Theos-Talk Archives (August 2006 Message tt00172)

Having just acquired a copy of Jean Overton Fuller’s “Krishnamurti and The Wind.
An Integral Biography” (Theosophical Publishing House, London, 2003), I have
been intrigued by some of the author’s curious claims. I won’t comment on the
rambling, and in places all but incoherent text, the poor quality of
publication, the hopelessly inadequate index, or the shoddy bibliography. Nor
on the bizarre, and irrelevant, full colour plates of paintings by the author.

Miss Fuller repeats the claim that Blavatsky predicted the Coming of the World
Teacher between 1891 and 1897 (Krishnamurti having been born in 1895), but
offers no source for this assertion. The claim that Blavatsky “predicted” The
Coming has been around since the Besant/Leadbeater era, but without anything
like substantial documentation. John Cooper researched the “Blavatsky predicted
the Coming” claim and, I recall, published something on it.

Equally curious is Miss Fuller’s claim that when Krishnamurti dissolved the
Order of the Star he spoke with “the endorsement of the Maitreya and the
Buddha” and as he spoke the words “he passed his fifth initiation and became an
asekha Adept.” Unfortunately, no source is cited for this interesting statement.

Insofar as the rambling text allows one to know, Miss Fuller appears to be
arguing that Krishnamurti was, and simultaneously was not, the World Teacher.

Just what “Integral Biography” may be, I have no idea.

I was especially intrigued that Miss Fuller devoted a full page to “disproving”
a claim she asserts I made in “The Elder Brother” – that Leadbeater was
associated with Aleister Crowley’s “Ordo Templi Orientis”. It seems to me that,
prior to criticizing what someone has written, it would be a good idea to read
what they have actually written! The section of my book to which Miss Fuller –
inaccurately – refers is a speculation about the origins of Leadbeater’s sexual
teachings (pp. 279-285). Certainly James Wedgwood was a member of the “Ordo
Templi Orientis”, but under Theodor Reuss and prior to Crowley. I speculated –
indeed, described it as a “mystery” – if there had been some link between
Wedgwood and the “Ordo Templi Orientis” and Leadbeater, and if a strange
occultist in Sydney, Vyvyan Deacon, who ran a version of the “Ordo Templi
Orientis” and claimed his authority to do so not from Crowley (whose
representative in Australia was Frank Bennett) but from an earlier source, was
involved. Deacon was engaged in a curious mix of magic, sex and drugs, and was
associated in some way with both Wedgwood and Leadbeater. Just what the
association was remains, as I concluded, something which will probably never be
known. I had access to Deacon’s archives, and spoke with his daughter at length,
but fascinating hints were all that could be found. I was given an exotic bronze
head of Pan, a ceremonial dagger and some other magical paraphernalia owned by
Deacon by his daughter. Crowley’s views on Wedgwood and Leadbeater are clearly
documented – and not at all flattering.

It might be remember that Leadbeater shocked the committee chaired by Olcott to
investigate allegations of sexual misconduct by claiming that he had first
learned the techniques from an Anglican Church organization. Alas, Leadbeater
refused to name the organization and the committee did not pursue the matter.
The only Anglican organizations of which he was known to be a member were the
Church of England Temperance Society and the Confraternity of the Blessed
Sacrament – neither likely candidates for providing teachings about
masturbation. Leadbeater’s claim may simply have been another lie, but if not,
I would be fascinated to hear of an Anglican group teaching something like
homosexual Tantra.

Miss Fuller also quotes a statement I am alleged to have made at an
international conference of the (Adyar) Theosophical Society. I am sure all
readers will appreciate that the chances of me ever having been or being
invited to address such a conference are in the realms of fantasy!

Dr Gregory Tillett