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The Secret Doctrine

By Helena P. Blavatsky

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The Secret Doctrine, Helena Petrovna BlavatskyA's masterwork on the origin and evolution of the universe and humanity itself, is arguably the most famous, and perhaps the most influential, occult book ever written. Published since 1888 only in expensive, two-volume editions of some 1,400 pages, it has long eluded the grasp of modern readersA- until now.

This single-volume edition, abridged and annotated by historian and Theosophical scholar Michael Gomes, places the ideas of The Secret Doctrine within reach of all who are curious. In particular, Gomes provides a critical sounding of the bookA's famous stanzas on the genesis of life and the cosmosA- mysterious passages that Blavatsky said originated from a primeval source and which form the heart of The Secret Doctrine. Gomes scrupulously scales down the bookA's key writings on symbolism to their essentials, and offers notes and a glossary to illuminate arcane references. His historical and literary introduction casts new light on some of the bookA's sources and on the career of its brilliant and elusive author, one of the most intriguing personages of the nineteenth century.

At once compact and representative of the work as a whole, this new edition of The Secret Doctrine brings unprecedented accessibility to the key esoteric classic of the modern era.

Preface Cosmogenesis-Preface
introduction Cosmogenesis-Introduction
Proem Cosmogenesis-Proem
Book I.- Part I. Seven Stanzas From The Book Of Dzyan
Stanza I. The Night Of The Universe
Stanza ii. The Idea Of Differentiation
Stanza iii. The Awakening Of Kosmos
Stanza iv. The Septenary Hierarchies
Stanza v. Fohat: The Child Of The Septenary Hierarchies
Stanza vi. Our World, Its Growth And Development
Theosophical Misconceptions
Explanations Concerning The Globes And The Monads
Stanza vi. Continued
Stanza vii. The Parents Of Man On Earth
Formation Of Man: The Thinker
Summing Up
Chapter I. Book I. -- Part II. Symbolism And Ideographs
Chapter II. Book I. -- Part II.The Mystery Language And Its Keys
Chapter III. Book I. -- Part II.Primordial Substance And Divine Thought
Chapter IV. Book I. -- Part II. Chaos -- Theos -- Kosmos.
Chapter V. Book I. -- Part II. The Hidden Deity, Its Symbols And Glyphs
Chapter VI. Book I. -- Part II. The Mundane Egg
Chapter VII. Book I. -- Part II. The Days And Nights Of Brahma
Chapter VIII. Book I. -- Part II. The Lotus As A Universal Symbol
Chapter IX. Book I. -- Part II. Deus Lunus
Chapter X. Book I. -- Part II. Tree And Serpent And Crocodile Worship
Chapter XI. Book I. -- Part II. Demon Est Deus Inversus
Chapter XII. Book I. -- Part II. The Theogony Of The Creative Gods
Chapter XIII. Book I. -- Part II. The-Seven-Creations
Chapter XIV. Book I. -- Part II. The Four Elements
Chapter XV. Book I. -- Part II. On Kwan-Shi-Yin And Kwan-Yin
Chapter I. BookI-Part III- Reasons For These Addenda
Chapter II. Book I-Part III- Modern Physicists Are Playing At Blind Mans Buff
Chapter III. Book I-Part III- An Lumen Sit Corpus Nec Non?
Chapter IV. Book I-Part III-Is Gravitation A Law?
Chapter V. Book I-Part III- The Theories Of Rotation Science
Chapter VI. Book I-Part III- The Masks Of Science
Chapter VII. Book I-Part III- An Attack On The Scientific Theory Of Force
Chapter VIII. Book I-Part III- Life, Force, Or Gravity
Chapter IX. Book I-Part III- The Solar Theory
Chapter X. Book I-Part III- The Coming Force
Chapter XI. Book I-Part III- The Elements And Atoms
Chapter XII. Book I-Part III- Ancient Thought In Modern Dress
Chapter XIII. Book I-Part III- The Modern Nebular Theory
Chapter XIV. Book I-Part III- Modes Of Motion Or Intelligences
Chapter XV. Book I-Part III- Gods, Monads, And Atoms
Chapter XVI. Book I-Part III- Cyclic Evolution And Karma
Chapter XVII. Book I-Part III- The Zodiac And Its Antiquity
Chapter XVIII. Book I-Part III- Summary Of The Mutual Position
Preliminary Notes
Book II-Part I- Stanzas From The Book Of Dzyan
Book II-Part I-The Beginnings Of Sentient Live
Book II-Part I-Two Antediluvian Astronomers
Stanza II. Book II-Part I-Nature Unaided Fails
Book II-Part I- The Chronology Of The Brahmins
Stanza III. Book II-Part I- Attempts To Create Man
Stanza IV. Book II-Part I- Creation Of The First Races
Stanza V. Book II-Part I- The Evolution Of The Second Race
Stanza VI. Book II-Part I- The Evolution Of The Sweat-Born
Stanza VII. Book II-Part I- From The Semi-Divine Down To The First Human Races
Stanza VIII. Book II-Part I- Evolution Of The Animal Mammalians The First
Book II-Part I- What May Be The Objections To The Foregoing
Stanza IX. Book II-Part I- The Final Evolution Of Man
Book II-Part I- Edens, Serpents And Dragons
Book II-Part I- The Sons Of God And The Sacred Island
Stanza X. Book II-Part I- The History Of The Fourth Race
Book II-Part I- Archaic Teachings In The Puranas And Genesis
Book II-Part I- A Panoramic View Of The Early Races
Stanza X. Book II-Part I- Continued
Book II-Part I- Are Giants A Fiction
Book II-Part I- The Races With The Third Eye
Book II-Part I- The Primeval Manus Of Humanity
Stanza XI. Book II-Part I- The Civilization And Destruction Of The Fourth And Fifth Races
Book II-Part I- Cyclopean Ruins And Colossal Stones As Witnesses To Giants
Stanza XII. Book II-Part I- The Fifth Race And Its Divine Instructors
Book II-Part I- The Origin Of The Satanic Myth
Book II-Part I- Western Speculations Founded On The Greek And Puranic Traditions
Book II-Part I- Additional Fragments From A Commentary On The Verses Of Stanza XII
Book II-Part I- Conclusion
Book II-Part II- Esoteric Tenets Corroborated In Every Scripture
Chapter XVI. Book II-Part II- Adam-Adami
Chapter XVII. Book II-Part II- The Holy Of Holies Its Degradation
Chapter XVIII. Book II-Part II- On The Myth Of The Fallen Angel In Its Various Aspects
Book II-Part II- The Many Meanings Of The War In Heaven
Chapter XIX. Book II-Part II- Is Pleroma Satans Lair
Chapter XX. Book II-Part II- Prometheus The Titan
Chapter XXI. Book II-Part II- Enoichion-Henoch
Chapter XXII. Book II-Part II- The Symbolism Of The Mystery Names Iao And Jehovah
Chapter XXIII. Book II-Part II- The Upanishads In Gnostic Literature
Chapter XXIV. Book II-Part II- The Cross And The Pythagorean Decade
Chapter XXV. Book II-Part II- The Mysteries Of The Hebdomad
Book II-Part II- The Septenary Element In The Vedas
Book II-Part II- The Seven Souls Of The Egyptologists
Chapter I. Book II-Part III- Archaic, Or Modern Anthropology
Chapter II. Book II-Part III- The Ancestors Mankind Is Offered By Science
Chapter III. Book II-Part III-The Fossil Relics Of Man And The Anthropoid Ape
Chapter IV. Book II-Part III-Duration Of The Geological Periods, Race Cycles, And The Antiquity Of Man
Book II-Part III- Esoteric Geological Chronology
Chapter V. Book II-Part III- Organic Evolution And Creative Centres
Chapter VI. Book II-Part III- Giants, Civilizations, And Submerged Continents Traced In History
Book II-Part III- Statements About The Sacred Islands
Chapter VII. Book II-Part III- Scientific And Geological Proofs Of The Existence Of Several Submerged Continents