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Helena Roerich HELENA ROERICH In the difficult days of world upheavals, of human disunity, of the neglecting of all the higher principles of Being, which are the only true givers of life and which lead to the evolu- tion of the world, there must be heard a voice calling for the resurrection of the spirit and for the bringing of the fire of achievement into all the actions of life. And, of course, this voice must be the voice of woman, who during mil- lenniums has drunk the chalice of suffering and humiliation and has forged her spirit in the greatest patience. Helena Roerich elena Roerich (1879–1955) was a prominent Russian thinker, enthusiast and writer whose H artistic heritage represents a very distinctive phenomenon in Russian and global scientific and philo- sophical thought. The principal work of her life – the books on the Living Ethics, dedicated to the issues of the cosmic evolution of the mankind, and her episto- lary work, closely related to her books, laid a firm foun- dation for many cultural and spiritual movements that were developing in the 20th century. Helena was born on the 12th of February 1879 in Saint Petersburg, in the family of Ivan Shaposhnikov, an architect who taught at the Institute of Civil Engineers, and his wife Yekaterina (née Golenischeva-Kutuzova), grand-niece of the great Russian field marshall Kutuzov. Since early childhood, Helena displayed remarkable abilities. By the age of six she could read and write in three languages. In adolescence she took serious in- terest in literature and philosophy. In 1895 she gradu- ated from the Mariinsky Gymnasium with honors and Nicholas Roerich. received a music education at the Saint Petersburg Agni Yoga. 1928 Music School under the tutelage of prof. I.Borovka and 2/3 prof. S.Malozemova who predicted her a brilliant career The Roerich of a pianist. couple at the site In the summer of 1899 at her aunt’s, princess of archaeological E.Putyatina, Helena first met Nicholas Roerich, a young excavations. Novgorod painter, her future husband and associate. They got province. th married on the 10 of November 1901. In August 1902 1903 their first son George was born, future internationally renowned scientist and orientalist. In 1904 Svetoslav was born. He chose the same path as his father. Helena Roerich was the heart and the founding element of the family that was a friendly union of like-minded people. It eventually played a tremendous role in the forma- tion of planetary thinking and the new consciousness 4/5 of contemporary mankind. There is hardly any activity of the Roerich family that has not been positively influ- enced by Helena. “Together we overcame all kinds of encum bran ces,” Nicholas Roerich wrote about his marriage in the later days of his life. “Difficulties turned into possibilities. I dedicated my books: ‘To Helena, my wife, my friend, companion and inspiration.’ Each of her roles has been tested in the fires of life. In Saint Petersburg, in Scan- dinavia, in England, in the US and all over Asia – we Nicholas Roerich with his sons, worked, learned and expanded our minds. We created Svetoslav and together; and not in vain was it said long time ago George. that creations should bear two names – a female and 1914–1915 a male one.” Until spring 1917 Helena lived in Saint Petersburg, Helena and Nicholas dedicating most of her time to raising children and cre- Roerich with their ating beneficial environment for development of their companions. Smolensk pro vince. talents and interests. “My dear mother was very wise in 1910s guiding our lives from the very beginning, she followed our interests and feelings,” remembered his childhood days Svetoslav Roerich. “She never insisted on anything, never tried to persuade us to do anything, but always offered us exactly what we needed.” In his words, “Our house was full of art works and wonderful books, as well as the collections of Nicholas. A new and bountiful world opened up in front of our eyes. We were always present during all the talks Nicholas and Helena held, and we listened to everything they said. They had a great influence on us.” However, her preoccupation with the family didn’t prevent her from realizing her mas- sive creative and spiritual potential. Helena supported First building all the incentives of her husband, travelled with him to of the Roerich archeological sights, studied ancient Russian monu- Museum in ments, restored Dutch paintings from their family col- New York lection. She was the one who cultivated her husband’s and sons’ love for the Eastern philosophical thought, which presented a new important stage in the forma- tion of the Roerichs’ mindset. This stage was linked to understanding of a single Source of all the Great Teach- ings that were given to the mankind at different stages of its development. In the spring of 1917 the Roerich family went to Sortavala. After the revolution they reached London through Scandinavia. They moved to New York in the autumn of 1920. In 1921–1923 with the help of their associates Helena and Nicholas founded several edu- cational institutions that soon became prominent cul- tural centres. On the 17th of November 1921 the Mas- ter School of the United Arts was established in New York. It was eventually renamed the Master Institute. Its founders saw its main goal as rapprochement of dif- ferent peoples through culture and art. Admission to classes was open to all, regardless of age. Famous writ- ers, artists, actors and musicians were invited as teach- ers. Almost simultaneously the union of young artists 6/7 © International Centre of the Roerichs, 2015 Text: T.Knizhnik Design: E.Ovechkina, S.Chernova Layout: A.Dyachenko, V.Anikina.
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