
life will be limited, and your evolution will be one-sided. For there is
evolution in Heaven also; otherwise Heaven would be a dull place and its
splendours will cease to affect you after a while. 

Elsewhere, Mr. Jinarajadasa has announced that "the hot, flowing streams
of life" which surge through the heart and brain of the artist "reveal the
quality of beauty which has been planned for all by God." Not only the
"moulds of beauty," but also, Mr. Jinarajadasa relates, "all the ideas of
Theosophy are God's ideas The President of the Theosophical Society ought to
heed the advice of his predecessor in office, Mr. Arundale, and gain "a
definite acquaintance at least with the spirit of The Secret Doctrine," for
he would find in that book the categorical statement by Madame Blavatsky
that "Initiates never use the epithet 'God' to designate the One and
Secondless Principle in the Universe; As one who, in 1925, was not merely an
"initiate," but, according to Mrs. Besant's Ommen revelation, a first-string
"Arhat," Mr. Jinarajadasa betrays an amazing ignorance of the customs of his
"degree." 

Looking back over the career of Annie Besant and her Society-for the
Adyar Theosophical Society became veritably "hers," to do with what she
would-two incidents not yet mentioned seem worthy of report. The first was
the receipt by Mrs. Besant of an "adept" letter warning her of the direction
in which the Society was moving. Despite all the claptrap circulated by Mrs.
Besant in the name of the "Masters," this communication seems to have the
ring of authenticity. The following passage is taken from a printed version
of the letter appearing in the T.S. publication, LETTERS FROM THE MASTERS OF
THE WISDOM, First Series, and described in this volume as "The 

297-----------------LETTER OF WARNING TO MRS. BESANT 

last letter, written in 1900, received nine years after the death of H. P.
Blavatsky": 


"The T.S. and its members are slowly manufacturing a creed. 

Says a Thibetan proverb, "Credulity breeds credulity and ends in
hypocrisy." How few are they who can know anything about us. Are we to be
propitiated and made idols of no one has a right to claim authority over a
pupil or his conscience. Ask him not what he believes. . . . 

The crest wave of intellectual advancement must be taken hold of and guided
into Spirituality. It cannot be forced into beliefs and emotional worship.
The essence of the higher thoughts of the members in their collectivity must
guide all action in the T.S 

"We never try to subject to ourselves the will of another The cant about
Masters" must be silently but firmly put down. Let the devotion and service
be to that Supreme Spirit alone of which each one is a part. Namelessly
and silently we work and the continual references to ourselves ...raises up
a confused aura that hinders our work. . . . 

The T.S. was meant to be the corner stone of the future religions of
humanity. To accomplish this object those will lead must leave aside their
weak predilections for the forms and ceremonies of any particular creed and
show themselves to be true Theosophists both in inner thought and outward
observance . . . "


Even with the deletions made by Mr. Jinarajadasa of parts of the letter
which he says "refer to the occult life of Dr. Besant," its implication of
the erroneous course of the T.S. is quite plain. 

Whatever the source of this letter, if Mrs. Besant had been able to take to
heart the counsel it offered, she might have saved herself and her many
followers from some of the more ridiculous extremes which she reached in
later years, and avoided, also, the contempt which she earned for the term
Theosophy among those who would look no further into the Theosophical
Movement than newspaper reports of the doings of the Theosophical Society. 

W. Q. Judge

The second incident relates to the accusations brought by Mrs. Besant
against William Q. Judge. In the 1920's, a respected member of the Adyar
Society, a man who had carefully studied the claims and evidence presented
by both sides in the Judge case, went to see Mrs. Besant to interview her on
this subject. In the course of a serious conversation, Mrs. Besant admitted
that what was presented to her-namely, that Judge was innocent of the
charges made against him-was on the 

298 -------------------THE THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT 

whole accurate, and she said that some time previously she had come to the
conclusion that Judge had committed no forgery, and that the messages
received by him were genuine. 

On being requested to say that much, only, if not more, to the Theosophical
public the world over, Mrs. Besant demurred and remarked that it was an old
and forgotten matter-"Why revive it?" When the inquirer, who was also a
long-time friend of Mrs. Besant, sought permission to make her view public
himself, she flatly refused it. This came as a shock to the inquirer, for he
fully expected that, in the interests of historical veracity, Mrs. Besant
would agree to say in public what she so readily admitted to him in private
conversation, completely exonerating Mr. Judge from the charge of
manufacturing bogus Mahatma messages. 

About all that can be said in extenuation of Mrs. Besant's attitude in
this connection is that she quite possibly really believed that Mr. Judge's
innocence was no longer a matter of importance, so far had she departed from
the essential work and meaning of the Theosophical Movement. 

In justice to Mrs. Besant as a world-figure, it should be said that she
labored for many years on behalf of the liberation of India, gaining through
this work the respect and admiration of Indian patriots. She took an active
part in the Indian National Congress and started the Home Rule League which
campaigned for the position of "equal partner" for India in the British
Commonwealth of Nations. 

Because of her political activity she was interned by the British Government
early in 1917, during World War I, but was soon released. In the same year,
she was elected the first woman President of the Indian National Congress.
After the Amritsar Massacre of 1919, however, she opposed the civil
disobedience program led by Gandhi, which caused her to lose much of her
popularity with the Indian masses. She is nevertheless remembered with
respect by the leaders of the Indian Independence Movement, as one who gave
unstintingly of her time and energy to the cause closest to their hearts.
 
Col. Olcott, like Mrs. Besant, also revised his opinion of Mr. Judge,
but, again like Mrs. Besant, expressed himself only in a private interview.
The occasion was a conversation with 

299----------------T. S. LEADERS ADMIT WRONG DONE JUDGE

Laura Holloway (one of the "chela" authors of MAN: FRAGMENTS OF FORGOTTEN
HISTORY) in New York City in 1906, during Olcott's last visit to the United
States, a year before he died. 

Mrs. Holloway (then Mrs. Langford) had known Olcott in the early days and
had also been acquainted with his sister, Belle, who had since died. Olcott
wrote to Mrs. Holloway from Boston, asking her to visit him when he arrived
in New York to give a lecture at Carnegie Hall. She did so, and the
conversation turned to the work of the Theosophical Movement. Olcott, Mrs.
Holloway soon realized, was lonely, homesick, and missed very greatly his
old association with H.P.B. He spoke of his "dear old colleague" and
recognized the magnitude of her loss in "the trend of events in the
Theosophical Society since her death." 

Moreover, although Olcott was still the "President-Founder," other and
younger workers, he said, were in control of the affairs of the Society.
Mrs. Holloway reminded him that there was a third co-worker who had been
with him and H.P.B. at the beginning, to whom Olcott later became hostile.
Olcott knew that she spoke of Judge, and, encouraged by his visitor, he took
her hand and said, "in a manner subdued and most impressive": 

"We learn much and outgrow much, and I have outlived much and learned
more, particularly as regards Judge. . . I know now, and it will comfort you
to hear it, that I wronged Judge, not wilfully or in malice; nevertheless, I
have done this and I regret it." 

When Mrs. Holloway expressed happiness at this admission, Olcott
replied:

"To no one else have I ever said as much, and since you are so pleased, I
am glad that I could say it to you." 

The report of this interview was published by Harold W. Percival in THE
WORD for October, 1915, as part of a series of reminiscences concerning the
major figures of the Theosophical Movement. 

In a Supplementary Letter to the editor, Mrs. Holloway explained that she
"did not seek a confession from Col. Olcott," nor want "any confidences from
him not voluntarily extended." Her own deep friendship with Judge, she
thought, which was known to Olcott, had led him to reveal his heart's
feelings at the end of his life. Her account of Olcott's mien during this
conversation is of interest:
 
300-------------------THE THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT 

"after this long lapse of time, and with a sense of justice due to the
memory of both himself and Mr. Judge, I feel I am doing right in consenting
to its publication. I cannot reproduce his earnest, contrite manner, nor can
I impart to you the atmosphere of peace and harmony that characterized the
occasion . . "

when I reminded him, as I did, of how long and how unalterably she {H.P.B.)
had loved Mr. Judge, he sat like one listening to an unseen speaker. But
these things cannot be portrayed in this telling of the few words he spoke
in vindication of Mr. Judge. "

[The THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT (1875-1950) pp. 290 - 300]

This book is available "on line" from  
www.phx-ult-lodge.org/ 


Best wishes,


Dallas
 
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-----Original Message-----

From: krishtar
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2005 12:29 PM
To: 
Subject: Theos- churches and T Society

Dallas or Pedro

Excuse me for the ignorance on this subject.

What is the relation, the link, between Adyar and the L C Church nowadays?

Who presently influence whom today?

----- Original Message -----