The Hodgson Report on the Theosophical Society

Record summary

The Society for Psychical Research’s 1885 committee report, chiefly associated with Richard Hodgson, examined claims surrounding Helena Blavatsky, the Mahatmas and alleged occult manifestations linked to the Theosophical Society. It is identifiable as a documentary investigation rather than a single haunting case. The report matters because it records testimony, physical settings, alleged mechanisms and competing interpretations in colonial India. Its conclusions remain historically influential but are themselves debated, especially regarding witness reliability and the extent of Hodgson’s inferential overreach.