Theos-Talk Archives (February 1994 Message tl00039)

I would change one word in JHE's posting. J. Godwin has NEVER
shown a hostile attitude toward HPB. His Arktos calls her the
most fecund source of ideas on his subject (polar myths) and
his forthcoming The Theosophical Enlightenment treats her as
the culmination or climax of 200 years of esotericism in the
English-speaking world. The only way he could be considered hostile
is if you define everyone who approaches HPB from a perspective
other than that of a true believer as hostile. Even though
I've been a Theosophist for 15 years, this category would have
to include me too. So let's distinguish clearly between a
critical attitude, which we all should have and which HPB
encourages, versus hostility.

Marion Meade and Peter Washington are far less sympathetic to
HPB than Godwin, but even so I wouldn't regard them as
consistently hostile-- just lacking in understanding and
therefore inclined to underestimate HPB. Probably the most
hostile person to write about HPB was Richard Hodgson. His
personal antipathy toward her poisoned his mind to the extent
that he was unable to treat her fairly. With Meade or
Washington, this isn't really the case. Their judgment isn't
hurt by negative emotions, but rather by a series of
assumptions-- like the nonexistence of the Masters-- that act
as blinders, keeping them from seeing the truth.