Hi everybody!
I am looking for a passage, I think it is in Old Diary Leaves, where Olcott watches HPB psychically "read" from a manuscript that is being held in front of her astrally. Olcott describes her as reading the book (with no such book visible to Olcott), writing on paper as fast as she can, then reading more of the "book", again writing as fast as she can, etc.
Does anyone have that page number in Leaves?
Nick, It starts at the bottom of page 208 in Vol. 1 - "To watch her at work.."
Jon,
That was a big help. Thanks. Here is what I was looking for.
"To watch her at work was a rare and never-to-be-forgotten experience. We usually sat at opposite sides of one big table, and I could see her every movement. Her pen would be flying over the page, when she would suddenly stop, look out into space with the vacant eye of the clairvoyant seer, shorten her vision as though to look at something held invisibly in the air before her, and begin copying on her paper what she saw. The quotation finished, her eyes would resume their natural expression and she would go on writing until again stopped by a similar interruption."
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:xooqz...sisUnveiled.pdf I'm not sure if this was posted or not..
from Countess Constance Wachtmeister - Reminiscences of H.P. Blavatsky and The Secret Doctrine
| QUOTE |
| She said, "Well, you see, what I do is this. I make what I can only describe as a sort of vacuum in the air before me, and fix my sight and my will upon it, and soon scene after scene passes before me like the successive pictures of a diorama, or, if I need a reference or information from some book, I fix my mind intently, and the astral counterpart of the book appears, and from it I take what I need. The more perfectly my mind is freed from distractions and mortifications, the more energy and intentness it possesses, the more easily I can do this; but today, after all the vexations I have undergone in consequence of the letter from X., I could not concentrate properly, and each time I tried I got the quotations all wrong. Master says it is right now, so let us go in and have some tea." |
Jon,
That is a great quote. Thanks for finding it. Also, this ties in well with the other thread that says Theosophy is not against psychics -- HPB herself was a psychic. It is the approach to acquiring psychic powers that is the issue in Theosophy.
Here is an excerpt from
Old Diary Leaves, Volume 1 in which HSO is describing how HPB wrote
Isis Unveiled.
http://www.theosophical.org/resources/arti...sisUnveiled.pdfDavid Bruce
David,
Thanks for that link. Here, then, is the full quote from the link you provided.
" To watch her at work was a rare and never-to-be-forgotten experience. We usually sat at opposite sides of one big table, and I could see her every movement. Her pen would be flying over the page, when she would suddenly stop, look out into space with the vacant eye of the clairvoyant seer, shorten her vision as though to look at something held invisibly in the air before her, and begin copying on her paper what she saw. The quotation finished, her eyes would resume their natural expression and she would go on writing until again stopped by a similar interruption.
"I remember well two instances when I, also, was able to see and even handle books from whose astral duplicates she had copied quotations into her manuscript, and which she was obliged to “materialize” for me to refer to when reading the proofs, as I refused to pass the pages for the “strike-off” unless my doubts as to the accuracy of her copy were satisfactory. One of these was a French work on physiology and psychology; the other, also by a French author, upon some branch of neurology. The first was in two volumes, bound in half calf, the other in pamphlet wrapper. It was when we were living at 302 West 47th street—the once famous “Lamasery,” and the executive headquarters of the Theosophical Society.
"I said: “I cannot pass this quotation, for I am sure it cannot read as you have it.” She said: “Oh don’t bother; it‘s right; let it pass.” I refused, until finally she said: “Well, keep still a minute and I’ll try to get it.” The far-away look came into her eyes and presently she pointed to a far corner of the room, to an étagère on which were The Theosophical Society in America 6 kept some curios, and in a hollow voice said: “There!” and then came to herself again. “There, there; go look for it over there!” I went, and found the two volumes wanted, which, to my knowledge, had not been in the house until that very moment.
"I compared the text with HPB’s quotation, showed her that I was right in my suspicions as to the error, made the proof correction and then, at her request, returned the two volumes to the place on the étagère from which I had taken them. I resumed my seat and work, and when, after awhile, I looked again in that direction, the books had disappeared! After my telling this (absolutely true) story, ignorant skeptics are free to doubt my sanity. I hope it may do them good. The same thing happened in the case of the apport of the other book, but this one remained, and is in our possession at the present time."