William Eglinton

William Eglinton (1857-1933) was a young English medium who went to India with the avowed purpose of investigating Theosophy. After a few years of acquaintance with Theosophy Mahatma K.H. visited him in his Māyāvi-Rūpa on board of a ship, and they had a long conversation.

Eglinton's encounter with Mahatma K. H.

Shortly after leaving Colombo, about 10 or 10:30 in the evening, I was in my cabin which was on deck forward, preparing to turn in for the night, when what I thought to be a Hindoo servant appeared at the door. Speaking in Hindustani, I told him to go away, but to my surprise he replied to me in perfect English, and stepping forward, gave me the grip of a Master Mason. This astounded me, and I asked his name, when he replied that he was one of the Himalayan Brothers and had come from Thibet to prove that such beings really existed. I entered into a long talk with him, much of which I cannot detail for obvious reasons. He was a well-formed, distinct, living, human being, and I knew of no such person on board. He gave me such evidence as satisfied me he must be the much-talked-of Koot Hoomi lal Singh, and that there was no longer room for doubt.

Notwithstanding this visit, Eglinton refused to accept the Theosophical theory that most spiritualistic manifestations are not due to the spirits of the departed. Eventually, he would reinterpret his experience in terms of his spiritualistic beliefs, as can be seen in an article published in January 30, 1886, where he recounts the Master's visit:

My more matured conclusions, arrived at, by the way, long before (as many of my friends are perfectly aware) the "Collapse of Koot Hoomi," regarding the "appearance" and the transmission of the letter, are: (1) That the figure I saw may have been a spontaneous materialisation of an unusual character, although it was unaccompanied by any sensation of fatigue on my part, there being no reason why it should not have been an "intelligence" or "spirit" of someone who dubbed himself "Koot Hoomi" (we know vanity is not entirely eliminated from those who have reached the higher life, as witness the large number of communications purporting to come from Shakespeare and others!); and (2) that the letter may, with every reason, have been taken by spiritual agency to India without the intervention of the "astral" aid of the Himalayan Adept, since at least thirty or forty letters had been similarly carried between England and India and vice versa during my residence in the latter country.

Ernest

One of William Eglinton' "spirit guides" was called “Ernest”

Further reading

• Spiritualism and Theosophy by William Eglinton at Blavatsky Study Center.

• Mr. Eglinton and "Koot Hoomi" by William Eglinton at Blavatsky Study Center.