Does anybody here own the "Theosophical Encyclopedia"? If so I would be interested to hear your views on it. Although it was published 2006 I only became aware of it quite recently. To be honest, at first I wasn't expecting much, I was presuming most of it was probably going to have been lifted from the "Theosophical Glossary" along with the errors and lack of research anywhere outside of Theosophical sources. However, I was impressed with the more recent Theosophical Encyclopedia effort, the entries cover a vast array of different topics in useful depth which aren't all to do with the TS and its personages, but are much broader in historical scope.
 
It would be good to see this available online on this site, I'm sure many folks would find it useful. I'll make do with a physical copy since I find encyclopedia browsing rather like the dying art of bookshop browsing, one always stumbles across something unexpected, even though amazon is getting pretty damn clever in firing related suggestions to you after one purchases an item.  

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You mean the http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/etg-hp.htm

Encyclopedic theosophical glossary? That's online much longer, since about the year 2000, I believe.

It's useful indeed, containing somewhat more explanations of terms than the books in the TSs have. On scribd there are PDF versions of the complete work.

Yes, we have it; but I admit to rarely cracking it open, so cannot give an informed opinion.

There is a review of TE published in Psypioneer November 2010 [ archived at www.woodlandway.org ] but generally speaking the book publication of TE appears to have been met by indifference, with few if any reviews. The plan to put a revised and expanded edition on line is a good one. Details can be found at some pages under construction

http://theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Main_Page

 

I hope that the proprietors are able to secure the confidence of  theosophical scholars in the wider sense, including not just those active in Theosophical societies, but the academic community.  It may be, of course, that Modern Theosophy is in terminal decline and the relative lack of interest in TE ,  whose scope is described  at http://www.theosophy.ph/encyclo.html  is a symptom of the receding wave.  if you have perused the Encyclopedia, please contribute your reactions to it; if you have not I can recommend it as a fruitful and challenging intellectual  experience.

The Theosophical Encyclopedia is available at www.theosophy.ph  According to Mr. Vic Hao Chin, one of its editors and past president of the Theosophical Society of the Philippines, works are now on the way to have it available in the web similar to wikipedia. The Theosophical Encyclopedia is a compilation of 1,200 articles by 110 authors, including:

John Algeo
Mary Lutyens
Joy Mills 
Grace Knoche
Robert Ellwood 
Stephen Phillips
Dara Eklund
Mary Anderson 

and more than a hundred others.

Edited by
Phil S. Harris
Vicente Hao Chin Jr.
Richard Brooks

just fyi -

A book that has a solid Academic  collaboration is:
Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism. Edited by Wouter J. Hanegraaff

This includes the much broader range of Traditional Theosophy our site is directed toward.

Further info regarding the Theosophical Encyclopedia:

THEOSOPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

The most comprehensive single source of theosophical knowledge ever published. It contains articles on:

  • theosophy
  • comparative religion with articles on significant personages of each religion
  • history of the Theosophical Society including those which have become independent of the mother society
  • mysticism and spirituality
  • eastern and western philosophy
  • science
  • mythology and symbolisms
  • ancient religions such as those of Egypt, the Mayans, Inca, etc.
  • indigenous religions such as those of Australia, American Indians, Zulu, etc.
  • parapsychology, spiritualism and psychical research
  • history and activities of the national sections of the Theosophical Society


   Plus:
  • With photos and illustrations
  • With a comprehensive index
  • Sanksrit terms use standard diacritical marks
  • Chinese terms in both Wade-Giles and Pinyin systems of transliteration 

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