ENTER THE MAHATMA.
“Answer the question I’ve put you so oft.... Give us a colloquy,
something to quote. Make the world prick up its ear!”—MASTER HUGUES,
of Saxegotha.
“Thus has a Master spoken, and ... the word of a guardian of the
Esoteric Philosophy is authoritative.”—“_Introduction to
Theosophy_,” by ANNIE BESANT.
Madame Blavatsky died May 8, 1891. Who was to succeed her as hierophant
of the mysteries of Tibet? There was none among her disciples who could
aspire to fill that _rôle_ with anything resembling the hierophantine
proportions of Madame herself. But Mrs. Besant, whose conversion had
been much advertised to the public, was undoubtedly more fitted to pass
muster as a prophetess than any of the others.
The brief and late character of her acquaintance with Madame was rather
in her favour than otherwise, since it had left undisturbed in her
ardent mind a loftier conception of Madame’s ethical character than had
been affected for some time past by some who had known her longer. Mrs.
Besant was even understood to be in some sense designate for the
succession.
Officially, however, she was subordinate to Colonel Olcott, the
president, then in India, and to Mr. William Q. Judge, vice-president,
and head of the faithful in America.
It soon appeared that the latter gentleman, at any rate, did not mean
his claims to Theosophical prominence to be ignored.
In reply to the announcement of “H.P.B.’s” death (Theosophists are wont
to refer to their foundress, as the ancient Hebrews to the Deity, under
the guise of initials) Mr. Judge promptly cabled to
“_Do nothing till I come._”
Avenue-road was at first inclined to resent this ukase.
But Mr. Judge soon put a new face on matters when he arrived. That was a
time of sore searchings of heart. With “H.P.B.’s” death the society’s
one link with its unseen guides was broken, and “Masters” had let a
fortnight elapse without giving any sign that they survived the decease
of their high-priestess. William Q. Judge was to change all that.
[Sidenote: =THE “CABINET” MISSIVE.=]
On the evening of May 23 (he lost no time after his arrival), Mr. Judge
suggested to Mrs. Besant that as they were in sore need of some
assurance from Masters, they should repeat an old recipe of Madame
Blavatsky’s for bringing those august beings to a point. He proposed
that they should write a certain question on paper, put it in an
envelope, shut that into a certain cabinet in “H.P.B.’s” room at
Avenue-road, and invite the Masters to “precipitate” replies.
Mrs. Besant agreed. Mr. Judge himself wrote the question and closed the
envelope, and put it into the cabinet.
Mrs. Besant did not stay in the room through the process of incubation.
For “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear,” the Theosophic scripture
reads, “He that hath eyes to see, let him put his Head in a Bag.”
After due delay, Mr. Judge took the letter out again. On his showing it
to Mrs. Besant, judge of that lady’s emotion at the discovery that at
the end of the question stood the word
“YES”
traced apparently in red chalk; also, a little lower down, the words
“AND HOPE,”
with the impression, in black carbon, of a peculiar seal, representing a
cryptograph M. (A simple way to produce this appearance is to hold a
seal in candle-smoke and impress with that.)
[Illustration] [Illustration]
THE “MAHATMA’S SEAL.” IMPRESSION SHOWING CRYPTOGRAPH.
What need of further witness that the thing was the result of psychic
“precipitation” from Madame Blavatsky’s “Mahatma M,” away in Tibet? If
that gentleman had not, in his communications to Madame, been observed
to use a seal, still he certainly used to scribble them in the same sort
of red chalk, and he certainly used to sign himself similarly M.
Note one point here. It was not Mahatma M, but Mahatma K.H., who used to
be the more prolix correspondent in Madame Blavatsky’s time, and whose
handwriting appeared accordingly in copious specimens and comparisons
with her own, in the published Report of the Psychical Research
Committee.
No specimens were there given of the writing which Madame called Mahatma
M’s: there were but a few scraps of it available.
When, therefore, Mr. William Q. Judge conjured a letter from _him_ (I
use “conjure” in its old-fashioned sense, of course), it was not
possible for Mrs. Besant to compare it with any published specimens of
the same script (with private specimens I fancy she had never been
favoured), even if the extremely scanty and hurried nature of the
message, and the temper of Mrs. Besant’s mind had not in themselves
forbidden any such partial measure of verification.
It is true that a few months later Mrs. Besant felt able to affirm with
the utmost confidence (as we have seen) that the handwriting was “the
same as that which Madame Blavatsky was accused of producing,” and this
at first sight appears to refer to the “K.H.” script, which afforded the
gravamen of Mr. Hodgson’s Report. In that case what Mrs. Besant asserted
was that the writing was the same as that which was not even supposed to
be by the same person.
* * * * *
Next morning, there was a meeting of the “Inner Group,” at which Mr.
William Q. Judge at once took up that position of Senior Chela to which
his services as postman of the Mahatmas so well entitled him. There is
some oath or other of equality with fellow-members and of obedience to
its head which members of this Esoteric Section have to take: Mr. Judge
pointed out that it was quite unnecessary for _him_ to take this oath.
[Sidenote: =THE “NOTE THE SEAL” MISSIVE.=]
To which end he produced not only a letter from Madame Blavatsky, but
one from Mahatma M, which he had personally received in America, he
said. Its contents he did not feel able to communicate to others who
could not yet aspire to be on corresponding terms with the Great Unseen:
what he did show was the signature and seal impression (which exactly
resembled that “precipitated” in the cabinet overnight). He specially
begged those present to take note of the seal; “for,” said Mr. Judge,
“they might have need to recognise it on some future occasion.”
With eager eyes they all obeyed; each aspiring young _chela_ fluttered
with the hope (for Mrs. Besant had noised the cabinet business about,
and it seemed to rain missives) that he too might soon be blest with
one.
Mr. Judge is a man of some foresight. But that was _not_ precisely what
he had in his mind when he bade them note the seal.
* * * * *
Three days after this (May 27) there was a meeting of the Esoteric
Section Council, to decide how the section should in future be governed,
its head being gone.
It had been expected that Mrs. Besant, having assumed the _rôle_ of
Teacher and Expounder in succession to her friend, would succeed her
also as official head of the Esoteric Section Council. But William Q.
Judge had drafted a plan under which the Council was to dissolve, and
its powers be delegated to Mrs. Besant _and himself_ as joint “Outer
Heads”—the Inner Heads being, of course, Mr. Judge’s august
correspondents in the Himalayas.
[Sidenote: =THE “JUDGE’S PLAN IS RIGHT” MISSIVE.=]
Mrs. Besant, it seems, was more than content, in view of Mr. Judge’s
newly-developed occult powers, with a position of “high collateral
glory.” But it was hardly to be expected that the scheme should not be
exposed to some discussion and criticism from other members of the
Council. At any rate, the Mahatma evidently deemed the occasion to be a
_dignus vindice nodus_. For what happened?
As Mrs. Besant, who took the chair and expounded the new scheme, was
turning over her papers on the table, there fluttered out a little slip
of paper, at which she just glanced, and was about to put it by, when
William Q. Judge pointedly asked her what it was?
The slip of paper bore the words in red pencil—
“JUDGE’S PLAN IS RIGHT.”
Signature and seal as before.
Tableau!
Round it went from hand to hand. None questioned that paper and script
alike had just been “precipitated” into their midst by “the Master.”
Thanks to Mr. Judge’s foresight, as we have just seen, all were in a
position to recognise the seal.
Under these circumstances discussion was obviously out of place. William
Q. Judge at once went and took his seat at Mrs. Besant’s side, and
“Judge’s plan” was unanimously adopted!
* * * * *
It will hardly be believed, but it is, nevertheless, a fact, which I
challenge Mrs. Besant to contradict, that when that lady, on a public
platform, pledged the evidence of her senses, her sanity, and her
reasoning faculties, &c., &c., to having received messages from the
Mahatmas—messages which, as she assured the subsequent interviewer, came
“not through the post” but by “precipitation” “in a way which some
people would call miraculous”—these two documents, produced as has been
described, and only these, were all the _pièces justificatives_ that she
had to go upon.
But the vice-president’s Mahatma had only made a beginning. There was
more, much more, to come. It will be my privilege to present the reader,
in succeeding Chapters, with facsimiles of several of his more
interesting compositions.