Theos-Talk Archives (June 2005 Message tt00355)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, Vladimir <forums@s...> wrote:

> Can anybody provide any evidence of existence of the 
following
> "Master's Table" in any material form, e.g. a letter or merely a 
piece
> of paper? Or was it reproduced from the faithful memory of "the 
famous
> occultist, C.W. Leadbeater"? Or any history of it at all?
> 
> The table is taken from the book by Ernest Wood entitled "The 
Seven
> Rays" first printed in 1925.
> 
> See http://www.theosophical.ca/SevenRays.htm#18


This is what Ernest Wood wrote in his book "Is This Theosophy...?" 
(The Occult Book Society, Paternoster House, E.C., London, no date 
given, pp. 290-91)[PO]:

"When we were about half-way through the preparation of "The Masters 
and the Path" [Sydney, 1924] Bishop Leadbeater one day showed me a 
document which he said had been given to him by a Master at Adyar 
many years before. It was simply a table of the rays or types of 
humanity. He thought it might be incorporated into the book, but 
there were some points he could not understand - he indicated three 
items in particular. I looked at the diagram, and at once 
exclaimed: "But I can explain these items."

I gave him my explanations of the points in question. He was much 
astonished and asked me where I got this knowledge of a rather 
obscure subject. I told him that before leaving India I had been now 
and then receiving what seemed to me like internal communications on 
this subject of the rays or types of men. Sometimes there had been a 
voice, but generally ideas had been, as it were, insinuated into my 
mind, quite distinctly with the feeling of the presence of an 
intelligence other than my own. In this way I had accumulated a 
quantity of notes on the subject. 

I had been speaking on it occasionally at theosophical gatherings in 
America, without saying anything about occult experiences in 
connection with it, if such they could be called. It happened in 
Chicago that some of the members, particularly one, Dr. Beckwith, a 
leader there, had taken my information very seriously, and I was 
consequently much troubled, as I had no wish to lead others where I 
was myself blind. Late one night, as I was travelling along in an 
otherwise empty carriage on the elevated railway in Chicago, and I 
was brooding in a troubled way over this point, something electrical 
in my immediate atmosphere cause me to look up and I saw, or thought 
I saw, the Master standing there; and he said: "Do not be troubled 
about that information about the rays. It is quite correct. I gave 
it to you."

When I had recounted this to Bishop Leadbeater, he said: "Well, we 
will not do any more of my work until you have written a book of 
your own on the seven rays." He put his work aside. I set to work on 
my own book. Early every morning I made notes for the day's 
dictation. During the day I dictated. In eight days my book was 
ready for the press. I gave the manuscript to Bishop Leadbeater with 
the request to point out any errors or defects, but after a few days 
he returned it to me saying: "I should not like to interfere with 
anything coming from that source."

The book was duly published, and created quite a sensation among the 
Theosophists, who translated it into several languages, but no 
mention was made of the history I have recounted above. Afterwards, 
whenever I raised my voice against "authority" in the theosophical 
movement, Bishop Leadbeater would say to me: "But we regard you as 
our authority on the rays!!" I could not, however, agree with him. 
Such experiences as I had had might very well be the work of the 
subsconscious mind."