Sign-In
Cart
The Mother of All Religions: The Genesis of Blavatsky's Theosophy: Ancient Theology, Orientalism, and Buddhism
Hardcover
Series: East-West Discovery
Religion General BuddhismGeneral World History
ISBN13: 9783906000367
Publisher: Universitymedia
Published: Jun 20 2025
Pages: 480
Weight: 1.78
Height: 1.19 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The Story of Helena Blavatsky's Invention of Primeval Religion
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), the grandmother of the New Age, not only inspired artists such as Kandinsky, Klee, Mondriaan, Scriabin, Mahler, Sibelius, T. S. Eliot and Kahlil Gibran but also founders of spiritual movements such as Rudolf Steiner and George Gurdjieff. In 1875 Blavatsky co-founded the Theosophical Society in New York, and in the remaining sixteen years of her life she authored all fundamental works of modern Theosophy. Already in her lifetime, her Society had hundreds of branches in India and all over the world, and even today sections and subsections of the movement are active in many countries of Asia and the West.
Blavatsky is an extremely controversial figure. Hailed by some as the most extraordinary woman of the 19th century, she was denounced by others as history's greatest charlatan. Her central claims were that she enjoyed direct contact with members of an esoteric, Buddhism-associated brotherhood in Tibet who had initiated her to secret doctrines transmitted from the dawn of humanity, and that she had access to the world's most ancient religious scripture: the Book of Dzyan.
Urs App, the author of The Birth of Orientalism (2010) & The Cult of Emptiness (2012), and editor of Blavatsky on Buddhism (2023), describes how Blavatsky-much inspired by Romantic orientalist views of Buddhism-invented the world's primeval wisdom religion.
Instead of regarding Blavatsky as an adept with superior powers and an initiate of unchanging secret doctrines transmitted from remote antiquity, App studies her as one would any modern intellectual author by investigating the historical development of her thought. What did she read and when, what key ideas did she pick up from what sources, and how did she combine, digest, and transform such information into a Buddhism- and Orientalism-inspired Ancient Theology?
1 different editions
Also available
Also from
App, Urs
The First Western Book on Buddhism and Buddha: Ozeray's Recherches sur Buddou of 1817
App, Urs
Paperback
Zen Meister Yunmen: Leben und Lehre des letzten Giganten der Zen-Klassik
Yunmen, Wenyan
App, Urs
Paperback
Also in
Religion General
The Circle of the Way: A Concise History of Zen from the Buddha to the Modern World
O'Brien, Barbara
Paperback
The Destiny of Modern Societies: The Calvinist Predestination of a New Society
Zafirovski, Milan
Paperback
Queer Faith: Reading Promiscuity and Race in the Secular Love Tradition
Sanchez, Melissa E.
Paperback
The Sullivanians: Sex, Psychotherapy, and the Wild Life of an American Commune
Stille, Alexander
Hardcover
Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 5
Kelly, Geffrey B.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich
Bloesch, Daniel W.
Hardcover
Friendship and Society: An Introduction to Augustine's Practical Philosophy
Burt, Donald X.
Paperback
The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis: Commentary on the First Three Chapters
Smith, David Chaim
Paperback
Chant & Be Happy: Based on Teachings of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Paperback
Medieval Handbooks of Penance: A Translation of the Principal Libri Poenitentiales
McNeill, John
Gamer, Helena
Paperback
As a Man Thinketh - the Original 1902 Classic (includes the Mastery of Destiny) (Reader's Library Classics)
Allen, James
Paperback
Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made
Kobes Du Mez, Kristin
Hardcover
Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds
Fugelsang, John
Hardcover
Don't Believe Everything You Think (Expanded Edition): Why Your Thinking Is the Beginning & End of Suffering
Nguyen, Joseph
Hardcover
The Jesus Discoveries: 10 Historic Finds That Bring Us Face-To-Face with Jesus
Johnston, Jeremiah J.
Paperback
A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World's Sacred Texts
Tolstoy, Leo
Hardcover
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Workbook 25th Anniversary Edition: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
Maxwell, John C.
Paperback
Contend: Standing Boldly for Biblical Truth While Winning the War Within
Mitchell, Philip Anthony
Hardcover
Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
Koukl, Gregory
Paperback
40 días de viaje en silencio hoy: Una guía para escuchar a Dios en el silencio
Zambrano, S.
Paperback
Determined to Believe?: The Sovereignty of God, Freedom, Faith, and Human Responsibility
Lennox, John C.
Paperback
Braving the Truth: Essential Essays for Reckoning with and Reimagining Faith
Bessey, Sarah
Evans, Rachel Held
Hardcover
The Culting of America: What Makes a Cult and Why We Love Them
Reed, Amy
Mestyanek Young, Daniella
Hardcover
Pray Like a Champion Today: Sacred Stories from the Sidelines of Notre Dame Football
Wills, Nate, CSC
Paperback
The Books of Enoch: The Complete and Original Edition, Also Includes the Book of Jasher and the Book of Jubilees
Charles, R. H.
Paperback
Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel & the Christianity We Haven't Tried Yet
Watterson, Meggan
Paperback
Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging
Buchdahl, Angela
Hardcover
The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts Complete in One Volume
Meyer, Marvin W.
Robinson, James M.
Paperback
Nothing Is Impossible with God: Eleven Heroes. One God. Endless Lessons in Overcoming.
Bream, Shannon
Hardcover
Mythology (75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition): Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
Hamilton, Edith
Hardcover
Consagracion a San Jose: Las Maravillas de Nuestro Padre Espiritual
Calloway, Donald H., MIC
Paperback
Every Moment Holy: New Liturgies for Daily Life: (Pocket Edition) (Over 100 Prayers and Illustrations for Practicing Mindfulness of the Presence of Go
McKelvey, Douglas Kaine
Hardcover
I Belong to Me: A Survivor's Guide to Recovery and Hope After Religious Trauma
Levings, Tia
Hardcover
Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and the Fight Over Free Speech in Modern America
Loeffler, James
Hardcover
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
Comer, John Mark
Hardcover
The Official Study Guide to I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
Geisler, Norman L.
Jimenez, Jason
Paperback
A Catechism of the Strange: Stigmata, Relics, and the Miracles That Shape the Soul
Allen, W. Tyler
Paperback
A Celebration of Sex: A Guide to Enjoying God's Gift of Sexual Intimacy
Rosenau, Douglas E.
Paperback
The Gospel According to Hobby Lobby: Inside a Billionaire Family's Quest to Craft a Christian Nation
Blanding, Michael
Hardcover
The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God
Strobel, Lee
Paperback
Unoffendable Bible Study Guide Plus Streaming Video: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better
Hansen, Brant
Paperback
It Works: The Famous Little Red Book That Makes Your Dreams Come True!
Jarrett, Roy Herbert
Jarrett, Rh
Paperback
40 Días De Viaje En Silencio Transformar Tu Vida Desde El Silencio: Recupera Paz, Fuerza Y Claridad Interior
Montes, Lucía
Paperback
Did America Have a Christian Founding?: Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth
Hall, Mark David
Paperback
From Genesis to Junia: An Honest Search for What the Bible Really Says about Women in Leadership
Sprinkle, Preston
Paperback
Spiritual Hygiene: A Practical Path for Clean Living, Inner Authority, and Divine Freedom
Vanzant, Iyanla
Hardcover
Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence
Leo XIV, Pope
Paperback
Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Manners and Customs: How the People of the Bible Really Lived
Vos, Howard
Paperback
Dwelling in Christ: Discover the Threefold Path of Spiritual Transformation
Bailey, Jonathan R.
Paperback
Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe
Meyer, Stephen C.
Paperback
The 10: 10 Challenge: 10 Weeks, 10 Ways to a Jesus-Led Life
Lesperance, André
Jackson, Andrea
Paperback
Inner Reflections 2027 Weekly Engagement Calendar, Includes Inspiring Quotes from Paramahansa Yogananda
Yogananda, Paramahansa
Paperback
Falling Upward, Revised and Updated: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
Rohr, Richard
Hardcover
Chase's Calendar of Events 2027: The Ultimate Go-To Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months
Chase's, Editors Of
Paperback
How to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life: The Biblical Path to Holiness and Relationship with God
Frizzell, Gregory R.
Paperback
Beyond Wellness: How Restoring the Religious Roots of Spiritual Practices Can Heal Us
Bucar, Liz
Hardcover