Masonic, Occult and Esoteric Online Library
The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett - 1923
By A. T. Barker
Letter No LXIV
Received London, Summer, 1884.
Entirely private except for Mohini and F.A.
Good friend, —
This is not an answer to your last. The letter to my addresssent by you through Mohini was never written by yourself.Verily it was penned by one, at that time, entirely under the in- fluence of a creature of Atta V^da—
" The sin of self, who in the Universe As in a mirror sees her fond face shewn "
—and only hers ; whose every word he then implicitly trusted ; per-haps, (this is to a certain extent a justification) because there cameno half expected interference, no word of warning from our quarters. Thus—no response to it, for we rather turn a new page. Ah, how long shall the mysteries of chelaship overpower andlead astray from the path of truth the wise and perspicacious, asmuch as the foolish and the credulous ! How few of the manypilgrims who have to start without chart or compass on thatshoreless Ocean of Occultism reach the wished for land. Believeme, faithful friend, that nothing short of full confidence in us, in our good motives if not in our wisdom, in our foresight, if notomniscience—which is not to be found on this earth—can help oneto cross over from one's land of dream and fiction to our Truthland, the region of stern reality and fact. Otherwise the oceanwill prove shoreless indeed ; its weaves will carry one no longer onwaters of hope, but will turn every ripple into doubt andsuspicion ; and bitter shall they prove to him who starts on thatdismal, tossing sea of the unknown, with a prejudiced mind !
Nevertheless, feel not too much perplexed. The hour of trial is half over; try rather to understand the " whys and whatfors "of the situation, to study more seriously the laws that govern our" Occult World." I grant you, those law^s do seem very oftenunjust, even, at times cruel. But this is due to the fact that theywere never meant either for the immediate redress of wrongs, orthe direct help of those who offer at random their allegiance tothe legislators. Still, the seemingly real, the evanescent andquick-passing evils they bring about are as necessary to the growth, progress and final establishment of your small Th. Society as those certain cataclysms in nature, which often deci- mate whole populations, are necessary to mankind. An earth- quake may, for all the world knows, be a bliss and a tidal wave prove salvation to the many at the expense of the few. The •' fittest " were seen to survive in the destruction of every old race and made to merge into, and assimilate with the new, for nature is older than Darwin. Say rather, then, to yourself " whatever happened there can be no cause for regret " ; for it is not so much that new facts should be revealed to the '* inner group " as that old puzzles and mysteries should have been ex- plained and made clear to it's few entirely staunch members. Even an innocent quotation mark fallen from under my pencil and by you objected to, would have had a world of meaning for one less beclouded than you were in writing your last letter—based entirely on the crafty insinuations of your would-be sybil. It was absolutely necessary that within the personal experience of those few staunch members (yourself included) the secret working of Karma should take place ; that its deeper meaning should be practically illustrated (as also its effects)—on those self-opinionated volunteers and candidates for chelaship who will rush under the dark shadow of her wheels.
As against the above some will say—how then about her great clairvoyance, her chelaship, her selection among the many by the Masters ?
Her clairvoyance is a fact, her selection and chelaship another. However, well fitted psychically and physiologically to answer such selection, unless possessed of spiritual, as well as of physical unselfishness a chela whether selected or not, must perish, as a chela in the long run. Self-personality, vanity and conceit har- boured in the higher principles are enormously more dangerous than the same defect inherent only in the lower physical nature of man. They are the breakers against which the cause of chelaship, in its probationary stage, is sure to be dashed to pieces unless the would-be disciple carries with him the white shield of perfect confidence and trust in those he would seek out through mount and vale to guide him safely toward the light of Knowledge. The world moves an lives under the shadow of the deadly upas-tree of evil ; yet its dripping is dangerous to, and can reach only those whose higher and middle natures are as much susceptible of infection as their lower one. Its venomous seed can germinate but in a willing, well-prepared soil. Bring to your memory the cases of Fern, Moorad Ali and Bishamlal, good friend, and remember what you have learnt. The mass of human sin and frailty is distributed throughout the life of man who is content to remain an average mortal. It is gathered in and centred, so to say, within one period of the Hfe of a chela—theperiod of probation. That, which is generally accumulating tofind its legitimate issue only in the next rebirth of an ordinaryman, is quickened and fanned into existence in the chela—especially in the presumptuous and selfish candidate who rushes inwithout having calculated his forces.
" One who dug so many and deep pit-falls for her friends andbrothers fell into them herself"—said M. to H.P.B. on the nightof the mutual revelations. I tried to, but could not save her. Shehad entered, or rather I should say—forced herself into thedangerous path with a double purpose in view :
To upset the whole structure in which she had no part, andthus obstruct the path to all others, if she did not find the systemand Society at the level of her expectations ; and
To remain true and work out her chelaship and naturalgifts, that are considerable indeed, only if those expectations wereall answered. It is the intensity of that resolution that first attracted my attention. Led on gradually and gently into theright direction the acquisition of such an individuality would havebeen invaluable. But there are persons, who, without ever having any external sign of selfishness, are intensely selfish in theirinner spiritual aspirations. These will follow the path oncechosen by them with their eyes closed to the interest of all butthemselves, and see nothing outside the narrow pathway filled with their own personality. They are so intensely absorbed in thecontemplation of their own supposed ** righteousness that nothingcan ever appear right to them outside the focus of their own visiondistorted by their self-complacent contemplation, and their judgment of the right and wrong. Alas, such an one is our new,mutual friend L.C.H. ** The right in thee is base, the wrongacurse," was said by our Lord Buddha for such as she; for rightand wrong ** cheat such as love themselves," and the others onlyin proportion to the benefits derived—though these benefits bepurely spiritual. Aroused some 18 months ago to spasmodic,hysterical curiosity by the perusal of your Occult World and lateron by that of Esoteric Buddhism to enthusiastic envy, she deter-mined to ** find out the truth " as she expressed it. She wouldeither become a chela herself—first and foremost, to write hooks,thus eclipsing her ** lay " rival or upset the whole imposture inwhich she had no concern. She decided to go to Europe andseek you out. Her surexcited fancy putting a mask on everystray spook, created the " Student " and made him serve her purpose and desire. She believed in it sincerely. At this junctureforeseeing the new danger I interfered. Darb : Nath wasdespatched and made to impress her thrice in my name. Herthoughts were for a certain period guided, her clairvoyance made to serve a purpose. Had her sincere aspirations conquered the intense personality of her lower self I would have given the T.S. an excellent help and worker. The poor woman is naturally good and moral ; but that very purity is of so narrow a kind, of so Presbyterian a character, if I may use the word, as to be unable to see itself reflected in any other but her own Self. She alone is good and pure. All others must and shall be suspected. One great boon was offered her—her wayward spirit would allow her to accept of none that was not shaped in accordance with her own model.
And now she will receive a letter from me which will contain my ultimatum and conditions. She will not accept them, but will complain bitterly to several among you, suggesting new hints and insinuations against one whom she professes to adore. Prepare. A plank of salvation is offered to her but there is very little hope that she will accept it. However, I will try once more ; but I have no right to influence her either way. If you will accept my advice, abstain from any serious correspondence with her until some fresh developments. Try to save ** Man " by looking it over with Mohini, and by erasing from it the alleged inspirations and dictation by ** Student." Having had also ** an object and a purpose " in view, I had to leave her under her self-delusion that this new book was written with the view of ** correcting the mistakes" of Esoteric Buddhism (—of killing it—^was the true thought) ; and it was only on the eve of her departure that Upasika was ordered to see that Mohini should carefully expunge from it all the objectionable passages. During her stay in England Mrs. H. would have never permitted you to see her book before the final publication. But I would save five months labour of Mohini and will not permit it to remain unpublished.
Much as remains unexplained, the little you may have gathered from this letter may serve its purpose. It will start your thoughts in a new direction and will have unveiled another corner in the domain of psychological Isis.
If you would learn and acquire Occult Knowledge, you have, my friend, to remember that such tuition opens in the stream of chelaship many an unforeseen channel to whose current even a lay chela must perforce yield, or else strand upon the shoals ; and knowing this to abstain for-ever judging on mere appearance. The ice is broken once more. Profit by it if you may.
K. H.
