Tag: Theosophy

Alice A. Bailey and the Overshadowing of Jesus Christ

Alice A. Bailey (AAB) had some interesting things to say about what she described as the overshadowing of Jesus Christ. She quotes Helena P. Blavatsky (HPB) to introduce the concept of a human being “overshadowed by a great adept”:

“When a man has reached a certain development and can be of service to the world, cases occur when he is overshadowed by a great adept, or—as in the case of H. P. B. —by One greater than an adept.” -A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , 3. THE SOLAR ANGELS, THE AGNISHVATTAS. – Part 3

Then she goes on to say that this was the case with Jesus

“…a disciple will return into incarnation occasionally so as to fit into the plan of a greater than himself.  When a messenger of the Great Lodge needs a vehicle through which to express Himself, and cannot use a physical body Himself, owing to the rarity of its substance, He will utilise the body of a disciple.  We have an instance of this in the manner the Christ used the body of the initiate Jesus, taking possession of it at the time of the Baptism. Again when a message has to be given out to the world during some recurring cycle, a disciple of high position in a Master’s group will appear in physical incarnation, and be “overshadowed” or “inspired” (in the technically occult sense) by some teacher greater than he.”

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , VI. EFFECTS OF SYNTHETIC MOTION – Part 1

The idea is that Jesus of Nazareth, a human being, was overshadowed by the Christ – a greater being – and together in one body they accomplished the mission that is recorded in the New Testament. Author Joseph J. Dewey (JJD) wrote on this overshadowing that:

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Alice A. Bailey on Krishnamurti

Who was Krishnamurti, and what did Alice A. Bailey (AAB) have to say about him? First a little bit about Jiddu Krishnamurti from Wikipedia:

Jiddu Krishnamurti  (12 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was an Indian philosopher, speaker and writer. In his early life he was groomed to be the new World Teacher but later rejected this mantle and withdrew from the Theosophy organization behind it. His subject matter included psychological revolution, the nature of mind, meditation, inquiry, human relationships, and bringing about radical change in society. He constantly stressed the need for a revolution in the psyche of every human being and emphasised that such revolution cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious, political, or social.

Krishnamurti was born in British India. In early adolescence he had a chance encounter with prominent occultist and theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater in the grounds of the Theosophical Society headquarters at Adyar in Madras. He was subsequently raised under the tutelage of Annie Besant and Leadbeater, leaders of the Society at the time, who believed him to be a ‘vehicle’ for an expected World Teacher. As a young man, he disavowed this idea and dissolved the Order of the Star in the East, an organisation that had been established to support it.

He said he had no allegiance to any nationality, caste, religion, or philosophy, and spent the rest of his life travelling the world, speaking to large and small groups and individuals. Many of his talks and discussions were published as transcripts; among them The First and Last Freedom, and The Only Revolution, and also several diaries were published, including Krishnamurti’s Notebook. His last public talk was in Madras, India, in January 1986, a month before his death at his home in Ojai, California.

Krishnamurti’s teachings have had an influence on the thoughts of several notable public figures, including Kahlil Gibran, Aldous Huxley, Henry Miller, Bruce Lee, Jackson Pollock, Philip Guston, David Bohm, Joseph Campbell, Beatrice Wood, Deepak Chopra, Indira Gandhi, and Eckhart Tolle.

Apparently some in the Theosophical Society had big plans for Krishnamurti but he chose not to take that route. It looks like AAB’s comments here largely concern that incident. Below are the three places in the writings of AAB where he is mentioned by name:

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Alice A. Bailey on Theosophy

Here are all of the references to Theosophy by Alice A. Bailey (AAB) in her voluminous writings and those given to her by Djwhal Khul (DK). Links on these pages of the Laws of Alice A. Bailey are to the online books at the Lucis Trust  website.

AAB was an early convert to Theosophy but then founded her own Arcane School. AAB claimed that “All the Theosophy that I knew had been taught me by personal friends and pupils of H.P.B.” – see full quote below.  “S. D.” in these quotes of course stands for The Secret Doctrine by Helena P. Blavatsky (HPB).

You might find Post-Enlightenment Mystics: Madame Blavatsky an interesting take on HPB. Also check out DID H. P. BLAVATSKY RETURN AS JOHN F. KENNEDY?’ by author Joseph J. Dewey where he comes to an amazing conclusion based on handwriting analysis.

Below are the quotes I found:

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