Every hundred years or so the Guides and Masters of our spiritual Hierarchy decide whether humanity is ready for more of the Ageless Wisdom Teachings to aid them in their spiritual development. They determine this from the soul light above their heads..
In the 19th century a great light was bequeathed to humanity to emblazon the dim horizon of the ineffable, manifested beauty and wisdom. Her name was Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. She was a disciple of the Master El Morya.
She was born of a highly aristocratic family on 8/12/1831 at 1:42 AM in Ekaterina, Ukraine 1. Her Father was Captain Peter Von Hahn. Her seventeen year old Mother was Helena Andreyevna Von Hahn, an author of nine novels. She was the daughter of Princess Dologoruff who spoke five languages, was a brilliant natural scientist especially in botany and geology. She wrote books on archeology, natural science, and numismatics. 2
Helena was prematurely born during a cholera epidemic. Since she was so sickly and puny, they decided to baptize her before she was twenty-four hours old. Everyone was invited to the ceremony including all the serfs. Helena's favorite aunt, was just three years of age. All held wax candles. Helena's little aunt was standing behind the priest. In the ritual when the Evil One was being denounced, the three year old child aunt became drowsy, the candle slanted towards the hem of the priest's robe. Before anyone noticed it, he was enveloped in flames. He and others were scorched. It was a bad omen. The superstitious serfs were convinced that Helena's life would be filled with vicissitudes; that she would have second sight, have power over the house goblins, be wise in the way of the witches and that she would be psychic. 3
As she grew older Helena became the pet of her Father's soldiers. She learned to ride any cossack horse bareback and to swear as they did. Most disturbing to the family was that Helena had a troupe of invisible playmates. Her favorite was a hunchback boy who got her into endless mischief. Wherever she went there were raps and noises. 4
When Helena's young Mother died of tuberculosis, Helena was eleven, her sister Vera was seven and her brother was two. They were taken to live with their grandparents. Her grandmother, Princess Dologoruff, was to be the dominant influence in her life.5
Helena was impatient of restraint. She had to have her own way at all costs. She mostly bowed to her grandmother's will, but not always. The tyranny of orthodox governesses, who tried to prepare her for marriage, made her teen age life miserable. Her joy came from reading all the hundreds of occult books in her grandfather's vast library before she was fifteen. 6
When one of her governesses said: "You will never find a man to marry you. No one would take such a spitfire as you for wife, not even the plumeless raven, Mr. Blavatsky." Helena retorted: "I could make Vikifor Vassilyevich Blavatsky propose anytime--the next time I see him, in fact". Three days later Mr. Blavatsky called, had proposed to the seventeen year old Helena and had been accepted.7 Helena had no intention of having sex with him. At the appropriate time she escaped. Her travels world-wide then began. In five years she had circled the globe.
At Constantinople she wanted to earn money offered to the one who won the steeplechase--Eighteen fences to jump with a wild horse which had killed two grooms. She jumped sixteen but at the seventeenth her horse reared and fell backwards and crushed her. Her master lifted her bloody body from under the horse. He was the same mysterious protector who had previously appeared at other times, especially when she was riding cossack horses and nearly fell off. 8
In London she worked as a pianist with the Philharmonic orchestra of London. When she recognized the man she called her Protector walking in a street with other Indian Princes. Her first impulse was to rush forward and speak to him, but he made a sign that held her back. The next day while she was sitting on a park bench in Hyde Park, this majestic Indian Prince sat beside her. He wanted her cooperation in a great work for mankind. He warned that the task would be far from easy. If she was willing to assist in this work she would have to spend time in Tibet in order to prepare for her unique role. Of course, she was willing to do anything he asked. 9
On Christmas night in 1858 Helena returned home to visit her family celebrating the wedding of Vera's sister-in-law. Helena discoursed on the subject of how magicians can change the weight of objects. All wanted her to demonstrate it. She had one of the young men test the weight of a small chess table. She fixed her eyes on the table with an intense gaze. She then motioned the young man to try the weight again. This time he was unable to move the table from the floor. After a number of people failed to lift the table, Helena said "Try to lift the table now, once more." Her brother expecting it to be heavy, almost lost his balance and dislocated his arm, for now the table came up feather light. Her father thought it was not worthy of consideration by serious people.10
Soon after these experiences a profound wound opened in the region of Helena's heart. She suffered intense agony, followed by a deathlike trance. The doctor examining the wound, suddenly saw a dark, ghostly hand slowly moving at intervals from the patient's neck to her waist. At the same time the room was filled with noises and sounds. The doctor was frightened. In a few days the wound healed. Helena never told anyone how she had come by this strange wound, which opened on occasions.11
In 1865 Helena lay close to death. Under the care of her loving Aunt she recovered. She had been through a great battle with occult forces that had almost killed her, but she emerged from the crisis complete master of those forces. In a letter to a relative she wrote:"I am cleansed and purified of that dreadful attraction to myself of stray spooks and the ethereal affinities. I am free, free, thanks to those whom I now bless at every hour of my life." 11a
Her training began in Tibet with the Masters in 1869. She stayed in the house of the Master Kuthumi Lal Singh, known as Master K.H. He insisted that she improve her English. She had a Yorkshire accent. He put his hand on her forehead, and asked her to try to pick out of his head the little he knows of the English language. Every day for two months after that, the Master K.H. gave her these telepathic lessons in English. 12
When Helena was 42 years old she received a letter from Master Morya to embark for America. She purchased a first-class ticket for $125. When she learned that a poorly dressed woman with two small children had been swindled by a supposed ticket agent for emigrants, Helena returned her first class ticket for a steerage ticket, so that the woman and her children could have passage. 13
In late 1874 Helena received a message from El Morya to attend the spiritualistic materializations taking place at the Eddy farmhouse in the State of Vermont. The journalist reporting the events in the Daily Graphic was one: Colonel Henry S. Olcott.
Helena's presence in the séance room brought some of her deceased acquaintances and relatives to the cast of materialized forms that had been parading nightly, while the medium William Eddy sat entranced. Colonel Olcott was delighted that these characters spoke and played songs in Russian. He wanted to change the opinions of a materialistic public. 14
Helena hoped to meet and find those in the spiritualistic movement who would assist her in the formation of the society for the divulging and distribution of the esoteric teachings. She was delighted that Colonel Olcott was chosen by the Masters to help her. He had all the traits necessary that she lacked. He was organized and was an attorney. They started the theosophical society in New York City.
Many in the spiritualistic movement who had loved ones who had passed away, turned against Helena, because she taught that it was not the soul that was manifesting through the medium, but the shells of dead people. The soul only manifests during suicides or through sudden violent acts or accidents. 15
Helena wrote "Isis Unveiled" with the help of the Masters in two years. She introduced in Isis the concept of an eternal Essence, the Causeless Cause, of which the spirit of man is a part. The thousand copies of the first impression of "Isis Unveiled" sold out in nine days. The Masters let Helena know that she had to take the headquarters of the Society to India. 16
In June 1878 English barristers and writers formed the "British Theosophical Society. On July 8, 1878 Helena went to City Hall in New York and became a naturalized citizen of the United States .17
Despite Olcott's devotion he had not yet even received a vision of his Master in his subtle body. Then one night he showed Helena a turban of amber striped fabric embroidered in yellow floss silk. Master El Morya had suddenly appeared in his room looking as real as if he were there in the flesh. The Master talked about the great work to be done for humanity. When Morya stood up to leave, he unwound the turban from his long raven locks and with a smile placed it on the table. That was to convince Olcott that the scene was not a hypnotic illusion. Since the doors were locked, Olcott realized that the Master must have traveled in his subtle body, which he had solidified temporarily. 18
In Bombay they had many inquiries. They conceived the idea of starting a monthly magazine which they called "The Theosophist". It appeared in October 1879.
Among the many letters received was one from Emma Coulomb. She wrote that she and her husband and been reduced to financial straits. She wanted to find a situation for herself and her husband in Bombay. Helena recalled that this woman had been kind to her in Cairo and had loaned her money. So Helena wrote that if she came to Bombay, she would offer her help. 19
In India at a picnic, Helena materialized an extra cup to match Mrs. Sinnett's rare English set, as they were one teacup short. At the request of Major Henderson of the British Security, she materialized a diploma of membership already made out in his name with the signature of the president. When he demanded more tests of her powers, she lost her temper. Then he proceeded to give her some bad publicity.20
Alfred Percy Sinnett, Editor of "The Pioneer" wanted to be in touch directly with the Masters. Helena told him to write a letter. She would send it and see what happens. Her simplest method of communication was to hold the sealed envelope against her forehead, then she told the Master to be ready for a communication. 21
Several days later Mr. Sinnett unlocked a drawer of his writing desk and found a letter from Master Kuthumi Lal Singh. It was the beginning of Sinnett's famous four year correspondence with the great Brotherhood. Based on what he learned from the letters, he wrote his book, "Esoteric Buddhism".
In Ceylon seven branches of the Theosophical Society were formed.
Helena had Bright's disease of the kidneys. Many times she was healed by her Master. Master Morya came to their Society in Adyar, India in his subtle form, almost every day in the early part of 1883.
The dream of the housekeeper, Emma Coulomb, was to put away enough money to start a hotel. Helena blocked all attempts to extract money from the rich members of the Society. Emma asked Prince Harisinghji for a loan of 2,000 rupees. He asked Madame Blavatsky's approval before lending money to her. Helena did not approve, as a loan meant a gift in this case. Emma was so infuriated that she was determined to wreck Helena's anti-Christian Society.22
When Helena read an article of the London Times, it pierced her heart with a sharp blade of horror. It gave extracts of letters which Helena was supposed to have written to Emma Coulomb. The conclusion to be drawn from the article was that the Mahatmas were Helena's own invention; that she had fooled everyone, including Colonel Olcott. Alexis Coulomb was an excellent counterfeiter. The Coulombs had taken the letters to one of Helena's worst enemies among the missionaries, the Editor of the Christian College Magazine. The Masters had hinted of a plot but had not ordered her back to India. 23
The year 1886 was known as the "black Fridays". The Society for Psychical Research published a scathing report branding her as an impostor. They interviewed Emma Coulomb and believed her. Bawaji, a probationary disciple, had declared that Helena had been more of a mother to him. While Bawaji, was in the German section of the Theosophical Society he was doing much mischief. Adulation, vanity, personal ambition had gone to his head. Even T. Subba Row had agreed with A.O. Hume that the Theosophical Society should not defend Madame Blavatsky's phenomena. He thought that she had cheapened the names of the Mahatmas. V.S. Solovyov, a Russian journalist, had seemed to be one of her greatest admirers. Helena said that he turned round against her like a mad dog. Actually he wanted desperately to be brought closer to the Masters. He returned to Russia and set everyone in her family against her. 24
Helena's sister, Vera, was with Helena in Ostend, Germany. Vera wanted Helena to create gold and gems to enrich themselves. Helena rolled a cigarette and said "If I used the sacred powers to enrich us, I would ruin us both, not only in the present life, but probably for long centuries to come. The Master will always see that I have enough money." Vera was not convinced. 25
In addition to the writing of The Secret Doctrine, Master El Morya wanted Helena to teach a small band of dedicated faithful disciples in London. 26
In 1887 in London Helena was working on the Secret Doctrine and the production of the magazine: "Lucifer". Her 6000 word "Open Letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury" shocked a great many people. 27
Some one dared to ask her: "Why is it that you, a natural clairvoyant, cannot even tell your friends from your foes...the Coulombs, for instance?" Helena responded: "Ah my friend, a person's cloudy, forbidding aura may fill me with misgivings, but there is ALWAYS the divine spark I see within. Who am I to deny anyone the chance of profiting by the truths I can teach, and entering upon the Path? It does not matter that I personally, risk the consequences of deception, hatred, vengeance--while there is hope for the other's redemption".
Embolden by this compassionate reply, another one said: "Madame, you preach control of temper, but you yourself go into outbursts now and then."
That," she replied, "is my loss and your gain. If I did not have that temper, I should have become an Adept by this time, and no longer be here among you."28
Much of the material for "The Secret Doctrine" came to her in what she calls the "astral light," either by conscious concentration or by other means. Her works had been produced through similar occult methods. Who could name all the Great Ones who had contributed something to this "Secret Doctrine".29
In October 1888, the first impression of The Secret Doctrine came off the press. A review copy was sent to Mr. W.T. Stead, the London Editor. He, turned over the pages of the two thick volumes to a woman he admired: Annie Besant.30
Annie was so impressed with the books that she begged to be a disciple of Madame Blavatsky.
Marguerite dar Boggia presently serves as Secretary and Membership Chairperson of ISAR (the International Society for Astrological Research). She formerly served as publisher of Kosmos, the ISAR Journal and as Secretary and Director of ISAR and UAC, (the United Astrology Congress). She was a co-founder of UAC. Her articles are published in the ISAR journal and in other publications. At this time she offers FREE of charge three pages weekly online of the Ancient Wisdom Teachings as was known by Pythagoras.
References:
1Murphet, Howard When Daylight Comes, Theosophical Publishing House, 1975 pg. 5
2Ibid p. 14
3Ibid pp. 5,6
4Ibid p. 9
5Ibid p. 13
6Ibid p. 18
7Ibid p.22
8Ibid p. 29
9Ibid p. 30
10Ibid pp 40-41
11Ibid p. 45
11aIbid p. 53
12Ibid p. 58
13Ibid p. 66
14Ibid pp. 79-81
15Ibid p. 95
16Ibid pp. 102-104
17Ibid p. 110
18Ibid pp. 111-112
19Ibid p. 122
20Ibid p.123
21Ibid pp.124-125
22Ibid pp.146-147
23Ibid pp. 163-164
24Ibid pp. 189-193
25Ibid p. 199
26Ibid p. 201
27Ibid p. 215
I28bid p. 218
29Ibid p. 225
30Ibid p. 230
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