The So-Called Dangers of Initiation

It is not the only accusation made against secret science that it is fantastical and dreamlike, but many also believe that there are dangers associated with it for those who approach this secret science or Spiritual Science. In certain circles, there are downright adventurous views about these so-called dangers of Spiritual Science. First of all, much is generally said about such dangers without even attempting to characterize the alleged dangers in more detail or to specify what they consist of; for where so much is sometimes said about these dangers, there is just as often a profound ignorance of what secret science actually entails. People only have a vague mental image that it involves something dangerous. Nor is there any discussion of what really needs to be discussed: whether the secret science itself is dangerous, or whether it is only the deeper penetration into it, through familiarization with the methods and exercises that lead people into the spiritual world surrounding us, invisible and imperceptible to the ordinary senses, but perfectly perceptible to the higher senses. Anyone who wants to speak of dangers in this area must make this distinction. However, as I said, it is often not a matter of pointing out specific dangers, but rather of saying: Oh, this secret science or this theosophy makes people unworldly, distances them from what they should actually be concerned with in life, from what they should be interested in. And some circles find it extremely regrettable that this or that member is apparently being snatched away from them because they are beginning to take an interest in theosophy or the secret science on which it is based. This has probably also given rise to the often-expressed judgment that Theosophy makes people impractical, distracts them from the immediate duties of life, and drives them to asceticism and unworldliness.