This entry will wrap up Madam Blavatsky, about time, huh. And then begin with a shorter sketch of Annie Besant. As we get into the New Age beliefs you will understand more why I dwelt on Blavatsky so much (I hope). I will develop the emergence of the fallen angels in the section on the origins of evil. Evil is, of course, a necessary ingredient to the story of the ages. Without evil there would be no good. We try to simplify God's plan as much as we can, just to understand it. It is not simple...we do our best to put God in a box. Even though He is a fluid spirit, He will not be made to fit in anyone's box. He is not like us: he is completely supernatural, we are less than natural.

In July 1878 Helena P. Blavatsky became the first Russian woman to acquire United States citizenship. Some say she did so just to keep the English in India from thinking she was a Russian spy.
The Society grew to become an international organization, with thousands of followers scattered around the world. The society gained much support in India, which is probably why Blavatsky moved the headquarters to Adyar near Madras in India in 1882. There she soaked up all she could of the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The Eastern experience had a profound influence on Blavatsky’s writings, which were a dizzy blend of Western occultism and Eastern mysticism. ( For me: see Confronting the New Age, Douglas Groothuis, p. 26 for more on these guys)
Blavatsky published The Secret Doctrine in 1888, which is said to be her greatest work and is generally regarded as the key Theosophical text. The Secret Doctrine outlined a scheme of evolution relating to the universe (cosmogenesis) and humankind (anthropogenesis), and is based on three premises: (1) Ultimate Reality, as an omnipresent transcendent principle beyond the reach of thought; (2) the universality law of cycles throughout nature; and (3) the identity of all souls with the Universal Oversoul and their journey through many degrees of intelligence by means of reincarnation, in accordance with “Cyclic and Karmic law.”
In line with Spiritualism, Blavatsky was also interested in communicating with those on the other side. But her spirits were not simply those of the departed; they were ascended masters, highly evolved beings (probably the fallen angels {Sons of God mentioned in Genesis} which I haven’t worked in anywhere yet) who had moved up the spiritual hierarchial ladder and now supervened in human affairs, dispensing knowledge and power to the “worthy”. Blavatsky spoke on the idea of a spiritual evolution of the species that paralleled biological evolution. The idea itself did not originate with her, but probably with her master. Even though she was a deep thinker the stuff she wrote about was far above her level of intelligence.
The interest in evolution was there, nonetheless, and occult circles appropriated Darwin’s “new” theory from The Origin of the Species, for their own ends. Evolutionary theory fit in perfectly with their ideas of gradual progress, allowing them the authority of science to backup what they had always believed anyway. Darwin made their movement appear more credible than it was. If humanity had become human by passing through apehood, it seemed plausible enough that it was headed toward godhood. As history would show, it was just as possible to believe evolution applied to a particular race (Hitler) as it was to believe it applied to an entire species.
Blavatsky divided human evolution into stages, believing a new phase and new age were on the horizon. The ascended masters would reincarnate as world teachers at the right time and help humanity up the evolutionary spiral.
In her last days Blavatsky suffered from heart disease, rheumatism and Bright’s disease. It was probably the complications from influenza, however, that took her life May 8, 1891. Theosophists commemorate her death on May 8, with White Lotus Day. Blavatsky was succeeded as head of the Theosophical Society by Annie Wood Besant (1847-1933), who actively supported progressive causes, bringing another generation of liberal intellectuals into the society.