H.P.B. Suggests W. Q. Judge Will Replace
Her After “The Secret Doctrine” is Published
 
 
Helena P. Blavatsky
 
 
HPB&WQJ_Com Mold.
 
H.P.B. and William Judge
 
 
 
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Editorial Note:
 
The following letter from H. P. Blavatsky
to W. Q. Judge is dated 3 November, 1886.
We reproduce it from “Theosophical History”
magazine, volume V, Number  3, July 1994, pp. 86-88.
We thank the magazine for publishing this document.
 
Underlined words are thus in the original. Sometimes,
they are underlined with a double line in the  transcription
made by Mr. Michael Gomes. We don’t take that into
consideration. Words in square brackets, followed by question
marks,  are attempts by the transcriber to understand the original.
 
In this letter H.P.B. suggests she might die soon after the
publication of “The Secret Doctrine”, and W.Q. Judge could
replace her worldwide or take her place in North America. She says:
 
 “Well, Sir & my only friend the crisis is nearing. I am
ending my S.D. & you are going to replace me or take my place in
America. I know you will have success if you do not lose heart; but
do, do remain true to the Masters & their theosophy & the names.”
 
That means that in November 1886 H. P. Blavatsky had already
a glimpse or two of the movement’s future after her departure. In
obtaining such a broad view of things she had help from Masters. In
this regard see for instance the letter from H.P.B. to Patience Sinnett
dated 23 July 1885, in “Letters from HPB to A. P. Sinnett”, T.U.P.,
Letter XLV, pp. 104-106. Another hint or evidence can be found in
her famous “Bird’s Eye View” paragraph, which is part of a letter to
Judge dated August 12, 1887. It has been reproduced in a number of
places, including “The Friendly Philosopher”, by Robert Crosbie
(Theosophy Co., Los Angeles, 1946, 415 pp.), at pp. 108 and 389.
 
We add a few explanatory notes to the text of the present letter.
 
(Carlos Cardoso Aveline)
 
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private
& confidential
 
                                                                                                 Ostende Nov. 3,  86
 
My dear Judge,
 
Yours received – and Mr. Harte’s [1] papers read all carefully & with attention. What can I say? Only that I am with you heart and soul but I am not at one with Arthur [2] who acts as no worst enemy could with regard to Olcott. That H.S.O. [3]  is a d- – – -d fool, with the best intentions is known; that he bows before Science & titles – is also true, otherwise he would not be the Yankee he is, but that he is the best & the most reliable of friends & faithful to his word to the backbone – is equally true. Once he sees his stupid mistake he will be all right again, that’s sure. I sent him the papers with a letter that will make him [sneeze?] & curse me. Well, I don’t care. I know he is going against Masters’ wish in more than one thing; & yet imagines he is following Their wish but he mistakes the voice of his own flapdoodle Self – for Master’s voice. But he is honest & he never backbites. What he has to say he tells a man right to his face.
 
Please assure Arthur that he may be very wise in the eyes of his generation, but that nevertheless he is damned mistaken when he writes to his mother that the “O.L.”[4] was fooled by Coues. The O.L. was not. She never answered C.’s letters but once for twenty of his letters & she never wrote to him one line ever since the last letter written from Elberfeld. I did not tell right to his face that he humbugged & bamboozled – simply because I did not want to make an enemy; & secondly – because he [is] really a psychic and a crazy man in the bargain who will become a raving madman one of these days if he does not drop certain practices I know of. But the charge of his being with the Jesuits is foolish. He may be a Jesuit himself but he would never have made himself such a transparently idiotic fool if he were really under the advice of Jesuits. It’s all Arthur’s fancies.
 
One thing Judge, private & confidential. Try to save the best little woman that ever lived: Mrs. Emily Bates [5] of Philadelphia. She does not know him as we do; she pities him & has almost consented to marry him who feigns love only for her wealth. She stopped with me for over a month – she is fully devoted to me & the Society. But if he gets hold of her – she is lost. Once she knows who & what he really is she will not sacrifice herself. But now without loving him she imagines him a hero, a martyr & with womanly flapdoodle generosity has taken it into her head to save him from himself!! I saw the letters he wrote to her immediately after his divorce.[6]  Do a theosophical work Judge & try to save her. He is a blackguard in more than one way.
 
Well, there’s an answer to the “Cables Brown” manifesto.[7] If you will not, or cannot publish it in “Path” please send it to Adyar. I felt bound to say what I thought of W.T. Brown of Glascow. The fool changes ideas & Masters like match boxes – & tho’ I do not name him he & others will recognize Mr. W.T. Brown in the portrait, too kind, too generous & too good for him. But he is a fool & I pity him.
 
Well, Sir & my only friend the crisis is nearing. I am ending my S.D. & you are going to replace me or take my place in America.[8] I know you will have success if you do not lose heart; but do, do remain true to the Masters & their theosophy & the names.  If you do not like my article send it back.
 
Thank Mr. Harte for his kind letters. I swear I have no time to answer. I hardly find two minutes to answer you & Olcott. Funny things in preparation. May They help you and allow us to give you our best blessings.
 
I am offered any amount of money – an income, board, lodging, all free to come to America & work without you i.e. against.
 
Of course I sent them to hell.  I rather lose the whole American lot to the last man Arthur included than you. Perhaps soon now, you will know why,
 
Yours ever
H.P. Blavatsky
 
NOTES:
 
[1] Richard Harte.
 
[2] Arthur Gebhard.
 
[3] Henry S. Olcott.
 
[4] “O.L.” – “Old Lady”, that is, H. P. Blavatsky.
 
[5] At this point the transcriber Michael Gomes says in a note:  “Mary Emily Bates (1835–1906), recently widowed in March 1886. At the suggestion of Coues, she was elected to the American Board of Control at the annual meeting of July 4, 1886. She married Elliott Coues in Oct. 1887.”
 
[6] A note by the transcriber says: “Coues obtained his divorce from Jeannie Augusta Coues July 27, 1886.”
 
[7] A note by the transcriber explains: “A joint article titled “The Theosophical Mahatmas” from Mrs. Josephine Cables, editor of the Rochester Occult Word, and W.T. Brown, recently of the Adyar headquarters, had appeared in the Oct.-Nov. issue of Mrs. Cables’ magazine. It criticized the non-responsiveness of the Mahatmas to the members. Mme. Blavatsky’s stinging reply was published in Judge’s Path for Dec. 1886.”
 
[8] S.D. – “The Secret Doctrine”.  In this sentence H.P.B. suggests that once she finishes the S.D. she may die and William Judge will “take her place” either worldwide or in North America. Indeed she died a few years after the publication of “The Secret Doctrine” and he might have replaced her in her international work, but could only “take her place” from North America instead.   Indeed, W.Q. Judge’s work in the USA was the basis for the preservation of the original teachings of H. P. B. during the cycle of pseudo-theosophy. The same passage in H.P.B.’s letter suggests that Judge would have to face significant challenges in “replacing” H.P.B., and so he did. The present letter includes these significant sentences: “Funny things in preparation. May They help you and allow us to give you our best blessings.”  It is also worthwhile to meditate upon the implications of the two final sentences in the letter.  
 
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On the role of the esoteric movement in the ethical awakening of mankind during the 21st century, see the book “The Fire and Light of Theosophical Literature”, by Carlos Cardoso Aveline.  
 
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Published in 2013 by The Aquarian Theosophist, the volume has 255 pages and can be obtained through Amazon Books.
 
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