Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl00991)

At 07:45 PM 4/23/96 -0400, you wrote:
Jerry: What you have written below is a fantastically accurate and very
concise history of Theosophy. If the TI doesn't have an official historian I
nominate you. Ther is clearly no one around who is more conversant with
theosophical history. I also, sadly must agree with you that the time has
come to start anew. Between Theosophy International and Alexandria West I
think we really do have a nucleus for not only a new manifestation of the
theosophical movement, but, as this time it WILL be a totally SERVICE TO
HUMANITY ORIENTED nucleus for the promotion of universal amity and peace.

alexis dolgorukii
The Eclectic Theosophist
Shaman, Healer, Bibliophile
>JHE
>     On the other hand, the ES is supposed to be dedicated to the
>needs of the TS.  But here is where I think the SNAFU set in:
>After the Judge split, the Adyar TS fell into complete control of
>Annie Besant who kept the organization at a low key until Olcott
>died.  Remember, Olcott did not approve of the ES, and was afraid
>that his successor might gain control of both the Presidency of
>the TS and the Outer Headship of the ES, thus giving that person
>too much power.   Olcott's worst fear is, of course, what
>actually happened.
>     But when Besant attained the Presidency in 1907, she was
>already running out of new material to give to her ES students.
>Between 1895 and 1907 she wrote commentaries on HPB's ES
>Instructions.  She got a lot of mileage out of them, and even
>spun of a book or two (~The Ancient Wisdom~ and ~A Study in
>Consciousness~).  But after a while, endless playing off of the
>six ES Instructions gets rather old, and evidently Besant lacked
>the knowledge (or access to it) to create new ES Instructions
>that would expand upon and go more deeply into the body of
>teachings already extant.  My sense of HPB's original
>Instructions is that they were very quickly moving towards some
>very profound correlations that would have introduced a whole
>deeper layer of study and insight.
>     Though Besant (IMO) lacked the knowledge to go more deeply
>into the Theosophical teachings, she did have an associate who
>had the imagination to take these teachings into a very different
>direction.  In 1908, Besant brought exiled CW Leadbeater back
>into the ES fold, though it was under the protest of some of the
>most important members.  Among others, A.P. Sinnett, G.R.S. Mead,
>and Bertram Keightley left the TS in protest to CWL's
>reinstatement.
>     Therefore, CWL with the help of GS Arundale became the
>source for the new ES revelations, that included the
>establishment of a new religion (Liberal Catholic Church) as a
>vehicle for the return of the Christ (Krishnamurti), and a whole
>litany of ceremonies for the creation of spiritual forms for the
>spiritual upliftment of the world (e.g. Co-Masonry and the
>Egyptian Rite).  That early material speaks endlessly of the
>initiations of CWL, GSA, AB, K, not to mention Oscar Kollestrom.
>Revelations from the Maitreya (an individual in neo-theosophy),
>M., KH, and the Maha Chohan himself praising the work of the
>Theosophical Workers.  When this became tiresome, Besant was
>always at hand to answer the latest anti-Leadbeater flair up, and
>to expel members and Lodges who didn't play her game.  Thus, the
>new ES material came to replace the rather heady philosophical
>discussions written in HPB's day.
>     By 1929, Krishnamurti's role as the world teacher put into
>obscuration the original intents of the TS as outlined in HPB's
>writings, and clearly shown in the Mahatma Letters.  The
>Theosophical Society was no longer a provocative and progressive
>philosophical school, but became a cult dedicated to the
>adoration of its World Teacher.  With Krishnamurti in the
>foreground, there was no longer a need for an ES, so it was
>closed.  But Krishnamurti's resignation in 1930 necessitated its
>reopening after only a year.
>     By this time, AB and CWL were getting old.  CWL was already
>withdrawing into his LCC activities in Australia--becoming more
>are more remote from the TS.  This transition had been building
>up for some time, so C. Jinarajadasa became more and more
>involved in the continuation of the ES.  With the death of CWL in
>1934, CJ was on his own to produce new ES material--but
>apparently he lacked CWL's vivid and detailed imagination.
>Arundale was still supplying some material, but with the loss of
>Krishnamurti, things were much less exciting, and K's defection
>was hard to explain.
>     Fortunately, the war in Europe saved good ol' CJ from having
>to dwell upon the Krishnamurti question.  With the new political
>developments, he was able to focus attention on a new subject--
>the infiltration of the Black magicians into the TS and world
>affairs.  Black magicians were everywhere.  They were more
>numerous than cockroaches in a Calcutta roadside kitchen, and
>they were the blame for every change that did not meet with CJ's
>personal approval.  Not only were the Black Magicians influencing
>European and American political leaders, but even worse, they
>created Jazz and Modern Art!  Even Mahatma Gandhi was influenced
>by Black Magicians--how else can you explain why he did not agree
>with Besant's plans for India?  ES material during this period
>was utterly pre-occupied with the plots of Black Magicians, and
>CJ had lots of political advice concerning who were the good guys
>and who where the badies on the political scene.
>     Sri Ram took over in 1954, and the ES material changed again
>to a banal and devotional form of Hinduism, but became a little
>more intellectual when Taimni finally took over.  Now it appears
>that Radha has shifted the ES towards an even more contentless
>Krishnamurtisque "truth in within yourself" philosophy.
>     Yet, through this whole incredible history, from 1895
>onwards, the ES was responsible for the well being of the TS.
>ES Members were expected to be active in TS Lodges and to make
>sure that they stayed on the right track.  But what is the "right
>track" today?  Arundale abandoned all mention of Krishnamurti
>once the World Teacher resigned his post.  CW Leadbeater's
>writings remained popular from the 1930's through the 60's, and
>became the trademark of Adyar Theosophy.  But with the
>publication of Tillett's ~The Elder Brother,~ CWL is no longer
>realistically defensible, and his writing are being de-
>emphasized.  Blavatsky and her original program was long ago
>abandoned to lip service.  Further, the ES today has grown so
>weak that it can no longer fill its role as guardian of the TS.
>For the first time, the Lodges are left without direction and
>content.  Some Lodges have occupied themselves with Sufi dancing,
>others with Alice Bailey, others with Sai Baba, others with the
>Celestine Prophesy.
>     When I first joined theos-l over two years ago, one of the
>first messages I recall was a member saying that the TS has no
>dogma--therefore no teachings.  That the TS has no dogma is
>happily correct, after a period of covert dogma from 1910 to
>1970.  But unhappily, he was also correct that the TS has no
>teachings.  For they were abandoned almost 90 years ago for a new
>set of teachings that blew up in everyone's face in 1930.  And
>the dust is still yet to clear.
>     So, Alexis, sadly, I have to agree with you.  The ES had a
>negative impact on the TS because it veered from the original
>aims, and never found its way back.  Sincere and devoted workers
>with the best of motivations can work to further the aims of the
>most ill conceived plans as well as the productive ones.  IMO,
>its time to start over.
>
>JHE
>
>------------------------------------------
>   |Jerry Hejka-Ekins,                      |
>      |Member TI, TSA, TSP, ULT                |
>         |Please reply to: jhe@toto.csustan.edu   |
>            |and CC to jhejkaekins@igc.apc.org       |
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