Theos-Talk Archives (September 1997 Message tl00004)

Hi, Tim:

I just posted a msg in response to Jaqi's msg.

>From a historical point of view, it would be interesting to find out if
there was anything anywhere which gives us a clue to why HPB took the
trouble to travel to Salt Lake City. I wonder whether we will ever find out
anything at all.

mkr

----------------

At 12:43 AM 9/1/97 -0400, Tim Maroney wrote:
>>It is reported in HPB's biographies that during her travels in 1855 in the
>>US, she travelled to Salt Lake City to meet the Mormons. In a recent
>>coverage of Mormons in Time/Newsweek, (commemorating the travel of Mormons
>>from Illinois to Salt Lake City) one of the things that I noticed was their
>>belief in the second coming of Christ.
>>
>>In Key to Theosophy, HPB mentions about coming of Messenger from the Great
>>White Lodge and I am wondering whether there was some connection between
>>what she knew or was told by her Guardian and her trip to Salt Lake City and
>>their belief in second coming. One thing worth noting was that the founder
>>of Mormons was not a scholar or a PhD, just a common man (who was 
>>assasinated).
>
>Hello Doss,
>
>Joseph Smith had been a Mason and a lot of the early occult influence on 
>HPB was in the library of Prince Dolgorukii, as Paul has documented. 
>There is a lot of estoeric Masonry in both systems and there are reports 
>of HPB discussing esoteric Masonry with startled Masons of high degree. 
>I'm sure that given her gift of gab she would have been able to talk 
>knowingly with the Mormons about their own Masonically-derived system.
>
>Whether the particular point you mentioned is a point of historical 
>contact with Mormonism I couldn't say, as the theme of the messenger from 
>heaven is not original to either HPB or the Mormons. It could have been 
>derived from a number of shared or independent sources, including 
>Christianity as well as theurgical Neo-Platonism and other traditions; or 
>by independent spiritual experience.
>
>Are there any less ambiguous matches between the Mormon system and her 
>writings? I ask this not in a challenging way. You've raised a very 
>interesting and legitimate issue that I don't recall encountering before.
>
>--
>Tim Maroney    tim@maroney.org    http://www.maroney.org
>