Introduction to the Basics of Theosophy

GA 111 — 29 September 1907, Hanover

IX. Why Must Human Beings Be Reincarnated Again and Again?

Among other things, the body with its organs, for example the heart, must become more and more perfect. Today, man can still have little effect on his soul. When he can move his heart organ at will through ether currents, he will become the independent conqueror of the organism. Thus humanity changes from form to form. Each time a person returns, his dwelling is improved.

The Indians worked on the etheric body, the Persians on the sentient body, the Egyptians on the sentient soul, the Romans and Greeks on the mind soul. Today's humanity has brought it to the consciousness soul. We notice a crossover of individualities through the cultures. The Indians developed memory, but it was more of a mental memory than that of the Atlanteans. The Persians came to an intimate relationship with nature. The Egyptians were mystically inclined. The Greeks and Romans developed intellect and wisdom. Now man must really experience the outer world, where he belongs, through experience, otherwise it remains a dream to him. We are now in a stage in which man is trying to control the forces of nature.

There is a karma that connects entire nations. For example, throughout the Middle Ages, the peoples of Europe were often threatened by the Huns just as they had barely begun to rise through Christianity. These Mongols had astral bodies that went into decay, but this is a spiritual process. They were remnants of the ancient Atlanteans under their leader Attila or Etzel. If the peoples had not been afraid, the Huns could not have harmed them. Thus the corrosive influence was transmitted to the fresh astral bodies of the peoples. This caused leprosy or misery. The saga of this is in “Poor Henry” by Hartmann von der Aue. The picture “The Battle of the Huns” shows the event on the astral plane.

We collect good karma when we bring our lives together into a harmonious unity. We always experience something; life brings it to us, we have to add the fruits.

To get certainty about facts of karma, we must not speculate or philosophize, we must let the facts speak for themselves as they unfold. The occultist investigates real facts. It is difficult to trace past lives backwards. The occultist does not make hypotheses, otherwise he would soon be discredited. Observational thinking is better for the occultist than subjective thinking. It is important to experience world-ending thinking.

From the karmic point of view, experiences are of two kinds: those for which we are not responsible and those we have earned. Not everything is a karmic effect. We are confronted with facts, misfortunes; those for which we are not responsible find their compensation later. A thought that becomes a habit in our life expresses itself in the etheric body in the next life; the tendency to rejoice becomes the tendency of the etheric body. Sensations and perceptions depend on the experiences of the previous life; we cannot help how they now arise in us. Let us consider the astral body itself. Feelings, passions, sensations and perceptions are properties of the astral body. Stormy lust indicates an undeveloped astral body, while high moral concepts indicate a purified one. Depending on whether we educate it with careful moral concepts, sublime ideas or by indulging every desire, the astral body takes shape in the next life - and consequently even more so the etheric body - in inclinations and temperaments. A libertine who gave in to sensual lust in his previous life will experience this as a temperament in his etheric body in his present life. Those who work intellectually acquire talents and abilities for the future.

The occultist must acquire the ability to effortlessly return to the same fact and to love it; this will have a great influence on his etheric body, giving him an excellent memory in the next life. In the Buddha-doctrines there are always repetitions, these have the purpose of making the etheric body, which is dependent on the astral body, capable of expanding the memory. The qualities of the astral body become those of the etheric body and are expressed in the physical body in the next life. Through patience and perseverance, we can already expand our memory somewhat in this life.

Dispositions for disease come from outside and from within the person. Dispositions for this come from sensual habits and express themselves in diseases in the next life. We should not only increase healthy dispositions, but also acquire good ones. A person of good health takes care of good habits. This is how abilities and temperaments develop. Those who are bitter and do not get rid of this fault will develop a tendency towards typhoid, feverish diseases. Those who are always criticizing, who can't do anything right for anyone, who can't truly love, will age prematurely and easily develop wrinkles and be ugly. Those who can develop sympathy and love stay young for a long time. Those who focus on an unhealthy, heightened sense of achievement and want to own a lot are consequently prone to infectious diseases.

Experiences affect people; what they do and what constantly takes place on the physical plane all shape their future destiny. Their deeds, good or evil, in turn shape the future body. Thus we have a cycle of facts and their consequences.