A Report On Its Activities
Since June 2005
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
“If the ‘false prophets of Theosophy’ are to be left
untouched, the true prophets
will be very soon - as
they have already been - confused with the false. It is
nigh time to winnow our corn and cast away the chaff.”
Helena P. Blavatsky
“It is the duty of esoteric students to unmask error and hypocrisy;
to face lie with truth; not as personal criticisms but as facts against
mis-statements.(…) The custodians of Truth voice it in the face of lie,
ignorance and error (…). Theosophy is in the world for that purpose.”
Robert Crosbie
It was in December 2003
that John Algeo and the USA/TPH published “The Letters of H.P. Blavatsky,
Volume I, 1861-1879”. The book had 634 pages and was presented as part of the Collected
Writings of H.P. Blavatsky.
I received a copy of it by the end of April 2004 and
saw in its pages many of the worst libels invented against HPB by Vsevolod
Soloviof and others.
In the following months I sent some 38 air mail
letters stating the facts to theosophical students and leaders around the
world.
Among those who answered to the document were Ms.
Radha Burnier, Mr. John Algeo, Ms. Dara Eklund and Ms. Joy Mills. Ms. Radha wrote
that the letters in question were “obviously spurious”. Ms. Dara Eklund’s
position was less clear. Joy Mills and John Algeo avoided admitting the facts. None of them thought it was necessary to do something
to stop the circulation of falsehoods
against the honor and the character of the founder of the movement.
José Ramón Sordo, from Mexico ,
and the Fohat magazine, from Canada
In March 2005, Jerome Wheeler, then editor of “The Aquarian Theosophist”, asked my
permission to publish the text “Defending
the Old lady”.
From then on, both “Fohat” and “The Aquarian”
were in the frontline of HPB’s defense. The two magazines published a number of
articles on this topic, as well as on the future of the theosophical movement
and related issues. “Theosophy” magazine, from Los Angeles
[1], and “Sunrise ”
magazine, from Pasadena
After consulting with us, in June 2005 Jerome Wheeler
and “The Aquarian Theosophist” announced the creation of the “HPB Defense Fund”. Every month the magazine reported on the
Fund’s progress in the pages of “The
Aquarian”. The stated goal was to counteract
the fraudulent volume published
by John Algeo. Canadian magazine Fohat,
edited by the Edmonton Theosophical Society, gave full support to the Fund.
From the United States
A number of donors emerged from around the world, includingIndia Los Angeles
A number of donors emerged from around the world, including
There was bad news by the end of 2006, when Mr. Wheeler left the coordination of the project due to health problems. Some time after that, the money of the Fund was transferred, as requested by Wheeler, to an account controlled by The Theosophy Co.,
For three years, in 2007, 2008 and 2009, a small group of friends exchanged ideas as how to proceed with the work. Among them, Will Windham, the new editor of “The Aquarian Theosophist”, two or three ULT associates in the
In December 2009, after consultations, I felt it was
time that someone took a more practical decision. I announced that from January
2010 I would act, on a voluntary basis, as the editor of the HPB Defense Project.
There was no opposition in the group: by then we were entering the seventh
year since the publication of the libels by John Algeo and the TPH/USA. Portuguese donors, responsible for almost 25%
of the Fund’s donations, had been asking for some time for a public statement
about the future book.
Since the second semester of 2009, I gradually invited more people to the group of those who accompany the effort. It was important to have other students sharing the process, at least as “friendly witnesses”. As a result, in February 2011 the small group included friends fromCanada ,
Brazil , Portugal , USA ,
UK , Mexico and Sweden
The Portuguese-Brazilian ULT Lodge - registered inLos Angeles
In 2011, the Portuguese-Brazilian ULT has three websites with texts in English: www.TheosophyOnline.com, www.Esoteric-Philosophy.com and www.FilosofiaEsoterica.com . The number of their readers is significant and has been growing.
Some 70 to 90 per cent of the future book are published online. The material can be found under sections “Truth and Falsehood in the Theosophical Literature” and “The Letters of Helena P. Blavatsky As Edited by W.Q. Judge”, in our websites. A few texts of the future book are already published in other sections. Several texts are ready but not published. Others still require a considerable amount of research.
Portuguese theosophist José Manuel Anacleto felt in December 2010 that time enough had passed and something should be done to offer the public a paper book with the texts already published. He asked the money of Portuguese donations to be returned, so that the possibility of a small edition in paper could be considered fromLisbon
On February the 2nd, 2011, a formal decision was announced by Portuguese donors to support the present online effort and to use their donations to make a small paper edition. In their message to the “HPB Letters Group”, the Portuguese friends declare that the editorial line of the material already published is in harmony with the policy announced by Jerome Wheeler in 2005. They add that it was for just such a project that the money was donated.
The presence of the 2,400 US dollars in the donors’ bank account inLisbon
Since the second semester of 2009, I gradually invited more people to the group of those who accompany the effort. It was important to have other students sharing the process, at least as “friendly witnesses”. As a result, in February 2011 the small group included friends from
The Portuguese-Brazilian ULT Lodge - registered in
In 2011, the Portuguese-Brazilian ULT has three websites with texts in English: www.TheosophyOnline.com, www.Esoteric-Philosophy.com and www.FilosofiaEsoterica.com . The number of their readers is significant and has been growing.
Some 70 to 90 per cent of the future book are published online. The material can be found under sections “Truth and Falsehood in the Theosophical Literature” and “The Letters of Helena P. Blavatsky As Edited by W.Q. Judge”, in our websites. A few texts of the future book are already published in other sections. Several texts are ready but not published. Others still require a considerable amount of research.
Portuguese theosophist José Manuel Anacleto felt in December 2010 that time enough had passed and something should be done to offer the public a paper book with the texts already published. He asked the money of Portuguese donations to be returned, so that the possibility of a small edition in paper could be considered from
On February the 2nd, 2011, a formal decision was announced by Portuguese donors to support the present online effort and to use their donations to make a small paper edition. In their message to the “HPB Letters Group”, the Portuguese friends declare that the editorial line of the material already published is in harmony with the policy announced by Jerome Wheeler in 2005. They add that it was for just such a project that the money was donated.
The presence of the 2,400 US dollars in the donors’ bank account in
With that money available and the clear support from
Portuguese donors, the editorial effort could then be more clearly focused in
the direction of a book in paper.
The intention is to prepare a small first edition,
probably with numbered copies.
The approximate date is 2013 - perhaps before.
By publishing the present report in February 2011, the
project gets once more in contact with the wider public. In this, we act in strict
accordance with the policy announced and developed by “The Aquarian
Theosophist” in 2005 and 2006. We believe it is likely that in the end - and hopefully
sooner than later - the present editors of “The Aquarian Theosophist” will give full support
to the on-going effort. Regardless of that, the editors of www.Esoteric-Philosophy.com,
www.TheosophyOnline.com and www.FilosofiaEsoterica.com have much more views in common with “The Aquarian” than not.
We are prepared to live diversity in unity. We have
respect and admiration for the work of present editors of “The Aquarian”, with whom we cooperate in a number of issues,
including several of the tasks related to the HPB Letters Project.
True, there has been a difference of viewpoints as to
the question of how best to defend the theosophical movement against the action
of those who commit fraud and circulate slanders while presenting themselves as
theosophists. We are confident that such a difference of
views will disappear with the natural flow of events. While we make progress
towards that point in time, we know that such a difference will continue to be
mutually accepted as a source of lessons on the universal principle of unity
in diversity.
We must take into consideration that not everyone has
the duty to remember these words by H.P. Blavatsky:
“If the ‘false prophets of Theosophy’ are to be left
untouched, the true prophets will be
very soon - as they have already been - confused with the false. It is nigh
time to winnow our corn and cast away the chaff.” [3]
Not everyone has to pay attention to the fact that Mr.
Robert Crosbie wrote:
“It is the duty of esoteric students to unmask error
and hypocrisy; to face lie with truth; not as personal criticisms but as facts
against mis-statements. (…) The custodians of Truth voice it in the face of
lie, ignorance and error (…). Theosophy is in the world for that purpose.” [4]
One thing is not too difficult to see, though. Preserving
respect for the truth about H.P. Blavatsky, especially within theosophical
circles, is not an irrelevant issue for it relates to the very center of the magnetic
aura of the theosophical movement as a whole. It constitutes therefore a
decisive factor as to the future Karma and Dharma of the movement.
March
2011.
While diversity and contrast strengthen the
theosophical movement, by the end of February differences of opinion as to how
to make decisions were rapidly disappearing, as a member of the Board of the
Theosophy Company clarified that the money belonging to the HPB Fund is
available in Los Angeles and can be used for the book to be published in paper.
A message with this clarification was shared March 1st in the “HPB Letters
Group” and at the “E-Theosophy”
Yahoo e-group. The fact makes it easier
to have the volume published by 2013 or before.
Any new developments will be added to the present
report as they occur.
Volunteer workers for the HPB project are
welcome: there are a number of tasks to be done in several fronts - both
present and future.
Commentaries to this Report are welcome any time.
Those who want to make suggestions or take part in the HPB Defense Project
should write to lutbr@terra.com.br .
June 2012.
The world scenario of the theosophical movement changed for the better in
the second semester of 2011. A clear political victory occurred of those
sectors within the Adyar Theosophical
Society which show respect for Helena Blavatsky, and which are of course more
directly linked to the international President, Mrs. Radha Burnier.
It seems the radical party of pseudo-scholar skeptics which circulates
slanders against H.P.B., and which was involved in one way or another in the
attacks against Mrs. Radha Burnier in the 2007-2010 period has been defeated
for the time being. Such an improvement
happened in the United
States
As to HPH Defense Fund, in February 2012 Will Windham, the London, UK, theosophist
who served as the main editor of “The
Aquarian Theosophist” since 2006, invited the editors of www.TheosophyOnline.com
, www.Esoteric-Philosophy.com
and www.FilosofiaEsoterica.com to take over the responsibilities of editing
and publishing the electronic journal. The first edition produced by the new
editors appeared in March 2012. The complete collection of “The Aquarian
Theosophical” can be found at www.TheosophyOnline.com
, and the link to new blog of the publication is www.TheAquarianTheosophist.com
.
From March 2012 on, the editing
of “The Aquarian Theosophist” and the coordination of the HPB Defense Project
and Fund are therefore once more in the same hands. The book or books on HPB
Letters should appear some time between November 2012 and December 2013.
The greater part of financial resources originally
belonging to the HPB Defense Fund, and
raised by “The Aquarian”, are still
in a Los Angeles bank under the care of the Theosophy Company.
“Biosofia” editors work in cooperation with the present coordinators
of the HPB Defense Project and
editors of “The Aquarian Theosophist”.
In June 2012 it finally became clear that
these resources will not be used for the original purpose of publishing a book
in defense of H. P. Blavatsky.
In order to know the exact amount of that
money and its destination, the donors and those interested should write to the Theosophy Company, Los Angeles, whose
e-mail is theosco@sbcglobal.net .
As stated above, the other part of the
resources - some 2,400 U.S. dollars - has been duly returned to its Portuguese
donors. This was done in February 2011 by Theosophy Company, Los Angeles, upon
request of the Portuguese donors, that is, “Biosofia” magazine, Lisbon.
NOTES:
[1] “Theosophy” magazine, November / December 2005, p. 32. The note is
entitled “Questionable Letters and the Blavatsky
Defense Fund”.
[2]
“Sunrise
[3]
“On Pseudo-Theosophy”, an 1889 text included in
“Theosophical Articles”, Helena P. Blavatsky, Theosophy Company, Los Angeles,
1981, volume I, p. 161-175. See p. 163.
[4]
“The Friendly Philosopher”, by Robert Crosbie,
Theosophy Company, Los Angeles
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Always visit www.Esoteric-Philosophy.com , www.TheosophyOnline.com and www.FilosofiaEsoterica.com .
If you want to have
access to a daily study of the original teachings of Theosophy, write to lutbr@terra.com.br and ask for information on the
e-group E-THEOSOPHY.
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