6. Theosophy and Contemporary Intellectual Life

Of all the different points of view on the world, which were represented at the Fourth International Congress of Philosophy, many of our contemporaries consider the theosophical one to be the least scientific. One cannot be surprised at this fact. For much that at one point in time was considered fantastic and unfounded was in a later epoch a recognized, often even an obvious truth. Although theosophy is used as a term for schools of thought that have often appeared in the development of culture, as it was characterized in a short lecture at this congress, it represents an absolutely new school of thought. It aims to open the gates to a supersensible world. And it aims to find this world not through mere speculative thinking, but through real perception, which is as accessible to the human soul as the perception of the physical senses. It is usually thought that such spiritual perception only occurs in states of vision, of ecstasy in the soul, and that it is not subject to scientific control in those who are endowed with it. That is why it is not considered to have any value other than as a personal experience of individual human beings. Modern theosophy has nothing in common with this kind of spiritual experience. It shows that in the human soul there are dormant powers of knowledge that do not come to light in ordinary life or in external science. These powers can be awakened through meditation and through a vigorous concentration of the inner life of feeling and will. In order to achieve this, the soul must be able to shut itself off from all external impressions and also from everything that the memory retains of such external impressions. Meditation is the soul's intense devotion to ideas, sensations and feelings, in such a way that one does not develop any awareness of what these ideas or feelings mean for the physical world, but in such a way that they prove to be forces within the soul's life, which, as it were, radiate through the soul and thus draw out powers from its depths, of which the human being is not aware in ordinary life. The effect of this inner contemplation is such that through it the human being becomes aware of a spiritual reality of his own being, of which he is otherwise unaware. Before he engages in such exercises, he recognizes himself as an entity that knows something about itself and the world through bodily organs. After such exercises, he knows that he can unfold a life within himself, even without his bodily organs imparting such a life to him. He knows that he can separate himself spiritually from his physical body and that through this separation he does not have to sink into a state of unconsciousness. And he acquires such knowledge not only about himself, but also about a supersensible world, which for ordinary knowledge is hidden behind the physical-sensible world and in which lie the true causes of this latter world.

In this way man also learns to recognize that he, as a soul-spiritual being, is descended from soul-spiritual beings just as he, as a physical being, is descended from his physical ancestors. He must only feel that the soul-spiritual being from which he descends is himself, while he distinguishes his physical ancestors from himself. This opens up the prospect of repeated earthly lives. Through actual observation, he comes to understand that human life truly consists of the life of the soul in the physical body between birth and death, and that this is followed by a spiritual existence, which is usually considerably longer than the physical one. After this spiritual existence, a physical embodiment must follow again, and so on until the cycle of physical embodiments is fulfilled with the goal of the earth itself.

This idea of repeated lives on earth (reincarnation) must necessarily appear to most of our contemporaries as paradoxical, even grotesque. But it will be the same with it as with the idea of Francesco Redi, who, a few centuries ago, first proposed the idea, against the resistance of his contemporaries, that a germ of life cannot arise from the combination of inanimate substances, but only as the descendant of a similar living being. What seemed to be a fantastic idea of Francesco Redi's to people only a few centuries ago is now a generally accepted truth.

This is just one of the many results of modern theosophy. Most of the misunderstandings that arise in regard to it arise from the fact that people think it wants to be a renewal of Buddhism. It is not in the form it has taken in the West. For if there had never been a Buddhism, the characterized development would have to lead higher cognitive powers in the soul to the discovery of the theosophical truths.

In its modern form, Western Theosophy does not want to be or found a religion, but an extension of science into the supersensible realm. In doing so, it does not become a religion itself, but an instrument for deepening our understanding of religious life. It approaches Christianity as such an instrument; and it shows that in Christianity there are depths of life that can only be found by approaching it with a science of the supersensible. It shows how the foundation of Christianity can only be understood as an act that originates in a supersensible world and which has cast its rays into the physical historical development of humanity. It is precisely through the realization that man achieves his full life on earth in repeated embodiments that the superhuman, divine nature of Christ comes to the fore. The Christ Being was present in a physical body only once for true supersensible observation. And since the event at Golgotha, it has been connected with the development of humanity on earth. The highest peak of supersensible observation is that in the spiritual world, Christ is recognized as the directing force. The more the soul develops supersensible powers of recognition, the closer it comes to the Christ presence. Theosophy in no way disturbs the religious faith of the Christian, but rather strengthens it by elevating it to a supersensible-scientific truth. If for ordinary science the nature of Christianity can be doubted by many people, it becomes an unshakable truth for scientific spiritual observation. Through the instrument of Theosophy, the truths contained in the Gospels can only be seen in the right light.

For those who have followed the theosophical school of thought since it was founded in 1875 by the Theosophical Society, it may seem strange that Christianity is being discussed here from a theosophical point of view. This is because it is thought that the main teachings of Theosophy agree with oriental religious systems, especially with Brahmanism or Buddhism. And it is also true that at present many representatives of Theosophy still present it in a way that justifies such an opinion. But it must be said that the first founders of Theosophy did not understand the essence of Christianity, and that many important representatives of Theosophy still do not understand it at present. Theosophy itself must first reach a certain level to recognize that Christianity not only represents progress compared to all previous religious systems, but that it actually unites the true aspects of all other religions within itself, if it is properly understood.

Theosophy cannot be a religion as such; but it is a path to the full understanding of religion, just as it is a path to the true understanding of nature and the mind. Because this is misunderstood, opponents of Theosophy are currently still emerging, both from the religiously minded and from those opposed to religion. The former think that they might lose their religion through Theosophy. On properly immersing themselves in Theosophy, they will recognize that true religiosity is lost no more through Theosophy than the splendor of natural phenomena is lost through scientific observation.

The others believe that 'Theosophy must lead back to blind faith. They can convince themselves, through a real acquaintance with Theosophy, that the course of human history is not a succession of errors, but a development of truth. They will come to the realization that true science does not comprehend the most beautiful blossoms of human spiritual life – precisely the religious ones – by revealing the same as illusions, but by bringing their truth to light.

Anyone who observes the development of the soul in our time must find that there is a thirst for knowledge of the supersensible world. The ordinary sciences show a wonderful progress. They have completely transformed our culture in a relatively short time. They have provided solutions to questions for our outer life and will provide many more in the future. For the life of the soul, they have not provided any solutions, but instead, they continually raise new questions. No answer to such questions is given by traditional religious concepts. One cannot object that these answers are available, but that many of our contemporaries no longer feel them to be answers. The fact that they are no longer felt as such is the essential point that presents modern humanity with new tasks for the inner life. If humanity grasps these tasks through the science of the supersensible, harmony can be created between the longings of souls that arise from modern life. If this understanding does not come about, then the new questions would remain unsolved, leaving the souls burning with thirst. But questions that souls must ask themselves without being able to find answers mean soul-emptiness, soul-unhappiness; finding the answers to such questions means soul-peace, soul-strength, soul-happiness. And modern humanity needs this if its magnificent outer culture is not to remain without soul itself.