Clara Codd Letters
Clara Codd was a very popular lecturer and write in the Theosophical Society based in Adyar, Chennai, India. She conducted a large correspondence with people on five continents. Bi-monthly circular letters were one means by which she kept in touch with her friends and associates. From 1945 to 1968 she wrote 137 letters that included accounts of her personal experiences mixed with elements of history, travelogue, inspiration, and also practical advice about life on the spiritual path. They were duplicated by means of cyclostyle[1] or mimeograph by friends who also assisted in the distribution process. For example, Ruth Doak took on the responsibility for retyping, duplicating, and mailing letters to over 70 people in the United States.
History of letters
Five years after her death in 1971, The Theosophist published an account of the letters:
As many of you know Clara Codd had a very extensive correspondence with members all round the world. So in 1945 she began her "correspondence group" as she called it and each member received a duplicated bi-monthly letter. In this she was helped by friends in different countries who organized the duplication and mailing of these letters which continued until her 92nd year. Her first letter came from South Africa and her last from England...
In her first letter she wrote, "The group does not meet regularly on the physical plane. It is a soul group. There are no pledges or bonds to bind this group together beyond the one of mutual love and trust which already binds it. Every day I think of each of you and pray the blessing the Master upon you all and upon your growth and work. Because we are an affectionate and sincere group there is a corporate life which reinforces every member of it. The younger and less experienced are stimulated by the older and more experienced"...
Clara's last letter was written from England in November 1968 when she was 92 years of age. For 23 years she had, without a break sent letters six times a year to her group all over the world. In this letter she wrote, "I hope you found there letters helpful in daily life, for that is what I wanted them to be, I did not want them to be intellectual or studious... do your best to approach your own Higher Self, the God-head within you. Do not lean too much on books and teachers. Learn mostly from life itself with all its events and problems."[2]
Digital images of letters
Clara Codd's letters were scanned in the Archives Department of the Theosophical Society in America, except for letters 53-57, which were scanned from the Joy Mills Papers at the Krotona Library.[3]
Number Date Place Where Written Link to PDF of letter 1 1945 July 17 Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 2 1945 September 21 Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 3 1945 November 20 Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 4 1946 January 20 Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 5 1946 March 21 Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 6 1946 May 8 Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 7 1946 July 29 Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 8 1946 October-November Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 9 1946-1947 December-January Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 10 1947 February-March Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 11 1947 April-May Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 12 1947 June-July Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 13 1947 August-September Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 14 1947 October-November Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 15 1947-1948 December-January Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 16 1948 February-March Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 17 1948 April-May Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 18 1948 June-July Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 19 1948 August-September London, England Link to letter 20 1948 October-November London, England Link to letter 21 1948-1949 December-January Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 22 1949 February-March Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 23 1949 April-May Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 24 1949 June-July Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 25 1949 August-September Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 26 1949 October-November Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 27 1949-1950 December-January Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 28 1950 February-March Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 29 1950 April-May Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 30 1950 June-July Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 31 1950 August-September Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 32 1950 October-November Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 33 1950-1951 December-January Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 34 1951 February-March Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 35 1951 April-May Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 36 1951 June-July Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 37 1951 August-September Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 38 1951 October-November Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 39 1951-1952 December-January Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 40 1952 February-March Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 41 1952 April-May Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 42 1952 June-July Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 43 1952 August-September Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 44 1952 October-November Adyar, Madras, India Link to letter 45 1952-1953 December-January Adyar, Madras, India Link to letter 46 1953 February-March Adyar, Madras, India Link to letter 47 1953 April-May Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 48 1953 June-July Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 49 1953 August-September Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 50 1953 October-November Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 51 1953-1954 December-January Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 52 1954 February-March Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 53 1954 April-May Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 54 1954 June-July Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 55 1954 August-September Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 56 1954 October-November Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 57 1954-1955 December-January Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 58 1955 February-March Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 59 1955 April-May Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 60 1955 June-July Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 61 1955 August-September Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 62 1955 October-November Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 63 1955-1956 December-January Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 64 1956 February-March Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 65 1956 April-May Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 66 1956 June-July Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 67 1956 August-September Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 68 1956 October-November Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 69 1956-1957 December-January Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 70 1957 February-March Johannesburg, South Africa Link to letter 71 1957 August-September London, England Link to letter 72 1957 October-November London, England Link to letter 73 1957-1958 December-January London, England Link to letter 74 1958 February-March London, England Link to letter 75 1958 April-May London, England Link to letter 76 1958 June-July Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 77 1958 August-September Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 78 1958 October-November Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 79 1958-59 December-January Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 80 1959 February-March Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 81 1959 April-May Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 82 1959 June-July Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 83 1959 August-September Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 84 1959 October-November Wheaton, Illinois, USA Link to letter 85 1959-1960 December-January Adyar, Madras, India Link to letter 86 1960 February-March Adyar, Madras, India Link to letter 87 1960 April-May Adyar, Madras, India Link to letter 88 1960 June-July, August-September London, England Link to letter 89 1960 October-November London, England Link to letter 90 1960-1961 December-January London, England Link to letter 91 1961 February-March St. Michael's, Huizen, Holland Link to letter 92 1961 April-May St. Michael's, Huizen, Holland Link to letter 93 1961 June-July London, England Link to letter 94 1961 August-September Krotona, Ojai, California, USA Link to letter 95 1961 October-November Krotona, Ojai, California, USA Link to letter 96 1961-1962 December-January Krotona, Ojai, California, USA Link to letter 97 1962 February-March Krotona, Ojai, California, USA Link to letter 98 1962 April-May London, England Link to letter 99 1962 June-July Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 100 1962 August-September Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 101 1962 October-November Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 102 1962-1963 December-January Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 103 1963 February-March Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 104 1963 April-May Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 105 1963 June-July Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 106 1963 August-September Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 107 1963 October-November Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 108 1963-1964 December-January Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 109 1964 February-March Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 110 1964 April-May Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 111 1964 June-July Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 112 1964 August-September Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 113 1964 October-November Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 114 1964-1965 December-January Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 115 1965 February-March Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 116 1965 April-May Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 117 1965 June-July Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 118 1965 August-September Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 119 1965 October-November Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 120 1965-1966 December-January Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 121 1966 February-March Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 122 1966 April-May Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 123 1966 June-July Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 124 1966 August-September Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 125 1966 October-November Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 126 1966-1967 December-January Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 127 1967 February-March Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 128 1967 April-May Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 129 1967 June-July Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 130 1967 August-September Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 131 1967 October-November Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 132 1967-1968 December-January Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 133 1968 February-March Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 134 1968 April-May Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 135 1968 June-July Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 136 1968 August-September Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter 137 1968 October-November Camberley, Surrey, England Link to letter
Notes
- ↑ Eleanor Stakesby-Lewis, '"Miss Clara M. Codd" Theosophical Journal12.4 (July-August, 1971), 23.
- ↑ Assistant Editor, "Clara Codd's Letters" The Theosophist 98.10 (October, 1976), 29.
- ↑ Letters scanned were from two archival collections: the Clara Codd Papers (Records Series 25.05) and the St. Petersburg Lodge Records (Records Series 20.02.15). Theosophical Society in America Archives.