Theos-Talk Archives (February 2008 Message tt00174)

Dear Cass and All

Cass, thank you for your response.

You write, "?that's all it is, a nice romantic notion, 
which keeps celebrant and sheep at a comfortable 
distance, as you state."


You have highlighted one of the absolutely key issues 
concerning the Bishop Leadbeater/Dr Besant fiasco for 
Theosophy. 


Quite apart from the lies, gross 
misrepresentations and political machinations, they 
each supported the idea of a required intermediary 
between ourselves and the "Absolute." 


Their writings were replete with paternalism and 
centralised leadership, leading to dominance of, and 
compliance from, their respective flocks.


It is sometimes argued they were merely 
representing the mindset of the times.


This is indeed the case and demonstrates why Madame 
Blavatsky and her writings were so significantly and 
vitally different. 


This is entirely a case of mindset. One liberates and 
frees whilst the other snares and entraps.


The mind which begins to liberate itself can at first 
feel a little insecure.
The mind which is entrapped feels little of this as it 
feels comfortable in its developing "certainty" and 
"security."


The mind which feels the draw of liberation but 
experiences certain insecurities can fluctuate 
back and forth, rationalising as it goes, desperately 
wanting freedom but fearful of being alone, although 
it is reluctant to admit this. 
It usually returns in varying degree to the comfort of 
external authority or some perceived "balanced" 
perspective where it feels the external authority is 
under control and awareness. 


Little does it know of the entrapping power of the 
insecure, follower mindset.


This is no idle endeavour. As the Mahatma KH writes, 
"..the stakes are human souls." 



The far-reaching effects of the state of the entrapped 
mind often cannot be understood and genuinely known by 
mere information alone. It is a matter of awakened 
consciousness, which depends on many factors. 


Skandhas, psychological effects of childhood and 
upbringing, life experiences and peer pressure all 
affect our state of consciousness and its 
representative, our mindset.


Interestingly, knowledge and even intelligence often 
have little or nothing to do with our state of awakened 
consciousness. In fact there are some who would say 
these qualities actually impede the conditions for 
awakening.


I have spoken with many highly intelligent and deeply 
thoughtful people who are convinced Bishop Leadbeater 
was an outstandingly spiritual, highly evolved initiate 
who was in direct contact with the inner government of 
the world, simply because he said so. 

His writing style is so convincing to them that it 
removes all doubt from their minds. Due to their state 
of consciousness they willingly relinquish their own 
innate authority to another.


This is psychological delusion of one of the worst 
kinds and is caused at least in part by the 
aforementioned factors.


As you state, "?there are some very devout, but 
misguided followers in the LCC?" 


I would add to this that some of those parishioners 
I have met and worked with in a number of different 
settings are very fine human beings whom I would 
ordinarily aspire to emulate. 
They can be selfless and kind beyond normal measure. 
But when the topic of Bishop Leadbeater arises they 
can lose all sense of reason, displaying either the 
glazed expression of blind devotion or the angry 
demeanour of the persecution complex. 


Whilst any teacher can engender this kind of 
devotional following, Bishop Leadbeater and Dr Besant 
encouraged it.


And it is this mindset, so insidious and anathema to 
the Theosophy of Madame Blavatsky and her teachers, 
which I believe caused Bishop Leadbeater, together 
with other matters, and Dr Besant to do them and their 
teachings such disservice.


Kind regards
Nigel