A rigorous historical and philosophical examination of the controversial spiritual Masters who guided Madam H. P. Blavatsky in opening the world to Eastern and esoteric spirituality in the late nineteenth century.

In the latter part of the nineteenth century, the mysterious and widely travelled Russian noblewoman and occult philosopher Madam H. P. Blavatsky enthralled the Western and Eastern worlds with theories of an ancient 'secret doctrine' behind the major religions and cosmic theology that united the insights of religion and science. Blavatsky said she was operating under the guidance of enigmatic Masters of wisdom, and that these 'Mahatmas,' or great souls, led her to reveal forgotten wisdom to modern people. 
The mythos of Blavatsky's Masters left a deep mark on the culture of alternative spirituality and has spawned more than a century of debate: Were the Masters fact or fraud?  What did they teach?  Can we reach them today?
 
Now in Masters of Wisdom, scholar of Theosophy Edward Abdill provides an authoritative, historically reliable, and delightfully readable study of the background and ideas of the Mahatmas – focusing specifically on what they taught and the enduring reach of their message.