Theos-Talk Archives (July 1996 Message tl00436)

The purity obsession among certain Theosophists represents a
rebirth of a perennial pattern in religious behavior.
According to several contemporary scholars on Jesus, a large
part of his message was the repudiation of a "purity ethos" in
favor of a "compassion ethos."  Thus statements like "it's not
what goes into your mouth that defiles you, but what comes
out," "was man made for the sabbath or the sabbath for man",
and "don't pray like the Pharisees who thank God they are not
like other people." (Paraphrases.)

There is a karmic relationship between HPB's anti-sexual
remarks and CWL's behavior, IMO.  (STOP READING HERE, ANYONE
WHO CAN'T STAND REFERENCES TO WHAT HE DID.)  When Annie Besant
was presented with evidence that he molested boys (not just
advised them to masturbate), one of her responses was to dismiss
it by saying "sex is impossible for initiates."  Meaning that she had
a syllogism that went like this:
HPB says to reach a high level of spiritual attainment you have
to be celibate.
CWL is my link to the Masters and a fellow initiate.
Therefore, CWL could not possibly have done these things.

If Theosophy were not so puritanical to start with, so
rejecting of the flesh, then perhaps the shadow of
sexuality denied and projected ("it was those boys who were
lustful and needed help overcoming it!") would not have darkened
the movement for so long.

The Cayce literature is much more about integration and balance
of spirit, mind and body, and much less about the "higher self"
stamping out the "lower" because never the twain shall meet.
When we get into the Voice, we'll have opportunities to talk
about that.