Antti Savinainen – Finland
Henry Steel Olcott
Introduction
It is generally thought among theosophists that the Masters of Wisdom, Morya (Master M.) and Koot Hoomi (Master K.H.), inspired the founding of the Theosophical Society and the subsequent Theosophical movement. To people outside Theosophy, talking about the Masters seems to be a figment of the imagination or even a hoax. Why do we think that there is such a thing as a Master? There are at least three reasons. First, the existence of Masters is not based on the testimony of one individual. In the early years of Theosophy, many people dealt with the Masters through written correspondence, and some of them met them physically and supra-physically. Secondly, the existence of historical Masters – such as Buddha, Zoroaster, and Jesus Christ – in the world is rarely disputed. There have, therefore, been exceptional individuals who have been founders of religions (or central figures of religions, if one considers that it was the followers who founded the religions) and who have represented a higher humanity. Third, if the spirit of a human being evolves from one incarnation to another, it is perfectly logical to think that some individuals are more advanced than others. Thus, theosophists have good reasons to believe in the existence of Masters. In short, Masters are real people who have overcome the shackles of selfishness and live eternal lives. Moreover, they are helpers and servants of humanity.
The purpose of my presentation is to explore, without forgetting criticisms, Henry Steel Olcott’s (1832–1907) relationship with the Masters of the Theosophical movement. Olcott was, among other things, the first President of the Theosophical Society. Of course, Madame H. P. Blavatsky, “the direct agent” of the Masters, would be paramount in this regard, but this article concentrates on Olcott.
Olcott’s Path to Theosophy
Olcott was a colonel in the US Army, a journalist, and a lawyer before the founding of the Theosophical Society (Murphet, 1972). During the American Civil War, he was asked to investigate allegations of fraud and corruption within the military. The task was difficult, but Olcott carried it out successfully, completely ignoring the severe threats that the perpetrators made. A strong desire for honesty and truth guided his actions. The government noted his uncompromising integrity: Olcott was asked to assist in the investigation into President Lincoln’s assassination.
Olcott's life took a new direction in 1874 when he became interested in the spiritualist movement and its claims of communicating with the dead. Olcott decided to find out more. His research convinced Olcott that at least some of the spiritualist phenomena were genuine. However, Olcott was not satisfied because he had not found answers to the deep questions of life. His interest in spiritualism brought him together with Madame Blavatsky.
Madame Blavatsky revealed to Olcott that there was a Brotherhood of Adepts. She also told Olcott that she was a lay chela of that Brotherhood. This made Olcott long to become a disciple of the Adepts himself. Olcott had the right motive: to discover the truth to help ignorant humanity better. So, in 1875, he received a letter from Tuitit Bey of the Brotherhood of Luxor Section in his New York law office (Murphet, 1972, pp. 46-47). The letter began with the words “Brother Neophyte.” Olcott's wish had been granted. Later that year, the Theosophical Society was founded.
Contact with the Masters
For years, Olcott kept a diary in which he recorded the events of his life. From the diaries and other statements Olcott made, it is clear that Olcott met many times with the Masters, both physically and supra-physically, that is, in astral form (see https://blavatskyarchives.com/olcottandmahatmas.htm). He also received letters and telegrams from the Masters. The following is an excerpt from Olcott’s diary describing his encounter with Master M. during the time Madame Blavatsky (H. P. B.) was writing Isis Unveiled in New York https://blavatskyarchives.com/olcott1881a.htm:
One evening, at New York, after bidding H. P. B. good night, I sat in my bed-room, finishing a cigar and thinking. Suddenly there stood my Chohan beside me. The door had made no noise in opening, if it had been opened, but at any rate there he was. He sat down and conversed with me in subdued tones for some time, and as he seemed in an excellent humour towards me, I asked him a favour. I said I wanted some tangible proof that he had actually been there, and that I had not been seeing a mere illusion or maya conjured up by H. P. B. He laughed, unwound the embroidered Indian cotton fehta he wore on his head, flung it to me, and --- was gone. That cloth I still possess, and it bears in one corner the initials ( ___ ) of my Chohan in thread-work.
This at least was no hallucination, and so of several other instances I might relate.
The Last Encounters
Olcott worked intensively as president of the Theosophical Society until almost the end. His last months were spent in bed. Olcott was not frightened by his impending death but wondered who would succeed him so the work could continue. Annie Besant (1847– 1933) was an obvious candidate, but Besant was already head of the Esoteric Section, and Olcott doubted that combining internal and external work would be too demanding. So Olcott appealed strongly to the Masters to resolve the matter. The Masters responded to the call: according to Olcott's diary, Master M. and Master K.H. came to him astrally. Also present were Marie Russak and a nurse looking after Olcott's welfare (Besant had told Olcott that the Masters had sent Russak to help him).) Both said they had seen the Masters and heard the conversation, which Russak wrote down (Murphet, 1972, pp. 305-306):
Question: What is your Divine Will in reference to my successor – whom shall I appoint?
Answer: (Master M.): Annie Besant.
Question: She is so much in Esoteric work, will not that prevent her from fulfilling properly the duties of President?
Answer: We will overshadow her...
Question: Shall I appoint her with or without the conditions that I had in mind this P.M.?
Answer: Conditions unwise, nothing binding.
After that, the conversation continued with Olcott and briefly with Russak. Olcott acted on the instructions, and Besant became the next President of the Theosophical Society (of course, the vote required by the rules was held, but Besant was the only candidate).
The astral meeting with the Masters was not the last. A short time later, the Masters reappeared, again in the presence of Russak and the nurse and again with Russak taking notes of the meeting. Olcott suspected that the occult research of Besant and C. W. Leadbeater (1854-1934) was delusional. The Masters assured him nothing of the sort had happened but that Besant and Leadbeater were working “on the higher plains under the Masters' instructions” (Murphet, 1972, 307). Olcott was also concerned about a public scandal related to Leadbeater’s instructions of sex education to young boys, which forced Leadbeater to resign from the Society for some time. The Masters said they disagreed with Leadbeater’s teachings of sex education but that Leadbeater was wronged because the matter had been made public. The Masters asked Olcott to write a letter of apology to Leadbeater and an explanation to all members that the Masters were still behind the Theosophical Society and that they had worked through Besant and Leadbeater just as they had believed. Olcott dictated both letters to Russak as instructed by the Masters. While reflecting on the end of the letter, Olcott had another epiphany, resulting in Morya dictating the final paragraph, which ends with the words to all members of the Society: “Trust in us.” The article appeared in the February 1907 issue of The Theosophist under the title A Recent Conversation with the Mahatmas https://www.cwlworld.info/A_recent_Conversation_with_the_Mahatmas.pdf .
Olcott died shortly after dictating the letters, and according to Besant, Olcott was received into the invisible world by the three Masters and Madame Blavatsky. Leadbeater returned to the Theosophical Society after Olcott's passing.
Critical Remarks
Rudolf Steiner
I find Olcott's encounters with the Masters generally authentic, but the revelations on Olcott's deathbed seem peculiar. Is it the case that the last astral encounters with the Masters were no longer genuine? This is what some members of the Theosophical Society suspected from the beginning. For instance, Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), General Secretary of the German Theosophical Society from 1902 to 1912, stated that the appeal to the Masters concerning the succession question was a dangerous confusion of esoteric and external matters (Steiner, 2010, p. 262).
I have two main reasons for doubting the authenticity of Olcott’s last encounters with the Masters. The first is that the Masters interfered in the governance of the Society by effectively appointing Besant as President (by this criticism, I do not mean at all that Annie Besant would not have been a suitable President). This seemed to contradict the free choice of the members of the Theosophical Society. If the Masters endorsed one candidate, it must have been hard to see any other options, assuming one accepted that the communication from the Masters was genuine.
The second point of note is assuring that Leadbeater’s occult work was guided by the Masters, which apparently should guarantee, at least to a large extent, the accuracy of his occult communications. Quite soon after Leadbeater's return, intensive work began on the new revelation of the World Teacher, which, according to Leadbeater's and Besant's teachings, marked the second coming of Christ. Subsequent events in connection with the World Teacher and Krishnamurti clearly show, in my opinion, that the information regarding the coming of the World Teacher Leadbeater claimed to have received from the Masters was incorrect.
Reflection
I have a tremendous appreciation for Olcott and his theosophical work. Nevertheless, I have also raised critical viewpoints. By this, I have only tried to follow the Theosophical motto: “There is no religion higher than truth.” This also applies to teachings presented in theosophical circles.
Pekka Ervast
Pekka Ervast (1875–1934), a pioneer in the Finnish Theosophical movement, brings up an interesting point of view in his presentation, The Quest for the Master (in Ervast, 2011, not translated into English). According to Ervast, Masters look at humanity and notice when someone's soul has been set on fire, i.e., when a person has become a serious seeker of truth. In this case, the Master's gaze is directed towards that individual, and from that moment on, the person has a Master, even if they know nothing about it. The fire of the spirit that has flamed in the individual's soul tells the Masters to which circle the awakened person belongs and who their Master is. It may take several lifetimes before the seeker of truth meets their master. Before that happens, the destiny of such an individual will lead to some esoteric school and people who carry a sign of a Master, so to speak, and are trying to advance in the life of the spirit towards initiation into the Great White Brotherhood.
The founding of the Theosophical Society was a unique attempt in human history to bring the teachings of spiritual knowledge into the public domain. Previously, esoteric knowledge had been the closely guarded property of secret societies. In the early days of the Theosophical movement, the Masters contacted people in the Theosophical Society who were not yet ready to become disciples. It seems that since then, things have changed. However, we don't have to worry about finding a Master; instead, the Master will find us in due course. All we have to worry about is living and working according to the high ideals of Theosophy. Service to humanity begins with our daily lives. Perhaps one day, we will be considered worthy of greater knowledge and may meet our own Master.
Sources
Ervast, Pekka (2011). Eksoteerinen ja esoteerinen teosofia (Exoteric and Esoteric Theosophy, not available in English). Vilppula, Finland: Ihmisyyden tunnustajat.
Murphet, Howard (1972). Hammer on the Mountain. The Life of Henry Steel Olcott (1932-1907). Wheaton Ill., USA: The Theosophical Publishing House. Available on the internet at https://archive.org/details/hammeronmountain0000murp/mode/2up.
Steiner, Rudolf (2010) From the History and Contents of the First Section of the Esoteric School. Letters, Documents, and Lectures: 1904-1914. New York, USA: SteinerBooks.