Theos-Talk Archives (October 1996 Message tl00199)

On Thu, 10 Oct 1996, liesel f. deutsch wrote:

> If the Master DK said that about Leadbeater, I think he was full of prunes.
> I didn't know CWL, but if that had been the case, he wouldn't have been able
> to teach his pupils anything higher than astral vision. He did, and I know
> that as a fact. Therefore DK was full of prunes in that regard.
>
> Can we please get over this stupid factionalism?

Dear Liesel,

CWL has definitely been a spiritually advanced person--much more advanced
than myself, I acknowledge it. So it's quite possible that the energies
flowing via CWL were beneficial and had an awakening quality, while some
of his writings were distorted representations of reality. The problem is
that an average theosophist is not equipped to discriminate between the
right and the wrong in CWL's teachings.

I am familiar with his writings, and I think books like "Talks on the
Path of Occultism" where he describes the path of discipleship and
initiation, are very good; that information may be verified and confirmed
by one's higher self. What DK probably meant, is another category of
CWL's books like "The Masters and the Path" (more specifically
descriptions of initiations of Krishnamurti), "Man: Whence,...", "and
especially "The Lives of Alcyon." This is quite different kind of
information: unverifiable by most readers, and essentially unnecessary
for spiritual development.

Prolific literary output by CWL includes still another category of works
of uncertain quality,--I mean his occult research. Since the same
material is more fully covered by DK in his "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire,"
CWL's works belonging to this category should be obsolete. An
appreciation of these works may be found in H.Laurency's "The Knowledge
of Reality" (p.86):

"The second phase [of the publication of esoteric knowledge], which
lasted 1894-1920, was characterized by the close collaboration of two
esoteric capacities: Annie Besant (1847-1933) and C.W.Leadbeater
(1847-1934). By Blavatsky they had been put in touch with her teachers,
who told them that while everything would be done to facilitate their
further work, both, being old initiates of the highest degree of
gnostics, were in a position to acquire causal sense (objective
consciousness in the causal envelope) by themselves and thus able to make
investigations of their own in the world of man.

"They began by compiling and making a system out of the facts that
Blavatsky had plucked together in her works. Then followed a piece of
research work which, especially where Leadbeater was concerned, resulted
in a production that was qualitatively and quantitatively unique. Nobody
before him has given so many new facts. <...>

"The following are the most important of the new fundamental facts
(necessary to comprehend reality) accounted for by Leadbeater:

	the composition of matter;
	the difference between atomic and molecular matter;
	the seven atomic worlds of the solar system;
	the molecular worlds of the planetary system;
	involutionary matter;
	the evolution of the natural kingdoms;
	the consciousness expansion through the acquisition of
	  ever widened collective consciousness;
	man's three atomic worlds and five molecular worlds;
	man's five material envelopes and consciousness in these;
	man's permanent atoms (the triad);
	the planetary hierarchy;
	the division of the planetary hierarchy into seven departments;
	the planetary government."