One day in the winter of 1875, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, one of the founders of the Theosophical Society, made a vow: to spread by every means in her power the teachings which she had received from several Masters of the Himalayan Lodge of the Spiritual Hierarchy of our planet. True to her vow, she set to work to inform the world of these teachings. Her books, The Secret Doctrine, Isis Unveiled and The Key to Theosophy, are testimony to her indefatigable industry and will, in the face of great physical illness. These seminal works have informed and inspired many thousands of true seekers over the years and continue to do so.

The general reception of these precious insights was altogether different: seldom have the work and gifts of a great initiate been so denigrated and ridiculed, especially by the religious and scientific communities of the day. Even now, after a hundred and thirty five or so years, Blavatsky is regularly dismissed as a charlatan, a spiritual medium and a “dishonest faker”. So vehement and so worldwide was this condemnation that much of this negativity still clings to her name. And, to Theosophy itself.

Madame Blavatsky was 4.0 degrees initiate, almost a Master, equal in level to the Disciple Jesus and close to that of the great Leonardo da Vinci. How is it is possible that such a distinguished Toiler for the Good could be so maligned? Jesus himself is a prime example of how ignorance and fear can dominate the perceptions of men. Even while overshadowed by Maitreya the Christ, Jesus was made to suffer from these twin attributes of thoughtless men.

Today the world is grappling with many problems and, predictably, schisms have arisen in assessing these problems and in overcoming them. Men and women everywhere have different qualities of mind and brain, of openness or otherwise to ideas new and unfamiliar. They also stand at different points on a ladder of evolution and from near the bottom of the ladder the work and insights of many of those above them mean little or naught. Thus has it always been.

From now on, however, this age-old problem will be ameliorated to the benefit of all. The presence of Maitreya and a growing number of His group of Masters will bring to humanity a great leavening.

Much of the simpler levels of the Ageless Wisdom Teachings will be placed before the world as a whole, drawing more and more of the general public into Theosophy and its teachings. This will help to prepare large numbers to stand before the Initiator and to enter consciously into the Light.

In this way, many men and women, taking advantage of this new situation, will prosper greatly on their journey of evolution. When Maitreya steps forward, this process will begin. More and more, as they respond to Him, they will find growing within themselves an appetite for the truth, and a longing for wisdom and light.

[This article from Share International magazine, October 2009 , is by a senior member of the Hierarchy of Masters of Wisdom. His name, well-known in esoteric circles, is not yet being revealed. Benjamin Creme, a principal spokesman about the emergence of Maitreya, is in constant telepathic contact with