View source for The Theosophist (periodical)

{{DISPLAYTITLE: ''The Theosophist'' (periodical)}}

[[File:Theosophist August 1931.jpg|230px|right|thumb|''The Theosophist'',<br>Centennial issue,<br>August, 1931]]
[[File:Theosophist Oct 2009.jpg|200px|right|thumb|''The Theosophist'',<br>130th anniversary,<br>October 2009]]
'''''The Theosophist''''' is the monthly journal of the international [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society based in Adyar, India]]. It was first published on [[October 1]], 1879 by [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky]] in Bombay, and has been in production continuously since that date. The cover of the first issue stated that this was "A monthly journal devoted to oriental philosophy, art, literature and occultism: embracing mesmerism, spiritualism and other secret sciences." In February 1883 the journal moved from Bombay to Madras, where the [[Theosophical Society]] was establishing its new headquarters at Adyar. For the year 1930, the journal was published in Hollywood, California by [[Annie Besant]] and [[Marie Russak Hotchener]], but it returned to Adyar in 1931.

== Early days of the publication ==

[[Mary K. Neff]] wrote of the genesis of ''The Theosophist'' for its fiftieth anniversary, in the "Jubilee Number." She compiled a timeline of events using [[Henry Steel Olcott|Colonel Olcott's]] diaries:

<blockquote>
:July 4, 1879. Consultation which decided us to issue THE THEOSOPHIST at once.
::9th. Corrected proof of the Prospectus of THE THEOSOPHIST.
::15th. Had visit in body of [[Morya|the Sahib]]!
::31st. [[Edward Wimbridge|Wim]] made design for the cover of THE THEOSOPHIST.
:Aug. 22nd. Evening. With [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. B.]] revised articles for THE THEOSOPHIST.
:Sept. 2nd. [[Edward Wimbridge|Wim]] [Edward Wimbridge] began engraving heading for THE THEOSOPHIST.
::11th. Workmen fitting up Theosophist Office in the new compound.
::20th. Ran off first form (8 pages) to-day. Much pleased with the paper; think it will find public favour and secure many subscriptions.
::27th. Made up last form to-day; and now, all difficulties having been surmounted - as it were - we will make our periodical bow to the world from our own rostrum.
::38th. Up at 5:30, to find printer and make certain changes ordered by the revered [[Rishi Agastya|Old Gentleman]] late last night.
::29th. Preparing for the birth of the paper.
::30th Waiting. Evening. The first 400 copies of THE THEOSOPHIST were received. Welcome, stranger.
:Oct. 1st. All hands busy, pasting and directing wrappers, making city and country lists, sending ''peons'' to deliver in the city, receiving congratulations, and taking new subscriptions.
::3rd. Order about the paper received, signed by [[Serapis]];<ref>[[Mahatma_Letter_to_H._S._Olcott_-_LMW_2_No._29|Letter 29]] in [[Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom (book)|''Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom, Second Series'']].</ref> first word from him in some time.<ref>Mary K. Neff, "The Hidden Side of The Theosophist," ''The Theosophist'' 51:1 (October, 1929), 66.</ref>
</blockquote>

The journal was printed in Bombay until February, 1883 (Vol. IV, No. 5), where it began to appear from Madras. [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] edited ''The Theosophist'' from October 1879 until 1885, when she left India.

== Involvement of the Mahatmas ==

Several of the [[Mahatmas]] watched over the development of the journal, including [[Serapis]], [[Narayan]] (Rishi Agastya), [[Morya]], and [[Koot Hoomi]]. The former two showed interest at the inception of ''The Theosophist'', and the latter two guided its development over several years. The journal is frequently mentioned in the [[Mahatma letters]].

[[Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa|C. Jinarâjadâsa]] mentioned the Mahatma Koot Hoomi in commenting on the process of editing the journal:
<blockquote>
There is a great deal of work in connection with articles and every line has been read by me, if not twice, at least once. As the Master K. H. desired to make it a channel of His influence, I am naturally concentrating on the magazine. Each month’s eight pages of Watch Tower means a thorough squeezing of all the cells of my brain. After the strike order is given for the last sheets, I have about a week before once again the magazine has to be attended to day after day.<ref>C. Jinarâjadâsa letter to James S. Perkins, July 30, 1946. James S. Perkins Papers. Records Series 08.06. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Printing of the journal ==

Until 1909, ''The Theosophist'' was printed by Messrs. Thompson & Co., Printers, in Madras (now Chennai). The journey between headquarters in Adyar and the printer in Madras was "troublesome," as it involved a jolting carriage ride that could take an hour each way. [[Henry Steel Olcott|Colonel Olcott]] wished to have a printing company at Adyar for the journal and other publications, but that did not occur until 1909, when the [[Vasanṭā Press]] was established under the presidency of [[Annie Besant]]. Hand-powered equipment was used for printing initially. In October 1911, a larger type was introduced for improved legibility. 

The number of copies printed grew from 400 in the first issue<ref>Mary K. Neff, "The Hidden Side of The Theosophist," ''The Theosophist'' 51:1 (October, 1929), 66.</ref> to 800 in 1909<ref>A. K. Sitarama Shastri, "'The Theosophist' in the Vasanṭā Press,"
''The Theosophist'' 51:1 (October, 1929), 40.</ref> and 4000 two years later<ref>A. K. Sitarama Shastri, "'The Theosophist' in the Vasanṭā Press,"
''The Theosophist'' 51:1 (October, 1929), 40.</ref>.

== Later history and management ==

In 1936, President [[George S. Arundale]] reshaped the journal into being more of a magazine for a general readership. He appointed an American Editorial Committee that was associated with the Editorial Board at Adyar. The three members were [[Fritz Kunz]], Professor H. Douglas Wild, and [[Claude Bragdon]]. The announcement stated:
<blockquote>
Beginning with January, 1936, ''The Theosophist'' will be edited as far as possible in the interest of the general public, publishing articles which will relate religion, science, philosophy, psychology, politics, industry, etc., to the science of Theosophy in a manner calculated to arouse the interest of the public. ''The Theosophical World'', an enlargement of ''Adyar News'', will keep members in touch with the Society's special affairs and growth.
<br>

The American Editorial Committee has been requested to cooperate in the publication of ''The Theosophist''  through personal contributions, through gathering contributions from other qualified writers, and also, if possible, by making arrangements for advertisements.<ref>"American Editorial Committee," ''The American Theosophist'' 24.3 (March, 1936), 70.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Major contributors and series ==
'''THIS SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION'''<br>
'''THIS SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION'''<br>
* '''[[Fragments of Occult Truth (article)|"Fragments of Occult Truth"]]''' was a series of eight Theosophical teachings written in 1881-1883 by [[A. O. Hume]] and [[A. P. Sinnett]] in response to letters of [[William H. Terry]]. The first article in the series marks the first time that the [[Principle#Seven principles in human beings|seven-fold constitution of human beings]] was publicly taught in [[Theosophy|Theosophical]] literature. Later articles convey important information about [[Evolution]] and [[Devachan]].
* '''Enquiries from an English F.T.S."''' was a series of questions submitted by [[Frederick W. H. Myers|Frederick William Henry Myers]] in 1883 after he read [[Esoteric Buddhism (book)|''Esoteric Buddhism'']].

== Index to the periodical ==

The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]][http://www.austheos.org.au/indices/pindex.htm] provides a searchable [http://www.austheos.org.au/indices/THEOST.HTM index to this periodical online], listing article titles and authors in chronological sequence. The 1930 Hollywood edition has a [http://www.austheos.org.au/indices/THHOLL.HTM separate index.]
 '''NOTE:''' This index is not in operation at this time.

== Issues available online ==
[[File:Theosophist Jan 2008.jpg|120px|right|thumb|''The Theosophist'', January 2008]]
These are sources of past issues:

* Volumes 1-70 (1879-1948) and 129-145 (2007-2024), with some issues missing &ndash; high-quality PDFs available at [http://www.iapsop.com/archive/materials/theosophist/ International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals].
* Volumes 1- 56 (1879-1935) at [https://www.theosophy.world/resource/publications/theosophist Theosophy World]. High-quality PDFs with some issues missing; well-organized. These are mostly duplicates of what is available at IAPSOP, but easier to access.
* Volumes 1-6 &ndash; high-quality PDFs available at [https://universaltheosophy.com/periodicals/ UniversalTheosophy.com].
* Volume 1: October 1879-September 1880 &ndash; transcriptions of articles available at [http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/theosoph/theos-hp.htm Theosophical University Press]  
* Volumes 7, 11-12, 14, 17, 19-33, 27-43 &ndash; PDFs available at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?field1=ocr;q1=%22The%20Theosophist%22;a=srchls;lmt=ft;pn=1 Hathitrust]. New volumes are being added.
* Volumes 1-14 &ndash; available in facsimile PDF versions at [http://api.ning.com/files/S7hsBCvqKXFh7kYwYiIEWV8i4aqmSsavOqEaPpKzTN2GzocDsvG*Do1dZcvYXS9goxX-KZKmlwvEC23mP4DeizUajRiN2BW5/theosophist_ssoc.htm# Theosophy.Net]. (Broken link as of June 17, 2021 - check [https://archive.org/web/ Wayback Machine].)
* Oct. 2007 - present &ndash; the Theosophical Society in Adyar, India has begun posting recent issues of the magazine online:
{{Col-begin|width=90%}}
{{Col-break|width=45%}}
:[http://www.ts-adyar.org/theosophist/volume-129-oct-2007-sep-2008# Volume 129 - Oct 2007-Sep 2008]
:[http://www.ts-adyar.org/theosophist/volume-130-oct-2008-sep-2009# Volume 130 - Oct 2008-Sep 2009]
:[http://www.ts-adyar.org/content/volume-131-oct-2009-sep-2010# Volume 131 - Oct 2009-Sep 2010]
:[http://www.ts-adyar.org/content/volume-132-oct-2010-sep-2011# Volume 132 - Oct 2010-Sep 2011]
:[http://www.ts-adyar.org/content/volume-133-oct-2011-sep-2012# Volume 133 - Oct 2011-Sep 2012]
:[http://www.ts-adyar.org/content/volume-134-oct-2012-sep-2013# Volume 134 - Oct 2012-Sep 2013]
:[http://www.ts-adyar.org/content/volume-135-oct-2013-sep-2014# Volume 135 - Oct 2013-Sep 2014]
:[http://www.ts-adyar.org/content/volume-136-oct-2014-sep-2015# Volume 136 - Oct 2014-Sep 2015]

{{Col-break|width=45%}}
:[http://www.ts-adyar.org/theosophist/volume-137-oct-2015-sep-2016# Volume 137 - Oct 2015-Sep 2016]
:[http://www.ts-adyar.org/theosophist/volume-138-oct-2016-sep-2017# Volume 138 - Oct 2016-Sep 2017]
:[http://www.ts-adyar.org/theosophist/volume-139-oct-2017-sep-2018# Volume 139 - Oct 2017-Sep 2018]
:[https://www.ts-adyar.org/theosophist/volume-140-oct-2018-sep-2019 Volume 140 - Oct 2018-Sep 2019]
:[https://www.ts-adyar.org/theosophist/volume-141-oct-2019-sep-2020 Volume 141 - Oct 2019-Sep 2020]
:[https://www.ts-adyar.org/theosophist/volume-142-oct-2020-sep-2021 Volume 142 - Oct 2020-Sep 2021]
:[https://www.ts-adyar.org/theosophist/volume-143-oct-2021-sep-2022 Volume 143 - Oct 2021-Sep 2022]
:[https://www.ts-adyar.org/theosophist/volume-144-oct-2022-sep-2023 Volume 144 - Oct 2022-Sep 2023]

{{Col-end}}

== Notes ==
<references/>
[[Category:Periodicals|Theosophist, The]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Theosophist, The]]
[[es:El Teósofo (Revista)]]