Theos-Talk Archives (February 2008 Message tt00018)

The Fountain Source 
of Modern Theosophy

Our knowledge of modern Theosophy sprang from two sources:  from the 
letters of the Masters Koot Hoomi, Morya and several other Adepts and 
from the writings of H.P. Blavatsky. 

>From the letters of the Masters, A.P. Sinnett wrote two books:  The 
Occult World and Esoteric Buddhism. From the knowledge gained 
directly from these Mahatmas, Madame Blavatsky penned more than 
10,000 pages of writing including her major works Isis Unveiled, The 
Secret Doctrine, The Key to Theosophy and The Voice of the Silence.

The Mahatma Koot Hoomi wrote the following on the origin of modern 
Theosophy:

"Theosophy is no new candidate for the world's attention, but only 
the restatement of principles which have been recognised from the 
very infancy of mankind."
 

But the Master also emphasized:

". . . Our [esoteric and theosophical] doctrine . . . is now being 
partially taught to Europeans for the first time."

". . . We have broken the silence of centuries . . . . " 

". . . Let it be known that your Society['s] . . .  chief aim is to 
extirpate current superstitions and skepticism, and,  from long 
sealed ancient fountains to draw the proof that man may shape his own 
future destiny, and know for a certainty that he can live hereafter, 
if he only wills; and that all 'phenomena' are but manifestations of 
natural law, to try to comprehend which is the duty of every 
intelligent being. "

H.P. Blavatsky wrote of her own role in the "restatement" of 
Theosophy to the modern world:

". . .We came into contact with certain men, endowed with such 
mysterious powers and such profound knowledge that we may truly 
designate them as the sages of the Orient. To their instructions we 
lent a ready ear." 

"The work now submitted to public judgment is the fruit of a somewhat 
intimate acquaintance with Eastern adepts and study of their 
science." 

" . . .  I was the first in the United States to bring the existence 
of our Masters into publicity; and . . . exposed the holy names of 
two members of a Brotherhood hitherto unknown to Europe and America 
(save to a few mystics and Initiates of every age), yet sacred and 
revered throughout the East, and especially India . . . ."

And the Mahatmas provided these insights about Madame Blavatsky's 
mission:

"[H.P.Blavatsky is] . . . a woman of most exceptional and wonderful 
endowments. Combined with them she had strong personal defects, but 
just as she was, there was no second to her living fit for this work. 
We sent her to America...." 

"This state of hers [H.P.B.'s] is intimately connected with her 
occult training in Tibet, and due to her being sent out alone into 
the world to gradually prepare the way for others. After nearly a 
century of fruitless search, our chiefs had to avail themselves of 
the only opportunity to send out a European body. . . ."

". . . We employ agents - the best available. Of these for the past 
thirty years the chief has been the personality known as H.P.B. to 
the world (but otherwise to us). Imperfect and very troublesome, no 
doubt, she proves to some, nevertheless, there is no likelihood of 
our finding a better one for years to come. . . . With occult matters 
she has everything to do. . . . She is our direct agent. . . . "

For more on the origin and source of Modern Theosophy as given in the 
words of Madame Blavatsky and the Mahatmas, see:

?  From Long-Sealed Ancient Fountains

?  Great Adepts and Trained Seers.  

______________________________

Since Blavatsky's death in 1891, numerous individuals have claimed 
contact with her Masters, stating that they were new "messengers" 
conveying further esoteric teachings. See a partial list of claimants.

The end result has been a confusing morass of claims, counterclaims 
and various contradictory and conflicting teachings. 

Even during her lifetime, Mme. Blavatsky told her Theosophical 
students: 

"Great are the desecrations to which the names of two of the Masters 
have been subjected. There is hardly a medium who has not claimed to 
have seen them." 

H.P.B. and the Mahatmas also warned about "imitations of Occultism 
and Theosophy" and "disfigured" expositions of Theosophy. 

They even corrected "wild and fanciful speculation" and "erroneous 
notions" about Theosophy that were distorting the original teachings 
that they had given. See one example of a correction.

Anna Kennedy Winner has graphically described the situation:

"For most students, the first difficulty lies in knowing what and how 
to study, and how to find the right clues. The word 'occultism' is 
badly misused, and the student who has no trustworthy guide may 
easily lose himself in a morass of superstition and pseudo-
occultism. . . . Many pseudo-occult organizations utilize the ideas 
obtained from the works of Madame Blavatsky, without giving her (or 
her teachers) any credit for them, but adding all kinds of nonsense 
and misinterpretations. . . . "

Concerning certain "false ideas" grafted onto Theosophy, Madame 
Blavatsky penned the following: 

"Nothing is more dangerous to Esoteric Truth than the garbled and 
distorted versions disfigured to suit the prejudices and tastes of 
men in general." 

For more background on the above, see:

?  Various Theosophical Traditions & New Students of Theosophy

?  Madame Blavatsky's Occult Status and the Claims of Latter-Day 
Messengers of the Masters.

______________________________

In light of the above confusion and conflicting claims,  interested 
inquirers and new students would do well to go directly to the 
fountain source of Modern Theosophy:  the original writings of H.P. 
Blavatsky and the Mahatmas.

We have available H.P.B.'s major books, more than 1000 of her 
articles, hundreds of her personal letters to correspondents, more 
than a hundred Mahatma letters received during H.P.B.'s lifetime, and 
voluminous historical accounts of people who met and knew H.P.B. and 
her Teachers.

These source writings contain a wealth of valuable material on 
Theosophy, metaphysics, esoteric lore and knowledge, occult laws and 
processes in nature, ethical, spiritual and devotional material, and 
much more. 

Some of the historical accounts of people who met and knew H.P.B. and 
her Teachers have been compiled in the book The Esoteric World of 
Madame Blavatsky.  See also A Casebook of Encounters with the 
Theosophical Mahatmas.

The Blavatsky and Mahatma source material is now available on CD-
ROM.   Also much of this material is online.

Inquirers and students are encouraged to read and also study this 
original material. But no one should blindly believe or disbelieve 
what is written. But a worthy endeavor is to try to gain an 
understanding of what is being conveyed by H.P.B. and the Masters in 
this wealth of material.

The Mahatmas gave the following advice:

"Knowledge for the mind, like food for the body, is intended to feed 
and help to growth, but it requires to be well digested and the more 
thoroughly and slowly the process is carried out the better both for 
body and mind."

"For a clearer comprehension of the extremely abstruse and at first 
incomprehensible theories of our occult doctrine never allow the 
serenity of your mind to be disturbed during your hours of literary 
labour, nor before you set to work. It is upon the serene and placid 
surface of the unruffled mind that the visions gathered from the 
invisible find a representation in the visible world. Otherwise you 
would vainly seek those visions, those flashes of sudden light . . . 
which alone can bring the truth before the eye of the soul. It is 
with jealous care that we have to guard our mind-plane from all the 
adverse influences which daily arise in our passage through earth-
life."

"On close observation, you will find that it was never the intention 
of the Occultists really to conceal what they had been writing from 
the earnest determined students, but rather to lock up their 
information for safety-sake, in a secure safe-box, the key to which 
is - intuition. The degree of diligence and zeal with which the 
hidden meaning is sought by the student, is generally the test - how 
far he is entitled to the possession of the so buried treasure." 

Unfortunately, far too many readers don't take the necessary time and 
effort to try to understand what H.P.B. is attempting to convey in 
her many writings.  

And far too often, students interject their own thoughts and 
understanding into the subject matter.  Nothing is inherently wrong 
with that approach but it is suggested that a student might try to 
ascertain first of all what H.P.B.'s and the Mahatmas' views actually 
are on various subjects. 

As a reader studies the material, he might constantly ask 
himself: "Do I really understand what H.P.B. and the Mahatmas are 
trying to convey?" 

The advice of one student is as follows: Give H.P.B. and the Mahatmas 
the lectern and allow them to speak. The initial goal should be to 
try to "listen" to them and to try to understand their view and their 
take on the subject. 

None of the above should lead one to assume that H.P.B. and the 
Masters are always right or anything like that. H.P.B. and her 
Teachers never claimed they were infallible. But at the same time 
many serious students of these original writings have reasonably 
concluded that H.P.B. and her Teachers were very knowledgeable on a 
wide range of subjects and also had wise and insightful comments on 
many of the mysteries and problems of life. 

William Doss McDavid in his book An Introduction to Esoteric 
Principles:  A Study Course writes:

"Should we take H.P.B. as an infallible authority? . . . Absolutely 
not. . . . But there is another side to the question.  We have to 
remember that the modern Theosophical movement owes its very 
existence to H.P.B. and the Masters, whose faithful agent she claimed 
to be. It would be extremely unwise to reject the teachings given 
through her without understanding what those teachings really were in 
the first place. And how can we acquire this understanding if we do 
not study her writings? We don't have to blindly accept what she says 
or take her views as the last word, but at least we should become 
familiar with those views firsthand. Then we can reject or accept 
intelligently. When the works of other and later writers who claim to 
be continuing the work begun by H.P.B. present viewpoints 
and 'revelations' which are at direct variance with the original 
lines of teaching, we may feel justified in questioning the source of 
the newer pronouncements. A familiarity with the original writings, 
therefore, provides a criterion for intelligent judgment." p. 37

One might also ponder on the following words of H.P.B.: 

"Every reader will inevitably judge the statements made from the 
stand-point of his own knowledge, experience, and consciousness, 
based on what he has already learnt." 

Readers might also keep foremost in mind the possibility that their 
own knowledge, experience and consciousness may be limited and 
incomplete. 

For more background information, see:

?  Madame Blavatsky's Occult Status and the Claims of Latter-Day 
Messengers of the Masters 

?  Various Theosophical Traditions & New Students of Theosophy

?  On Pseudo-Theosophy and Pseudo-Adepts

?  Psychic VERSUS Initiate Visions & Knowledge

?  Theosophical Claims After H.P.B.'s Death

For more information on H.P. Blavatsky and Theosophy, see:

?  Introduction to H.P. Blavatsky & Theosophy

?  Who Is H.P. Blavatsky?

?  H.P.B. Speaks

?  A Brief Overview of Theosophy 

?  Basic Ideas of Theosophy

?  Overviews of the Classics of Theosophy

?  Recommended Titles about H.P.B. & Theosophy

?  In the Blavatsky Tradition:  Major Online Books, Pamphlets & Other 
Material on H.P. Blavatsky, the Mahatmas & Theosophy 


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Endnote 1:

Partial List of Claimants

Dr. Gordon Melton, an expert on modern cults and minority religions, 
has written: 

"A number of individuals have claimed contact with one of the Masters 
first described by Blavatsky and have begun new organizations based 
upon the individual revelation imparted." 

Below  is a partial list of the claimants: 

(1) In the 1890s, William Q. Judge said he was in contact with HPB's 
Master Morya as well as the deceased HPB.   Judge claimed he 
precipitated letters from Master M. and gave out further esoteric 
teachings. 

(2) Annie Besant and Charles Leadbeater affirmed that they were in 
direct communication with HPB's Masters and the deceased HPB.  They 
gave out various Theosophical teachings in their voluminous writings.

(3) Katherine Tingley, the occult successor of Judge, said she was in 
contact with HPB's Masters and claimed to have met on at least two 
occasions the Master Morya in his physical body.

(4) G. de Purucker, Tingley's successor, testified that the Masters 
M. & K.H. came to visit him in 1929 at Theosophical Society 
headquarters, Point Loma, San Diego, California.  Purucker claimed 
that he was allowed to give out deeper esoteric teachings than HPB, 
Judge or Tingley had given.

(5) Alice Bailey said she was in contact with Masters K.H. and D.K 
and wrote more than 20 volumes of teachings said to be from D.K. She 
even gave out further installments of the Stanzas of Dzyan.

(6) Mrs. Francia A. La Due (of the Temple of the People) gave out 
messages from the Masters, especially from Hilarion. She also 
published more Stanzas from the Book of Dzyan.

(7) Guy Ballard (of the "I Am" Movement) claimed to be in 
communication with the Masters, especially St. Germain.

(8) Helena Roerich (of the Agni Yoga Society) published some 13 
volumes of communications supposedly from the Master Morya.

(9) Mark Prophet and his wife Elizabeth Clare (of the Church 
Universal and Triumphant) claimed to be the emissaries of the Great 
White Brotherhood and have channeled thousands of messages from El 
Morya, Kut Humi, the Virgin Mary, Hercules, Chastity and a variety of 
other Masters and entities.

(10) Earlyne Chaney (of Astara) believed she was in communication 
with Kut-Hi-Mi and Zoser and other Masters of the Great White 
Brotherhood. She has given out various so-called esoteric and occult 
teachings.

(11) Nada-Yolanda (of Mark-Age, Inc) has channeled numerous messages 
from M., K.H., and others Masters associated with UFOs.

(12) Max Heindel, Rudolf Steiner and Geoffrey Hodson have claimed 
clairvoyant powers and to be in contact with various Masters - 
Rosicrucian, Theosophical or otherwise.

(13) Other supposed communications from HPB's Masters have come from 
Brother Philip in his book titled Secret of the Andes, from Cyril 
Scott in his series of books starting with The Initiate, and from 
David Anrias in his book Through the Eyes of the Masters.

And the list goes on . . . . 

For more claims, see:

"The Masters and Their Emissaries:  From H.P.B. to Guru Ma and 
Beyond" by Govert Schuller

For more background information on these numerous and conflicting 
claims as well as related material, see:

?  Madame Blavatsky's Occult Status and the Claims of Latter-Day 
Messengers of the Masters 

?  Various Theosophical Traditions & New Students of Theosophy

?  On Pseudo-Theosophy and Pseudo-Adepts

?  Psychic VERSUS Initiate Visions & Knowledge

______________________________

Endnote 2:

"Mistakes have now to be checked by the original teachings and 
corrected."

In her magnum opus The Secret Doctrine, H.P. Blavatsky wrote 
that "mistakes have now to be checked by the original teachings and 
corrected. . . ."    Italics added.   

Madame Blavatsky explained:

"Esoteric Buddhism" [by A.P. Sinnett] . . .  is an excellent book [on 
Theosophy], and has done still more excellent work. But this does not 
alter the fact that it contains some mistaken notions. . . . 

The time has arrived for the explanation of some matters in this 
direction. Mistakes have now to be checked by the original teachings 
and corrected. . . . 

As the author [A.P. Sinnett] . . . was himself, as he says, "an 
untrained mind" in Occultism, his own inferences, and his better 
knowledge of modern astronomical speculations than of archaic 
doctrines led him quite naturally, and as unconsciously to himself, 
to commit a few mistakes of detail rather than of any "broad rule." 
One such will now be noticed. It is a trifling one, still it is 
calculated to lead many a beginner into erroneous conceptions. But as 
the mistaken notions of the earlier editions were corrected in the 
annotations of the fifth edition, so the sixth may be revised and 
perfected. . . . 

Among such . . . [was] the erroneous statement that two of the 
superior Globes of the terrestrial chain were two of our well-known 
planets: 

"besides the Earth . . . there are only two other worlds of our chain 
which are visible. . . . Mars and Mercury. . . ." (Esoteric Buddhism; 
p. 136.) 

This was a great mistake. . . . 

Let it now be distinctly stated, then, that the theory broached is 
impossible, with or without the additional evidence furnished by 
modern Astronomy. Physical Science can supply corroborative, though 
still very uncertain, evidence, but only as regards heavenly bodies 
on the same plane of materiality as our objective Universe. Mars and 
Mercury, Venus and Jupiter, like every hitherto discovered planet (or 
those still to be discovered), are all, per se, the representatives 
on our plane of such chains. As distinctly stated in one of the 
numerous letters of Mr. Sinnett's "Teacher," "there are other and 
innumerable Manvantaric chains of globes which bear intelligent 
Beings both in and outside our solar system." But neither Mars nor 
Mercury belong to our chain. They are, along with the other planets, 
septenary Units in the great host of "chains" of our system, and all 
are as visible as their upper globes are invisible. . . . 

When the present work was commenced, the writer [H.P. Blavatsky 
herself] , feeling sure that the speculation about Mars and Mercury 
was a mistake, applied to the Teachers [the Mahatmas] by letter for 
explanation and an authoritative version. Both came in due time, and 
verbatim extracts from these are now given. 

". . . . . both (Mars and Mercury) are septenary chains, as 
independent of the Earth's sidereal lords and superiors as you are 
independent of the 'principles' of Daumling (Tom Thumb) -- which were 
perhaps his six brothers, with or without night-caps. . . . " 

. . . Again, here are more extracts from another letter written by 
the same authority. This time it is in answer to some objections laid 
before the Teachers. They are based upon extremely scientific, and as 
futile, reasonings about the advisability of trying to reconcile the 
Esoteric theories with the speculations of Modern Science, and were 
written by a young Theosophist as a warning against the "Secret 
Doctrine" and in reference to the same subject. He had declared that 
if there were such companion Earths "they must be only a wee bit less 
material than our globe." How then was it that they could not be 
seen? The answer [from Master Koot Hoomi] was: -- 

". . . . Were psychic and spiritual teachings more fully understood, 
it would become next to impossible to even imagine such an 
incongruity. Unless less trouble is taken to reconcile the 
irreconcilable -- that is to say, the metaphysical and spiritual 
sciences with physical or natural philosophy, 'natural' being a 
synonym to them (men of science) of that matter which falls under the 
perception of their corporeal senses -- no progress can be really 
achieved. Our Globe, as taught from the first, is at the bottom of 
the arc of descent, where the matter of our perceptions exhibits 
itself in its grossest form. . . . . . . Hence it only stands to 
reason that the globes which overshadow our Earth must be on 
different and superior planes. In short, as Globes, they are in CO-
ADUNITION but not IN CONSUBSTANTIALITY WITH OUR EARTH and thus 
pertain to quite another state of consciousness. Our planet (like all 
those we see) is adapted to the peculiar state of its human stock, 
that state which enables us to see with our naked eye the sidereal 
bodies which are co-essential with our terrene plane and substance, 
just as their respective inhabitants, the Jovians, Martians and 
others can perceive our little world: because our planes of 
consciousness, differing as they do in degree but being the same in 
kind, are on the same layer of differentiated matter. . . . . What I 
wrote was 'The minor Pralaya concerns only our little STRINGS OF 
GLOBES.' (We called chains 'Strings' in those days of lip- 
confusion.) . . . 'To such a string our Earth belongs.' This ought to 
have shown plainly that the other planets were also 'strings' or 
CHAINS. . . If he (meaning the objector) would perceive even the dim 
silhouette of one of such 'planets' on the higher planes, he has to 
first throw off even the thin clouds of the astral matter that stands 
between him and the next plane. . . . ." 

It becomes patent why we could not perceive, even with the help of 
the best earthly telescopes, that which is outside our world of 
matter. Those alone, whom we call adepts, who know how to direct 
their mental vision and to transfer their consciousness -- physical 
and psychic both -- to other planes of being, are able to speak with 
authority on such subjects. And they tell us plainly: -- . . . 

". . . . . . Be prudent, we say, prudent and wise, and above all take 
care what those who learn from you believe in; lest by deceiving 
themselves they deceive others . . . . . for such is the fate of 
every truth with which men are, as yet, unfamiliar. . . . Let rather 
the planetary chains and other super- and sub-cosmic mysteries remain 
a dreamland for those who can neither see, nor yet believe that 
others can. . . ." 

It is to be regretted that few of us have followed the wise advice; 
and that many a priceless pearl, many a jewel of wisdom, has been 
cast to an enemy unable to understand its value and who has turned 
round and rent us. . . . 

Abridged from H.P. Blavatsky's The Secret Doctrine, 1888, Volume I, 
pp. 160-167.

http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/moderntheosophy.htm