Theos-Talk Archives (November 2006 Message tt00983)

Dear Friends, 
 
 
James Wedgwood was formally the main founder of the Liberal Catholic Church,  and  C. W. Leadbeater  was the main source of ?inspiration? for it. 
 
But  who was the James I. Wedgwood?  More than seven decades later, there is no reason for secrecy about  that -- and the facts are already public for a number of years. Two quick  glances at his life may be enough.   
 
ONE. 
 
It is unlikely  that Ms. Mary Lutyens, the best-known of  Krishnamurti biographers and his lifelong intimate friend,  could ever be doubted by Adyar leaders as a source of historical information.    
 
Ms. Lutyens writes in the chapter seven of her book  ?The Life and Death of Krishnamurti? that in the night of August 7th, 1925, George Arundale made a humble, yet ground-breaking announcement: J. Krishnamurti,  Jinarajadasa,  himself and James Wedgwood  had  achieved  the fourth great initiation the previous night. They were now all ?Arhats?.   
 
Only two days after that,  as Mary Lutyens explains,   Arundale proudly announced the names of  those 
who would be the ?12 apostles? of the ?Lord Christ?,  who was now arriving  as a Messiah through his ?vehicle? Jiddu  Krishnamurti.  Arundale was extremely close these days to James Wedgwood. Their Church  was clairvoyantly destined to be  the priestly and ritualistic  instrument for  the new Christ. 
 
A few days later, the moment of  utmost glory finally took place.  It happened  in the morning of  August 15, 1925.  
 
Annie Besant,  the president of the Adyar Society,   called for  Esther Bright, Lady Emily (Mary Lutyen?s mother), Rukmini Arundale  (George Arundale?s wife) and Shiva Rao to make an announcement.  Soon they all were in her room.  Looking slightly embarassed, Mrs. Besant told them that she herself,  besides Leadbeater, Krishnamurti, Rajagopal, Arundale, Oscar Kollerstrom and James Wedgwood,  had all had  access to the fifth  and final great initiation and were now -- ADEPTS.  Humbly enough, Besant said that  there should be no difference in the way the new Adepts  would be treated by the rest of the people and by poor non-initiates in general. 
 
James Wedgwood was very much active providing  George Arundale with the insights for such marvellous initiatic occurrences.   Coincidence or not, both  James and George were now Adepts: a great blessing to the Liberal Catholics, indeed.  But  Krishnamurti started to distance himself from those miraculous events. 
 
TWO.
 
Another moment in the life of Mr. James Wedgwood was not so happy or glorious,  and it occupied the entire two last decades of his life.  In  1931,  just a few years after finally obtaining ?Adepthood?, the founder of the L.C.C.  ?became mentally deranged?, to use Mary Lutyens? own words.  Mary  writes in the Postscript  of   her book  ?Krishnamurti -- The Years of Awakening? (1) : 
 
?(...) As for Wedgwood, he became mentally deranged in 1931 and lived  thereafter at the Theosophical Estate, Teckels Park, Camberley, Surrey.   He was quite lucid at times but had to be restrained from going out since his madness took the form of taking off his clothes in public.  He died in 1951.?  
 
 
Compared to this,  the other founder of the Liberal Catholic Church, the one who used to travel to Mars and Mercury  and who had regular conversations with the ?Lord Christ?,   was much less eccentric indeed.   
 
 
 
Regards,  Carlos.  
 
 
NOTE:
 
(1) Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, USA, 1975,  326 pp. ,  see p. 285. 
 
 
 
 
 
 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]