 H.S. Olcott, president of the Theosophical Society.
Historically speaking, Agni Yoga is one of several teachings that developed within the theosophical movement that H. P. Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, and their associates launched in 1875. The Roerichs joined the Theosophical Society (Adyar) in the 1920s, and Nicholas Roerich carried on a friendly correspondence with Dr. Gottfried de Purucker, head of the Point Loma Theosophical Society. Helena Roerich did a Russian translation of Blavatsky's magnum opus,The Secret Doctrine, and translated several of Mahatma Letters in The Chalice of the East. She spoke highly of Annie Besant, but in general had little use for 20th-century theosophical works, particularly those of C. W. Leadbetter, whom she considered to be an opponent of the Agni Yoga teaching. The paintings of Nicholas Roerich are popular among theosophists-a painting dedicated to Blavatsky hangs in the Theosophical Headquarters in Chennai, India-and some books issued by the Theosophical Publishing House have Roerich paintings on their covers. However, the books and periodicals of theosophical societies almost never touch on the teachings of Agni Yoga per se. "Someone may ask about the relationship of Our Teaching to the one already given by Us through Blavatsky. Answer that each century the appearance of a detailed exposition is followed by a culmination, a teaching that concludes what has been given and, in a practical way, moves the world forward along the lines of humaneness. Thus, Our Teaching includes the "Secret Doctrine" of Blavatsky. Likewise, Christianity was the culmination of the collective wisdom of the classical world, and the Commandments of Moses were the culmination of the wisdom of ancient Egypt and Babylon." While there may be few discrepancies between the teaching of Agni Yoga and the Theosophy given by Blavatsky and those close to her, the styles of the teachings are very different, with Agni Yoga making little attempt to shore up its assertions by reference to other sources. Agni Yoga also tends to put theosophical terms into the vernacular: "monad" becomes "the seed of the spirit," and "Fohat" becomes "the Cosmic Magnet." Agni Yoga is squarely within the age-old theosophical tradition that sees all ancient religions and philosophies as expressions of the same essential truths. Just as Nicholas Roerich painted the "Banners of the East" series depicting great saints of Eurasia and Egypt, Agni Yoga makes mention of the founders of major religions, as well as Akbar, Milarepa, Ramakrishna, St. Sergius of Radonezh, St. Catherine of Sienna, Paracelsus, and Hermes Trismegistus. Christ, Buddha, and Maitreya are the most frequently cited personages, along with Plato, who is called "the Thinker" in Supermundane. The majority of the references to Christ and God are in the first two books, Leaves of Morya's Garden, most likely with the idea of starting from ideas already familiar to those being taught, who were raised in Christian or, quite often, Judaic traditions. The mention of Origen, a great theologian of early Christianity, as well as numerous biblical references show familiarity with Abrahamic religions. Thus Agni Yoga does not reject the idea of "God" and even considers "godlessness" in the guise of religious fanaticism to be a grave problem (Fiery World II 85, 92; Fiery World III 330.); but ultimately it regards "God" to be the "Origin of Origins" and not a personal deity. Helena Roerich translated and defended a controversial Mahatma Letter that refutes the orthodox concept of God. In its attitude toward the sacred, as well as in its acceptance of karma, reincarnation, and a community of saviors, Agni Yoga adheres to the same principles as Asian thought outside the Abrahamic traditions, particularly Mahayana Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta. The Roerichs began their study of Asian thought by reading the words of the Indian saint Ramakrishna and his chief disciple, Vivekananda. Madam Roerich also mentions reading Lao-tze, the Confucian Analects, and the Lamrim of Tsongkhapa, among other works, and consistently shows a friendly attitude toward the religions of India, where the Roerich family lived from the late 1920s. On the other hand, like Blavatsky she often is critical of Christian intolerance and fanaticism, making a sharp distinction between dogmatic theology and the teachings of Christ and Origen, which she considers to be in harmony with those of Eastern thought. Regarding the various teachings that grew out of modern theosophy, Helena Roerich particularly values The Teachings of the Temple, said to be transmitted to Francia LaDue by Master Hilarion from 1898 to 1922. On the other hand, she consistently dismisses the works of Alice Bailey as false, although acknowledging that Bailey's Arcane School has given classes about Agni Yoga, since Bailey recognizes Agni Yoga to be a true teaching for the future. Helena Roerich's criticism of the Bailey teachings was not included in the English translations of her letters, and some writers in the Bailey tradition have accorded her a very high occult status. Mark and Elizabeth Prophet, founders of The Summit Lighthouse and the Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT), claimed that "Ascended Master El Morya" commissioned them to carry on the work of the Roerichs, and that their daughter was an incarnation of Helena Roerich. Regarding other kinds of yoga, Agni Yoga 193 writes, "Even in this age of firearms, a skilled archer is still considered a fine marksman. The same holds true of the various Yogas. Except for Hatha Yoga, all of the Yogas are beautiful in their attainment. It would be unwise to belittle any of them. One should only speak in terms of better applicability to the present process of evolution." "Let us see wherein lie the similarities and differences between Agni Yoga and previous Yogas. Karma Yoga has many similarities with Agni Yoga when it works with the elements of this world; but when Agni Yoga acquires paths to realization of the far-off worlds, the difference becomes apparent. Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga are all sheltered from reality, and therefore they cannot enter into the evolution of the future. Of course, an Agni Yogi should also be a Jnani and a Bhakta, and the development of the forces of his spirit makes him a Raja Yogi as well. How beautiful is the possibility of responding to the challenges of the future evolution without rejecting the past conquests of spirit! One should not boast of innovating, because it is only the combination of the elements involved that brings about a renewal of possibilities." "There are a few informed persons who are aware that all the Yogas are fundamentally based on fire. Agni Yoga is a synthesis of all Yogas. In all the ancient Hindu scriptures the approaching Fiery Epoch has been predicted. It is said that Agni - the Fire that is found in varying degree at the foundation of all Yogas - will saturate the atmosphere of our planet to a tremendous degree, and all the branches of Yoga will be fused into a fiery synthesis. Truly, Agni Yoga is a fiery baptism."  Sign of peace; Pax Cultura, (of the Roerich Pact)
History. The Roerichs were involved in the creation of several institutions, most of them in New York City. These included Cor Ardens ["Flaming Heart"] International Art Society (1921); the Master School (later "Institute") of United Arts (also 1921); the first Roerich Museum (1929), on Riverside Drive and 103rd; Corona Mundi (1921), a sister body supporting East-West artistic dialogue and exhibitions; Alatas (1930?), a publishing imprint; and the current Roerich Museum (1949). New York's Agni Yoga Society is an educational nonprofit chartered in 1946. Nicholas Roerich probably encountered Theosophy during his work on St. Petersburg's Buddhist temple (he did the second-floor windows), which was completed in 1915. The Roerichs did join the Theosophical Society in London in 1920, but distanced themselves from it as conflict over Annie Besant and Krishnamurti raged. By 1920, the Roerichs were personally receiving messages from Master Morya. During that same year Frances Grant, and Sina and Maurice Lichtmann joined their circle, which also included the Roerichs' two sons. Nettie and Louis Horch joined the following year. (Interestingly, the Roerich's inner circle has always been predominantly Jewish.)In each case, the new participants were carefully sounded out for their spiritual views, then given a personal message from Master Morya. Ruth Drayer describes the revelatory process thus: - "They would sit together and first Nicholas and then later Helena would transmit questions that the students were allowed to ask of Master Morya.... The answers from the Master were written out by Nicholas Roerich on big scrolls of sketching paper." (p. 71)
Some guidance was intended for the Roerichs alone; this was compiled into separate notebooks by Helena Roerich; these notebooks now form part of a special collection at Amherst College. The circumstances by which they left the Roerichs' possession forms a crucial point in the Agni Yoga story. As the Roerichs returned from their Central Asian expedition (1924-1928), a rift developed among his immediate circle of supporters. In particular the Horches, assisted by Esther Lichtmann (Maurice's sister), apparently came to believe the Roerichs' spiritual claims to be fraudulent. As the major patrons behind the museum (now a 39-story New York skyscraper), the Horches ultimately (in 1937) won legal control of it when it encountered financial difficulties arising from the Great Depression and a tax dispute with the I.R.S.. Along the way its collection of paintings, and the notebooks by Helena, disappeared. For several decades thereafter the Roerich Museum, at its new site, continued under the direction of Sina Lichtmann (later Fosdick), the Roerich family (except George, the academic) having spent the remainder of their lives in India. The current director of the New York Roerich Museum is Daniel Entin. Meanwhile, the political thaw in 1980s Russia allowed the Roerich movement (which had long existed underground) to resurface. With support from Mikhail Gorbachev and Raisa Gorbachev (the latter said to have been a devotee), a Roerich Centre was created, and given a palatial headquarters in Moscow. George (Yuri) Roerich donated paintings to museums in Novosibirsk and St. Petersburg, while Svyetoslav Roerich and wife Devika Rani did the same for the Roerich Centre in Moscow. (A dispute emerged over paintings now in the possession of the Museum of Oriental Art, also in Moscow, which the Roerich Centre claims.) The description so far may give the impression that Agni Yoga is dominated by a few large institutions. Equally important are the several individual teachers, as well as some centers which have been founded: Torkom Saraydarian, Boris Abramov, "Guru RHH" (Ralph Harris Houston), Joleen Du Bois (founder of Arizona's White Mountain Education Association), and others. External links
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