Theos-Talk Archives (July 1997 Message tt00059)

In the book THE PERENNIAL WISDOM by April Hejka-Ekins, Jerry
Hejka-Ekins and Brett Forray, the following comments are made on
THE THEOSOPHICAL GLOSSARY.

[Autumn 1890:]

> The portion of manuscript material *actually penned* by H.P.B.
> for this [Theosophical] glossary was apparently added to
> the second edition of THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY in 1890,
> during her lifetime.

Asterisks added.

[Sometime after May 8, 1891:]

> According to Mr.  de Zirkoff, after H.P.B.'s death, the
> unfinished manuscript was still too thin for publication,
> therefore the editors added a considerable number of definitions
> from outside sources, without acknowledgement to the readers.

I ask the interested reader to COMPARE the above two statements
with what Madame Blavatsky herself wrote in the Preface to the
Second edition of THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY:

> In order to further facilitate the Study of Theosophy, which the
> 'Key' has already made an easy task, I have added a copious
> 'Glossary' of all the technical terms found in it [the 'Key'].
> Most of the definitions and explanations are transcriptions or
> abbreviations from the larger 'Theosophical Glossary', which will
> shortly be published together with the Treatise on 'Archaic
> Symbolism.' It is hoped that both 'Glossaries' will supply a
> long-felt want, and that the larger one will cover the whole
> range of occult terminology as completely as possible.
>
> H.P.B.
>
> Theosophical Headquarters,
> 19, Avenue Road,
> London, N.W.
>
> 1890.

[A side note: Unfortunately, Mr.  de Zirkoff does not refer to
this quote from HPB in his article on the Theos.  Glossary.]

Does anyone see a contradiction between the statements made in
THE PERENNIAL WISDOM and HPB's prefatory remarks to the 2nd ed.
of THE KEY?

In the autumn of 1890, HPB's own words indicate that she had a
larger MSS of which the part added as a glossary to the 2nd ed.
of the KEY was only a portion of that larger MS.

Therefore, what does the following statement really tell us?

> The portion of manuscript material actually penned by H.P.B.  for
> this glossary was apparently added to the second edition of THE
> KEY TO THEOSOPHY in 1890, during her lifetime.

Yes, the glossary added to the 2nd ed. of the KEY was "actually
penned" by H.P.B. but. . . . WHO had compiled and written the
larger MS existing also at the same time (autumn 1890)?

Also in comparing the two statements from the PERENNIAL WISDOM,
what (I would ask) were the differences (if any) between (1) "the
portion of manuscript material actually penned by H.P.B.  for
this glossary [autumn 1890] " and (2) the "unfinished manuscript"
found at HPB's death (May 1891) and deemed "still too thin for
publication"?

Does anyone see what I am getting at?

Continued in part 2 of a series of at least 10 or more parts.