The Rudolf Steiner Archive

The following question is posed: “Is it important for the theosophist to educate himself about the different parts of man, about the astral and mental world, about the development of the earth and the world, and so on? Is it not enough for him to become aware of the “God-man” within himself, of the unity with all beings, and of the divinity of all things? Why does he need teachings and theories?"

It must be said that it is a fine saying to become aware of one's divine self and of the unity with all beings, but that this remains only a saying as long as one does not really want to recognize the nature and the deeds of the divine in the world. A person who only ever speaks of his divine self is like someone who does not want to know anything about tulips, violets, narcissi, roses, etc., but wants to lump everything together into the vague concept of “plant”. God can only recognize those who understand the world, and self-knowledge can only be attained by those who want to recognize the things around them, both sensual and supersensual. For man is the highest revelation of all things for man, and therefore knowledge of the world is at the same time self-knowledge. Therefore, those who do not want to be content with general phrases must acquire knowledge of the astral, mental, etc. world in order to attain self-knowledge. For all the phenomena of these worlds have a share in the human essence. Therefore, perfect self-knowledge and full God-consciousness are also an unattainable ideal. Only when one would recognize the whole world could one recognize oneself completely. It cannot be a matter of our knowing that a divine element lives in us, for a divine element lives in every stone, in every plant, in every animal. What matters is that we recognize more and more of the revelations of God in the universe. Let us therefore repeat less that theosophy is the consciousness of the unity of God with man, and let us seek to understand more of the secrets of the world, that is, of the divine workings in things. In this way we will also become more modest than if we always emphasize our consciousness of the God-man in us. Of course we carry this within us; but as a rule we know very little about it. It is better to have some real knowledge of what the astral or mental world looks like than to boast of a consciousness of God that remains an empty word without true, certain knowledge. Indeed, it is presumptuous to speak of this unity with God without wanting to delve deeper into the deeds of God in the universe. What use is it to always say: I am the son of this father. Learn from this father, acquire what he can and is able to do, then you will be his worthy son. Theosophy will only be true divine wisdom when it speaks clearly and distinctly of the higher worlds and avoids all vague expressions. How much a person appropriates from the knowledge of the higher worlds is another matter; but it depends on the will to knowledge. All unhappiness in the world comes from ignorance. But this is not overcome by the consciousness of the divine self within oneself. For even the ignorant can justifiably speak of his divine self. He has it; he just cannot recognize it. Theosophy should not be a show of divine consciousness, but a real learning of the divine secrets of the world, which give the key to genuine self-knowledge.

Another question is: “How does Theosophy relate to the so-called secret sciences?”

There have always been secret sciences. They were cultivated in the so-called secret schools. Only those who underwent certain tests could learn something from them. They were always only told as much as corresponded to their intellectual, spiritual and moral abilities. This had to be the case because the higher knowledge, if properly applied, is the key to a power that, in the hands of the unprepared, must lead to abuse. Theosophy has now popularized some of the elementary teachings of esoteric science. The reason for this lies in the present conditions of the times. Humanity, in its more advanced members, has now reached a stage of development of the intellect that, sooner or later, it would have arrived at certain ideas of its own accord that were previously part of esoteric knowledge. However, they would acquire these ideas in a stunted, caricatured and harmful form. Therefore, the occultists have decided to share some of the secret knowledge with the public. This will make it possible to measure the human progress that occurs in the development of civilization with the standard of true wisdom. For example, our knowledge of nature leads to ideas about the reasons for things. But without a deeper knowledge of the occult, these ideas can only become distorted images. Our technology is progressing to stages of development that can only be beneficial to humanity if people's souls are deepened in the sense of theosophical life. As long as the peoples had nothing of modern natural science and modern technology, the form in which the highest teachings were communicated in religious images, in a way that spoke to the pure feelings, was salutary. Today humanity needs the same truths in a rational form. The theosophical world view did not arise from arbitrariness, but from insight into the historical fact mentioned. — Certain parts of the secret knowledge can, however, only be communicated to those who submit to the tests of initiation. And even with the published part, only those who do not limit themselves to an external knowledge, but who really internalize the things, make them the content and the guiding principle of their lives, will know how to make use of it. It is not a matter of intellectually mastering the teachings of Theosophy, but of permeating them with feeling, sensation, indeed with one's whole life. Only through such a penetration can one also experience something of their truth value. Otherwise they remain something that “one can believe and also not believe”. Properly understood, theosophical truths will give man a true basis for life, let him recognize his value, his dignity and essence, give him the highest courage to exist. For they enlighten him about his connection with the world around him; they point him to his highest goals, to his true destiny. And they do this in a way that is in line with the demands of the present, so that he does not need to remain caught in the conflict between faith and knowledge. One can be a modern researcher and a theosophist at the same time. However, one must then also be both in the true sense of the word.

The following question has been put: “If we are to acquire those abilities through ever new embodiments in the successive races, which those offer us the opportunity to develop, and if nothing of what the soul has acquired through experience is to be lost from its store of knowledge again— how is it that in humanity of today (at least in our civilized countries), which also lived in the third and fourth root races on earth, nothing at all has remained of the abilities of will, imagination, and control of natural forces, which according to the seers were so highly developed at that time? Is there perhaps a law that forbids and closes again the simple paths that have already been found to a certain goal, so that all strength is used to find new, higher paths?

In fact, nothing is lost of the abilities that the soul has acquired during its passage through a stage of development. But when a new ability is acquired, the previously acquired ability takes on a different form. It then no longer lives for itself, but as a basis for the new ability. For example, the Atlanteans had acquired the ability of memory. The present human being can only have a very weak idea of what the memory of an Atlantean was capable of. Everything that appears in our fifth root race as a kind of innate idea was first acquired in Atlantis through memory. The ideas of space, time, numbers and so on would cause quite different difficulties if the present human being were to acquire them. For the ability that this present human being is to acquire is the combining mind. The Atlanteans had no logic. Now, however, every previously acquired soul power must recede in its own form, dive down below the threshold of consciousness, if a new one is to be acquired. The beaver would have to transform its ability to intuitively build its artificial structures into something else if, for example, it suddenly became a thinking being. The Atlanteans, for example, also had the ability to control the life force in a certain way. They constructed their wonderful machines through this force. But they had nothing of what the peoples of the fifth root race have as a gift to tell about. They had no myths or fairy tales. The life-controlling power of the Atlanteans first appeared in the mask of mythology among the members of our race. And in this form it could become the basis for the intellectual activity of our race. The great inventors of our race are incarnations of “seers” of the Atlantean race. Their ingenious ideas are the expression of something that has another as its basis, something that was in them as a life-giving force during their Atlantean incarnation. Our logic, knowledge of nature, technology, etc. grow out of a soil that was laid in Atlantis. If, for example, a technician could transform his combining power back, something would come out of it that the Atlanteans were capable of. The entire Roman jurisprudence was transformed willpower of an earlier time. The will itself remained in the background, and instead of taking on forms itself, it transformed into the thought forms that live out in the legal terms. The sense of beauty of the Greeks is built on the basis of direct forces, which the Atlanteans live out in a magnificent breeding of plants and 'animal forms'. Phidias' imagination was alive with something that the Atlanteans used directly to transform real living beings.

Question: “The theosophical movement and the related currents of the time are accused by many sides of a cult of personality. And it must indeed be disturbing for people who love their freedom and independence when teachings are proclaimed by individuals that the listeners and readers cannot examine for themselves, and which many accept on blind faith. Is there not a danger in such facts in movements based on occultism and theosophy?"

Such a danger could only arise from misunderstandings. Those who, on the basis of their own experiences, proclaim higher truths, or who pass on such truths on the basis of the credibility of other witnesses, will never claim what is usually called a cult of personality or blind faith in authority. The better occultists they are, the less they will do so. And when it is said that the listeners or readers cannot immediately verify the things, one should bear in mind that there are also ways and means for those who have not yet reached the stage of seeing for themselves to become more and more convinced of the truth of what is communicated to them. The person who makes the communication, provided that he is really an occultist or 'theosophist in his heart, does not want to work differently than an accountant. He says: I have experienced this or that, or I have been told this or that by those who can know it. A healthy, straightforward mind, a true feeling in the listener will first listen, that is, neither believe blindly nor criticize blindly. The truth is illuminating and enlightening, the false repels and clarifies nothing. The listener or reader says of the truth: Yes, through what is communicated to me I can understand the facts of nature and life; but if what is said were not true, these facts would remain incomprehensible to me. This attitude towards a teaching is also known to the most recognized science; such teachings are called useful working hypotheses. The only difference is that the occultist does not communicate hypotheses, but facts that he has seen for himself. But that does not prevent anyone from accepting these things as useful life hypotheses, as long as they cannot verify them for themselves. And it is certain that anyone who behaves in this way, sincerely and honestly, will sooner or later come to see for themselves. For there is no more fruitful path to higher vision for present-day humanity than to first hear the teachings of those who have already seen, and to accept from them what one can consider reasonable and acceptable. Many would soon declare themselves in favor of the reasonableness and acceptability of the occult teachings if they could cast off the shackles of prejudice and materialistic superstition. But many are completely taken up with the belief in authority and the cult of personality towards their materialistic greats and therefore cannot devote themselves to the messages of the occultists without prejudice. Those who free themselves from this cult of authority will soon see how plausible the teachings of so-called secret science are for the mind and heart. For man is predisposed to truth, not error, through reason, feeling and perception, and only prejudice and bias can stand in his way.

Anyone who does not appeal to the intellect of his listeners or readers, but demands personal cult or blind faith in authority, has not understood the essence of occultism. There is no better way to recognize that someone is an occultist than by demanding such blind faith or personal recognition. He is then not an occultist, but a vain fool. If you get to the bottom of the truth, you will always find that – apart from a few who have yet to work their way through to the right path – those who complain the most about personality cults are those who feel that their own person is not given enough worship. But they should look into themselves a little and not want to rob anyone of one of the most beautiful feelings, which consists in the veneration of those who make the truth accessible to one. This feeling is a personal matter for each individual, and the malicious voices of vain critics should not be allowed to interfere with it. Those who themselves have a grateful mind and show respect and love for their spiritual helpers will never be able to condemn these feelings in others. Let everyone begin by criticizing themselves first, and by working to spread the truth, and they will best serve others.

A further question is then asked: To what extent does justified criticism of the deplorable state of our social life harmonize with the abstention from judgment so often emphasized by occultists and theosophists? That this genuine criticism is not excluded by the occultist demand will be shown in detail in the next section. Unfortunately, there is no more space left to answer this question.

The following question has been put to me: “It is often said that a person who is undergoing training in the esoteric sense should refrain from all criticism. Does this also mean that all just criticism of real bad deeds by people is to be avoided? Is it not rather our duty to eradicate damage in our environment and wherever else we can exert influence, so that the better can take the place of the worse? And does not a person sink to complete inactivity if he regards everything with absolute indifference?” First of all, it should be said that the rules of conduct for the secret student are requirements that correspond to strict laws. And as such, they only say something about the connection between the fulfillment of a corresponding requirement and the student's ascent into the higher worlds. You should refrain from criticism, which means that, in life, in cases in which circumstances provoke you to censure or condemn, you should not follow this impulse, but work without criticism to improve what is harmful, bad, etc. To the same extent that you refrain from criticism, you will ascend. Abstaining from criticism does not at all imply that you should pass by the bad, evil, etc. with indifference, and that you should leave everything as it is. You should only try to understand the bad to the same extent as you understand the good. By understanding the causes, you will even be best prepared for the work of improvement. It is not blindness to evil that is useful, but understanding tolerance. The third of the four first sayings in Light on the Path expresses most clearly what is to be said about this: “Before the voice can speak in the presence of the Masters it must have lost the power to wound’” This means that beings from a higher world only speak to a person when his words have completely given up the unloving wounding, the rebuke that is capable of hurting or grieving, and are only spoken in the service of loving embrace of the whole world. And the “words” here also mean the unspoken words, the mere thoughts. The point is to be found in the preparation of pain. The master and higher beings do not speak to us from outside; they use our own words and thoughts as a means of communicating with us. The tone of their voice penetrates us, and from there it goes out into the world through these words and thoughts. And only when it finds this path open and unobstructed does it become audible to us. Words and thoughts that cause pain are like pointed arrows that come from us. And at the tip the sound of the master finds an obstacle; it bounces back and remains imperceptible. Words and thoughts, however, that are shaped by love open up like flower corollas to the outside, gently enclosing other beings; and with them the master's voice finds the way open to penetrate the world. Only through this does it become audible to us.

The question is: “Isn't the word ‘theosophy’ misleading? If translated literally, it would mean ‘wisdom about God’. However, what is usually called theosophy is not concerned with the actual science of God, but with the nature of man, reincarnation, karma and so on.”

The word is not misleading if it is understood correctly. It does not mean “science of God”. Theosophy differs from ordinary science not in the subject matter it deals with, but in the way it arrives at its ideas. Man is a dual being and his knowledge is also twofold. He is divided into a transient and an eternal essence. The sense organs belong to the transitory nature of man. What he recognizes through them therefore also belongs to the transitory world. And when the mind deals with the experiences of these sense organs, combines them, seeks to investigate their laws, etc., it is also dealing with the transitory. In this sense, ordinary science deals only with the transitory. All botany, physiology, history, etc., which come about in this way, belong to the realm of the transitory. In them, the transitory part of man recognizes. Now, an immortal part also lives in this man. This can be awakened within. This happens when a person works on himself in such a way that his inner senses are awakened. He then gains insights into the supersensible world just as the outer eyes gain insights into the sensible world. It is therefore no longer a matter of knowledge in the sense of ordinary science, but of knowledge in a completely different state, into which a person places himself through inner development. He then does not need to recognize other objects, but he views the same objects that are dealt with in ordinary science in a different way. Science, for example, deals with plants, that is, through them, the mortal human being describes what he has around him as the plant world. Theosophy also deals with plants, but through them, the immortal part of the human being directs the awakened higher senses to the plant world. The theosophical observations are therefore meant from a different point of view than those of ordinary science. The part of human nature that is imperishable, that is, that has a share in the supersensible world, is called the divine essence in man. In theosophy, therefore, it is not the perishable but the “inner”, the “divine man” who recognizes. It is not what it treats, but how it treats things that distinguishes theosophy from ordinary science. It is the wisdom that has come about in human nature through divine power.

Thus, Theosophy can never contradict the results of external science. For both initially proceed side by side. However, it is natural that Theosophy must also illuminate all facts in its own way, which are otherwise the subject of ordinary science, for example, the facts that are perceived through the microscope, or the phenomena of the starry sky. It does not then say anything about them that can contradict the perceptions of the natural scientist, but rather what results from these perceptions when the awakened inner sense observes them. What then comes out through them can contradict science just as little as the statements of a seeing person about an object can contradict the information that a blind person makes about this object on the basis of the sense of touch. If scientists were willing to understand this, they would no longer fight against the theosophical worldview. They would realize that they cannot reject its results any more than a blind person can reject the information of a sighted person about the world of colors. But scientists are intolerant in this regard. They do not want to remain in their own field and allow others to do the same, but simply declare: What we see is the only truth, and what is not investigated in our way is error, unscientific. Therefore one can hear it said: What Theosophy teaches are fantastic ideas, because in the sense of our science such things simply do not exist. But it is not considered that the one who knows nothing about the inner senses cannot judge the results of Theosophy. At least one truth should be admitted, that is, that a person who does not perceive something cannot decide about it, but only the person who perceives it. If a thousand natural scientists say: this is superstition, because we do not see anything of it, that weighs nothing against a single person who has seen the corresponding thing.

Or else, it is also said that theosophy speaks of things that exceed the human capacity for knowledge. Man cannot know anything about them. To this the theosophist has the answer: How can anyone speak of the limits of the capacity for knowledge? He cannot know more than that he does not notice a higher capacity for knowledge in himself. But can he then conclude from this that others do not have such a capacity either? Can anyone claim to be the sole absolute standard for all human knowledge? If only people would stick to what they recognize as positive and not try to draw conclusions about others! No one should try to determine where human knowledge ends. For each one can only say how far his own knowledge extends. A little episode will be related here which is quite suitable for shedding light on all this. When Eduard von Hartmann's “Philosophy of the Unconscious” (1868) appeared, a great campaign was launched against it by natural scientists. In particular, it was the supporters of a certain way of thinking, which was linked to the name of Darwin, who found Hartmann's explanations of the nature of animals and humans from a Darwinian point of view to be completely unscientific. Hartmann was considered by them to be an absolute ignoramus of all “recent scientific achievements” and his teachings to be the product of crass unscientific behavior.

Among the numerous opposing writings against the “Philosophy of the Unconscious” was one by a man who initially did not give his name: “The Unconscious from the Perspective of the Theory of Descent and Darwinism”. It was a brilliant refutation of Hartmann's teachings. The opposing natural scientists were delighted to have this new ally. There were some among them who declared that they could never have said anything better themselves, for the unknown author had forcefully emphasized everything that they themselves had on their minds against Hartmann's dilettantism. Others said that the unknown author should reveal his identity, as they considered him to be one of their own. After some time, a second edition of the work, which was so welcome to the natural scientists, appeared. Now the author gave his name. It was Eduard von Hartmann. Whatever one may think of Hartmann's philosophy, one thing was irrefutably established by it: Hartmann could say everything that the natural scientists had to say against him, that he was superior to them all. People should learn from such examples. They should understand that objections may have no value at all under certain circumstances. Such objections can always be made by the person who has taken a higher standpoint and then lowers himself to a lower one. No theosophist will deny that his assertions can be objected to from the standpoint of sensual science, if the scientist in question takes the intolerant standpoint that everything that is not evident to him is nonsense. Every theosophist who is truly at the height of his position can say to himself everything that opponents from a non-theosophical point of view would say. Just as Hartmann was able to present what non-philosophers had to object to him. - If the theosophist takes the position of the ordinary scientist and disregards the insights of the higher senses, then his assertions will be no less scientific than those of the official representatives of science. — Researchers should talk less about what “man” cannot know, but instead remain aware of the limits of their own knowledge. Communication between theosophy and natural science will be easy at the moment when natural scientists stop regarding themselves as infallible judges in all matters about which they have not researched.

It may be admitted that many natural scientists do this in theory; but in the practice of their behavior there is something quite different. They are mostly unaware that this is the case. Due to their way of thinking, they speak about the things of their subject as if the positions of their sensory knowledge made any kind of supersensible research impossible. In many cases, the stumbling block is not what they say, but how they say it. That is why our natural scientists should familiarize themselves with the results of theosophy. Their whole manner would then change. There would be something in the tone of their observations that would make it impossible for the observations of purely external reality to be repeatedly perceived as a contradiction to theosophy and to have this effect on the public.

Another question has been asked: “What is the relationship between Theosophy and astrology?”

First of all, it must be said that at present very little is known about what astrology really is. For what now often appears as such in handbooks is a purely external compilation of rules, the deeper reasons for which are hardly ever given. Calculation methods are given by which certain star constellations can be determined at the moment of a person's birth, or for the time of another important fact. Then it is said that these constellations mean this or that, without any explanation being given as to why this should be so, or even how it could be so. It is therefore no wonder that people in our day and age consider all this nonsense, a fraud and superstition. For it all appears to be a completely arbitrary, purely made-up assertion. At most, it is generally said that everything in the world must be connected, that it can therefore very well have an effect on the life of a person, how the sun, Venus and the moon, etc., are related to each other at birth, and so on. But real astrology is a completely intuitive science and requires the development of higher, supersensible powers of cognition in those who wish to practise it, which today can only be present in the very fewest people. And even if one wants to explain its basic character, it is necessary to go into the highest cosmological problems in the sense of spiritual science. Therefore, only a few very general points of view can be given here.

The star system to which we humans belong is a whole. And humans are connected with all the forces of this star system. Only gross materialism can believe that humans are alone connected with the earth. One need only look at the relationship between humans, the sun and the moon as determined by the results of the “Akasha Chronicle”. From this it will be seen that there was a primeval development of man in which his dwelling place was a celestial body that still consisted of the sun, moon and earth together. Therefore, even today, man still has powers in his being that are related to those of the celestial bodies mentioned. These relationships also explain the connection that still exists today between the effects of the celestial bodies mentioned and what goes on in human beings. However, these effects are very different from those of a purely material nature, which is all that modern science talks about. For example, the sun has an effect on human beings through something completely different from what science calls attraction, light and warmth. There are also relationships of a supersensible nature between Mars, Mercury and other planets and human beings. From this starting point, those who are predisposed to it can form an idea of a web of supersensible relationships between the celestial bodies and the beings that inhabit them. But to raise these relationships to the level of clear, scientific knowledge, the development of the powers of a very high level of supersensible vision is necessary. Only the highest degrees of intuition that are still accessible to man can achieve this. And not that vague presentiment and half-visionary dreaming that is so often called intuition, but the most pronounced inner sense, comparable only to mathematical thinking.

There have been and still are people in the secret schools who can practise astrology in this sense. And what is written about it in the accessible books has in some way or other originated from such secret teachers. However, everything that deals with these things is inaccessible to common thinking, even when it is written in books. For to understand these, a deep intuition is needed. And what has been written down by teachers who themselves did not understand the real teachings, is of course not exactly suitable for giving people who are caught up in the current way of thinking a favorable opinion of astrology. But it must be said that even such books on astrology are not completely worthless. For the less people understand what they are copying, the better they write it down. They do not then spoil it by their own wisdom. Thus it is that in astrological writings, even if they are of obscure origin, there are always pearls of truth to be found for those who are capable of intuition – though only for such. In general, astrological writings are even better than those of many other branches of knowledge today.

One comment should not be suppressed. The greatest confusion about the concept of intuition prevails today. It should be realized that contemporary science only recognizes the concept of the intuitive in the field of mathematics. However, this is one of our sciences that is based on pure inner perception. But now there is such an inner perception not only for spatial dimensions and numbers, but also for everything else. Goethe, for example, attempted to establish such an intuitive science in the field of botany. His “primordial plant” in its various metamorphoses is based on inner perception. This is reason enough for the fact that contemporary science has no idea at all of what Goethe was getting at in this respect. For much higher realms, theosophy brings about insights through inner perception. Its statements on reincarnation and karma are based on such insights. It is not surprising that people who have no idea of what Goethe is getting at are also completely unable to understand the sources of theosophical teachings. It is precisely the study of such valuable writings as Goethe's “Metamorphosis of Plants”, for example, that could serve as an excellent preparation for theosophy. Of course, many theosophists lack the patience for this. But if one has struggled to grasp the essence of such a vividly intuitive work as the one mentioned, then one will find the way further. — The astrological laws are, however, based on such intuitions, in comparison to which even the knowledge of reincarnation and karma is still very elementary.

These details are certainly very meager, but they may perhaps give a faint idea of a subject of which those who fight against it know nothing, and about which many of those who defend it have quite false ideas. One should not consider the understanding of such things as a worthless, impractical activity, without relation to real practical life. Man grows through his immersion in the supersensible worlds, not only in terms of his knowledge, but above all morally and spiritually. Even a weak idea of the position he occupies in the context of the star system has an effect on his character, on his behavior, on the direction he gives to his whole being. And much more than many people realize today, the further development of our social life depends on the progress of humanity on the path to supersensible knowledge. For the discerning, our current social situation is only an expression of materialism in knowledge. And when this knowledge is replaced by a spiritual one, then the external circumstances of life will also improve.

The following question is asked: “If Theosophy is really to have an impact on our lives today, its teachings must be generally comprehensible. However, it seems that in this respect, the writings and lectures on theosophical topics leave much to be desired. They all presuppose a certain level of training in thinking, and it is difficult to hope that they will find their way into wider circles. Sometimes it seems as if 'Theosophy' requires such a high level of education that it is impossible to make it popular. Or is there a way out of this danger?

It should not be denied that the concerns expressed here seem to have a certain justification. However, on closer inspection they will disappear. Above all, it must be realized that the Theosophical movement has only existed for thirty years. It has therefore not yet been able to do what is needed in all areas. It will find ways and means to speak to every level of education. For it can find a form that is understandable to the simple, naive person, as well as one that satisfies the strictest demands of the scientific thinker. But one thing must not be overlooked. Often, when the difficulty of understanding theosophical teachings is mentioned, it is not because they are intrinsically difficult to understand, but because the present-day world of ideas feels alienated by what the theosophists put forward. And then the listeners or readers do not say to themselves that the things are unusual to them, but they simply claim: we do not understand that. It is not a lack of education, but rather a lack of impartiality that is often the problem in this regard. For Theosophy says nothing that is not fundamentally inscribed in the core of every human being. And to bring this out, it is not scholarship but rather good will that is needed.

In our time, there is often a lack of awareness that one has to work one's way up to knowledge. People want everything to be presented in such a way that they can fit it into what they already think and feel without any effort. To consult with oneself, to do inner spiritual work, to exert oneself in thinking: these things have been forgotten in the broadest circles. The most popular speakers and writers are those from whom one hears or reads what, on superficial hearing or reading, appears to be something more or less familiar. However, it is not always possible for those who speak about spiritual things to respond to this characteristic of the times. They know that it is of no use if someone only makes a superficial acquaintance with what they have to say. As long as one remains in the sphere of the world of sense, it is possible to satisfy every demand for easy comprehensibility. But if one rises into the spiritual sphere, it would mean that one renounces altogether to say things as they must be said according to the truth.

One should not only demand that spiritual teachings be adapted to the understanding that one has at the time, but one should feel the obligation to adapt oneself to these teachings. One should bear in mind that the human soul is capable of development. What it cannot understand today will certainly be accessible to it tomorrow. It would be good if we heard as little as possible the objection to certain presentations of the truth: “This is too high. It should be presented in a more popular way.” It would be more correct to recognize that it is necessary to make the “high” popular as such. Man does not gain very much by simply taking note of this or that; but it is of great use to him if he refines his ideas, if he acquires concepts that he did not have before. It is certainly very desirable that, for example, the teachings of “reincarnation” and “karma”, of the “higher worlds” and so on, should become known in the widest circles. But these teachings can only be seen in the right light when they are illuminated by inner thought work. It should certainly not be believed that there are people who, due to their low level of education, are unsuitable for such thought work. All healthy-minded and sensitive people are capable of it. It would only take a little effort, and even those who have never learned to read or write could be taught the basic tenets of Theosophy. Such people often have a much stronger feeling than those who have forgotten, that they must make an inner effort to understand what leads to the spiritual worlds.

Recently, after a theosophical lecture on Christianity, a clergyman who had been listening said: yes, that is all very well and good; but these teachings can only ever be for a chosen few, whereas we speak of the spiritual worlds in such a way that 'all' can understand us. The theosophical speaker had to reply: “If you were really right, then I would not need to speak at all, and then Theosophy would indeed be the most superfluous thing in the world at the present time. But if you were right, then there could not be so many who turn away from your description of the spiritual world because they feel unsatisfied. It is clear proof of how wrong you are that such a departure is possible. And precisely those who no longer find the path to the spiritual through you, they can find it through Theosophy.” If only people would pay more attention to the “actual” truths and less to the opinions they form without paying much attention to the facts. It is not important that I imagine I have the right way to speak to “everyone”, but it is important that I really observe the facts. The above-mentioned clergyman has disregarded the latter. He is convinced from the outset that “his” way of teaching can be something for “everyone”. A look at the real world could convince him of the opposite. Similar answers can be found wherever doubts like the above are expressed. A precise examination of the nature and purpose of Theosophy will dispel doubts that it can become popular.

The following question is posed: “How should health and illness be understood in terms of the ‘law of karma’?”

Since a more detailed explanation of this question will appear soon, the answer can be given briefly for now. As in all things that concern human beings, so also in relation to health and illness, the matter must not be conceived as if they were simply “punishment” and “reward” for what he, the human being, has done in an earlier life, or perhaps even in “this” life. For example, a person may be struck down by an illness for which no cause can be found, either in a previous life or in the present one. Then the illness enters the human life as a “first” event, so to speak, and is itself a “first” cause. It will then have its effect in some way in the following life. The law of karma works everywhere, but one should not think that one has only effects in the past; one can also have causes whose effects lie in the future. According to occult experience, many things can be said about the lawful connections. For example, things that affect the astral body in one life appear as a predisposition of the etheric body in the next. If a person lies frequently in his life, then in this life it is only a characteristic of the astral body that can be attributed to it. But the repetition of 'lying is gradually communicated to the etheric body, and as a consequence, in a next life a frivolous, phlegmatic nature of the personality appears, which is based on certain characteristics of the etheric body. If a person causes a great deal of pain to his fellow human beings, this is also initially based on characteristics of the astral body; but here too, repetition has the effect of communicating something to the etheric body, which manifests itself in the next life as a melancholic disposition, which is also based on characteristics of the etheric body. A further example may be cited. If a person develops a certain senseless habit, this is based in the corresponding life on characteristics of the etheric body. In the next life, however, it becomes apparent that this habit has affected the composition of the physical body. And it is precisely this effect that manifests itself as a predisposition to illness. The cause of a morbid disposition can be recognized in the development of bad habits in a previous life. But all these connections are very complicated, and one can only speak of certain things on the basis of individual, real occult experiences. Health is generally the effect of good, meaningful habits in a previous life. For example, according to the occult research available, the following can be said for individual cases: a thoughtless life leads to a light-hearted disposition in the next existence, which manifests itself in particular in forgetfulness, amnesia; in a further life, forgetfulness appears as a pathological disposition, which is currently often referred to as “nervousness”. The law of karma will only be properly understood when it is not understood in the sense of ordinary human justice, but in a much higher sense.

The aim is for the articles in this section of the journal to provide an overview of contemporary cultural life. The fact that this first chapter is much shorter than those that will follow is due to the fact that in the first issue the space had to be devoted primarily to fundamental presentations of our aims and methods. However, it is not unworldly theories and dogmas that are to be cultivated here, but direct life. The spiritual eye should look in all directions to explore the paths of the soul and the world spirit. The science, art, moral and social culture of the present day should be put into the perspective that makes this journal its own. Only such an approach can truly be fruitful in the sense of an understanding of the spiritual laws of the world. — Whoever has something to contribute to such an approach will always have access to this part of our journal. Every short note and every longer exposition in this field will always be welcome. Only the one thing will have to be taken into account: our point of view cannot have opponents in the sense that a dry intellectual insight and a passionate dogmatics have them. For them there is a lesser and a more far-reaching knowledge; but nothing absolutely “true” and “false”. “Error” occurs only when a limited knowledge wants to pass judgment on things that lie outside its field of vision. For the person who sees through the true facts of the matter, it cannot be a matter of a so-called logical refutation, but solely and exclusively a matter of understanding how someone, from his point of view, comes to his judgments; and to show how he should rise from this point of view to a higher one. The point of view that Vedanta wisdom adopts when answering the materialist, for example, is the one adopted in this journal: “Everything is fine with you, my dear brother, since your hypothesis suits you... But... do you have any evidence to support your claim? Have you proven it? If you have not done so, why are you annoyed? Why are you angry with us? You have only a hypothesis without any possibility of proving it; but we give you a method by which you can prove our assertions yourself, if you want to take the trouble. Be a little more tolerant of us.” (See ‘The Secret Philosophy of the Indians.’ By Bramacharin Bodhabhikshu.)

Here, attention should immediately be drawn to contemporary views that are in stark contrast to all actual spiritual knowledge. These views are clearly and sharply presented in a remarkable book that was recently published: “The Creative Power of the Imagination” (published in German: Bonn, Verlag von Emil Strauß, 1902). Its author is the French philosopher Th. Ribot. He is known for his commendable research on “will” and “memory.” What he has to say is characteristic of a certain “scientific” way of thinking in the present day. From the point of view of this way of thinking, he will and must condemn what this journal has set out to cultivate. For him, it can only be: subject of “mystical fantasy.” He discusses this “mystical fantasy” (see pages 152ff. of the book mentioned). He summarizes his judgment as follows: “In its free sweep, in its diversity and richness, mystical fantasy is second to no other fantasy, not even to the aesthetic fantasy, although the latter, according to general opinion, is the type of fantasy par excellence. By the most daring analogies, it has constructed world views almost exclusively from feelings and images, and symbols are the material of its towering buildings... This is how animated abstractions, allegorical beings, successors to the old gods and spirits come into being” (pp. 161-162). Why does Ribot see only creatures of an unbridled imagination in the ideas of the mystic? And why does he not see them in the conceptions of the modern scientist? The reason lies in Ribot's limited outlook. And since Ribot is one of the best and most astute of our modern scientists, his point of view is particularly noteworthy. The outlook of this science knows only experiences that are transmitted through the senses. Therefore, he also wants to form concepts only about these sensual experiences.

Whoever wants to recognize the individual soul life of a person and the general spiritual life that comes into being in this, must approach both with the same impartiality with which a natural scientist approaches the facts that his senses, instruments and calculations show him. The naturalist will – quite rightly – not allow anyone to pass judgment on the laws of animal development who has not familiarized themselves with the methods and research methods of the study of living things. We can only agree wholeheartedly with our greatest naturalist, Ernst Haeckel, when he says to his critics: “Acquire through five years of diligent study of natural science and especially anthropology (especially the anatomy and physiology of the brain!) those indispensable empirical prior knowledge of the fundamental facts that you still lack completely.” — One should say to the opponents of the “unbridled mystical imagination” in the same vein: Surrender to the facts of the soul life without prejudice, do not drown out the language of these facts with prejudices that you have formed and with the belief that you can only find reality where your senses convince you of such. It is only natural that someone who, from the outset, only recognizes the reality of the facts of the senses, should speak of the mystics' explanations as Ribot does. He does not see the facts on which the mystics base their ideas, and they appear to him as a traveler's descriptions of a country must appear to the listener: the traveler says he has seen it, but the listener assumes that the traveler is telling a tall tale. Our natural science, directed purely to the facts of the sense world, has simply disaccustomed thinkers from the observation of facts that are not sense-perceptible. These thinkers should say to themselves: How little appropriate it would be to our entire scientific creed if we were to discuss the facts of physiology without having dealt with them! And then they would have to conclude: Are we not doing exactly the same in the realm of non-sensory experience! We talk about mysticism like a farmer talks about anatomy: that would be the answer they would have to give themselves, according to their scientific conscience. In our time, there is a mood of profound dissatisfaction in the minds that has been created by the described disaccustoming from non-sensory experiences. And at the same time, there is a deep longing for the experiences that can be had on the paths of the soul. More serious and profound personalities feel this. Recent literary phenomena are a clear and eloquent proof of this. In the next issue of our magazine, such phenomena will be discussed in detail at this point. In particular, writings such as Maurice Maeterlinck's 'Buried Temple', Bruno Wille's 'Revelations of the Juniper Tree', Eug. Heinr. Schmitt's 'Gnosis', Wolfgang Kirchbach's 'What Jesus Taught' will be considered here. From these in particular, the two characteristic features of the present time, as described above, emerge for the observer of the times to a special degree. A recently published book by Annie Besant, “Esoteric Christianity, or the Lesser Mysteries” (German by Mathilde Scholl, published by Griebens Verlag, Leipzig), is intended to shed light on all these endeavors. This book will also be discussed in detail in the next issue. — It should then be followed by a consideration of the results of hypnotic and similar research for the knowledge of spiritual life.