OCCULT GLOSSARY: Compendium of Oriental & Theosophical Terms; G de Purucker 1956

OCCULT GLOSSARY: A Compendium of Oriental and Theosophical Terms, by Gottfried de Purucker — Early Edition, 1956 — Occult Theosophical Reference

 Publisher: Theosophical University Press, Pasadena (1956)

Early edition from 1956 of OCCULT GLOSSARY by Gottfried de Purucker. In very well preserved condition. The boards and binding are solid and tight save for one bumped corner. The pages are crisp and clean, and free of interior markings. 193 pages. This compendium not only clarifies the significance of the terms most frequently found in esoteric literature, but offers a comprehensive outline of the scope and principles underlying an age-old tradition respecting the constitution of humans and the universe in which they inhabit. Please see below for more information on Gottfried de Purucker.

Gottfried de Purucker (January 15, 1874, Suffern, New York – September 27, 1942) was a Theosophist, author and leader of the Theosophical Society Pasadena (then headquartered at Point Loma, California) from 1929-1942. Purucker's father, an Anglican minister, prepared his son for his future with the church through extensive training in language and religious studies. But he recalls having had an intuition that something was wrong with the church system he grew up in. It was when he began studying eastern religions and philosophies and Theosophy. Of the Theosophical literature, he said: "I read it avidly and studied it eagerly, and then my heart awoke, as my brain had awaked before. But now, from a study of the theosophical literature, my heart awaking, I began to realize what there was, not only in me, but in my fellows; and I said to myself: hereafter my life is consecrate to what I know to be the truth. No man can live unto himself alone; no man can tread the pathway."

These experiences led him to the Theosophical Society, which he joined on August 16, 1893. The years from 1893 until 1903 were spent traveling and working, largely in Europe, before moving to Point Loma and joining the staff at Lomaland, the headquarters of the Theosophical Society, under the leadership of Katherine Tingley. From that time forward, Purucker taught classes, gave lectures and wrote several works on Theosophy. He died a few months later, on September 27, 1942.