Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine: The Ancient Astronaut Theory's Ur Text

_Theosophists have guessed at the awesome grandeur of the cosmic cycle wherein our world and human race form transient incidents. They have hinted at strange survivals in terms which would freeze the blood if not masked by a bland optimism. But it is not from them that there came the single glimpse of forbidden eons which chills me when I think of it and maddens me when I dream of it.

_-- H. P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

_Yesterday I posted on some of the Theosophical texts that influenced the ancient astronaut theory. Since I was on the subject, I went back to the source, Helena Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine to pull out the relevant passages where the old fraud discusses beings from other worlds and how much ancient humans knew about the space aliens she imagined lived ethereal lives of the spirit on Venus, Mars, and other nearby planets.

I've posted ten pages of her obtuse drivel as "Blavatsky on Ancient Astronauts" in my site's classic text library. I'd say "enjoy," but I don't think anyone finds wading through her pseudo-profound speculations very enjoyable, even if it is important for understanding the origins of the ancient astronaut theory.

Blavatsky's speculations were amplified by later Theosophists who were more explicit on the Venusian spirit beings who supposedly came to earth to help the human race (specifically the "Aryans," for those of you keeping track at home) to evolve. These Venusians were the same aliens alluded to as a mere mask for distant Mythos beings in H. P. Lovecraft, the same Venusians from The Flying Saucers Have Landed, and one of the inspirations for Pauwels and Bergier, who boiled down Lovecraft and Theosophy into the first all-encompassing ancient astronaut theory as we know it today.