Charles Johnston (theosophist)

Charles Johnston (born February 17, 1867 in Ballykilbeg (near Downpatrick ), Down County , Northern Ireland , † 1931 ) was a Northern Irish journalist , author and theosophist .

life and work

Johnston was born on February 17, 1867 in the small Northern Irish village of Ballykilbeg . The father William Johnston of Ballykilbeg (1829-1902) was a Northern Irish folk hero, politician and fanatical supporter of the Orange Order . Johnston studied oriental studies , learned Sanskrit , Russian and German . Among his school friends were William Butler Yeats and George William Russell , with whom he shared an interest in the occult . Later he worked as a journalist. [1], [3], [4], [5], [7]

In 1884 he read Alfred Percy Sinnett's work Occult World and then founded the Hermetic Society in Dublin with Yeats and Russell on June 16, 1885 . After becoming a member of the Theosophical Society in 1885 , he co-founded a theosophical lodge in Dublin in June 1886. When the Theosophical Society split in 1895, he followed the direction of William Quan Judges and became a member of the Theosophical Society in America (TGinA). [1], [3], [6]

On October 14, 1888, he married Vera Vladimirovna de Zhelihovsky (1864-1923, also Jelihovsky ), the niece of Helena Blavatsky , usually called Mrs. Charles Johnston . This should not be confused with Blavatsky's younger sister Vera Petrovna de Zhelihovsky (1835-1896). [1], [2], [3]

He translated several works from Sanskrit and Russian. As an author, he primarily devoted himself to philosophical and theosophical topics.

swell

• 1. Theosophy and mysticism for Joyceans: http://www.robotwisdom.com/jaj/theosophy.html
• 2. A Pictorial Look at HP Blavatsky: http://www.theosophycanada.com/bios/HPB_Bio.htm
• 3. The Household (Dublin theosophical commune, 1891-1896): http://www.robotwisdom.com/jaj/household.html
• 4. Addressing the Critics of The Judge Case: http://www.theosophycanada.com/fohat_AddressCriticsTJC.htm
• 5. A William Butler Yeats Chronology: http://www.palgrave.com/pdfs/0333460065.pdf
• 6. Van Yeats dead Thornton Wilder en verder: http://www.theosofie.net/onlineliteratuur/cranston/deel7_4.htm
• 7. The Life of WB Yeats: http://www.irishside.com/tis/content/nyt/121.htm

Works (selection)

As an author :

• Karma, Works and Wisdom . Kessinger Publishing , Whitefish 2006, ISBN 1425483631 .
• Memory of Past Births . Kessinger Publishing, Whitefish 2003, ISBN 0766150232 .
• Selected Poems . Vintage Books, New York 1986, ISBN 0370308786 .

As a translator :

• The Bhagavad Gita, The Songs of The Master . Kessinger Publishing, Whitefish 2006, ISBN 1428611991 .
• The Great Upanishads, Isha, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Upanishads Volume 1 . Kessinger Publishing, Whitefish 2006, ISBN 1428600035 .
• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, The Book of The Spiritual Man . The Echo Library, London 2006, ISBN 1847026893 .

Web links

• Literature by and about Charles Johnston in the catalog of the German National Library
• Picture of Johnstons (standing, 2nd from left) with his wife Vera (standing, 1st from left) (English)
• A meeting with HPB , an essay Johnston (English)