Theos-Talk Archives (March 1995 Message tl00143)

K. Paul Johnson wrote (under "HPB vs the Church"):-

> It is probably impossible to figure out, at this late date,
> just how the letters were written and received, particularly
> since there are so many variations among them.  Some were
> mailed directly from North Indian locations.  The handwritings
> vary somewhat.  HPB later admitted that it was only rarely that
> the letters were dictated verbatim to her.  Yet it is clear
> that in many cases she wrote them while in a state of
> consciousness that connected her to the Master(s).  I have some
> ideas about what kinds of practices were involved.

There are some hints and asides on how the Mahatma Letters were
written in Letter 140 in the 3rd Edition, pp 470-474, in the
Appendix.

Note especially the part on p 473:

> [It is mean and stupid] ...  the word correctly written was there
> before _my_ eyes or those of any chela who precipitated the
> letter, ....  "Difference in handwriting" - oh the great wonder!
> Has Master K.H.  written himself all _His_ letters? How many
> chelas have been precipitating and writing them - heaven only
> knows.  How if there is such a marked difference between letters
> written by the same identical person _mechanically_, (as the case
> with me for instance who never had a _steady_ handwriting) how
> much more in _precipitation_, which is the _photographic_
> reproduction from one's head, and I bet anything that no chela
> (if _Masters_ can) is capable of _precipitating_ his own
> handwriting twice over in precisely the same way ...  .

And there were other methods, too, I take it.

It does suggest complicated communication channels, and probably
somewhat noisy ones at times, to use the terms from information
science.

Murray Stentiford