THE
BIOGRAPHY OF
HELENA
PETROVNA
BLAVATSKY
theosophycardiff@uwclub.net
____________________________
Cardiff
Theosophical Society
Mission
Statement
The
dominant and core activity of Cardiff Theosophical Society
is to
promote and assist the study of Theosophical Teachings
as
defined by the writings of Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky,
William Quan Judge, Alfred Percy Sinnett and
their lineage.
This
Mission Statement does not preclude non Theosophical
activities
but these must be of a spiritual nature
and/or
compatible with the Objects of the Society.
____________________________
The Biography of
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky
1831-1891
The
Founder of Modern Theoosphy
Helena Petrovna von Hahn was born at Ekaterinoslav
(now Dniepropetrovsk.), a town on the river
Russia at the Time
of H P Blavatsky’s Birth
Russian Society at the Time of H P Blavatsky’s Birth
When almost eighteen, she married the middle-aged
Nikifor V. Blavatsky, Vice-Governor of the
father.
The Great Exhibition (London) of 1851
On her twentieth birthday, in 1851, being then in London,
she met the individual whom she had known in her psycho-spiritual visions from childhood
--- an Eastern Initiate of Rajput birth, the Mahatma Morya or M. as he became
known in later years among Theosophists. He told her something of the work that
was in store for her, and from that moment she accepted fully his guidance.
Later the same year,
She returned to
a covered wagon.
In late 1855, she left for India via Japan and the
Straits. On this trip she succeeded in entering Tibet through Kashmir and
Ladakh, undergoing part of her occult training with her Master. In 1858 she was
in France and Germany, and returned to Russia in the late Fall of the same
year, staying a short time with her sister Vera at Pskov. From 1860 to 1865,
she lived and traveled through the Caucasus, experiencing a severe physical and psychic crisis
which placed her in complete control over her occult powers.
She left Russia again in the autumn of 1865, and travelled
extensively through the Balkans, Greece, Egypt, Syria and Italy and various
other places.
In 1868 she went via India to Tibet. On this trip
H.P.B. met the Master Koot Hoomi (K.H.) for the first time and stayed in his
house in Little Tibet. In late 1870 she was back in Cyprus and Greece.
Embarking for Egypt, she was shipwrecked near the island of Spetsai on July 4,
1871; saved from drowning, she went to Cairo where she tried to form a Societe
Spirite which soon failed.
After further travels through the Middle East, she
returned for a short time to her relatives at Odessa, Russia in July, 1872. In
the Spring of 1873, Helena was instructed by her Teacher to go to Paris, and on
further direct orders from him, left for New York City where she landed July 7,
1873.
H.P. Blavatsky was then forty-two years old and in
controlled possession of her many and most unusual spiritual and occult powers.
In the opinion of the Mahatmas,
she was the best available instrument for the work they had in mind, namely to
offer to the world a new presentation, though only in brief outline of the
age-old Theosophia, "The accumulated Wisdom of the ages, tested and
verified by generations of Seers...," that body of Truth of which religions,
great and small, are but as branches of the parent tree. The Mahatmas assess H P
B’s suitability as a teacher in the Mahatmas Letters to A P Sinnett.
Her task was to challenge on the one hand the
entrenched beliefs and dogmas of Christian Theology and on the other the
equally dogmatic materialistic view of the science of her day. A crack,
however, had recently appeared in the twofold set of mental fortifications. It
was caused by Spiritualism, then sweeping America. To quote Helena’s own words:
"I was sent to prove the phenomena and their reality, and to show the
fallacy of the spiritualistic theory of spirits."
In October, 1874, H.P.B. was put in touch by her
Teachers with Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, a man of sterling worth who had
acquired considerable renown during the Civil War, had served the U.S.
Government with distinction, and was at the time practicing law in New York.
She also met William Quan Judge, a young Irish Lawyer, who was to play a unique
role in the future Theosophical work.
On September 7, 1875, these three leading figures,
together with several others, founded a society which they chose to call The
Theosophical Society, as promulgating the ancient teachings of Theosophy, or the Wisdom
concerning the Divine which had been the spiritual basis of other great movements
of the past, such as Neo-Platonism, Gnosticism, and the Mystery-Schools of the
Classical world. The Inaugural Address by the President-Founder, Colonel Olcott, was delivered November 17, 1875, a
date which is considered to be the official date of the founding of the
Society. Starting from a generalized statement of objectives, namely, "to
collect and diffuse a knowledge of the laws which govern the Universe,"
the Founders soon expressed them more specifically. After several minor changes
in wording, the Objects stand today as follows:
1. To form a nucleus of the Universal
Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or
color.
2. To encourage the study of Comparative
Religion, Philosophy and Science.
3. To investigate unexplained laws of Nature,
and the powers latent in man.
In September 1877, a powerful impact was made upon the
reading and thinking public by the publication of H.P. Blavatsky’s first
monumental work, Isis Unveiled, which was issued by J.W. Bouton in New York
City, the one thousand copies of the first printing being sold within ten days.
The New York Herald-Tribune considered the work as one of the "remarkable
productions of the century," many other papers and journals speaking in
similar terms. Isis Unveiled outlines the history, scope and development of the
Occult Sciences,
the nature and origin of Magic, the roots of
Christianity, the errors of Christian Theology and the fallacies of established
orthodox Science, against the backdrop of the secret teachings which run as a
golden thread through bygone centuries, coming up to the surface every now and
then in the various mystical movements of the last two thousand years or so.
On July 8, 1878, H.P. Blavatsky was naturalized as a
U.S. citizen, an event which received publicity in various newspapers. In December of the same year, H.P. Blavatsky
and Colonel Olcott left for India via England.
Arriving in Bombay in February, 1879, they established
their Theosophical Headquarters in that city. Soon after landing, they were
contacted by Alfred Percy Sinnett, then Editor of the Government Paper, The
Pioneer of Allahabad.
This contact soon proved of the utmost importance.
After a tour of northwestern India, the Founders returned to Bombay and
started, in October, 1879, their first Theosophical Journal, The Theosophist
(still published today), with H.P. Blavatsky as Editor. The society experienced
then a rapid growth, and some very remarkable people were attracted to it both
in India and elsewhere.
During May-July, 1880 the Founders spent some time in
Ceylon (Sri Lanka), where Colonel Olcott laid the foundations for his later
work to stimulate the revival of Buddhism. They both took "Pancha
Sila" or became officially Buddhists.In September and October, 1880,
H.P.B. and Colonel Olcott visited
A.P. Sinnett and his wife Patience at Simla in
northern India. The serious interest of Sinnett in the teachings and the work
of the Theosophical Society prompted H.P. Blavatsky to establish a contact by
correspondence between Sinnett and the two Adepts who were sponsoring the
Society, Mahatmas K.H. and M. From this correspondence Sinnett wrote The Occult
World (1881) and Esoteric Buddhism (1883), both of which had an enormous
influence in generating public interest in Theosophy. The replies and
explanations given by the Mahatmas to the questions by Sinnett were embodied in
their letters from 1880 to 1885 and were published in 1923 as The Mahatma
Letters to A.P. Sinnett. The original letters from these Teachers are preserved
in the British Library where they can be viewed by special permission in the
Department of Rare Manuscripts.
In May, 1882, a large estate was bought in southern
India at Adyar, near Madras, and the Theosophical Headquarters were moved there
at the end of the year. This center became soon the radiating point for a
world-wide activity. Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott engaged in trips to
various outlying districts, founded Branches, received visitors, conducted an
enormous correspondence with inquirers, and filled their Journal with most
valuable and scholarly material the main purpose of which was to revitalize the
dormant interest on the part of India in the spiritual worth of their own
ancient Scriptures.
It is during this period that Colonel Olcott engaged
in widespread mesmeric healings until February, 1884, when he left for London
to petition the British Government on behalf of the Buddhists of Ceylon (Sri
Lanka). H.P. Blavatsky, then in rather poor health, went to Europe with him.
After staying almost five months in Paris and London,
H.P.B. visited the Gebhard family in Elberfeld, Germany during the late Summer
and early autumn of 1884 and was busily engaged in writing her second work, The
Secret Doctrine.
Meanwhile, a vicious attack on her by Alexis and Emma
Coulomb (two of her staff members at Adyar) was rapidly building up. She
returned to Adyar on December 21, 1884 to learn the details of the situation.
She wished to sue the couple, already dismissed from Adyar for their gross
libel on her concerning the supposed fraudulent production of psychic
phenomena. H.P.B. was, however, overruled by a Committee of leading T.S.
members, and in disgust resigned as Corresponding Secretary of the Society. On
March 31, 1885, she left for Europe, never to return to Indian soil.
The Coulomb attack, as was later proved, had no solid
foundation whatsoever. It was based on forged and partially forged letters,
purporting to have been written by H.P. Blavatsky, with instructions to arrange
fraudulent psychic phenomena of various kinds. A Christian missionary magazine
in Madras published the most incriminating portions of these letters.
Meanwhile, the Society for Psychical Research (London)
had appointed a special committee to investigate Madame Blavatsky’s claims.
Then, in December, 1884, Richard Hodgson, a member of this S.P.R. committee,
arrived in India to inquire into and report on the Coulombs’ allegations. Based
upon Hodgson’s findings, the S.P.R. committee in its final report of December,
1885, branded Madame Blavatsky "one of the most accomplished, ingenious
and interesting impostors in history." Mr. Hodgson also accused Madame
Blavatsky of being a Russian spy. This "S.P.R.-Hodgson" Report has
been the basis for most subsequent attacks on H.P. Blavatsky, as to her
dishonesty, the non-existence of her Masters, and the worthlessness of Theosophy.
This vicious attack had a most unfavorable effect on
H.P. Blavatsky’s health. Having left India for Europe, she settled first in
Italy and then in August, 1885 at Wurzburg, Germany, where she worked on The
Secret Doctrine. In July, 1886, she relocated to Ostend, Belgium, and in May of
1887, at the invitation of English Theosophists, she moved to a small house at
Upper Norwood, London.
After her arrival in England, Theosophical activities
immediately began to move rapidly. The Blavatsky Lodge was formed and started
publicizing Theosophical ideas.
As H.P. Blavatsky had virtually lost control of The
Theosophist, she founded in September, 1887 Lucifer, a monthly magazine
designed, as stated on its title-page, "to bring to light the hidden
things of darkness." Also in the same month, H.P.B. moved to 17 Lansdowne
Road, Holland Park, London.
H.P.B. continued to write her great work which was
finally completed and published in two large volumes in October-December, 1888.
Her indefatigable helpers in the transcription and editing of the manuscript
were Bertram Keightley and Archibald Keightley, whose financial backing was
also of immense assistance.
The Secret Doctrine was the crowning achievement of
H.P. Blavatsky’s literary career. Volume I is concerned mainly with the
evolution of the Universe. The skeleton of this volume is formed by seven
Stanzas, translated from the Book of Dzyan, with commentary and explanations by
H.P.B. Also in this volume is an extended elucidation of the fundamental
symbols contained in the great religions and mythologies of the world. The
second Volume contains a further series of Stanzas from the Book of Dzyan,
which describe the evolution of humanity.
Also in October, 1888, Madame Blavatsky formed the Esoteric
Section (or School) of the Theosophical
Society for the deeper study of the Esoteric Philosophy by dedicated students,
and wrote for them her three E. S. Instructions.
In 1889 H.P. Blavatsky published The Key to Theosophy,
"a clear Exposition, in the form of Question and Answer, of the Ethics,
Science and Philosophy for the study of which the Theosophical Society has been
founded," and the devotional mystical gem called The Voice of the Silence,
containing selected excerpts translated from an Eastern scripture, The Book of
the Golden Precepts, which she had learnt by heart during her training in the
East.
In July, 1890, H.P. B. established the European
Headquarters of the Theosophical Society at 19 Avenue Road, St. John’s Wood,
London.
At this address H.P. Blavatsky died on May 8, 1891,
during a severe epidemic of flu in England, and her remains were cremated at
Woking Crematorium, Surrey.
Against the background of her writings and teachings,
her life and character, her mission and occult powers, H.P. Blavatsky is
destined to be recognized in time as the greatest Occultist in the history of
Western civilization and a direct agent of the Trans-Himalayan
Brotherhood of Adepts.
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Theosophy and the Number Seven
A selection of articles relating to the esoteric
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The Spiritual Home of Urban Theosophy
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Quick Explanations
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What is Theosophy ? Theosophy Defined (More Detail)
Three Fundamental Propositions Key Concepts of Theosophy
Cosmogenesis Anthropogenesis Root Races
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Reincarnation Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott William Quan Judge
The Start of the Theosophical
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The Three Objectives of the
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THE PHYSICAL PLANE THE ASTRAL PLANE
KÂMALOKA
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THE THREE KINDS OF KARMA COLLECTIVE KARMA
THE LAW OF SACRIFICE MAN'S
ASCENT
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Annie Besant Visits Cardiff 1924
An Outline of Theosophy
Charles Webster Leadbeater
Theosophy - What it is How is it Known?
The Method of Observation General Principles
Advantage Gained from this
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The Deity The Divine Scheme The Constitution of Man
The True Man Reincarnation The Wider Outlook
Death Man’s Past and Future Cause and Effect
Reincarnation
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From A Textbook
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How We Remember our Past Lives
Life after Death & Reincarnation
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Slaughter of the Battle of the Somme 1916 leads to
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Classic Introductory Theosophy Text
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What Theosophy Is From the Absolute to Man
The Formation of a Solar System The Evolution of Life
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The Result of Theosophical Study
The Occult World
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The Occult World is an treatise on the
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Preface to the American Edition Introduction
Occultism and its Adepts The Theosophical Society
First Occult Experiences Teachings of Occult Philosophy
Later Occult Phenomena Appendix
The Seven Principles of Man
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Katherine Tingley (1847 -1929)Was the founder &
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She and her students produced a series of informative
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Elementary Theosophy Who is the Man?
Body and Soul
Body, Soul and Spirit Reincarnation
Karma The Seven in Man and Nature
Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky 1831 – 1891
The
Founder of Modern Theosophy
Index of
Articles by
By
H P
Blavatsky
Is the Desire to Live Selfish?
Ancient Magic in Modern Science
Precepts Compiled by H P Blavatsky
Obras
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En
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Articles
about the Life of H P Blavatsky
Writings of Ernest Egerton Wood
Theosophy and the Number Seven
A selection of articles relating to the esoteric
significance of the Number 7 in Theosophy
Index of
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H P Blavatsky’s Secret Doctrine
Isis Unveiled by H P Blavatsky
H P Blavatsky’s Esoteric Glossary
Mahatma Letters to A P Sinnett 1 - 25
A Modern Revival of Ancient Wisdom
(Selection of Articles by H P Blavatsky)
The Secret Doctrine – Volume 3
A compilation of H P Blavatsky’s
writings published after her death
Esoteric Christianity or the Lesser Mysteries
The Early Teachings of The
Masters
A Collection of Fugitive Fragments
Fundamentals of the Esoteric
Philosophy
Mystical,
Philosophical, Theosophical, Historical
and Scientific
Essays Selected from "The Theosophist"
Edited by George
Robert Stow Mead
From Talks on the Path of Occultism - Vol. II
In the Twilight”
Series of Articles
The In the
Twilight” series appeared during
1898 in The
Theosophical Review and
from 1909-1913 in The Theosophist.
compiled from
information supplied by
her relatives and friends and edited by A P Sinnett
Letters and
Talks on Theosophy and the Theosophical Life
Obras
Teosoficas En Espanol
Theosophische
Schriften Auf Deutsch
Karma Fundamental Principles Laws: Natural and Man-Made
The Law of Laws
The Eternal Now
Succession
Causation
The Laws of Nature A Lesson of The Law Karma Does Not Crush
Apply This Law
Man in The Three Worlds Understand The Truth
Man and His Surroundings The Three Fates
The Pair of Triplets
Thought, The Builder Practical Meditation Will and Desire
The Mastery of Desire Two Other Points The Third Thread
Perfect Justice
Our Environment
Our Kith and Kin Our Nation
The Light for a Good Man Knowledge of Law The Opposing Schools
The More Modern View Self-Examination Out of the Past
Old Friendships
We Grow By Giving Collective Karma Family Karma
National Karma India’s Karma National
Disasters
Annotated Edition Published
1885
Preface to the Annotated Edition Preface to the Original Edition
Esoteric Teachers The Constitution of Man The Planetary Chain
The World Periods Devachan
Kama Loca
The Human Tide-Wave The Progress of Humanity
Buddha Nirvana The Universe
The Doctrine Reviewed
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Modern Theosophy
Dictionary
definitions of “Theosophy” do not adequately convey its meaning as used in the
context of the Theosophical Movement. Modern Theosophy is generally defined by
the writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, William Quan Judge, Alfred Percy
Sinnett and later writers in the same lineage. Theosophy does not have dogma or
specific beliefs but rather presents ideas for consideration with everything
being negotiable.
The orginal
Theosophical Society was established in
____________________________
Cardiff
Theosophical Society
Mission
Statement
The
dominant and core activity of Cardiff Theosophical Society
is to
promote and assist the study of Theosophical Teachings
as
defined by the writings of Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky,
William Quan Judge, Alfred Percy Sinnett and
their lineage.
This
Mission Statement does not preclude non Theosophical
activities
but these must be of a spiritual nature
and/or
compatible with the Objects of the Society.
____________________________
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