The Wills of H.P.B.
Fohat Magazine (Winter 2008 - by Ernest Pelletier)
Excerpt from The Judge Case, A Conspiracy Which Ruined the Theosophical Cause
Shortly after reviewing The Secret Doctrine Annie Besant joined the Theosophical Society on March 10, 1889. Besant had made a name for herself as one of England’s finest orators and her abilities were needed by the growing Society. Besant showed great promise as a student of Theosophy and was soon sitting at H.P.B.’s side acknowledging her as her new guru. She was quickly brought in as a pledged member of the Esoteric Section. Just one month before her death H.P.B. appointed Besant (April 1st, 1891) as the Chief Secretary of the Inner Group of the Esoteric Section and Recorder of the Teachings, and arranged for her to go to America to meet Judge and deliver Blavatsky’s message to the American Convention held April 26 - 27, 1891, as her special delegate. At the time Besant accepted that Judge was an Occultist, a view she later discounted. On May 8 Blavatsky died in London while Besant was on her way back from America.
Besant had sailed for England on May 6 and, upon receiving word of Blavatsky’s death, Judge followed on May 13, 1891. Olcott would not sail from India until June 15. Evidentiary facts have been gathered and are presented here for consideration regarding that period between Blavatsky’s death on May 8 and the time of Judge’s arrival in London on May 21st, 1891.
Blavatsky executed her first Will before she left India in early 1885. According to Olcott she drew up a Will on January 31st, 1885. Olcott stated:
The witnesses were P. Sreenivasa Row, E.H. Morgan, T. Subba Rao, and C. Ramiah. It contains a clause to the effect that she wishes her ashes to be buried within the compound of the Headquarters at Adyar; and another request that annually, on the anniversary of her death, some of her friends should assemble here and read a chapter of the Light of Asia and one of Bhagavad Gîtâ.
This is the Will and Testament which is being kept at Adyar to this day, and considered Blavatsky’s official Will. But it was not the Last Will and Testament she executed.
