17. Life Questions The Theosophical Movement

For a long time, many people who are not familiar with the theosophical movement of our time have held the opinion that many followers of this philosophy allow themselves to be deprived of their sound judgment by blind faith in authority. It is imagined that there are a number of people within this movement who, by their behavior and certain characteristics, are regarded by others as “enlightened”, “more highly developed”, “knowing”, and that their assertions are accepted in good faith by a large number of the followers of Theosophy. It is precisely because of such opinions that many refuse to get involved with this movement. They say: we only want to hear what can be “proved” to our powers of judgment; a person who has awakened to mature thinking rejects blind faith in dogmas. And since the claims of the theosophists do not appeal to “common sense”, we will not get involved in them, even if individual “enlightened ones” claim that they can know such things.

Recently, such an opinion has even gained ground among many personalities who are themselves part of the theosophical movement. There, too, one can hear much said about the fact that “common sense” should not blindly submit to any authority or dogma, but should examine everything for itself. Sometimes, something like concern is clearly evident that one may have gone too far in accepting certain “revelations” by this or that person, whom one has too much revered as a “knower”, as an “infallible authority”. And many would like to urge prudence and examination, so that one does not lose oneself in bottomless fantasies, and one day has to admit that this or that fact destroys the appearance of knowledge that this or that “enlightened” person has assumed.

Who would deny that such admonitions have much to justify them. Have not enough facts occurred to make people, to whom many looked up as if to sure authorities, lose their reputation and their validity? And have not accusations been raised recently against the most important workers in the theosophical field, which must give many people food for thought? Is it any wonder that many people say to themselves: “I don't want to believe more than what I can see for myself”? Just now, another alarming case has occurred. One of the Theosophical workers who are leading many on the path to higher knowledge, C. W. Leadbeater, has been accused of serious misconduct by some members of the American section of the Theosophical Society. The matter appeared to be so serious that the president of the society, H.S. Olcott, summoned a committee to London, which consisted of the business committee of the British section and delegates from the American and French sections, and which was to examine the situation. Leadbeater would probably have been expelled from the society if he had not already announced his resignation. Thus a personality was removed from the Society who had done untold service for the spread of Theosophy for many years, whose books had been guides for many leaders in spiritual life, and who had acquired a large number of disciples. Immediately before the fateful event, Leadbeater had made a successful lecture tour of America and had made a deep impression in many places through his meaningful work. - Should such a case not make us suspicious of all authorities? (Since a discussion of this case is to follow shortly, ' only this hint' is given here.) Now, in the face of such a case, one can certainly say with full justification that the Theosophical cause is above all persons; and no matter how many representatives of this cause may 'fall': he who is able to separate the cause from the persons cannot be misled by such facts. It is also emphasized that true spiritual “higher development” does not necessarily have to be connected with the ability for a certain “clairvoyant” life. And Leadbeater would have to be considered first and foremost as someone who had developed certain clairvoyant abilities in himself. Theosophy should, however, be less concerned with this than with making the means available to its followers by which they can purify and cleanse their “lower nature” and awaken their “higher self” within themselves. The acquisition of clairvoyant powers is even dangerous as long as the purification and cleansing has not taken place. (The section of this booklet on “The Stages of Higher Realization” contains some information on this very question.) And one can also hear voices that, on such occasions, recommend limiting the cultivation of such insights that are based on clairvoyant abilities and instead advise limiting oneself to what ennobles spiritual life without such reference. It is not important, so it is said, to gain insights into higher worlds, into “spirits”, into the cycles of the world and of life, but rather to acquire a refined, purified view of life.

There can be no doubt that those who advocate such a view are quite right in a certain respect. Nevertheless, the Theosophical movement will become entangled in fatal contradictions to its mission if such opinions gain the upper hand in the circles of its followers. - Now, an objection is certainly possible here. One can say: who is authorized to consider his opinion of the mission of the Theosophical Movement as somehow authoritative? One person may believe that the dissemination of “higher insights” is the right thing; another may believe that it is not the spread of the results of Herschel's research that matters, but the cultivation of “spiritual and moral life”.

In itself, this objection is quite correct. And if a majority of the Theosophical Society were to disapprove of the dissemination of so-called secret teachings, then from a certain point of view there would be no objection to it. But basically, from a higher point of view, it is not a matter of discussing what the Theosophical Society should be. It can only be what its members want it to be. What is at stake is something quite different. It is important that the dissemination of esoteric teachings is necessary for the further progress of humanity. And those people who recognize this and are capable of it must do their part to spread them. They must regard this as a task set for them by the circumstances of the times. And therefore the question of what the Theosophical Society should be is not of primary importance to them. If it were to be found that a majority of the votes within this society were against the cultivation of esoteric knowledge, then they would have to seek access to their contemporaries by other means than through this society.

But a quite different and weighty question arises. Does the Theosophical Society not shake its foundations if judgments like those just mentioned gain the upper hand? This question will become clear if one looks at how this society has gained recognition in the world so far. It owes this prestige not to general teachings that are readily accessible to “common sense”, but to the fact that the founders and members of this society were able to say something to people that is not readily accessible to “common sense”. Insights into the nature of man, into 'his imperishable spiritual essence, into higher worlds: these have been what people have sought through the society ever since. People wanted to satisfy their longing for knowledge of the “spiritual world” through theosophy. The leaders of the theosophical movement did not find the ear of their contemporaries through “generally provable” principles – which are certainly infinitely valuable in themselves – but through the revelation of truths that are only accessible to clairvoyant research. And although there is no one in the world who cannot come to such truths by developing his own dormant abilities, it is nevertheless in the nature of human development that only a few individuals have developed the necessary abilities. If one does not want to listen to what such people have to say about the spiritual world, one would have to renounce knowledge of it altogether. One can indeed say to these few: “We do not want you to tell us what you know; you can only satisfy us if you tell us how we ourselves can come to such knowledge. Do not tell us what is revealed to you through your clairvoyance, but tell us how we ourselves can become clairvoyant.” In this journal, more has been said about the question of how to attain knowledge of higher worlds than can be said publicly at the present time. From the information given, it will be seen to what extent every legitimate aspiration in this direction can find satisfaction. Although Theosophy can open the way for people to access real secret training, the public mission of esoteric research described above is something quite different. People need answers to certain questions that life poses for them. He needs them for the peace of mind that he needs, for inner peace, for security in life and work; only through such an answer can he be a useful member of human society, can he properly fulfill his place in the world. Of course, there are countless people who do not even raise such questions today, who do not feel any longing for their answers. But these people do not do so only because they are not given the opportunity to feel the necessity of it. The moment a person is confronted with certain spiritual matters in the right way, he also immediately feels what is missing in his life if he passes it by, and then every doubt about the necessity ceases. But it is a misunderstanding to believe that the answers to such questions about the higher world are only of value to those who themselves have clairvoyant insight into this world. This is absolutely not the case.

If one takes in the answers with the right attitude and lives with them, then one will soon become convinced of the truth, even if one still has a long way to go before one becomes clairvoyant. The fact that so many people today are unable to experience this conviction is due solely to the fact that the materialistic spirit of the age places a heavy obstacle in the way of the soul. People believe themselves to be unprejudiced, and yet they have the greatest prejudice against the higher truth. Theosophy seeks to proclaim this higher truth in a way that is relevant to the needs of the present human being, and in a way that is necessary for true progress in the near future. But where else can it be received if not from those who have fathomed it through their own research? If one were to oppose this from the outset with “common sense”, then one would be declaring their entire research unnecessary. One should assume that those who have endeavored to develop higher possibilities of knowledge within themselves have not lost this common sense. It is certain that what the knowledgeable reveal can never contradict “common sense”, but it is equally certain that one can only understand this if one approaches their revelations with the right attitude. Without doubt, everyone can judge, and everyone should only trust their own judgment; but they must first know what they want to judge. Anyone who ponders these simple things for a moment will soon realize how little truth there is in much of what is said against the authorities in matters of the higher worlds. These authorities cannot be a danger to common sense, since they—if they are the right authorities—want to give this common sense precisely that which it is to judge. If the Theosophical Society does not want to cultivate only what its members already know, but to offer the path to higher knowledge, it will not be able to do without the inspiring authorities. It is quite different to judge and to be shown the way to judgment. Either the Theosophical Society will become something completely different from what it has been according to its foundations within the present, or it will have to be a scene for those who have not yet made higher experiences from it.

Anyone who views the situation in this way will have to think and act differently from the way many members of the Society think today. At the Paris Congress of the “Federation of European Sections”, the danger of authorities in the name of “common sense” was also pointed out in many speeches and discussions. Even the Society's meritorious founder and president, H.S. Olcott, felt it necessary at the present time to emphasize the importance of “common sense” and to stress that no member of the Theosophical Society should rely on anything other than his own powers of judgment and should beware of falling prey to authorities. And to make this warning against authority particularly clear, he cited the authority of Buddha, who said: “Do not believe because it is written in a book, or because it is taught by a wise man, or because it is handed down by tradition, or because it is inspired by a god, etc., but believe only what is evident to you through your own reason and experience.” But these words of Buddha's can be taken as a guide in different ways. One person does so by considering the revelations of the wise to be worthless because they do not appeal to his understanding, while another seeks to develop his powers of perception so that he can form an independent judgment about such revelations.

The conditions under which the Theosophical movement exists will be better understood than is often the case at present if we consider that the essence of it consists in the publication of some of those truths which were formerly regarded exclusively as so-called secret sciences. Such truths are those now proclaimed in writing and word about the nature of man, that is, his structure from the limbs of the physical, mental and spiritual world, his development and gradual perfection through a series of earthly lives; furthermore, about the law of the connection between cause and effect in the spiritual world, which is usually referred to as karma; and also about certain processes of the earth's development, which are revealed to the open eye of the seer and which must be known if one wants to understand man's higher destiny. In addition, there are certain insights into the higher spiritual worlds, without which one cannot have any understanding of the development of the world, and without which one cannot know anything about what lies hidden behind death, what is to be regarded as the invisible and immortal part of human nature.

These insights have existed for a long time in the form in which they are disseminated by the Theosophical movement in books, essays and lectures. But they were not publicly announced in this form. They were only communicated to those who had first been carefully tested for their intellectual, spiritual and moral abilities. The purpose of testing for intellectual abilities was to ensure that the teachings only reached those people who were really able to understand them by virtue of their intellectual and rational powers. For the high spiritual truths are such that an imperfect mind can at first even find them nonsensical. If they are presented to such a person, they can only be misunderstood. And apart from the fact that such a communication would be completely useless, it must have a highly unsettling effect on the mind of the person to whom it is communicated. For while, if rightly understood, these teachings bring about the happiness and bliss of man, they must, misunderstood, bring about mischief in the soul. A small truth, if distorted by too little power of judgment, will not cause any particular mischief, for it brings about only slight agitations of the soul. A great truth is felt as something that interferes with the welfare and powers of the soul. If it is distorted or caricatured, it will have the opposite effect of what it should have. If it is properly understood, it will elevate man to a higher way of life; if it is misunderstood, it will lower him to a level below that which he would be without it. Furthermore, a misunderstanding of higher truths leads not only to a useless but also to a harmful discussion of them. Such a discussion confuses the soul, and because the truths are so momentous, it does not remain, as with the discussion of insignificant matters, a mere error of the intellect, but such an error can lead to the disruption of the whole structure of the soul, in other words, to the illness of the whole person. And if such insights are even communicated publicly, then the damage does not only affect individuals, but many.

Therefore, in the secret schools, it was demanded that the right powers of understanding be present first, and then one imparted step by step what one thought it advisable to impart... The soul forces had to be prepared so that the pupil of the higher secrets could receive them in a worthy mood and frame of mind. For the feeling with which one approaches a truth gives it a certain spiritual coloration. And it is the case with higher truths that they have an incorrect effect if one does not approach them with the right feeling. A truth that relates to physical things is not particularly distorted if one receives it in an incorrect mood. With a higher truth, exactly the opposite is the case... The moral powers of the candidate for higher schooling had to be tested, because the corresponding realizations necessarily tear away the veil that is spread over certain hidden sides of his nature. These hidden sides of the human being are driven to the surface. In ordinary life they are veiled by acquired habits, by what is considered right according to the circumstances of life and by many other things. This is the case for the good of the individual and of all humanity. How many inclinations, drives, affects, passions, which, if they were released, would have a devastating effect, are purely held back by such things.

One of the first effects of higher truths is that they completely free man from all such things. Everything that softens his nature from the outside falls away. It loses its hold over him, and from now on he can only be his own master. Man does not even need to realize immediately that this is the case. As soon as the higher knowledge approaches him, he will surrender himself. He must now be strong enough to take the guidance of his morals, his inclinations and habits, etc., into his own hands. He can only do this if he can, through his own strength, push back everything that previously brought the beneficial conditions of the outside world into the right track. Let us give just one example from this field. The tendency to vanity is particularly evident in the disciple of the higher mysteries. If he does not have the strength to suppress it, it will grow to an extreme and lead him to the most pernicious paths. It is possible that this vanity will disguise itself in all kinds of masks, even in those of its opposite. And while the person then believes that he is becoming particularly modest, this modesty is nothing but the mask of a terrible vanity... One can see why the old secret societies demanded such strict testing of their pupils.

In the face of such facts, the question must immediately arise: if that is the case, why are these truths not treated in the same way as before; is it right at all that the theosophical movement should make some of them public? It should be said at once that a great number of those persons who are in possession of such truths are at present observing the principle of secrecy in regard to them, and many of them believe that the Theosophical Movement is really doing an injustice.

But the matter is as follows: the higher part of spiritual knowledge will have to be kept secret in the manner indicated for a long time to come. What is published through the theosophical movement is the elementary part. But this cannot be kept secret any longer. For humanity has in many of its parts reached a stage of development at which it cannot do without it. It must be published because without it certain soul needs of humanity can no longer be satisfied. Without this publication, the life of the soul would have to become desolate.

It must not be thought that the knowledge indicated has been withheld from mankind in every form. They have only been kept secret in the form in which they were taught in the secret schools and as they are now being communicated through the theosophical movement. But even people who lived in the most modest circumstances were able to receive them in a form that was appropriate for them. Fairy tales and myths contain these truths in the form of images, parables, etc. It is only out of a materialistic attitude that one does not want to recognize or acknowledge the profound wisdom contained in fairy tales, legends and myths. It cannot be the task here to show what could easily be shown, that legends and myths contain much, much greater wisdom about nature and the secrets of humanity than the explanations of our today's so advanced sciences. It is necessary to give people at certain cultural levels an idea of what must approach man in the form of ideas at a higher level of intellectual development. However, there are still many people today who believe that what the intellect has not grasped is not understood at all. In contrast to this, it must be emphasized that not only the intellect is a cognitive faculty, but that one can also understand things through feeling, through imagination and through other soul forces. And it was a real understanding for certain stages of development when people allowed the secrets of the world to work on them in fairy tales and myths. Indeed, for such stages of development, another form cannot even be considered. The form of higher truths that we find in theosophy today remains for such times the domain of secret teachings and their students. At other stages of development, it is the religions that proclaim the secrets of the invisible worlds to humanity. All religions contain the higher secrets in a form that is suited to the mind and to faith. Those who study religions without materialistic prejudice, but with an open mind and without preconceptions, will find all the secret teachings in them, so that each particular religion contains these teachings, adapted to the character, temperament and culture of the people and the time for whom they are intended.

Myths, legends, religions are the various ways in which the highest truths have been conveyed to the majority of people. This must continue to happen if it were sufficient. But it is no longer sufficient. Mankind has now reached a stage of development at which a large proportion of it would lose all religion if the higher truths on which it is based were not also proclaimed in a form that would enable even the keenest reflection to recognize their validity. Religions are true, but for many people the time has passed when comprehension was possible through mere faith. And the number of people to whom this applies will increase at an unprecedented rate in the near future. Those who truly understand the laws of human development know this. If the wisdom underlying religious beliefs were not publicly proclaimed in a form that would stand up to perfect thinking, complete doubt and disbelief in the invisible world would soon break out. And a time in which that were the case would, despite all material culture, be a time worse than one of barbarism. Whoever knows the real conditions of human life knows that man cannot live without a relationship to the invisible, any more than a plant can live without nourishing juices.

In the recently published essay on the education of children, it can be seen how only theosophical truths can have a real practical effect on life in the near future. The same could be shown for the most diverse areas of life.

The truth is that we must convey to humanity the knowledge of the invisible worlds in the theosophical form, just as it has been conveyed to it in the form of parables and images. Theosophy, properly understood, is not a new religion, nor a religious sect, but the right means for the present time to show the wisdom of religion in a way that is necessary for the people of this time. Theosophy does not found a new religion, for it furnishes the very proofs of the validity of the old one, and thus becomes its firmest support... But Theosophy is not a matter for a few enthusiasts, for it makes man acquainted with the invisible world, from which he must draw the forces for the visible world.

Thus, Theosophy arises from the realization of what humanity needs at the present time. And it is necessary for humanity to learn some of the truths of esoteric science. Because the facts are as they are, these truths have had such a powerful effect on many souls since they were first published a few decades ago, and that is why the true mission of the Theosophical Movement lies in the tactful publication of such truths. Just try to put the Theosophical Movement on a different basis, and it will have ceased to be of any interest to those who, from the very beginning, have turned to it out of a true present-day human need. Do not say that these truths about the higher mysteries are only valuable to those who can grasp them clairvoyantly. Nothing could be further from the truth. For clairvoyance is only necessary to find these truths. Once they have been found, they can be understood by anyone who really makes sufficient effort with his intellect. It is an empty phrase to say that these things must first be proved. They are proved as soon as one really wants to understand them. If someone finds them unproved, it is not because they must first be proved by special means, but simply because the person in question has not yet thought about them enough.

Now, for more than thirty years, there has been a Theosophical Society, which is supposed to be a means of fostering the Theosophical movement. This society has three principles: the first is: “To form the nucleus of a universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of faith, nation, class, or sex.” The second principle is: “To reveal the kernel of truth in all religions.” Its third rule is: “To explore the deeper spiritual forces that slumber in human nature and in the rest of the world.”

If we keep to what has been said in this essay about the actual mission of the Theosophical Movement, it will not be difficult to recognize that the Theosophical Society has a right to exist only because of the third goal.

Let us look at it without prejudice. The establishment of the brotherhood must undoubtedly be the goal of every good person. And that is why there are countless associations and societies that recognize this goal as their ideal. You certainly don't have to become a theosophist to profess such an ideal. The Theosophical Society only makes sense if, within it, people express themselves about this ideal in the following way: Every good person recognizes the ideal of universal brotherhood. It is sought to be realized through various human fraternizations. The only thing that matters is that the right means are chosen for its realization. The most unsuitable means is certainly to talk about it in a sentimental way, to say that people should love each other as brothers, should form a unity and harmony, and whatever other fine phrases are used, which unfortunately are often just thrown around by theosophists. Such talk is not worth more than if someone were to stand in front of a stove and keep saying: Dear stove, you are a good stove when you heat the room at the right time. So just be nice and warm when it's necessary. If you want the stove to really heat up, don't talk about its task, but provide it with fuel. The theosophical movement can only regard the above-mentioned esoteric knowledge as the right “fuel” for human brotherhood. If the soul absorbs these insights, they will have the same effect on it as the heating material has on the stove when it is properly treated. It is in the spirit of theosophical insight to say: Of course, other people besides theosophists are currently pursuing this ideal, but they cannot achieve it because they do not apply the right means of esoteric knowledge. It is undoubtedly easier to keep saying “brotherhood, brotherhood” than to imbibe the knowledge of the occult sciences; but it is also easier for a Christian to keep saying “Lord, Lord” than to imbibe the true Christian content. Moreover, talking about brotherhood is not without danger, because it spreads a cloud of intellectual comfort around the speaker, which can suffocate the serious striving for real knowledge in a kind of mental voluptuousness. Many people are not even aware that it is a kind of intellectual comfort that drives them into the self-intoxication they feel when they repeatedly give themselves the pleasure that lies in the thoughts of brotherhood, unity and harmony. The best way to become an easy prey to certain dark forces is the intellectual intoxication that emanates from the phrases: unity, brotherhood, harmony... Good theosophists should make it their rule to avoid the words brotherhood, harmony, unity as far as possible, and to cultivate instead the real esoteric knowledge, which is the right means of attaining that for which one shows one's appreciation best by not vainly expressing it.

But the “scientific” study of religious documents as such cannot be an independent goal of the theosophical movement. For that, one needs to be a scholar, not a theosophist. Even the comparative study of the documents: what does it have to do with the theosophical movement other than showing how the esoteric truths are contained in these documents? But that can only be shown by someone who really knows esotericism. A true example of a genuine esoteric examination of religion was given by Edouard Schuré in his “Great Initiates”. He revealed the esoteric core of the great founders of religion. In doing so, he naturally had to go beyond mere scholarly observation. It is only natural that mere scholars should object that he relied less on the documents than on his imagination. It is to be hoped that a 'theosophist' would not make such an objection, for in doing so he would be guilty of two errors: firstly, such an objection is naive, as naive as the objector himself does not even suspect, for to defend that scholarship , which is defended by it, would be a matter of course for a personality like Schuré if he would only stoop to his point of view, and secondly, the objector shows that he does not even suspect that there are really other sources of knowledge than those accessible to him.

Thus, the fundamental goal of the Theosophical movement can only be recognized as the third principle of the Theosophical Society, the cultivation of the truths of the secret sciences, which are also called spiritual. If it should ever become unfaithful to this goal, then the mission inherent in it must be taken over by another movement, and the Theosophical Society will be one among many other well-meaning human associations that have fraternity, love, the cultivation of all kinds of science and other things on their banners.

The cultivation of knowledge of the supersensible worlds has been designated as the essential task of the Theosophical Movement in the foregoing. Those who hold this view must not be unclear about the obstacles and difficulties that confront such work, especially in our time. However, it is soon clear that such knowledge is a strong need for an immense number of people in the present day. Many are more or less aware of their desire for it. But many are not. They feel only a deep dissatisfaction in life; they take up this or that which promises to give them a spiritual purpose in life, and then drop it again because after a while the dissatisfaction returns. Such people only feel their lack, but do not arrive at any fruitful thought about what they are actually missing. Those who know life know that insight into the higher worlds is longed for by a great many people, far more than is admitted by many. In the widest circles, what is sought is precisely what a theosophical movement that is walking in the right path can give. Those who understand these “right paths” will also soon realize that the effects of genuine cultivation of higher knowledge extend as far as human life itself. One can be a person whom fate has placed in the most modest position in life, who is occupied in the narrowest circle: through true Theosophy, one will be able to have healthy thinking and a happy, satisfied heart. The very existence in the apparently most commonplace, otherwise most unsatisfactory situation will acquire a deep meaning. And one can be a scientist, artist, businessman, civil servant, etc.: through Theosophy one will gain in every field creative power, joy in work, overview, security.

It is, of course, only the result of a misunderstanding of the theosophical way of thinking when it becomes alienated from life. True theosophy cannot lead out of life, but only deeper into it. It is certainly true to emphasize that Theosophy is only of any use to a person if he does not stop at a few general thoughts or feelings, but does not shy away from really getting to know what can be known about the nature of man, about the processes and beings of the higher worlds, about the development of humanity and the world. But anyone who gets to know this also learns to understand life in its smallest details, and – what cannot be emphasized enough – to treat it.

If theosophy is to have such an effect on a person, then a widespread aversion must be thoroughly combated. This is expressed in a certain contempt for what can be attained through theosophy in the way of real knowledge about the areas just mentioned. It is easy to say: “What do I need to know about the basic parts of man, about the development of the world and so on? All that is just intellectual stuff; it is something intellectual. But I want to deepen my mind. The divine foundations of existence cannot be grasped in such “dry concepts; they can only be reached through the living soul” ... If only those who speak in this way would have a little more patience to delve into the true facts of the matter. Through this patience they would be led to recognize that real knowledge in the sense meant here only appears to them as a matter of the intellect, as a mere intellectual matter, because they are afraid of bringing something else into motion than their intellect, their dry, sober thinking. Through such patience, they would realize that what their soul seeks must be found in what they reject as a “mere intellectual matter”. They shrink from the idea that they should devote themselves to the ideas of the higher worlds, and therefore never come to experience how warm and full of life the mind becomes through these very ideas. The immediate fate of such natures will be that their ardent longing for a content for their souls will consume itself within them, because they reject that which could bring them healing. The mere saying, “Man can delve into himself and he will find God in himself,” is really not enough. And it is not enough, either, no matter how many different ways it is repeated. Man has emerged from the world; he is a “small world” in which everything that is contained in the visible world and in a large part of the invisible world is concentrated in a certain way. And one cannot understand man if one does not understand the world. It is not by brooding over one's inner self that one comes to know oneself, but by grasping the true essence of the stones, plants and animals around us; for their essence is concentrated in one self. In the stars, their transformation and metamorphosis, man can read the secrets of his soul. In what happened in the most ancient times, the riddle of what the soul experiences today is solved; and from the way in which the most ancient has become the present, one understands what one is oneself: and from this understanding one can gain satisfaction of the mind and strength to act. True knowledge of the world is at the same time true knowledge of oneself; and it is the only fruitful knowledge of oneself. Those who feel compelled to repeat the saying: “Yes, what Theosophy tells us about the evolution of the world and of humanity is something for the intellect; but we want satisfaction for the emotions,” should delve into such facts.

Only the energetic advance towards conceptions of higher worlds in this direction can create the necessary bridge for man between thinking, feeling and life.— And in this sense, the knowledge of the supersensible worlds should be cultivated within the theosophical movement. No point of view should be too high for us to adopt in order to gain knowledge. But we must also always seek every possibility of making the highest knowledge fruitful for the most everyday things in life. If the latter were disregarded, then theosophy would have to lead to things that it should lead to the least: to the formation of sects, to narrow-minded dogmatism, etc.

And from the above indications the way can also be found to the deeper foundations of what has been touched upon in the preceding pages (page 276) regarding the effectiveness of the theosophical movement on ethical life. A true insight into the nature of the human soul reveals that moral behavior in the radical sense cannot be promoted by preaching even the most beautiful moral principles. Virtue does not arise from what one can learn as a moral principle, but rather has its source in noble feelings. There has been much debate among philosophers as to whether virtue can be taught. Now it certainly cannot be taught in the direct sense that one becomes virtuous by memorizing a system of virtues. One can indeed know such a system of virtues quite well, and therefore does not need to be a virtuous person. Yes, one can go even further and say – as has already been indicated in the foregoing – that within the theosophical movement, no matter how beautiful moral principles may be, no matter how many principles may be advocated, as general human love is constituted, nothing essential would be furthered by it. But even if it is absolutely true that virtue cannot be acquired in this way, it would still be quite wrong to think that knowledge cannot be a basis for virtue, and that higher knowledge cannot be a source of the most comprehensive love of humanity. What one takes in from the ideas of Theosophy are not moral principles at all, but, for example, ideas about the development of humanity and the earth. But those who are able to devote themselves to these ideas selflessly, not only with their intellect but with the warmth of their hearts, develop within themselves that source of feelings that by itself allows actions in the sense of universal love of humanity to emerge from within. The right understanding of the first principle of the Theosophical Society – the core of a universal brotherhood – is achieved when one cultivates the knowledge of the higher worlds without reservation, and in doing so lives in the unfailing hope that the corresponding virtues in the visible world will necessarily result from the knowledge of the invisible world. For the morally good follows from the spiritually true.

What our time really needs, what is longed for by those whose state of soul has been indicated above, is the cultivation of knowledge of the supersensible. And the right effect of the theosophical movement in life can be achieved by the development of spiritual realities. The conditions of life in this society can only flow from two sides: one thing that matters is to cultivate the existing treasure of supersensible knowledge and, if possible, to increase and develop it; the other thing, however, is that those working in the field of theosophy have an open eye for the circumstances of life. They should observe wherever possible where life needs and can be deepened by the theosophical way of thinking. They should let the theosophical light fall on everything that touches the present human being. For example, that someone has insight into the laws of repeated earthly lives and into the karmic chain of fate is only one thing; that meaning and strength are given to life from this, that the person thereby becomes capable of the most everyday tasks and content in his mind: this is the other, the more essential.

It is also very nice when the study of different religions is pursued in the society that calls itself theosophical, in order to find their core of truth. But the important thing is to find the kernel of truth, not to get to know the many religions; the latter is a matter of scholarship. The theosophical movement will also work most favorably in this direction if the cultivation of supersensible insights is its first concern, and its workers, according to their abilities, spread light from the point of view of supersensible knowledge of the world about what science is able to investigate about the various religious beliefs.

Those who are convinced by the above arguments will have very definite feelings about the way of working that is necessary within the theosophical movement. For the dissemination of supersensible knowledge requires a different behavior than that of ordinary sensual knowledge. This is already evident from the fact that the bearers of supersensible truths in earlier periods behaved quite differently from the owners of any knowledge related to the sensory world in the present. The latter will usually hurry to share their knowledge with the public as quickly as possible. And in doing so, they are doing the right thing in their field. For what the individual investigates should bear fruit for the whole of humanity. The older 'bearers of supersensible knowledge' at first kept their knowledge secret from the public. They only imparted it to those who, on the basis of certain conditions, had proved that they were 'called'. In doing so, they did not sin against the principle that the knowledge of the individual must serve the whole. For they have found the ways in which this knowledge can bear fruit for humanity. It is not the place here to speak of these ways. But they were there. It has been said in the foregoing (page 272) that the possessor of supersensible knowledge is compelled by the present conditions of the time to make a certain part of this knowledge public. This is done through books, lectures, magazines and in all the ways in which, for example, the Theosophical Society seeks to work. But this gives rise to certain difficulties. On the one hand, those who have taken on the task of cultivating supersensible knowledge feel obliged to ensure that this knowledge is as accessible as possible to those who seek it. On the other hand, they feel a certain obligation to exercise restraint in the face of well-founded old methods. If they have truly penetrated the spirit of supersensible knowledge, they must have become completely familiar with a principle that goes something like this: “The fact that you have recognized some truth, or that you are convinced of it, must not be a reason for you to force this truth on other people. You should only share it with those who are entitled to demand it from you in the right spirit and in complete freedom.” Those who follow this last principle cannot have anything in common with a fanatic or a sectarian. For it is precisely this that characterizes fanaticism and the formation of sects, that people who fall prey to it live in the belief that what they consider to be right must become a conviction for as many people as possible. They consider their views to be the only true ones. This belief often leads them to use every conceivable means to win as many followers as possible. The bearer of supersensible knowledge would prefer to do as little as possible to win followers. The feelings of the fanatic, of the founder of a sect, are quite alien to him. And the more he can adhere to this fundamental attitude in the present, the more he will do so. But, as I said, the conditions of the present forbid him to adhere completely to this principle. He must go public. But he does maintain his convictions to the extent that he does not go public in any other sense than in that he says: “I have this or that to communicate from the realm of the supersensible worlds; I say it because it must be said before the world. Whoever wants to approach these things must do so solely because he wants to. I do not seek to win followers; but I do meet anyone who desires to learn something of the knowledge of higher worlds.” It is then the task of the cultivator of higher knowledge to find the right path between unreserved advocacy of his cause and that reserve which no one wishes to bestow on him with a ‘sole-saving wisdom’. He will do his work best if he has as little as possible of the “fanatical world-enlarger” in him, who sees his essential goal in transferring his convictions to others. One can say: the fanatic seeks followers; the bearer of supersensible knowledge waits quite calmly until they come of themselves. This appears quite simple in theory; in practice it is not at all easy. But it also shows how much value should be placed on certain feelings that the worker in the theosophical field must have; and how much it depends on him to chasten that enthusiasm that arises so naturally in the present man: to share with the world what he himself carries in his heart as his sacred conviction. With regard to certain higher regions of supersensible knowledge, for example, such a - perhaps noble - craving for communication could not have any useful purpose at the present time, for there would be very few people who would not consider these things to be foolishness, the unfortunate products of a sick mind. The bearer of the secret knowledge must be motivated to communicate nothing other than that the individual person, or the people in question, need the corresponding information for the salvation of their soul and their entire being.

In the following essay on the “Life Issues of the Theosophical Movement”, we will discuss in more detail the difficulties that arise in particular for those who, in the light of current views of the world, understand the work of the “theosophical movement” in the sense indicated.