Theos-Talk Archives (August 1995 Message tl00381)

Rich,

>As for me, I am seriously contemplating joining the TS Wheaton
>as well as the TS Pasadena. My primary work is of course with
>ULT but it is important to me to be in touch with as much as
>possible, and build bridges where I see opportunities. There
>are students in every wing of the movement that see the
>value in the Source literature and stick to the lines laid down.
>These would be wonderful people to network with, much could be
>accomplished. Plus getting to VOTE on important issues would be
>nice.

 Five years ago I would have cheered you on to do this in the
name of networking, and it still may be the right choice. On the
other hand, some of the most important and productive people
(IMHO) in the TM are unaffiliated with any theosophical
organization, or are only nominally so. For some reason,
Theosophical Organizations are more threatened by radical members
than by radical non members. Once they are threatened, then any
good you want to do, has to be done by fighting the
establishment--which is a waste of time and energy. As for
voting privileges, this is of course meaningless in the Pasadena
and ULT organizations because the major decisions are made by
boards that are not elected by the membership. Voting privileges
in the Adyar Society are (IMHO) next to meaningless because most
members just rubber stamp the Board decisions. I have never seen
the Board loose a controversial issue regardless of how unpopular
it might have been among those who are informed. Remember, over
half of the Wheaton membership are members at large, and only
know what is printed in the American Theosophist.

>In ISIS UNVEILED she says that in a few centuries hence,
>Buddhism and
>Brahmanism, Christianity and Islam will all disappear before the
>mighty rush of FACTS.

 Oh good! I've been looking for that quote. Reference
please? Thanks.

>HPB **never taught** the doctrine of seven rays as personality
>types --that's Alice Bailey, and yet so many Theosophists today
>don't recognize this, and can't tell original Theosophy apart
>from later developments.

 Actually Alice Bailey gets the credit today, but it was
really Leadbeater and Besant that came up with this one as an ES
teaching about four years before Bailey Joined the TS. Since she
had access to those teachings, I think it is fair to say that she
got these teachings from the ES, though she does not give credit.

>Does this explain why people still think Leadbeater was a great
>Sage and Teacher, because they don't know all the dumb stuff he
>said, which has since been edited out? I had no idea the
>current *Man Whence How and Whither* was 1/4 the original size.
>I'd call that a HELL of an editing job.

 It might explain why some people see him as a great sage.
For others, my observation has been that cognitive dissonance is
the main mechanism that keeps him popular. A friend once told me
after visiting Adyar that the official position on Leadbeater
there is that he doesn't exist, and it he did, there is nothing
wrong with him.

>If anyone edited HPB I'd be FURIOUS, but apparently CWL needs to
>be edited, because most of what he wrote is useless and doesn't
>stand up to the test of time. Martian civilization indeed!!

 Boris deZirkoff controlled the editing process of HPB's
works for the Collected Writings. Dara Eklund has that
responsibility now. She understands HPB and endeavors to stay
true to the originals. Of course, there is nothing like the
originals themselves, but all of that is rare now.

 You better sit down for this one though: Remember Countess
Wachmeister's ~Reminensces of H.P. Blavatsky and the Secret
Doctrine.~" That has been reprinted by Wheaton, and edited all
the way through--not for content, but moving commas and
rephrasing sentences--that kind of stuff. Ya just have to be on
guard every second.

Daniel,

Re: Lion's den:

>I have come to the determination that I should not murder, nor
>steal, nor commit adultery or fornication, etc... Now that I
>have made these decisions...I am most certainly a better
>citizen.

 Wheew! Glad you came to those decisions regardless of your
beliefs. These codes of behavior (and more) are expected in all
major religions.

>Every theosophist, atheist and deist must determine who
>YHWH is.

 Most of us have, though our opinions differ, just as the
opinions among the various Christian factions differ.

 Pilate said, "What is truth?" and with those words went out
again to the Jews. "For my part," he said, "I find no case
against him." John 18:38-39 (NEB).

Jerry Hejka-Ekins
Please reply to: jhe@toto.csustan.edu