More than one hundred years ago, on a May 8th, Helena Petrovna
Blavatsky left the world of the living to enter her beloved kingdom of
mystery, myth and symbolism, of spirituality without frontiers. That
strange and extraordinary women who was known as H.P.B. had earned her
immortality, and made Time her best ally to vindicate her many
accomplishments, which her era, unbelieving and even cruel, had
discarded.
How does one define H.P.B.? How does one summarize her cyclopean works,
her "rowing against the current," into a handful of lines? It is
immensely difficult, and that is why we prefer to dedicate to her a
humble homage of a few words.
She was a compendium of forgotten teachings, a rekindler of an
esoterism of which only ruins remained, or rather the habitual
pillagers of the ruins. She was an inexhaustible adventurer to whom no
barriers existed, neither when it came to traveling nor when contacting
the Superior Beings or Masters who she loved and served loyally. She
was a courageous soul capable of confronting ignorance, fear, rudeness,
envy, betrayal and falsehoods. She made Truth her standard and
maintained it as her sanctuary.
She was a tireless seeker of spiritual treasures, a prolific and
tenacious author, an articulate conversationalist, and true friend to
all who surrounded her. She knew of riches and of misery, of glory and
of sickness, of followers and of loneliness. She possessed the innate
magic of the gifted and the penetrating vision of those who have been
able to see beyond the veil of illusions.
Above all, she made Wisdom and the practice of it-Philosophy-a
veritable priesthood for the men and women anxious to discover the
secret of Life. "There is nothing higher than Truth," she once said,
and also declared, "Honor Truth with deeds." For all these reasons, we
who today follow in her footsteps salute her as Master, eternally
living and present.
We have selected from her works, to use the words of H.P.B., "a simple
bouquet"-its flowers made of ideas as fresh and generous as they were
in the last century.
"During this century (these
teachings) shall initially be scoffed at, but in the twentieth century,
the scholars shall begin to recognize that the Secret Doctrine was not
invented nor was it exaggerated, on the contrary it was merely an
outline. This is not pretentious prophesying, only a simple affirmation
based on knowledge attained through action. In every century there is
in place a trial to demonstrate to the world that Occultism is not a
vain superstition. Once the door remains somewhat open, it shall
continue to open more and more in successive centuries.".
"Egoism
forms a great barrier between the personal self and Truth-it is the
mother of all vices. Lies are born out of a necessity to deceive, and
hypocrisy emerges out of the desire to mask a lie. It is a cancer that
grows, gnaws and destroys everything that is innately natural and this
egoism is the sole divinity that does not fear being denied by its
disciples; it reigns, by consequence, in our world of conveniences, in
that which we call the respectable world.".
"No
person, neither man or woman, recognizes his/her moral strength without
having been previously taught; there are thousands which the world
considers worthy and respectable because they have never been put to
the test.".
"Duty
is that which is owed to Humanity, to our peers, our neighbors, our
families, and especially to all of those who are more poor and forsaken
than ourselves. This is a debt which, if not satisfied in our
lifetimes, makes us spiritually bankrupt and fosters a state of broken
morals in our forthcoming incarnation".
"The
conditions of evolution are within and not without, and by fortune are
independent of circumstances and conditions of earthly life. That is
why all shall awaken at some point, climbing and conquering peak after
peak and cooperating with nature by accomplishing the true purpose of
life.".
H.P.BLAVATSKY
In 1831, in the Russian city of Ekaterinoslav,
Helena Petrovna Hahn was born, the figure who a few years later known
as Madame Blavatsky, would create a commotion in the materialistic
scientific world and the narrow-mindedness of the Occident.
Her ancestral origins go back to the times of Rurik of Novgorod and to
the origins of Russia. Her family's history is the history of Russia.
Escaping societal conventions which restrained her restless spirit, she
began traveling around the world. By the end of her life she had
circled the globe seven times researching, teaching and collecting
information. In these travels she contacted oriental masters and
rescued ancient wisdom from centuries of slumber. In 1875, together
with Col. Olcott and a group of intellectuals, she founded the
International Theosophical Society. Its aims were to seek the truths
hidden in the arts, sciences and religions of ancient times through
eclectic philosophy; and unity among all men.
Although Col. Olcott was in charge of the direction and organization of
the Theosophical Society, H.P. Blavatsky directed the Esoteric Section
of the society-the never ending fount from which all the founders of
subsequent schools drank: Anthroposophy, the Arcane school, the
Rosicrucian Order or A.M.O.R.C., the Liberal Catholic Church, etc.
Of her published works we could cite: The Voice of the Silence, Studies
in Occultism, From the Caves and Jungles of Hindustan, The Key to
Theosophy, Isis Unveiled, The Secret Doctrine, Theosophical Glossary,
and hundreds of articles published in numerous magazines worldwide.
