Theos-Talk Archives (February 2007 Message tt00139)

I thought this would be of interest.

Perry

http://www.theosophycanada.com/ct_file/ct_cleather.htm

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Alice Cleather, The Esoteric School, and the Inner Group:
An Insider's Perspective on Blavatsky, Judge, and Besant 

"In the pages of the Canadian Theosophist in 1937-38, Alice Cleather 
presented new information surrounding the ES crisis of 1890-91 that 
precipitated the issuing of "Preliminary Explanations to No. III of 
the Instructions" to the E.S. 

What we want to draw readers attention to is the great faith that 
H.P. Blavatsky had in her friend and co-worker, W.Q. Judge, a faith 
that did not waver to the very end. Also, it should be noted that 
Annie Besant, even at this point was editing H.P. Blavatsky without 
permission to do so.

 We get a clue that Besant is already allowing her own naive 
sensibilities to color her understanding of her teacher and the 
Movement and is willing to pass that understanding on to others.

 She is, in effect, covering up certain truths for political motive, 
that motive in this case is to guard the ES against further 
defections when members are faced with an ugly truth. This idea is 
further bolstered by a submission to the Canadian Theosophist that 
Cleather made in 1937. In this submission, we are given some 
background on Besant's Volume III of The Secret Doctrine and her 
active hand in its editing. 

Cleather goes over the origins of the Third Volume, spending some 
time on the use of the Esoteric Instructions and the Inner Group 
teachings. Volume III includes "Instruction III" but does not include 
the "Preliminary Explanations to No. III" where Blavatsky counciled 
the ES to defend Judge, come what may. 

It is obvious why Besant would not want to remind readers of this. 
Then as an example of the limitations of Besant's editing, Cleather 
takes page 559 of the Third Volume (TPH, 1897) and using her own 
notes from the Inner Group, shows how this passage taken from the 
oral teachings of the Inner Group could have been more clearly 
written." 

The following are pdfs from the Canadian Theosophist and as such we 
apologize for their rough appearance