PREFACE

own study and observation. The publication of many facts stated here has been made necessary by the wild and fanciful speculations in which many Theosophists and students of mysticism have indulged over the last few years, in their attempt—as they imagined—to work out a complete system of thought from the few facts previously communicated to them.

It is needless to explain that this book is not the Secret Doctrine in its entirety, but a selection of fragments of its fundamental tenets, with special attention paid to certain facts that have been seized upon by various writers and distorted until they bear no resemblance to the truth.

However, it is perhaps desirable to state unequivocally that the teachings contained in these volumes, however fragmentary and incomplete, do not belong exclusively to the Hindu, Zoroastrian, Chaldean, or Egyptian religions, nor to Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, or Christianity. The Secret Doctrine is the essence of all of them. Although they emerged from it at their origins, the various religious systems are here shown to merge back into their original element, out of which every mystery and dogma has grown, developed, and become materialized.

It is more than probable that the book will be regarded by a large section of the public as a romance of the wildest kind, for who has even heard of the Book of Dzyan?

The writer is, therefore, fully prepared to take all responsibility for what is contained in this work, and even to face the charge of having invented the whole thing. She is fully aware of its many shortcomings; all she claims for it is that, as romantic as it may seem to many, its logical coherence and consistency entitle this new Genesis to rank, at the very least, on a level with the "working hypotheses" so freely accepted by modern science. Furthermore, it claims consideration not by appealing to dogmatic authority, but because it closely adheres to Nature and follows the laws of uniformity and analogy.

The aim of this work may be stated as follows: to show that Nature is not a "fortuitous concurrence of atoms," to assign to man his rightful place in the scheme of the Universe, to rescue from degradation the archaic truths that are the basis of all religions, to uncover the fundamental unity from which they all sprang, and finally, to show that the occult side of Nature has never been approached by the science of modern civilization.

If this is accomplished to any degree, the writer is content. It is written in the service of humanity, and it must be judged by humanity and future generations. Its author recognizes no inferior court of appeal. She is accustomed to abuse, acquainted with daily calumny, and she meets slander with silent contempt.

H. P. B.

London, October, 1888