For the first time in my mental history I had found a teacher who could pick up the loose threads of my thought and satisfactorily weave them together, and the unerring skill, the vast knowledge, and the loving patience of the teacher grew on me hour by hour. Quickly I learned that the so-called charlatan and trickster was a noble soul, whose every day was spent in unselfish work, whose whole life was pure and simple as a child's, who counted never the cost of pain or toil if these could advance the great cause to which her every energy was consecrated. Open as the day to a certain point, she was the incarnation of kindness—silent as the grave if need be, she was sternness personified at the least sin of faithlessness to the work which was her life. Grateful, so grateful for every affectionate attention, careless, so careless of all that concerned herself, she bound us to her, not simply as a wise teacher, but as a loving friend (Caldwell 272).
For a brief time, the Gnostic scholar G.R.S. Mead served as the private secretary to Madame Blavatsky. One day she marched into Mead's office, tossed a manuscript on his desk and said, "Read that, old man, and tell me what you think of it." Staring at Mead was the third fragment of the Voice of the Silence, a spiritual guidebook that Blavatsky had translated from an ancient and obscure Tibetan work called "The Golden Book of Precepts." Being a meticulous and self-respecting scholar, Mead was not in the habit of giving gratuitous praise. After reading through the manuscript, however, he confessed that it was "the grandest thing in all our Theosophical literature." Mead describes her reaction to his words of praise:
But even then HPB was not content with her work, and expressed the greatest apprehension that she had failed to do justice to the original in her translation, and could hardly be persuaded that she had done well. This was one of her chief characteristics. Never was she confident of her own literary work, and [she] cheerfully listened to all criticism, even from persons who should have remained silent (Caldwell 275-6).
As one studies the writings of Blavatsky, it becomes increasingly clear that this writer possessed what "The Golden Stairs" calls an unveiled spiritual perception. Her inner vision was not clouded by the false glow of materialism. She was impervious to the allure of fame, money, and position. Had she desired such things she could have easily acquired them, but HPB saw such things for what they were, i.e., ephemeral toys with no inherent value. Madame Blavatsky was able to pierce the screen of earthly illusions and describe inner worlds containing subtle beauty and immense power. She expressed profound philosophical truths with familiarity and conviction. Not surprisingly, she had little patience for the orthodox conventions and religious pieties of her day. As Herbert Burrows noted:
Her absolute indifference to all outward forms was a true indifference based upon her inner spiritual knowledge of the verities of the universe. Sitting by her when strangers came, as they often did from every corner of the earth, I have often watched with the keenest amusement their wonder at seeing a woman who always said what she thought. Given a prince and she would probably shock him, given a poor man and he would have her last shilling and her kindliest word (Caldwell 272-3).
Being a bold and outspoken person who challenged the conventional wisdom of her day, Madame Blavatsky acquired many adversaries. There were those within the religious and scientific communities who made it their business to attack her reputation and discredit her work. As history shows, society often resists the introduction of new ideas. Light-bringers frequently face an onslaught of vicious personal attacks from those with a vested interest in the status quo. Hence, the importance of another quality found in "The Golden Stairs," a courageous endurance of personal injustice. At her memorial service in 1892, William Q. Judge recalled an early conversation he had with HPB:
That she always knew what would be done by the world in the way of slander and abuse I also know, for in 1875 she told me that she was then embarking on a work that would draw upon her unmerited slander, implacable malice, uninterrupted misunderstanding, constant work, and no worldly reward. Yet in the face of this her lion heart carried her on (The Path, June 1891).
Similarly, in H. P. Blavatsky: The Mystery, Gottfried de Purucker describes HPB as a rare and unique soul:
How then could such a one as Helena Petrovna Blavatsky have been understood by her time? The slanders of her enemies are a tribute to her greatness: she will always be a mystery to a world that does not look towards the sources of light (de Purucker 29).
In publicly confronting her adversaries, Blavatsky often appeared fearless. Consider this statement from the Preface to The Secret Doctrine:
It is written in the service of humanity, and by humanity and the future generations it must be judged. Its author recognizes no inferior court of appeal. Abuse she is accustomed to; calumny she is daily acquainted with; at slander she smiles in silent contempt (SD viii).
But she was human and she did suffer. Reginald Machell, an English painter known for his mystical paintings, observed her anguish:
I saw that she suffered acutely from the slanders that were circulated about her former life, but I felt that no amount of calumny could turn her from the task which she had undertaken, and which she was carrying out under conditions of ill-health that seemed to make work of any kind impossible. It was obvious that her self-sacrificing devotion to the cause of Theosophy could bring to herself no other reward than denunciation and vilification.... (Caldwell 247).
In the face of ridicule, slander, and relentless attacks on her character, HPB continued on her mission of bringing the timeless principles of Theosophy to the modern world. Beyond any doubt, she possessed another qualification found in "The Golden Stairs," a brave declaration of principles. As de Purucker, observed:
She offered her life on the altar of truth, and had little to support her but the power of the great doctrines that she brought with her; for the whole world was against her in the beginning. Through every phase and action of her career that superb courage shone which manifests in the world but here and there, in those whom we call the heroes. (de Purucker 30)
William Judge once described HPB as having "the power and the knowledge that belong to lions and sages." When asked to describe the most conspicuous aspect of Blavatsky's character, Charles Leadbeater did not need to utilize his powers of clairvoyance in order to respond:
If I were asked to mention Madame Blavatsky's most prominent characteristic, I should unhesitatingly reply "Power." Apart from the great Masters of Wisdom, I have never known any person from whom power so visibly radiated. Any man who was introduced to her at once felt himself in the presence of a tremendous force—to which he was quite unaccustomed. He realized with disconcerting vividness that those wonderful pale blue eyes saw clearly through him. . . Some people did not like to find themselves thus unexpectedly transparent, and for that reason they cordially hated Madame Blavatsky, while others loved her. . . with wholehearted devotion, knowing well how much they owe her and how great is the work which she has done. So forceful was she that no one ever felt indifferent towards her; every one experienced either strong attraction or strong repulsion (Whyte, xi-xii).
Charles Johnston, another one of her contemporaries, and a scholar who translated several Sanskrit works into English, expressed a similar view:
There was something in her personality, her bearing, the light and power of her eyes, which spoke of a wider and deeper life... That was the greatest thing about her, and it was always there; this sense of a bigger world, of deeper power, of unseen might; to those in harmony with her potent genius, this came as a revelation and incentive to follow the path she pointed out. To those who could not see with her eyes, who could not raise themselves in some measure to her vision, this quality came as a challenge, an irritant, a discordant and subversive force, leading them at last to an attitude of fierce hostility and denunciation. When the last word is said, she was greater than any of her works, more full of living power than even her marvelous writings... (Caldwell 238).
The life of Madame Blavatsky was colorful, eventful, and even extraordinary. She had been given a mission by her Teachers that she carried out in heroic fashion while encountering fierce resistance and overt hostility from the established order of the day. Through it all she never wavered in her devotion to the Masters of Wisdom. Through it all she never faltered in her battle against the forces of materialism, bigotry, and small-mindedness. And she never abandoned what one of her Teachers described as a "forlorn hope"—a Society dedicated to forming a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity.
Many of her friends, colleagues, and students bore witness to her indefatigable spirit and unflagging determination. Dr. William Hubbe-Schleiden, first president of the German Section, visited HPB in October of 1885 as she had just begun working on The Secret Doctrine, and later recalled the encounter: "She was writing her manuscript almost all day, from the early morning until the afternoon and even until night, unless she had guests" (Wachtmeister 98-99).
Bertram Keightley, the General Secretary of the British Section of the TS, also spent some time with HPB while she was working on the same manuscripts. He describes her astonishing energy: "Her power of work was amazing; from early morning till late in the evening she sat at her desk, and even when so ill that most people would have been lying helpless in bed, she toiled resolutely away at the task she had undertaken" (Wachtmeister 78).
One of Madame Blavatsky's most faithful friends, Archibald Keightley, often observed her working in spite of illness:
All through the summer of 1887 every day found her at work from six to six, with only brief intervals for meals, visitors, with very rare exceptions, being denied or told to come in the evening. Crippled with rheumatism, suffering from a disease which had several times nearly proved fatal, she still worked on unflaggingly, writing at her desk the moment her eyes and fingers could guide the pen (Wachtmeister 84-5).
Her life-long colleague, Henry Steel Olcott, admired her stamina and drive in this excerpt from the first volume of Old Diary Leaves: "I never knew even a managing daily journalist who could be compared with her for dogged endurance or tireless working capacity. From morning till night she would be at her desk, and it was seldom that either of us got to bed before 2 o'clock A.M." (203).
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was a complex individual and in some ways still remains a mystery. Whatever faults she had were dwarfed by her accomplishments and by the heroic features of her character. Indeed, Theosophists owe a huge debt of gratitude to the founder of the Theosophical Society. It is entirely appropriate, therefore, for lovers of the Ancient Wisdom to pay tribute to the memory of H. P. Blavatsky on the anniversary of her death, which is known as White Lotus Day. For without her, there would be no Theosophical Society and no Theosophical movement.
References
Barborka, Geoffrey. H. P. Blavatsky, The Light-Bringer. London, England: Theosophical Publishing House, 1970.
Blavatsky, H. P. Collected Writings, Volume XII. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 1987.
Blavatsky, H. P. Collected Writings, From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1975.
Blavatsky, H. P. The Secret Doctrine, Volume I. Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1979.
Caldwell, Daniel. The Occult World of Madame Blavatsky. Tuscon, Arizona: Impossible Dream Publications, 1991.
Judge, William Q., The Path, June, 1891.
Lucifer. June, 1891.
Olcott, Henry Steel. Old Diary Leaves, Volume I. Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974.
Purucker, Gottfried de. H. P. Blavatsky: The Mystery. San Diego, California: Point Loma Publications, 1974.
Wachtmeister, Countess Constance. Reminiscences of H. P. Blavatsky and The Secret Doctrine. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 1976.
Whyte, Herbert. H.P. Blavatsky: An Outline of Her Life. Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1920.