Madame Blavatsky: The Mother of Modern Spirituality

A thoughtful biography of one of the most polarizing pioneers of alternative spirituality, the occult-mystic Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.

Pioneer. Visionary. Provocateur. Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky--mystic, occult writer, child of Russian aristocrats, spiritual seeker who traveled five continents, and founder (with Henry Steel Olcott) of the Theosophical Society--is still being hailed as an icon and scorned as a fraud more than 120 years after her death. But despite perennial interest in her life, writings, and philosophy, no single biography has examined the controversy and legacy of this influential thinker who helped define modern alternative spirituality--until now.

Gary Lachman, the acclaimed spiritual biographer behind volumes such as Rudolf Steiner and Jung the Mystic, brings us an in-depth look at Blavatsky, objectively exploring her unique and singular contributions toward introducing Eastern and esoteric spiritual ideas to the West during the nineteenth century, as well as the controversies that continue to color the discussions of her life and work.

GARY LACHMAN is one of today’s most widely read and respected writers on esoteric and occult themes. He has written for several national journals on philosophy, esotericism, and modern culture, and his books--including Swedenborg, Jung the Mystic, Rudolf Steiner, Politics and the Occult, Turn Off Your Mind, and A Secret History of Consciousness--have been published to acclaim in both America and Europe. In his musical career, Lachman has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a founding member of the pioneering rock band Blondie. Born in New Jersey, Lachman currently lives in London.