Mabel Collins

Mabel Collins ( pseudonym actually Minna Cook and Mrs. Cook Keningale, sometimes Kenningdale Mrs. Cook) ( born September 9, 1851 in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey, † March 31, 1927 in Gloucester, England) was a British author, theosophist and animal rights activist.

Life and work

Childhood and marriage

Collins was born on 9 September 1851 her birth name Minna Collins on the Channel Island of Guernsey, the only child of Edward James Mortimer Collins ( 1827-1876 ) and Susanna Hubbard ( 1808-1867 ). From the first marriage of her mother, 19 years older than the father, she had six half-siblings. The father wrote poetry, worked as a journalist and teacher, but spent most of his life in financial difficulties. 1856 the family moved to the English mainland, odd jobs and assuming pursued by the creditors of the city changed hands several times until 1866 in Knowl Hill (near Maidenhead ) were sedentary. Collins did not go to school, lessons when she was at home by her father. This laid emphasis on poetry, philosophy and literature, but neglected the other hand, other items. Compared with girls of her time, her knowledge was thus unbalanced, one hand far ahead, on the other hand lacked self-evident. The age of 12 she began to write little stories and poems.

On August 3, 1871 married in Knowl Hill Keningale Robert Cook ( 1845-1886 ). The marriage remained childless and was increasingly dominated by a few years of estrangement, as of February 1885, were separated. In the 1890s she married a second time, her second husband died after a few years, more accurate is not known about. Since her first marriage Collins was actually called Minna Cook and Mrs. Cook Keningale, sometimes written Kenningdale Mrs. Cook. Her father influenced her childhood nicknamed Mabel and her books, which they later published under the name of Mabel Collins, they made known by that actual pseudonym.

As a writer

In 1875 she published her first novel, The Blacksmith and Scholar under the name Mabel Collins. Their second to innocent Sinner in 1877, appeared, was a bestseller and made them known. Altogether she wrote 46 books and numerous magazine articles. Her novels and stories usually had an occult background. The most famous book was Light on the Path ( Light on the Path) which was first published in installments in 1887 and 88 in the Theosophical magazine Lucifer and published in 1888 in book form. In esoteric circles, this work is still up to date. Several works are to be created by automatic writing.

As a theosophist

End of the 1870s, Collins had contact with spiritism first time. She attended séances and eventually became active as a medium. As already mentioned her to have been transmitted in this way several books. Later, she leaned from this activity, however, and described it as dangerous.

1881 she joined the London Lodge of the Theosophical Society, and thus in 1884, she met for the first time with Helena Blavatsky. As Blavatsky moved to London on 1 May 1887 it introduced Collins their home in Upper Norwood ( today London Borough of Croydon ), Maycot called as an apartment to October 1887 are available. She too was on May 19, 1887 one of the founders of the Blavatsky Lodge and supported Blavatsky in the publication of her work The Secret Doctrine. With the founding of the magazine Lucifer, whose first issue was published on 15 September 1887, she was appointed deputy editor, she also published in the journal a number of your own articles.

On February 15, 1889, she lost her job at the magazine Lucifer and in April 1889, she resigned from the Theosophical Society or disqualified, the information about it are confused. Supposedly Blavatsky brought against Collins alleged to have performed with Archibald Keightley black magic and tantric rituals. Even Uncle Archibald Bertram Keightley 's reputed to have been involved, both of which were disputed by Collins. In any case, the matter poisoned the atmosphere and produced a scandal that eventually led to the resignation. Subsequently it came to the Coues - Collins charges. It claimed Elliott Coues, Collins had said on the instructions Blavatsky, her book Light on the path would have been dictated by the Masters of Wisdom. This statement was then used Blavatsky to upgrade the Theosophical Society. The whole thing led to a series of court cases and undermined the health Collins, the resulting over the years had nervous breakdowns.

Shops and community involvement

When her first husband's death in 1886 inherited Collins and together with the income from her literary career she could lead a carefree life. Together with two partners, she founded about 1890 Pompadour Cosmetique Company, where she was the funder. The company proved to be a failure, destroying their property and in 1892 she had to declare bankruptcy. The next few years she devoted to writing again, but recovered with difficulty from its financial disaster. In 1913 she lost in a bank failure again their money and was instructed to rest of her life to the support of friends. In 1899 she was a secretary at the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection ( BUAV ) ( British Society for the abolition of vivisection ) and in 1909 she moved to the BUAV as Parliamentary Secretary to the British Parliament. In addition to this commitment to animal welfare, she entered and as Impfgegnerin for vegetarianism in appearance.

As anthroposophist

Since 1909, with the work of Rudolf Steiner known, they met this even in 1913. Anthroposophical sources also speak of a membership Collins in the Anthroposophical Society, Theosophical sources only discuss a close relationship to anthroposophy, the actual situation is unclear. As a result of anti-German attitude in the United Kingdom after the outbreak of the First World War, she was forced to a more detached attitude towards Steiner's take teaching. Thus, as also out of the predicament of their financial hardships, she approached from 1914/15 again theosophy of the reorganized Theosophical Society Adyar to what correspondence with Annie Besant testifies.

Works (selection)

• The student. An occult report on research on life extension. Aquamarine Verlag, Grafing 1983, ISBN 3-89427-290-2.
• The Lotus Queen. An occult " novel" from ancient Egypt. The Idyll of the White Lotus. Manas Verlag, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-89071-011-5.
• Flite, The flower and the fruit, the true story of a black magician. Ullrich Verlag, Calw 1980, ISBN 3-924411-19-0.
• Story of the year. Perseus Verlag, Basel 2001, ISBN 3-907564-35-9.
• Light on the path. Aquamarine Verlag, Grafing 2001, ISBN 3-89427-206-6.