The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky to A. P. Sinnett

Letter No. 80

Mar. 3.

Dear Mr. Sinnett,

It never rains but it pours. I do not think it possible to answer for anything, any smallest event in this life and say it will have no effect. Karma is more than any of you think. Presently the Shah of Persia will sneeze on a Sunday and next Saturday all Europe will be in conflagration because some of the European powers will have mistaken the sneeze for a cannon-shot. A too erotic spinster falls in love with a nut-meg Hindu with buck eyes, and one of the results is, that two families closely allied by the nearest blood-ties are separated for ever and a third party, innocent of the squabble from beginning to the end — myself — is smashed in the affray. Solovioff has turned out a dirty gossip, a meddler, and a bully. He, whose skirts were dirtier than those of any one else, arraigned himself as though in virtue against Mohini, sold me like a Judas, without cause or warning; went to Petersburg, got intimate with my sister and her family, set every one of them against me, learnt all he could learn of the dirty gossips of old (especially about that poor-child story) returned to Paris, sold us all, etc. Then wrote to me a most impudent, threatening letter, as you know, threatening also my aunt, who, upon learning how he had deceived us all with his wife (who has now turned out his unmarried sister-in-law, his other wife's sister that he seduced, it now appears, when she was only thirteen) wrote to my sister that she, the supposed Mme. S. whom you saw, was no fit companion for her unmarried daughters and my sister showed him, Solovioff, her aunt's letter!! A row — thunder and lightning. I sent to my aunt his impudent letter. She sent my complaining letter to my sister and reproached her, it appears too violently, for allowing her daughters to sell me like Judases to Solovioff; to make friends and side with him against me, who had done them no harm, but had given up all my father's inheritance to them, without a word of protest, etc. This sent my sister into hysterics and fits. The daughters wrote a most impudent letter to my aunt, asking her never to write to them, and never pronounce my name, which as Christians stank in their nostrils. My two aunts kicked and took my defence, and wrote thundering letters of reproach. New rows, new complications etc. etc. Now the result is: my sister's family and my aunts have become Montecchi and Capulette, and Solovioff the Iago of Theosophy and of myself. My sister hates me, as she declared, and her daughters still more. Now in Russia as everywhere else hating is synonymous with slandering. Solovioff moreover, will not forgive me for rejecting his propositions — that you know. He knows Katkoff; he is a writer; and I expect to lose through his kind offices my position on the Russian Vyestuik and as a consequence a few thousand roubles a year.

All this — because Mohini has chosen to play at platonic (if only platonic) Don Juan. How is this for complication, dirt, and a diseased heart? Let it go.

Now about other things. I do not care one rap for all the Remnants in London. She can do nothing except throwing new dirt at us and unable to sentence us legally they will, of course, go on simply making faces at our sisters — if we have any left. But let this go too. Now while you had in your head the idea of living together somewhere in England in the country — which is impossible now, between S. P. R. and the Bibiche — I had visions that I told the Countess about three days ago. I saw most unexpectedly your house with a large bill on the window "Furnished house to let" — and I saw you two and myself in Dieppe or wherever it was, but it seemed to me Dieppe. If this is not simple imagination, a vision by suggestion and a train of thought — then there may be something in it. If you only could let your house furnished — which seems easier than sub-letting the lease, we could live very cheap somewhere on the shores of France; you would be only two or three hours from London. I was thinking all the time to emigrate somewhere about there — Boulogne, Calais, Dieppe etc.; to take a little house with Louisa, to send there my household goods and chattels and settle till I either die, or return to India where I cannot return till I have done with the S. Doctrine. To live in France across the Channel and the bit of sea between England and the French shore is like living in England and nearer than in many parts of England too.

Now do you think it feasible. What I spend here, some 400 marks, I will always spend elsewhere and no more. Bouton sent me 125 dollars most unexpectedly, says he will be now sending more. Makes fine propositions. I enclose his letter — read it please and send it back and say what you think of it. If Judge or Gebhard or Prof. Coues help me taking out a copyright from Washington for S.D. and to make a new contract with Bouton for Isis so that he could swindle me no more, I think I could make some money on it. And then we could live together in France or wherever you would say, till I have done with the S.D. The houses are very cheap on the sea shore places if one takes them yearly, they are dear only during the seasons. At Arques, near Dieppe, for instance, about half an hour's drive from Dieppe, one could live absurdly cheap. It is famous for its lovely forest — d'Arques, and its pretty villas of which there are many. The Countess lived there and says it is a delightful place. If a little house could be taken now or during April beforehand — I could send three months rent easily as I have scrubbed up some cash, and then I could send quietly and little by little my necessaries such as my arm chair and a few other things and then emigrate there at the end of April or beginning of May. How could this be done? How would it do for someone to go and see the houses there or elsewhere. If I should pay half of expenses — for house — living and everything and you the other half it would be very cheap. And once settled, even if you had to go to London next winter, I would then stop alone and be still near you. I hope to have a little more money for next winter, between what I receive from Adyar, what Katkoff owes me and what I can do now. Do think of it seriously. If you could only let your house furnished, merely leaving in the bulk of the big furniture and taking away the smaller good things and nicknacks, we could settle lovely, I think.

There's a new development and scenery, every morning. I live two lives again. Master finds that it is too difficult for me to be looking consciously into the astral light for my S.D. and so, it is now about a fortnight, I am made to see all I have to as though in my dream. I see large and long rolls of paper on which things are written and I recollect them. Thus all the Patriarchs from Adam to Noah were given me to see — parallel with the Rishis; and in the middle between them, the meaning of their symbols — or personifications. Seth standing with Brighu for first sub-race of the Root race, for inst: meaning, anthropologically — first speaking human sub-race of the 3rd Race; and astronomically — (his years 912 y.) meaning at one and same time the length of the solar year in that period, the duration of his race and many other things — (too complicated to tell you now). Enoch finally, meaning the solar year when our present duration was settled, 365 days — ("God took him when he was 365 years old) and so on. It is very complicated but I hope to explain it sufficiently clear. I have finished an enormous Introductory Chapter, or Preamble, Prologue, call it what you will; just to show the reader that the text as it goes, every Section beginning with a page of translation from the Book of Dzyan and the Secret Book of "Maytreya Buddha" Champai chhos Nga (in prose, not the five books in verse known, which are a blind) are no fiction. I was ordered to do so, to make a rapid sketch of what was known historically and in literature, in classics and in profane and sacred histories — during the 500 years that preceded the Christian period and the 500 y. that followed it: of magic, the existence of a Universal Secret Doctrine known to the philosophers and Initiates of every country and even to several of the Church fathers such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and others, who had been initiated themselves. Also to describe the Mysteries and some rites; and I can assure you that most extraordinary things are given out now, the whole story of the Crucifixion, etc. being shown to be based on a rite as old as the world — the Crucifixion on the Lathe of the Candidate — trials, going down to Hell etc. all Aryan. The whole story hitherto unnoticed by Orientalists is found even exoterically, in the Puranas and Brahmanas, and then explained and supplemented with what the Esoteric explanations give. How the Orientalists have failed to notice it passes comprehension. Mr. Sinnett, dear, I have facts for 20 Vol. like Isis; it is the language, the cleverness for compiling them, that I lack. Well you will soon [see] this Prologue, the short survey of the forthcoming Mysteries in the text — which covers 300 pages of foolscap. Do think of Arques and Dieppe seriously. I must go somewhere but not in England.

Yours ever,
H. P. B.



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