The times., 1897-05-30
BLAVATSKY AND THE0S0PHY
To the Editor of The Times:


Mr.. George NJ Coffin, president OF the
Blavatsky Branch Theosophical Society il
America, says in The Times OF today, May
27, that "Tbeosophy has nothing to dc
with spiritualistic phenomena.
For a period of twelve years Nine Bla-
vatsky was a spiritualist. In 1874 she
wrote a letter to A. n. Aksakoff, editor of
the Lcipsig "Psychische Studien," saying
II have now been a spiritist for more than
ten years, and all my life is deeoted t.
the doctrine" But the Katie King eX-
posure gave spiritualisrn a setback and
diminished Blavatsky's resources as
writer for profit. II am ready to sell my
soul for spirftualism," she wrote in 1875,
''but nobody will buy it, and 1 am living
from hand to mouth" A little later she
wrote: "Olcott is organizing the Theo-
sophical Society in New York.
am writing a big book, which l call, by
Joln Kings advice, skeleton Key to
Mysterious Gates" This book, In spite
of Johns advice, appeared in 1877 as
Isis Unveiled" now proved to be
compilation from numerous books with few
creditings-a book without system, a reai
hodge podge. I paid her 81 80 for the two
volumes. / have read them oHce and will
sell them two-thirds off.
From that time she denied that sne was
a spiritualist in the modern and American
senseof the word, but a Buddhist antheist
q quote her letter to myself, dated No
vember 10, 1879 and frequently there
after she denied that she had ever been a
spiritualist. But 1t appears that her
spirit guide, John King (not related to
Katie King, hut a buccaneer who is said
to have lived zoo years ago), was trans
formed into Mahatma Morya, OF Tibet.
still an inhabitant of this earth.
Nine Blavatsky's written confess ion in
1886, addressed to Y S. Soiovyoff, the
Russian novelist, and then a member of
her Theosoplic Society, is rich. / quote
q few sentences:
II have fallen, because 1 have made UP
my mind to fall; or else to bring about q
reaction by telling Gods truth about my
self, but without mercy on my enemies
I viii fly no more. shall
not attempt to defend, to justify myself.
Even if all the filth, all the scandal
and lies against me had been holy truth.
stin 1 should have been no worse than
hundreds of princesses, countesses,
court ladies and royalties, than
Queen Isabella herself, who have giveuthern-
selves, even sold themselves. Co the entire
male sex, from mobiles to coachmen and
walters inclusive What can they say of
me worse than that? If / am lost
I am lost to everyone. will even take to
lies which, for that reason. are the most
likely of all to be believed. 1 win say, and
publish it in all the papers that my master
(Moryal an Ma1atma Koot Hoomi areonly
the products Of my own imagination; that
invented them; that the phenomena were
all more or less spiritUaiistic apparitions:
and shall have twenty million spiritists m
a body at my back / will say that in GER
tain instances I fooled people. I Will ex-
nose dozens Of fools. I shall con-
ceal nothing. 1t VIII be saturnaiia Of
the moral depravity Of mankind, this con-
fession of mine; worthy epilogue of my
stormy life, and il will be treasure for
science as well as for scandal
You may print this letter if you viii" 7"
The reading OF this confession before the
Theosophical Society of Paris broke it up
at once. W II. BURR.