How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
For a moment during the late nineteenth century, Blavatsky, who claimed to be psychic, seemed on the threshold of founding a lasting religious movement. (4.28)
Grann name drops Blavatsky a few times, but he never makes a real character out of her, probably because that woman could fill a book or two all by herself. You don't need a Ouija board to learn about her either—just the Internet.
Quote #2
The poet William Butler Yeats, who fell under her spell, described her as "the most human person alive." (4.28)
This is another quote about Blavatsky. "Under her spell" is a good phrase to use, because the woman believes herself to be a medium. She could also be a con artist—they're good at casting spells, too. Probably nobody will ever quite know what Blavatsky was.
Quote #3
The rise of science in the nineteenth century had had a paradoxical effect: while it undermined faith in Christianity and the literal word of the Bible, it also created an enormous void for someone to explain the mysteries of the universe that lay beyond microbes and evolution and capitalist greed. (4.29)
This is an interesting way of looking at certain aspects of spirituality. According to this perspective, science starts to explain things in a way the Bible doesn't, the mysteries of the world seem to open up more, not get shut down. You could say that about the Amazon, too: the more it is analyzed, the weirder it becomes.