A COMPILATION FROM H. P. BLAVATSKY
“What will, perhaps, still more astonish American readers, is the fact that, in the United States, a mystical fraternity now exists,
which claims an intimate relationship with one of the oldest and most powerful of Eastern Brotherhoods. It is known as the Brotherhood of Luxor, and its faithful members have the custody of very important secrets of science. Its ramifications extend widely throughout the great Republic of the West. Though this brotherhood has been long and hard at work, the secret of its existence has been jealously guarded. Mackenzie describes it as having “a Rosicrucian basis, and numbering many members” (“Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia,” p. 461). But, in this, the author is mistaken; it has no Rosicrucian basis. The name Luxor is primarily derived from the ancient Beloochistan city of Looksur, which lies between Bela and Kedgee, and also gave its name to the Egyptian city.” (“Isis Unveiled” Vol. 2, p. 308)
[Note: Beloochistan is now generally written as Balochistan and is a desert and mountainous region straddling parts of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.]
“The refusal of the originators of the Theosophical Society to encourage such false hopes [i.e. the false hopes of those who are naïve enough to imagine that they are ready to be trained in practical occultism by Masters], has led to the formation of bogus Brotherhoods of Luxor (and Armley Jail?) as speculations on human credulity. . . . There is a secret body – whose diploma, or Certificate of Membership, is held by Colonel Olcott alone among modern men of white blood – to which that name was given by the author of “Isis Unveiled” for convenience of designation, but which is known among Initiates by quite another one, just as the personage known to the public under the pseudonym of “Koot Hoomi,” is called by a totally different name among his acquaintance. What the real name of that society is, it would puzzle the “Eulian” phallicists of the “H. B. of L.” [i.e. the so-called Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, a fraudulent mail-order occultism business, which taught sexual magic amongst other things, established in the 1880s] to tell. The real names of Master Adepts and Occult Schools are never, under any circumstances, revealed to the profane; and the names of the personages who have been talked about in connection with modern Theosophy, are in the possession only of the two chief founders of the Theosophical Society.” (“Lodges of Magic” article)
“Some time since a Mr. Mendenhall devoted several columns, in The Religio-Philosophical Journal, to questioning, cross-examining, and criticizing the mysterious Brotherhood of Luxor. He made a fruitless attempt at forcing the said Brotherhood to answer him, and thus unveil the sphinx.
“I can satisfy Mr. Mendenhall. The Brotherhood of Luxor is one of the sections of the Grand Lodge of which I am a member. If this gentleman entertains any doubt as to my statement – which I have no doubt he will – he can, if he chooses, write to Lahore [i.e. a city in the Punjab region of India but now part of Pakistan] for information. If, perchance, the seven of the committee were so rude as not to answer him, and should refuse to give him the desired information, I can then offer him a little business transaction. Mr. Mendenhall, as far as I remember, has two wives in the spirit world. Both of these ladies materialize at M. Mott’s and often hold very long conversations with their husband, as the latter told us several times and over his own signature; adding, moreover, that he had no doubt whatever of the identity of the said spirits. If so, let one of the departed ladies tell Mr. Mendenhall the name of that section of the Grand Lodge I belong to. For real, genuine disembodied spirits, if both are what they claim to be, the matter is more than easy; they have but to enquire of other spirits, look into my thoughts, and so on; for a disembodied entity, an immortal spirit, it is the easiest thing in the world to do. Then, if the gentleman I challenge, though I am deprived of the pleasure of his acquaintance, tells me the true name of the section – which name three gentlemen in New York, who are accepted neophytes of our Lodge, know well – I pledge myself to give to Mr. Mendenhall the true statement concerning the Brotherhood, which is not composed of spirits, as he may think, but of living mortals, and I will, moreover, if he desires it, put him in direct communication with the Lodge as I have done for others.” (“The Science of Magic” article)
“Luxor, Brotherhood of. A certain Brotherhood of mystics. Its name had far better never have been divulged, as it led a great number of well-meaning people into being deceived, and relieved of their money by a certain bogus Mystic Society of speculators, born in Europe, only to be exposed and fly to America. The name is derived from the ancient Lookshur in Beloochistan, lying between Bela and Kedjee. The order is very ancient and the most secret of all. It is useless to repeat that its members disclaim all connection with the “H.B. of L.”, and the tutti quanti of commercial mystics, whether from Glasgow or Boston.” (Entry in “The Theosophical Glossary” p. 193)
“Mesmer . . . was an initiated member of the Brotherhoods of the Fratres Lucis and of Lukshoor (or Luxor), or the Egyptian Branch of the latter. It was the Council of “Luxor” which selected him – according to the orders of the “Great Brotherhood” – to act in the XVIIIth century as their usual pioneer, sent in the last quarter of every century to enlighten a small portion of the Western nations in occult lore. It was St. Germain who supervised the development of events in this case; and later Cagliostro was commissioned to help, but having made a series of mistakes, more or less fatal, he was recalled.” (Entry for “Mesmer” in “The Theosophical Glossary” p. 213-214)
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As we can see from the above, HPB did not present any detailed, clear, specific, exact, facts and details about the so-called Brotherhood of Luxor, other than saying of its name that it “is known among Initiates by quite another one” and emphasising that the enterprise which called itself the “Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor” has absolutely no connection with the particular Brotherhood which HPB had on a few occasions spoken of and which she had called the “Brotherhood of Luxor” simply “for convenience of designation.” The above quotes are in fact all she ever said about the “Brotherhood of Luxor.”
She was, however, speaking of an actual Brotherhood, whose real name remains unknown, and which is part of the whole Great Brotherhood or, as she put it, it “is one of the sections of the Grand Lodge.”
And why should anyone expect or imagine that they have any right to know precise details and information about something as incredibly sacred and occult as the Masters of Wisdom and Their hidden esoteric Brotherhood?
As long as people continue to take what little information has been given and twist it for their own personal commercial advantage and gaining of power and influence over the gullible – as happened in HPB’s time and as still happens today, on an increasing and daily basis, in the New Age Movement – the world can forget about receiving any further divulgement of genuine information about the genuine Masters and Adepts behind the Theosophical Movement.
But what They have given, most importantly, is a huge mass of teaching from Their sacred Science and Philosophy, and that is available and accessible to all, in the form of the Theosophy of H. P. Blavatsky and William Q. Judge, her closest and most trusted friend and co-worker and who was one of the “gentlemen in New York, who are accepted neophytes of our Lodge.” In that life, he started off as a neophyte but his inner being was, as HPB herself stated, a Nirmanakaya, i.e. an Adept-Bodhisattva, which She was – and is – also.
On these points, Who are you, Madame Blavatsky?, Who was William Quan Judge?, Understanding The Importance of Mr Judge, William Q. Judge and The Masters of Wisdom, The Masters and Madame Blavatsky, and The Greatest Doctrine of Esoteric Philosophy, are recommended for further reading.
T H E O S O P H Y 