Theos-Talk Archives (March 2002 Message tt00574)

Famous esotericist Rene Guenon in his book about the TS as the 
invention of a pseudo-religion, alleges that HPB and 0lcott were both 
members of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor (HBL), as was George 
Felt, an early TS associate. Steve Stubbs has argued a similar 
position.

K.Paul Johnson in has by now famous book "The Master Revealed, 
writes on p.32 :
C. J. jinarajadasa admits that in 1875 HPB used a seal "symbolic of
the Brotherhood of Luxor" on her notepaper, but denies that this 
Brotherhood was the same as the HBL.
In May 1875, HPB had attempted to form a "Miracle Club" in response
to orders received from Tuitit Bey "to begin telling the public the
truth about the phenomena and their mediums.

During the following summer, 0lcott received a series of letters from 
Serapis, concerning the prospects of partnership with E. Gerry Brown, 
the brief marriage of HPB to Michael Betanelly, and his own status as 
a disciple of the Brotherhood of Luxor. The only doctrinal references 
in these letters arekabbalistic in tone. This tends to support 
Guenon's hypothesis that Felt's interest in the Kabbalah and 
Egyptology was an influence during that summer. By the end of 1875, 
however, Felt had disappeared from the scene after failing to produce 
elementals as he had promised. 

The possible connection of Paolos Metamon to this series of 
developments is suggested in a footnote, in which Guenon reports that 
according to unverified rumors, "Metamon was the father of another 
personage who was for some time at the head of the outer circle of 
the HBL and who, since then, has founded a new organization of a 
rather different character, "It would seem, in light of this 
unconfirmed anecdote, that a change within the HBL took place which 
made it impossible for HPB and 01cott to continue as members. If it 
had initially been led in its outer circle by the man tentatively 
identified as Metamon's son, then taken over by another element, this 
could have led to the expulsion noted bv Guenon. What is undeniable 
on the basis of Rawson's account and HPB's own admission, is that 
Paolos Metamon was her first occult teacher in Egypt, who continued 
to be in contact with her into the 1870s. This makes him the most 
likely original for the Master Serapis, and his so-called son a 
possible Tuitit Bey.(End quote)

One year ago when I was researching, and attempted to write, about 
the Dalip Singh revolt/TS connection that was first brought up in
Paul's TMR, I could not circumvent attempting to research 
the "secret" Lodge activities of Blavatsky and Dayananda in
India (see : 
http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a7502210/dsconspiracy.html )

It is in this context that I also started to look into the "beliefs" 
of these early Theosophists and those around them had, and where 
these beliefs in turn derived from, which led me to the current 
study. The "invented-India" discovery I mentioned some months ago 
And if I stay that long on these lists, I might place a series of 
postings going more in detail regarding this "invented India" 
subject, and after that the "invented Tibet" a series of 
upcoming postings that I am currently laying the foundation for but 
still needs a bit more work.

The last two decades of the eighteenth century as a period of major 
religious innovation. Science and faith were syncretized by the 
mesmerism of for example the Marquis de Puysegur and his followers. A 
non-Christian form of religiosity had become an increasingly 
available option in Europe by the end of the same decade. Since then, 
dozens of successful prophets have explained that their message is 
logical and accords with the latest findings of science; that their 
doctrines are not their own innovations but the fruits of ancient 
tradition; and that they can be experienced in the life of every 
person.

I mentioned the"Crata Repoa", mentioned in my previous posting on the 
subject, of which I studied a copy in the one year ago re-
opened "Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica" in Amsterdam, 
(http://www.ritmanlibrary.nl/) where anybody can look it up.
The "Crata Repoa" (misspelled "Napoa") in Isis of Blavatsky, was the
constitution of the "Afrikanische Bauherren". The book describes the 
seven Grades of Egyptian Initiation in the system of Koeppen as I 
explained earlier.

The Order influenced the esoteric and Egyptian rites of France, rites
which would finally develop into the "Ancient and Primitive Rite of 
Memphis-Misraim". And lodges where also founded in Egypt, which in a 
way is ironic. Blavatsky imported standard motifs of Western 
esotericism into India and speedily arrayed them in local forms, thus 
fashioning an Indicised esotericism.

As the founders of Theosophy imported the purely English, pseudo-
Indian Sat B'hai with as its upper degrees the Royal Order of
Sikha into India the TS imported the "psuedo Egypt" that I have been
referring to into India.
I also showed how the invented Egypt sickered trough to books like 
Evant-Wentz "Tibetan Book of the Death", and that Blavatsky
while she was in India probably had connections to people related to
"Memphis- Misraim" Egyptian Masonry: 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theos-talk/message/5041

But not only within Egyptian Masonry as such , but also within the
Yarker circle in particular, to which first Sotheran and then also
Blavatsky belonged 
(http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a7502210/blavletter.html)
there was a mistaken impression and an "inextricable reverie" that 
existed in relation to the "De Theosophia Aegyptiorum" of Michael 
Maier supposedly having to do with the early Rosicrucians. 

But instead Maier's "Rosicrucian" Leipzig manuscript is an 18th
century myth arising within the Gold- und Rosenkreutz Freemasonic 
order, first "exposed" by "Magister Pianco", then associated via 
Yarker with the tale of Agrippa's secret society. 
De Theosophia Aegyptiorum is in fact a rough draft for Maier's Arcana 
Arcanissima (1614), and therefore dates to Maier's pre-Rosicrucian 
period, there is no other manuscript of Maier's to be found at the 
University of Leipzig


Bri.