"It is, then, by those shadows of the hoary Past and their fantastic silhouettes on the external screen of every religion and philosophy, that we can, by checking them as we go along, and comparing them, trace out finally the body that produced them"

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky's quote delves into the nature of understanding religious and philosophical realities through historic and metaphorical images. The "shadows of the hoary Past" signify ancient knowledge, beliefs, and practices that have shaped religions and philosophies throughout history. These shadows are referred to as casting "fantastic shapes" on the "external screen" of every belief system, suggesting that modern faiths and philosophies are projections or reflections of these ancient ideas.

Blavatsky indicates that to comprehend the essence or the "body" of reality that underlies these belief systems, one need to analyze and compare the shadows they cast. This process involves important assessment, where one checks and evaluates the various teachings and ideologies that have established over time. By inspecting these forecasts, and considering their origins and intersections, one can uncover the more extensive, unified truths that are frequently obscured by the distinctions in spiritual and philosophical stories.

The metaphor of shadows and shapes recommends that what we see on the surface level of faiths and philosophies are not the complete reality, but rather distorted pictures of a more significant truth. Just as a shadow offers a summary or shape that means the form which casts it, the visible expressions of faith and believed provide ideas to a much deeper, more intrinsic knowledge.

Blavatsky's quote encourages a synthesis of concepts, promoting for a method that goes beyond dogma and seeks to fix up the myriad interpretations of truth that have emerged with time. This viewpoint lines up with her theosophical views, which typically highlight the commonalities among spiritual mentors worldwide and objective to unveil the core wisdom supposed to be shared across various cultures and epochs. In essence, Blavatsky calls for a journey of intellectual and spiritual expedition, where one endeavours to discern the foundational realities that have been expressed in different forms throughout human history.