"The Path" by Reginald Machell
"The Path" by Reginald Machell
iti maya srutum . . .
"Before we can come to an understanding among ourselves, we should lay down definitions -- not necessarily hard and fast, but on the contrary definitions which would be elastic -- nevertheless definitions which we can understand when we converse together and when we study together." -- G. de Purucker
List of Title Abbreviations (in alphabetical order)
NOTE: All items under copyright have been used with permission of the publishers.
Reference Code (included in this text) | Title of Text - Date of Original Publication | Copyright, other information, and links
Link to full text online if available
TG | Theosophical Glossary - 1892 | Posthumous publication edited by G. R. S. Mead included in its entirety; link to Derivative Abbreviations used in the definitions
IU | Isis Unveiled - 1877 | Terms from "Before the Veil," pp. xxiii-xliv
Link to full text online
KT | Key to Theosophy - 1889 | The full glossary
Link to full text online
VS | Voice of the Silence - 1889 | The glossary and some footnotes
Link to full text online
FY | Five Years of Theosophy - 1885 | The glossary from this collection of articles from the first five years of Theosophist magazine
WG | The Working Glossary - 1892 | Now out of print; included in its entirety
Link to full text online
OG | Occult Glossary - 1933 | Copyright Theosophical University Press. (TUP) The 1996 edition was used in this collation
Link to full text online
WW | Word Wisdom in the Esoteric Tradition - 1980 | Copyright Point Loma Publications, Inc. (PLP) From a series of class lectures given at Point Loma in 1913-14
GH | Gods and Heroes of the Bhagavad Gita - 1939 | Now out of print; included in its entirety
SK | Sanskrit Keys the Wisdom Religion - 1940 | Sections of the text where terms defined are included
PV | Esotericism of the Popol Vuh - 1979 | Copyright Theosophical University Press. Glossary from end of book, compiled by translator Blair A. Moffett, is included
MO | The Masks of Odin - 1985 | Copyright Theosophical University Press. Glossary from end of book
Link to full text online
IN | An Invitation to the Secret Doctrine - 1988 | Copyright Theosophical University Press. Small glossary from end of book
Link to full text online
SP | Sanskrit Pronunciation - 1992 | Copyright Theosophical University Press. Brief definitions from booklet
SD INDEX | Index to the Secret Doctrine - 1997 | Copyright Theosophical University Press. Index to Secret Doctrine terms (referencing original 1888 edition of the SD) and
Link to Abbreviations used in the terms, and Link to full text online
This Collation of Theosophical Glossaries is not a new set of "definitions" or "explanations," nor an attempt to crystallize the terms included, but is rather a gathering of some major theosophical glossaries and some indices into one place, collating their entries into an encyclopedic format; thus making a single comprehensive resource for students.
The order of glossaries follows generally the chronology of the personalities responsible for the material. This is partially due to the fact that Blavatsky's Theosophical Glossary had the most entries when originally compiled, and therefore was logically placed first. It also seemed valuable to keep the glossaries by the same author next to each other, for those who might want a close comparison. The indices were added after the glossaries as a system of further reference and study for the student.
The order of entries in the text was in many cases revised to provide for two things. First, terms were arranged in alphabetical order disregarding breaks between words. Second, the terms were then arranged to allow for common entries to be grouped together, even if out of alphabetical order due to differences in spelling between glossaries. These terms are grouped generally, and is by no means a definitive separation, as 'all things are related to all things.'
The style and form of each entry follows generally that of the Theosophical Glossary, with main words in bold upper and lower case letters. Entries from all other glossaries have been modified to fit this format for clarity and uniformity.
All diacritical marks have been eliminated from this edition. This is due in part to the current limitations of ASCII characters, and in part to enhance search capabilities. This is regretted, especially in the case of "Brahma" and "Brahmâ;" with which one can readily see the problem. In this case the user will have to rely on the original texts for clarification, as should be the case with any in-depth inquiry.
All non-Latin characters (i.e.; Greek, Hebrew, etc.) have been translated into Latin characters. Symbols, drawings, and some tables appearing in the original text have been inserted as pictures. These may in some cases be hard to read, in which case the original text should be consulted.
Some small punctuation and formatting items have been made consistent among the original texts for clarity and readability. It must be noted, however that NO changes have been made to the glossary texts whatsoever, in any attempt to correct, clarify, or otherwise modify them. Any discrepancy between the originals and the entries is due entirely to errors arising from converting the printed pages to electronic format. The compiler accepts all responsibility for same. Please email any such items to: theosnw@theosophy-nw.org for subsequent review and correction. Thank you in advance for your diligent help in this matter.
Voice of the Silence
was the most difficult glossary to include because of the use of portions of the text as the reference and the glossary definition as the entry. The main word was often not in the text, so it was subjectively entered [[in brackets like these]] in the entry and bolded for format. Also included is the section and page numbers of the location in the original text where the entry appears. Some footnotes with explanations have been included, where they had definition-like information.Horizontal lines have been included to highlight entries which appeared in more than one glossary, and in some locations where there was the opportunity to reference additional items.
All references with "ENTRY -- SEE ANOTHER ENTRY" or "SEE ANOTHER ENTRY" in upper case letters are references inserted by the compiler. In addition, the compiler has included, as double-bracketed text or hyperlinks, some information originally referenced within the text, as well as some explanatory items deemed prudent. All other items (such as cross-references) which are not fully upper case or in double-brackets are directly from the original glossaries.
Lastly, I would like to thank and acknowledge Jean Crabbendam, Sally Dougherty, and Doreen Melbrod for all their help and support in scanning, organizing, proofing, and editing this work. It was truly a collaborative effort.
Scott J. Osterhage,
May 18, 1997
March 1999 Revision
Esotericism of the Popul Vuh
and The Masks of Odin added in 1998.Index to the Secret Doctrine
added in 1999.For ordering information on current works in print, hyperlink to the Theosophical University Press site.
For a wide selection of full-text online works (some available online only) published by Theosophical University Press hyperlink to the TUP Online site.
For a large selection of theosophical articles on a wide variety of subjects, hyperlink to the Theosophy Northwest site.