GREAT ARE MAHATMAS.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 2712, 23 January 1892, Page 3 (Supplement)

GREAT ARE MAHATMAS.

THEY CAN DO WONDERFUL THING§, ACCORDING TO MRS. BESANT. V (LONDON CORRESPONDENT OF THE “NEW YORK HERALD.”) Mrs. Annie Besant has created quite a ripple in the English Press by her statement at a meeting of the Secularists on the occasion of her valedictory remarks to that body, with which she has been associated as an earnest worker for so many years. She has been interviewed, columns have been given to her in the papers, and numberless letters have been addressed to the editors commenting ou the position she has taken. What has especially stirred London was her extraordinary statement about the Mahatmas. The mystic communications, which the*© Himalayan worthies were said by Mme. Blavatsky to have sent to her, were believed by a larare portion of the community to have been the work of the Theoaophietic priestess herself. To clear the fame of the departed “H. P.,“ as Mme. Blavatsky is called by the votaries of the Theosophical Lodge, Mrs. Besant, after appealing to the sense of her integrity on the part of her hearers, told the Secularists that she had received letters since Madame Blavatsky’s death from the same Mahatma who used to write to that lady. This clears Madame Blavatsky of the charge of writing these letters ; but the sceptical may still say that somebody else wrote them who was not a Mahatma at all, and with whom the knowing Blavatsky was in collusion. Your correspondent went out to St. John’s Wood to see Mrs. Besant, and obtain, if Eos si bit.', some information about the Maatrua who had taken to writing her letters. Mrs. Besant lives in the same bouse, 19 Avenue road, where Madame Blavatsky did the very prosaic thing of dying. Mre. Besant enteied the room a few moments after my card had been taken up to her, and seating herself, awaited iny question. She was dressed in some simple black material, and wore nothing in the way of jewellery or trimmings to relieve the severe simplicity of her attire. Her faoe is strong and pleasing, and certainly betrays intelligence and force. The thick, wavy hair is brushed straight back from the high forehead, and is almost snowy white. “ Mrs. Besant,” I asked, “will you kindly tell me what is the convincing proof to you that these letters yon have received are not only from a Mahatma, but from the same one who used to communicate with Mme. Blavatsky ?” “ The proof is that I know the person and his handwriting,'* replied Mrs Besant quietly but with conviction. “ These letters are written by the same hand as those which Mme. Blavatsky received. Consequently, as dead people do not write letters, this should relieve her of the imputation of fraud in this respect. That was my object in making the statement.” “ Where does this Mahatma live? ” “In Thibet. I met him in London some years ago.” Mrs. Besant replied. “ Would you allow me to see one of these letters ? ” your correspondent inquired. “ No,” was the prompt reply. “ There is no reason why I should. The letters are private communications to me, and they would not convince one of their authenticity by being seen. This interest of the public in the phenomena of oc cultism is only curiosity. That is not the part of Theosophy which should attract and convince one. It is the ethics and philosophy of the system which ought to appeal to the mind. I have very little desire te bring the phenomena of occultism before the Dublie. In course of time the race will be developed to a point where the exercise of those faculties which have control over the subtler forms of matter and physical agencies which produce these seeming wonders will be common to the majority of mankind. A life of sacrifice is one of the conditions for the development of these powers.” “ What does the Mahatma write to you about ?”

“ Matters wliich concern the guidance and direction of the Theosophical Sooiety and the propagation of the light which it throws upon the meaning and conduct of life.” “ Could a woman be a Mahatma r” was your correspondent’s next question. “ Yes, of course,” returned Mrs. Besant. “ There is more natural disposition and ability in some individuals for arriving at these higher powers. Most persona are not willing to go through the life of self-denial and devotion to the good oi others which is part and a great part of the training. But all they do is done by natural forces. There is nothing miraculous in their deeds.’*

It may be recalled here to the reader that the Mahatmas are men deeply versed in the highest wisdom, and possessed of powers which far transcend those of every-day mortals. Those with whom the Theosophioal Society is in most intimate relation dwell in Thibet and affect the Himalayas. The generality of them must travel incognito because they cannot be recognised at sight. The epistolary Mahatma who used to write to Madame Blavatsky, and who now “ precipitates ” his high-latitude wisdom upon Mrs. Besant, is named Koofc Houmi. The method of the Mahatmas is to “precipitate” the words upon paper at the distance, it may be, of thousands of miles. Such a trifle as space doesn’t enter into a Mahatma’s consideration at all. The letters are written on paper of a peculiar texture, with no water-mark, and the writing fluid is apparently not ink. “ If a Mahatma can pi'ecipitate letters on to a sheet of paper through his action upon the subtle matter and forces of nature, why can he not act on the air so that the person whom he wishes to address can hear him?” your correspondent asked. “ He can,” said Mrs. Besant, quietly. “ Why can he not project his ideas upon the intellectual oonceptuality of the person who would thus receive the Mahatma’s thought so directly r” “ He can,” Mrs. Besant replied again, with the same tranquility. “He avails himself of the means most convenient at the time.”

This was rather startling, as the means vhich the Mahatma usually finds “ most convenient ” is the “ precipitation” of his

thoughts on paper, and the communication frequently arrives like a vulgar mail letter. Whereas if the Himalayan sage has only to shut his eyes, concentrate liis thoughts on Mrs. Besant, and charge her brain with his imparted information by simple volitionising the thinner media of nature for transmitting them thus, one would certainly think nothing could be more convenient. The only difficulty which suggested itself was one which prompted your correspondent’s next question.

“ Does the exercise of this thought transferrence weaken the Mahatma '/** “ You might as well ask me if walking to Regent’s Park weakens me,” was Mrs. Besant’s reply, and she smiled slightly. “ The exercise of any energy taxes one more

or less, does it not ?” “ Can these powers be imparted to another? Can a Mahatma teach one to do

these things r” “ Yea. But, as I told you, the condition to an education in such powers as these is a life of sacrifice and denial such as few persons are willing to submit themselves to. Moreover, the communication of these powers must be made judiciously. Otherwise it would be putting the most dangerous instruments into the hands of people who would do evil with them. You know what hypnotism does; how one agent by his hypnotising power constrains another to do what he wills. The possibilities for evil-doing in such a power are obvious. Now, hypnotism is one of the lowest and least of the exercises of Occultism,” said Mrs. Besant, with a slight disdain. “ Are you a pupil of the Mahatma? And can you exercise any of these powers ?■” “Yes. I have led a life of self-sacrifice for years. I do not claim any merit in it. It makes me happier, and I have been strengthened to it by virtue of different incarnations. It all tends to the ultimate good of tbe individual als», because the general condition of things is constantly ameliorating by virtue of this education to higher things, and iiy suooessive re-incarnations one enjoys . this higher . and nobler character which, 'humanity is slowly taking on.”' ’ *V “ The Mahatma is then the highest eon-

©fete expression of Theosophy, is he not ?” I asked. . “ He is,” Mrs. Besant returned. '“ And you find in Theosophy a solution to life and its mysteries better than that which you found in Christianity ?” your correspondent asked. “I do. I was for yearsa fervent Christian, but I do not think that my critical faculty received any development from its practice and belief. I do not believe in anything spiritual in the sense of something apart from and independent of matter. There are very high and subtle forms of matter which we can call spirit. “ And now I must excuse myself, as I have much to do,” said Mrs. Besant, gracefully rising and extending her hand.