Writings of H P Blavatsky
Cardiff
Theosophical Society in Wales
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Helena Petrovna
Blavatsky (1831 – 1891)
The Founder of
Modern Theosophy
Ancient Magic in
Modern Science
By
H P Blavatsky
PAULTHIER, the French Indianist, may, or may not, be taxed with too much
enthusiasm when saying that India appears before him as the grand and primitive
focus of human thought, whose steady flame has ended by communicating itself
to, and setting on fire the whole ancient world1--yet, he is right in his
statement. It is Aryan metaphysics2 that have led the mind to occult
knowledge--the oldest and the mother science of all, since it contains within
itself all the other sciences. And it is occultism--the synthesis of all the
discoveries in nature and, chiefly, of the psychic potency within and beyond
every physical atom of matter--that has been the primitive bond that has cemented
into one cornerstone the foundations of all the religions of antiquity.
The primitive spark has set on fire every nation, truly, and Magic
underlies now every national faith, whether old or young. Egypt and Chaldea are
foremost in the ranks of those countries that furnish us with the most evidence
upon the subject, helpless as they are to do as
Thus, magic in every papyrus; magic in all the religious formulæ; magic
bottled up in hermetically-closed vials, many thousands of years old; magic in
elegantly bound, modern works; magic in the most popular novels; magic in
social gatherings; magic--worse than that, SORCERY--in the very air one
breathes in Europe, America, Australia: the more civilized and cultured a
nation, the more formidable and effective the effluvia of unconscious magic it
emits and stores away in the surrounding atmosphere . . .
Tabooed, derided magic would, of course, never be accepted under her
legitimate name; yet science has begun dealing with that ostracised science
under modern masks, and very considerably. But what is in a name? Because a
wolf is scientifically defined as an animal of the genus canis, does it make of
him a dog? Men of science may prefer to call the magic inquired into by
Porphyry and explained by Iamblichus hysterical hypnosis, but that does not
make it the less magic. The result and outcome of primitive Revelation to the
earlier races by their "Divine Dynasties" the kings-instructors,
became innate knowledge in the Fourth race, that of the Atlanteans; and that
knowledge is now called in its rare cases of "abnormal" genuine
manifestations, mediumship. The secret history of the world, preserved only in
far-away, secure retreats, would alone, if told unreservedly, inform the
present generations of the powers that lie latent, and to most unknown, in man
and nature. It was the fearful misuse of magic by the Atlanteans, that led
their race to utter destruction, and--to oblivion. The tale of their sorcery
and wicked enchantments has reached us, through classical writers, in
fragmentary bits, as legends and childish fairy-tales, and as fathered on
smaller nations. Thence the scorn for necromancy, goëtic magic, and theurgy.
The "witches" of
Still, nolens volens, science has to take it in hand. Archæology in its
most interesting department--Egyptology and Assyriology--is fatally wedded to
it, do what it may. For magic is so mixed up with the world's history that, if
the latter is ever to be written at all in its completeness, giving the truth
and nothing but the truth, there seems to be no help for it. If Archæology
counts still-upon discoveries and reports upon hieratic writings that will be
free from the hateful subject, then HISTORY will never be written, we fear.
One sympathises profoundly with, and can well imagine, the embarrassing
position of the various savants and "F.R.S.'s" of Academicians and
Orientalists. Forced to decipher, translate and interpret old mouldy papyri,
inscriptions on steles and Babylonian rhombs, they find themselves at every
moment face to face with MAGIC! Votive offerings, carvings, hieroglyphics,
incantations--the whole paraphernalia of that hateful
"superstition"--stare them in the eyes, demand their attention, fill
them with the most disagreeable perplexity. Only think what must be their
feelings in the following case in hand. An evidently precious papyrus is
exhumed. It is the post-mortem passport furnished to the osirified soul3 of a
just-translated Prince or even Pharaoh, written in red and black characters by
a learned and famous scribe, say of the IVth Dynasty, under the supervision of
an Egyptian Hierophant--a class considered in all the ages and held by
posterity as the most learned of the learned, among the ancient sages and
philosophers. The statements therein were written at the solemn hours of the
death and burial of a King-Hierophant, of a Pharaoh and ruler. The purpose of
the paper is the introduction of the "soul" to the awful region of
Amenti, before its judges, there where a lie is said to outweigh every other
crime. The Orientalist carries away the papyrus and devotes to its
interpretation days, perhaps weeks, of labour, only to find in it the following
statement: "In the XIIIth year and the second month of Schomoo, in the
28th day of the same, we, the first High-priest of Ammon, the king of the gods,
Penotman, the son of the delegate (or substitute)4 for the High-priest
Pion-ki-moan, and the scribe of the temple of Sosser-soo-khons and of the
Necropolis Bootegamonmoo, began to dress the late Prince Oozirmari Pionokha,
etc., etc., preparing him for eternity. When ready, the mummy was pleased to
arise and thank his servants, as also to accept a cover worked for him by the
hand of the "lady singer," Nefrelit Nimutha, gone into eternity the
year so and so--"some hundred years before!" The whole in hieroglyphics.
This may be a mistaken reading. There are dozens of papyri, though, well
authenticated and recording more curious readings and narratives than that
corroborated in this, by Sanchoniathon and Manetho, by Herodotus and Plato,
Syncellus and dozens of other writers and philosophers, who mention the
subject. Those papyri note down very often, as seriously as any historical fact
needing no special corroboration, whole dynasties of Kings-manes, viz., of
phantoms and ghosts. The same is found in the histories of other nations.
All claim for their first and earliest dynasties5 of rulers and kings,
what the Greeks called Manes and the Egyptians Ourvagan, "gods," etc.
Rossellius has tried to interpret the puzzling statement, but in vain.
"The word manes meaning urvagan," he says, "and that term in its
literal sense signifying exterior image, we may suppose, if it were possible to
bring down that dynasty within some historical period--that the word referred
to some form of theocratic government, represented by the images of the gods
and priests"!!6
A dynasty of, to all appearance, living, at all events acting and
ruling, kings turning out to have been simply mannikins and images, would
require, to be accepted, a far wider stretch of modern credulity than even
"kings' phantoms."
Were these Hierophants and Scribes, Pharaohs and King-Initiates all
fools or frauds, confederates and liars, to have either believed themselves or
tried to make other people believe in such cock and bull stories, if there were
no truth at the foundation? And that for a long series of millenniums, from the
first to the last Dynasty?
Of the divine Dynasty of Manes, the text of the "Secret
Doctrine" will treat more fully; but a few such feats may be recorded from
genuine papyri and the discoveries of archæology. The Orientalists have found a
plank of salvation: though forced to publish the contents of some famous
papyri, they now call them Romances of the days of Pharaoh so-and-so. The
device is ingenious, if not absolutely honest. The literary Sadducees may
fairly rejoice.
One of such is the so-called "Lepsius Papyrus" of the
The first scene opens with King Cheops on his throne, surrounded by his
sons, whom he commands to entertain him with narratives about hoar antiquity
and the miraculous powers exercised by the celebrated sages and magicians at
the Court of his predecessor. Prince Chefren then tells his audience how a
magus during the epoch of Pharaoh Nebkha fabricated a crocodile out of wax and
endowed him with life and obedience. Having been placed by a husband in the
room of his faithless spouse, the crocodile snapped at both the wife and her
lover, and seizing them carried them both into the sea. Another prince told a
story of his grandfather, the parent of Cheops, Pharaoh SENEFRU. Feeling seedy,
he commanded a magician into his presence, who advised him as a remedy the
spectacle of twenty beautiful maidens of the Court sporting in a boat on the
lake near by. The maidens obeyed and the heart of the old despot was
"refreshed." But suddenly one of the ladies screamed and began to
weep aloud. She had dropped into the water, 120 feet deep in that spot, a rich
necklace. Then a magician pronounced a formula, called the genii of the air and
water to his help, and plunging his hand into the waves brought back with it
the necklace. The Pharaoh was greatly struck with the feat. He looked no more
at the twenty beauties, "divested of their clothes, covered with nets, and
with twenty oars made of ebony and gold"; but commanded that sacrifices
should be made to the manes of those two magicians when they died. To this
Prince Gardadathu remarked that the highest among such magicians never die, and
that one of them lived to that day, more than a centenarian, at the town of
Deyd-Snefroo; that his name was Deddy; and that he had the miraculous power of
reuniting cut-off heads to their bodies and recalling the whole to life, as
also full authority and sway over the lions of the desert. He, Deddy, knew
likewise where to procure the needed expensive materials for the temple of the
god Thoth (the wisdom deity), which edifice Pharaoh Cheops was anxious to raise
near his great pyramid. Upon hearing this, the mighty king Cheops expressed
desire to see the old sage at his Court! Thereupon the Prince Gardadathu
started on his journey, and brought back with him the great magician.
After long greetings and mutual compliments and obeisance, according to
the papyrus, a long conversation ensued between the Pharaoh and the sage, which
goes on briefly thus:--
"I am told, oh sage, that thou art able to reunite heads severed
from their bodies to the latter."
"I can do so, great King,"--answered Daddy.
"Let a criminal be brought here, without delay," quoth the
Pharaoh.
"Great King, my power does not extend to men. I can resurrect only
animals,"--remarked the sage.
A goose was then brought, its head cut off and placed in the east corner
of the hall, and its body at the western side. Deddy extended his arm in the
two directions in turn and muttered a magic formula. Forthwith the body of the
bird arose and walked to the centre of the hall, and the head rolled up to meet
it. Then the head jumped on the bleeding neck; the two were reunited; and the
goose began to walk about, none the worse for the operation of beheading.
The same wonderful feat was repeated by Deddy upon canaries and a bull.
After which the Pharaoh desired to be informed with regard to the projected
The sage-magician knew all about the old remains of the temple, hidden
in a certain house at
"Upon hearing this, Pharaoh Cheops rent his clothes in grief: his
dynasty would thus be overthrown by the son of the deity to whom he was
actually raising a temple!"
Here the papyrus is torn; and a large portion of it being missing,
posterity is denied the possibility of learning what Pharaoh Cheops undertook
in this emergency.
The fragment that follows apprizes us of that which is evidently the
chief subject of the archaic record--the birth of the three sons of the
sun-god. As soon as Rad-Dedtoo felt the pangs of childbirth, the great sun-god
called the goddesses Isis, Nephthys, Mesehentoo, and Hekhtoo, and sent them to
help the priestess, saying: "She is in labour with my three sons who will,
one day, be the rulers of this land. Help her, and they will raise temples for
you, will make innumerable libations of wine and sacrifices." The
goddesses did as they were asked, and three boys, each one yard long and with
very long arms,8 were born.
A female slave having been punished once by the High priestess, the
former ran away from the house, and spoke thus to the assembled crowds:
"How dare she punish me, that woman who gave birth to three kings? I will
go and notify it to Pharaoh Cheops, our lord."
At this interesting place, the papyrus is again torn; and the reader
left once more in ignorance of what resulted from the denunciation, and how the
three boy-pretenders avoided the persecution of the paramount ruler.9
Another magical feat is given by Mariette Bey (Mon. Dir. pl. 9, Persian
epoch) from a tablet in the Bulak Museum, concerning the Ethiopian kingdom
founded by the descendants of the High-priests of Ammon, wherein flourished
absolute theocracy. It was the god himself, it appears, who selected the kings
at his fancy, and "the stele 114 which is an official statement about the
election of Aspalout, shows how such events took place." (Gebel-Barkal.)
The army gathered near the
"Come," reads the inscribed legend, "come, let us choose
a master who would be like an irresistible young bull." And the army began
lamenting, saying--"Our master is with us, and we know him not!" And
others remarked, "Aye, but we can know him, though till now no one save Râ
(the god) does so: may the great God protect him from harm wherever he be"
. . . . Forthwith the whole army cried out--"But there is that god Ammon-Râ,
in the
Then the narrative shows the delegates duly purified, proceeding to the
temple and prostrating themselves before the huge statue of Ammon-Râ, while
framing their request. "The Ethiopic priests are mighty ones. They know
how to fabricate miraculous images and statues, capable of motion and speech,
to serve as vehicles for the gods; it is an art they hold from their Egyptian
ancestors."
All the members of the Royal family pass in procession before the statue
of Ammon-Râ--still it moveth not. But as soon as Aspalout approaches it, the
huge statue seizes him with both arms, and loudly exclaims--"This is your
king! This is your Master who will make you live!": and the army chiefs
greet the new Pharaoh. He enters into the sanctuary and is crowned by the god,
personally, and with his own hands; then joins his army. The festival ends with
the distribution of bread and beer." (Gebel-Barkal.)
There is a number of papyri and old inscriptions proving beyond the
slightest doubt that for thousands of years High-priests, magicians and
Pharaohs believed--as well as the masses--in magic, besides practising it; the
latter being liable to be referred to clever jugglery. The statues had to be
fabricated; for, unless they were made of certain elements and stones, and were
prepared under certain constellations, in accordance with the conditions
prescribed by magic art, the divine (or infernal, if some will so have it)
powers, or FORCES, that were expected to animate such statues and images, could
not be made to act therein. A galvanic-battery has to be prepared of specific
metals and materials, not made at random, if one would have it produce its
magical effects. A photograph has to be obtained under specific conditions of
darkness and certain chemicals, before it can result in a given purpose.
Some twenty years ago, archæology was enriched with a very curious
Egyptian document giving the views of that ancient religion upon the subject of
ghosts (manes) and magic in general. It is called the "Harris papyrus on
Magic" (Papyrus Magique). It is extremely curious in its bearing upon the
esoteric teachings of Occult Theosophy, and is very suggestive. It is left for
our next article--on Magic.
H.P. BLAVATSKY
OSTENDE, July, 1886
Theosophist, October, 1886
1ESSAY. PREFACE by Colebrooke.
2 It is only through Mr. Barthelemy St. Hilaire that the world has
learned that with regard to metaphysics, the Hindu genius has ever remained in
a kind of infantile under-development"!!
3 The reader need not be told that every soul newly-born into its cycle
of 8000 years after the death of the body it animated, became, in Egypt, an
"Osiris," was osirified, viz., the personality became reduced to its
higher principles, a spirit.
4 "Substitute" was the name given to the father of the
"Son" adopted by the High-priest Hierophant; a class of these
remaining unmarried, and adopting "Sons" for purposes of transmission
of power and succession.
5 The Secret Doctrine teaches that those dynasties were composed of
divine beings, "the ethereal images of human creatures," in reality,
"gods," in their luminous astral bodies; the Sishta of preceding
manvantaras.
6 Rossellius (vol. i, "Storia degli Monumenti dell Egitto,"
(p. 8). He adds that Manetho and the old Chronicles agree in translating the
word manes by nekhues. In the Chronicles of Eusebius Pamphilius, discovered at
Milan and annotated by Cardinal Mai, the word nekhues is also translated
urvagan, "the exterior shadow" or "ethereal image of men";
in short, the astral body.
7 Suppositiously--during the XVIIIth Dynasty of kings, agreeably to
Manetho's Synchronistic Tables, disfigured out of recognition by the able
Eusebius, the too clever Bishop of Cæsarea.
8 Long arms in
9 This is the more to be regretted--says the translator of the
papyrus--that "legendary details, notwithstanding the contents of the
Lepsius papyrus are evidently based upon the most ancient traditions; and as a
matter of fact emanate from eye-witnesses and first-hand evidence." The
data in the papyrus are absolutely coincident with facts known, and agree with
the discoveries made by Egyptology and the undeniable information obtained
concerning the history and far away events of that "1and of mystery and
riddle," as Hegel called it. Therefore we have no cause whatever to doubt
the authenticity of the general narrative contained in our papyrus. It reveals
to us, likewise, entirely new historical facts. Thus, we learn, first of all,
that (Kefren) or Chephren was the son of Cheops; that the Vth Dynasty
originated in the town of Saheboo; that its first three Pharaohs were three
brothers--and that the elder of the triplets had been a solar High-priest at
Heliopolis before ascending to the throne. Meagre as the details appear, they
become quite important in the history of events removed from us by more than
forty centuries. Finally, the Lepsius papyrus is an extremely ancient document,
written in the old Egyptian tongue, while the events narrated therein may, for
their originality (magic?), be placed on a par with the best Egyptian
narratives translated and published by the famous Egyptologist and
Archæologist, Mr. Maspero, in his work called "Contes de l'ancienne
Egypte."
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Preface
Theosophy and the Masters General Principles
The Earth Chain Body and Astral Body Kama – Desire
Manas Of Reincarnation Reincarnation Continued
Karma Kama Loka
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Arguments Supporting Reincarnation
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H P Blavatsky’s Secret Doctrine
Isis Unveiled by H P Blavatsky
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Mahatma Letters to A P Sinnett 1 - 25
A Modern Revival of Ancient Wisdom
(Selection of Articles by H P Blavatsky)
The Secret Doctrine – Volume 3
A compilation of H P Blavatsky’s
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Esoteric Christianity or the Lesser Mysteries
The Early Teachings of The Masters
A Collection of Fugitive Fragments
Fundamentals of the Esoteric Philosophy
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In the Twilight”
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Theosophische Schriften Auf Deutsch
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