London 14th Sept [1888]
My dear Mr. Bridge
I owe you many thanks for you thoughtful kindness, in
sending me for perusal copies of the correspondence between yourself & Mr. Judge. I
hope that at this late day no special assurance from me is needed that I do not even dream
of setting up as a female "Pope", or the representation of dogmatic teaching.
The whole spirit of the Eastern philosophy castigates[?] that idea. In the society are
many strong personal friends of mine whose zeal is sometimes provocative of
misunderstanding. Among these, my friend Mr. Judge is my most indulgent & enthusiastic
supporter. But even he, as you can perceive from his letter, had no intention of
paralyzing me; though his original circular seems to have been partly open to such a
reading. In reality, it was not the Executive power that was spoken of; but what was in
view, was connected with occult teaching & the necessary relation between
pupils & teacher.
The facts are these!
For the past 12 years I have been imparting, &
transmitting esoteric teachings without enacting any pledge or imposing conditions to
several more or less known individuals among others a few Hindus. Since the
explosion of the infamous Hodgson & Coulomb conspiracy against me some of my ex-pupils
ill-grounded in the theosophical spirit, have, for various reasons deserted me, after
posing for chelas. The latter attitude they would not abandon, however. Hence since that
time, they have been giving out travestied versions of the esoteric philosophy,
composed of one part of truths, & three parts misconceptions & conceit. Thus great
confusion, & contradictory statements have been made in print, all of which have been
pitched back upon my unfortunate head. Not only that, but with the idea of making
themselves more important they have pretended that my occult knowledge had faded away
during my illness; that even[?] Masters have turned away from me to them,
& that I was now the prey of Elementals & half-fledged chelas! Many, however, wish
me to continue my instructions. But I am not willing to do so, save under restrictions
shown by experience to be necessary. I am determined not to permit any longer the Master's
names to be desecrated & dragged in the mire of idiotic criticism.
Now the "Blavatsky Lodge" of the T.S. was the
outgrowth of this idea being composed of a few dozens of such friends, as are willing to
enter with, & follow me in a spirit of candid loyalty on the path of true Occultism.
The Idea was (& is) to have my Thursday expositions reduced to writing, &
copies sent out to all the sympathetic Branches & theosophists, as also questions
asked & answered throughout the theosophical world. I have not the slightest desire
for executive authority. I hate "red tape" & parliamentarism, & my ways
are not those of Coln. Olcott. Yet, we have ever been acting together on these two planes
he in the executive exoteric work, I in the philosophical & esoteric
field. There is not the least quarrel between us. He is now stopping in the house with me
& we are the same devoted old friends & co-workers as we ever were. He came from
Adyar to settle all kinds of theosophical rows here, preeminently the Paris revolution in
the "Isis Lodge", three men out of which are against my right to
interfere & the rest are for me. Now, I did have, as an ex-officio
member of the Executive Council at Adyar, the right to issue an emergent temporary
order in the present scandalous row in the Paris Lodge, & my action was ratified
by the President Founder & the Executive Council, in India. Now H.S. Olcott having
arrived with full powers, the matter rests with him. But the fact that the three French
members have in the meanwhile issued bulletins & blaguereded me & the Masters
("les pretendus Maitres," they called them therein) & sent the
Bulletins to every Branch they could think of remains and I will have no
more of this. Again, as I do not meddle save such emergencies in Coln.
Olcott's executive affairs, so he never interferes in my special department of Occult
teaching, & he is at one with me. Et, voilą tout!
Coln. Olcott is here also to organize a British Section of
the T.S. including all the British Branches; & I am organizing with his help to form a
special centre an adjunct to the IInd Section of accepted Chelas (such as the
Presid. Founder, Mr. Judge & a few others) of exclusively occult students, willing to
accept, not as dogmas but as a basis for self-evolution the teachings of which I am
the channel & which I cannot impart except to pledged members; for I cannot
give them out in the "Secret Doctrine."
You know yourself that in such a Society as ours there
will be a large percentage disinclined to special mystical study & interested
primarily in the exoteric aspects of the movement, together with a smaller number whose
sole aspirations are for mystical knowledge & the Occult life. It is those who are
invited, & what Mr. Judge had in view. No one is forced into this, nor do I care were
even all of you to decline.
You are at liberty to make any use of this letter you
choose.
Coln. H.S. Olcott joins me in friendly greetings to you,
& I, remain,
Very fraternally yours
H.P. Blavatsky
Go to Letter 13
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Blavatsky-Judge Letters