By Kristy McCaffrey
The rise of science in the 19th century had had a
paradoxical effect—it undermined faith in Christianity and the literal word of
the Bible while also creating an enormous void for an explanation to the
mysteries of the universe. People became caught up in table-rapping,
materialization, séances,
clairvoyance, palmistry, and crystal-gazing.
In 1849, Blavatsky visited Europe, the Americas, and India,
and it was during this period that she encountered a group of spiritual adepts
known as the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom. They sent her to Tibet where she
developed her psychic powers. Many critics dispute these claims, saying she
fabricated these travels.
By the 1870’s, Blavatsky was involved in the Spiritualist
movement, supporting the existence of Spiritualist phenomena (making contact
with elementals and spirits). In 1875, she co-founded the Theosophical Society,
describing Theosophy (wisdom of the gods) as “the synthesis of science,
religion and philosophy.” Based heavily on occult teachings and Eastern
religions, her work in the Theosophy movement influenced the spread of Hindu
and Buddhist ideas in the West, with some Theosophists becoming Buddhists.
According to Blavatsky’s biographer, Marion Meade, people
across the globe furiously debated whether the medium was “a genius, a
consummate fraud, or simply a lunatic.” Madame Blavatsky had professed to be a
virgin, but in fact, she had two husbands and an illegitimate son. She claimed
to be an apostle of asceticism but smoked up to two hundred cigarettes a day
and swore like a soldier. She was considered an enlightened guru while at the
same time ridiculed as a fraudulent charlatan and plagiarist, but there is no doubt
that her ideas eventually led to the New Age movement in the 1970’s.
Blavatsky died of influenza in 1891 at the age of 59 in the
home of her disciple and successor, Annie Besant.
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2 comments:
Wow! What a character! I never heard of her before, and my first thought is what she could have done if she were born in these times and had access to social media. Thanks for a fun and interesting post.
Thanks, Patti!!
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