Mahatma letters

There are three publications of letters written by H. P. Blavatsky's Teachers, variously referred as, "Brothers," "Mahatmas," or "Masters." In 1880 A. P. Sinnett, an Englishman living in India entered into correspondence with This correspondence took place over the years 1880 to 1884, where Mr. Sinnett received many letters from two of the Mahatmas known as Morya and Koot Hoomi. The letters are now kept in the British Library, and were published by A. Trevor Barker in 1923 as a book entitled The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett from the Mahatmas M. & K. H.. The other two publications are known as [Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom (book)|[Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom]], First and Second Series, and were published in ... respectively by C. Jinarajadasa. These books are collections of letters received by a number of Theosophists and chelas over the years.......

Production of the letters

The majority of the letters were not written physically by the Masters. Mme. Blavatsky, in a letter to Mr. Sinnett wrote: "Has Master K.H. written himself all His letters? How many chelas have been precipitating and writing them——heaven only knows.". "Precipitation" is an occult method by which the Masters impress their thought on a chela's brain and, using the latter's magnetic force, the words are made to appear into the paper after having collected the necessary material from the astral light. This procedure, however, may produce errors which may or may not be corrected later by the Master. Mahatma K.H. explained this as follows:

Another of our customs, when corresponding with the outside world, is to entrust a chela with the task of delivering the letter or any other message; and if not absolutely necessary — to never give it a thought. Very often our very letters — unless something very important and secret — are written in our handwritings by our chelas. Thus, last year, some of my letters to you were precipitated, and when sweet and easy precipitation was stopped — well I had but to compose my mind, assume an easy position, and — think, and my faithful “Disinherited” had but to copy my thoughts, making only occasionally a blunder.

In fact, this method was sometimes a source of errors. Mahatma Letter No. 117 is an example of how mistakes can creep in:

It was dictated mentally, in the direction of, and “precipitated” by, a young chela not yet expert at this branch of psychic chemistry, and who had to transcribe it from the hardly visible imprint. Half of it, therefore, was omitted and the other half more or less distorted by the “artist.” When asked by him at the time, whether I would look it over and correct I answered, imprudently I confess — “anyhow will do, my boy — it is of no great importance if you skip a few words.”

In answer to accusations that said the handwriting of the Masters was (subtly) different along the letters, Mme. Blavatsky wrote:

Now if there is such a marked difference between letters written by the same identical person mechanically, (as the case with me for instance who never had a steady handwriting) how much more in precipitation, which is the photographic reproduction from one’s head, and I bet anything that no chela (if Masters can) is capable of precipitating his own handwriting twice over in precisely the same way — a difference and a marked one there shall always be, as no painter can paint twice over the same likeness. . .

Why have the letters stopped?

Some people ask why the Mahatmas have stooped sending letters. One reason may be due to the lack of a chela working in the outer world with the necessary psychic characteristics that H. P. Blavatsky and a few others had:

Were she [Mme. Blavatsky] to die to-day — and she is really sick — you would not receive more than two, or at most three more letters from me (through Damodar or Olcott, or through already established emergent agencies), and then, that reservoir of force being exhausted — our parting would be FINAL.

Also, Mahatma K. H. warned in July 1881 that if the world did not accept the proofs about their existence they would return to the "kingdom of silence":

If, for generations we have "shut out the world from the Knowledge of our Knowledge," it is on account of its absolute unfitness; and if, notwithstanding proofs given, it still refuses yielding to evidence, then will we at the End of this cycle retire into solitude and our kingdom of silence once more. . . .

In 1885, the report written by Richard Hodgson representing the Society for Psychic Research stated that the Mahatmas and their phenomena had been an invention of H. P. Blavatsky. This report is still today influential, although Vernon Harrison, a member of the S.P.R, showed in his Examination of the Hodgson Report that it was "flawed and untrustworthy".

In Spring of 1885 Mme. Blavatsky sends a letter to A. P. Sinnett saying:

At this very instant I receive a letter for you. I enclose it — pardon me, but I do hope — it is the last, for I have no more strength to suffer.

In his letter, Mahatma K. H. says:

You must have understood by this time, my friend, that the centennial attempt made by us to open the eyes of the blind world — has nearly failed: in India — partially, in Europe — with a few exceptions — absolutely.