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Charles Johnston (1867–1931) was an Irish writer and journalist.
He was born on 17 February 1867 in the small village of Ballykilbeg (in Downpatrick), County Down, Northern Ireland. His father, William Johnston (1829–1902), was an Irish politician, a Member of Parliament from South Belfast, and a member of the Orange Order.
Charles Johnston studied Oriental Studies, and learned Sanskrit, Russian and German. Among his classmates were William Butler Yeats[1] and George William Russell, with whom he shared an interest in the occult.[2]
Later, he worked as a journalist. In 1884, he read Alfred Percy Sinnett's work Occult World and founded, together with Yeats and Russell on 16 June 1885, the Hermetic Society in Dublin.[3] He was responsible for introducing W. B. Yeats to Madame Blavatsky[3] in spring 1887.[4]
After 1885 he also joined the Theosophical Society, and co-founded in April/June 1886 the Theosophical Lodge in Dublin.[4] (Later when the Theosophical Society split in 1895, he followed the direction of William Quan Judge and was a member of the Theosophical Society in America (TGinA).)
On 14 October 1888 he married Vera Vladimirovna de Zhelihovsky (1864-1923)[5] the niece of Helena Blavatsky.[3]
He also entered the Indian Civil Service the same year,[3] and later served in the British Bengal Service.
At some point he was also involved in the Russian Mission of the Orthodox Church, living in Russia as an English teacher. He met Tolstoy there.[6]
He translated several works from Sanskrit and Russian. As an author, he devoted himself primarily to philosophical and theosophical topics.
He was president of the Irish Literary Society.[6]
His books include
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: The Book of the Spiritual Man
The Crest-Jewel of Wisdom and other writings of Śankarâchârya (published in Covina, CA by the Theosophical University Press in 1946)
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