Theos-Talk Archives (February 1997 Message tl00034)

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> From: Drpsionic@aol.com
>
> Ann,
> You really have to look at the old Aday Theosophists, especially the ones
> from the early 1920's to learn how them folks thought back then.

Is this TS history according to Psionic?
>
> In reality it was much simpler.  Leadbeater wanted to be a Bishop so he and
> his cronie Wedgewood (who ordained him in 1916) took over the LCC from it's
> founders and infected it with Theosophy--along with giving them excuses to
> cross-dress and fondle the choir-boys. (That's why they left the word
> Catholic in, no doubt.)

Actually, Wedgewood got himself consecrated in the Old Catholic Church and
then asked CWL to jump on the bandwagon.  There was no LCC to take over-
they created it.  The service has been and is still Old Catholic, with a
few theosophical additions here and there.  That OCC service gets around -
it's being used by the Church of Antioch and more than one gnostic church.
Each group changes the wording in some parts to make it fit their
philosophy.

> Annie, being a Victorian, Middle Class gentlewoman in spite of some her wild
> youthful behavior and numerous love affairs, grabbed onto anything that would
> give her title of some sort and CoMasonry suited her just fine in that
> regard.

I think she took a look at CWL's marching band of alpha-male clergy and decided to get
something going for the ladies.
>
> Now, they couldn't come out a say all that because they had to spiritualize
> EVERYTHING, and after much thrashing around and trying to keep George
> Arundale out of bed with Oskar Kollerstrom because it was making Wedgewood
> jealous, to say nothing of shocking poor old Bishop Leadbeater because Oskar
> was an adult, they sort of came up with system you described.

This part would be great in the next issue of The Liberal Catholic, their
LCC world mag.  Of course, they'd ask you to back up your story.
>
> It is, of course, utter nonsense.  All three organizations stand on their own
> merits with out the sort of gobbldygook that was written back then.  But then
> just about everything that came out of that period was silliness pure and
> simple.
>
I think they just basically did the best they could with what they had.

-AEB


> Chuck the Heretic