Collected Writings VOLUME VI 1883-1885

Collected Writings VOLUME VI 1883-1885 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword Chronological Survey DECEMBER, 1883 Have we to Lower the Flag of Truce? Footnote to “Discrimination of Spirit and Not-Spirit” Editor’s Note to “The Bhattah Mirrors” The God-Idea Footnotes to “Yoga and Kalpa” Adepts and Politics Footnote to “Psycho-Physiological Notes” Comment on “The Himalayan Brothers-Do They Exist?” Buddhism before Buddha Queries from Australia Existence of the Himalayan Mahatmas The “Puranas” on the Dynasties of the Moryas and the Koothoomi Rain-Stopping Brahmans Wart-Charming “Moral Education” By Prof. Buchanan The Death of a Great Man Important Notice The Saracens of Theosophy and the MadrasCrusaders Ananda Bai Joshi’s Reception A Psychological Phenomenon Miscellaneous Notes From a Letter to the Editor of “Rebus” Letter to the Editor of “The Epiphany” Ma Derniere Maderniere My Final Word [SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, 1894.] Tibetan Teachings DECEMBER-JANUARY, 1883-1884 Premature and Phenomenal Growths “Precipitation” Some Scientific Questions Answered [October, 1883.] Posthumous Visitor Editor’s Note to “The Miraculous Beard and the Monks of St. Stephano of Vienna” JANUARY, 1884 Footnotes Appended to Subba Row’s Reply to the Circular Letter of Dr. Anna B. Kingsford and Edward Maitland to the London Lodge FEBRUARY, 1884 Introversion of Mental Vision What Scientific Russia Knows of Ceylon Editor’s Note to “Spirit Guardianship, or What?” Victims of Words Footnotes to “The Sibyl, Ancient and Modern” Archaeological Difficulties The “Bhagavad-Gita” and “Esoteric Buddhism” The Theosophists and Irenaeus Miscellaneous Notes From a Letter of an Old Friend and theosophist A Lapsus Calami Mr. Moncure Conway Divination by the Laurel Cubes The Oxonians and Theosophy Again The Neutrality of the Senate House Footnotes to “Notes on Modern Egyptian Theosophy” Miscellaneous Notes MARCH, 1884 The High Water Mark of Modern Philosophy A British Thinker on “The Theosophist” Notes and Footnotes to “Three Unpublished Essays” Psychometry Editor’s Note to “Drama of the Latter Days” [AUGUST, SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, 1893.] Elementals [JULY AND AUGUST, 1892.] Old Philosophers and Modern Critics APRIL, 1884 Footnote to “Living Vampires and Vampirism of the Grave in our Social Institutions” Comment on “Practical Work for theosophists” Comments on “A Canon Occultist” Mr. Lloyd's Questions to Mohini MAY, 1884 Prince Bismarck’s Mysterious Visitor A Spirit Visit A Singular Case Miscellaneous Notes JUNE, 1884. Are Chelas “Mediums”? Astrology Mr. Moncure D. Conway's “A Tour Round the World” A Roman Catholic Saint at Goa Karma Footnotes to “Unpublished Writings of Eliphas Levi” JULY, 1884 Mahatmas and Chelas Is the Desire to “Live” Selfish? Nirvana Miscellaneous Notes Petition to the Masters for the Formation of an “Inner Group” in the London Lodge AUGUST, 1884 The Future Occultist Can the Mahatmas be Selfish? The Future Buddhas Miscellaneous Notes Mr. A. Lillie’s Delusions SEPTEMBER, 1884 Miscellaneous Notes Madame Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society OCTOBER, 1884. Chelas The Theosophical Society in India Mr. Arthur Lillie H.P.B. on the Coulomb Forged Letters The Collapse of Koot Hoomi On Hibernation, the Arya-Samaj, ETC. [DECEMBER, 1925.] The Ten Sephiroth JANUARY, 1885 H.P.B.’s Last Will and Testament FEBRUARY, 1885 H.P.B and the S.P.R. Report Faith in Astrology Editor's Note to “Kama-Loka and the Bearings of the Esoteric Doctrine on Spiritualism” MARCH, 1885 A Remarkable Astrologer MAY, 1885 Spiritual Progress Retirement of Madame Blavatsky JUNE, 1885 Editor’s Note to “Zoroastrianism” AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, 1885 Facts and Ideations A Bewitched Life SEPTEMBER, 1885 Letter from H.P. Blavatsky to the Editor of “Rebus” [Published for the first time in this volume] To the Theosophist (DATED NOVEMBER, 1885) [AUGUST, 1931.] My Justification Testimony to Phenomena [DECEMBER, 1883] APPENDIX: Note on the Transliteration of Sanskrit ILLUSTRATIONS: Convention Group, Adyar, December, 1883 H. P. Blavatsky in her Forties Baron Spedalieri Madame Olga Alexeyevna de Novikov Dr. Anna Bonus Kingsford Edward Maitland Mary Gebhard Gebhards’ Home in Elberfeld, Germany Convention Group, Adyar, December, 1884 Portrait of H. P. Blavatsky by Hermann Schmiechen, 1885 Collected Writings VOLUME VI FOREWORD xxiii FOREWORD TO VOLUME SIX In planning an American Edition of H.P.B. ’s Collected Writings, it has been thought advisable to start with new material, heretofore unpublished in chronological sequence, leaving the writings of the period 1874-1882, published earlier by Rider & Co., London, and now out of print, to be dealt with at a later date. The writings contained in the present volume are in direct chronological continuation of those embodied in the previous one, published in 1950. The English translation of original French texts is the work of Dr. Charles J. Ryan, of Point Loma, California. This work has been carefully checked by Irene R. Ponsonby and the Compiler. The Compiler is indebted to Miss Katherine A. Beechey, Keeper of the Archives, The Theosophical Society, Adyar, India, for valuable assistance rendered in supplying with great care, both actual material and information from the Adyar Archives. Grateful acknowledgement is made of the willing help received from Irene R. Ponsonby, Audrey Hollander, Margaret Bonnell, Jaye Méndez, Alice Eek, and Nancy Browning, in proofreading the text in the various stages of production. As in the case of Volume Five, sincere thanks are due to Mr. and Mrs. Henry B. Donath, for many helpful actions connected with the publicity angle and the supplies incidental to the preparation of the MSS. Special mention should be made of the most valuable help received from Mrs. Mary L. Stanley, of London, England, during the last five years. Her able, many-sided and sustained research-work in the British Museum contributed very materially to the accuracy of the many quotations which had to be checked, and of the various data that had to be verified. This exacting and painstaking labor stands as a major contribution not only in the production of former volumes, but in the preparation of the MSS. for volumes yet to be published. Acknowledgment should also be made of the great care exercised by Everett M. Stockton and Harry C. Shaneberger of the S & S Lino-Comp Service, of Los Angeles, Calif., in the Intertype composition of the manuscript, which, on account of many Sanskrit diacritical marks, called for both patience and intelligent handling. The publication of Volume Six in the present Series would not have been possible without the material help of a large number of students from many parts of the world, who prefer to remain anonymous. We acknowledge their willing and wholehearted assistance in creating the Blavatsky Writings Publication Fund, and assure them of our deeply felt gratitude. BORIS DE ZIRKOFF. Compiler. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. November 17th, 1954 Collected Writings VOLUME VI December, 1883 HAVE WE TO LOWER THE FLAG OF TRUCE? [The Theosophist, Vol. V, No. 3(51), December, 1883, pp. 69-70] [In this article reference is made to the famous “Kiddle Incident” involving an alleged plagiarism by Master K.H. from a discourse delivered by Henry Kiddle on the subject of “The Present Outlook of Spiritualism,” at a Spiritualistic Camp Meeting, at Lake Pleasant, August 15, 1880. A rather complete picture of this entire incident can be gathered by consulting A. P. Sinnett’s The Occult World, 1st American ed., Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1885, Appendix D; The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, Letters VI and XCIII which complement each other; Henry Kiddle’s Letter to the Editor of Light, London, Vol. III, Sept. 1, 1883, p. 392; Sinnett’s reply to H. Kiddle, Light, III, Sept. 22, 1883, p. 424; H. S. Olcott’s article, “The Kiddle Mystery,” Light, III, Nov. 17, 1883, p. 504; T. Subba Row’s article, “Occult World—Happy Mr. Kiddle’s Discovery,” The Theosophist, V, December, 1883, pp. 86-87; Gen. H. R. Morgan’s article, “Mr. W. H. Harrison’s Delusions,” The Theos., Suppl., Dec., 1883, pp. 29-31; and H.P.B.’s own references to this subject, such as those in The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky to A. P. Sinnett, Letters XXVII and XXIX, dated Sept. 27 and Nov. 17, 1883, respectively.—Compiler.] The spiritualistic journals, with the honourable and solitary exception of the Banner of Light, lose no opportunity for effecting Quixotic thrusts in the direction of Theosophy. That they are made generally at random, and thus fall as harmless as the blows of the Knight of the Rueful countenance—is not from any want of benevolent intention in our generous friends. For several years we have borne their ill-natured remarks with theosophic forbearance and have never attacked either Spiritualism as a belief, or its adherents, with those few exceptional cases when we had to defend ourselves. Nor have we, though ourselves disbelievers in their orthodox tenets, been ever tempted to carry the war into the enemy’s country. In silence we pursued our work, expecting every earnest seeker of Truth to do the same. Tolerant of their belief we hoped for the same tolerance on their part. But we were doomed 2 BLAVATSKY: COLLECTED WRITINGS to disappointment. The achievements of the doughty champions of returning “Spirits” in their latest skirmishes against the “Brothers” and their humble agents—Colonel Olcott and H. P. Blavatsky, though amusingly absurd to our Fellows, are yet so calculated to hurt the feelings of the Hindu Members of our Society that we can no longer ignore the charges proffered. After receiving a number of letters from certain regular Chelas whom we have personally persuaded to co-operate with us, we are obliged, in due discharge of our duty, to enter the arena of controversy, under the penalty of having our silence construed into tacit consent.

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