It
took three articles to cover the story of the relationship between August Strindberg
and his secret friend, the man who was determined to make Strindberg admire the
works of Madame Blavatsky and become a theosophist.
The
relationship operated on three levels: it can be looked at in terms of two men
quarrelling and falling out, a cult member attacking a target who refused to be
recruited and two black magicians having an occult battle.
There
is something more to say the black magic aspect. This article will cover some
suspicious deaths that Strindberg mentions in connection with the battle and
its aftermath, the battle that took place only in their letters and on other
dimensions as they never met in real life.
The
first two deaths
Two
prominent men just happened to die shortly after something relevant by
Strindberg had been published, and the secret friend believed that Strindberg
had caused the deaths.
In
Strindberg’s own words:
“By
a diabolical chance during our paper war, the following incident takes
place: L'Initiation publishes an article by me which criticises the
current astronomical system. A few days after its appearance Tisserand, the
head of the Paris observatory, dies. In an access of mischievous humour I trace
a connection between these two things, and mention also that Pasteur died the
day after I published Sylva Sylvarum.
My
friend, the theosophist, does not know how to take a joke, and being
superstitious above the average, and perhaps, more deeply initiated in black
magic than I, gives me clearly to understand that he regards me as a wizard.”
So
Strindberg thought that the two deaths were just coincidences, but his secret
friend blamed him for them. When it comes to the attribution of sinister occult
powers, it is a case of the pots calling the kettles black. The two men really
did deserve each other!
