Robert Crosbie and the U.L.T.'s Dzyan Esoteric School
During her life, H.P. Blavatsky's esoteric instructions were given to members of the Esoteric Section of the Theosophical Society by Blavatsky as Outer Head of the E.S. directly representing a Master who was the Inner Head.Each new member took a pledge not to discuss or show the esoteric documents to non-members. See rule 7 on page 2 of the 1888 pledge folder.
Robert Crosbie (who later in life would found the United Lodge of Theosophists as well as a "secret society" called the Dzyan Esoteric School) joined the Esoteric Section during H.P.B's lifetime and he took this pledge.
At H.P.B.'s death, Annie Besant and William Judge became joint Outer Heads of the Esoteric School. In other words, "the full charge and management of the school" was given jointly to Mrs. Besant and Mr. Judge. See the relevant ES documents in Esoteric Papers of Madame Blavatsky, pp. 325-334.
Mrs. Besant and Mr. Judge jointly sent out to all members of the school a new pledge (see p. 326 of Esoteric Papers of Madame Blavatsky for a facsimile of the new pledge form). The 7th rule of that pledge reads in part:
"I pledge myself to preserve inviolable secrecy as regards...all confidential documents...."
Robert Crosbie also took that new pledge.
In Nov. 1894, Mr. Judge declared that Mrs. Besant was no longer joint outer head with him of the esoteric school. See Judge's Order of 1894. See also Mrs. Besant's reply to Mr. Judge's order.
Soon after Judge's death in 1896, Mrs. Katherine Tingley became outer head of Judge's esoteric school. See the relevant 1896 document.
For more information on the close relationship between Mr. Judge and Mrs. Tingley, see William Q. Judge and Katherine A. Tingley: An Analysis of the Controversy Surrounding W.Q. Judge's Diary Entries about "Promise" and the Dead H.P.B. including Material on the Close Relationship between Mr. Judge and Mrs. Tingley by H.N. Stokes.
At this time, Robert Crosbie accepted Mrs. Tingley as the new Outer Head of the esoteric school. See Mr. Crosbie's own testimony as given in several documents.
Once again, Mr. Crosbie took a pledge. His signed pledge reads as follows:
"I . . . recognizing the person called Purple [Mrs. Tingley] as being the agent of the Master I serve . . . do hereby unreservedly pledge myself, by my Higher Self, to unquestioning loyalty, devotion and obedience to her and to her support and defence as such agent, under any and all circumstances and conditions to the extent of my available means, utmost exertion, and with my life if need be. . . .
So Help me my Higher Self.
(Signed) Robert Crosbie
Witness my hand, this 22d day of May,
Eighteen hundred and Ninety-seven."But some seven years later in 1904, Mr. Crosbie's association and membership with both the Point Loma Theosophical Society (San Diego, California) and the esoteric school headed by Mrs. Tingley ended under circumstances not fully understood even to this day.
Mr. Crosbie then moved to Los Angeles. The editors of Theosophy magazine tell us about this period of Mr. Crosbie's life:
"There is also the association of Theosophical students known as the United Lodge of Theosophists [U.L.T.], formed in 1909 in Los Angeles, California, under the inspiration and guidance of Robert Crosbie."
".... He secured work in Los Angeles and gradually began to gather around him a few students—most of them entirely new to Theosophy—to undertake once more the task of promulgating Theosophy in the same form as originally presented by the Founders of the Movement."
"When, in 1909, he had been joined by a small nucleus of persons who shared this ideal, The United Lodge of Theosophists was formed to carry out the purposes in view...." Italics added. Quoted from Theosophical Movement (1875-1950), pp. 316-318.
Also at the same time (1909) within the U.L.T., a separate and "secret society" was organized with the name "Dzyan Esoteric School" [D.E.S.].
The historian Gregory Tillett writes about this "secret society": "The first DES group was established in Los Angeles by Robert Crosbie in November 1909, and extended to San Francisco in 1911, by which time it had only 11 members. By 1923, however, the DES had extended to other major cities in the USA. In 1928, B.P. Wadia (who resigned from the Adyar society in 1922 as a result of the Leadbeater scandals), after seven years work in New York and Washington, established groups in Europe and India, and became the Eastern Agent or Secretary of the DES."
"The DES works through Eastern and Western Divisions, and has both group and corresponding members...."
"The DES teaching documents are, essentially, those of HPB as used by WQJ, with an additional 'Preliminary Memorandum' written by Crosbie, and its own book of rules. The DES issues the Probationer's Pledge, the Preliminary Memorandum, the Book of Rules, and Instructions I to VI, together with Suggestions and Aids I to IX." Quoted from Tillett's posting on Theos-Talk, a Yahoo! Group. See also ULT Mysteries.
See a photofacsimile of the D.E.S. document titled "To Applicants for Admission to the D.E.S." that
clearly shows the connection between the United Lodge of Theosophists and the Dzyan Esoteric School.As already related above, Robert Crosbie had taken the original pledge sent by H.P.Blavatsky not to discuss or reveal the E.S.T.S. instructions and papers to non-members. He reaffirmed that again in 1891 when Judge and Besant took charge of the Esoteric School.
Claims Made
About Robert Crosbie". . . Masters' Messengers to the world, the Transmitters of the Wisdom-Religion. Among These, and in our own time and country: H.P. Blavatsky, William Q. Judge, and Robert Crosbie. . . " Theosophy magazine, November 1929.
"Robert Crosbie preserved unbroken the link of the Second [Esoteric] Section of the Theosophical Movement from the passing of Mr. Judge in 1896, and in 1907 - just eleven years later - made that link once more Four Square amongst men. In the year 1909 the Third Section was restored by the formation of the United Lodge of Theosophists....There is always one Witness on the scene. After the death of Mr. Judge, Robert Crosbie kept the link unbroken." Theosophy magazine, August, 1919.
Yet in 1909 --- years after the death of both Blavatsky and Judge, and after his relationship with Mrs. Tingley and her Esoteric School had ended, --- Mr. Crosbie decided to form a "secret society" called "Dzyan Esoteric School".
He also decided to issue reprints of all of Blavatsky's and Judge's esoteric instructions to people "entirely new to Theosophy."
It is clear that H.P.B. issued the esoteric instructions at the direction of the Masters under an oath of silence and secrecy. But years after the deaths of both H.P.B. and Judge, who gave Robert Crosbie the direction to reissue H.P.B.'s esoteric instructions to new people?
Who gave Mr. Crosbie permission to disregard and ignore his original pledges & offer these same esoteric instructions to new students?
During the first two decades of the twentieth century, did Mr. Crosbie believe he was in contact with Blavatsky, Judge and the Mahatmas and that he had received their permission and blessing both to start the Dzyan Esoteric School and also to reissue H.P.B.'s esoteric instructions? See also Crosbie's comments below.
In other words, did Mr Crosbie believe that he was following in the esoteric footsteps of Blavatsky and Judge?
Robert Crosbie's Public and Critical Comments on the "Pretensions" of Various So-Called Esoteric Sections/Schools and His Veiled Hints about the Existence of a Real Esoteric Section
In 1915 in Theosophy (a public magazine), Robert Crosbie reveals some of his thinking about the claims of the various esoteric sections and their leaders and also gives a number of veiled hints about the existence of a real Esoteric School. The reader should keep in mind that these comments by Crosbie were published some six years after he founded the secret Dzyan Esoteric School:
". . . Those who represented the Masters of the Great Lodge were not casual students attracted to a philosophy, nor mere tyros in occultism, but Initiates-----masquerading in the mortal garments known as H.P. Blavatsky and William Q. Judge. This is a matter of knowledge to living persons today." Theosophy, April 1915. Italics added.
"Today, after a quarter of a century, there are no less than three widely heralded ---and a half dozen lesser known---'outer heads,' 'esoteric sections,' 'visible agents,' and what-not, all issuing 'orders,' 'instructions,' and 'teachings,' professedly emanating from the Masters of H.P.B. and from H.P.B. herself. . . . No Brahmanism, no Catholicism, no Jesuitry, has ever exceeded the arrogance of its pretensions to spiritual authority on the part of its leaders. . . ." Theosophy, July 1915.". . . The various theosophical societies and esoteric sections of the day are in no sense representative of the School of the Masters or the Theosophical Movement. . . The Anciently universal Wisdom- Religion, the School of the Masters and the Theosophical Movement are in unbroken continuity of existence to-day as always. . . .Now, as always, they have their representatives and agents among men, who cannot be found out by any but those who have earned the right to know them. . . ." Theosophy, February 1915. Italics added.
"If, then, the true Theosophical Movement, and the true Chelas of the School of the Masters are not to be found among those who have lost the point of contact with the Masters, while yet loudly proclaiming themselves Initiates and Outer and Inner Heads of this, that, and the other theosophical society and esoteric section, where may they be discerned? . . ." Theosophy, March 1915. Italics added.
". . . The actual name of the School of the Masters [is not] used by any of the so-called esoteric sections of the now numerous Theosophical Societies." Italics added.
"Much of the instructions and communications in connection with the Esoteric Section of the Theosophical Society, and much regarding its history, are necessarily of such a pledged or sacred character that they cannot be made public. But enough is believed to be of public record to make possible a clear tracing of the lines of cause and effect for the benefit of all students, and definite indices for all who may come in touch with the private papers of the Section." Theosophy, March 1915. Italics added.
