Virginia Hanson

Virginia Hanson

Virginia Gordon Hanson was an editor and writer best known for her books Masters and Men and, with George Linton, the Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett.

Early years

Miss Hanson was born in Illinois on October 27, 1898.

Theosophical work

Miss Hanson joined the Theosophical Society in America on October 12, 1949, in Washington, D. C, where she worked as a government employee. She became a prominent lecturer for the Society, and was a prolific writer on many subjects. In 1962 she joined the headquarters staff, where she stayed for 13 years. Among her responsibilities was editing The American Theosophist and directing the Department of Education. She was also a Senior Editor of Quest Books of the Theosophical Publishing House (Wheaton). She also wrote a series of educational letters that were sent to new members, a project that continues to this day.

William Quinn, her successor as editor of The American Theosophist wrote this "encomium" for Virginia Hanson:

Few people, I think, really understand what editorial work entails, and fewer still know of the professional, superior and extensive work which Mrs. Hanson did as an editor for The Theosophical Society - as both Senior Editor for The Theosophical Publishing House and as Editor of this journal. She established, as Editor of The American Theosophist, not only the highest quality standards for material published, but began the very successful Special Issues, which appear twice a year. Her work in accelerating the Quest Book series of The Theosophical Publishing House into "adulthood" was invaluable - no descriptive adjective can adequately express the superlative quality and prodigious amount of "over-work" which she did for the TPH publishing program.

But an encomium for Virginia Hanson cannot be limited simply to editorial ability, nor can her work be separated from her humanness. No Assistant Editor - in fact, no one - could have had a finer person with which to work, or to teach and instruct him. Like Midas's touch, every difficulty or problem she encountered turned to resolution and harmony, and every person she dealt with testifies to her warmth, understanding, and compassion. Her decisions always reflected wisdom, and the fact that they had been made by a real theosophists. No gentler or more beautiful a person exists, in my admittedly biased opinion.

Readers Guide to the Mahatma Letters

George Linton and his wife, of Portland, Oregon, frequently visited the TSA headquarters while Miss Hanson was on staff there. Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett was the product of much study by each of the coauthors, and it continues to be a valuable tool for study of the letters.

Other writings

In addition to her educational letters and the Readers Guide, Miss Hanson made many other contributions to Theosophical literature. These books are listed in chronological sequence:

• H. P. Blavatsky and The Secret Doctrine: Commentaries on Her Contributions to World Thought. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1971. It is a collection of essays originally published in The American Theosophist, in May 1969, with five additional essays. A second edition came out in 1988.
• Approaches to Meditation. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973. Published in Finnish in 2002.
• Gifts of the Lotus: a Book of Daily Meditations. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974.
• The Silent Encounter: Reflections on Mysticism. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974.
• The Mahatma Letters: Today's Encounter with the Wisdom of the Ages. Madras, India: Theosophical Publlishing House, 1977.
• Masters and Men: the Human Story in The Mahatma Letters. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980. This book is a fictionalized account of the Mahatmas. It has been digitized by Google and Hathitrust, but is not available yet.
• Karma: the Universal Law of Harmony. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1981 and Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, 1981. Rosemarie Stewart collaborated in editing this collection of essays. Published in Italian in 1981 and in German in 1982. A third edition was published in 1990.
• The Sage from Concord: the Essence of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1981. A Quest miniature book of Emerson quotations.
• An Introduction to The Mahatma Letters: a Study Guide. Wheaton, IL Department of Education, Theosophical Society in America, 1983. Published in Spanish in 1996.
• Notes on The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett. Ojai, Calif.: V. Hanson, 1987.

She also wrote numerous articles for journals. The Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals lists 142 articles under the name Virginia Hanson and 10 more under the name Virginia G Hanson.

Audio recordings

Virginia Hanson in 1984

• An Introduction to the Study of the Mahatma Letters. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Society in America, 1984, 2007. These eight CDs of commentary by Virginia Hanson and George Linton are available through Quest Books website and Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library.

Awards

The Olcott Foundation named Virginia Hanson to win its lecture award for 1951, in recognition of her lecture, "The Divine Autobiography - A Universal Best Seller." In 1990, Miss Hanson was awarded the prestigious Subba Row Medal for her Theosophical writings.

Miss Hanson left a 500-volume library to the Krotona School of Theosophy, and the Virginia Hanson Memorial Library was named in her honor.

Later years

From 1975 until her death on May 27, 1991, Miss Hanson was on the staff of the Krotona Institute of Theosophy.