The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Helena P. Blavatsky, Marion Francis Crawford

The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Helena P. Blavatsky

Eight Short Stories of the Strange and Unusual - “Blavatsky utilised her more earnest pursuits to provide inspiration and background for some highly entertaining tales of ghosts, horrors and weird occurrences. Her single small volume of  supernatural fiction, ‘Nightmare Tales’, was published in 1892, but there remained a small number of uncollected stories published in magazines of the day. This Leonaur original collects all of these short stories as well as a chapter from her book, ‘From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan’, which has in the past been included in anthologies of supernatural tales,  to create the most complete collection of Madam Blavatsky’s fiction ever published.”

http://www.leonaur.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=11077&search=blavatsky

https://gothictexts.wordpress.com/2013/11/29/nightmare-tales-1892-by-helena-p-blavatsky/

The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of F. Marion Crawford: Volume 1

http://www.leonaur.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=763&search=Crawford

100^th anniversary of Gustav Meyrink’s theosophy-influenced The Golem:

How the Golem Got His Groove Back- Benjamin Ivry

http://forward.com/culture/215482/how-the-golem-got-his-groove-back/

New book covers theosophical influence -
John Steadman H. P. Lovecraft & the Black Magickal Tradition
http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/some-thoughts-on-h-p-lovecraft-the-black-magickal-tradition-by-john-l-Steadman

Did H. P. Lovecraft Accidentally Channel the Watchers? - Jason Colavito

http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/did-h-p-lovecraft-accidentally-channel-the-watchers

Anne Rice Praises Graham Hancock, Uses His Books to Develop Novel on Vampires in Atlantis http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/anne-rice-praises-graham-hancock-uses-his-books-to-develop-novel-on-vampires-in-atlantis

Blavatsky and the Big Bang

Tantric cosmological manuscript, 1700s

Blavatsky and Big Bang cosmology - studies the relation between Eastern Manvantara/Pralaya cyclical theories of cosmology with modern Big Bounce cosmological theory. (Notes 5 and 13 refer to concepts from C.W. Leadbeater and not Blavatsky, but do not affect the main thesis).
Wash, Rinse, Repeat. The Cosmical Cycle of Manifestation-Dissolution. Defined, or Redefined - Robert Hütwohl
The “Big Bang” theory is of course, the physical theory, and cannot accommodate the metaphysical realms, but nevertheless the “as above, so below” correspondence or analogy (the “old Hermetic axiom” as Blavatsky calls it) should have some validity.
http://prajnaquest.fr/blog/wash-rinse-repeat-the-cosmical-cycle-of-manifestation-dissolution-defined-or-redefined/

PS – the following definitions from Blavatsky’s writing could be compared with the Bing Bang theory (as could Pythagorean or Tantric cosmologies):
Point within a Circle. In its esoteric meaning the first unmanifested logos appearing on the infinite and shoreless expanse of Space, represented by the Circle. It is the plane of Infinity and Absoluteness. This is only one of the numberless and hidden meanings of this symbol, which is the most important of all the geometrical figures used in metaphysical emblematology. As to the Masons, they have made of the point “an individual brother” whose duty to God and man is bounded by the circle, and have added John the Baptist and John the Evangelist to keep company with the “brother”, representing them under two perpendicular parallel lines (Theosophical Glossary)
Point in the Mundane Egg: the germ within the latter which will become the Universe, the ALL, the boundless, periodical Kosmos, this germ being latent and active, periodically and by turns. (The Secret Docrine Vol.I, p.1)

Article on Science and Religion article mentions Esoteric Buddhism:
Modernity and metaphysics – James Gallant
Other worlds in the chain were of a materiality too subtle for people to observe—at least most people!—and evolution was a principle at work in all of the worlds not only in animate, vegetable, and mineral life, but in humans during multiple reincarnations in various of these worlds. Across millions of years, each of the seven worlds had evolved to the point of being able to sustain life forms, before losing the capacity to do so, then regaining it once more, evolving in the process as did life forms as they moved around and around the chain. http://fortnightlyreview.co.uk/2016/08/modernity-metaphysics/

ps- Since the famous Mars and Mercury question gets misconstrued, see link below: http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/path/v08n04p97_mars-and-mercury.htm

Overview of reincarnation beliefs mentions Blavatsky:
An Objective View of Reincarnation - Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2016/10/25/an-objective-view-of-reincarnation-2/

Alternative medicine article mentions Blavatsky’s role in promoting Eastern philosophy:
Holistic vs. Conventional - Michael Braunstein http://thereader.com/specials/holistic_vs-_conventional/

David Reigle on Space in the Secret Doctrine
There's a new lengthy post at this Stanzas research blog:
http://prajnaquest.fr/blog/

Good Video lectures on Chains and Rounds
Adam Warcup presents a nice series of letters on the difficult subject of chains and rounds, based on his book, Cyclic Evolution:
http://www.theosophycanada.com/adam-warcup-on-cyclic-evolution.php

New Mitch Horowitz Random House edition of The Secret Doctrine, Blavatsky

Mitch Horowitz edits new Penguin Random House edition of The Secret Doctrine, “The Landmark Classic of Occult Philosophy” http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/537071/the-secret-doctrine-by-hp-blavatsky/9780143110156/

and writes a short piece on Blavatsky:

Who Was Madame HP Blavatsky? Mitch Horowitz

https://bullshit.ist/who-was-madame-hp-blavatsky-36f687e5e375#.senb0ez97

and a piece for Occult Day (list of 13 occultists):
https://medium.com/@mitch.horowitz.nyc/thirteen-1508a11b9fe6#.besv578mx

New Podcast with Mitch Horowitz on Blavatsky
http://inspirenationshow.com/inspire-478-mitch-horowitz-hp-blavatsky-the-secret-doctrine/tz.1

Secret Doctrine Article:

https://thesanguinewoods.wordpress.com/2017/02/22/russian-mystic-madame-blavatsky-her-secret-doctrine-a-landmark-classic-of-occult-philosophy/

New Secret Doctrine Wurzburg Manuscript:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/h-p-blavatsky/the-secret-doctrine-wurzburg-manuscript/paperback/product-21623284.html

Excellent work on Secret Doctrine references recently went online:
http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/sdrefs/sdrefs-hp.htm

Blavatsky, Theosophy & ’Doctor Strange’ (film, 2016) Scott Derrickson, Marvel

By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, in the early days, Theosophists were actively cultivating ties to popular fiction writers and lately the study of theosophical influence on pop culture has been growing. See Theosophical Fiction and also, Zanoni. The well-received Doctor Strange movie inherits much of the theosophically-influenced orientalist-occult pop culture themes, as the reviews below point out. Praise the Vishanti! (Indeed, there has been a fairly extensive commentary on the mystical/pop culture intersection related to the character and the film. We've included a larger-than-usual sampling, sadly, not being in possession of the all-seeing Eye of Agamotto, we cannot claim that this list is exhaustive):

 

Mainstream Mysticism: Doctor Strange Vs. Materialism

Jeff Wolfe - Symbol & Verse

This sets Strange off on a classic Hero's Journey, the first step of which is to set off to parts unknown. Is it any surprise he is directed to a hidden temple tucked in the Himalayan Mountains? As it goes, the teacher must first be found before the lessons can commence. Like so many other myth stories, the keys to the universe are held in secret by monks or priests, who obtained them through intense dedication and practice of physical and mental disciplines. 

https://symbolandverse.journoportfolio.com/essays/mainstream-mysticism-doctor-strange-vs-materialism/

 

A Brief History of Doctor Strange and His Relationship with Tibet, Occultism, and Buddhism - Joel Gruber (11/05/2016)

"From 1963 to the present day, Doctor Strange comics document a visual history of American pop-fascination with the “Orient,” and with Tibet in particular. During the early 1960s, Tibetans were more exoticized objects of wonder than actual persons, and thus the Ancient One better resembled Blavatsky’s Mahatmas than he did a cave-dwelling Tibetan yogi. As the counterculture critiqued America’s Protestant heritage and explored religions from the so-called “Orient,” Englehart and Brunner destroyed God and presented their own version of a Buddhist-esque occult philosophy, which they and their readers put into practice. "

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joel-gruber/doctor-strange-a-brief-hi_b_12805350.html

 

 

Strange Tales #115, Dec. 1963, art: Steve Ditko

Doctor Strange (2016) – Revelation of the Illuminist Method - Jay Dyer:

"Lining up his chakras and mastering the “Key of Solomon,” Strange decides to delve into deeper, darker rites, taking it upon himself to don the All-Seeing Eye necklace that allows him to fast forward and rewind time itself, from the grimoires of his order’s ascended masters (call him Blavatsky Cumberbatch). "
https://jaysanalysis.com/2019/11/25/doctor-strange-2016-revelation-of-the-illuminist-method/
 

How Doctor Strange Helped Create Hippies - Charles Moss - Nov 2 2016 In Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America, Bradford W. Wright wrote, "Dr. Strange remarkably predicted the youth counterculture's fascination with Eastern mysticism and psychedelia. Never among Marvel's more popular or accessible characters, Dr. Strange still found a niche among an audience seeking a challenging alternative to more conventional superhero fare.
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/how-doctor-strange-helped-create-hippies

Breaking Saturn's Spell: Arrival & Doctor Strange - Chris Knowles 01-12-2016

Doctor Strange touched all the tentpole bases-- apocalypse-sized threat, cities aflame, multiculti heroes banding together under a militaristic regimen-- but added themes roughly parallel with the wilder expressions of Tibetan Buddhism and psychedelic culture (according to this writer, DMT culture, specifically.  

https://secretsun.blogspot.com/2016/12/arrival-and-doctor-strange-or-breaking.html

 

The Broken Hands of Doctor Strange Jeffrey Overstreet|November 17, 2016 

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/november-web-only/broken-hands-of-doctor-strange.html

The Theology of Dr. Strange Mike Beidler  November 30, 2016 

https://biologos.org/articles/the-theology-of-dr-strange

Doctor Strange Movie Cast Coached by Gelong Thubten, a Tibetan Monk

https://buddhaweekly.com/doctor-strange-movie-cast-coached-gelong-thubten-tibetan-monk-known-extensive-years-long-retreat/ 

Tibet Supporters Protest Marvel's 'Doctor Strange' over Changed Character

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/tibet-supporters-protest-marvel-s-dr-strange-over-changed-character-n677706 

 

Doctor Strange's Magical and Mystical Roots in Hindu Mythology

Amulya sai Inturi Nov.. 30 2016

https://www.fandom.com/articles/doctor-strange-magical-mystical-roots-hindu-mythology

 

Doctor Dtrange and the racial history of a Marvel icon - Zack Kruse - 19 March, 2019

https://www.popmatters.com/doctor-strange-and-race-2631242477.html

 

Orientalism (and disability) in in Scott Derrickson’s’Doctor Strange’ (2016) 

Rebecca Radillo 

https://thedailyfandom.org/orientalism-and-disability-doctor-strange/

 

Producing and Consuming the Posthuman Body in Superhero Narratives - Scott Jeffery - January 26, 2013
What is known by fans and scholars as the Golden Age of Comics dates from approximately 1938 to the late 1950s. 1938 marks the debut of Superman in Action Comics issue one but in order to understand the emergence of the comic book superhuman some context is necessary. The comic book superhuman was in fact preceded by what Coogan (2006) usefully describes as the Antediluvian Age. At the end of the eighteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century the posthuman was already manifesting itself in several seemingly disparate realms. In the fantastic fiction H. G. Wells for instance, which presented invisible men, human-animal hybrids and highly evolved (and de-evolved) relatives of humankind from the far future. The early science fiction author Edward Bulwer Lytton’s 1871 novel The Coming Race presented another vision of advanced humanity. Lytton’s work would go on to influence the fin de siècle interest in occultism (Knowles, 2007), particularly H. P. Blavatsky, founder of Theosophy, whose mystical writings are rife with highly evolved ‘ascended masters’ and whose occult theories emphasise a kind of evolutionary mysticism. Indeed, Badminton cites Blavatsky writing of the ‘post-human’ as early as 1888 (Badmington, 2004:133).
http://hplusmagazine.com/2013/01/26/producing-and-consuming-the-posthuman-body-in-superhero-narratives/

 

Doctor Strange: A Hero of the Mind 

Tristan Garcia

https://www.urbanomic.com/document/doctor-strange/

 

Lovecraft, Lee and the Elder Gods: Who Will Win? 

greydogtales March 16, 2017 

http://greydogtales.com/blog/lovecraft-lee-and-the-elder-gods/

 

Kamar-Taj: Doctor Strange's Mystical Training Grounds Explained  

Bob Chipman Sep 29, 2016 

https://screenrant.com/marvel-doctor-strange-kamar-taj-explained/

 

Tibet, Superhero Tourist Destination of the World

Chris Gavaler, Jan. 27, 2014

https://thepatronsaintofsuperheroes.wordpress.com/tag/orientalsim/

 

The links below document the pop culture “Tibetan lineage” of the good doctor:

nice articles on Alexandra David-Neel, James Hilton, Lost Horizon (novel & film), comic strip magicians (Mandrake, Green Lama, etc...) http://dialbforblog.com/archives/704/ http://dialbforblog.com/archives/706/ http://dialbforblog.com/archives/712/

 

The study of Theosophical influences on pop culture is quite a growing field, pioneered by:

The Gospel According to Superheroes: Religion and Pop Culture - edited by B. J. Oropeza - 2005

https://books.google.ca/books/about/The_Gospel_According_to_Superheroes.html?id=d9B-9ll_YPIC&redir_esc=y 

 

Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes, 2007 - Chris Knowles

https://books.google.ca/books?id=93Mv-1R5yskC&source=gbs_navlinks_s 

 

Mutants and Mystics Science Fiction Superhero Comics and the Panormal, Jeffrey Kripal, 2011:
Google Books

 

Pseudoscience and Science Fiction, Andrew May, 2016 :
https://books.google.ca/books?id=2O0QDQAAQBAJ&source=gbs_book_other_versions
 

The Assimilation of Yogic Religions Through Pop Culture

Editor, Paul G. Hackett, 2017  

Google Books 

 

Movie Magick: The Occult in Film, 2018

https://books.google.ca/books?id=sfx0DwAAQBAJ&dq=Doctor+Strange+film+Blavatsky+Theosophy&source=gbs_navlinks_s

 

Mysterious Travelers: Steve Ditko and the Search for a New Liberal Identity - Zack Kruse, 2021

https://books.google.ca/books?id=Z_cQEAAAQBAJ&source=gbs_book_other_versions 

 

Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration, and the Power of Imagination

BRILL, 2021

https://books.google.ca/books?id=NLJFEAAAQBAJ&dq=Blavatsky+review+of+Mr.+Isaacs+francis+marion+crawford&source=gbs_navlinks_s 

 

Religion and Myth in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Michael D. Nichols McFarland, 2021 208 pages

https://books.google.ca/books/about/Religion_and_Myth_in_the_Marvel_Cinemati.html?id=6BTBzQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y

 

For a more realistic use of theosophical adepts in popular fiction see FrancisMarion Crawford's Mr. Isaacs - a bestseller in Blavatsky's time (Crawford's uncle was a Theosophist), the book is still a good read:
https://archive.org/details/mrisaacsatalemo07crawgoog

Here's what Blavatsky thinks of such literary adaptations (review of Mr. Isaacs):
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/articles/v4/y1883_020.htm

The history of western use of Eastern mystical lore has deep roots, as early as Philostratos' Life of Apollonius of Tyana -  see Lee Irwin's broad overview Western Esotericism, Eastern Spirituality and the Global Future.
http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/VolumeIII/HTML/Irwin.html

Thomas McEvilley's The Shape of Ancient Thought examines the ancient western accounts of Eastern influence, giving new life to the Eastern influence theory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HAiTfOSP_w&t=16s