Theosophy and Spiritism
By J. O. Corliss
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THEOSOPHY AND SPIRITISM.
[This is article thirteen of the series.] TO those who are not familiar with the word "theosophy," it may appear quite formidable. The literal meaning of the word is "God wisdom," and has been adopted by a class of people who propose to gain intercourse with God through psychical processes, rather than by the means provided in the Bible. By some extraordinary illumination, direct insight into the processes of the divine mind is claimed, so that one is able to reveal how to connect these with humanity, and when having thus gained the essential element of divinity, to claim to be divinity itself. Without going further into the detail of theosophical tenets, we might justly express doubt as to the correctness of its positions; for at the very outset is presented that ill-starred doctrine of God's enemy in Eden, "Ye shall be as God," which, by the course then recommended to attain to the desired position, innocent victims were robbed of primeval virtue, and so separated from Jehovah. There also appears that defect in the doctrine which is fatal to every religious theory possessing it,—a studied disregard of the already revealed Christ, by whom alone an atonement for sin is possible. In these two counts Theosophy runs on parallel lines with Spiritism, which is one evidence of their common origin and family descent. Only in their later history do they reveal separate interests. As shown in former papers, Spiritism had its origin in Satan's first falsehood, by which man was turned to be God's enemy, and continued with the race for many centuries as a characteristic feature of heathenism. Its first appearance among civilized people in a way to court investigation was a mysterious power, making itself understood through a code of peculiar noises, which was afterward superseded by written and oral messages, purporting to come from the spirit land. Theosophy, under other names, has for many hundreds of years been the chief religion of India and the East, with a late computed following of nearly 500,000,000 devotees. Under the new name of Theosophy, an attempt was made to adapt these Oriental speculations to the demands of modern agnosticism, and so gather in a class not specially drawn toward other phases of religious thought. Its introduction into Christian communities was largely through a Russian woman, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Coming to America from the East in 1874, she fell in with two men in New York, who were willing to aid in founding her society in this country. One of these was a journalist, known as Col. H. S. Olcott, who was made president of the society. The other was William Q. Judge, who was made vice-president. For certain reasons the society moved its headquarters to India in 1878, where the atmosphere was more congenial to the mystic performances of Madam Blavatsky. There, after the style of early Spiritistic manifestations, the madam displayed her occult powers before interested drawing-room audiences. Showers of roses fluttered from the ceiling; invisible bells tinkled from unknown quarters; and bewildering sentences were precipitated upon blank paper. Many were drawn into the new society through these and other doubtful proceedings, and the notoriety of them, through English residents in India, soon reached the home land. The time seeming auspicious, Madam Blavatsky, accompanied by Colonel Olcott and a Brahman graduate of the university of Calcutta, named Mohini L. Chatterji, appeared in London, in 1884. Suddenly Theosophy became fashionable in the great metropolis of England. Society people called themselves "Esoteric Buddhists," that is, specially initiated Buddhists, or those holding positions and views not intelligible to the common follower. Some were soon enrolled as chelæ, or claws of the society, to aid in its propagation. Enthusiasm ran high, and even reached to some extent the circle of Trinity students. Among others who became enamored with the revelations of Theosophy was Mrs. Annie Besant, formerly an atheistic lecturer, who rose to such prominence as a speaker and writer, in behalf of the oriental religion, that upon the death of Madam Blavatsky, in the early part of 1891, she claimed the first place in the society as the successor of Madam Blavatsky. This claim precipitated a furious quarrel between her and Colonel Olcott, who had been with the society nearly from the first. In the charges and counter-charges made by the two factions, many very interesting things were revealed, which tended to show much of the Satanic-human side of the system, the rehearsal of which would not fill the design of these papers. The avowed objects of Theosophy are three in number: (1) "To form the nucleus of a universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color; (2) to promote the study of Aryan and other Eastern literatures, religions, philosophies, and sciences, and demonstrate the importance of that study; (3) To investigate unexplained laws of nature, and the psychical powers latent in man." A cursory glance at these stated objects shows them to be but graded degrees of the same order, namely, that of uniting the world to believe in the theory that in the soul of man dwells the latent power to become God, through various physical organisms, which it may be permitted to inhabit. In other words, the object of the society is to teach that heathen doctrine of the soul's growth in righteousness through its transmigration from one body to another. It needs no argument to show this. If a universal brotherhood is to be established to study Eastern or heathen literature, which is but the unfolding of its religions and philosophies, it follows that, according to the law of constant association, the continual beholding will change the observer into the image of what he sees. This would be to adopt the heathen idea of man's nature, and to receive its teaching regarding the change of the soul's residence, at the death of the body. These doctrines have been persistently propagated on the strength of what has been said to be revealed by the mahatmas, or masters, through Madam Blavatsky, and afterwards through Mrs. Besant. As to how these mahatmas, the secret spirit agents of Buddhism, reveal their communications to humans, must be told by an avowed believer in the system. In an interview printed in the Pall Mall Gazette of September 1, 1891, the question was asked Mrs. Besant:— "These letters are from mahatmas whose pupil you are?" Mrs. Besant nodded assent. "Did they just come through the post?" was asked. "No, I did not receive them through the post," the lady replied. "They came in what some would call a miraculous fashion, tho to us Theosophists it is perfectly natural. The letters I receive from mahatmas are precipitated." "How are they precipitated?" "Well," she said, "you can hear voices by means of the telephone, and receive a telegram which is actually written by the needle, not merely indicated by its ticks. The mahatmas go a step further. With their great knowledge of natural laws, they are able to communicate with us without using any apparatus at all." "But can you give me any details of the precipitation?" "No, the mahatmas only communicate with pupils who will not unwisely divulge anything. You can easily imagine the reason why this knowledge should be kept secret. Were it possessed by a criminal, it might be put to dreadful purposes." Here is the whole thing in a few words: This modern phase of Buddhism is controlled by master spirits, who reveal things to a favored few, that might be used by bad people with which to do "dreadful" things! This at least shows the origin of the communications; for were they from a righteous source, nothing but righteous things would be communicated to any one, and none of these would be withheld from any because of any wrong use that could be made of them. The fact is, it is a system gotten up by the arch-enemy of God by which the Bible and its plan of salvation may be ignored, and men may be led, in blind prejudice, to believe that they themselves are God. Some of the detail of theory by which this is made to appear plausible, will be presented in a following paper.
J. O. CORLISS.
[The next and last article of this series is "The Fundamental Principles of Theosophy."]