Theos-Talk Archives (August 2003 Message tt00101)

I happened to come across a post of Daniels (May 17) about 
Annie Besant that I thought might have some bearing on my 
posts about the Besant/Leadbeater leadership. Here it is:

<<In March 1891, Madame Blavatsky wrote to W.Q. Judge that 
Annie Besant was "not psychic nor spiritual in the least -- all 
intellect, and yet she hears Master's voice when alone, sees His 
Light, and recognizes his voice from that of D----. Judge, she is 
a most wonderful woman, my right hand, my successor, when I 
will be forced to leave you, my sole hope in England, as you are 
my sole hope in America." -- Quoted from Countess 
Wachtmeister's "H.P.B. and the Present Crisis in the
Theosophical Society", p. 4.

Many students of Theosophy regard the above quote from HPB 
as very significant.

Annie Besant wrote of her first experiences with the Master:
"My first-hand experience of the Masters had been clear, 
definite, and absolutely convincing to me. The experience began 
in 1889. In the beginning of the year, before I joined the T.S., I 
was making desperate efforts to pierce the darkness, and was 
seeking with passionate earnestness to obtain some direct 
evidence of the existence of Soul and of the superphysical 
worlds; one evening as I sat alone, concentrating my mind on this 
longing, I heard the Master's voice --- but knew not whose its 
was ---and after some questions asked by Him and answered by 
me, came the promise that I should soon find the light --- a 
promise quickly verified. As I did not till later know Who had 
spoken to me, I ought not to put this as evidence at that time, and 
it was in the summer of of 1889 that I gained my first direct 
evidence. I was in Fontainebleau [staying with Madame 
Blavatsky], and was sleeping in a small room by myself; I
was waked suddenly and sat up in bed startled, to find the air of 
the room thrown into pulsing electrical waves, and then appeared 
the radiant astral Figure of the Master [Morya], visible to my 
physical eyes." See Case 60a in: 
ttp://www.blavatskyarchives.com/mastersencounterswith.htm

Compare Mrs. Besant's statement with what HPB wrote:

"[Mrs. Besant] hears Master's voice when alone, sees His
Light. . . . "

Therefore when Mrs. Besant published a revised and edited 
version of THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE after HPB's death, 
many students saw no reason to question the revisions since 
HPB had previously said that Mrs. Besant was "my right hand, 
my successor...my sole hope in England.">>

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Daniel, or anybody, if you're reading this, and if you have read
Cleather's HPB, A GREAT BETRAYAL, and/or have more background info
about A. Besant, do you any comments that might throw some light on
the Besant/Leadbeater controversies? And one might sonder how Alice
Bailey might've been influenced by various B/L precedents? Etc?