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To Carlos Cardoso Aveline--some thoughts and a reply

Mar 13, 2006 02:02 AM
by Jerry Hejka-Ekins


Dear Carlos,

I changed your subject heading out of respect for Paul, who has stated on several occasions that he does not like his name displayed in subject headings. It is just a matter of respecting the preferences of others. I replaced the heading with your name, which, of course, you are free and welcome to change.
Because of my busy schedule, I have become more selective concerning which postings I read and which I reply to. I try to reply to those posts which I feel that I can make a constructive contribution to the writer and/or interested readers. To properly do this, I have to take the time to read (sometimes several times) the post, consider what they are saying (and implying), and then formulate an answer which I hope will move the topic along. This takes time. But I believe that these kind of posts raises the overall quality of a discussion board and is helpful to others. On the other hand, to argue for the sake of argument is, for me, a waste of energy and time. It is my hope that my correspondents take the same time and consideration to reply to my messages to them. Now, regarding our discussion.

My last response to you was concerning your statement that Paul wrote that HPB "lied." Here again is the statement you made, which I replied:

When Paul Johnson writes that she lied, or implies that she lied, that she was a Spy, etc. (which she denied vehemently and unendingly) he is saying that her philosophy is the philosophy of a liar, the philosophy of a
fraudulent woman.

I replied that I did not recall Paul writing that HPB lied. I then went into a carefully considered discourse about HPB's style of communication and how it is so often misunderstood. I expected in your reply below to either supply quotes where Paul did indeed make such statements, and/or to comment upon my discourse. Instead, you come up with a quote where Paul uses the word "charlatans" in connection to HPB and Gurdjieff. Now, liar and charlatan are two very different words with different meanings. My Webster's Dictionary defines the word in part: "one who prates much in his own favor, and makes unwarranted pretensions..." This definition seems to fit well the quote you gave me below. It does not necessarily imply lying, but only self-promotion. At any rate, this is an entirely different discussion. If this is your method of discussion, that is, shifting the terms of the discussion with new arguments instead of responding to my discourse, then I must reply by saying that I frankly cannot afford the time, nor do I have an inclination to play this kind of game. With this said, I will assume that you misunderstood and will more carefully re-read my last. In the mean time, I will respond to your statements below:

I re-read the 1987 Theosophical History Pamphlet and noted the quotes given below. Your sentence fragment "had fraudulent aspects" Appears once on page three. In context, the quote reads:

"The Sufi doctrine of instrumental teaching demonstrates a possible explanation of the apparently 'outrageous' and 'fraudulent" aspects of H.P.B. and Gurdjieff." He then goes on to explain what the Sufi doctrine of instrumental teaching is. Note that Paul had put "outrageous" and "fraudulent" in quotes. That means that he is quoting someone elses' use of the terms. Also, the qualifier "apparently" indicates that whoever he is quoting, is not saying that aspects of H.P.B.'s and Gurdjieff's methods appear to be fraudulent. Also, the main sense of the paragraph, if you read it in its entirety, is to explain the doctrine of instrumental teaching, which Paul is suggesting that H.P.B. and Gurdjieff may have employed. If they did, then that would mean that what appears to be outrageous and fraudulent is not so after all.


The quote you cite on page seven is part of Paul's concluding paragraphs. Here, he is naming several possible conclusions one can make about H.P.B. and Gurdjieff. To paraphrase the ideas: 1) that Both may have been Charlatans with Gurdjieff exploiting what HPB accomplished. 2) That H.P.B. was genuine and Gurdjieff not. 3) That Gurdjieff was sent to correct mistakes H.P.B. made 4) Both H.P.B. and Gurdjieff were genuine. Paul does not, in his conclusion offer an opinion as to which, if any of those possibilities are correct.
2) Besides, I friendly challenge you to extract from Johnson any clear declaration that he does NOT consider HPB a fraud, and that he considers her as a sincere, honest, decent woman, author and teacher. He uses the same "maybe" tactics as Algeo and others, in the way he slanders HPB. All his books use that strategy. As he wants to sell his books, he will most likely NOT contradict himself in that. (In his "approach", Paul ignores the 1986 declaration of the SPR, etc.)

Carlos, you have to keep in mind that this article was submitted as a scholarly paper. What you want Paul to write is an Hagiography or an Apologia. Those kinds of discourse are not suitable for scholarly writing. I can say that I have known Paul since 1984 and know for a fact that he does indeed admire HPB.

3) Of course, Esoteric Philosophy cannot be understood at the level of outer appearances ("face value"). True. Esoteric Philosophy deals with the occult, or essential aspects of life, which are "invisible to the eyes" (to use St. Exupery's expression). Yet they are invisible NOT because they are false, as illustrated-ignorants like Paul Johnson and John Algeo will say.
I think that we all are ignorant at different levels. Yet for one person to call another ignorant, reeks of arrogance to my nose.

See the 'Doctrine of the Eye' versus the 'Doctrine of the Heart' in "The Voice of the Silence".

I have been studying HPB's writings for 43 years and teaching them for almost thirty years. I think I understand to eye and heart doctrines well enough.

g a4) As to HPB bein fraud or semi-fraud, it is enough to see her astral chart. She was a Leo in the sun sign. Is Leo a sign for fraud or lies? No.
Benito Mussolini was born July 29, 18883. That makes him a Leo too. What do you think of him?

directly opposite to the sometimes unstable, anxious and astute Scorpio (while Scorpio as a sign also has very good qualities, of course).
Actually, Leo is opposite Aquarius.

HPB was Cancer in her ascendant -- a personality strongly emotional, sincere, loving, direct, sensitive, open, compassionate, sometimes too vulnerable -- and uncapable of deceiving.

Yasser Arafat had cancer rising. He didn't seem to be overly sensitive about the people he killed to get to the position he was in.

Her Moon was in Libra -- her emotions were transparent, rational, inclined to justice and reciprocity, also vulnerable, and far from allowing her to have any cold outer mask.
Truman Capote had moon in Libra. He wrote "In Cold Blood."
Those who attack her personal, Lion/Cancer/Libra honesty and openess, are attacking the essential ethical basis of her philosophy.

Mere planetary placements alone are not going to tell you much about a person. I suggest that you leave astrology to the astrologers.

5) I cannot agree that the book "Incidents in the Life of Madame Blavatsky", by A. P. Sinnett, is a "confused mess". In fact, it is a major source of first-hand evidence on HPB's life.

Actually, second hand evidence. It is a biography.
It is the cause of many of HPB's letters now available. Because of this, Vera, HPB's sister, wrote important texts about the life of the founder of the theosophical movement.

Boris de Zirkoff deserves credit for pulling together most of the letters we have. He also corrected the many mistakes in the Biography. See the chronologies in the Blavatsky Collected Works, which he spent 50 years compiling.

6) As to the absence of data about HPB's life, there are two points I want to make.

I don't wish to get into a discussion about your notions of the esotericism of St. Germain, Carlos Castaneda etc. Rather, HPB simply stated that her private life before she became a public person is none of the public's business. Most public people fell that way, whether they are an occultist, actor, or astronaut.

7) Up to a few days ago, I thought Johnson to be honestly self-deluded. I have to apologize for that. I have learned better. Paul makes brutal though disguised attacks to HPB and the Masters, but, when confronted with the facts, he tries to cover himself with the false mantle and role of a poor, delicate and innocent victim.

I hope that the misreadings I have pointed out to you will help you to put aside your former conclusions, carefully re-read Paul's writings and re-evaluate them.
Best wishes,
Jerry


carlosaveline cardoso aveline wrote:

Dear Jerry,

Thanks for your views.

1) I will quote from Paul Johnson's pamplhlet "Madame Blavatsky, the 'veiled years' " (THC, London, 1987, p. 07):

"There are two obvious questions(...) The first concerns the relative genuiness of Gurdjieff and Blavatsky as emissaries of occult orders. Both may have been charlatans, with Gurdjieff merely exploiting the market created by H.P.B. (...)."

Is that clear?

In page 03 of the same pamphlet, Johnson explains "why" HPB was a fraud, or "had fraudulent aspects" in her behaviour and work. HPB is but a mirror for him as for many people.


2) Besides, I friendly challenge you to extract from Johnson any clear declaration that he does NOT consider HPB a fraud, and that he considers her as a sincere, honest, decent woman, author and teacher. He uses the same "maybe" tactics as Algeo and others, in the way he slanders HPB. All his books use that strategy. As he wants to sell his books, he will most likely NOT contradict himself in that. (In his "approach", Paul ignores the 1986 declaration of the SPR, etc.)

3) Of course, Esoteric Philosophy cannot be understood at the level of outer appearances ("face value"). True. Esoteric Philosophy deals with the occult, or essential aspects of life, which are "invisible to the eyes" (to use St. Exupery's expression). Yet they are invisible NOT because they are false, as illustrated-ignorants like Paul Johnson and John Algeo will say. Essential aspects of life can be seen only by the heart. See the 'Doctrine of the Eye' versus the 'Doctrine of the Heart' in "The Voice of the Silence".

g a4) As to HPB bein fraud or semi-fraud, it is enough to see her astral chart. She was a Leo in the sun sign. Is Leo a sign for fraud or lies? No. It is the most brave and loyal sign, directly opposite to the sometimes unstable, anxious and astute Scorpio (while Scorpio as a sign also has very good qualities, of course). HPB was Cancer in her ascendant -- a personality strongly emotional, sincere, loving, direct, sensitive, open, compassionate, sometimes too vulnerable -- and uncapable of deceiving. No frauds, then. Her Moon was in Libra -- her emotions were transparent, rational, inclined to justice and reciprocity, also vulnerable, and far from allowing her to have any cold outer mask. And -- she spent most of her life fighting cold outer personality masks, which she called "shells'. She had reasons to do so. All of her philosophy is the philosophy of universal truth and personal sincerity. Those who attack her personal, Lion/Cancer/Libra honesty and openess, are attacking the essential ethical basis of her philosophy.


5) I cannot agree that the book "Incidents in the Life of Madame Blavatsky", by A. P. Sinnett, is a "confused mess". In fact, it is a major source of first-hand evidence on HPB's life. It is the cause of many of HPB's letters now available. Because of this, Vera, HPB's sister, wrote important texts about the life of the founder of the theosophical movement.


6) As to the absence of data about HPB's life, there are two points I want to make.

First, the life of every regular disciple will have mysterious aspects. They have to protect all their inner lives from "outward magnetism". See Alessandro Cagliostro, Count of St. Germain and others, equally mysterious, and equally called "charlatans" by the Paul-Johnsons and V. Solovyofs of their times. The libellers of Initiates enjoy selling books with their fancied "revelations".

Second, HPB, as Carlos Castaneda and other learners, trained herself for some time in self-forgetfulness, which includes "erasing the signs of every step taken in the world". This is something
which people who do not understand a iota of esoteric philosophy cannot ever understand.


7) Up to a few days ago, I thought Johnson to be honestly self-deluded. I have to apologize for that. I have learned better. Paul makes brutal though disguised attacks to HPB and the Masters, but, when confronted with the facts, he tries to cover himself with the false mantle and role of a poor, delicate and innocent victim.

As we have a rather long history of disguised and ambiguous attacks against HPB, this is not initially easy to identify. But time will help truth as it always does, in this aspect as in many others.








From: Jerry Hejka-Ekins <jjhe@charter.net>
Reply-To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Theos-World Jerry: Teachers & Teaching
Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 18:30:13 -0800

Dear Carlos,


When Paul Johnson writes that she lied, or implies that she lied, that
she

was a Spy, etc. (which she denied vehemently and unendingly) he is
saying

that her philosophy is the philosophy of a liar, the philosophy of a
fraudulent woman.


I don't recall Paul writing that HPB "lied", though I am aware that in
TMR he was careful about taking anything HPB writes at face value.
Based upon my own study of HPB, I would have to agree with him on this
point. For instance, HPB's series, From the Caves and Jungles of
Hindostan, is a mixture of real events and artistic elaboration. Yet, I
know of more than one person who has mistakenly taken this work to be an
historical account. I believe that it never was intended to be so.
Rather, it is an artistic work which also contains a lot of veiled
teachings. So, the point rests upon what one qualifies to be a lie. To
take a more general instance, an autobiography as literature is
generally thought of as nonfiction. Yet, can we really expect people to
write about themselves without being selective and biased concerning
events and personal experiences? Does that selectivity and biases make
such writers liars? Like most everyone else, HPB preferred that the
personal details of her life remain private. Sinnett found this out when
he tried to write her Biography. HPB did not want him to write it, but
he pressured her until she gave in enough to answer his questions. The
resulting book was a confused mess because she also did not go out of
her way to make sure that what Sinnett wrote was accurate. Did that make
her a liar?

As for her philosophy, HPB warned her readers that her teachings had to
be read with a healthy dose of metaphor. In the SD, she points out to
her readers the ridiculous mess many students made out of the globes and
rounds teachings because of their over literalism. In his writings,
W.B. Yeats, one of HPB's students, recalled another student telling him
that HPB told him there is another globe attached to this one at the
north pole. Yeats, who I believe, understood HPB more deeply than most
of her students replied, "Oh she must be referring to some myth." The
student replied, "Oh no. If it wasn't true, then HPB wouldn't have said
it." The student, of course, completely missed Yeats' point. When it
come to spiritual truths, mythology (mythos) communicates deeper truths
than literal accounts (logos) could ever do. HPB alludes to this point
over and over again, yet so many students of Theosophy completely miss
it. Was Homer a liar when he wrote the Odyssey? If Homer was a liar,
then so was HPB.

Best
Jerry






carlosaveline cardoso aveline wrote:


Dear Jerry,

Thanks, brother.

Theosophy is about Truth, as you know.

The motto of the theosophical movement is about Truth, as we know.

HPB wrote many times that Ethics and Truthfulness are of the essence in
Theosophy.

When Paul Johnson writes that she lied, or implies that she lied, that
she

was a Spy, etc. (which she denied vehemently and unendingly) he is
saying

that her philosophy is the philosophy of a liar, the philosophy of a
fraudulent woman.

This would be no Philosophy. At best, this would be Sophism. Why?
Let's

see.

As you may know, the difference between Philosophy and Sophism, in
classical

terms, is that the Philosopher lives his teaching as much as he can,
while

the Sophist presents the most "suitable" and attractive ideas in a given
moment, without living these ideas.

Ethics and Truthfulness connect the teacher to the teaching, and it also
connect the student to the teaching.

It is not repeating ideas or reading books that connect us to the
teaching.

So, by his disguised ways to half-say HPB was a fraud, Paul is trying to
destroy the ETHICAL BASIS of Theosophy, which, as we saw above, is of
the

ESSENCE in Esoteric Philosophy.

Summing it up, those who attack the Teachers attack the teaching.

That the attack is disguised does not mean it is no attack. We must
examine

what is under the
surface, and that is Occultism, as we know.

I hope that helps.

Peace to all beings,

Carlos.









From: Jerry Hejka-Ekins <jjhe@charter.net>
Reply-To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Theos-World Johnson Anti-Theosophist
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 10:50:44 -0800

Dear Carlos,




Paul's books are no Theosophy. That's what I meant.




You are right. They are not about Theosophy. One is an historical
investigation into the identity of HPB's teachers. Another is about
people in HPB's circle. Another is about Edgar Cayce. I don't
understand why this is a problem.




His texts aim at distorting Theosophy into something fraudulent, or
semi-fraudulent.




Since they are not about Theosophy, how can they be distorting
Theosophy?


Solovyof and the Coulombs were not "taking Theosophy to the public



opinion"



when they went to the newspapers to attack HPB and the theosophical



movement.


Yes, I agree, Solovyof and the Colombs were not taking Theosophy to
public opinion. They were publishing their opinions about HPB (not the
Theosophical Movement), which were not very good. But what does this
have to do with Paul's books?




On the other hand, having been published by one University Press is no



big



deal, as we have hundreds of Universities around the world, publishing



hundreds of books



every year.




But how many of them concern the Theosophical Movement? That is why
Paul's books on the Mahatmas is important. It brings them to the
attention of the academic discourse community for discussion.




Fortunately, his lies about Theosophy and the Masters will not have an
"academic" future.




The book has already been successful in the academic community. Its
future is already assured. As for "lies:" I understand a lie to be a
consciously calculated falsehood. Are you saying that Paul consciously
calculated to demean Blavatsky and the Theosophical Movement? If so,
where is your evidence?

Carlos, HPB was a very complex personality and there are published a
whole spectrum of opinions about her. Some are negative, some
positive. My own thesis I wrote for a masters degree was on the
relationship between HPB. and WB Yeats and her influence upon his
writings. It took me seven years to write it that 471 page tome and
during that period I thought of little else but to ponder HPB's nature
and what she was trying to communicate. One thing that I came to realize
is that if HPB's critics are guilty of unjustly villainizing her, HPB's
follows are just as guilty of distorting who she was by blindly
idolizing her. Yeats, who profoundly respected HPB, was also deeply
aware of, and was disturbed by the constant fanaticism that occurred
around HPB and her teachers. He even recounts one fanatic follower's
attempted suicide! Please, let us all take a deep breath and take a
step or two back from all of this craziness. HPB made her contributions
and she died. Opinions about her will come and go. What is important
and lasting is her contribution to the Theosophical Movement. There is
nothing to be gained, and only pain to be reaped by abusing people
because of their opinions.

Best wishes,
Jerry






carlosaveline cardoso aveline wrote:




Dear Jerry,

Paul's books are no Theosophy. That's what I meant.

His texts aim at distorting Theosophy into something fraudulent, or
semi-fraudulent.

Solovyof and the Coulombs were not "taking Theosophy to the public



opinion"



when they

went to the newspapers to attack HPB and the theosophical movement.

On the other hand, having been published by one University Press is no



big



deal, as we

have hundreds of Universities around the world, publishing hundreds of



books



every year.

Fortunately, his lies about Theosophy and the Masters will not have an
"academic" future.


As to the theosophical movement, much less.


Best regards, Carlos.













From: Jerry Hejka-Ekins <jjhe@charter.net>
Reply-To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Theos-World P. Johnson Ignores Theosophy
Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 15:58:34 -0800

Dear Carlos,






Paul did not take Theosophy to the Universities --







Apparently I was not sufficiently clear. Paul's book on the Masters
was published by the State University of New York (SUNY), which is a
scholarly press. The difference between a scholarly press and a
commercial press is that in the former, the manuscript is passed
around

to other scholars in the field who critically read it and recommend
whether the manuscript is worthy of publication or not. I was for a
few

years a member of the American Academy of Religions (AAR) which is a
professional association, mostly of professors of religious studies.
There, I met and spoke with several of the professors who read and
passed his work.






and I doubt of his books'
actual circulation in Universities.






You mean as a text book for students? Well, I don't know one way or
the

other. Professors in American Universities do pretty much what they
want

as far as what text books they use. But I do know some professors who
have read the book and I have discussed it with them.






What he tried to take to Universities is a completely mundane view of
HPB/Masters,at the personal level, according to which HPB may have
been


a




fraud and the





"Masters" are persons with mudane, worldly goals, not Adepts.






When the book first came out, I openly debated Paul on theos-talk
concerning his methodology and conclusions. I'm sure you will find
all

of this in the archives.
So, my own points of disagreement were expressed many years ago and I
do

not wish to revisit them now. However, as I had already stated below,
IMO, the important thing about Paul's book is that it was published by
a

scholarly press, as opposed to a Theosophical press. If he only
published in the Theosophical press, his readership would be mostly
Theosophists and sympathizers with Theosophy. By publishing the book
with SUNY, he brought an examination of the subject of the Masters to
the academic community to be discussed, considered and debated. As a
result, there is a growing number of people in the academic community
who are becoming interested in Theosophy. I think it is a good thing
that academics are becoming interested in Theosophy. Don't you?






Have you seen Theosophy, or Esoteric Philosophy, in his books or





writings?





Anything more than a peronsalistic "Who's Who"?






His books are not on Esoteric Philosophy. His book on the Masters is
an

historical *inquiry* into the identity of HPB's teachers. When I want
to read on Esoteric Philosophy, I usually sit down with the Mahatma
Letters to A.P. Sinnett.

Best wishes,
Jerry



carlosaveline cardoso aveline wrote:






Dear Jerry,


Paul did not take Theosophy to the Universities -- and I doubt of his





books'





actual
circulation in Universities.

What he tried to take to Universities is a completely mundane view of
HPB/Masters,
at the personal level, according to which HPB may have been a fraud
and



the





"Masters"
are persons with mudane, worldly goals, not Adepts.

Have you seen Theosophy, or Esoteric Philosophy, in his books or





writings?





Anything
more than a peronsalistic "Who's Who"?

Carlos.











From: Jerry Hejka-Ekins <jjhe@charter.net>
Reply-To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Theos-World P. Johnson, Greenpeace & Freud
Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 12:20:07 -0800

Dear Carlos,








Paul Johnson has been trying to explain HPB as a semifraudulent
woman



and






to







describe the Masters as non-Adepts. To his mind, there are no







metaphysical







or spiritual mysteries to be solved.








I always finding myself wincing whenever I hear or read someone
explaining someone else. It is a kind of a dismissal of another
credibility--an implication that the person in question cannot be
trusted to explain themselves. I would much rather see a dialogue



where



the person in question is asked what he/she is trying to do, or is
thinking.








For me, the fact that Paul Johnson comes to the movement with such





wildly





speculative and mundane theories, and his books are read and



accepted





by







some for a while (although they were never accepted by any



theosophical



publisher, naturally) is, itself, a subject for some self-





examination






of







the movement.








Is the value of a book necessarily based upon whether it is
accepted?

Paul published the his book about the Masters through a university
press. That means that he submitted his writing to scholarly
scrutiny.

What is valuable about Paul's book is that it created a dialogue



within



the academic community about the existence and nature of the
Masters.


It



is the dialogue--the exploration, not the acceptance, that is



important.



In the long run, bringing Theosophy into academic circles can do
nothing but good for the movement. Remember that HPB attracted some



of



the greatest minds of her time. Those were the days when Theosophy



was



credible, was seriously talked of among scholars. I would like to
see


a



return to those days. Paul's book was a step in that direction.

Best wishes,
Jerry






carlosaveline cardoso aveline wrote:








oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

PAUL JOHNSON, GREENPEACE AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dear Friends,

Paul Johnson has been trying to explain HPB as a semifraudulent
woman



and






to







describe the Masters as non-Adepts. To his mind, there are no







metaphysical







or spiritual mysteries to be solved.

It is always a question of who's who. He invented the "People's







magazine"







Theosophy, as if
the facts of Adepthood were a fiction -- false facts used perhaps



to





cover







frauds and a "market for tricks", as he suggests in his 1987 text
on





HPB's







'Veiled Years'.

He does not perceive that also Jesus, as described in the New





Testament,





had his "veiled years".

He does not know, or is not interested, for instance, in the fact



that




in





Carlos Castaneda's books, as in HPB's life, "leaving no traces of





one's





existence in the world" is an active part of the training of



disciples



during certain stages of their learning.

For me, the fact that Paul Johnson comes to the movement with such





wildly





speculative and mundane theories, and his books are read and



accepted





by







some for a while (although they were never accepted by any



theosophical



publisher, naturally) is, itself, a subject for some self-





examination






of







the movement.

If Paul Johnson would go to the international leadership of





"Greenpeace"






or







of "Friends of the
Earth" and kindly submit to them a new theory, according to which
the

campaigns for the defense of the Amazon region and forests
worldwide



are





based on fraudulent theories, or in theories "possibly fraudulent",







inspired







in political motivations,etc., what would be the answer? Would
there


be




a





John Algeo to receive Paul Johnson with his theories at Greenpeace?

If Paul Johnson would go to the Psychoanalytical Society and most





kindly





submit them a brand new
and stupendous theory according to which Sigmund Freud was in fact
a





shallow







man, unable to explore the depths of human-animal soul (fourth and





fifth





principles), with its unconscious impulses, but that Freud just







plagiarized







someone else and was really interested in other goals, under the





cover






of







his psychoanalytical investigations -- what would be the result?

If Paul Johnson would go to the Jungian Analitycal circles with an
equivalent story about Carl G. Jung, what would be the result?

Well, Paul Johnson did come to the theosophical movement with this



kind





of







theory, putting himself much above HPB, purporting to unveil the







"Masters",







etc., and he had a John Algeo to receive him, and other







pseudo-theosophical







leaders to open room to his ideas.

For me, as for thousands of students worldwide, Theosophy as taught



by





HPB







and the Masters is something which is alive. It is experimental.
It



can






be







touched, although it can't be touched with physical feet or hands.
It



can






be







touched by one's soul, by one's clear mind, by one's inner senses.

And, just because Paul cannot "see" or experiment Theosophy, he has



to



saythat it is "perhaps a fraud", "perhaps semi-fraud". And
pseudo-theosophists find his ideas interesting, possibly because



these



ideas offer them an escape from the challenge of LIVING THEOSOPHY
in





their







own daily lives.

If Paul would investigate Leadbeater, he would see fraud. Yet,







investigating







HPB, he saw nothing; he only projected on his own mind that which
he





wanted







to see.

"Unconscious Kriyashakti" is the name of this, as well stated by
E.L.

Gardner in another context.

So the fact that Paul Johnson's ideas still have any circulation in



the



outskirts of the theosophical movement, from my viewpoint, is much



more




a





sympton than a fact in itself of any importance. It is a sympton



that




we





are too gullible, naive and scarcely experiential in our approach
to



the





Divine Wisdom. We are open to whatever new theories which promise





saving






the







effort to seek universal truth for ourselves, along a steep and



narrow



path...

Paul Johnson is like those "paparazzi" who try to make revelations





about





the British Royal family or other "famous" people.

For those "researchers" there are no real people in the British
Royal

family. There's othing "internal", subjective, human. It's only a







gossipy







question of "who's who", an issue of personal names and intrigues.

C.W. Leadbeater reduced his pseudo-theosophy to this.

CWL started the paparazzi-personalistic approach (See, for
instance,



his





book "Lives of Alcyone"). And then, decades later, we had Paul





Johnson,






who







possibly doesn't even consider himself as a theosophist.

And, even though he probably does not call himself a theosophist,
he





humbly







puts himself far above theosophists.

And he kindly intends to teach to us, for the price of his books,



all



mysteries of Theosophy, which we "don't know".

He must be proud of his modesty. This is a nice "scholarly" guru,
who





wants







to teach us that HPB was "possibly a fraud" and in this -- ignores



the





SPR







1986 conclusions and all the evidences that HPB was a great soul.

And Paul, when shown as he is -- someone who denies the most basic







assets







of the Esoteric Philosophy -- feels attacked. But -- what is he



doing




to





HPB and the Masters?

In a deeper perspective, though, he is not attacking the movement.
He



is





just testing it, as John Algeo is -- and, after all, tests tend
to





awaken







the deeper layers of the living process inaugurated in 1875 by HPB



and





W.







Judge.

As to me, tests are welcome. Let's go ahead, then, with an





open-minded,





sincere debate.


Best regards, Carlos Cardoso Aveline




















From: "kpauljohnson" <kpauljohnson@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Theos-World Re: Paul & "The Masters Revealed"
Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 16:06:37 -0000

Dear Krsanna,

Thanks for an opportunity to clarify some points in a rancor-free
context. Bruce wrote:









"What Paul may have stumbled on in his book "The Masters
Revealed"

is the people involved in HPB's education. A world-wide network
of

men trying to inspire good people to stand up against tyranny."










While "network" might fit in a very broad sense, that is *HPB's*
network of inspirers, teachers, etc., it tends to obscure that
there

were multiple lineages, multiple secret societies and spiritual
reform movements, with whom HPB was allied and from whom she
learned

at different times. Some were much more politically involved than
others. And some *became* much more political *after* HPB got
involved with them. What is especially important to me now, and to
the Church of Light which I recently joined, is the transfer of



HPB's



allegiance from her Egyptian (and Egyptophile European and
American) "brotherhoods" (which involved women too, most
importantly

Emma Hardinge Britten) to a completely different set of Indian
sponsors. Godwin's The Theosophical Enlightenment gives a fuller
explanation of this transfer than my books do.

Two key figures involved in that transfer were Swami Dayananda,



about



whom I would urge anyone interested in the Masters question to
think

outside the box of Theosophical exegesis, and Mikhail Katkov, who
published HPB's Indian writings in Russian. Both were obviously
revered as spiritual Masters by their disciples-- formally so in
the

Swami's case and informally so in Katkov's.










HPB always said the adepts were living men who were part of a
worldwide network that reached far into antiquity. To identify
living men associated with HPB is not surprising. As far as I
can

tell from recent posts, Paul Johnson excluded the "paranormal"
from

his research to identify some of very real, very human men in
HPB's

association.









Real and human but at the same time in most cases recognized
authorities in various spiritual traditions. Here's a quote from



TMR



that Desmond recently produced that goes to the heart of your
post:

In "The Masters Revealed" you set forth the thesis that "most of



these



characters were authorities in one or more spiritual traditions;
others were accomplished writers. They helped prepare HPB for her
mission as a spiritual teacher and/or sponsored the Theosophical
Society from behind the scenes. Although their teachings and



example



affected HPB's development, the extent of their influence was



usually



secret. In a few cases the argument for their acquaintance with
HPB

is speculative, but usually the fact of a relationship is well
established and the real question is its meaning. Because their
'spiritual status' and psychic powers are inaccessible to
historical

research, these alleged criteria of 'Mahatmaship' are treated with
agnosticism." (p. 14-15) Personally, I see in these few words not
only a lack of personal bias but also an abundance of integrity.

Thanks to Desmond for the last line. I would just comment as an
aside to Carlos that it makes no sense to say that because
spiritual

stature and psychic powers of figures from the past are not
readily

accessible to historical investigation, that we ought not pursue



*any



knowledge whatsoever* about individuals who have been identified
as

adepts, because adepts by definition transcend physicality. NO



ONE's



spiritual stature and psychic powers are accessible to standard
scholarly investigation; the obvious implication would be that
historians are committing a spiritual crime to write about *anyone
who ever lived*. Otherwise we are left with special pleading that
says it's OK to ask historical questions about Jesus or Buddha or
Alice Bailey but don't dare ask them about HPB and her Masters
because they are not only beyond reproach but exempt from normal
historical scrutiny. That might play in the ULT or the Adyar ES
but

it's Theosophical dogma that no one outside the movement will take
seriously. Why should they? It's like Muslims saying cartoons
about

everyone else are fine, but if they're about Muhammad let's have
riots. That just makes the special pleaders look like enraged
fanatics.

Nobody, to my knowledge, ever claimed that Morya's









adept lineage terminated with Morya.

I've read only an excerpt from Paul Johnson's book, so I don't
know

how clear he was about the limitations of his research. A good
researcher defines the parameters of the work undertaken.










That was a very important objective of The Masters Revealed,
whereas

its self-published predecessor was considerably less clear about



what



was being hypothesized. On the back cover of TMR the first reader
report excerpt quoted (from Hal French of the U. of South
Carolina)

says this: "The author has transferred the discussion of
Blavatsky's

sources from the realm of the mythical to the historical. He has
given us a well-researched series of capsuled biographies of
persons







from whom Blavatsky learned, and the nature of her relationships


with







each of them. His work brings reasoned conclusions into an area
characterized by vituperative and polarized scholarship. He sets



his



limits well. He has not overstretched his mark nor made excessive
claims for his conclusions." The same could be said for Joscelyn
Godwin whose Theosophical Enlightenment is intertwined with TMR in
several ways.










Showing that ordinary people possess extraordinary potentials is
a

worthy study. Albeit, this was not Paul Johnson's objective, and
he

attempted only to identify ordinary people.










Not quite. How ordinary these people were varies from case to
case.

That several were highly regarded as adepts within specific
traditions testifies that they were not seen as ordinary by their
colleagues and associates. It's just that their extraordinariness



is



approached historically rather than religiously, as something to
be

established (or rather defined) via evidence and reason rather
than

ex cathedra pronouncements or reliance on scriptural authority.

Back to politics for a moment, I will just say that my books don't
portray HPB as someone who was motivated primarily by politics,
but

rather as someone who was caught up in politics through her
associations with people in India, and lived to regret it. After
leaving India, she appears to have renounced any involvement in
politics and even offered to become an informant on anti-British
activities she had learned about. So it's not a simple yes/no
question as to whether she or her Masters were involved in
politics.

Just as it's not a simple yes/no question as to whether the
Masters

depicted in her writings were "real." Some were a lot more real



than



others, in terms of the amount of fictionalization involved. No
one

has ever doubted the reality of Dayananda; but Theosophists
conveniently forget that HPB and Olcott definitely regarded him in
the adept/Mahatma category when they went to India and only later
changed their opinion.

Cheers,

Paul










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