A Note By a Co-Editor
of “The Aquarian Theosophist”
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Radha Burnier (1923-2013), Pedro R. M. de Oliveira and Geoffrey A.
Farthing (1909-2004). Respect for human beings is a basic tenet in esoteric philosophy.
Farthing (1909-2004). Respect for human beings is a basic tenet in esoteric philosophy.
Since 2004, Geoffrey Farthing’s name has been widely used as if Farthing had written a letter on 25 May 2004 to an “unidentified person” defending John Algeo’s publication of slanders against H.P. Blavatsky, in the book “The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky -1” (TPH-USA).
I have kept silent so far about that. Being a friend of Farthing’s, I did not want to openly discuss his positions on the issue during the first years of his post-mortem cycle -; especially so since this was a polemical event which started precisely during the last few weeks before his death.
But time enough has passed by now. As to the alleged commentaries made by Geoffrey A. Farthing in defence of Eleanor Sidgwick’s, Vsevolod Solovyof’s and John Algeo’s circulation of slanders against HPB, it must be said:
1) Farthing never published a word of commentary on Algeo’s volume.
2) No complete letter from Farthing to anyone, on the topic, was published so far.
3) One quotation from an unknown letter, written or dictated by Farthing and reportedly dated 25 May 2004 – five days before his death – has been published.
4) Ms. Erica Lauber, a trusted friend of Farthing’s, wrote to me on June 2nd-3rd, 2004, giving me the news of Geoffrey Farthing’s sudden death on May 30th. Erica’s letter included a quotation from Farthing’s letter of 25 May, which Farthing had authorized her – on 29th May – to quote to me.
5) Farthing’s position, in this unknown letter to an unnamed person, is naive indeed. However, it was written (perhaps by himself) only five days before his death on May 30th, 2004. Its available contents must therefore be seen with extreme caution.
6) An important point is that by then, May 2004, we had but started making initial consultations about the fake volume prepared by Mr. Algeo. Geoffrey Farthing left the scene before he could see even 10 per cent of the evidences later gathered and published on the inauthenticity of the Algeo-Solovyof letters. Farthing could not read, for instance, Radha Burnier’s letter to me saying she had nothing to do with the publication of that volume containing “obviously spurious” texts (her own words).
7) In order to have some credit, those who have been using Farthing’s name since 2004 should fully document what they say and publish a complete facsimile of his unseen letter to an unknown person. Readers deserve the truth.
(Facsimiles of Erica Lauber’s letter to me are available to researchers. Requests can be sent to “The Aquarian”.)
8) So far, it seems the only well-known quotation from the letter apparently written by Farthing five days before his death is included in Pedro R. M. de Oliveira’s review of Algeo’s volume, published in “Theosophy in Australia”, November 2005 edition. Although the 2005 review by Pedro is favourable to Algeo, Pedro since then has had the opportunity to know more about the methods followed by Dr. John Algeo when Ethics is concerned. The slanders against HPB are not an isolated fact. Pedro Oliveira himself wrote and published a revealing article, now entitled “The 2007-2008 Events in Adyar”, which includes his open letter to Algeo. It can be easily found in our associated websites. An experienced theosophist, Mr. Oliveira was International Secretary of the Adyar Society in the 1990s. His frank and well-documented testimony examines John Algeo’s defeat in his attempted coup d’etat against Radha Burnier, in 2007-2008. His electoral fraud was based on false rumours regarding Radha Burnier’s health.
Karma takes its time, but Truth and Justice prevail.
It is not fair or correct to use Geoffrey Farthing’s name in an undocumented way, as if he had defended the circulation of slanders against H. P. Blavatsky, or had done that after having access to enough evidence, or while in good health.
Respect for human beings is a basic tenet in theosophy.
Brazil, 8th May 2013.
Carlos Cardoso Aveline,
Co-editor of
The Aquarian Theosophist
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On the volume with fake letters edited by John Algeo as if they were true, see in our associated websites the article “Defending the Old Lady”.
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In September 2016, after a careful analysis of the state of the esoteric movement worldwide, a group of students decided to form the Independent Lodge of Theosophists, whose priorities include the building of a better future in the different dimensions of life.
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