John Algeo – USA
Theosophy in Manifold Ways
I work on (and I hope for) Theosophy in a variety of ways, such as contributing to Theosophy Forward with both articles and editing.
For a while, I was also working on a new, revised, and online version of the 2006 hard-back paper edition of the Theosophical Encyclopedia as its General Editor, alongside Vicente Hao Chin Jr. as Associate Editor, and Robert Ellwood as Consulting Editor. That proved to be more than I could handle, so I resigned from the formal position, but I still contribute to the project, which will cover subjects treated by any of the societies historically connected with Theosophy and will draw no distinctions of value among them. Strict neutrality is observed with respect to all variations within the tradition. As the character named Sgt. Joe Friday on the TV program Dragnet frequently said: “Just the facts, ma'am.”
Others can also help with this project in a number of ways: (1) If you think of topics not covered in the print edition of the Theosophical Encyclopedia, that should be in the online edition, let us know what they are. (2) If you are knowledgeable about some topics being worked on and are willing to help us by reading them and making suggestions for correcting, expanding, or up-dating them, let us know what they are. (3) If you have any suggestion on the content or style of the Theosophical Encyclopedia on the Web, please pass them on; we want this to be a work that is maximally helpful to both Theosophists and interested or curious non-Theosophists. (4) You can pass on this message to others who might find it of interest and tell them to get in touch with me.
This is a major project, and we’d like to involve in it as many willing workers as are able to contribute. Remember: Each one of us knows something that few others do, and there is an old definition of an “expert authority” as a damned fool a thousand miles from home. All of us are more distant than that from our true Devachanic home, so none of us should claim the role of “expert authority,” but we can each contribute to Theosophical work in our own inimitable way.
Yours fraternally in the great work, John Algeo