Theos-Talk Archives (November 1996 Message tl00224)

"K. Paul Johnson" wrote:

<<snip<<

>  In her 1872 letter to the Third
>Section Director (Russian spy agency head) she wrote: "I must
>confess that three-quarters of the time the spirits spoke and
>answered in my words and out of my considerations, for the
>success of my own plans.  Rarely, very rarely, did I fail, by
>means of this little trap, to discover people's hopes, plans
>and secrets...I have played every role, I am able to represent
>myself as any person you may wish."  This may be immediate
>reason to dismiss the letter as a forgery, for some
>Theosophists.  But if it is genuine, it seems to point to a
>crucial character flaw indeed.  Deceptiveness alone is not as
>problematic as when combined with manipulation and
>self-seeking.  Even if we admit that HPB was not acting simply
>on her own agenda, but on one developed with the advice and
>guidance of many others-- recognized as spiritual leaders in a
>number of traditions perhaps-- there is still something here
>that doesn't measure up to what most of us expect from a
>spiritual teacher.  There's a kind of partisanship, a
>willingness to use people, and a love of intrigue for its own
>sake that bothers me more than simple deception.

You have got a point here.

Once I visited a Krisna-movement meeting here in Helsinki and after
listening to all that loud singing, chanting, monotonic music and
smelling the incense I felt afterwards that this is something like being
"brain-washed". It was somehow difficult to have my own thoughts after
that. And my friend who was with me felt the same.

I have later experienced something similar to that. It was when me and
that same friend of mine were invited to summer cottage where some
theosophists go every year. We had discussions of what is "real"
theosophy and what is "real" theosophical work and why we should do it.
Those theosophists were very strong personalities and afterwards me and
my friend remembered the Krishna-movement and feelings we had and now we
felt the same. It was like recruitment. It was manipulating.

Now, I am not saying that this is "normal behaviour" among theosophists,
it surely is not, but I remembered this when I read your quote about
H.P.B. Same kind of attitude.

And there is always something good in happenings like those too. At least
I am now much stronger myself and not so easily manipulated. Hopefully I
am also wiser not to manipulate myself.




Mika