Annie Besant

Annie Besant

Early social activism

File:Match Girls Strike plaque.jpg

Plaque for Match Girls Strike, 1888

Introduction to Master Morya and Madame Blavatsky

Before she met Madame Blavatsky and joined the Theosophical Society, Annie Besant heard the voice of the Master Morya twice. The second of these instances occurred in 1889, when she was in her office. She was in despair because Truth seemed unattainable. She wrote:

I was making desperate efforts to pierce the darkness, and was seeking with passionate earnestness to obtain some direct evidence of the existence of Soul and of the superphysical worlds; one evening as I sat alone, concentrating my mind on this longing, I heard the Master's voice --- but knew not whose it was ---and after some questions asked by Him and answered by me, came the promise that I should soon find the light --- a promise quickly verified.

The voice of the Master asked her "Are you willing to sacrifice everything to find Truth?", and she replied, "Yes, Lord". Then the voice continued: "You will find it soon." A fortnight passed and her friend, Mr. William Stead, the famous Editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, sent her the volumes of The Secret Doctrine to review. After feeling illuminated by the book, Annie saw the truth in it, and sent a note asking for an introduction to the writer.

In July 1889, after meeting Mme. Blavatsky and joining the T.S., she saw the radiant astral figure of her Master for the first time, visible to her physical eyes. She wrote:

I will tell you about the first occasion on which I saw my Master. Soon after I had joined the Society, it happened that I was in England at a time when H. P. B. was in Fontainebleau, France, where The Voice of the Silence was written. She wrote me to go over and join her, which I did with joy. She was living in a delightful old house out in the country, and I was put in a bed-room near hers, a door connecting the two. One night I awoke suddenly owing to an extraordinary feeling that there was in the room. The air was all throbbing, and it seemed as if an electric machine was playing there; the whole room was electric. I was so astonished (for it was my first experience of the kind) that I sat up in bed, wondering what on earth could be happening. It was quite dark, and in those days I was not a bit clairvoyant. At the foot of the bed a luminous figure appeared, and stood there from half a minute to a minute. It was the figure of a very tall man, and I thought, from pictures I had seen, it was H. P. B.’s Master. Near him was another figure, more faintly luminous, which I could not clearly distinguish. The brilliant figure stood quite still, looking at me, and I was so utterly astounded that I sat perfectly still, simply looking at Him; I did not even think of saluting Him. So I remained motionless and then gradually the figure vanished. Next day I told H. P. B. what had happened, and she replied: ‘Yes, Master came to see me in the night, and went into your room to have a look at you.’ This was my first experience of seeing a Master; it must have been clearly a case of materialisation, for as I have said, I was not in the least clairvoyant at the time.

Early Theosophical Society work

Work in education

Mrs. Besant was a tireless advocate for education in India. She helped to establish several schools:

• Besant Theosophical College, Madanapalle, India
• National School, Bangalore, India
• National University of India, Chennai, India
• Annie Besant School, Indore, India
• Central Hindu College, Benares, India - founded in 1898 and now known as Benares Hindu University.
• Annie Besant School, Allahabad, India - established October 2, 1926

She gave positions to many young Theosophists to teach in and supervise the schools, including Nilakanta Sri Ram, Mary K. Neff, and Ernest Wood.

In the United States, Mrs. Besant purchased land in 1927 to establish the Happy Valley Foundation in Ojai, California. A school was not formed immediately, but with the efforts of J. Krishnamurti and others, the Besant Hill School of Happy Valley now operates on that site.

Invocation

Members of the Theosophical Society (Adyar) around the world regularly recite an invocation penned by Mrs. Besant. C. Jinarājadāsa wrote of its use in the ceremony of reciting the Prayers of the the Religions, introduced at the Golden Jubilee Convention of 1925: "The ceremony always concludes with Dr. Besant's beautiful and famous invocation repeated by all:"

O Hidden Life, vibrant in every atom;
O Hidden Light, shining in every creature;
O Hidden Love, embracing all in Oneness;
May each who feels himself as one with Thee,
Know he is also one with every other.

Later years

On September 20, 1933, Annie Besant passed away just before her 85th birthday. She was cremated in Adyar with great ceremony. Half of the ashes were deposited in the Ganges by Bhagavan Das, near the site where Mme Blavatsky’s ashes had been cast. The other half was placed in the Garden of Remembrance at Adyar.

Tributes and memorials

Indian stamp issued in 1963

In addition to the schools she personally founded, other schools that have been named in her honor include:

• Annie Besant School, Meerut, India

Editorial work

NOTE - see list at KurtLeland.com.

Mrs. Besant edited a weekly periodical called The Commonweal.."

Writings

Mrs. Besant left a massive body of books and pamphlets, which are listed in Besant writings.

She also wrote hundreds of magazine articles and editorials. Over 2500 articles written for periodicals of the Theosophical Society located in Adyar are documented in the Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals in this list.

Online resources

Articles

• Annie Besant in Theosopedia.
• Annie Besant as Instructor and Educator by John Algeo
• Dr. Besant: Warrior by George S. Arundale
• A Special Kind of Person by Radha Burnier
• Annie Besant and the Changing World by Bhagavan Das
• Dr. Besant and India's Religious Revival by Hirendra Nath Datta
• Something About Annie Besant by Fritz Kunz
• Dr. Besant's First Use of Clairvoyance by C.W. Leadbeater
• Confounding or Amazing? The Multiple Deconversions of Annie Besant by Carol Hanbery MacKay
• Dr. Besant as a Comrade and a Leader by C.P. Ramaswami Alyar
• Annie Besant as an Early Theosophist by Pablo Sender
• A Serious Dedication by Hugh Shearman
• Annie Besant (1847 - 1933) by Theosophical Society (Adyar)
• An Irish High Priestess in India by Lowell Thomas

Additional resources

• Annie Besant - Chronology by Kurt Leland.
• Annie Besant's Natal Chart at Astrodienst