VERA JELIHOWSKY’S ACCOUNT OF THE MAKING OF THE SECRET DOCTRINE

The following writing is an extract from the article in the "Russian Review" of Moscow on Helena Petrovna Blavatsky wrote by her sister, Vera Jelihowsky.

« In the summer of 1886 I again visited my sister in Germany, where she was staying in Elberfeld, with her friends the Gebhards. As usual she was always surrounded by lots of people, some of whom came with the special aim of making her acquaintance and others to renew old friendships; but in Elberfeld, it seemed to me, she had more friends with kindly feelings towards her personality than drawn to her through her teachings.

At the beginning of our stay there Helena Petrovna was not able to work, but as soon as she was better all our time was spent in very interesting, lively conversations on the terrace or in the garden, and sometimes in reading the materials for The Secret Doctrine she was then writing.

During these readings two characteristic points struck me especially, viz., the wonderful picturesqueness of language and detailed descriptions when Helena Petrovna spoke, giving explanations on all kinds of questions asked her by specialists, and at the same time her perfect inability to keep to a purely scientific presentation of the evidences and the formulas.

(Note: this is because Master Morya was who gave those explanations and responded through her.)

Her talk was always entrancing, but as soon as she came to mathematical data, it constantly occurred that she was not able to read the algebraical and geometrical conclusions written down by her personality. Very often when left alone with her, I expressed my astonishment to her:

-   "How can it be, that you, having calculated and written all this down yourself, can’t read it?"

To this question my sister always replied, with hearty laughter:

-   "Do you expect me to know the problems of the higher mathematics? Your daughters are bas bleu and have learnt all these erudite matters, but, as to you and myself, have not we learned side by side and did not we have the greatest trouble to master the first four rules of arithmetic?"

I asked her:

-   "Then how is it that you have written all this without knowing anything about it?"

She answered me:

-   "Come, now, don't be so naive! As if you don't know there are many things in my writings of which I never dreamed before. I do not write them, I only copy out what is ready made before my eyes. I know that you always disbelieved me, but in this you see one more proof that I am only the tool and not the master."

I told her:

-   "This does not prevent your descriptions from being masterly. It sounds as if you saw all this personally, and have visited all the places you speak about."

She replied me:

-   "I am not so sure about visiting, but as to seeing — of course I saw them, and I see constantly everything that I describe."

Such were her usual and constant answers. »

(Reminiscences of H.P. Blavatsky and “The Secret Doctrine” by Countess Wachtmeister and others, appendix I-4, p.105-106)