The Theosophical Society was founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky ("H.P.B") (1831-1891), one of the most extraordinary and controversial figures of the 19th century. The influence of her life, writings and teachings on world thought has been significant.
"... Madame Blavatsky ... stands out as the fountainhead of modern occult thought, and was either the originator and/or popularizer of many of the ideas and terms which have a century later been assembled within the New Age Movement. The Theosophical Society, which she cofounded, has been the major advocate of occult philosophy in the West and the single most important avenue of Eastern teaching to the West."
J. Gordon Melton, Jerome Clark and Aidan A. Kelly, editors, New Age Almanac, Detroit, Michigan, Gale Research Inc., 1991, p. 16.