Madam Blavatsky remembered
 

BY S.M. Jayatilleke

Retired Director of Education, President Theosophical Society in Sri Lanka.

TOMORROW Theosophists all over the world commemorate the 114th death anniversary of Madam H. P. Blavatsky, an eminent founder of the Theosophical Society - a great occultist, a lady gifted with indomitable courage and an exemplary student of her illustrious masters.

On her leaving the physical body in transition to the next dimension on May 8th, 1891, Colonel Olcott the co-founder and President of the Theosophical Society named this day to be commemorated as the White Lotus Day.

White Lotus signifies that though the roots of Lotus plants grow in the mud, the stalk rises through the water and shoots up in the air and blooms in to a beautiful flower untouched and unpolluted, giving indescribable happiness to the beholder.

Esoterically, this phenomena can be explained as the soul drenched in the mire of earthly condition, liberated from desires and worldly attachments, finally to reach the Akasa level, void and free to become enlightened through receiving divine grace.

Madam H. P. Blavatsky was born in 1831 as the eldest in a Russian noble family in South Russia. She was clearly an exceptional child even at her early age. Her precocious psychic powers puzzled her relations and friends. She was endowed with rare gifts seldom found in a girl at such a young age.

She displayed rare talents as a clever linguist, fine pianist and a gifted artist. In addition to her talents in fine arts, she was a fearless and skilled horse rider.

Quite early in age she sensed that her life should in some way be dedicated to service and that her rare skills and spiritual powers should be harnessed and developed to serve mankind.

When she reached eighteen years of age, she married middle aged N. V. Blavatsky, not from affection or desire. The marriage was never consummated and in 3 months time, she escaped and travelled in Egypt, Germany and Eastern Europe.

In 1851, on her twentieth birthday, she met Master Morya, known as M in the Theosophical movement. She was told that a great task was in store for her, and from that moment onwards she accepted his guidance in her inner development as well as her outward work for mankind.

After further travelling through many countries, she reached India and succeeded in entering Tibet and underwent real occult training under her masters for 3 years. Thereafter she travelled from India to Europe and returned home unannounced.

During the period 1867 to 1870, she was back in Tibet to complete her control of occult powers, cleansing herself of what she called "Psycho Physical Weaknesses", by what she meant shedding the last traces of negativities.

There followed further wanderings and finally in early 1873 received orders from her Masters to proceed to New York. Accordingly, she landed in New York on July 1873.

Madam Blavatsky was 43 years of age in 1873 and at the height of her exceptional spiritual, mental and psychic powers.

In the opinion of the Masters who trained and guided her, she was the best available instrument to offer the world a new presentation of Theosophy, meaning "Divine Wisdom", "the accumulated wisdom of the ages, tested and verified by the generations of seers...", the body of truth of which religions great and small, are but the branches of the parent tree.

The task laid on her was tremendous and challenging in the context of orthodox beliefs which prevailed in the world at that time.

At this time a new movement by the name of Spiritualism was sweeping America. As she was very well aware of the subject in theory and practice, she understood that her task was to prove the fallacy of the existing theories of spiritualists.

She was put in touch with the Col. H. S. Olcott, an American lawyer who fought in the Civil War and W. Q. Judge, an Irish lawyer equally interested in the new phenomenon. In 1875 these three founded a new society "to collect and diffuse the knowledge of the laws which govern the Universe".

The name chosen for the society was "Theosophy" - "Divine Wisdom", or "the aggregate of the knowledge and wisdom that underlie the Universe". The Theosophical Society so formed on November 17, 1875 with the three objectives formulated as follows:

1. To form the nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity without discrimination of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.

2. To encourage study of Comparative Religion, philosophy and science.

3. To investigate unexplained laws of nature and powers latent in man.

To prepare the way for the new movement, she began writing "Isis Unveiled", a master key to the ancient mysteries, modern science and Theology. This was published in 1877 in New York and proved an immediate success.

Thereafter, this Society which, by its very objectives roused considerable interest, support and opposition, expanded rapidly.

The headquarters of the Theosophical Society in Sri Lanka, located at No. 49, Peterson Lane, Wellawatta is at present re-organized and functioning.

Facilities are available for religious and spiritual discussions, meditations, counselling on all personal, spiritual matters and library facilities for reference. Those interested are welcome to contact the resident in-charge at any time convenient.

White Lotus Day Commemorative Ceremony will be held at 16.30 hrs. at its Society Hall on 8th May.