Katherine Tingley: The Hijacking of the Theosophical Society in America

Follow Pelletier's examination of events in the Theosophical Society in America after the death of its President, William Q. Judge. Learn in detail about when Katherine Tingley actually met Judge for the first time and how she took control of the Theosophical Society in America.

What has been presented to date concerning Tingley is only what one can see above the water, and a bit of shadow underneath. Like an iceberg, most of Katherine A. Westcott/Tingley's life has been kept under the water line where few individuals have ventured to investigate. What was discovered is unsettling. It explains much of her actions, the secrecy about her past, why she was shunned by her eldest brother, and portrays a very different person than what has been accepted as historical truth. The standard narrative reads, 'look at all the wonderful things she accomplished'. However closer examination reminds one of the Jesuitical concept that "the ends justify the means". If one calls oneself a Theosophist, he or she should be cautious about "the means" to that end rather than "the end" itself.

Excerpt from the Foreword of Katherine Tingley: The Hijacking of the Theosophical Society in America by Ernest E. Pelletier

"The Theosophical Society in America was flourishing under the guidance of William Q. Judge. There were approximately one hundred fifty active branches, and through quiet but steady promulgation of theosophic information, its philosophy was spreading across the land.

...Judge died. Then Tingley made her move. She hijacked the Society within days of Judge's death. She landed her final thrust two years later, on February 18th, 1898 at the annual convention. Tingley maneuvered the takeover of T.S. in America and established the Universal Brotherhood, with every aspect of its operations solely under her absolute control.

Tingley's attitude and ambitions, ironically under the banner of universal brotherhood, resulted in dissipation of a growing interest and acceptance of theosophical principles that had flourished under Judge's guidance, and that of those guiding him."