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The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett - 1923
By A. T. Barker
Letter No XLVII
Received Allahabad, 3rd March, 1882.
Reply to my remonstrance (through Damodar) against treatment of Europe,
Well say I am an ignoramus in your English ways, and I'll say you are one in our Tibetan customs and we will split the difference and shake our astral hands over Bamaway and square the discussion. The old woman .'^ Of course she will be frantic—but who cares? It's kept from her however secret. No use making her more miserable than what she is.
Cook is a pump of filth, with perpetually working pistons and the sooner he screws them up—the better for him. Your last letter to me is less a ** petition " than a protest, my respected Sahib. It's voice is that of the war sankh of my Rajput ancestors, rather than the cooing of a friend. And I like it all the more I promise you. It has the right ring of honest frankness. So let us talk—for sharp as your voice may be, your heart is warm and you end by saying ** Whether you decree that what seems to me right be done or not " you are ever ours faithfully etc. Europe is a large place but the world is bigger yet. The sun of Theosophy must shine for all, not for a part. There is more of this move- ment than you have yet had an inkling of, and the work of the T.S. is linked in with similar work that is secretly going on in all parts of the world. Even in the T.S. there is a division, managed by a Greek Brother about which not a person in the Society has a suspicion excepting the Old Woman and Olcott; and even he only knows it is preparing, and occasionally executes an order I send him in connection with it. The cycle I spoke of refers to the whole movement. Europe will not be overlooked, never fear ; but perhaps you even may not anticipate how the light will be shed there. Ask your Seraph—K.H. to let you have details thereof. You speak of Massey and Crookes : do you not recollect that Massey was offered 4 years ago, the chance to head the English movement and—declined? In his place was set up that old grim idol of the Jewish Sinai—Wild, who with his Christian rant and fanatical rot shut us out of the movement altogether. Our Chohan forbade us absolutely to take any part in it. Massey has to thank but himself for it, and you may tell him so. You ought to have learned by this time our ways. We advise—and never order. But we do influence individuals. Ransack the Spiritualistic literature if you will till the year i8yy. Search and find in it—if you can, one single word about occult philosophy, or esotericism or anything of that element now so largely infused in the spiritual movement. Ask and enquire whether the very word of *' occultism " was not so completely unknown in America, that we find Cora of the 7 husbands, the Zappan woman and talkingmedium inspired in her lectures to say that the word was one justcoined by the Theosophists—then dawning—; that no one everheard of elementary spirits and " astral " light—save thepetroleum manufacturers and so on and on. Well ascertain thisand compare. This was the first war cry, and the battle keptraging hot and fierce to the very day of the departure for India.To say and point out to Edison and Crookes and Massey—^wouldsound much like boasting of that which can never be proven. AndCrookes—has he not brought science within our hail in his'* radiant matter" discovery? What but occult research wasitthat led him first to that. You know K.H. and me—buss ! knowyou anything of the whole Brotherhood and its ramifications?The Old Woman is accused of untruthfulness, inaccuracy in herstatements. ** Ask no questions and you will receive no lies."She is forbidden to say what she knows. You may cut hertopieces and she will not tell. Nay—she is ordered in cases of needto mislead people; and, were she more of a natural born liar—she might be happier and won her day long since by this time.But that's just where the shoe pinches, Sahib. She is too truthful,too outspoken, too incapable of dissimulation: and now sheisbeing daily crucified for it. Try not to be hasty, respected Sir.The world was not made in a day ; nor has the tail of the yakdeveloped in one year. Let evolution take its course naturally—lest we make it deviate and produce monsters by presumingtoguide it. Massey talks of coming to India—does he not? Andsupposing that after coming here and doing what is right andspending the needed time for disciplinary training he shouldbesent back with a message? And supposing that CrookesandEdison and others have other things to discover? So I say" Wait." Who knows what may be the situation in November?You might think it such as to justify us in carrying out our** threat " to ** lock the door," while it may seem very differentto us. Let us all do our best. There are cycles of 7, 11, 21, y/,107, 700, 11,000, 21,000 etc. ; so many cycles will make a majorand so on. Bide your time the record book is well kept. Only,look out sharp : the Dugpas and the Gelupkas are not fighting butin Tibet alone, see their vile work in England amongthe"Occultists and seers ^'t Hear—^your acquaintance Wallacepreaching like a true ** Hierophant " of the " left hand " the marriage of ** soul with the spirit" and getting the true definitiontopsy-turvy seek to prove that every practicing Hierophant mustat least be spiritually married—if for some reasons he cannotdoso physically there being otherwise a great danger of Adulterationof God and Devil ! I tell you the Shammars are there alreadyand their pernicious work is everywhere in our way. Donot regard this as metaphorical but as a real fact, which may be demonstrated to you some day.
Its quite useless to say anything more about Olcott's eccentiicity and the inferiority of America to England; all that is real in your point we recognise and knew long ago ; but you do not know how much that is mere superficial prejudice glares in your eyes like the reflection of a thin taper on deep water. Take care lest we should some day take you at your thought and put you in Olcott's place, after taking him to our own, as he has longed to have us do these several years. Martyrdom is pleasant to look at and criticise, but harder to suffer. There never was a woman more unjustly abused than H.B. See the infamous insulting letters she was sent from England for publication against herself and us and the Society. You may find them undignified perhaps. But the ** Answers to Correspondents " in Supplement are written by myself. So do not blame her. I'm anxious to know your frank opinion on them. Perchance you might think she might have done herself better.
M
