Louise A. Off
Louise A Off (1864-1895) was a Theosophist and artist in California. She is best known for becoming the editor of The New Californian, the journal of the early American Section of the Theosophical Society. At one time, she was thought to use the pseudonym "Nizida," but that connection is now discredited.
Life and career
Louise A. Off was born in Wisconsin in 1864. After spending her childhood in Springfield, Iowa, she settled in Los Angeles about 1882.
According to a compendium of artists' biographies,
Her articles on philosophy and theosophy appeared in the [Los Angeles] Times. She taught painting to small groups while active with women’s clubs and the social scene until her death there in 1895. Her works are rare due to her short life span.[1]
Miss Off died young, on January 6, 1895.[2] She was said to be "a prominent member of the Society in California, and one of the pioneers of the movement on the Pacific Coast."[3]
Theosophical Society involvement
Miss Off was a very active member of the Society in Los Angeles. In 1893 she was on the Advisory Committee for the Theosophical Congress at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago.[4] She corresponded with "The Missouri Platonist," Thomas Moore Johnson.[5]
In July 1892 she became editor of The New Californian as successor to Dr. Jerome Anderson. In addition to her work in this journal, she wrote articles for theLos Angeles Times and Theosophical periodicals. Here are some titles:
- "The Astral Light" Theosophical Siftings 3.7 (1890), 24. Available at this website and as an audio recording narrated by Sandra Brautigan at Itunes and Amazon.com.
- "A Fragment on the Requirements of a Theosophical Life" Theosophical Siftings 4.12 (1891), 13.
- "A Few Lines from California" The Theosophist Vol 10 (June, 1889), 524.
- "Echoes from the Vedas" The New Californian 3.8 (February, 1894), 255.
- "Love and Psyche" The New Californian 2.1 (July, 1892), 25.
Notes
- ↑ "Louisa A. Off" on EdanHughes.com website. Available at this website.
- ↑ Anonymous. "Obituary - Miss Louise Off. Deceased (1895/1/6). The Path 9.11 (February 1895), 408.
- ↑ "Theosophical Activities: America" Lucifer Vol 16 (March-August 1895), 81.
- ↑ The Theosophical Congress Held by the Theosophical Society at the Parliament of Religions (New York: American Section Headquarters TS, 1893), 12.
- ↑ See Bowen, Patrick D. and K. Paul Johnson, eds. Letters to the Sage: Selected Correspondence of Thomas Moore Johnson Volume One: The Esotericists. Forest Grove, OR: The Typhon Press, 2016.