Published by Blavatsky Archives

THE SECRET DOCTRINE

TO THE EDITOR OF LE LOTUS.

Sir and Brother,

You wrote to me that it would be of great interest to the readers of Le Lotus to receive news regarding The Secret Doctrine, which Mme. Blavatsky is currently writing. As I have been working for some time on correcting the proofs of this monumental work, I hasten to fulfill your request.

I do so all the more willingly because it seems to me that anyone who concerns themselves, however slightly, with mysticism will find therein more --- and far clearer --- revelations than they could hope to encounter in ten years of conscientious and well directed study.

But let me outline for you the plan of this immense undertaking, and you will be able to judge for yourself.

The foundation --- the cornerstone --- of this great edifice, erected in memory of the Wisdom of the ancient Masters of humanity, consists of a series of Slokas --- that is to say, statements of fact that are clear, precise, and couched in very few words. It goes without saying that these Slokas --- though translated into English --- have the appearance of enigmas; or, at the very least, they serve to awaken the reader's curiosity rather than to satisfy it.

These Slokas are drawn from manuscripts of an absolutely prehistoric antiquity. They are --- of this we can have no doubt --- the most ancient documents ever made available to our modern world; they have served as the foundational text for the commentaries of a lineage of Adepts stretching back to those days when man, in his primitive and pure spirituality, received the first revelations regarding his origin and his destiny. These texts, therefore, date from that time when --- as Alfred de Musset once wrote:

..... man upon the earth walked and breathed amidst a host of Gods;

And the commentaries themselves, though relatively more recent, are still of the highest antiquity.

The Slokas contain the history of the various phases of cosmic, terrestrial, and human evolution. Passing rapidly over cosmic and terrestrial evolution, Mme. Blavatsky takes up the occult history of man at the beginning of the period of his current occupation of our globe. As her book relates more specifically to human history, she has omitted the Slokas and commentaries pertaining to earlier evolution, save for a few general indications. Taking up the commentaries just mentioned, she elucidates them with a command of scientific, symbolic, and religious detail that keeps the reader in a state of continual astonishment.

The first part of each volume consists of a continuous exposition of the doctrine; objections that might be raised against it from the standpoint of science or religion are noted only in passing. However, this section is followed by a division --- or addendum --- specifically dedicated to a consideration of the scientific aspect of things, wherein is found a reasoned critique of the materialistic doctrines of modern science. Here, laid bare in full light, are the contradictions of which science has been guilty in almost all its speculations --- even the most widely accepted ones; here, amidst a jumble of conflicting opinions, the luminaries of every European academy clash with one another, and the reader is led to acknowledge the enduring truth of the proverb: Quot homines, tot sententae (So many men, so many opinions).

Yet one must not imagine that this section contains nothing but polemics; on the contrary, the polemical element is reduced to the bare minimum, and Mme. Blavatsky has availed herself of the infinite variety of scientific hypotheses to better set forth the occult point of view. The reader will find therein invaluable insights, vivid and striking observations, and fascinating details.

The scientific section is followed by an entire series of appendices, the length of which approximately equals that of the main text.

These appendices contain a detailed exposition of important points of doctrine --- points that could not have been discussed within the main text without interrupting the regular flow of the primary exposition. It is here that one may turn for enlightenment in all mystical studies relating to the various religions, to the esotericism of diverse peoples, to the Kabbalah (the Zohar), to Christianity, and so forth. It is here that symbologists will find indications of immense value, enabling them to trace the development of religious thought in humanity. It is here that churchmen --- especially those of the Christian Church, were they but willing --- could come to rediscover the long-lost keys to their respective dogmas...

In order to enable your readers to form a more accurate idea of the general plan of this work, I shall take the liberty of providing here a very brief summary of Book I.

There are seven sections, each resting upon a certain number of slokas, wherein the evolution of our globe during its current phase is most succinctly summarized. In them, we observe Nature's powerful yet fruitless efforts to "create" man in accordance with the physical laws of development. These efforts result only in monsters --- beings almost chimerical in nature --- which are still found depicted within the most ancient sanctuaries. Finally, superior spiritual and intelligent forces intervene, and we witness the emergence of man --- yet a purely animal man, devoid of self-consciousness.

And here, allow me to offer a brief word regarding one of the fundamental concepts of occult doctrine. This doctrine does not deny the existence or operation of physical forces; rather, it teaches that behind these forces lie other powers --- intelligent and hyperphysical --- of which ordinary physical forces are merely the remote effects. These forces are beings --- in the fullest sense of the word --- even though these beings are organized in a manner different from our own. It is, therefore, these intelligences that created the physical laws as we know them. There exists an infinite hierarchy of these Intelligences; and at the moment of man's emergence, a superior influence --- one that had not yet taken part in terrestrial evolution --- was required to intervene and crown the formation of physical types. However --- as we have stated --- in the beginning, man was still an unconscious being. For him to become what he is today, the intervention of an order of Beings --- of Intelligences even more superior still --- was necessary.

It is this fact that constitutes one of the great mysteries of Occult Science, and I shall not dwell further upon it for the moment. I will not anticipate one of the most interesting sections of this volume, which concludes precisely with the creation of intelligent man --- a being fully conscious of himself.

The subsequent volumes continue the history of humanity and provide details --- hitherto entirely unknown to archaeologists --- regarding vanished civilizations, and, above all, that of the immense continent whose last remaining island was submerged, according to Plato, around the year 9000 B.C.

The first three volumes are now ready.

I trust, Sir, that your readers will not take it too ill of me for having thus piqued their curiosity. I am confident that once they have read this work --- destined to take its place among the most remarkable productions of the human intellect --- they will no longer wonder why Theosophists hold the Eastern doctrine in such high esteem, and its devoted apostle, H.P. Blavatsky, in such deep affection.

Please accept, Sir, the expression of my most distinguished and fraternal regards.

Bertram Keightley,
Honorary Secretary of the London Lodge of the Theosophical Society.

London, June 1st, 1887.

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