Theos-Talk Archives (June 2004 Message tt00166)

Daniel H. Caldwell wrote:
> "If Blavatsky could materialize a teacup, 
> why didn't she just do it in full view of everybody?"
>
> Well, with the cup and saucer she didn't do it.
Fritz Kunz claimed that he once saw Leadbeater levitate, to avoid 
getting hit by a train. Afterwards, Leadbeater shook his head, and said, 
"What a waste of energy." Based on the writings of HPB, the laws of 
physics still hold, albeit as a special case of more general laws. 
Materializing the teacup the way described would have been a major 
waste, with equally major karmic consequences. If she were truly 
materializing it, she did it in an incredibly wasteful manner.

Now, as far as this goes...

> "Even at that hour a number of devoted friends 
> were gathered in Mrs. Oakley's drawing room to 
> say farewell to Madame Blavatsky, who seated 
> herself in an easy chair by the fireside. She 
> was talking brilliantly to those who were present, 
> and rolling one of her eternal cigarettes, when 
> suddenly her right hand was jerked out towards 
> the fire in a very peculiar fashion, and lay palm 
> upwards. She looked down at it in surprise, as I 
> did myself, for I was standing close to her, 
> leaning with an elbow on the mantelpiece; and 
> several of us saw quite clearly a sort of whitish 
> mist form in the palm of her hand and then condense 
> into a piece of folded paper, which she at once 
> handed to me, saying "There is your answer." Every 
> one in the room crowded round, of course, but she 
> sent me away outside to read it, saying that I 
> must not let anyone see its contents. It was a 
> very short note."
> C. W. Leadbeater, Event happened on October 31, 1884, London.
Leadbeater was not the most reliable witness around, but even if it had 
been Olcott, the "jerked out towards the fire in a very peculiar 
fashion" sounds a LOT like sleight of hand to me.

There is a psychological phenomenon which is used by magicians, and 
very often in trick knife throwing acts. People will often fill in 
visual details to "fill in the cracks" when they see something unexpected.