| Mme. Blavatsky was born Helena Petrovana von Hahn, in 1831, in the Ukraine.
She was married at age 18 to Nikifor Blavatksy, vice-governor of the province
of Erivan. A few years later, she left him, returned to her family, then ran
off with an English sea captain. She was a circus horse-rider in
Constantinople, then teamed up with (and probably married) a Hungarian
opera-singer. She ran several businesses here and there in Europe and Russia,
until a sea-wreck lost her the opera-singer and left her stranded in Cairo in
1871. She then vanishes from the historian's sight, to reappear in Vermont in
1874, involved with seances. Here, she met her long-time partner, Colonel
Olcott.
Together, the two of them worked up a system now known as Theosophy. Mme.
Blavatsky wrote many long works on Theosophy, notably "Isis Unveiled" and "The
Secret Doctrine." She long outlived Olcott and died in 1891.
Theosophy is based on Hinduism, with multiple levels of reality,
reincarnation, mediumship, and a body of "Ascended Masters" living in a
secret community in Tibet, directing human history by occult power.
Race enters the picture because Mme. Blavatsky taught that Earth was, in the
course of its history, the home of seven different races, each divided into
seven sub-races, each race and sub-race more evolved than the next. The
current race is the fifth of the destined seven.
I take most of this information from "The Occult Underground," by James Webb,
who says, "The doctrine of the occult destines of races has continued to
pervade Theosophical thought until comparatively recent times. It may well
account for the influence which Theosophy has exercised on several nationalist
movements."
Earl Wajenberg
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| I am fairly familiar with Madame Blavatsky and Theosophy and I seriously
doubt that it had a strong influence (if any) on Fascism. While Theosophy does
go into the 7 root races, etc. it has never claimed that any one race has
"superiority" over another. All of the theosophical material that I have
read seems to me to be rooted in Good and God, based in what I call
"Christ-Consciousness".
Granted, yes, that Hitler was fascinated with anything related to the
"occult", the paranormal, and religion, but from what I have read, Fascist
beliefs are more aligned with groups such as the Thule Organization and have
nothing to do with Theosophy....
Linda
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| The Nazis made use of Wagner's operas and Nietzsche's philosophy.
Wagner died in 1883 and Neitzsche died in 1900. M. Blavatsky died in
1891. The Nazi movement arose after World War I and rose to power in
the 1930's. While the memory of Wagner, Nietzsche, and possibly
Blavatsky may be tainted with the Nazi's later use of their music or
writings, it is certainly through no fault of their own. I believe
that the works of Nietzsche, Wagner, and Blavatsky should be judged on
their own merits.
As an interesting sidebar, Wagner has not been performed in Israel.
There is a current dispute over one conductor's wish to bring Wagner to
Israel.
Laura
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| re: 1601.5
TNPUBS::STEINHART
> .............While the memory of Wagner, Nietzsche, and possibly
> Blavatsky may be tainted with the Nazi's later use of their music or
> writings, it is certainly through no fault of their own.
Just as an historical note, Wagner's descendants were
ardent supporters of the Nazi movement, and were in fact
frequent guests and/or hosts of Hitler and other high-ranking
Nazi personages. So, while Richard himself had nothing to
do with it, I can see how Israel might hold a grudge...
-Art
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