Hi all,

I've been reading Annie Besant's book Esoteric Christianity - and am impressed. The beginning is especially good, but even now that I'm halfway and she is starting to become a bit woolly here and there - there are still worthwile thoughts that make the reading worthwile.

I've received some books this year from someone that will remain anonymous - including the above and several biographies of Annie Besant. The one I'm reading right now is: Mrs. Annie Besant: A Modern Prophet, by T. Besterman. A bit old, but insightfull.

Katinka

Katinka,

Thanks for the report. For those who may not know, Esoteric Christianity is online:

http://www.theosophical.ca/EsotericChristianity.htm

The book on Besant is by a disillusioned theosophist and here and there it is rather spiteful of both Besant and Blavatsky. The author seems to waver between admiration of Besant's many achievements and her hard work, and bewilderment at the things she got up to when she lead the Theosophical Society Adyar.

Since I doubt I would have stood for some of the things Besant did, I can sympathise with his view, though my overal judgement would be a bit kinder: weighing the good and the bad - I'd still say that history will remember her kindly in the end. As a feminist before the word was coined, a socialist, and a fighter for education in India and later on self-rule - she did more in one life than most in several.

Her mistakes were correspondingly huge. I'm mixed on her letting Leadbeater back in the TS. On the one hand I wonder whether Krishnamurti would have found his way as a spiritual teacher if she hadn't (would he even have lived?), on the other - the arguments for letting Leadbeater back in were flimsy at best and she lost some of her best workers in this controversy (for instance: G.R.S. Mead and van Manen). In fact - if she had not let him back in the whole overhyped atmosphere that developed in later years (around Krishnamurti and the Maitreya) would have been avoided if Leadbeater hadn't been let in. She might have found her feet on solid ground, instead of having her head in the air too much.

Katinka,

I like to divide Besant's legacy into two areas -- her work as President and her writings. I enjoy her books very much, and I consider them to be a great addition to the field of Theosophy. I hope people will not let her track record as President keep them away from reading her books.