Theos-Talk Archives (June 2007 Message tt00099)

That "Phoney" KH letter in ES Instruction V


    There was some discussion on this 
before, and I had a few more bits of 
information come to light.  The quotes 
in question are on p. 696 BCW XII:


    "....And so with regard to concentration 
the Blessed Master Koot Hoomi .'. writes:  
'Your best method is to concentrate on 
the Master as a Living Man within you.  
Make His image in your heart, and a focus 
of concentration, so as to lose all sense 
of bodily existence in the one thought."
 ... and some following paragraphs.


   I think this is a phoney mahatma 
communication, Dan thought it was genuine, 
and compiled some references to it 
from Julia Cambell Ver Planck (later 
Julia Keightley) in The Path.  I believe 
MacDonald in "Fohat" refered to it as 
possibly a metaphor for the "Higher Self."


   Here's another reference to Ver 
Planck that supports partially MacDonald's 
idea and adds 'mental image'.


      ".....'A medium is an open door', 
might be added this, - 'The positive 
idealist is a closed temple.'  "The image 
of the Master is the best protection 
against lower influences;  'think of 
the Master as a living man within you', 
says an MSS.  This refers to the mental 
image of that master, who may be either 
an adept or the Higher Self."  from 
"The Lion in the Path," The Path, Sept., 
1890, p 178, "Jasper Niemand" (Ver Planck)


   Zirkoff in his introduction to 
these ES Instructions, also casts 
doubt on the veracity of everything 
in them (as they were published after 
HPB's death.)  He writes on BCW XII, p. 653:



   "[E. S. Instructions I, II and III are the actual words of H.P.B.
They are therefore genuine texts, the authorship of which is not in
doubt, as originals bearing her signature are extant.


   "This, however, cannot be said about Instructions IV and V, and the
First Supplementary Paper to Instruction IV. Originally, when printed
by the H.P.B. Press in London, all the three were signed jointly by
Annie Besant and William Quan Judge. When printed by the Aryan Press
in New York, Instruction IV was the only one signed jointly, while the
other two were signed by W. Q. Judge alone.


   "These later Instructions are based on H.P.B.'s words taken down in
shorthand and in the form of Notes by some of her students during the
meetings of the Inner Group in London. The text that has come down to
us exhibits many uncertainties.


   "We include them in the present Volume with some reservations, even
though many passages in them are doubtless by H.P.B. herself.


   "The best discussion of the background of this later material may
be found in The Theosophical Forum (Point Loma, Calif.), Volume XVI,
April, May, June, 1940; XVII, July, August, September, October,
November, December, 1940; Vol. XVIII, January, February, March, April,
1941, wherein Dr. Joseph H. Fussell, formerly secretary to Mr. Judge,
presented the available data in a Series entitled "Leaves of
Theosophical History: H.P.B.'s 'Inner Group.']"



    If anyone is interested in seeing 
this series of articles by Fussell, I 
have them in digital and can post them here.


    Julia Cambell Ver Planck (Julia Keightley) 
was someone who took to Theosophy like a 
fish to water, and was Judge's most important 
support on The Path.  She was the "Jasper 
Niemand" in "Letters that have Helped Me" 
and other articles, and other nom de plumes 
in that magazine.  I think she was also 
responsible primarily for that highly 
interesting series "Tea Table Talk."  Tea 
Table Talk was originally a "joint" venture 
and "Julius" originally supposedly a joint 
"nom de plume," but from all the womanly 
worship in the numerous stories about clever 
children in it, had to have been primarily 
from a woman's pen, even though "Julius" 
describes themselves as a "bachelor."  Ver 
Plack also published a book of similar 
children's stories.  Any man would be too 
embarrassed to publish such.  (Fullerton 
didn't have the ease of writing style exhibited.)


    While Ver Planck has some of the most 
valuable material in The Path, she was 
also no doubt subject to some of the 
vagaries of "pledge fever" that everyone 
else is.  Some of her pieces exhibit a 
"forced inspiration" as if under these 
type of pressures, and don't exactly ring 
true, as well as being on the grandoise side.  
(Similar can be seen in an early theosophical 
book of "forced" inspiration by "Cave".  
Emmett Small tipped me to this.)  It is 
sort of a "chela lust" to be giving out 
grand sayings.  I think maybe Ver Planck 
was subject to this and possibly "mediated" 
this questionable KH communication - in 
imitation of HPB's abilities.  The only 
references in non-ES material to this 
letter are from Ver Planck/Keightley as 
far as I know.


        - jake j.

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