Rerikhism

Rerikhism or Roerichism (Russian: Рерихи́зм, Рерихиа́нство, Ре́риховское движе́ние) is a spiritual and cultural movement centered on the teachings transmitted by Helena and Nicholas Roerich. It draws ideas from Theosophy, Eastern and Western religions, and Vedic and Buddhist traditions, molding them into the Russian culture and Russian cosmism.

Helena Roerich (1879–1955) was a Russian philosopher, writer, and public figure. In the 20th century, she created, in cooperation with the Teachers of the East (Masters of the Ancient Wisdom), a philosophic teaching of Living Ethics (Agni Yoga).

Helena was born in the family of , a well-known Saint-Petersburg architect. Helena’s mother, belonged to an ancient family, which originated from Novgorod at the end of the 13th century. Significant members of this family included knyaz Mikhail Kutuzov, field marshal of the Russian Empire; Arseny Golenishchev-Kutuzov, poet of the end of 19th century; Ilya Golenishchev-Kutuzov, philologist, poet; and Modest Mussorgsky, well-known composer. It was a nobiliary family distinguished not only for its nobility but for its cultural traditions too. Helena was in frequent communication with the artists and scientists of the era, such as Vladimir Bekhterev, Alexander Blok, Sergei Diaghilev, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Vladimir Solovyov, Vladimir Stasov, Igor Stravinsky, and Mikhail Vrubel.