In this first volume of his study of two influential Eastern streams, Prokofieff considers the spiritual movement of Agni Yoga, as presented to the world by Helena Roerich and her husband, the painter Nicholas Roerich. Helena Roerich developed Agni Yoga, or "Living Ethics, " in fourteen published volumes, which she believed to have been directly dictated by Eastern Masters. By relating the inspiration Helena Roerich received to that of the later teachings of H. P. Blavatsky, Prokofieff is able to penetrate the occult foundations of this stream. In the light of modern Christian esotericism, particularly the research of Rudolf Steiner, he pinpoints the principal spiritual errors of Agni Yoga, which include the teaching of a future physical incarnation of Christ. Along the trail, he uncovers ominous connections with Lenin and Bolshevik Russia, the American president F. D. Roosevelt, and the bringer of Glasnost, Michael Gorbachov -- who referred to Nicholas Roerich as "a representative of our civilization and of its culture, one of its pillars."

Living Ethics, Agni Yoga

The book briefly and deeply describes the oeuvre of Nicholas Roerich, who is extre mely significant to the Russian and world culture but whose significance has not been yet understood in its entirety. Nicholas Roerich was a unique person: he was a great painter, original thinker, tireless traveler and researcher, a public figure of planetary scale. He had, as it is shown in the book, that specific inner synthesis, so that any domain found within his range of interests, – be it art, science, poetry, philosophy or essay writing, – was not only related to the other but was also both interpenetrating and inseparable from it.He was an outstanding historian, archeologist ant ethnographer. His position, as a historian, was based on the philosophy of a cosmic reality, a new cosmic world outlook; according to the author of the book, a great number of his artworks have prophetic nature.Among Roerichs’ historic deeds are the unique Central-Asian Expedition with its valuable results, establishment of Urusvati Institute – the prototype of a synthetic science of future, the Pact named after Roerich on the protection of cultural heritage, which had and still have a significant contribution to the evolution of humanity.A great number of color reproductions of paintings by Nicholas Roerich related to the text give to the reader an opportunity to feel the esthetic side of the problems in question.

Russian painter, explorer, and mystic Nicholas Roerich (1874–1947) ranks as one of the twentieth century’s great enigmas. Despite mystery and scandal, he left a deep, if understudied, cultural imprint on Russia, Europe, India, and America. As a painter and set designer Roerich was a key figure in Russian art. He became a major player in Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, and with Igor Stravinsky he cocreated The Rite of Spring, a landmark work in the emergence of artistic modernity. His art, his adventures, and his peace activism earned the friendship and admiration of such diverse luminaries as Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, H. G. Wells, Jawaharlal Nehru, Raisa Gorbacheva, and H. P. Lovecraft. But the artist also had a darker side. Stravinsky once said of Roerich that “he ought to have been a mystic or a spy.” He was certainly the former and close enough to the latter to blur any distinction. His travels to Asia, supposedly motivated by artistic interests and archaeological research, were in fact covert attempts to create a pan-Buddhist state encompassing Siberia, Mongolia, and Tibet. His activities in America touched Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s cabinet with scandal and, behind the scenes, affected the course of three US presidential elections. In his lifetime, Roerich baffled foreign affairs ministries and intelligence services in half a dozen countries. He persuaded thousands that he was a humanitarian and divinely inspired thinker—but convinced just as many that he was a fraud or a madman. His story reads like an epic work of fiction and is all the more remarkable for being true. John McCannon’s engaging and scrupulously researched narrative moves beyond traditional perceptions of Roerich as a saint or a villain to show that he was, in many ways, both in equal measure.

This book examines the lives of the famous Russian painter, thinker, and mystic Nikolai Roerich and his wife, Elena Roerich, the “mother” of Agni Yoga esoteric teaching. Extensively researched, it focuses on the couple’s spiritual quest, resulting in their gradual transformation under the influence of theosophy, spiritualism and Elena’s psychic “fiery experience” into mystics and gurus who fashioned their new version of the “myth of the Masters,” the invisible guides of humanity. Special attention is given to N. Roerich’s travels in Central Asia and Far East, his cultural and public activities and particularly his Buddho-Communist utopia. The myth of the Masters revived will appeal to those interested in New Age esotericism, mysticism, and Russian thought in the first half of the 20th century.

A fully illustrated biography of mystic, artist, and explorer Nicholas Roerich • Includes 88 color plates showcasing the variety of Roerich’s artistic talent, from breathtaking Himalayan landscapes to set and costume designs, most notably for Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring • Examines Roerich’s profound love for folk traditions of Russia, India, and Tibet and his spiritual quests across the Himalayan Mountains in search of beauty and the lost paradise of Shambala • Reveals how Roerich’s life and work significantly influenced the development of modern art and culture Nicholas Roerich (1874–1947) was a Russian artist, writer, archaeologist, explorer, mystic, theosophist, and peacemaker who left a rich legacy of nearly 7,000 visionary paintings and 30 books on the mystic East. Twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize due to the Roerich Peace Pact—a remarkable treaty signed by President Roosevelt that sought to preserve cultural monuments during times of war—Roerich had a profound love for folk traditions of Russia, India, and Tibet, especially legends of lost cities and paradise. Together with his wife and two sons, from the 1890s into the 1930s, Roerich embarked on a number of spiritual quests through India, the Gobi Desert, the Altai and Kunlun Mountains, Mongolia, and Tibet, crisscrossing the Himalayan Mountains many times before settling in Kulu, India, in the shadows of the great mountain range. Through his explorations throughout the world and the immersive art he created during those travels, he was seeking the grains of spiritual truth behind the legends of paradise lost, including during his pilgrimages in search of Shambala. Revealing the mystical world of Nicholas Roerich in stunning full color, Jacqueline Decter invites us to witness Roerich’s far-reaching vision and dedication to beauty across the full scope of his inspiring life and artistic career. This new hardcover edition features Decter’s translations of many Russian texts into English as well as 88 color plates showcasing the variety of Roerich’s artistic talent, from breathtaking Himalayan landscapes and spiritual themes to set and costume designs, most notably for Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. A celebration of Roerich as both visionary artist and visionary explorer, this fully illustrated biography illuminates a man whose life and work significantly influenced the development of modern art and culture.