Theosophy, Besant and Leadbeater
Shipwreck Thought-forms
Thought-Forms presents a group of shapes said to have been seen during the confusion of a shipwreck. The authors interpret them as contrasting emotional responses to sudden danger. Their explanation includes overwhelming fear and an attempt to regain self-control through prayer.
Also known as At a Shipwreck · Thought-forms in sudden danger
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In the sources
Forms said to be seen together
ReportedThe authors say figure 30 preserves the relative positions of forms perceived together amid confusion. They connect the group with serious panic at a shipwreck.
Fear and an attempt at self-control
ReportedThe explanation interprets one form as an eruption of fear and another as an effort to overcome fear through prayer. These are the authors' readings of the forms, rather than independently assessed mental states.
Context & interpretation
This is an event account in the book's claimed clairvoyant evidence, not an independently identified maritime disaster or a clinical study of panic. No vessel, date or external witness is established by the cited pages. The authors' moral language about frightened people is part of their interpretation, not an editorial diagnosis of character.
Original passages
Source 1
Thought-Forms
They were seen simultaneously, arranged exactly as representedOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Various Emotions: At a Shipwreck, printed p. 57
Read directly from the active prepared scan; line breaks and spacing normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0021-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0021-E001-P0039
- Original scan leaf
- 38
- Recorded leaf number
- 39
- Current Reader position
- 39
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
- Location review
- Original scan location confirmed against the reviewed Reader mapping; the earlier recorded number is retained above.
Source 2
Thought-Forms
The second form represents at least an attempt at self-controlOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: At a Shipwreck, printed p. 58
Read directly from the active prepared scan; line breaks and spacing normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0021-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0021-E001-P0040
- Original scan leaf
- 39
- Recorded leaf number
- 40
- Current Reader position
- 40
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
- Location review
- Original scan location confirmed against the reviewed Reader mapping; the earlier recorded number is retained above.
Illustrations
Continue exploring
Selfish Greed in Thought-Forms
The clawed extensions used to depict acquisitive desire in Thought-Forms.
Same subject and traditionGamblers in Thought-Forms
Paired winning and losing responses reportedly observed at Monte Carlo.
Same subject and traditionOpening Night in Thought-Forms
An actor’s confidence and anxiety before taking the stage, as interpreted by the authors.