s in every last quarter of a century, the Adepts desired, once again in the nineteenth century, to help humanity. However, what they decided upon, at that time, was “a premiere” for what they endeavoured, had never been done before, at least with such “overture”.

They decided, indeed, to reveal to the world not only their own existence — that of the secret Brotherhood they have formed for thousands of years with its main seat in the Himalayan heights — but also to unveil to Man the History of our planet, the origins of Humanity (Anthropogenesis) and the genesis and organization of the Universe (Cosmogenesis). They literally opened part of the Archives of Time to any man or woman of sufficient goodwill to accept and study them and finally see what path to subsequently tread in order to reach the spiritual heights that each one of them (whether man or woman)[1] has conquered.

In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the Masters had to rekindle the flame and continue to teach this rebellious Humanity, victim not only of Its institutions (the Church that persists, the dawn of materialist Science), but also the rejections induced by Its own ignorance.

It is at this precise time in European History that the “work” the Masters entrusted to Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (H.P.B) can be situated. We know the outcome of this message: discredited, the Emissary died being dubbed an «imposter» by the general public. Recognized for what she really was only by those close to her, by authentic specialists on occult tradition (the IX Panchem Lama, D. Suzuki, Lama Kazi Dawa Sandup, etc.) and by scientists, seekers of truth (C. Flammarion, Edison, Einstein, M. Plank, etc. H.P. Blavatsky and her Work have begun — at the later part of this twentieth century, as she predicted — to be grasped by the general public.

H.P. Blavatsky confided to Countess Watchtmeister that during her meeting with Master Morya in 1851 in London — twenty-five years before the foundation of the Theosophical Society —, the latter asked her cooperation for a « work». C. Watchtmeister declares: “That He [the Master] wanted to ask her [H.P.B] cooperation for a work he was about to undertake… He gave her a slight sketch of all the troubles she would have to undergo. He also told her that she would need to spend three years in Tibet to prepare herself for that difficult task. After three days of serious consideration and consultation with her father [Count Hahn escorting her daughter in London] H.P.B decided to accept the offer that was made to her…” (“Reminiscences of H.P. Blavatsky and The Secret Doctrine” by C. Wachtmeister – Theosophical Publishing House – Page 44).

It would be interesting, perhaps, to know that the Masters give the disciple a «general plan», a «global view>. of the message to deliver, of the work to accomplish, and yet allow the disciple to be totally free and responsible for the implementation of all that, the way the message will « flow». That attitude had always prevailed in past centuries and it was the one they adopted towards H.P. Blavatsky.

It follows that the Masters (or Mahatmas) had a framework in mind but the way that Plan would be carried out depended on H.P.B: the foundation of the Theosophical Society for example; H.P. Blavatsky could have written the books that we know about and stopped right there, even if she had to defend them through articles or the creation of a magazine, not necessarily linked to a fraternity as were “The Theosophist” or “Lucifer”. It was rather the circumstances that dictated, as related in Colonel Olcott’s accounts, the establishment of the Society ; as for the books, we have enough evidence to prove that they were written under the guidance of the Adepts. However, even for these writings, the situation is not predetermined ; in fact “The Secret Doctrine” was a response to the public’s favorable reactions towards the publication of “Isis Unveiled” and apparently, it would be that reception and the fervour of humanity for Knowledge that encouraged the Adepts to go farther in the partial revelation of the occult annals of our planet. Thus they wanted the “Secret Doctrine”: “I did not undertake to rewrite and bother myself with that infernal book for my own sweet pleasure… Master orders and wills it be rewritten and rewrite it I will” wrote H.P.B to A.P. Sinnet (cf. Letters of H.P.B to A.P.Sinnet and other miscellaneous letters, page 88). As for Colonel Olcott, he wrote in his journal of January 9, 1885: “H.P.B received from Master M. the layout of the Secret Doctrine. It is excellent…” (cf. H.S. Olcott, op.cit).

This « Framework» of the Masters had to deliver:

• Firstly, another approach to spiritualism;
• Then, some teachings aiming to enlighten the spiritual view of The West on occult verities.

1) Another approach to Spiritualism. Why begin with Spiritualism? Because the phenomenon of death sensitizes everybody; and no one can remain indifferent before the loss of loved ones and the outcome of one’s own life. To know that the Human Being is not only an agglomeration of flesh, arteries, organs, bones and a flow of blood but also a whole made of subtle matter — invisible — with a continuous gradation of refinement, the whole being the support, the “vehicle” to the Unique Spirit, that was a message this nineteenth century, excessively positivist, had to assimilate. In fact, since Lavoisier, Science has taken a materialist course and the negation of an invisible world has become the foundation of any “serious” thought. That was being indifferent about human suffering in the force of what they consider a dark nothingness after death.

Moreover, the spiritualist sessions, very fashionable since the eighteenth century, were, from an occult point of view, some real viper’s nests: the medium was not really aware of what was happening to his person, what was being experienced, what was really manifesting – what was the real identity of the spirit — during the session — nor what was becoming of his own vital energy and that of his assistants. The spiritualists also believed that the « realm of the dead» was the authentic “spiritual realm” with the positive connotation that the last epithet implied. Unknowingly, they were opening the way to real impostures operated by those summoned entities whose messages were accepted as the Holy Sacrament.

Consequently, to reassure those who painfully believed in a post-mortem nothingness and teach the spiritualists the basic tenets of Occult Sciences.

That was what H.P.B accomplished — or tried to accomplish — first in Cairo (where she failed) then successfully in the United States of America starting from 1874 — when she met Colonel Olcott at the Eddys’ farm. A large portion of the work, until 1878, was devoted to this part of the “plan”.

2) A teaching aiming to enlighten the spiritual view of The West on the occult verities

The awakening of occult thought, from the end of the middle ages and over the following centuries, infused by the “Rosae+Crucis”, the Alchemists, the Thinkers, and the “Theurgists” (such as Giordano Bruno, the Count of Saint Germain and the Count of Cagliostro, etc.) and finally the publication of a semi-underground literature that stirred up the minds (the eighteenth century was fond of that; think of the success of Montfaucon of Villars’s book “The Count of Cabalis”…), made of the end of that nineteenth century a fertile ground for the emergence of teachings which were more complete and more “coordinating” of the sparse and truncated elements that Western Hermeticism had vehicled since the putting to death of Ancient Wisdom in the fourth century of our era.

That was what H.P.B accomplished:

• By founding the Theosophical Society with Colonel Olcott (1875);
• By authoring “Isis Unveiled” (1877);
• By teaching the Hermetic Doctrine — from 1878 — by way of lectures in India and articles published in the newly created “The Theosophist” and then “Lucifer”;
• By writing her Magnum Opus which contains unique revelations on the occult history of the Universe and our planet : “The Secret Doctrine”;
• By pursuing the teaching, not only to her disciples but also to a private circle in London, some time before her death.

In a letter kept in Adyar's archives in Madras (India) dated February 24, 1888, H.P.B confided: “I am the one who provided the proof of the existence of our Masters to the world… I did so because they have sent me to accomplish the work as a new experience in the 19^th century and I did it to the best of my abilities…”.

Thus, in the manner of her predecessors of past centuries, H.P.B accomplished the “work” of the Masters as far as the century was concerned and, like those same predecessors, she suffered humiliations, betrayals and calumny. If the “holy” Inquisition could have sent her to prison, even the stake, It would have done so… but her contemporaries opted to inflict upon her the prison of ridicule and the pyre of calumny.

“The Great Beings live, dream and feel beyond time, beyond History, this complex thread of events in which we live imprisoned. The strength of their noble sentiments enables them to «see» in the distant future that of which we hardly dare to have a foreboding. This enormous difference in perspective makes communication difficult between “Them” and us. However, we need each other in such an intense and sometimes desperate manner, that the history the efforts we have made to reconnect with them is filled with memorable facts. Perhaps the most beautiful and suggestive pages of the great history of Humanity are, in reality, some more or less happy episodes of this mysterious dialogue, although it does not appear or is even mentioned as such. Helena Petrovna belongs to that list, fortunately long, of personages inspired by the powerful light of millennial Wisdom…” (Maria Dolores Fernandez-Figares, article written in “H.P. Blavatsky – Reflections on the presentation of her esoteric teachings” - Ed. Nouvelle Acropole – 1991- page 127).

[1] The Adepts are always believed to be of male gender only. In fact, the Adept takes the physical body the most appropriate to a mission: man or woman depending. When having to manifest to a world of men, they took a male body most of the time, else, their message, yet hardly accepted — would not be heard and “she”would be “sacrificed”… (See the fate of a disciple, Hypatia of Alexandria). There exist Adepts whom official Theosophy considered to be of male gender — for the opposite would surprise, even offend, the mentalities of the time — whereas it was not always that way. Davis Anrias, in “Through the eyes of the Masters” published portraits of Adepts whom he drew, and for some, in a totally archetypal fashion…