Theos-Talk Archives (August 2006 Message tt00534)

If de Purucker is right with his explanation on democracy and hierarchy in teh quote below, then the Theosophical Movement represents the following forms:

- Point Loma represented hierarchy
- ULT represents anarchy
- Adyar represents democracy
- Pasadena represents hierarchy
 
"Mind you, if democracy had no principle of delegated responsibility inhering in each one of the administrative elements, it would be simply anarchy. The democratic form of government, just as much as the hierarchical, involves responsibility to superiors in a rising scale. [...]

Frankly, I am amused at the distinctions commonly and wrongly drawn between the hierarchical and democratic forms of government. You could not have a proper hierarchical government unless there was a delegation of authority, and a trust, a sacred charge, passing from the highest to the lowest and through all the intermediate stages, and exactly this principle prevails in any democracy that is worthy of the name. 
If we are, then, to carry on the tradition of the Esoteric School, the School of the Masters of Wisdom and Compassion and Peace who rule this Earth as our spiritual and intellectual Leaders and superiors, we must have in our Society an administrative system which is hierarchical-democratic or democratic-hierarchical; and I prefer, in common with our Chairman, Dr. A. Trevor Barker, to call it simply hierarchical, because this manner of speaking involves looking at the system from above instead of from below. 

I regret exceedingly to have to state that in my judgment the Theosophical Movement in general has failed in the past properly to understand these matters, my Brothers. Consequently, trouble and anxiety naturally came when what we know as the split in the Society took place at H. P. B.'s death."

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/mess-con/mc-03.htm

Frank


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