Edward L. Gardner: Difference between revisions

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== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==


Gardner was born at Coggeshall, Essex, England in 1869. He was first married to Clara Beard in 1892. She died in 1920, and he later, in 1922, married [[Adelaide Gardner|Eliza Adelaide Draper]], a respected Theosophical writer and lecturer who was born in the United States.
Gardner was born at Coggeshall, Essex, England on [[March 19]], 1869 to father Matthias A. Gardner, a brick and tile manufacturer.<ref>1871 England Census.</ref> He attended school in Lewisham.<ref>1881 England Census.</ref> Edward married Clara Beard in 1892, and they had at least two sons, Ralph and Leslie. The family lived at Willesden in Middlesex, where Edward had a business as a builder and contractor.<ref> 1911 England Census.</ref> Clara died in 1920. Two years later, he married [[Adelaide Gardner|Eliza Adelaide Draper]], a respected Theosophical writer and lecturer who was born in the United States.


== Theosophical Society involvement ==
== Theosophical Society involvement ==

Revision as of 16:41, 12 October 2022

E. L. Gardner in 1927
E. L. Gardner as member of Exec Committee of TS in England
N. Sri Ram and E. L. Gardner at Tekels Park. © Theosophical Society in England Archives.

Edward Lewis Gardner (1869-1969) was a noted writer and lecturer from the English Section of the Theosophical Society based in Adyar, India.

Personal life

Gardner was born at Coggeshall, Essex, England on March 19, 1869 to father Matthias A. Gardner, a brick and tile manufacturer.[1] He attended school in Lewisham.[2] Edward married Clara Beard in 1892, and they had at least two sons, Ralph and Leslie. The family lived at Willesden in Middlesex, where Edward had a business as a builder and contractor.[3] Clara died in 1920. Two years later, he married Eliza Adelaide Draper, a respected Theosophical writer and lecturer who was born in the United States.

Theosophical Society involvement

Gardner joined the TS on April 17, 1907. He served as General Secretary of the English Section from 1924-28, and was a popular lecturer and write for several decades. Clara Codd referred to him as "the English sage."[4]

According to The Theosophical Encyclopedia,

Gardner traveled widely as an International Lecturer for the Theosophical Society. In 1926 he founded the theosophical community at Stamford House, Wimbledon, London, and presided over it until 1940. Gardner was one of a group that bought Tekels Park, now vested in the English section of the TS. [5]

Gardner had the honor of delivering three Blavatsky Lectures. In 1918 he presented the inaugural lecture on the subject of "Matter is the Shadow of Spirit," followed by "The Nature and Function of the Soul" in 1946, and "Whence Come the Gods? and Related Studies" in 1959.

Some controversy arose when Gardner published a pamphlet There Is No Religion Higher Than Truth in 1964. He made the allegation that the clairvoyant visions supposedly experienced by Charles Webster Leadbeater were simply examples of unconscious kriyashakti (thought power, or self-delusion). Geoffrey Hodson defended CWL vigorously, and his wife Sandra compiled a book on the subject called C. W. Leadbeater: A Great Occultist. Pedro Oliveira followed up with an article, "The Mystery of C. W. Leadbeater’s Clairvoyance," and a portion of his book, CWL Speaks.

Cottingley Fairies

Later years





Bookmark featuring Gardner, issued by TS in England
Book cover, 1962.

Writings

Gardner was much known for his writings. The Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals lists 74 articles under the name EL Gardner, 3 under E L Gardner, and 14 under Edward L Gardner.

In 1940 he was awarded the Subba Row Medal for his contributions to Theosophical literature. These are books and pamphlets that he wrote:

  • The Fourth Creative Hierarchy, Matter is the Shadow of Spirits, and The Web of the Universe. Madras, India: F.E. Philp & Sons, 1913. Reprinted 1936, rev. Ed. 1938.
  • The Web of the Universe. 1936.
  • The Play of Consciousness. 1939.
  • Fairies; A book of Real Fairies. 1945.
  • Fairies: The Cottingley Photographs and Their Sequel. 1945.
  • The Mysteries. 1945.
  • The Nature and the Function of the Soul. 1946.
  • The Imperishable Body. 1949.
  • The Heavenly Man. 1952.
  • The Wider View & Studies in the Secret Doctrine. 1962. Håkan Blomqvist describes this as "a collection of articles published between 1944-1959. In several of these articles Gardner tries to understand the UFO enigma from a Theosophical viewpoint. His theory is that they represent either etheric Venusians or deva materializations."[6]
  • There Is No Religion Higher Than Truth. 1964. Booklet.
  • A Mind to Embrace the Universe. 1965.
  • Thyself Both Heaven and Hell. 1966.

Published lectures

Additional resources

Notes

  1. 1871 England Census.
  2. 1881 England Census.
  3. 1911 England Census.
  4. Clara Codd, Circular Letter No. 101. October-November, 1962.
  5. "Gardner, Edward Lewis" in Theosophy World.
  6. Håkan Blomqvist at at UFOArchives.blogspot.