Kurt Leland - Invisible Worlds: Annie Besant on Psychic and Spiritual Development

Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater, 1900.

Annie Besant on Psychic
and Spiritual Development

Essays compiled by Kurt Leland

Learn more about Kurt Leland and his work at http://www.kurtleland.com/

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Copyright 2013 by Kurt Leland

First Quest Edition 2013

Quest Books

Theosophical Publishing House

PO Box 270

Wheaton, IL 60187-0270

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Cover design by Kirsten Hansen Pott

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Besant, Annie, 1847-1933.

Invisible worlds: Annie Besant on psychic and spiritual

development / essays compiled by Kurt Leland.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-8356-0910-4

1. Besant, Annie, 1847-1933. 2. Theosophy-Doctrines.

I. Leland, Kurt, editor of compilation. II. Title.

BP563.I64 2013

288'.934-dc23 2013014188

ISBN for electronic edition, e-pub format: 978-0-8356-2124-3

5 4 3 2 1 * 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Where there is not calm self-mastery, indifference to personal matters, serene devotion to work for others, there is no true occultism, no really spiritual life.

Annie Besant

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank the librarians who helped in the research required to assemble and annotate this book: Erika DeCarlo and Pablo Sender of the H. S. Olcott Memorial Library, Wheaton, IL; Michael Gomes of the Emily Sellon Memorial Library, New York, NY; Gloria Korsman of the Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Cambridge, MA; Nancy Lehwalder at the Theosophical Library, Seattle, WA; and Lakshmi Narayan at the Krotona Library, Ojai, CA.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Dorothy Bell, Joy Mills, Shirley Nicholson, and Maria Parisen of the Krotona School of Theosophy, Ojai, CA, for their enthusiasm and support of my researches into the writings of Annie Besant, and to the Kern Foundation for a scholarship that allowed me to attend Annie Besant: A Voice that Calls Us Onward, which they team taught in September 2009and especially to Shirley for inviting me.

I am also grateful for several e-mail correspondents, ever ready to provide insight, assistance, and alternative perspectives on Theosophical questions, in particular those related to the writings of Madame H. P. Blavatsky, Annie Besant, and William Quan Judge: Dara Eklund, Gerry Hejka-Ekins, William Doss McDavid, Pablo Sender (who read the manuscript and provided useful comments), and Nicholas Weeks.

Finally, I am deeply appreciative of the kind, considerate, respectful treatment I have received from the editorial staff at the Theosophical Publishing House in Wheaton, IL, especially from Sharron Dorr (always available for wise counsel on matters of style and presentation), Richard Smoley (who suggested that I compile the book and provided useful guidelines in matters of scholarship), and freelance copy editor Martha Woolverton (ever patient with details as Sharron and I worked out how best to modernize Besants texts without losing her voice as orator and writer). If the publishing world has a Devachan for authors, TPH would be it.

ABBREVIATIONS

1. Books

2. Organizations

3. Persons

INTRODUCTION

O ne of the three objects of the Theosophical Society is to investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity. Annie Besant (18471933)outspoken feminist, political activist, advocate for the independence of India from the British Raj, and longtime president of the TSwas an ardent advocate of this object. Her many books, pamphlets, and articles on psychic and spiritual development provide guidelines and examples for their pursuit, which she felt should be available to all.