Planets
Mercury
- For the Theosophical magazine, see Mercury (periodical)
- For the publishing house, see Mercury Publishing Company.
Mercury is the smallest and closest to the Sun of the eight planets in the Solar System, with an orbital period of about 88 Earth days. According to A. P. Sinnett Mercury is part of the Earth Chain, being its Globe E. Mme. Blavatsky rejected this interpretation, while Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater remained to sustain it.
See also: Controversy about Mars and Mercury
Uranus
Blavatsky suspected that one of the "secret planets" of the ancients, for which they used the Moon as a substitute, was Uranus. In a conversation with students, she said:
Mme. Blavatsky: The other [secret planet] is what I cannot explain. It was as the substitute of this planet that the moon was taken, and it was seen at a certain hour of the night just as though it was near the moon, but it was not; it is this planet which was not known at all. I think sometimes they do not give the name, but as to my astronomical ideas, I would not trust them.
The Chairman: It is not Herschel [Uranus] is it?
Mme. Blavatsky: I thought it was at one time, and yesterday evening I was thinking a good deal about it, but I am not sure. . . . And, mind you, the motion is retrograde. Therefore I do believe it is Herschel; but I would not swear to it. . . . The influence of this secret planet passes through the moon, i.e., the occult influence of this secret planet; but whether it passes so that it comes in a direct line, or how, I cannot explain. That is for you mathematicians to know better than I can.[1]
Neptune
Blavatsky claimed that, from an occult perspective the planet Neptune was not connected to our solar system:
The true Eastern Occultist will maintain that, whereas there are many yet undiscovered planets in our system, Neptune does not belong to it [our solar system], his apparent connection with our sun and the influence of the latter upon Neptune notwithstanding. This connection is mayavic, imaginary, they say.[2]
She was asked later about this statement:
In The Secret Doctrine it is stated that Neptune does not belong to the solar system, but is “mayavic.” What is meant by this? Neptune was discovered independently by two mathematicians, and not by the telescope directly. It obeys the law of gravity, and produced perturbations upon Uranus, which led to its discovery.[3]
She responded:
The passage in The Secret Doctrine so loosely referred to will be found in Vol. I, p. 102. . . . Notice that the supposed connection is said to be mayavic, and not the fact of the existence of the planet.[4]
Additional resources
- Mercury in Theosophy World
Notes
- ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine Dialogues (Los Angeles, CA: The Theosophy Company, 2014), 96-97.
- ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 102.
- ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 292.
- ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 292.
