Theosophical Society,
THE
LIFE OF
H P Blavatsky
Below
is a letter from the Countess Wachtmeister, summing up the general impressions
of her long visit to Mme. Blavatsky at Würzburg in 1886
“ DEAR MR SINNETT,—
Last
autumn, having left
climate,
and hearing that Madame Blavatsky was suffering, ill and lonely at
her
position more comfortable, and to cheer her in her solitude. My acquaintance
with H. P. Blavatsky was a very slight one. I had met her casually in
”Having
heard the absurd rumors circulating against her, and by which she was
accused
of practicing black magic, fraud and deception, I was on my guard, and
went
to her in a calm and tranquil frame of mind, determined to accept nothing
of
an occult character and coming from her without sufficient proof; to make
myself
positive, to keep my eyes open, and to be just and true in my conclusions.
Common sense would not permit me to believe in her guilt without
proof,
but if that proof had been furnished, my sense of honor would have made
it
impossible for me to remain in a society, the founder of which committed
cheating
and trickery, therefore my frame of mind was bent on investigation,
and
I was anxious to find out the truth.
"
I have now spent a few months with Madame Blavatsky. I have shared her room, and
been with her morning,
wrote,
and I now openly and honestly declare that I am ashamed of myself for
having
ever suspected her, for I believe her to be an honest and true woman,
faithful
to death to her Masters and to the cause for which she has sacrificed
position,
fortune, and health. There is no doubt in my mind that she made
these
sacrifices, for I have seen the proofs of them, some of which consisted
of
documents whose genuineness is above all suspicion.
”
From a worldly point of view Madame Blavatsky is an unhappy woman,
slandered,
doubted, and abused by many; but looked at from a higher point of
view,
she has extraordinary gifts, and no amount of vilification can deprive
her
of the privileges which she enjoys, and which consist in a knowledge of
many
things that are known only to a few mortals, and in a personal
intercourse
with certain Eastern adepts.
”
On account of the extensive knowledge which she possesses and which extends far
into the invisible part of nature, it is very much to be regretted that
all
her troubles and trials prevent her giving to the world a great deal of
information
which she would be willing to impart if she were permitted to
remain
undisturbed and in peace. Even the great work in which she is now
engaged,
The Secret Doctrine, has been greatly impeded by all the persecutions,
offensive letters, and other petty annoyances to which she has been subjected
this winter; for it should be remembered that H. P. Blavatsky is not herself a
full-grown adept, nor does she claim to be one; and that, therefore, in spite
of all her knowledge, she is as painfully sensitive to insult and suspicion as
any lady of refinement in her position could be expected to be.
“The
Secret Doctrine will be indeed a great and grand work. I have had the
privilege
of watching its progress, of reading the manuscripts, and of witnessing the
occult way in which she derived her information. I have latterly heard among
people who style themselves 'Theosophists', expressions which surprised and
pained me. Some such persons said that ' if it were proven that the Mahatmas
did not exist, it would not matter,' that theosophy was nevertheless a truth,
etc., etc. Such and similar statements have come into circulation in Germany,
England, and America; but to my understanding they are very erroneous, for, in
the first place, if there were no Mahatmas or Adepts — that is to say, persons
who have progressed so far in the scale of human evolution, as to be able to
unite their personality with the sixth principle of the universe (the universal
Christ), then the teachings of that system which has been called ' Theosophy,'
would be false; because there would be a break in the scale of progression,
which would be more difficult to be accounted for than the absence of the '
missing link' of Darwin. But if these persons refer merely to those Adepts who
are said to have been active in the foundation of the ' Theosophical Society,'
they seem to forget that without these Adepts we would never have had that
society, nor would Isis Unveiled, the Esoteric Buddhism, the Light on the Path,
the Theosophist, and other valuable theosophical publications ever have been
written ; and if in the future we should shut ourselves out from the influence
of the Mahatmas and be left entirely to our own resources, we should soon
become lost in a labyrinth of metaphysical speculation. It must be left to
science and
speculative
philosophy to confine themselves to theories and to the obtaining
of
such information as is contained in books. Theosophy goes farther, and
acquires
knowledge by direct interior perception. The study of theosophy
means,
therefore, practical development, and to attain this development a
guide
is necessary who knows that which he teaches, and who must have attained himself
that state by the process of spiritual regeneration.
“After
all that has been said in these ' Memoirs' about the occult phenomena
taking
place in the presence of Madame Blavatsky, and how such phenomena have been a
part and parcel of her life, occurring at all times both with and
without
her knowledge, I need only add that during my stay with her, I have
frequently
witnessed such genuine phenomena. Here, as in every other department of life,
the main point is to learn to discriminate properly and to
estimate
everything at its true value. —
Yours sincerely,
“ CONSTANCE WACHTMEISTER, F.T.S.”
Theosophical Society,