Clara Codd

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Clara Codd

Clara Codd was an English Theosophist known for her work as a feminist, lecturer, teacher, and writer. She served as General Secretary of both the Australian and South African Sections of the Theosophical Society based in Adyar, Chennai, India. During a Theosophical career of nearly 70 years, she traveled to six continents.

Clara Codd as a young woman

Early life and education

Miss Codd was born October 10, 1876 at Barnstaple, Devon, England. She was the oldest of ten daughters. Even as a child, she questioned the meaning of life and felt moved into a search for "something."

Feminist activities

As a young woman, a strong sense for freedom and justice moved her to work for the enfranchisement of women. Despite a natural shyness, she spoke passionately for women’s rights from street platforms and in crowded halls, enduring heckling, physical abuse, and imprisonment.

Clara Codd

Joining the Theosophical Society

She joined the Theosophical Society at age 27. In her autobiography, So Rich a Life, Clara states, "I had come home at last after long wandering. I had found the beginning of the way." Three years later in 1906 the young woman was appointed the first national lecturer for the English Section.

Theosophical activities in the United States

In 1929, the young Miss Codd toured the United States, visiting thirteen Midwestern cities in two months. While in Iowa, she spoke on "Reincarnation" "to about 500 young people in a commercial school at Des Moines. These young people had formerly been addressed by Mr. Hoover [Herbert Hoover - later the U. S. president] ... and by Billy Sunday [a megastar evangelist]." During 1929 and 1930, while living at the headquarters of the American Section, she wrote several books that were published by Theosophical Press.

Years in South Africa

From February 2, 1938 to May 21, 1946, Miss Codd lived in the Union of South Africa, and became a citizen of that country. She served as National President (General Secretary) of the Section, and received a small pension after her term there. In January of 1945, her term ended, she wrote to Sidney Cook at the Theosophical Society in America:

Mr. Kruisheer is a splendid G.S. He is such a good organiser. I shall never be a Gen. Sec. agoin. I do not think that that is the best thing I can do. I am not an administrator. I just fill in a gap. For some time now I have had a pet idea. Tell me if you think it is feasible. I would like to go round the world once more before I pass over and say goodbye to all the dear people I love so well. This Xmas I have heard again from so many in the U.S.A...Could you have me for lecturing for a year? You need not give me any salary as now I am the proud possessor of a pension. And then I could go on to N.Z. and Australia and finally settle somewhere.
I would like to spend my last days in inspiring and teaching the Masters young workers somewhere.

Years in Australia

Clara Codd

John Coats and Clara Codd

Writings

• Ageless Wisdom of Life. Adyar, Madras, India, 1957 [2nd edition], available at Hathitrust. The 4th edition, published by the Theosophical Publishing House in Wheaton, IL in 1967, is available at Hathitrust. Translated into Russian by Dagmara Reinke and published as Taina Zhizni: i kak teosofiia otvechaet na nikh in Boston by ALBA, 1963. In 1959 a Finnish translation by Sirkka Simonen was published as Elämän ajaton viisaus by the Kalevala Lodge in Helsinki. Another Finnish version was translated by Eino Vuorinen.

• The Creative Force. Also published in Dutch as De scheppende kracht: Amsterdam : Theosofische Vereniging, Ned. Afd, 1960.

• The Eternal Wisdom of Life. Also published in Spanish as La eternal sabiduria de la vida: México : B. Costa-Amic, 1968. Translated by Ingeniero Salvador Tayabas y Sonia Pérez Vera. Reissued México, México: Orion, 1981.

• Introduction to Patanjali's Yoga. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1966. 164 pages.

• The Key to Theosophy. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1953. 262 pages. This is the "1st simplified Adyar edition" by Clara Codd of the work by H. P. Blavatsky.

• Letter to Aspirants. A Spanish edition called Carta a los aspirantes was published in 2015.

• Looking Forward: The Coming faith and the Coming Social Order. Edinburgh: Orpheus Publishing House, 1918. 71 pages.

• Masters and Disciples: A Guide to Study. London, 1928.

• Meditation: Its Practice and Results. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, 1930, and several later editions. 92 pages. Available at Hathitrust. A French edition was published as La méditation: sa pratique et ses buts - Paris: Adyar Editions 1931.

• The Mystery of Life and How Theosophy Solves It. London: Theosophical Society. Theosophical Society in England and Wales, 1963. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972. Revised edition London: Theosophical Publishing House, 2001. Slovenian translation by Maja Lorbek and Jelka Godec under the title Skrivnost zivljenja kot jo razkriva teozofija, published by Izola: Samozal M. L. Pigraf, 2002. Also published in Dutch as Het levensmysterie, number 7 in the series Theosofische bibliotheek; n.s., 7: Amsterdam : Theosofische Vereniging Ned. Afd, 1950.

• The Other Side of Death. London: Theosophical Society, 1900s. 16 pages. Theosophy series, no. 12. French version, L'Au-delà de la mort , was published in 1929 in Paris by Société théosophique de France.

• Poems. 1964. Poetry written by Clara Codd and her sister Dorothy Codd.

• Reincarnation: An Answer to Life's Problems. London: Theosophical Society, nd. 16 pages. Number 12 or 13 in Theosophy series of pamphlets.

• The Riddle of Life and How Theosophy Answers It. Johannesburg: Theosophical Service Group, 1940. 28 pages. Notation of "S Pam 212."

• The Secret of Sin and Suffering. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, 1931. 15 pages.

• So Rich a Life. Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1951. 431 pages.

• Technique of the Spiritual Life. Adyar, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1958. 2nd edition, 1963. Translated into Finnish by Pirkko Carpelan as Ohjeita henkisen tien kulkijalle: [Hki] : Elonpyörä, (Painoseppä), 1977. 125 pages. Spanish translation by Walter Ballesteros was published in 1963 by Sociedad Teosófica as Técnica de la vida espiritual.

• The Theosophical Worker. Two articles from the August and September issues of The Theosophist were translated into Dutch and published as De theosofische werker in 1958. "The Worker in the World" by Clara Codd was followed by Hugh Shearman's "The Task of the Worker."

• Theosophy and Christianity. London : Theosophical Society, nd. 16 pages. Number 23 in series of "Penny booklets."

• Theosophy as the Masters See It: Being an account of the Theosophical Society and its work as outlined in the "Letters from the masters of the wisdom." Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1953. 369 pages.

• Theosophy for Little Children. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, 1930. 45 pages.

• Theosophy for Very Little Children. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1916. Also published in Dutch: Amsterdam: Theosofische Vereenigings Uitgevers-Maatschappij, 1925.

• There Is No Death: A Message of Comfort. Auckland, N.Z.: New Zealand Section of the Theosophical Society, 1959. 22 pages.

• Thought, the Creator. London: Theosophical Society, 1927. 16 pages. Theosophy series, number 13.

• Trust Yourself to Life. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1968 and 1975. 116 pages. A Quest Books miniature.

• The Understanding Life: Three Lectures. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Press, 1929. Ojai, CA : Theosophical Book Association for the Blind, 1969. Braille. Three lectures.

• The Way of the Disciple. 2nd edition. Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964 and 2000. 287 pages. Contents: 1. The brotherhood of the perfected men -- 2. Discipleship -- 3. The restoration of the mysteries. Also published in Dutch as Het pad van de leerling - Amsterdam : Theosofische Vereniging, 1970.

Recordings of lectures

Clara Codd's lectures were recorded or transcribed.

Audio recordings

• Arcane Schools of Past and Future by Clara Codd
• Life on the Other Side of Death by Clara Codd
• Wings of the Soul by Clara Codd

Additional recordings are available through the Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library and Quest Books.

Transcribed or published lectures

Many of Miss Codd's lectures were published as booklets, or collected in books like The Understanding Life.

• Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater, As I Knew Them
• Discipleship in the New Age
• The New World Order
• Our Leaders As I Knew Them
• Saintship in the Theosophical Society
• The Way of Initiation

Additional resources

• Clara Codd: A Personal Recollection by John Algeo
• A Tribute to Clara Codd by Leatrice Kreeger