Theos-Talk Archives (February 2002 Message tt00028)

Adelasie: However, Steve did say,

HPB did in fact use botanical substances, as she
> > > said herself, and her masters did as well, as she
> > > says.

Brigitte: We did have a previous discussion on this list on this 
subject, in fact there is a relation with the drugs to astral 
projection in the early TS and mirror gasing. In fact Steve wrote:

There is plenty of reason to believe (1) Blavatsky
used mirror gazing to develop her clairvoyance, and
(2) was at least familiar with Randolph's manual of
mirror gazing entitled SEERSHIP, whether he was her
original teacher or not.

Consider the following quote from THE TRANSACTIONS OF
THE BLAVATSKY LODGE:

"If the Astral Light is collected in a cup or metal
vessel hy will;power, and the eyes fixed on
some point in it with a strong will to see, a waking
vision or 'dream' is the result, if the person is at
all sensitive. The reflections in the Astral Light are
seen better with closed eyes, and, in sleep, still
more distinctly. From a lucid state, vision becomes
translucid; from normal organic consciousness it rises
to a transcendental state of consciousness."

This is clearly a reference to mirror gazing, using a
metal surface instead of a glass mirror. Now consider
the following from mahatma letter #127:

"The methods used for developing lucidity in our
chelas may be easily used by you. Every temple has a
dark room, the north wall of which is entirely covered
with a sheet of mixed metal, chiefly copper, very
highly polished, with a surface capable of reflecting
in it things, as well as a mirror. The chela sits on
an insulated stool, a three-legged bench placed in a
flat-bottomed vessel of thick glass, - the lama
operator likewise, the two forming with the mirror
wall a triangle. A magnet with the North Pole up is
suspended over the crown of the chela's head without
touching it. The operator having started the thing
going leaves the chela alone gazing on the wall, and
after the third time is no longer required."

Here again we have a clear reference to mirror gazing,
again using a metal surface for a mirror. The
experiment indicates considerable western influence. 
We now know that this setup did not in fact exist in
"every temple" in Tibet. The idea of using a mirror
of mixed metals comes from Paracelsus, as Hartmann
showed. The magnet also indicates a western
influence.

Now notice the statement that mirror gazing techniques
constitute "the methods used for developing lucidity
in our chelas." That is pretty explicit. That is a
category in which Blavatsky would have included
herself. Notice also the statement that "the chela
sits on an insulated stool, a three legged
bench placed in a flat bottomed vessel of thick
glass." That idea, that the seer should sit in a
chair electrically insulated from the ground using
glass, comes from Randolph's book SEERSHIP.

Now consider this piece of doggerel, from mahatma
letter # 19:

"No curtain hides the spheres Elysian,
Nor these poor shells of half transparent dust;
For all that blinds the spirit's vision
Is pride and hate and lust." (Not for publication)

That is given unattributed and appears unattributed in
Randolph's book as well.
Brigitte: Blavatsky definetly believed she "needed" the mirror 
because that 
is the way her teacher tought it to her and indications are that is 
where the drugs among others where used for.
Below find the story posted by
Daniel Caldwell, edited by Steve so as to show only those
portions which indicate that herbs were involved in
the experience:

"We took cigars. ... I was stupefied. ... They sat
there and quietly smoked their cigars. ... I just sat
and looked at them in a sort of stupid daze. They
seemed to enjoy my surprise. ... Then the elder man
took out of his pocket a painted lacquered case. ...
The box exhaled a strong spicy aromatic odor much like
sandal wood but still not just that. Whatever I
wished to see, he said I need simply think of. ...
When I seemed to be growing inquisitive, some power
prevented my seeing anything. ... I stood transfixed
looking from one to another in dumb amazement. ...
Madam said, ... 'What's the matter? You must be
crazy.' ... Madam said they had been with her for more
than an hour. ... In a half hour from the time the two
men left, there was not a drop of moisture in the room
nor a shade of dampness to indicate that there had
been a shower."

In this quote we see evidence of herbs burning, herbs
contained within a lacquered case which was held to
Olcott's nose, visual hallucinations, tactile
hallucinations (the room was wet), profuse sweating,
time distortion, loss of consciousness, cognitive
impairment, and stupefaction. Can any reasonable
person read this story and believe that there were no
botanical products involved in this wonder? 
Especially interesting is that these drugs are the
means of "the production of flowers as the adepts do
it." That clearly indicates that they used these
substances to produce visual hallucinations and
presumably insights.
As for the Hartmann letter, the mahatma letters
frankly admit most (but not necessarily all) of them
were delivered in a normal manner and palmed off on
people. Blavatsky frankly admitted most (but not all)
of them were written, not by the men whose signatures
they bear, but by "amanuensis chelas", i.e., herself
and Damodar. If there is a paranormal aspect to most
of them it is therefore her belief that she was
inspired with their thoughts or did automatic writing
or whatever. That said, it does not seem to me to be
good historical technique to insist that the Hartmann
letter was materialized. A letter could only be
assumed to have been materialized if someone who is
credible (not Leadbeater, in other words) actually
witnessed the process. Hodgson quoted an account by
Olcott of this.

One thing is for sure: figuring where the baloney ends
and the truth begins is an excellent exercise in
developing critical reasoning ability which serves one
well in assessing other issues in other areas of
life.

Steve