Summary

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was a noted esotericist, writer, and theosophist of Russian-Ukrainian descent. She co-founded the Theosophical Society and wrote extensively on esoteric thought.

Biography

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) was a Russian mystic, philosopher and explorer. In 1875, she co-founded the Theosophical Society in New York to promote spiritualism and oriental ideologies to a wider audience, and was influential in the development of esoteric thought in the late 19th century. Blavatsky wrote extensively about her personal spiritual beliefs which included her visions of divine beings, other realms and states of consciousness outside our physical world. Her works on Theosophy concentrated on unified theories of the mysteries of creation, many drawn from Buddhist and Hindu sources. She travelled to India and Tibet to further her research as well as gaining access to ancient manuscripts that would help shape her teachings. Her influence resonates still today across many associated fields such as spirituality, philosophy and metaphysics.