Madame Petrovsky

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"It is Madame Petrovsky who dreams: looking for symbols, for a vision of the ancient that she can bring before her audience. Her existing images have grown a little tattered around the edges."[1]

Madame Helena Petrovsky is a noted spiritualist, and the leader of the Theosophistical Society in London.

Secret Dogma[edit | edit source]

"Madame Petrovsky is not the only spiritualist in town, but she's got the most complicated ideas. Her Secret Dogma is a treatise on comparative approaches to religion and the evolution of human society."[2]

Madame Petrovsky has dedicated her Theosophistical Society to exploring the theories of Imanuel Lundberg, a Nordic scientist and mystic.[3] Petrovsky is a captivating speaker who lectures on spiritualism, history, and the evolution of human society,[4] and she frequently holds public discussions to further her views.[5] According to Petrovsky, London now exists in the 'Fifth Age,' with two more to come before humanity reaches perfection.[6] These gatherings serve both as recruitment opportunities for the Society and as a platform for soliciting generous donations.[7] Petrovsky's speeches and salons attract the wealthy and curious,[8] drawn in by her eloquence and the promise of secret knowledge,[9] and she is ever eager to enlist new followers.[10]

Petrovsky is also a prolific writer, distributing pamphlets across London[11] and authoring several spiritualist texts.[12][13] Despite her intellectual façade, she is not above using her influence for financial gain, charging exorbitant fees for courses that promise a 'profoundly spiritual existence.'[14] When faced with skepticism, she remains composed, often turning challenges into opportunities for persuasion,[15] or profit.[16][17] She is connected to the Shroud and employs their tricks in her spiritualist demonstrations.[18]

In the pursuit of her field of study, Petrovsky lulls herself into trances to enter Parabola, but she has only a shallow understanding of the Viric Jungle, and her search for inspiration and mystical images has not taken her any deeper.[19] She also holds séances, which are fraudulent but born of a genuine desire to uncover esoteric knowledge.[20] She is interested in ancient spirituality, and in particular the history of the Echo Bazaar.[19] On the occasions that she succeeds in revealing some great secret of the world, however, even she struggles to bear the knowledge.[21]

Historical Inspirations[edit | edit source]

Madame Petrovsky serves as a fictional counterpart to Helena Blavatsky, the influential 19th-century occultist and founder of Theosophy. Blavatsky was deeply fascinated by the idea of lost civilizations such as Atlantis and Lemuria, believing that history held forgotten wisdom waiting to be rediscovered. This same belief is reflected in Petrovsky’s work, particularly her two books — Secret Dogma and Tales of Nightmares — which are clear references to Blavatsky’s The Secret Doctrine and Nightmare Tales.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Dreams: A Choice of Reverie, Fallen London
  2. ↑ Listen with an open mind, Fallen London
  3. ↑ Get involved with the Theosophistical Society, Fallen London "Madame Petrovsky's talk is erudite and entertaining. Theosophistry, it turns out, is based on the teachings of Imanuel Lundberg, a Nordic natural scientist who turned to mysticism. [...]"
  4. ↑ Listen with an open mind, Fallen London "Madame Petrovsky is not the only spiritualist in town, but she's got the most complicated ideas. Her Secret Dogma is a treatise on comparative approaches to religion and the evolution of human society. The Fall of London is grist to her mill. [...]"
  5. ↑ A Theosophistical Discussion, Fallen London "You've begun an acquaintance with the noted spiritualist Madame Petrovsky. Now you're invited to join a discussion at Beatrice's Tea Parlour."
  6. ↑ Listen with an open mind, Fallen London "[...] 'This is the Fifth Age,' she says. 'Four civilisations have gone before. There will be two more, and the seventh will attain perfect society. [...]"
  7. ↑ Remain sceptical, Fallen London "[...] 'Should you wish to learn more about Lundberg's theories of the Correspondence, please sign my register and leave your donation with my assistant,' says Petrovsky. Donation? So that's what this is all about."
  8. ↑ A Theosophistical Debate, Fallen London ""A gentleman with a fine moustache decries the new theory of 'evolution'; a lady in a blue hat defends it with enthusiasm. A fine and rigorous debate ensues. [...]""
  9. ↑ A Theosophistical Debate, Fallen London "Madame Petrovsky's salon is debating the separation of religion and science. The rich and curious will attend in droves."
  10. ↑ Attend the salon, Fallen London "[...] At the end of the evening, Helena Petrovsky approaches you. 'I know who you are,' she says. 'I'd like to offer you opportunities to assist me, if I may?'"
  11. ↑ "The Theosophist distributes her pamphlets all over London. This is where she comes for fresh material."
  12. ↑ Listen with an open mind, Fallen London "[...] Her Secret Dogma is a treatise on comparative approaches to religion and the evolution of human society. [...]"
  13. ↑ A Theosophistical Persuasion, Fallen London "Madame Petrovsky's offered you a large cut of the profits, if you can find enough donors to pay for the printing of her new novel, Tales of Nightmares."
  14. ↑ Attend the salon, Fallen London "[...] But Madame Petrovsky is doing the real business tonight, speaking to each person privately. 'My course teaches the true meaning of the Correspondence,' she tells them. 'Participants learn how to live according to its teachings. A profoundly spiritual existence. For a small fee…' She names a sum that would shock the Empress herself. But all around you, people are signing up. [...]"
  15. ↑ Expose the scam, Fallen London "You begin telling the class that Madame Petrovsky is a charlatan, profiting from their spiritual turmoil and gullibility. But she calls your bluff. […] "Lundberg predicted the Fall! And the Correspondence! The seven ages of Man..." […]"
  16. ↑ Get in on the scam, Fallen London "[...] Helena Petrovsky regards you levelly. 'Fine,' she says. 'I'll pay you. If you can recruit enough new donors to pay printing costs for my new novel.' And there's an advance."
  17. ↑ Let her take her visions home and peddle them to her followers, Fallen London "You are compensated: fully, immediately, and in a businesslike fashion. If the form of payment also suggests that Mme Petrovsky wishes you to spend your time out of town, there's no harm in that."
  18. ↑ Speak on Spiritualism, Fallen London "You're familiar enough with the arts […] of the Shroud now; […] Madame Petrovsky has promised to conjure you up a 'spirit'[…]. It looks a lot like an urchin in a bedsheet, but the audience seem happy. No one even asks you about the Correspondence."
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Play Oneiropomp to Madame Petrovsky, Fallen London "She has tried to teach herself to go knowingly into dreams. [...] she lingers in the Viric Jungle, confused, her eyes searching for anything that looks ancient and sacred – and most of all for anything that would let her carry back stories of the Bazaar."
  20. ↑ Play Oneiropomp to Madame Petrovsky, Fallen London "Her séances are often little more than an urchin under a sheet. But if her performances are false, her longing for Theosophistry is true: she wishes to meet sages who have lived for centuries, and uncover the hidden and hermetic knowledge. [...]"
  21. ↑ Comprehend something elemental, Fallen London "These omens are legible to you because you have seen them before [...] In a distant bed in London, Madame Petrovsky wakes, sweat-drenched. She will not have the courage to write about any of this. She will blame a bad meal."
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