GOTTFRIED DE PURUCKER se je rodil 15. januarja 1874 v Suffernu v državi New York. Njegov oče, Gustaf Adolf von Purucker je kot posvečen duhovnik nekaj let služboval kot kaplan ameriške cerkve v Ženevi v Švici in nato na enakem položaju služil tudi v Rimu in Strassburgu. Njegova mati, Juliana Smyth, je izhajala iz ugledne družine v Novi Angliji.

Gottfried je bil eden od sedmih otrok in bil v svoji mladosti deležen dokaj stroge vzgoje. Od njega se je pričakovalo, da bo šel po sledeh očeta in služil Cerkvi. Potem, ko se je družina preselila v Ženevo, je študiral na različnih šolah, vključno z College de Geneve, in se pod očetovim vodstvom učil grščine in hebrejščine. S pomočjo zasebnih učiteljev je izpopolnil znanje starodavnih in sodobnih jezikov kot so latinščina, saksonščina, sanskrt, italijanščina in španščina. Francoščino in nemščino pa so govorili v družini. Leta 1888 je za božično darilo očetu prevedel celotno grško Novo Zavezo, nekaj let kasneje pa še Genezo iz hebrejščine.

Pri osemnajstih se je vrnil v Združene Države in se po nekaj mesecih bivanja v New Yorku za nekaj let ustalil v Kaliforniji, kjer je nekaj časa preživel na različnih rančih. Nato se je nastanil v San Diegu, kjer se je leta 1892 pridružil “Point Loma Lodge” Teozofskega Društva pod vodstvom W. Q. Judgea in pri devetnajstih letih vodil tečaj Tajnega Nauka. Leto kasneje se je Gottfried vrnil v Ženevo, da bi nekaj časa preživel s svojo družino. V letih 1897-98 je dr. Purucker precej potoval po južni Ameriki in se leta 1899 preko New Yorka vrnil v Ženevo. Nato je nekaj let živel v Parizu, kjer je služboval v uredniškem odboru pariškega Daily Messenger, starega in znanega dnevnika, ki se je objavljal v angleškem jeziku. Eno leto po očetovi smrti, v letu 1902, se je vrnil v Združene Države in se po nekaj mesecih popotovanja za stalno naselil v Point Lomi v Kaliforniji.

V letih 1902-1929, v obdobju med svojim prihoom v Point Lomo in smrtjo Katherine Tingley, je bil dr. de Purucker vključen v številne dejavnosti in v začetnih letih deloval kot zasebni tajnik Katherine Tingley in v kasnejših kot član njenega kabineta ter od leta 1911 naprej kot urednik revije The Theosophical Path. Nadzoroval je objavljanje zaporednih izdaj del H. P. Blavatsky in pri tem z veliko koristjo izkoriščal svoje veliko poznavanje tega področja delovanja. Velik del njegovega dela je bil opravljen v tišini njegove pisarne, pa tudi sicer je živel precej odmaknjeno in se ni nikoli poročil.

Ko je leta 1929 umrla Katherine Tingley, jo je Gottfried de Purucker nasledil kot voditelj Point Loma Teozofskega Društva. Zasnoval je številne nove dejavnosti, usmerjene v širitev dela, med katerimi tudi odmevno in svetovno razširjeno Theosophical Fraternization Movement (teozofsko bratsko gibanje), s ciljem, da bi se vzpostavili bolj prijateljski medsebojni odnosi med različnimi teozofskimi skupinami.

Kmalu po prevzemu upravljanja z Društvom, je dr. de Purucker začel objavljati teozofsko revijo The Theosophical Forum, katere prva številka je izšla semptembra 1929.

V času njegove administracije je imel dr. de Purucker številna javna predavanja, večinoma v Templju Miru v Point Lomi, in vodil zasebne in članske tečaje poglobljenega študija Ezoterične Filozofije. Nekatera od njegovih del so bila nato sestavljena prav iz teh predavanj, medtem ko so druga nastala kot samostojna besedila.

Junija 1942 leta je dr. de Purucker prenesel sedež društva na novo lokacijo, v Covino v Kaliforniji, vendar pa kmalu zatem, 27. septembra 1942 tudi nenadoma umrl.

Prevod odlomkov iz posebne številke "Theosophie", posvečene spominu na dr. Gottfrieda de Puruckerja.

GOTTFRIED DE PURUCKER was born at Suffern in New York on January 15th 1874. His father, Gustaf Adolf von Purucker, an ordained minister, was for some years chaplain of the American Church in Geneva, Switzerland, and later served in the same capacity in Rome and in Strassburg. His mother, Juliana Smyth, belonged to a New England family of distinction.

Gottfried was one of seven children and received somewhat severe training in his youth. He was expected to follow his father’s footsteps in the service of the Church. After they moved to Geneva, he studied in various schools including the College de Geneve, and was taught Greek and Hebrew by his father. He specialized under private tutors in ancient and modern languages such as Latin, Anglo-Saxon, Sanskrit, Italian, and Spanish. French and German were spoken in the family. In 1888 he translated the entire Greek New Testament as a Christmas gift for his father, and a couple of years later made a translation of Genesis from the Hebrew.

At eighteen Gottfried returned to the United States where, after a few months sojourn in New York, he settled for several years in California, spending some time for experience on different ranches. He then moved to San Diego, where in 1892 joined the “Point Loma Lodge” of The Theosophical Society then under the national jurisdiction of W. Q. Judge and at nineteen conducted therein a class in The Secret Doctrine. A year later Gottfried returned to Geneva to live for a time with his people. In the years 1897-98, Dr. de Purucker traveled extensively in South America and in 1899 returned to Geneva via New York. Then he spent several years in Paris where he was on the editorial staff of the Paris Daily Messenger, an old and famous continental paper published in English. A year after his father’s death in 1902 he came back to the States and after some weeks of travel took up permanent residence at Point Loma in California.

During the years 1903-1929, the period between his arrival at Point Loma and the death of Katherine Tingley, Dr. de Purucker was engaged in many and varied activities, acting as Private Secretary to Katherine Tingley in the early years, as member of her Cabinet in later years, and as Editor of The Theosophical Path after its initial publication in 1911. He supervised the publishing of successive editions of H.P. Blavatsky’s works, and utilized to full advantage his great scholarship in this field of endeavor. A great deal of his work was done in the quiet of his office and on the whole he lived a somewhat retired life and never married.

When Katherine Tingley died in 1929, Gottfried de Purucker succeeded her as Leader of the Point Loma Theosophical Society. He inaugurated many new activities for the expansion of the work, one of which was a world-wide Theosophical Fraternization Movement, with the object of bringing all Theosophical groups into closer friendly relationship one with the other.

Soon after taking over the administration of the Society, Dr. de Purucker started publication of The Theosophical Forum, the first issue appearing in September 1929.

Through the years of his administration, Dr. de Purucker delivered a great number of public lectures, mostly in the Temple of Peace at Point Loma, and conducted members' and private meetings for the deeper study of the Esoteric Philosophy. Some of his works have been compiled from these lectures, while others were dictated by him as independent texts.

In June 1942 Dr. de Purucker moved the Headquarters to a new location near Covina in California and died soon after very suddenly on September 27th 1942.

Excerpts from "Theosophia" Tribute Issue

Njegova dela in internetni viri

His works and online resources

Veter Duha
Starodavni misteriji
Napad pripadnika cerkve na Teozofijo ...
Ali je reinkarnacija v nasprotju s krščanskim naukom
H. P. Blavatsky, skrivnost
Vprašanja, ki jih postavljamo vsi
Bhagavad-Gita
Rraziskovanja narave Luciusa Annaeusa Senecae
Teozofija in sodobna znanost
Zlata pravila ezotericizma
Temelji Ezoterične Filozofije
Okultni besednjak
Ezoterična tradicija
Sporočila konvencijam
Preučevanja okultne filozofije
Dialogi G. de Puruckerja
Enciklopedični teozofski besednjak
Človek v evoluciji
Izvor okultizma
Pot sočutja
Štirje sveti letni časi
Mojstri in pot okultizma
Jezusova zgodba
Beseda modrosti v ezoterični tradiciji

Wind of the Spirit
The Mysteries of Antiquity
A Churchman’s Attack on Theosophy ...
Is Reincarnation Contrary to Christian Doctrine
H. P. Blavatsky, the Mystery
Questions We All Ask
The Bhagavad-Gita
Researches into Nature by Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Theosophy and Modern Science
Golden Precepts of Esotericism
Fundamentals of the Esoteric Philosophy
Occult Glossary
The Esoteric Tradition
Messages to Conventions
Studies in Occult Philosophy
The Dialogues of G. de Purucker
Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary
Man in Evolution
Fountain-Source of Occultism
The Path of Compassion
The Four Sacred Seasons
The Masters and the Path of Occultism
The Story of Jesus
Word Wisdom in Esoteric Tradition

Links to articles, books and photographs.
Books online.
Sunrise Special Issue.
Links to texts online.

Pripravil: Anton Rozman