Boris de Zirkoff – USA
Boris de Zirkoff
[One hundred years ago -An Occult and Literary Challenge - article first published in 1977]
On Saturday, September 29, 1877, the first monumental work of H. P. Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled, was published in New York by J. W. Bouton. Its title page declared it to be "A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology," and the one thousand copies of the first printing were sold in ten days. Even some of the advance subscribers had to wait for the second printing.
Riding the incoming tide of interest in the occult, which was then engaging the minds of an ever-increasing number of people, and coming, as it did, in the wake of widespread controversies created by H. P. Blavatsky's challenging articles and essays, published off and on for a period of three years in some of the New York dailies and the journals of the Spiritualistic movement, Isis Unveiled produced a powerful impact from the very day of its appearance.
The reaction of the Press was on the whole favorable. Dr. Shelton Mackenzie, one of the most capable literary critics of the day, wrote in the Philadelphia Press of October 9, 1877, that "it is one of the most remarkable works for originality of thought, thoroughness of research, depth of philosophic exposition, and variety and extent of learning that has appeared for very many years." The New York Herald of September 30, 1877, said that independent minds "will welcome the new publication as a most valuable contribution to philosophical literature" and that it "will supplement the Anacalypsis of Godfrey Higgins." Finding a great resemblance between them, it declared that the work under review "with its striking peculiarities, its audacity, its versatility and the prodigious variety of subjects which it notices and handles ... is one of the remarkable productions of the century." Dr. G. Bloede, an erudite German scholar, said that "under all considerations, it will range among the most important contributions to the literature of the modern science of the spirit, and be worth the attention of every thinking student of this." The New York World thought it to be an "extremely readable and exhaustive essay upon the paramount importance of re-establishing the Hermetic Philosophy in a world which blindly believes that it has outgrown it." The American Bookseller for October, 1877, felt that "the sale . . . is unprecedented for a work of its kind, the entire edition having been exhausted within ten days of the date of publication." It also compared it to Higgins' Anacalypsis and declared the demand for it to be "far beyond the expectations of its publishers."
Some of the notices were flippant and prejudiced enough to make it clear that the critics had not read the work; and the Editor of the New York Times wrote to Bouton that they were sorry they could not touch Isis Unveiled, as they "have a holy horror of Mine. Blavatsky and her letters."
One of the finest endorsements came from Bernard Quaritch, the famous bookseller and publisher, who wrote to Bouton from London, December 27, 1877: "The book will evidently make its way in England and become a classic. I am very glad to be the English agent." Writing about this in his Old Diary Leaves (Vol. I, p. 296, footnote), Col. Olcott adds: "... we were more glad that he should be; knowing his reputation for indomitable energy and high-mindedness."
According to Col. Olcott, "the first money received for a copy of Isis was sent to me by a lady of Styria with her order; we kept it 'for luck', and it now hangs, framed, on the walls of The Theosophist office at Adyar. The truest thing ever said about Isis was the expression of an American author that it is 'a book with a revolution in it.' "
In order to understand the nature of this impact, and to realize its repercussions in various departments of human thought, it is necessary to recall the nature of the era in which Isis Unveiled was published. As far as the Occident was concerned, the background was one of heavy and dull materialism which permeated most avenues of human endeavor. A climate in which scientific denial of all spirituality, self-righteous smugness of organized religion, artificial respectability of social customs, and barrenness of intellectual speculation were the prevailing influences of the day, presented difficulties which men of today may not easily grasp. The very existence of occult knowledge, of perfected men and initiates, of the latent powers in the human being, and of a secret path which leads to the attainment of that knowledge, were practically unknown, except among a few rare individuals who kept what they knew to themselves and kept themselves unknown.
Only one Movement - known as Spiritualism in America, and as Spiritism in Europe - evinced a certain degree of open-mindedness towards little-known facts of Nature, even though the interest of its devotees was riveted on mere phenomena, without a philosophy to uphold them.
An ever-increasing number of people, some of them well known and influential in various circles, were being attracted to this phase of mediumistic phenomenalism, which, in spite of its confused and most uncertain antecedents, provided a fertile soil for new speculation, for the expression of new ideas, and the exercise of heretofore unsuspected intuition in the minds of men.
Against this background of materialistic denial and curiosity in the occult, the appearance of Isis Unveiled was somewhat similar to an exploding bomb, the repercussions of which jolted many established opinions, entrenched dogmas and crystallized beliefs in the entire range of current thought.
In spite of its many imperfections and shortcomings, as a literary production, H.P.B.'s first work - Isis Unveiled remains to this very day the most astounding compendium of occult facts and doctrines in the Theosophical Movement. Its contents are of the most varied kind, its array of evidence has never been surpassed, its authoritative character has never been questioned, and its intrinsic value has not been superseded or duplicated by The Secret Doctrine.
The appeal of this work to readers and students has hardly ever slackened, and edition after edition has been exhausted no matter by whom published. To those who are fairly well acquainted with the later writings of H.P.B., but who have neglected to look into the pages of Isis Unveiled, this work contains priceless revelations of natural facts, and illuminating thoughts and sidelights on the mysteries of Nature never suspected before. The facts described in it can be ignored and set aside by nonbelievers, but they cannot be successfully challenged and shown to be false. Therefore the work stands even today as a living challenge to all those whose minds are self-imprisoned within the walls of denial, and whose spiritual sight is impeded by homemade blinkers.
Where can we find passages as authoritative in their bearing and as eloquent in their import and language as those, for instance, which deal with the ancient Egyptian civilization and its unique achievements, or those which outline the fundamental propositions of Oriental philosophies and of genuine Magic? Where else can we find the sweeping view of the endless horizon which discloses in broad outline, supported by astounding facts, the universal character of the Occult Tradition, the immense antiquity of true Magic, its noble origin and transcendent power, and the fathomless and unquenchable springs from which it flows?
In many instances, however, H.P.B., acting on instructions from her Superiors, merely hinted at certain teachings, in this first work from her pen. Their elaboration was reserved for later years.
Some have declared Isis Unveiled to be without definite plan. Consider the evidence: Isis Unveiled proclaims the fact that there were ancient Mystery-Schools in the guardianship of men who knew and who were servants of truth; that these Mysteries existed in periods of history which were fit for them to exist in; that some two thousand years ago, a wall was built to shut them off from the knowledge of men, while some of the ancient lore was incorporated in a twisted and distorted form into a religio-political system which eventually became known as the Christian Church; that as this was done, no effort was spared to root out and destroy the traces of the action; that at the same time, along with efforts to stem the tide as far as possible, a parallel movement was set on foot to preserve and protect the ancient truths, until in later times, they would again become known for the benefit of all men; and that they were so preserved, partly in places inaccessible to us now, and partly in the fragments of ancient literature which had been saved and had survived, and which are being gradually rediscovered today and reinterpreted by scholars all over the world.
If this is not a definite literary plan, what is it? H.P.B. conclusively proved that the record was there, and explained what that record was, at least partially so. Can anyone conceive a better plan for this sort of work than just that, to strike again the keynote of man's forgotten heritage, and throw down the gauntlet to those who appropriated it for their own personal benefit and power?
Consider also the spiritual message which forms the backdrop of the work as a whole. To quote Col. Olcott's words:
None of us live for ourselves, we all live for humanity.' This was the spirit of all my instructions, this is the idea inculcated throughout Isis Unveiled. Let the literary faults of that book be what they may; let its author be charged with plagiarism or not; the sum and substance of its argument is that man is of a complex nature, animal at one extreme, divine at the other; and that the only real and perfect existence, the only one that is free from illusions, pain and sorrow, because in it, their cause - Ignorance - does not exist, is that of the spirit, the Highest Self. The book incites to pure and high living, to expansion of mind and universality of tenderness and sympathy; it shows there is a Path upwards, and that it is accessible to those who are brave; it traces all modern knowledge and speculation to archaic sources; and, affirming the past and present existence of Adepts and of occult science, affords us a stimulus to work and an ideal to work up to."
Old Diary Leaves, I, 294
Against the array of facts and the vast background of universal tradition, no hostile criticism and no puny faultfinding on the part of narrow minds can ever prevail, or throw the slightest slur upon a work from the pages of which breathe unquestioned authority and unequivocal challenge.
