Book Reviews
Sina Fosdick, My Teachers: Meetings with the Roerichs.
Published by White Mountain Education Association, AZ, 2015,
ISBN: 978-0-9624439-7-8.
Review by: Roza and Margarita Riaikkenen,
authors of The Laws of Life and Creator and Creators
This book is an English translation of the diary of Sina Lichtmann – Fosdick from the original Russian 1998 edition. Its author was the personal secretary of the internationally renowned artist, author, researcher, and visionary, Nicholas Roerich, and his wife Helena, an insightful philosopher, author of the books of Living Ethics (Agni Yoga) and a renowned spiritual leader in her own right. Sina Lichtmann - Fosdick was also one of the leaders of a team working on the Roerichs' educational and cultural projects in New York and all over the world. She became the first Director of the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York.
My Teachers is 600 pages of unique, revealing, and fascinating content, illustrated with rare and original photographs, beautifully presented in the utmost detail. The book starts with a comprehensive foreword by the late Daniel Entin, who succeeded Sina Fosdick as a Director of the Museum, and fulfilled his promise to Sina to continue in the original spirit of her work.
The diary spans 12 years, from 1922 to 1934, and mentions some earlier events and people who made their contributions to the cultural life of the Roerich’s native Russia. Sina diligently wrote her diary in many corners of the globe in company with Helena or Nicholas Roerich on their travels in America, Russia, Mongolia, Tibet, and India.
The pages of Sina's diary reveal the often challenging but always spiritually aspirational lives of Nicholas and Helena Roerich, their family, friends, and close circle of collaborators. The book covers all aspects of their lives and caters to the interests of readers in both their personal biographies and spiritual lives.
The events recorded in Sina's diaries take place against the background of the often tumultuous history, geography, social conditions, and politics of the countries where the Roerichs traveled and had their globally significant enterprises. These enterprises always aimed at raising the level of culture and spiritual development of humanity and service to Beauty in all its manifestations.
In this book the reader can find information on the ways in which the Ascended Masters communicated their information to the Roerichs and what kind of instructions they sent. The diaries give an intimate insight into the decade-long work of channeling the books which became Living Ethics, or Agni Yoga, and translating them into English. The reader also gains a glimpse into the higher planes of reality which Helena Roerich would frequently explore in her ‘subtle/astral’ body.
The book also puts a question before an astute reader: to what extent can we rely on predictions and prophesies, and how should we understand and interpret them? The world obviously failed to fulfil the Roerichs’ expectation of a peaceful world transformation that they predicted in the 1920s and 1930s and went to huge personal effort to promote. Neither peace, nor protection of cultural objects became sacrosanct to the whole of humanity in the 1930s as Nicholas Roerich had expected. As we now know, Mother Russia, which the Roerichs always loved, also didn't go the way Nicholas had hoped.
However, as we see it, no idea of Nicholas and Helena Roerich went in vain. For example, their intention to build a new era community in Russia's Altai region within the foothills of the sacred Belucha Mountain did not eventuate at that time, but gave an impetus to some future events. The people's efforts to establish such communities in the Altai region never end. The Roerichs' call to follow the ways of Beauty, Peace, and Spiritual Evolution created an impetus for humanity and continue resounding in different parts of the world.
We highly recommend My Teachers to every spiritual student and reader curious about the fascinating lives of the Roerichs or interested in the 20th century culture and history. From our personal experience of reading these diaries we promise that every reader will make their own fascinating discoveries.
Creator and Creators
by Roza and Margarita Riaikkenen
Reviewed by: Fiona C. Odgren
In these times when the rise of achievements in Science continue to dazzle humanity but also interest in spirituality is gaining momentum, attempts to bring about a synthesis between the two is to be welcomed and lauded.
Roza and Margarita's second book, Creator and Creators, is a superb and masterly effort to bring about this liaison. Both authors with professional backgrounds in the scientific and artistic fields along with many decades' study of esoteric spirituality are eminently qualified to meet this challenge.
In the beginning of the work they broach the great questions with regard to the mysteries of the Universe and how it all came about. They commence courageously from the ultimate point of Nothing/Everything, the Plenum Void, the Full Emptiness of the Absolute Source and with the recognition of the great Cosmic Rhythm, the fundamental pulse and heartbeat at the very origin of life. From there the unfoldment process is described with the powerful revelation that the essence of the Source, which they call Spirit, is imprinted in all forms of creation and that the entire Universe manifests holographically. The idea of the Universe being holographic is the over-riding and inspirational leitmotif of this book and provides the basis for all the fascinating themes presented. The term itself is derived from science and the authors provide a very readable explanation of its scientific demonstration as in holographic photography, but the concept it encompasses is to be found at the heart of spiritual literature and the Wisdom teachings that precede all religions.
The authors have chosen to draw upon three specific esoteric spiritual sources: H.P. Blavatsky's extraordinary two volume tome published in 1889, The Secret Doctrine, the unique 13 books of the Agni Yoga writings which were transmitted to Helena Roerich by the Master Morya (1920s-1941), and a little known work by the Russian contemplative and philosopher, Alexander Naumkin, Kalagia, written in collaboration with one of the Teachers of Light of the Spiritual Hierarchy in the 1990s. The latter has not been fully translated into English but by all accounts is remarkable in its explanation of the Creation process using terms related to the modern scientific world.
On the scientific side, to demonstrate their theories of synthesis, the authors draw upon an impressive array of cutting-edge scientists of these times and the 20th century in the fields of cosmology, quantum physics, mathematics, nuclear medicine, neurology, and sacred geometry. These include David Bohm (British nuclear physicist and friend of Krishnamurti), Karl Pribram, Edward Whitten (eminent physics professor), Denis Gabor (inventor of technical holography), Robert Llinas (mathematician), cosmologist Stephen Hawking, Bruce Rosenblum, Werner Heisenberg, and Norman Doidge (researcher in neuroplasticity).
In elegant and very readable language, the authors consider in the light of their main theme, such thought provoking subjects as the role of Light in the creative process, the manifestations of Archetypes, Dark Energy and Black Holes, the Multi-dimensions of Matter, Genetics, Neuro-Physiology, Life after Death states, Involution and Evolution. Regarding the latter they resolve most convincingly the ages-old debate of Evolution versus Creation by presenting the great cyclic law of the Universe and demonstrating that evolution exists on other levels besides the physical.
The spiritual explanations provided of Dark Energy as potential future universes in waiting and in a state of pralaya is riveting and convincingly portrayed. Also the spiritual explanation of Black Holes (which occur when large stars implode) as happenings when a large star has achieved unification with "All That is" in Spirit is highly inspirational. Consciousness and its origin with the Ultimate Source (called Spirit throughout this work) is a major subject and is real key to a greater understanding between the worlds of Science and Spirituality. The authors clearly demonstrate that progressive scientists are now beginning to consider the spiritual viewpoint that Consciousness precedes matter, originates with Spirit and is independent of brain function. And indeed all of life displays some form of consciousness.
In the final chapter the authors consider the important practical question of how their findings can shape the future on our planet in a beneficial way. The synthesis that they have so convincingly presented show definitively that Unity is the basis of the laws of the Universe and human beings will fulfill their role as beneficent co-creators in the scheme of things only when they have learnt to co-operate with the laws of nature and learnt to recognize the wondrous interconnectedness of all life. Here the authors provide some useful insights and solutions into the problems especially pertinent and challenging humanity in the 21st century.
This book is truly a tour de force in the field of bringing about greater understanding between Science and Spirituality. Heartfelt Congratulations to the authors for this great accomplishment!
The Parable of the Rower
Excerpt from the book "Creator and Creators: Co-creation with Nature: A Synthesis of Spiritual Philosophy and Science"
by Roza and Margarita Riaikkenen
The Man came from afar. His memory refused to remember where he lived and what he did and saw there. It threw out the pictures of death and devastation. Actually, his memory rejected the past, the whole past universe in which he used to live.
The Man came to the shore where he could see only the boundless smooth surface of water ahead of him and a small boat with a pair of oars ashore. The Man pushed the boat off the shore and into the water, took the oars and started rowing. From then on, he got a new name – he became not just a Man, but the Rower.
He didn’t know where he would finish; he just felt that he had to row forward, away from his past and into the future. Hour after hour, he continued rowing. Something gradually started come of it. The rhythm of the oars and creaking of the rowlocks reminded him of a song, and little by little the Rower started singing. At the start he was just repeatedly and rhythmically murmuring some sounds, but eventually a melody came out of these sounds and a proper song appeared. The song was simple, with just a handful of words. However simple, the words carried hope.
We don’t know how long the Rower was rowing and singing, he didn’t know himself. Neither time nor any other signs existed in the azure expanse of the sea. Nevertheless, he observed the line of the horizon and gradually started imagining and singing about a beautiful island of his dreams. When he eventually saw the shoreline, at the beginning he thought that this was just a mirage. But the ‘mirage’ started growing and eventually turned into a real island.
Can we tell you that the island resembled the Rowers dreams? A sandy shore; then a jumble of greenery – grass, bushes and trees. A brook with clean, cool water, beautiful flowers and an abundance of edible berries in the bushes. The Rower knew that this was all he needed – his new universe. He could build the rest himself.
Later on some sailors from a ship noticed the previously unknown island, and it was eventually marked on the map. We don’t know what name they gave to the island, but we call it ‘the Rower’s Island’.
A question remains unanswered – could the Rower create a real island – his universe – out of the rhythm and hard work of rowing, the song of his dream, and observation? Could he re-create his own universe and bring his dream into manifestation? Can we?
The book Creator and Creators is available on Amazon.