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Re: to be a theosophist

Nov 02, 1995 11:53 PM
by Jerry Hejka-Ekins


The following are some of my own responses to Paul's
responses to Coherence.

PJ
OK-- some practical issues. I'm a writer and my sole interest
is in spirituality sole authorial interest that is. Would
any Theosophical publisher welcome my work either in article
or book form? If not and the answer seems pretty definitely
not then I'm not respected as a Theosophist where it counts
as a writer.

JHE
You are right. Spirituality per se doesn't sell. Nor does
ethics. The general public isn't interested in subject areas
that would require critical self examination and hard work.
Apr and I have been working for some years on putting together
HPB's ethical teachings. If the project was ever published
which it would not unless it was done out of our own pockets
we figure that we might sell two copies--to Apr's mother and
father. As for respecting people as a theosophist I go by their
values and integrity whether they know how to write or not. Why
is it important for you to be recognized as a theosophist by your
writings? IMO a lot of "theosophists" who became recognized as
such through their writings produced a lot of crap anyway.
Personally I would respect Damodar over most others--not because
of his writings which were not very many but because of the
type of person he was.

PJ
For me the ultimate question that led to resignation from both
Adyar and Pasadena TS's was "if asked by a friend would I
recommend joining a Theosophical organization?" Although there
are many local groups I would encourage people to attend I
really couldn't in good conscience encourage a friend to join
any of the national/international societies.

JHE
I came to this same conclusion many years ago about the
Adyar TS but took Smythe's lead and decided that I would be a
greater service to the Adyar TS as an agitator and critic then if
I left it. When a member of an Organization sees an injustice
and leaves because of it they are just giving that Organization
more freedom to continue their ways. By staying and fighting
one can sometimes bring about positive change.

PJ
The motive however was frankly not service of Humanity
OR personal reward but service to the Theosophical movement.
Proving the reality of the Masters and thus getting HPB and
Theosophy some long-overdue respect.

JHE
You lost me here. Part of your premise As I read it--and
as everyone else I know who has read the book reads it is that
HPB created an elaborate fraud concerning the existence of the
Masters in order to cover the identity of some politically active
people. How does this gain public respect for HPB and the
Masters? But as Godwin says in the introduction to your own
book you were only offering a theory and nothing more. If your
theory turns out to be fact then you have indeed exposed more
than one myth and you *will* be deeply respected at least by
me for it and as far as I'm concerned you will have done a
great service to the TM. On the other hand if it turns out not
to be true then you have created a new myth that makes the
Masters as represented in the Mahatma letters to be fabrications;
Olcott to be a fool; and HPB to be a fraud. With this second
scenario how did you ever expect for even a moment that the
Theosophical Organizations which owe their existence to your so
called myth created by HPB would ever welcome your book?

Jerry HE

------------------------------------------|Jerry Hejka-Ekins
||Please reply to: jhe@toto.csustan.edu ||and
CC to jhejkaekins@igc.apc.org
|------------------------------------------

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