Handbook of Information on Katherine Tingley

A review of "International Theosophical Peace Congress To Be Held at Visingsö, Lake Vettern, Sweden, June Twenty-Second to Twenty-Ninth, Nineteen Thirteen. Handbook of Information" 

Despite its title, this publication is actually a general introduction to the ideas and activities of the "Theosophical Society Pasadena", at the time officially known as the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society. Several things struck me when reading it.

One was the strongly sectarian flavour, with constant attacks on unnamed opponents who falsely claim the Theosophical mantel and distort the true message of H. P. Blavatsky. Of course, the main opponent is the other Theosophical Society, based in India and led by Besant and Leadbeater. There is also a strong emphasis on the person of Katherine Tingley, the leader of the Pasadena society. Although Pasadena probably wasn't an outright cult, the Tingley-centredness does give a weird, cultic impression. The booklet actually admits that Tingley took control of the American branch of the society by staging a secretive nocturnal meeting with some of its leaders, and then merging the society with a new organization created by herself, the Universal Brotherhood!

Another thing that stands out is the strong emphasis on philanthropy an unselfish service, with the members carrying out the work being unsalaried. The whole thing gives the impression of a strange monastic order. Among the "philanthropic" activities are hospitals for American troops stationed in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines (i.e. colonialist occupation troops), but also schools and aid projects in Cuba to win the hearts of the local population. Finally, Tingley had a strong emphasis on theatre, drama and music, even building a kind of "Greek temple" on the property of the society at Point Loma in California. Tingley hoped that cultural activities would create a new civilization and somehow spread the esoteric message to the masses. Tingley also founded schools based on alternative pedagogy. She called them Raja Yoga schools.

I'm not sure why Tingley put so much emphasis on Sweden, where her society had bought property and erected buildings at Visingsö, an island in Lake Vättern. In the booklet, it is claimed that Tingley had several audiences with the Swedish king, Oscar II, whom she admired greatly. (The Swedish labour movement had different feelings about him, this being a period in Swedish history marked by severe social conflicts.)

I give this obscure pamphlet five stars, not because I like its contents, but because it's an interesting "handbook of information" on Katherine Tingley's branch of Theosophy. And yes, because it mentions Sweden!