For over 130 years, The Secret Doctrine continues to be the principal wellspring for students of Theosophy, and remains today the most comprehensive source-book of the esoteric tradition, outlining the fundamental tenets of the Secret Doctrine of the Archaic Ages; surveying the origins of the cosmos and the prehistory of humanity, and synthesizing religion and science within the context of the perennial philosophy.

Challenging, prophetic, and strikingly modern, it directly addresses the perennial questions: continuity of life after death, purpose of existence, good and evil, consciousness and substance, sexuality, karma, evolution, and human and planetary transformation.

Based on the ancient Stanzas of Dzyan with corroborating testimony from hundreds of sources, these volumes unfold the drama of cosmic and human evolution- from the reawakening of the gods after a Night of the Universe to the ultimate reunion of cosmos with its divine source.

Supplementary sections discuss relevant scientific issues as well as the mystery language of myths, symbols, and allegories, helping the reader decipher the often abstruse imagery of the world's sacred literature.

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), was born in Dnepropetrovsk (Ekaterinoslav), Ukraine, daughter of Colonel Peter Alexeyevich von Hahn and novelist Helena Andreyevna (née de Fadeyev). In 1849 she married N. V. Blavatsky, and shortly thereafter began more than 20 years of extensive travel, which brought her into contact with mystic traditions the world over.

She was the principal founder of the Theosophical Society in New York City in 1875, and devoted her extraordinary literary talents to its humanitarian and educational purposes until her death in London, England, on May 8, 1891. Along with writing her several books, H. P. Blavatsky kept up a voluminous correspondence and also contributed a steady stream of essays and articles to periodicals in English, French, and Russian.