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[[File:Helena Blavatsky.jpg|350px|thumb|Helena Blavatsky in 1877]] | [[File:Helena Blavatsky.jpg|350px|thumb|Helena Blavatsky in 1877]] | ||
'''Helena Petrovna Blavatsky''' (12 August [O.S. 31 July] 1831 – 8 May 1891), often known as '''Madame Blavatsky''', was a Russian and American mystic and author who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She gained an international following as the leading theoretician of Theosophy. | '''Helena Petrovna Blavatsky''' (12 August [O.S. 31 July] 1831 – 8 May 1891), often known as '''Madame Blavatsky''', was a Russian and American mystic and author who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She gained an international following as the leading theoretician of [[Theosophy]]. | ||
==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
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Blavatsky was intrigued by a news story about William and Horatio Eddy, brothers based in Chittenden, Vermont, who it was claimed could levitate and manifest spiritual phenomena. She visited Chittenden in October 1874, there meeting the reporter Henry Steel Olcott, who was investigating the brothers' claims for the ''Daily Graphic''. Claiming that Blavatsky impressed him with her own ability to manifest spirit phenomena, Olcott authored a newspaper article on her. They soon became close friends, giving each other the nicknames of "Maloney" (Olcott) and "Jack" (Blavatsky). | Blavatsky was intrigued by a news story about William and Horatio Eddy, brothers based in Chittenden, Vermont, who it was claimed could levitate and manifest spiritual phenomena. She visited Chittenden in October 1874, there meeting the reporter Henry Steel Olcott, who was investigating the brothers' claims for the ''Daily Graphic''. Claiming that Blavatsky impressed him with her own ability to manifest spirit phenomena, Olcott authored a newspaper article on her. They soon became close friends, giving each other the nicknames of "Maloney" (Olcott) and "Jack" (Blavatsky). | ||
He helped attract greater attention to Blavatsky's claims, encouraging the ''Daily Graphics'' editor to publish an interview with her, and discussing her in his book on ''Spiritualism, People from the Other World'' (1875), which her Russian correspondent Alexandr Aksakov urged her to translate into Russian. She began to instruct Olcott in her own [[occult]] beliefs, and encouraged by her he became celibate, tee-totaling, and vegetarian, although she herself was unable to commit to the latter. | He helped attract greater attention to Blavatsky's claims, encouraging the ''Daily Graphics'' editor to publish an interview with her, and discussing her in his book on ''[[Spiritualism]], People from the Other World'' (1875), which her Russian correspondent Alexandr Aksakov urged her to translate into Russian. She began to instruct Olcott in her own [[occult]] beliefs, and encouraged by her he became celibate, tee-totaling, and vegetarian, although she herself was unable to commit to the latter. | ||
At a Miracle Club meeting on 7 September 1875, Blavatsky, Olcott, and Irish Spiritualist, William Quan Judge, agreed to establish an esoteric organization, with Charles Sotheran suggesting that they call it the Theosophical Society. The term ''theosophy'' came from the Greek ''theos'' ("god(s)") and ''sophia'' ("wisdom"), thus meaning "god-wisdom" or "divine wisdom." The term was not new, but had been previously used in various contexts by the Philaletheians and the [[Christianity|Christian]] mystic, Jakob Böhme. Theosophists would often argue over how to define Theosophy, with Judge expressing the view that the task was impossible. Blavatsky however insisted that Theosophy was not a religion in itself. Lachman has described the movement as "a very wide umbrella, under which quite a few things could find a place." | At a Miracle Club meeting on 7 September 1875, Blavatsky, Olcott, and Irish Spiritualist, William Quan Judge, agreed to establish an esoteric organization, with Charles Sotheran suggesting that they call it the Theosophical Society. The term ''[[theosophy]]'' came from the Greek ''theos'' ("god(s)") and ''sophia'' ("wisdom"), thus meaning "god-wisdom" or "divine wisdom." The term was not new, but had been previously used in various contexts by the Philaletheians and the [[Christianity|Christian]] mystic, Jakob Böhme. Theosophists would often argue over how to define Theosophy, with Judge expressing the view that the task was impossible. Blavatsky however insisted that Theosophy was not a religion in itself. Lachman has described the movement as "a very wide umbrella, under which quite a few things could find a place." | ||
==''Isis Unveiled''== | ==''Isis Unveiled''== | ||
In 1875, Blavatsky began work on a book outlining her Theosophical worldview, much of which would be written during a stay in the Ithaca home of Hiram Corson, a Professor of English Literature at Cornell University. While writing it, Blavatsky claimed to be aware of a second consciousness within her body, referring to it as "the lodger who is in me", and stating that it was this second consciousness that inspired much of the writing. In ''Isis Unveiled'', Blavatsky quoted extensively from other esoteric and religious texts, although her contemporary and colleague Olcott always maintained that she had quoted from books that she did not have access to. | In 1875, Blavatsky began work on a book outlining her Theosophical worldview, much of which would be written during a stay in the Ithaca home of Hiram Corson, a Professor of English Literature at Cornell University. While writing it, Blavatsky claimed to be aware of a second consciousness within her body, referring to it as "the lodger who is in me", and stating that it was this second consciousness that inspired much of the writing. In ''Isis Unveiled'', Blavatsky quoted extensively from other esoteric and religious texts, although her contemporary and colleague Olcott always maintained that she had quoted from books that she did not have access to. | ||
Revolving around Blavatsky's idea that all the world's religions stemmed from a single "Ancient Wisdom," which she connected to the Western esotericism of ancient Hermeticism and Neoplatonism, it also articulated her thoughts on Spiritualism, and provided a criticism of Darwinian evolution, stating that it dealt only with the physical world and ignored the spiritual realms. | Revolving around Blavatsky's idea that all the world's religions stemmed from a single "Ancient Wisdom," which she connected to the Western esotericism of ancient Hermeticism and Neoplatonism, it also articulated her thoughts on [[Spiritualism]], and provided a criticism of Darwinian evolution, stating that it dealt only with the physical world and ignored the spiritual realms. | ||
The book was edited by Professor of Philosophy Alexander Wilder and published in two volumes by J.W. Bouton in 1877. Although facing negative mainstream press reviews, including from those who highlighted that it extensively quoted around 100 other books without acknowledgement, it proved to be such a commercial success, with its initial print run of 1,000 copies selling out in a week, that the publisher requested a sequel, although Blavatsky turned down the offer. While ''Isis Unveiled'' was a success, the Society remained largely inactive, having fallen into this state in autumn 1876. In July 1878, Blavatsky gained U.S. citizenship. | The book was edited by Professor of Philosophy Alexander Wilder and published in two volumes by J.W. Bouton in 1877. Although facing negative mainstream press reviews, including from those who highlighted that it extensively quoted around 100 other books without acknowledgement, it proved to be such a commercial success, with its initial print run of 1,000 copies selling out in a week, that the publisher requested a sequel, although Blavatsky turned down the offer. While ''Isis Unveiled'' was a success, the Society remained largely inactive, having fallen into this state in autumn 1876. In July 1878, Blavatsky gained U.S. citizenship. | ||