A chain-smoking Russian aristocrat, a suspected spy, a Buddhist convert and the architect of modern alternative spirituality, all in one polarizing life. This episode sifts through the tangled record and self-made myths of Helena Blavatsky to understand her lasting impact on global religion.

We examine how she helped bring concepts like karma, reincarnation and mindfulness into the Western vocabulary.

• Her aristocratic, nomadic Russian childhood and early exposure to Buddhist and esoteric traditions.
• Her escape from an arranged marriage and the disputed missing years, including her claimed training in Tibet.
• Her arrival in spiritualist-era New York and the founding of the Theosophical Society in 1875.
• Her books Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine, plagiarism accusations, and the move to India.
• The ...