Translation from German by Robert Hutwohl [1] [2]
Dr Franz Hartmann is closely connected with the theosophical movement; he was part of the small circle that, around H. P. Blavatsky, was called upon to proclaim the theosophical worldview during the heyday of materialism in the second half of the last century and to restore the lost ideal: theosophy, to humanity, which was lost in ignorance and selfishness. Franz Hartmann is particularly important for the theosophical movement in Germany, to which he has devoted the last 20 years of his work exclusively. His spirit, which is expressed in his great literary work, was decisive for the theosophical movement, and one can say that as long as the goal he placed at the center of theosophical thought and life: As long as the path of development of purification of the heart and action for the good of the whole, which he proclaimed, is affirmed and striven for, the “Theosophical Society” will continue to exist in the purity and sublimity of its mission and will be able to fulfill its cultural mission. Like a faithful Eckard [R.H.—Meister Eckart], Franz Hartmann stands at the turning point of the ages, pointing again and again to the one thing that is pious and necessary. The work of this mighty standard-bearer of truth will have a decisive influence on the coming changes in the religious, scientific and social fields, and no philosopher of the future, no worker of the new culture will be able to pass by Franz Hartmann and his work without engaging with him. It is therefore important for everyone who is interested in the development of humanity, especially for members of the theosophical movement and readers of Theosophical Culture, to learn about this man’s life and work. The following brief notes serve this purpose.
Franz Hartmann was born on November 22nd, 1838 in the small town of Donauwörth in Bavaria, where his father, Dr. Karl Hartmann, worked as a general practitioner. His mother, née Elise von Stack, traced her ancestry back to Ireland. As his father was soon appointed as a royal court physician in Kempten, the family moved there, where Franz Hartmann received his schooling and spent his youth. From his youth, the boy had a mystical disposition. The magic of the forest and the lonely mountain gorges offered him more life and variety than any other entertainment. Through his senses, which were capable of super-sensory perception, he saw the spirits of nature, the gnomes, sylphs and nymphs, with whom he had friendly dealings. Due to the teaching methods used in schools at the time, these finer senses gradually became dulled, and Franz Hartmann saw the world like any other human child. Given his nature, it is understandable that he reluctantly submitted to learning things in which he had no interest. There were only two school subjects that interested him: linguistics and natural science, of the latter especially chemistry, whose mysterious powers pointed him to the workings of a powerful, sublime life that was hidden behind the surface of matter.
Hartmann was brought up in the Catholic faith, and it is understandable that he felt drawn to the Catholic Church in his mystical tendencies, behind whose symbols and customs he believed he saw a deep secret. In order to see things for himself and to be able to experience for himself what others only know from hearsay and from books, he intended to attend a monastery. However, he recognized that the customs and ceremonies in use were mostly just external forms, whose spirit and deeper meaning had disappeared, which even the priests no longer knew and were no longer able to bring to life.
So, Franz Hartmann turned to the natural sciences again, especially chemistry, and after leaving school he began an apprenticeship in a pharmacy in Kempten. But this activity, “the petty trade and the sale of things that not only bring no benefit to the buyer, but in most cases cause considerable damage,” did not satisfy him either. He changed jobs often until, at the age of 21, he joined the 1st Royal Bavarian Artillery Regiment in Munich as a volunteer and took part in the campaign between Austria and Italy in 1859.
After the peace treaty was concluded, he entered the University of Munich, where he passed the state examination as a pharmacist in 1862. He then continued his medical studies.
In 1865 he made a trip to Paris and Havre, where he was offered the position of ship’s doctor on an American vessel, which he accepted out of a love of adventure; and soon he set sail. He settled in St. Louis, completed his medical studies, acquired the title of doctor of medicine and American citizenship, and set up an eye clinic. Although he was doing very well here, after five years he was drawn away again, so that he gave up his practice and left St. Louis. Outward well-being and work, which was certainly beneficial for many, could not fill his life. The urge to know the truth did not let him rest; he wanted to understand the meaning and purpose of life; But neither the natural sciences, which only deal with the external phenomena of nature, nor theological doctrines, which are incapable of proof, could satisfy his thirst for knowledge. In those years, materialism in the guise of science enjoyed the greatest triumphs and dominated the vast circles of the educated world of the West. Force and matter were considered the only basis of everything, and matter in particular was the object of universal worship. Man was considered a being that had sprung from the ape kingdom, whose purpose in life was to attain material pleasures. Franz Hartmann, who always had an intuitive power for the lawfulness and truth of life, recognized that materialism was an aberration and that one could never attain knowledge of the truth by means of intellectual external observation. But no one was able to give him answers to his innermost questions. “Where does man come from, where is he going, what is the purpose of life, is there perhaps a living being hidden behind existence that we do not know about, what is life, what is consciousness?” Materialism was unable to answer such and similar questions, and in the turmoil between material life and thought, which did not satisfy him, and the knowledge of truth and a life of bright meaning, which he could not yet grasp, Franz Hartmann spent times of painful struggle, during which he repeatedly intended to end this existence by committing suicide.
He wandered restlessly, visited the wonderland of Mexico, lived in Cordova and Orizaba, got to know Indian tribes, who welcomed him warmly. In 1871, while travelling, he made the acquaintance of an adept, without recognizing him as such at the time, who was in possession of higher knowledge and predicted many things for him about his later life. He had an extensive medical practice in New Orleans, Texas and Colorado. In 1873 he retired to the country in Texas, where he bought a property and married the sister of the wife of a neighbouring landowner, who died just seven months after the wedding, whereupon Franz Hartmann sold his property and moved away again. His acquaintance with the spiritualism that was emerging powerfully in America at the time was of great importance for Franz Hartmann’s development and for his path to knowledge of the truth. He came upon it during his stay in New Orleans and soon became acquainted with the most outstanding mediums. Phenomena such as messages from the “deceased” through direct writing, materialization and levitation occurred, flowers and other things were brought by invisible hands, which objectively revealed the reach of the otherworldly realm into our world. Franz Hartmann himself writes that it is difficult to find anyone in America or Europe who has seen more of the spiritual phenomena than he has. Although he was far from denying the spiritual facts and considering them to be deception and sleight of hand, as a special class of “enlightened” people like to do, he found that these phenomena have a completely different origin than the superficial observer believes. The only reliable messages from the deceased that he received came from people who committed suicide. Most of the time, the messages come from elemental beings who prefer to use famous names, with the medium’s inclination and imagination doing the rest.
Thus, spiritualism was not able to solve the riddle of existence and provide information about the purpose of life, life after death, the problem of fate, etc. Franz Hartmann recognized that mediumship was not a desirable goal, but rather an unnatural, pathological state of possession and weakness of will; he had to watch as the mediums close to him eventually perished from starvation, exhaustion and madness.
Franz Hartmann lived in America for 18 years and on his extensive travels he met civilized and semi-civilized people, whites and blacks, believers and non-believers, Mormons, Shakers, freethinkers and spiritualists and had the opportunity to broaden his worldview and have cause for his own reflection; but he did not find what he was looking for in all of them.
Then he came across H.P. Blavatsky’s work “Isis Unveiled,” in which he found the explanations he had been looking for all over the world. He became a member of the “Theosophical Society in America” and had the desire to go to India, to draw from the source of wisdom and to enter into contact with the mysterious adepts. Then, unexpectedly, he received a call from India, when, at the instigation of Master Morya to Franz Hartmann, Olcott, the President of the Theosophical Society in Adyar, asked him to come to India to enact under the President’s office in his [Olcott’s] absence.
He left San Francisco on October 11, 1883, and after brief stays in Japan and China, arrived in Madras at the end of the year. He became friends with Blavatsky, Subba Row, and other mystics, and came into contact with learned Brahmins, occult researchers, and even adepts. Since that time, Franz Hartmann’s name has been closely linked with the history of the theosophical movement. He describes the time he spent with his friends in Adyar as the most important of his life. In H. P. Blavatsky he found not only a highly educated, intelligent lady, but he recognized the great soul (Mahatma) that lay hidden behind the personality. Her spiritual senses were fully open, and she was aware of the spiritual world in which she was active when the body is sleeping.
The connection with the adepts was a constant one, and interchange with them took place whether H. P. Blavatsky was present or not. The occult phenomena and the rumors about communication with the adepts naturally attracted many curious people who did not visit the theosophical headquarters out of love for truth and clear knowledge, but who were interested in “witches” and “sorcery.”
Along with H.P. Blavatsky, Franz Hartmann deserves great credit for having vigorously advocated the purity of the spirit of the Theosophical Society and its noble mission, which consists in the realization of the living idea of brotherhood. Franz Hartmann became completely familiar with the theosophical worldview, learned the secret doctrine of the wise men and was Blavatsky’s loyal collaborator.
On April 1, 1885, he left India to return to Europe accompanied by Blavatsky. The journey took him via Italy to Germany, where H.P. Blavatsky was staying in Würzburg while Franz Hartmann returned to his home in Kempten. This visit was to be a temporary one, as Franz Hartmann intended to leave Germany again, but was persuaded to work for an inhalation institute for tuberculosis in Hallein, of which he became director. Since then, he has not left Europe again and worked almost exclusively for the theosophical movement in Germany until his death (August 7, 1912).
Franz Hartmann’s Work
The sublime mission of Franz Hartmann, for which he was called by the Masters and probably prepared during previous lives, and for which he has probably already worked, consists in proclaiming the theosophical message to the West, especially to the German people. This is the sublime doctrine of salvation about the divine source of all being, about the immortality of the human soul and its repeated embodiment, and finally about the path to salvation, which consists in the practice of brotherly love towards all people and beings.
The dissemination of theosophical teachings and the cultivation of theosophical thought and life meant the dissolution of materialistic views, and it is clear what resistance arose and what hostility he faced from the camp of scientific and theological materialists. Franz Hartmann, who was a pronounced, masculine nature with firm strength, was always unwavering and firmly determined to stand up for theosophical ideas against the materialism of our time with strength of will and logical sharpness.
Since he himself had received his intellectual training from European science, he himself knew the existing theories and opinions, which protected him from uncritically overestimating or underestimating them. Through his comprehensive European education on the one hand and his knowledge of the secret doctrine and Eastern religious philosophy on the other, he was extremely capable of building a bridge between Western mysticism and Eastern wisdom and of demonstrating their common foundation scientifically and philosophically.
Thus, he has earned as much merit through his new edition of the German mystics as through his translation and explanation of the Bhagavad Gita, the holy book of the East, which can hardly be compared to any other of equal value.
In addition to the 21 volumes[3] of his Lotusblüten, he wrote several special works and many essays for German and English journals, as well as giving many public and private lectures on his travels. He was a master of language and the art of representation and, as no mystic before him could do, brought the most important problems of existence close to the mind as well as the heart in such a clear, simple and yet scientific form. There are two things that form the center of his explanations: The unity of the essence (God) and the brotherhood of mankind as the redemptive act. Hartmann’s writings are religious in the highest sense of the word and will retain their place in world literature as long as people continue to concern themselves with the great problems of life. In these works, the German people possess a treasure of the highest and lasting value, and we can only hope that it becomes the household treasure of every educated family of our people.
By founding the “International Theosophical Brotherhood” in 1897, which has since become widespread and has its headquarters in Leipzig, he created a living bearer of his ideas, which is intended to spread theosophical brotherhood as a living idea, to awaken it in the peoples and to cultivate it. The founding of the I.T.V. was in a certain sense a reformation. The theosophical movement was also widespread in Germany, but the character of the movement had changed due to the pursuit of occult powers and the emergence of people who acted and taught as authorities. When Franz Hartmann saw that a return to the original principles was not possible here, he founded the organization of the I.T.V. on the basis of tolerance and the recognition of the unity of being first established by H. P. Blavatsky. This theosophical organization therefore has nothing to do with confession and compulsory belief, just as little to do with party politics and with people, with their views and mistakes. It also abstains from the production of occult phenomena, as well as from the addiction to occult powers. Brotherhood is the sole aim, which is sought and realized through purity of mind and love for all beings. This is by no means intended to be antagonistic or competitive with other related associations. The I.T.V. is in harmony with all the organizations which work for theosophy in their method; yet it is independent, separate in form, in order to work according to its own nature for the enlightenment and salvation of humanity.
Thus Franz Hartmann accomplished a tremendous work. He was a wise and dedicated teacher of humanity, who served his divine master selflessly and faithfully and lit a light that has already shown many the way out of the night of ignorance and will continue to be a guide for the broad sections of the population when, perhaps only after great suffering, they seek the truth and work on their inner destiny. We look up to the great friend of humanity with gratitude and can only hope and help that his work is generally spread and recognized, for the benefit of suffering and searching humanity.
Notes:
[1]Life and work of Dr. Franz Hartmann [Leben und Wirken Dr. Franz Hartmanns. Von Walter Einbeck. Theosophische Kultur XVII/9 (1922)] Translation from German by Robert Hutwohl ©2025
[2][R.H.—In this article, Mr. Einbeck is using extractions from Dr. Hartmann’s “Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der ‘Lotusblüten.’ ” (Memorable Recollections from the life of the author of the “Lotusblüten.”)] See my translation of the same.]
[3][R.H—Dr. Franz Hartmann wrote and edited 16 Lotusblüten journals and later, 7 Neue Lotusblüten, totaling 23 volumes.]