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How did William Hodgson’s investigation affect the Theosophical Society?

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Annie Besant and Jiddu Krishnamurti stand side by side in formal attire, Besant holding papers, in a black and white photograph from 1933. — theosophy Annie Besant and Jiddu Krishnamurti, 1926.

The investigation conducted by William Hodgson, a member of the London Society for Psychical Research, significantly impacted the Theosophical Society by declaring its cofounder, Helena Blavatsky, a fraud.12

Following accusations that Blavatsky had fabricated extraordinary spiritualist phenomena—specifically regarding messages she claimed to receive from a brotherhood of Great Masters—Hodgson’s 1885 report concluded that these claims were indeed true. This finding severely damaged the society's reputation and blunted its progress for the remainder of Blavatsky’s life.12

It is important to note that the integrity of this investigation has been challenged; a century later, the Society for Psychical Research published a critical study of the Hodgson Report and issued a press release stating that Blavatsky had been unjustly condemned.1