Blavatsky Elena Petrovna is a famous traveler, philosopher, admirer of the occult sciences, an odious, extraordinary personality. Perhaps there is no country on the map where this woman would not have visited.
Contemporaries called her a master or a charlatan, and the books written by Elena Petrovna caused an ambiguous reaction from the public. Blavatsky's desire to know the universal truth, unite people for the sake of peace, forgiveness was commendable, and acquaintance with the most mysterious teachers of the temples of Tibet and India delighted anyone.
Biography
Helena Blavatsky was a representative of the ancient Gan family. Among her ancestors were nobles, princes who held important government posts. Elena was born on August 12, 1831 in the family of an officer and a famous novelist in the city of Yekaterinoslav.
The Gan family was forced to move often, but this did not bother little Lenochka at all, but, on the contrary, aroused in her a craving for travel. Helena Blavatsky's mother died early, a little before reaching the age of 28, and the little girl was handed over to her grandparents to raise.
Helena Blavatsky received an excellent education at home, and the library, where many rare and unique books were collected, became her favorite place. Friends who knew Helena Blavatsky quite closely spoke about the independent nature of the girl, her craving for independence, independence. A special role in the fate of the future esoteric was played by a meeting with a freemason, a magician Golitsyn, a representative of an ancient Russian family. It was he who discovered for Blavatsky the mysterious teachings of the ancient Indian sages - the Mahatmas.
Relatives did not really like the girl's extravagant hobby, so five years later they organized, without her consent, an engagement with Blavatsky, who had a very solid fortune and also held a good position. The biography of Blavatsky is divided into two periods: before marriage and after. The elderly husband did not inspire the young beauty. Having endured with difficulty several months of married life, Elena Petrovna returns to her family.
The family did not appreciate the girl's craving for freedom, misinterpreting her departure from Blavatsky. From this moment Elena's new life begins, full of adventures, dangers, mysterious discoveries. First, Blavatsky goes to Constantinople, where for some time she acts as a circus rider, but, having fallen, she breaks her arm. Then she goes to London and there she plays various roles in performances on esoteric themes, among them was the production of Isis.
Contact with Egyptian mysticism inspires her to travel to Cairo, where Elena Petrovna studied cuneiform for a long time, and later wrote the book “Isis Revealed”. From Egypt, Blavatsky sets off on a long journey through Greece, India, Asia and, studying the culture and beliefs of ancient peoples, seeks the truth for herself.
She visits Tibet several times, spending a total of seven years there, the monks allow her to visit the holy of holies of a closed monastery, lost high in the mountains. Blavatsky dies in London after a long illness, a little short of 60 years old.
Creativity and preaching
B 
- Organize a community of people without division according to social status or religious principle and unite them for the common goal of comprehending the truth.
- Promote the study of ancient Eastern manuscripts, writings and other sources containing information about spiritual practices.
- Explore the hidden possibilities of the human body and use the knowledge gained for the benefit of mankind.
In 1888, Blavatsky published her life's work, The Secret Doctrine, in which she tried to unite all religions, their symbols, science, philosophy, and the occult. Good literary preparation allowed Blavatsky to present her theory quite intelligibly, but the reviews of her contemporaries were very unflattering.
However, Blavatsky's ideas about equality, forgiveness and humanism found their supporters, her best books were translated into several languages and are still successfully sold in many countries. It is noteworthy that Helena Roerich, passionately carried away by the teachings of the mahatmas, translated Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine into Russian. Roerich shared the views of Blavatsky so fully that she actively spread her ideas and even wrote a book about enlightenment and secret vision.
One cannot ignore the special gift of Helena Blavatsky - a craving for the occult and the ability to foresee. Youthful terrible visions of future concentration camps, described in Blavatsky's memoirs, were a harbinger of a terrible war, but then she still did not understand this. Her predictions about Russia were ambiguous: wars, revolutions, economic upheavals awaited the country, and then it was to become the spiritual center of the world, its conscience and heart.
Then Blavatsky spends some time on her husband's estate, but she quickly gets bored with the measured everyday life. She decides to become a secret agent protecting the interests of the Russian state in India and Egypt, where the influence of old enemies, the British, was incredibly strong. She sends a letter with the corresponding proposal to the secret gendarmerie, but she is not even honored with a refusal. Author: Natalya Yakovleva
Helena Blavatsky is recognized as the greatest occultist in the West, and her "Secret Doctrine" is still discussed in the highest circles! What was this woman?
1. Childhood of Helena Blavatsky
2. What superpowers did Blavatsky possess?
3. The wanderings of Helena Blavatsky
4. Further fate and development of superpowers
5. The Secret Doctrine of Helena Blavatsky
Childhood of Helena Blavatsky
Elena von Hahn was born into a family of aristocrats in the south of the Russian Empire in Yekaterinoslavl (now Dnipro, Ukraine) on August 12, 1831.
Her parents were Peter von Hahn and the gifted Russian writer Elena Fadeeva, whose pedigree began with the Ruriks themselves. The mother died when the girl was about eleven years old, and she had to move to live with her grandfather, who at that time was appointed governor of the Saratov province.
From early childhood, Helena Blavatsky stood out among other children!
Her psychic abilities and talents have repeatedly surprised and delighted the family. She also had exceptional abilities for foreign languages, was a talented pianist and artist, a magnificent and fearless horsewoman.
What superpowers did Blavatsky possess?
From a young age, Helena Blavatsky told her family that she constantly sees various creatures, ghosts and hears mysterious and beautiful sounds. Especially often she mentioned an important and noble Hindu, whom she saw, both in a dream and in reality. She assured that this is the Guardian, who will save her from many troubles and misfortunes.
A few years later, it turned out that this Hindu was none other than Mahatma Morya¹, her spiritual Master.
Their acquaintance took place in 1852 in London. Mahatma Morya told Elena that he needed her help, that she should come to Tibet and spend three years there.
Blavatsky's psychic abilities are still being questioned, although eyewitnesses said that she repeatedly:
- predicted future events
- could read unopened letters,
- move objects without contact, etc.
Blavatsky was one of the first to predict:
- the emergence of nuclear weapons
- the beginning of the war
- foresaw numerous discoveries and inventions in the field of physics,
- spoke about the conquest of space in the 20th century.
She also said that the Sun has a pulse, like the human heart, but with an interval of eleven years. This assumption was later scientifically proven by Alexander Chizhevsky².
One of her predictions says that the time will come when the Russian people will become interested in Buddhism, reincarnation³, karma and vegetarianism.
Helena Blavatsky's wanderings
In an effort to get out of her father's care, Blavatsky decided to marry at the age of eighteen the forty-year-old vice-governor of the Erivan province N. Blavatsky, but ran away from her husband three months later. Thus began her endless journey.
Throughout her life, Helena Blavatsky visited almost all developed countries of the world, she twice managed to travel around the globe, and she became one of the first Russian women who managed to obtain citizenship in the United States.
Further fate and development of superpowers
The first trip to Tibet in 1852 was unsuccessful, she had to return to England and, a year later, again leave for the States. In the autumn of 1855, Blavatsky managed to get to Kashmir⁴ and Ladakh⁵, and from there to Tibet.
She lived in a mountainous country for three years, receiving occult knowledge from her Teacher Mahatma Morya, engaging in mystical practices and developing superpowers.
In 1858, she left Tibet for France, then to Germany, and then to Russia, where she lived for some time with her sister in Pskov. In 1860-1865. Blavatsky lived in the Caucasus to improve her health, somewhat undermined by the inability to control her superpowers.
In 1865, she again leaves Russia and travels around the countries of the Mediterranean and Africa.
Visiting Tibet in 1868, Blavatsky met and studied with Master Kut Hoomi⁶. Five years later, following the instructions of her teachers, she goes to the United States.
In America, fate gave Elena an acquaintance with Henry Olcott⁷, a retired journalist, lawyer and military man. They lived together until the end of their lives. In 1975, they co-founded the Theosophical Society⁸, whose main goal was to unite religion, philosophy and science, as well as the study of superpowers and human capabilities.
The Secret Doctrine of Helena Blavatsky
The last time Blavatsky visited India was in 1984. She spent the last few years of her life in London, where she created her main work, The Secret Doctrine. The three-volume work was published in 1988 and instantly attracted the attention of the entire world community.
Despite the attacks and loud criticism, The Secret Doctrine was read and reread by the outstanding minds of the time. Mahatma Gandhi⁹ once admitted that it was a great honor for him to even touch the clothes of Helena Blavatsky.
In the 1920s, The Secret Doctrine fell into the hands of Adolf Hitler...
It was from the writings of Blavatsky that Hitler¹⁰ learned that the German people are the direct heir and descendant of the Aryans, who have the right to establish new orders and laws.
If Blavatsky could guess what consequences her statements would have...
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky died in May 1891, when a severe influenza epidemic occurred in England. The body was cremated in Woking (Surrey), and the ashes were divided into three parts, one of which is stored in Madras, the second was taken to New York, and the third was left in London.
1991 was declared the year of Helena Blavatsky by UNESCO.
She was truly a legendary woman. For her labors and teachings, for her fidelity to her mission and for her superpowers, Helena Petrvna Blavatsky has been recognized as the greatest occultist in the history of Western civilization.
Notes and feature articles for a deeper understanding of the material
¹ Mahatma Moriah - one of the "Teachers of Wisdom", in the Teachings of the Ascended Masters (under the name El Morya) - one of the "Ascended Masters" (Wikipedia).
² Alexander Leonidovich Chizhevsky (January 26 (February 7), 1897 - December 20, 1964) - Soviet scientist, biophysicist (founder of heliobiology), philosopher, poet, artist (Wikipedia).
³ Transmigration of souls, reincarnation, reincarnation - a group of religious philosophical ideas, according to which the immortal essence of a living being (in some variations - only people) reincarnates again and again from one body to another (Wikipedia).
⁴ Kashmir is a disputed region in the northwest of the Hindustan peninsula, historically a former principality in the Himalayas (Wikipedia).
⁵ Ladakh, or Ladakh, is a historical and geographical region that is currently part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (Wikipedia).
⁶ Kut Hoomi, sometimes Kuthumi, less often Kut Hoomi Lal Singh, more often Teacher K. H. or simply K. H. - in theosophy one of the Teachers of Timeless Wisdom (Wikipedia).
⁷ Henry Steel Olcott (August 2, 1832 - February 17, 1907) - one of the founders and first president of the Theosophical Society, participant in the American Civil War, colonel, lawyer, journalist and writer (Wikipedia).
⁸ The Theosophical Society of Adyar is the base unit of the international community of theosophists (Wikipedia).
⁹ Mohandas Karamchand "Mahatma" Gandhi is an Indian political and public figure, one of the leaders and ideologists of the Indian independence movement from Great Britain (Wikipedia).
¹⁰ Adolf Hitler - the founder and central figure of National Socialism, the founder of the totalitarian dictatorship of the Third Reich, the leader ( Fuhrer) National Socialist German Workers' Party (1921-1945), Reich Chancellor (1933-1945) and Fuhrer (1934-1945) of Germany, Supreme Commander of the German Armed Forces (since December 19, 1941) in World War II (
Helena Blavatsky can be called one of the most influential women in world history. She was called the "Russian Sphinx"; she opened Tibet to the world and "seduced" the Western intelligentsia with occult sciences and Eastern philosophy.
Noblewoman from Rurikovich
Blavatsky's maiden name is von Hahn. Her father belonged to the family of the hereditary Macklenburg princes Gahn von Rotenstern-Gan. Through her grandmother, Blavatsky's genealogy goes back to the princely family of Rurikovich.
Blavatsky's mother, novelist Elena Andreevna Gan, Vissarion Belinsky called "Russian George Sand"
The future "modern Isis" was born on the night of July 30-31, 1831 (according to the old style) in Yekaterinoslav (Dnepropetrovsk). In her childhood memoirs, she wrote sparingly: “My childhood? It contains pampering and leprosy on the one hand, punishments and bitterness on the other. Endless illnesses until the age of seven or eight ... Two governesses - a Frenchwoman Madame Peigne and Miss Augusta Sophia Jeffreys, an old maid from Yorkshire. Several nannies... My father's soldiers took care of me. My mother died when I was a child."
Blavatsky received an excellent education at home, learned several languages as a child, studied music in London and Paris, was a good rider, and drew well.
All these skills later came in handy during her wanderings: she gave piano concerts, worked in the circus, made paints and made artificial flowers.
Blavatsky and ghosts
Blavatsky, even as a child, was different from her peers. She often told the household that she sees various strange creatures, hears the sounds of mysterious bells. She was especially impressed by the majestic Hindu, who was not noticed by others. He, according to her, appeared to her in dreams. She called him the Keeper and said that he saves her from all troubles.
As Elena Petrovna would write later, it was Mahatma Moriah, one of her spiritual teachers. She met him "live" in 1852 in London's Hyde Park. Countess Constance Wachtmeister, widow of the Swedish ambassador in London, according to Blavatsky, gave details of the conversation in which the Master said that he "required her participation in the work that he was going to undertake", and also that "she would have to spend three years in Tibet to prepare for this important task."
Traveler
Helena Blavatsky's habit of moving was formed during her childhood. Due to the official position of the father, the family often had to change their place of residence. After the death of her mother in 1842 from consumption, the upbringing of Elena and her sisters was taken over by her grandparents.
At the age of 18, Elena Petrovna was engaged to the 40-year-old vice-governor of the Erivan province, Nikifor Vasilyevich Blavatsky, but 3 months after the wedding, Blavatsky ran away from her husband.
Her grandfather sent her to her father with two escorts, but Elena managed to escape from them too. From Odessa, on the English sailing ship Commodore, Blavatsky sailed to Kerch, and then to Constantinople.
Of her marriage, Blavatsky later wrote: "I got engaged to take revenge on my governess, not thinking that I could not cancel the betrothal, but karma followed my mistake."
After fleeing from her husband, the story of the wanderings of Helena Blavatsky began. Their chronology is difficult to restore, since she herself did not keep diaries and none of her relatives was near her.
In just the years of her life, Blavatsky twice traveled around the world, was in Egypt, and in Europe, and in Tibet, and in India, and in South America. In 1873, she was the first Russian woman to receive American citizenship.
Theosophical Society
On November 17, 1875, the Theosophical Society was founded in New York by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Olcott. Blavatsky had already returned from Tibet, where she claimed to have been blessed by the mahatmas and lamas to pass on spiritual knowledge to the world.
The tasks at its creation were stated as follows: 1. Creation of the core of the Ecumenical Brotherhood of Humanity without distinction of race, religion, sex, caste or skin color. 2. Promoting the study of comparative religion, philosophy and science. 3. The study of the unexplained laws of Nature and the forces hidden in man.
Blavatsky wrote in her diary that day: “A child has been born. Hosanna!".
Elena Petrovna wrote that “members of the Society retain complete freedom of religious beliefs and, entering the society, promise the same tolerance towards any other conviction and belief. Their connection is not in common beliefs, but in a common striving for Truth.
In September 1877, at the New York publishing house J.W. Bouton "a, the first monumental work of Helena Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled, was published, and the first edition of a thousand copies was sold out within two days.
Opinions about Blavatsky's book were polar. Blavatsky's work was called "a big platter of leftovers" in The Republican, "discarded garbage" in The Sun, and the New York Tribune reviewer wrote: author's awareness.
However, the Theosophical Society continued to expand, in 1882 its headquarters was moved to India.
In 1879, the first issue of The Theosophist was published in India. In 1887, the Lucifer magazine began to be published in London, 10 years later it was renamed The Theosophical Review.
At the time of Blavatsky's death, the Theosophical Society had over 60,000 members. This organization had a great influence on social thought, it consisted of outstanding people of their time, from the inventor Thomas Edison to the poet William Yeats.
Despite the ambiguity of Blavatsky's ideas, in 1975 the government of India issued a commemorative stamp dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Theosophical Society. The stamp depicts the seal of the Society and its motto: "There is no religion higher than truth."
Blavatsky and race theory
One of the controversial and controversial ideas in Blavatsky's work is the concept of the evolutionary cycle of races, part of which is set forth in the second volume of The Secret Doctrine.
Some researchers believe that the theory of races "from Blavatsky" was taken as a basis by the ideologists of the Third Reich.
American historians Jackson Speilvogel and David Redles wrote about this in their work Hitler's Racial Ideology: Content and Occult Roots.
In the second volume of The Secret Doctrine, Blavatsky wrote: “Humanity is clearly divided into God-inspired people and lower beings. The difference in intelligence between the Aryans and other civilized peoples, and such savages as the South Sea Islanders, cannot be explained by any other cause.<…>The "Holy Spark" is absent in them, and only they are now the only lower races on this Planet, and fortunately - thanks to the wise balance of Nature, which is constantly working in this direction - they are quickly dying out.
Theosophists themselves, however, argue that Blavatsky in her works had in mind not anthropological types, but the stages of development through which all human souls pass.
Blavatsky, quackery and plagiarism
To draw attention to her work, Helena Blavatsky demonstrated her superpowers: letters from friends and teacher Kuta Hoomi fell from the ceiling of her room; the objects that she held in her hand disappeared, and then ended up in places where she had not been at all.
A commission was sent to check her abilities. A report published in 1885 by the London Society for Psychical Research said that Blavatsky was "the most learned, witty, and interesting liar that history knows." After the exposure, Blavatsky's popularity began to wane, and many of the Theosophical Societies broke up.
Helena Blavatsky's cousin, Sergei Witte, wrote about her in his memoirs:
“Telling unprecedented things and untruths, she, apparently, herself was sure that what she was saying really was, that it was true - therefore I cannot but say that there was something demonic in her, what was in her, simply saying something devilish, although, in essence, she was a very gentle, kind person.
In 1892-1893, the novelist Vsevolod Solovyov published a series of essays on meetings with Blavatsky under the general title "Modern Priestess of Isis" in the Russkiy Vestnik magazine. “In order to control people, it is necessary to deceive them,” Elena Petrovna advised him. “I have long understood these darlings of people, and their stupidity sometimes gives me great pleasure ... The simpler, stupider and cruder the phenomenon, the more surely it succeeds.”
Solovyov called this woman a "catcher of souls" and mercilessly exposed her in his book. As a result of his efforts, the Paris branch of the Theosophical Society ceased to exist.
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky died on May 8, 1891. Her health was negatively affected by constant smoking - she smoked up to 200 cigarettes a day. After her death, she was burned, and the ashes were divided into three parts: one part of it remained in London, the other in New York, and the third in Adyar. Blavatsky's commemoration day is called White Lotus Day.
Blavatsky, Elena Petrovna
(née Gan) - writer and theosophist; genus. in 1831 in Yekaterinoslav, mind. 8 May 1891 in London Having early lost her mother, a well-known writer in her time, she was brought up under the guidance of her grandmother, Elena Pavlovna Fadeeva, a very enlightened woman, but, not distinguished by perseverance, limited herself to only the most superficial education. At the age of 17, she married the Erivan vice-governor Nikifor Vasilyevich Blavatsky, left her husband a few months later and left for Constantinople, and from there to the Far East, where she stayed for ten years. This period is the darkest in Blavatsky's biography, since she did not send any news about herself to her homeland, and subsequently reported conflicting facts about her wanderings. Most likely, she traveled to Egypt, Sev. America, Ceylon and India. Traveling around countries that have long been considered the birthplace of the secret sciences, Blavatsky succumbed to a passion for the supernatural, got acquainted with various Eastern sages and their teachings, and returned to her homeland in 1860 as an ardent adept and preacher of "occultism", which she supposedly studied during her two-year stay in Tibet. She created a mysterious atmosphere around herself, told that she received the gift of clairvoyance and miracles. After spending two years in the Caucasus, Blavatsky again went through Italy, Greece and Egypt to the Far East, supposedly lived for a long time in Tibet, and in 1873 settled in New York and took American citizenship. She became active in the New York newspapers Tribune, Sun, Daily Times, arguing against the Jesuits and the papacy and placing essays on the Caucasus, and also sent correspondence to the Tiflis Bulletin. At the same time, Blavatsky began to preach a mystical "theosophical" doctrine, which was supposed to crush the materialistic doctrines and was reinforced by abundant miraculous "phenomena". She pretended to be a student and messenger of the great Buddhist sages living in the mountains of Tibet and possessing supernatural powers. In two years, she managed to gather around her a very significant number of adherents, and on November 17, 1875, she founded the Theosophical Society. In 1876, Blavatsky published in New York the book "Isis Unveiled", which detailed her fantastic teaching. In 1875 she went with her zealous follower, Colonel Olcott, to India, established the head quarters of Theosophism in Bombay, and began publishing a newspaper, The Theosophist, which was almost completely filled with her articles. Maintaining lively relations with Hindu scientists and presenting herself as a preacher of their wisdom, Blavatsky soon acquired extensive sympathy among the natives, who saw in her a fighter for their originality, oppressed by the British. On the other hand, the British authorities looked at the Theosophists very askance and even accused Blavatsky of espionage. Later, Blavatsky moved her residence to the suburb of Madras, Adyar, and here she began to perform such miracles that the most stubborn skeptics began to believe in her mission, and scientists were keenly interested in the prophetess of theosophism, as a person endowed with powers not yet known to science. In 1883, Blavatsky, to improve her health, moved to Europe and lived first in Nice, and then in Paris, where she also founded a branch of the Theosophical Society. About the same time, the Theosophical doctrine received severe blows from two sides, which destroyed its charm in the eyes of the whole sane society: almost simultaneously, articles on Theosophism appeared in the Madras Christian College Magazine and in the reports of the English Society for Psychical Researches. The missionary magazine published Blavatsky's incriminating letters, reported by her former assistant in Adiar, Mme. Independently of Madame Coulomb, a member of the English Psychological Society Godgson, who was sent to Adiar for scientific acquaintance with Blavatsky's "phenomena", came to the same conclusions. After this, the scientific world completely ceased to be interested in Theosophists, and many zealous followers of this teaching turned their backs on him. But the attraction to the realm of the mysterious and the personal charm of Blavatsky were so strong in Western Europe and America that the total number of believers nevertheless constantly increased; Ms. Coulomb's materials were declared a forgery, and Godgson's article was a manifestation of the spiritual blindness of scientists. In 1886, Blavatsky settled in London and began to publish the newspaper "Lucifer", and on July 3, 1890, she solemnly opened the headquarters of the Theosophical Society in the English capital. In the same year Blavatsky published in London two new works on theosophical questions, The secret Doctrine and The Key to Theosophie. The movement she caused did not stop even after her death. Moreover, the "Lotus bleu" founded by her in Paris stated that the great teacher continues to collaborate in this journal, sending articles from the other world. - If the Theosophical writings of Blavatsky represent a set of vague and arbitrary fictions, then her essays on Indian life, published in the 80s. in "Moskovskie Vedomosti" and "Russian Bulletin" under the pseudonym Radda-Bai, they reveal an undoubted and vivid literary talent, observation and artistic talent. In 1883, these essays were collected in the book: "From the caves and wilds of Hindustan"; their continuation was published in the "Russian Bulletin" for 1884-86. In addition, she placed a number of articles in the "Rebus" 1883-85. and the article "Chinese Shadows" in "New Time" 1888, No. 1493.
Literature about Blavatsky in Zap. Europe, Sev. America and India is unusually extensive, but it is best to get acquainted with her teachings from her writings. For biographical information, articles in the "Rewiew of Rewiews" 1891 (Steady), "Revue Encyclopédique", 1892, No. 30, V.P. Zhelikhovskaya in "Russian Review", 1891, Nos. 11 and 12 are important , Vsevolod Solovyov in the "Russian Bulletin", 1892, Nos. 1-6 ("The Modern Priestess of Isis") and a detailed article in the "Dictionary" by Vengerov.
(Polovtsov)
Blavatsky, Elena Petrovna
(née Gan) - writer and spiritualist; genus. in 1831 in Yekaterinoslavl. After an unsuccessful marriage to 60-year-old Baron B., 17-year-old B., having left her husband, undertook a series of adventurous travels through Western Europe, Syria and Egypt, North America, India and Central Asia. She described her travel impressions and observations in many journal articles, distinguished by an extraordinary wealth of fantasy and extraordinary adventures (in Russkiy Vestnik under the pseudonym "Radda-Bai"). Possessing an eccentric character, B. was carried away by the mystical teachings of the East and in 1875, together with the English. Colonel Olcot founded the "Theosophical Society", which aims: 1) to form the core of a universal brotherhood without distinction of sex, nationality and religion; 2) study all the philosopher. and religious. teachings, especially of the East and of antiquity, to prove that the same truth is hidden in all of them; 3) to study the inexplicable in nature and to develop the supersensible powers of man. Since 1887, B. published magazines to spread her ideas - in London, Lucifer, the Lightbringer, with the assistance of Anna Besant, and in Paris, La revue theosophique and Lotus bleu. Separately, she also published "Isis unveiled", "The secret doctrine, the synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy" and "The key to theosophy". Until his death († April 26, 1891) B. remained President Teosofich. society and among her few admirers and admirers enjoyed the authority of the highest being chosen for extraordinary revelations. In writings, as in life, it is difficult for B. to draw a line where conscious or unconscious deceit and self-deception end and a sincere passion for mysticism or simple charlatanism begins.
(Brockhaus)
Blavatsky, Elena Petrovna
(1831-1891, pseudonym Radda-By) - theosophical writer. For 10 years she wandered around India, Ceylon and other places, doing occultism and studying various mystical teachings of the East. In 1873 B. settled in New York and began to promote the theosophical teachings she had created. B.'s propaganda, in spite of the charlatan means she used, had quite a significant success, and in 1875 B., with the assistance of her adherents, founded the Theosophical Society. B.'s ideas found excellent ground for dissemination among some aristocratic and intellectual circles who had departed from the official religions, but who did not want to completely break with the religious worldview. Similar theosophical about-va were based B. in many cities of India (Bombay, Madras, etc.). The success of theosophical propaganda B. was undermined by the revelations made by her accomplice, as well as English. about-vom mental investigations (Society for Psychical Researches), revealed the absence of any supernatural lining "miracles" B. in her charlatan tricks. Despite the scandal, B. managed to keep a considerable number of adherents and found in London (1890) the main branch of the Theosophical Society - Blavatsky Lodge.
B.'s main works: in English - "Isis Unveiled" ("Isis without a veil"), New-York, 1876; "The Secret Doctrine" ("The Secret Doctrine"), L., 1888; "The Key to Theosophy" ("Key to Theosophy"), L., 1891. In Russian, B. wrote stories about her travels ("From the Caves and Wilds of Hindustan", Moscow, 1883, etc.).
Lit.: Vengerov, S., Critical Biographical Dictionary of Russian Writers and Scientists, St. Petersburg, 1892; "Questions of Theosophy", St. Petersburg, 1910; Solovyov, V., Modern priestess of Isis, in the journal "Russian Messenger", No. 1-6, 1892.
Blavatsky, Elena Petrovna
[pseudonym Raddaban; 08/31(09/12).1831-04/26(05/08/1891] - writer, founder of theosophy. Genus. in Yekaterinoslav, in the family of artillery colonel von Gan-Rottesh-tern, cousin S.Yu. Witte. In 1848, she marries 60-year-old General N.V. Blavatsky, the Yerevan vice-governor. However, after three months, she leaves her husband and leaves Russia. Until 1870 B. travels through Europe, America and Asia. In 1851, B. meets with Mahatma Morya, head of the esoteric philosophy. school of one of the monasteries of Tibet, who became her teacher. A necessary condition for apprenticeship was the subordination of one's physical. nature for the purposes of the spirit. improvement. In 1873 he received the Amer. citizenship. On behalf of the Teacher, B. was the first messenger of sacred knowledge in the West. To this end, in New York in November 1875, she created a theosophical society, the president of which was an associate of B., Amer. Colonel G.S. Olkot. The Theosophical Society put forward the following program: 1) to organize a pan-human. brotherhood without distinction of sex, nationality and religion; 2) study all philosophy. and religious teachings, especially those of the Ancient East; 3) study the mysterious and inexplicable phenomena of nature and develop the supersensible abilities of man. In order to propagate their teachings, Olcott and B. travel to India and emit gas there. "Theosophist". In 1880 in Ceylon, after a long period of trials and training B. received initiation into esoteric Buddhism. After returning to Europe in 1883, B. lived in Paris until 1886, and then in London, where he organized Ch. department of the Theosophical Society. She died in London in 1891. Theosophical teaching of B. is a kind of attempt to synthesize scientific., Philosophical. and religious ideas based on east. philosophical-mystical tradition. At the center of Theosophy is the idea of the existence of esoteric knowledge, which is the single innermost essence of all pagan cults, world religions and the deepest philosophies. systems. Esoteric knowledge, bearing the universal-cosmic. character, comprehensively reveals the spirit. the essence and purpose of man, explains the evolution of the Cosmos as a whole, as well as the logic and meaning of human existence. civilization. Esoteric meaning evolution, according to B., is the implementation of the idea of the spirit. Unity at all levels of being between all the creatures of the Universe, since everything that exists in nature is one in origin, the method of evolution and the goals of its development. This esoteric secret knowledge is encrypted in mythological symbols and plots, ancient mysteries, occult texts. The key to secret knowledge is held only by the "great initiates", to-rye in different sources. the times appeared to humanity to familiarize it with the secret universal knowledge. Initiates were Buddha and Christ, Plato and Pythagoras. One spirit.-cosmic. the center, which nourishes all the initiates with true knowledge and keeps the memory of long-vanished earthly cultures and tribes, is hidden from the gaze of earthly ambitious and profane somewhere in the impregnable districts of the Center. Asia. "Secret Doctrine" - center. B.'s work - claims to be a comprehensive interpretation of the ancient symbolism of myths, religions. teachings and philosophy. systems with t. sp. the secret-esoteric knowledge stored in it. Defining the relationship between theosophy and religion and explaining the tasks of the Theosophical Society, B. wrote in the work "Key to Theosophy": "... Theosophy is a boundless ocean of universal Truth, Love and Wisdom, illuminating the Earth with its radiance, while Theosophical Society is just a visible bubble of air on the surface of this ocean... Theosophy on Earth is like a ray of white light, and each religion is only one of the seven colors of the rainbow obtained by means of a prism. the ray thus proclaims not only its primacy, but its claim to be a white ray, and anathematizes even its own shades as heretical. human perception, each colored ray gradually fades until it is completely absorbed again, humanity will no longer suffer from artificial disunity and will finally see itself bathed in pure colorless sunshine of Truth. This will be Theosophy ... Only by studying dec. of the great religions and philosophies of mankind, by impartial comparison of them with an unprejudiced mind, man may hope to reach the Truth."
Op.: Isis unveiled. V.1-2. N.-Y., 1887 ;From the caves and wilds of Hindustan. SPb., 1912 (Russian V. 1883. No. 1-4; 1885. № 11 ; 1886. № 2 , 3 , 8 ;otd. ed. - M., 1883 ;SPb., 1912 );Mysterious Tribes. Three months for"blue mountains"Madras. SPb., 1893 ;The voice of silence. Kaluga, 1908 ;Secret Doctrine. T.1-3. L., 1991 (1st ed.:Blavatsky N.R. Secret Doctrine. V.1-2. L, 1888 );From the caves and wilds of Hindustan. M., 1991 ;Law of Cause and Effect,explaining human destiny(Karma). L., 1991 ;Unveiled Isis. T.1-2. M., 1992 (1st ed.:Blavatsky H.P. Isis unveiled. N.-Y., 1877 );Key to Theosophy. M., 1993 ;New Panarion. M., 1994 ;Secret Doctrine. Synthesis of science,religion and philosophy. T.1. Cosmogenesis. M. -Kharkov, 1999 ;Secret Doctrine. T.2. Anthropogenesis. M.-Kharkov, 1999 ;Secret Doctrine. T.3. Esoteric teaching. M.,
2000.A.V. Ivanov
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See what "Blavatsky, Elena Petrovna" is in other dictionaries:
Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna, writer and traveler. Born in 1831, in a very talented family. Her mother, E.A. Gan, was an outstanding novelist, General R.A. Fadeev was her uncle, S.Yu. Witte's cousin: known in ... ... Biographical Dictionary
- (1831 91) Russian writer and theosophist. Wandered around Europe, Sev. Africa, M. Asia, North. and Yuzh. America, India and China. In 1859 she returned to Russia, and from 1860 she organized séances. Having left for the USA in 1873, she published in the American press ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (1831, Ekaterinoslavl 1891, London) religious writer, founder of theosophy. Born in the family of an artillery colonel. In 1848 she left Russia and traveled through the countries of Europe, America and Asia... Psychological Dictionary
- (born 1831, Yekaterinoslavl - d. May 8, 1891, London) Russian. religious philosopher, creator of the Ind. philosophy of the "Theosophical Society", founded in 1875 (residence - the city of Adyar, near Madras, India). As a favorite... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
Blavatsky declared herself the chosen one of a certain “great spiritual principle”, as well as a student (chela) of the brotherhood of Tibetan mahatmas, whom she called “keepers of secret knowledge”, and began to preach the author's version of theosophy. In 1875 in New York, together with Colonel H. S. Olcott and lawyer W. C. Judge, she founded the Theosophical Society, which set itself the task of studying all philosophical and religious teachings without exception in order to identify in them the truth, which, in the opinion of Blavatsky and her followers, will help to reveal the supersensible powers of man, to comprehend the mysterious phenomena in nature. One of the society's main goals was stated to be "to form the nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood without distinction of race, color, sex, caste or creed." Later, the headquarters of the society moved to India, to the city of Adyar, near Madras; since 1895 the society has been called the Theosophical Society of Adyar.
Blavatsky's main activity took place in the USA, England, France and India, where she opened branches of the Theosophical Society and acquired tens of thousands of followers. She wrote her main essays in English.
Some authors have suggested that Blavatsky had clairvoyant abilities. In the course of her work, Blavatsky was often accused of hoaxes and outright cheating. The first Russian woman to receive US citizenship.
Childhood and youth
Elena Gan was the first child in the family of an officer of a mounted artillery battery, Colonel Peter Alekseevich Gan (1798-1875). She was born the next year after the wedding of her parents, on the night of July 31 (August 12 according to the new style), 1831 in Yekaterinoslav. A seventeen-year-old mother, Elena Andreevna Gan (nee Fadeeva; 1814-1842), was born in the eighth month of pregnancy.
Due to the official position of the father, the family often had to change their place of residence. So, a year after the birth of Elena, the family moved to Romankovo, and in 1835 - to Odessa, where Elena had a sister, Vera, a future writer. Then the family visited Tula and Kursk, and in the spring of 1836 arrived in St. Petersburg, where they lived until May 1837. From St. Petersburg, Elena Petrovna with her sister, mother and grandfather, Andrei Mikhailovich Fadeev, go to Astrakhan, where Andrei Mikhailovich was the main trustee over the Kalmyk people and the local German colonists. In 1838, the mother with little girls left for Poltava, where Elena began to take dance lessons, and her mother began to teach her to play the piano. In the spring of 1839, due to the deteriorating health of Elena Andreevna, the family moved to Odessa. There, Elena Andreevna found a governess, Augusta Jeffreys, for the children, who taught them English. In November, after the grandfather - Andrei Mikhailovich, with the approval of Nicholas I, was appointed governor in Saratov, Elena Andreevna moved to him with the children. In Saratov, in June 1840, her son Leonid was born.
In 1841, the family returned to Ukraine again, and on July 6, 1842, Blavatsky's mother, then already a well-known writer, the first Russian novelist, who used the pseudonym Zinaida R-va (Reznikova), died of transient consumption at the twenty-eighth year of her life.
Saratov period
After the death of their mother, grandfather Andrei Mikhailovich and grandmother Elena Pavlovna took the children to their place in Saratov, where they began a completely different life. The Fadeevs' house was visited by the Saratov intelligentsia, among which were the historian N.I. Kostomarov and the writer Maria Zhukova. The grandmother and three more teachers were now engaged in the upbringing and education of children, so Blavatsky received a solid home education. Elena's favorite place in the house was her grandmother's library, inherited by Dolgoruky from her father. In this vast library, Blavatsky devoted particular attention to books on medieval occultism.
In 1844 Blavatsky traveled to London and Paris to study music.
Tiflis period
In 1910, in the essay by E. F. Pisareva, dedicated to Blavatskaya, there appeared the memoirs of Maria Grigoryevna Yermolova, the wife of Sergei Nikolayevich Yermolov, the governor of Tiflis, who spoke about the events of half a century ago. Yermolova claimed that “at the same time as the Fadeevs, a relative of the then governor of the Caucasus, Prince. Golitsyn, who often visited the Fadeevs and was very interested in the original young girl, ”and that it was thanks to Golitsyn (Yermolov does not name Golitsyn), who, according to rumors, was “either a Freemason, or a magician or soothsayer,” Blavatsky tried to “enter into contact with the mysterious sage of the East, where Prince Golitsyn was heading. This version was subsequently supported by many of Blavatsky's biographers. According to the memoirs of A. M. Fadeev and V. P. Zhelikhovskaya, at the end of 1847, an old acquaintance of Andrei Mikhailovich - Prince Vladimir Sergeevich Golitsyn (1794-1861), major general, head of the center of the Caucasian line, and later privy councilor, arrived in Tiflis and spent several months there, visiting the Fadeevs almost daily, often with their young sons Sergei (1823-1873) and Alexander (1825-1864).
In Tiflis in the winter of 1848/49, Blavatsky was engaged to a man much older than her - the vice-governor of the Erivan province Nikifor Vasilyevich Blavatsky. On July 7, 1849, their wedding took place. Three months after the wedding, having escaped from her husband, Blavatsky returned to her relatives, and from them, heading to Odessa, from the port of Poti on the English sailing ship Commodore sailed to Kerch, and then to Constantinople.
Wandering years
Blavatsky's biographers describe the next period of her life with difficulty, since she herself did not keep diaries, and there were no relatives who could tell about her. In general, the idea of the route and course of travel is based mainly on Blavatsky's own memoirs, which in places contain chronological contradictions. A. N. Senkevich writes that Pyotr Alekseevich Hahn, Blavatsky’s father, “did not forget his rebellious and freedom-loving daughter” and periodically sent her money.
According to the memoirs of Prince A. M. Dondukov-Korsakov, Blavatsky told him in 1853 that, after escaping from her husband, she got to Constantinople through Odessa, where she worked as a rider in a circus for a year, and after she broke her arm, she moved to London, where she made her debut in several drama theaters.
At the same time, L. S. Klein claims that, having read the works of the writer Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and especially the novel The Last Days of Pompeii, published in 1834, which told about the cult of Isis in ancient Rome, in 1848 Blavatsky goes to Egypt, known as "the country of pyramids, ancient cults and secret knowledge, hoping to join them", which was later reflected "in her book Isis Unveiled" (1877, new ed. 1902), full of passionate denunciations of modern science and rationalism in general ".
According to the American Albert Rawson, in Cairo Blavatsky met him, at that time still a student studying art. After the death of H. P. Blavatsky, A. Rawson, already an honorary doctor of law from Oxford University, described their meeting in Cairo.
After leaving the Middle East, Blavatsky, together with her father, as she herself reported, went on a trip to Europe. It is known that at this time she took piano lessons from Ignaz Moscheles, a famous composer and virtuoso pianist, and later, earning a living, gave several concerts in England and other countries.
According to Klein, Blavatsky traveled through "Greece, Asia Minor, finally India (she was on the road until 1851) and several times unsuccessfully tried to enter Tibet."
In 1851, on her birthday (August 12), in Hyde Park (London), as Blavatsky herself claimed, she first met the Hindu Rajput Morya, whom she had previously seen in her dreams and daydreams. Countess Constance Wachtmeister, widow of the Swedish ambassador in London, according to Blavatsky, relates the details of this conversation, in which Morya said that he "required her participation in the work that he was going to undertake", and also that "she would have to spend three years in Tibet to prepare for this important task." According to Kenneth Johnson, Blavatsky's early ideas about Morya and her other occult teachers were influenced by Freemasonry.
Drawing of 20-year-old Elena (August 12, 1851)
After leaving England, H. P. Blavatsky went to Canada, then to Mexico, Central and South America, and from there went to India, where she arrived in 1852. Blavatsky recalled that she “stayed there for about two years, traveling and receiving money every month - having no idea from whom; and conscientiously followed the route that was pointed out to me. I have received letters from this Hindu, but I have never seen him in these two years.” Although, N. L. Pushkareva notes that all this time of travel, Blavatsky lived "on the money that her relatives sent her."
According to Pushkareva, Blavatsky entered Tibet in 1855, where, with the help of Morya, she received her first training. According to the Columbian Encyclopedia (English) Russian. Blavatsky stayed in Tibet for 7 years, where she studied the occult.
From India, Blavatsky again returned to London, where, as V.P. Zhelikhovskaya reports, “having gained fame for her musical talent, ... she was a member of the Philharmonic Society.” Here, in London, as Blavatsky herself claimed, she once again met with her Teacher. After this meeting, she heads to New York. There he resumes his acquaintance with A. Roson. From New York, Sinnett reports, Blavatsky went "first to Chicago ... and then to the Far West and through the Rocky Mountains with the caravans of settlers, until at last she stopped for a while in San Francisco", from where in 1855 or 1856 sailed across the Pacific Ocean to the Far East. Through Japan and Singapore reached Calcutta.
In 1858, Blavatsky spent several months in France and Germany, and then went to Pskov to visit relatives. In Russia, Blavatsky arranged séances, addicting Petersburg society to this occupation.
In May 1859, the family moved to the village of Rugodevo, Novorzhevsky district, where Blavatsky lived for almost a year. Blavatsky's stay in Rugodevo ended with her severe illness, having recovered, in the spring of 1860, she and her sister went to the Caucasus to visit her grandfather and grandmother.
In 1860-1863 she traveled around the Caucasus.
According to L. S. Klein, Blavatsky did not travel since 1853 and settled for ten years, first with her relatives in Odessa, then in Tiflis. In his opinion, she continued her travels from 1863, wandering through India and penetrating into Tibet.
From Russia in 1863, Blavatsky traveled again, visiting Syria, Egypt, Italy and the Balkans. Klein also notes that “since 1863, Blavatsky again wandered around India, finally penetrating into Tibet. These wanderings take another ten years - until 1872.
At the same time, having suffered a shipwreck, Blavatsky was able to get to the city of Cairo, where she founded her first "Spiritual Society" (fr. Societe Spirite), which did not last long.
In 1867, she traveled for several months in Hungary and the Balkans, visited Venice, Florence and Mentana. According to Nandor Fodor, dressed in men's clothes, on November 3, 1867, she, along with other volunteers from Russia - A.I. Benny and A.N. Jacobi - participated in the bloody battle of Mentana on the side of the Garibaldians, was wounded.
In early 1868, having recovered from her wounds, Blavatsky arrived in Florence. Then she went through Northern Italy and the Balkans, and from there to Constantinople and further to India and Tibet. Later, answering the question why she went to Tibet, Blavatsky noted:
“Indeed, there is absolutely no need to go to Tibet or India in order to discover some kind of knowledge and power “that is hidden in every human soul”; but the acquisition of higher knowledge and power requires not only many years of the most intense study under the guidance of a higher mind, together with a determination that no danger can shake, but also as many years of relative solitude, in association only with students who pursue the same goal, and in a place where nature itself, like the neophyte, maintains perfect and undisturbed peace, if not silence! Where the air, for hundreds of miles around, is not poisoned by miasma, where the atmosphere and human magnetism are completely pure and - where animal blood is never shed.
According to biographers, her path led to the Tashilhunpo monastery (near Shigatse). Blavatsky herself confirmed her stay in Tashilhunpo and Shigatse. In one of her letters, she described to her correspondent the secluded temple of the Tashi Lama near Shigatse.
According to Blavatsky, according to S. Cranston, it is not known whether she was in Lhasa at that time, however, V.P. Tibet, and in its main religious center Chikatse (Shigatse) ... and on the Karakorum mountains in Kuenlun. Her living stories about them proved this to me many times ... ".
According to biographers, Blavatsky spent the last period of her stay in Tibet in the house of her Teacher K.Kh. In a letter dated October 2, 1881, she informed M. Hollis-Billing that the house of Master K. H. “is located in the region of the Karakorum mountains, beyond Ladakh, which is in Little Tibet and now belongs to Kashmir. It is a large Chinese-style pagoda-like wooden building nestled between a lake and a beautiful mountain.”
Researchers believe that it was during this stay in Tibet that Blavatsky began to study the texts included in The Voice of the Silence. Klein notes on this occasion that "in Tibet, she, according to her, was initiated into the occult mysteries."
In 1927, one of the major modern researchers of Tibet and its philosophy, W. I. Evans-Wentz (English) Russian. in the preface to his translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, he wrote: “As for the esoteric significance of the forty-ninth day of the Bardo, see about this in H. P. Blavatsky’s The Secret Doctrine (London, 1888, vol. 1, p. 238, 411 ; v.2, pp. 617, 628). The Late Lama Kazi Dawa Samdup believed that despite the unfriendly criticism of the works of Blavatsky, this author has indisputable evidence that she was well acquainted with the highest lamaist teaching, for which she needed to receive initiation. Sri Lankan Buddhist scholar Gunapala Malalasekara, founder and president of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, wrote of Blavatsky: "There is no doubt about her familiarity with Tibetan Buddhism, as well as with esoteric Buddhist practices." The Japanese philosopher and Buddhist scholar Daisetsu Suzuki believed that
“Undoubtedly, Madame Blavatsky was somehow initiated into the deeper provisions of the Mahayana teachings…”.
After almost three years in Tibet, Blavatsky set out on a journey through the Middle East. I have been to Cyprus and Greece.
In the early 70s. XIX century Blavatsky begins preaching.
In 1871, while traveling from the port of Piraeus to Egypt, a gunpowder magazine exploded on the ship Evnomia, and the ship was destroyed. 30 passengers died. Blavatsky escaped injury, but was left without luggage and money.
In 1871, Blavatsky arrived in Cairo, where she organized the Spiritual Society (Societe Spirite) to research and study psychic phenomena. The society soon found itself at the center of a financial scandal and was dissolved.
After leaving Cairo, Blavatsky traveled through Syria, Palestine and Constantinople in July 1872 to Odessa and spent nine months there.
S. Yu. Witte recalls that Blavatsky, “having settled in Odessa ... first opens a store and an ink factory, and then a flower shop (shop of artificial flowers). At that time, she often visited my mother... When I got to know her better, I was struck by her enormous talent to grasp everything in the quickest way... many times, before my eyes, she wrote long letters in verse to her friends and relatives... In essence, she was very gentle, kind person. She had such huge blue eyes that I have never seen anyone in my life.
From Odessa in April 1873, Blavatsky went to Bucharest to visit her friend, and then to Paris, where she stayed with her cousin Nicholas Hahn. At the end of June of the same year, I took a ticket to New York. H. S. Olcott and Countess C. Wachtmeister report that at Le Havre, Blavatsky, seeing a poor woman with two children who could not pay the fare, exchanged her first-class ticket for four third-class tickets and set off on a two-week voyage third-class.
Main creative period
In 1873, Blavatsky left for Paris, then to the USA, where he met people who were fond of spiritualism, including Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, who in 1875 together with her became one of the founders of the Theosophical Society.
On April 3, 1875, she formalized a nominal marriage with a Georgian living in New York, Michael / Michael Betanelli (Michael C. Betanelly), whom she divorced three years later. On July 8, 1878, she became an American citizen. The New York Times wrote about this: “Madame Helen P. Blavatsky was naturalized by Judge Larremore in the Special Term of the Common Pleas yesterday” (Eng. Mme. Helen P. Blavatsky was naturalized by Judge Larremore in the Special Term of the Common Pleas yesterday. )
In February 1879 (according to the Columbia Encyclopedia in 1878) Blavatsky and Olcott left for Bombay, India. Blavatsky's memoirs of her stay in India since 1879 were published in the book "From the caves and wilds of Hindustan", in writing which Blavatsky showed great literary talent. The book is composed of essays written by her in the period from 1879 to 1886 under the pseudonym "Radda-Bai" and first appeared in the Russian newspaper "Moskovskie Vedomosti", edited by the famous publicist M. N. Katkov. The articles aroused great interest among the reading public, so Katkov republished them in an appendix to Russkiy Vestnik, and then published new letters written specifically for this journal. In 1892, the book was partially, and in 1975 fully translated into English.
Blavatsky's and Olcott's travels with Hindu friends, including Thakur Gulab-Sing, Blavatsky's alleged teacher, are described in literary form, Out of the Caverns and Wilds of Hindustan.
In 1880, Blavatsky visited a Buddhist monk in Ceylon, from whom she took refuge in the three jewels and five vows, thereby becoming a Buddhist.
In 1882 Blavatsky and Olcott set up headquarters in Adyar (now the Adyar Theosophical Society), not far from Madras.
Soon they met Alfred Sinnett (Alfred Percy Sinnett), at that time the editor of the government Allahabad newspaper The Pioneer. Sinnett became seriously interested in the activities of the Society. Using the mediumistic mediation of H. P. Blavatsky, he began a correspondence with the Mahatmas. Sinnett himself believed that the value of the letters was greatly reduced by such mediation, and therefore was against publishing them in full, selecting for publication only those passages that, in his opinion, accurately reflected the thoughts of the Mahatmas. The correspondence was nevertheless published by Alfred Barker in 1923, after Sinnett's death.
The Theosophical Society in India gathered a fairly large number of followers.
From 1879 to 1888, Blavatsky was also editor of The Theosophist magazine.
Claiming to have supernatural powers, Blavatsky traveled to London and Paris, and in 1884 was accused of quackery by the Indian media.
Shortly after being accused of fraud in 1885, she left India due to deteriorating health. After that, she lived in Germany and Belgium for about two years, working on The Secret Doctrine, then, moving to London, began publishing the first two volumes of The Secret Doctrine (1888), continuing work on the third volume and other books and articles. At this time, the works The Voice of Silence (1889) and The Key to Theosophy (1889) were written. She died on May 8, 1891, having had the flu. Her body was cremated, and the ashes were divided among the three centers of the Theosophical movement, located in London, New York and Adyar, near Madras (since 1895, the headquarters of the Adyar Theosophical Society has been located here). The day of Blavatsky's death is celebrated by her followers as "the day of the White Lotus".
Blavatsky's Teachings and Theosophical Society
In Russia, H. P. Blavatsky's letters about her travels, under the titles "From the Caves and Wilds of Hindustan" and "The Tribes of the Blue Mountains", were published under the pseudonym "Radda-Bai". In them, Blavatsky showed great literary talent.
In 1875, Blavatsky began writing Isis Unveiled (Isis Unveiled, 1877), where she criticized science and religion and stated that reliable knowledge could be obtained through mysticism. The first print run of 1,000 copies was sold out within 10 days.
The book received mixed reactions from critics and the public. According to a New York Herald reviewer, the book was one of the "outstanding creations of the century." V. P. Zhelikhovskaya, Blavatsky's sister, in her book "Radda-Bye (the Truth about Blavatsky)" writes that "Her first major work, Isis Unveiled, caused hundreds of flattering reviews in the American, and later in the European press" and cites the opinion of the Archbishop of Armenians, His Eminence Aivazovsky (brother of the painter, who died in 1880 in Tiflis). According to her testimony, Aivazovsky wrote to her that "there can be no higher phenomenon than the appearance of such an essay from the pen of a woman."
In "The Republican (English) Russian." Blavatsky's work was called "a big platter of leftovers", "The Sun" - "discarded garbage", and the New York Tribune reviewer wrote: "H.P. assumptions than on the knowledge of the author.
In the same year, in New York, together with H. S. Olcott and W. C. Judge, she founded the Theosophical Society, which proclaimed the following goals:
- To form the core of the Universal Brotherhood without distinction of race, color, sex, caste or creed;
- To promote the study of Aryan and other scriptures, world religions and various sciences, to defend the importance of the significance of ancient Asian sources belonging to the Brahmanic, Buddhist and Zoroastrian philosophies;
- To explore the hidden mysteries of Nature in every possible aspect, and especially the psychic and spiritual faculties latent in man.
In 1888, she wrote her main work, The Secret Doctrine, which has the subtitle: A Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy.
E. L. Mityugova writes that Blavatsky’s theosophy in her interpretation “is an attempt to unite all religions into a universal teaching through the disclosure of the commonality of their deep essence and the discovery of the identity of the meanings of their symbols, all philosophies (including esoteric ones), all sciences (including occult ones), because “divine wisdom is above human divisions.” In the Concise Philosophical Dictionary, the authors of an article about Blavatsky write that “Blavatsky's teaching - theosophy - aimed to save archaic truths, which are the basis of all religions, from perversion, to reveal their common basis, to indicate to man his rightful place in the universe. The doctrine denied the existence of an anthropomorphic creator god and affirmed the belief in the universal divine principle - the Absolute, the belief that the Universe unfolds itself, from its own Essence, without being created. Blavatsky considered the purification of souls, the relief of suffering, moral ideals, and observance of the principle of the Brotherhood of Humanity to be the most important for Theosophy. Blavatsky called herself not the creator of the system, but only the conductor of the Higher Forces, the keeper of the secret knowledge of the Teachers, the Mahatmas, from whom she received all theosophical truths.
V. S. Solovyov saw in Theosophy an adaptation of Buddhism to the needs of European atheistic thinking. "In the Russian Review in August 1890, Solovyov published an article with a critical review of Blavatsky's book The Key to Theosophy."
Blavatsky founded the periodical Lucifer and co-edited it with Annie Besant until her death in May 1891.
Zhelikhovskaya cites a fragment from Blavatsky's letter explaining this name. "Why did you attack me for calling my magazine Lucifer? This is a wonderful name. Lux, Lucis - light; ferre - to wear: "The bearer of light" - what is better? .. This is only thanks to Milton's "Paradise Lost" Lucifer became a synonym for the fallen spirit. The first honest thing of my journal will be to remove the slander of misunderstanding from this name, which the ancient Christians called Christ. Easphoros - the Greeks, Lucifer - the Romans, because this is the name of the star of the morning, the herald of the bright light of the sun. Didn't Christ himself say about himself : “I, Jesus, the morning star” (“Revelation of St. John XXII, article 16)? in spirit, the light of truth!
At the initiative of the US Episcopal Church, several meetings took place in London. However, according to Żelichowska, a letter written by Blavatsky in Lucifer magazine under the title "Lucifer to the Archbishop of Canterbury" ended the conflict. Zhelikhovskaya writes that the primate of England declared that this letter brought "if not the teaching of the Theosophists, then its preacher full sympathy and respect", and also that after that the clergy began to attend meetings of the Theosophical Society. According to her, they were visited by the wife of the Bishop of Canterbury.
Attitude to Spiritualism and Mediumship
The researchers write that there are many rumors and stories that Blavatsky was a medium from childhood, and various “paranormal” events accompanied her life. Subsequently, she claimed that she got rid of mediumship by completely subordinating these forces to her will.
In the early 1860s in Russia, Blavatsky held séances. V. P. Zhelikhovskaya, in her essay “The Truth About H. P. Blavatsky,” published in the journal Rebus No. 40-48, 1883, for example, mentions that Blavatsky held a séance to investigate a murder in the village of Rugodevo. The Russian Humanitarian Encyclopedic Dictionary quotes from Blavatsky's letter, which states that most of her sessions were of a mystifying nature.
Sergei Yulievich Witte, Blavatsky's cousin, recalled these events as follows: “I remember her (Blavatskaya) at the time when she arrived in Tiflis ... Her face was extremely expressive; it was clear that she used to be very beautiful ... I remember how every evening the high Tiflis society gathered for these sessions ... It seemed to me that my mother, my aunt [Nadezhda] Fadeeva and even my uncle Rostislav Fadeev - everyone was fond of this ... At that time, Baryatinsky's adjutants were Count Vorontsov-Dashkov, the current (1911) viceroy of the Caucasus, both Counts Orlov-Davydov and Perfilyev, these were young people from the St. Petersburg Guards jeunesse dore'e (golden youth); I remember that they all constantly stayed with us for whole evenings and nights, practicing spiritualism. ... So, for example, once in my presence, at the request of one of those present, a piano began to play in another room, completely closed, and no one was standing at the piano at that time.
Although at that time some explained this by mediumistic forces, including Zhelikhovskaya, Blavatsky herself, criticizing her sister, denied this and argued that, both in Russia and all her subsequent life, completely different forces influenced her - those that are used Indian sages, Raj Yogis. A. N. Senkevich claims that with the assistance of Mahatma Morya, “by automatic writing, as Blavatsky assured, her main work, The Secret Doctrine,” was created. According to Nandor Fodor, The Secret Doctrine was written for the most part in an abnormal state of the author's consciousness (in a supernormal condition). Arnold Kalnitsky wrote that even a superficial look at Blavatsky's life is enough to make sure that she was systematically subjected to certain forms of what later came to be called "altered states of consciousness."
In 1871, while in Cairo, Blavatsky founded the Societe Spirite, in her words, “for the study of mediums and phenomena on the basis of the theories and philosophy of Allan Kardec, since there was no other way to show people how deeply they are mistaken” . To do this, she first intended to expose mediumistic manifestations, and then "show them the difference between a passive medium and an active creator." The venture ended in failure: in the following letter, Blavatsky writes of the amateur mediums she managed to find in Cairo:
They steal the Society's money, drink heavily, and now I have caught them in the most shameless deception when they show fake phenomena to members of our Society who have come to study occult phenomena. I've had some pretty embarrassing scenes with several people putting the blame for it all on me alone. Therefore, they had to be expelled ... Societe Spirite did not last even two weeks - it lies in ruins - majestic, but at the same time instructive, like the tombs of the pharaohs ... two public sessions that we managed to give, and, it seems, became possessed by some vicious spirit.
The letter ends with the words: "I vow to put an end to such seances forever - they are too dangerous, and I do not have the experience and strength to cope with the unclean spirits that may approach my friends during such meetings."
Some researchers claim that in the US Blavatsky used the guidance of a "spirit" named John King. Later, Blavatsky claimed that "John King" was a pseudonym by which she explained certain "phenomena", and also used it when referring to her Masters and their messengers. H. S. Olcott wrote: “I gradually learned from H. P. B. of the existence of Eastern adepts and the powers they wield, and by demonstrating many phenomena, she convinced me of her ability to control the forces of nature, attributed to John King.”
According to Vsevolod Solovyov, in a letter to A. N. Aksakov dated November 14, 1874, Blavatsky wrote: “I am a “spiritualist”, and a “spiritualist” in the full meaning of these two names ... For more than 10 years I have been a spiritualist and now my whole life belongs to this teaching. I fight for it and try to devote all the minutes of my life to it. If I were rich, I would use all my money to the last penny pour la propagande de cette divine verite. According to Vs. S. Solovieva Blavatsky also declared her commitment to the teachings of the founder of spiritualism, Allan Kardec.
John Fakyuhar, a professor at the University of Manchester, wrote that in the United States in the period from 1873 to 1875, Blavatsky was extremely active in asserting faith in spiritualism, and her occult communication, according to Farkuhar, did not take place with teachers from Tibet, but with the spirits of the dead.
H. I. Roerich, a traveler, translator of The Secret Doctrine into Russian, criticizing the phenomenon of mediumship in her letters, notes Blavatsky’s cautious attitude towards mediums and spiritualism:
... Let no one consider mediumship as a gift, on the contrary, it is the greatest danger and stumbling block for the growth of the spirit. The medium is an inn, there is an obsession. Verily, a medium does not have open centers, and high psychic energy is absent in it... Let us remember one rule - one cannot receive any Teachings through mediums. H. P. Blavatsky struggled all her life against the ignorant attitude towards mediums. There are many of her articles devoted specifically to describing the dangers that people who attend séances without sufficient knowledge and strong will are exposed to.
Indigenous race theory in creativity
One of the controversial and controversial ideas in our time, in the work of Blavatsky, is the concept of the evolutionary cycle of races, part of which is set forth in the second volume of The Secret Doctrine.
The writings of Blavatsky contain the doctrine of the evolutionary cycle of races that succeed each other. According to Blavatsky, seven indigenous human races must replace each other on Earth one after another. The first root race of the Earth, in her opinion, consisted of gelatinous amorphous creatures, the second had a "more definite body composition", etc. The people that currently exist represent the fifth root race in a row. According to Blavatsky, the spiritual forces of mankind during this evolution decreased until they reached a minimum in the fourth race, but at the present moment they are increasing again as our fifth race moves towards rebirth into the sixth, and further into the seventh consisting of godlike people.
President of the American Theosophical Society Emily Sillon and member of the American Theosophical Society Ph.D. Rene Weber believe that Blavatsky called races not anthropological types, but stages of development through which all human souls pass, evolving through repeated incarnations (incarnations). And the evolutionary theory of Theosophy assumes the development of mankind to an almost limitless spiritual unfoldment, following the example of such figures as Buddha, Christ, Moses and Lao Tzu, who are the ideals of human aspiration.
Some researchers point to the presence in the works of Blavatsky (in particular, in the "Secret Doctrine") of the so-called "racial theories" (about the existence of superior and inferior races). For example, American historians Jackson Speilvogel write about this (English) Russian. and David Redles in Hitler's Racial Ideology: Content and Occult Roots.
Some authors, such as D. A. Herrick (English) Russian, believe that Blavatsky believed that evolutionary mechanisms contribute to the extinction of inferior and degraded races and lead to the formation of a single perfect and homogeneous race. An example is the following quote from H. P. Blavatsky:
Humanity is clearly divided into God-inspired people and lower beings. The difference in intelligence between the Aryans and other civilized peoples, and such savages as the South Sea Islanders, cannot be explained by any other cause. No amount of culture, no number of generations brought up in the midst of civilization, could raise such human specimens as the Bushmen and Veddhas of Ceylon, and certain tribes of Africa, to the mental level at which the Aryans, Semites, and so-called Turanians stand. The "Holy Spark" is absent in them, and only they are now the only lower races on this Planet, and fortunately - thanks to the wise balance of Nature, which is constantly working in this direction - they are quickly dying out.
Or, for example, Blavatsky calls certain races of people "semi-animals" (or "semi-humans"): for example, some natives of Australia and Tasmania.
D. A. Herrick also believes that Blavatsky supported the idea of "spiritual racism", according to which some races are spiritually superior to others. Thus, she calls the Semitic race (especially the Arabs, but also the Jews) spiritually degraded, although they have reached perfection in the material aspect.
Major writings
- "From the caves and wilds of Hindustan" text (1883-1886)
- "Mysterious tribes on the blue mountains", (1883)
- "Isis Unveiled" (1877) (Vol. 1. Science; Vol. 2. Theology)
- "What is Theosophy?" (1879)
- "Who are the Theosophists?" (1879)
- Mahatmas and Chelas (1884)
- "Occult or exact science?" (1886)
- "The Esoteric Character of the Gospels" (1887-1888)
- "Occultism vs. Occult Arts" (1888)
- Is Theosophy a Religion? (1888)
- "The Secret Doctrine" ("The Secret Doctrine", 1888-1897)
- "Conversations with Blavatsky" - a shorthand record of Blavatsky's answers to questions from students (1889).
- "Voice of Silence" (Voice of Silence) (1889; text)
- "Key to Theosophy" (1889; text)
- "Philosophers and philosophers" (1889)
- "Theosophical Dictionary" - posthumous edition (1892)
- Blavatsky H.P. "Letters to Friends and Colleagues". Collection. Transl. from English. - M., 2002. - 784 with ISBN 5-93975-062-1
- Blavatsky H. P. "Practical Occultism"
- Blavatsky H. P. Neo-Buddhism. H. P. Blavatsky's response to the criticism of Vl. S. Solovyov of the book "The Key to Theosophy"
Public attitude
The attitude of the Russian public at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century towards the activities of Blavatsky was represented by a wide variety of opinions: from a direct accusation mildly - in a talented literary hoax (S. Yu. Witte) or rudely - in charlatanism and hypocrisy (Vs. S. Solovyov, 3. A. Vengerov), through a restrained recognition of her merits and the importance of theosophical knowledge (S. Solovyov, Merezhkovsky, Vyacheslav Ivanov, Nikolai Berdyaev) to their popularization by the Russian Theosophical Society and L. N. Tolstoy. Blavatsky's ideas received a logical continuation in the teaching of Living Ethics (Agni Yoga), influenced the development of Russian cosmism, anthroposophy, and became the basis of the modern New Age movement.
S. Yu. Witte
S. Yu. Witte, Blavatsky's cousin, writes in his memoirs:
I remember that when I met Katkov in Moscow, he spoke to me about my cousin Blavatsky, whom he did not personally know, but whose talent he admired, considering her an absolutely outstanding person. At that time his magazine Russkiy Vestnik was publishing Blavatsky's well-known stories "In the wilds of Hindustan", and he was very surprised when I expressed my opinion that Blavatsky should not be taken seriously, although, undoubtedly, she had some kind of supernatural talent.
she could write entire pages in verse that flowed like music and contained nothing serious; she wrote with ease all sorts of newspaper articles on the most serious topics, not at all knowing thoroughly the subject about which she wrote; she could, looking into her eyes, say and tell the most unprecedented things, expressing herself in a different way - a lie, and with such conviction, with which only those people speak who never say anything but the truth. Telling unprecedented things and untruths, she, apparently, herself was sure that what she was saying really was, that it was true - therefore I cannot but say that there was something demonic in her, that was in her, saying simply something devilish, although, in essence, she was a very gentle, kind person. She had such enormous blue eyes, which I have never seen in anyone else in my life, and when she began to tell something, and especially a fable, a lie, these eyes sparkled terribly all the time, and therefore it does not surprise me, that she had a tremendous influence on many people who were inclined to gross mysticism, to everything unusual.
Society for Psychical Research
To gain credibility among her followers, Blavatsky turned to demonstrating "violations of the laws of material nature" which included letters she claimed coming from the Mahatmas falling into her hands from the ceiling, inexplicable appearances of various objects (flowers, cups, brooches), "energy exchanges" and etc. In 1884, the Colombes, who had previously been supporters of Blavatsky, made public several letters that they claimed belonged to her. They said that these phenomena were in the nature of a hoax.
Report of R. Hodgson (1885)
The resulting scandal led the London Society for Psychical Research in 1885 to publish a report by the Society's commission, mostly written by Richard Hodgson, in which the authors accused Blavatsky of fraud. Specifically, Hodgson's report stated:
We do not see in her either a representative of the mysterious sages, much less a simple adventurer. We agree that she has earned her place in history as one of the most accomplished, witty, and interesting liars of our age.
Criticism of the report
In 1986, the Society for Psychical Research published a work by Vernon Harrison, former President of the Royal Photographic Society, an expert in forgery and falsification and a member of the PSI, in which the author argued that the 1885 report was unscientific, incomplete, and therefore did not deserve trust. After that, the OPI published a press release "Based on a new study, Madame Blavatsky, co-founder of the Theosophical Society, was accused unfairly", which reported that "the" exposure "of the Russian-born occultist Madame H. P. Blavatsky, with whom in 1885 OPI's speech raises serious doubts in connection with the publication in the Journal of the OPI (volume 53, 1986, April) of a convincing criticism of the 1885 report. However, it was noted:
The Society for Psychical Research does not make collective decisions. Thus, it was not the PSI that blamed Madame Blavatsky in 1885, but only the PSI Committee, whose report was written, for the most part, by Dr. Hodgson. Likewise, Dr. Harrison's conclusion represents only his personal opinion.
Researcher Kenneth Johnson believes that many of the questions raised by the Hodgson report were left unanswered in Harrison's publication.
Accusation of plagiarism
Blavatsky was also accused of plagiarism. Thus, the American spiritualist William Coleman, the author of a number of critical articles on Blavatsky and Theosophy, which appeared in various spiritualist journals, declared that there were more than two thousand passages in Blavatsky's book ("Isis Unveiled"), which were borrowed from a hundred books, the vast majority of which were taken from occult writings of the 19th century. Coleman's main accusation was that Blavatsky allegedly did not work with sources, but took almost everything second-hand. These accusations of the American researcher, in turn, were criticized. It turned out that Blavatsky used other people's texts professionally: there are about 2,400 footnotes in Isis.
Vsevolod Solovyov
On the basis of a personal acquaintance with Blavatsky, Vsevolod Solovyov, in 1892-1893, that is, after the death of H. P. Blavatsky, published a series of essays about meetings with her in the Russkiy Vestnik magazine, under the general title "The Modern Priestess of Isis." In 1893 these essays appeared as a separate book, with a dedication to "The London Society for Psychical Research" and to all attentive readers, and in 1895 the OPI published an English translation in London, edited by Walter Leaf. The book reports that during one of Solovyov's meetings with Blavatsky, she told him the following:
What to do, she said, when in order to possess people, it is necessary to deceive them, when in order to captivate them and make them chase after anything, you need to promise them and show them toys ... After all, be my books and The Theosophist is a thousand times more interesting and serious, would I have had any success anywhere, if there were no phenomena behind all this? I would have achieved absolutely nothing and would have died from hunger a long time ago. They would crush me... and no one would even begin to think that I, too, am a living being, I also want to drink and eat... But I understood these darling people long, long ago, and sometimes their stupidity gives me enormous pleasure... Here you are so "not satisfied" with my phenomena, but do you know that almost always, the simpler, stupider and cruder the phenomenon, the more surely it succeeds. Someday I can tell you such anecdotes on this subject that your tummies will burst with laughter, really! The vast majority of people who consider themselves and are considered smart are impenetrably stupid. If you only knew what lions and eagles, in all countries of the world, turned into donkeys to my whistle, and as soon as I whistled, they obediently clapped their huge ears to the beat! ...
Sun book. Solovyov was criticized by the publicist V.P. Burenin (who had a very controversial reputation):
Mud, and, moreover, the most unceremonious, our whistleblower (Soloviev) brings down on the "modern priestess of Isis" ... so much that she would probably get enough for a whole huge mound over the fresh grave of this Russian woman, who, even taking into account all her hobbies and delusions, voluntary and involuntary, nevertheless there was a very talented and wonderful woman ... In her zeal for the abundant outpouring of filth, Mr. Vs. Solovyov even seems to forget that the deceased was a woman, perhaps a very weak, very sinful woman, but ... worthy of respect and sympathy for the mere fact that we have few such women, we have such women out of the ordinary. reading Mr. Solovyov's revelations, I often involuntarily came to the following conclusion: either Mr. Vs. Solovyov ... speaking with an expression from one comedy, "willingly lies"; or, during his acquaintance with the priestess of Isis, he ... was not in a completely healthy state.
The writer and theosophist P.D. Uspensky, who was fond of esoteric teachings and was a follower of G.I. Gurdjieff, also criticized Solovyov’s publications:
Vsevolod Solovyov's book The Modern Priestess of Isis, from which many people know about Blavatsky, is full of petty malice, not entirely clear to the reader, and it all consists of a detective description of peeping, peeping, inquiring with servants and, in general, trifles, trifles and trifles that the reader cannot verify. And most importantly, that is, Blavatsky's books, her life and her ideas, do not exist at all for the author ....
The Russian Biographical Dictionary (1896-1918) notes that Solovyov's essays (as well as Zhelikhovskaya's book, by the way) "should be treated with extreme caution."
Blavatsky as a charismatic leader
A. N. Senkevich wrote about various memoirs about Blavatsky that “each era in the history of civilizations declares itself with new trends and fashions, most often reflecting the irrational nature of man and his unsuccessful attempts to overcome his own limitations. The so-called charismatic personalities, with their magnetic influence on people, in some incomprehensible way capture these trends and fashions and skillfully use them to their own advantage.
According to Dr. Kalnitsky, a scholar of the 19th century theosophical movement, the first and most indisputable fact that can be established in this area is that it was, for the most part, formed and defined on the basis of the vision and conceptual apparatus presented by Blavatsky. And without her charismatic leadership and uncompromising advancement of the theosophical program, it appears that this movement could not have reached its unique position. Charismatic leadership was supposed to instill inspiration and provide motivational impetus. At the same time, as a charismatic and controversial figure, Blavatsky has always provoked off-the-wall reactions, either positive or negative, and later assessments often reflect either excessive contempt towards her, or her glorification in the complete absence of any criticism.
Simultaneously with the growth of the mysticism that surrounded Blavatsky, her reputation among supporters of theosophy was strengthening. Thus, being recognized both as an active participant in various forms of extrasensory research and as a theorist capable of providing a detailed and exhaustive interpretation of them, she gained authority among those who sympathized with the type of worldview she proposed.
Blavatsky was firmly convinced that her destiny was to challenge the prevailing ideas, to offer an esoteric vision of reality based on the priority of pure and uncompromising spiritual values and the authenticity of supersensible and mystical forms of knowledge and experience. Despite the cynicism of critics, she has consistently maintained that her motives are altruistic and that her work should benefit humanity.
Cultural figures about Blavatsky
I bow before the great spirit and fiery heart of our great compatriot and I know that in the future Russia her name will be placed on the proper height of reverence. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, truly, is our national pride. Great Martyr for Light and Truth. Eternal glory to her!
E. I. Roerich, Russian religious philosopher
The more fair and kind words will be said about the great Russian woman [E. P. Blavatsky], the more necessary it is now. Until recently, we again heard that some people do not read books and at the same time, with gloating and injustice of ignorance, speak out about what they do not know and do not want. It is sad that some people are willing to fight, but not at all where their struggle is needed. Elena Ivanovna [Roerich] is convinced that there will be an Institute named after E. P. B[lavatskaya] in the Motherland
N. K. Roerich, Russian artist, traveler, public figure
Whatever critics say about Madame Blavatsky, or Colonel Olcott, or Dr. Besant, their contribution to the development of humanism will always remain extremely valuable.
Mahatma Gandhi, one of the leaders and ideologists of the Indian independence movement, philosopher
H. P. Blavatsky, perhaps the first, after a long stay in India, established a strong connection between these "savages" and our culture. This was the beginning of one of the greatest spiritual movements, which today unites a large number of people in the "Theosophical Society".
V. V. Kandinsky, Russian painter, graphic artist, one of the founders of abstract art
Scientific assessment of the doctrine
In the Library and Bibliographic Classification, released in 2012 by the three leading libraries of Russia (the Russian State Library, the Russian National Library, and the Russian Academy of Sciences), the theosophy of H. P. Blavatsky is assigned to the section “Philosophy in Russia”. Many specialists in the field of philosophy and religious studies took part in the preparation of this publication, including employees of the Department of Philosophy of Religion and Religious Studies of the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University.
Religious scholars attribute the teachings of H. P. Blavatsky to syncretic religious philosophy. Its main ideas are borrowed mainly from European mystical and occult literature, Gnosticism, Kabbalah, as well as from the teachings of Brahmanism, Buddhism and Hinduism. On the whole, “mysticism and atheism, comparative-historical religion and utopianism” found a bizarre reflection in the teaching. N. L. Pushkareva believes that "theosophy itself is a kind of pseudo-religion that requires faith in itself." L. S. Klein notes that Blavatsky “preaches esoteric (revealed only to the elite) Buddhism, having developed her own ‘theosophy’ (lit. wisdom of God) on its basis, although the idea of a personified God is alien to her. From Buddhism, her theosophy borrowed the idea of an impersonal God." According to A. V. Savvin, H. P. Blavatsky was one of the "prominent ideologists of the occult and Satanism."
Doctor of Philosophical Sciences M. S. Ulanov writes that H. P. Blavatsky was “one of the first Russian thinkers” who turned her gaze to the wisdom of the East, and in particular to the Buddhist religion. Convinced that almost all religions originated from a single source, she tried to find in the spiritual culture of India those “grains of truth”, which were later only developed in other civilizations. She believed that "the study of the numerous religious forms that mankind has ever professed, both in ancient and in recent times, confirms that they arose from pre-Vedic Brahmanism and Buddhism, and nirvana is the goal to which they are all striving." Blavatsky noted "the identity of the ethics of Theosophy and Buddhism." Buddhist ethics, from her point of view, "is the soul of Theosophy", and was previously the property of the "initiates" of the whole world.
According to N. L. Pushkareva, “at present, theosophy is seen as a syncretism of religion, devoid of full-fledged, traditional esotericism, elements of rationalistic science (primarily evolutionist theories) and abstract philosophy that does not correspond to traditional archetypes.” Theosophy of Blavatsky contains the influence of various religious trends, especially the Eastern ones.
Some researchers evaluate Blavatsky's theosophy as one of the major modern religious and philosophical trends in the West, and Helena Petrovna's life and work as occupying a special place in the history of philosophy.
Researchers explain the popularity of the teachings of H. P. Blavatsky in Europe by the fact that it offered a religion adapted to the thinking of the people of the 19th century, permeated with rationalism and positivism; in India, it met the quest of the local religious reformers, who sought to link the values of Hinduism with the values of other world religions.
At the end of the 20th century, there was a sharp increase in interest - including in scientific circles - in theosophical literature. Previously, until the beginning of "perestroika" in the mid-80s of the XX century, the publication of the works of H. P. Blavatsky was impossible for ideological reasons. For example, the Encyclopedic Dictionary of 1953 calls Theosophy "one of the forms of obscurantism of the reactionary bourgeoisie."
Some researchers compare the work of H. P. Blavatsky with the work of Russian philosophers, arguing that she stood at the origins of Russian cosmism (N. F. Fedorov). Blavatsky's teaching was reflected in the theories of the Russian cosmists and was close to the Russian avant-garde in philosophy and art.
Memory
Museum
In Dnepr, the hometown of Blavatsky, in the old city noble estate (the Fadeevs' house), the Museum Center of H. P. Blavatsky and her family was created (1990). In 1815-1834, the estate belonged to the state and public figure A. M. Fadeev and his wife, the naturalist E. P. Dolgoruky-Fadeeva. Their children grew up in this house, and in 1831 their eldest granddaughter was born.
Other
- In 1924, the famous artist, traveler and public figure Nicholas Roerich created the painting "Messenger", which he dedicated to Helena Blavatsky. On January 18, 1925, the artist presented this work as a gift to the Theosophical Society of Adyar.
- In Moscow, on May 8, 1991, the 100th anniversary of Blavatsky's death was celebrated in the Hall of Columns in the House of the Unions.
- In 2016, a street in the Park named after her was named after her. Lazar Globa in the Dnieper (Dnepropetrovsk).
- In his autobiographical book My Life, Mahatma Gandhi noted that his worldview was influenced by personal communication with members of the Theosophical Society and reading the works of H. P. Blavatsky.
Towards the end of my second year in England I became acquainted with two Theosophists who were brothers and both bachelors. They spoke to me about the Gita. They were reading Heavenly Song translated by Edwin Arnold and invited me to read the original with them. I was ashamed to admit that I had not read this divine poem in either Sanskrit or Gujarati. But I had to say that I had not read the Gita and would gladly read it with them... We started reading the Gita... The book seemed priceless to me. Over time, I became even stronger in my opinion and now I consider this book the main source of knowledge of the truth ... The brothers recommended that I also read The Light of Asia by Edwin Arnold, whom I had previously known only as the author of Heavenly Song. I have read this book with even more interest than the Bhagavad Gita. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. They also took me to the Blavatsky box and there introduced me to Madame Blavatsky... I remember that at the urging of the brothers I read Madame Blavatsky's Key to Theosophy. This book made me want to read books on Hinduism. I no longer believed the missionaries who claimed that Hinduism was full of prejudices.
- According to a book by publicist and political scientist Xenia Myalo, Mahatma Gandhi said that it would be a joy for him to "touch the edge of Madame Blavatsky's clothes."
- In 1927, the administration of the IX Panchen Lama Thubden Chö-gyi Nyima (1883-1937) helped the Chinese Society for the Study of Buddhism in Beijing to publish H. P. Blavatsky's The Voice of the Silence. The book was supplemented by a message from the IX Panchen Lama himself, written especially for this purpose:
All beings desire to be free from suffering.
Therefore, look for the causes of suffering and eliminate them.
On this path, liberation from suffering is achieved.
Therefore encourage all beings to enter this path. - In 1989, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Blavatsky's The Voice of the Silence, a commemorative edition was published, for which the 14th Dalai Lama wrote a foreword. In a preface entitled The Way of the Bodhisattva, the 14th Dalai Lama wrote:
I think this book has had a strong influence on many people who are sincerely seeking and striving to partake in the wisdom and compassion of the Bodhisattva Path. I wholeheartedly welcome this anniversary edition and express the hope that it will help many, many more.
- The 14th Dalai Lama said at an official meeting that Buddhist theologians highly value the writings of H. P. Blavatsky.
- In 1991, the film studio "Centrnauchfilm" shot the film "Who are you, Madame Blavatsky?". The main role in the film was played by People's Artist of the Russian Federation Irina Muravyova.
- It is widely believed that the year 1991 was allegedly declared by UNESCO as the year of memory of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. For example, this is indicated on the first pages of Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine, published by the Nauka publishing house in 1991 and in 1992 in the Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences magazine. However, references to official UNESCO documents confirming the fact are not provided in these sources. There are testimonies of a number of people who sent requests to UNESCO with requests to confirm or refute this information, and citing the texts of official letters received from UNESCO, which stated that “UNESCO does not announce any “Years” at all” and is only engaged in compiling a calendar of memorable dates. In the UNESCO Calendar of Memorable Dates for 1990-1991, which was compiled in 1989, the name of H. P. Blavatsky does not appear.
- All the works of H. P. Blavatsky are still reprinted, sometimes in several editions. Her writings have been translated into many European languages, as well as Hebrew, Arabic, Tamil, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and many other languages.
- In 1881, H. P. Blavatsky published in The Theosophist magazine an excerpt from F. M. Dostoevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov translated by her - "The Grand Inquisitor".
- In 1975, a commemorative stamp was issued by the Government of India to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Theosophical Society. The stamp depicts the seal of the Society and its motto: "There is no religion higher than truth."
