Letters That Have Helped Me (book)

Cover, 1891

Letters That Have Helped Me is a pair of books compiled by Julia Ver Planck of responses by William Quan Judge, signing his letters as "Z," to questions she posed using the name "Jasper Niemand". They were originally published in Volumes III and IV of Judge's journal The Path from December 1888 through March 1890.

In 1891, the letters were first published by Judge in book form. A second volume was published in England in 1905 by Thomas Green. In 1946, The Theosophy Company issued what is considered the definitive edition, including a Part III that has adds many more letters of Judge compiled by Theosophy Company editors.

Introduction

In the Preface to Volume I, Mrs. Ver Planck wrote:

The writer, when he first became a theosophical student, had the aid of an advanced occultist in his studies. This friend sent him, among others, the letters which, in the hope that they may assist others as the have the original recipient, are here published. They are not exhaustive treatises; they are hints given by one who knew that the first need of a student is to lean ho to think. The true direction is pointed out, and the student is left to clarify his own perceptions, to draw upon and enlarge his own intuitions, and to develop, as every created thing must at last develop, by his own inward exertions. Such students have passed the point where their external environment can affect their growth favorably. They may learn from it, but the time has also come to resist it and turn to the internal adjustment to higher relations only.

The brevity of these letters should not mislead the reader. Every statement in them is a statement of law. They point to causes of which life is an effect; that life arising from the action of Spirit in Nature, and which we must understand as it is manifested within us before we can advance on the Path.

Editions

Both volumes are available online through these websites:

• Theosophical University Press. Text of 1905 edition.
• Theosophy Trust
• Theosophy World. Volume 1 is 1900 edition, Volume 2 is 1905 edition. Reformatted text - not scanned from original books.
• Hathitrust. 1891 edition. This says "4th Edition" but probably means "4th Printing."
• Gutenberg.org. 1900 "Seventh Edition" by Theosophy Company. In several e-book formats.
• Google Books. E-book.

Reviews and commentary

• "Letters That Have Helped Me: A Personal View" by Douglas A. Russell at Theosophy NW.