[Statement by
Constance Wachtmeister]
[First published in The Occult Word (Rochester, New York),
July 1886; reprinted in Incidents in the Life of Madame Blavatsky
compiled and edited by A.P. Sinnett, 1886, pp. 317-320.]
Dear Mr. Sinnett, --- Last autumn, having left Sweden to spend the winter in a more
congenial climate, and hearing that Madame Blavatsky was suffering, ill and lonely at
Wurzburg, I offered to spend some time with her, and do what I could to render 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 London and Paris, but
had no real knowledge or experience in regard to herself or her character. I had
been told a great deal against her, and I can honestly say that I was prejudiced in her
disfavour, and it was only a sense of duty and gratitude (such as all true students of
theosophy should feel towards the founder of a society, which, notwithstanding all its
drawbacks, has been of great benefit and service to numbers of individuals), which caused
me to take upon myself the task of alleviating her troubles and sorrows to the best of my
ability.
Having heard the absurd rumors circulating against her, and by which she was accused of
practising 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 honour 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, noon, and night. I have had access to all her boxes and
drawers, have read the letters which she received and those which she 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 were 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 so 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.