Translation from the German by Robert Hutwohl[1]
“Learn to distinguish between the permanent and the ephemeral.”
(Shankaracharya) [Śaṅkarācarya]
One of the most difficult problems for the aspiring “occultist” is grasping the meaning of the word “Lucifer.” “Lucifer” is the opposite of “Christ,” he is its counterpart. (Diabolus est deus inversus.) [The devil is God inverted.] Whoever recognizes the true nature of Lucifer also recognizes the nature of Christ. Those who do not know Christ do not know Lucifer either. He who does not know the eternal cannot distinguish it from the transitory.
“Lucifer” means a “bearer of light,” i.e., the power that brings “light” to people, the ability to understand. But two kinds of light are to be distinguished, namely the light of God, i.e., the light of divine wisdom (Theosophy), which no man can grasp or comprehend as long as he is still caught in the limitations that self-delusion imposes on him, and the reflection of this light in the earthly man, which the self-conceited man considers his “own” because it springs from his self-conceit. The imperishable light is divine knowledge and divine love that is elevated above all personal “self-knowledge” and “self-will”; the other is the wisdom of the earthly scholars, which is largely based on conceit and delusion and on inferences from deceptive appearances in which the truth is not recognized.
We know that every thing arises from one of the three basic qualities in nature; viz. out of obscurity or stupidity; secondly from passion or covetousness, and thirdly from truth. No light can come out of darkness; but when the light penetrates the darkness, the darkness disappears. On the other hand, the light of the sun can be reflected by bodies that are suitable for this purpose. So e.g., the light of the sun is thrown back from the moon, and in this way the moon gets its “own” light, which, however, is not really its own. As long as it is night, the moonlight does us good service; but when the sun rises (which we can neither promote nor prevent by our own will), we no longer need the deceptive moonlight. Nor can we produce the sunlight within ourselves. We step outside, or open the curtains on the window, and enjoy the sunlight that no sane person will mistake for his “own.”
It is the same with the light of intelligence. Christ is the sun, Lucifer the moon. As long as we are not enlightened by the light of the knowledge of God, we must be content with the reflection of it in our selfhood. But since this selfhood is only an illusion, brought about by the “blinding of the appearance” and the erroneous idea of being separate that arises from it, all sorts of illusions are also called into existence by this counter-appearance; Self-conceit arises, “self-knowledge,” “self-righteousness,” vanity, megalomania, greed and finally that delusion that makes people believe that the whole world exists only for their “I” and to serve their self-interests; while the knowledge of God teaches him that this putative “I,” is a nothingness in his being, a temporary, ephemeral phenomenon. On the other hand, if man escapes this limitation through his self-delusion, if he renounces his false “I” and if he grows out of it, the divine truth is revealed in him; the light of the knowledge of God (Theosophy) penetrates him from all sides without his doing as soon as he leaves the dungeon that holds him captive; it is no longer “his” light, but the light of God who has become manifest in him, which shines on him. Then self-conceit, “self-knowledge” is over. Since his “self” is no longer present in his imagination, this “self” can no longer know anything. What knows and recognizes in him is the God-man born in him, called “Jesus.” But how few can be raised to that height!
“Lucifer” can therefore be regarded as the human ingenuity, “Christ” (more correctly written Chrestos) as the divine mind freed from all selfhood, the self-knowledge of truth. This light of knowledge comes of itself and without effort to anyone who overcomes the light that comes from Lucifer; but whoever seeks the light of God through the light of Lucifer will not find it. Whoever tries to penetrate the divine mysteries by means of his own astuteness will find nothing but empty theories. The truth is far too great and man far too small to be able to appropriate it in his own selfhood. Anyone who wants to get to know eternal truth must enter it by sacrificing himself to it; he must open his heart to her and consecrate his existence to her, and this can only be done through the power of the divine, i.e., happen to selfless love.
Therefore, if the light of divine wisdom comes to us without our making the slightest effort as soon as we step out of the limited circle of our self-conceit, on the other hand, precisely this stepping out, this letting go, requires the beloved self-deception, the greatest power that can only be found in the love of truth. It does no good that we think we can ignore “Lucifer” until we have found “Christ.” Not by ignoring Lucifer, but only by overcoming him through Christ’s power can we come to Christ. Once we have come to Christ, to the knowledge of the truth, then we can safely ignore Lucifer. In other words, as long as we have not attained inner enlightenment through the light of the knowledge of God, we cannot do without our own thinking and striving; but if the knowledge of the truth enters us, then we are above all our own striving. When the eternal truth is revealed in us, all our own suppositions and delusions cease. When we enter the light and recognize it in us, we ourselves are the light and no longer need to search for the light. Before the light of divine self-knowledge, all human theory vanishes, as the morning mist dissipates when the sun rises. Where self-delusion ends, there remains only God.
The truth in man recognizes the truth, the appearance the appearance. To research the external phenomena in nature and their relationships to one another requires the comparative, analytical human mind; but the eternal essence of all things is only one. There is nothing to compare and analyze. Whoever recognizes them recognizes the essence of things and ceases to take appearance for essence, both in relation to oneself and in relation to everything that surrounds him; he recognizes the essence of everything in himself, and his own true infinite self as the essence of everything. Upon this ground of knowledge of God all human knowledge should be built, from this center of direct knowledge of truth all things should be judged; only then could one speak of a real and true science and philosophy. It is not a matter of raving and dreaming of the self, but of overcoming this raving, dreaming, musing and delusional “self.” Of what use is it to me if I have read all sorts of theories about rings, races and rounds, about the “astral plane” and what can happen after death, etc., and also understood what is meant by that. All these theories, insofar as they are correct, are good to take the place of other theories which are incorrect and prevent us from seeing the truth; but they are far from being knowledge of the truth. What another tells us is not our knowledge; only when the truth itself is revealed within us does the darkness, the “I” disappear and clarity emerges.
In the vast majority of people, the light of Lucifer shines and blinds them from seeing the light of truth. The light of truth shines in all hearts, but few recognize it; because it can only be known through self-sacrifice in the power of love. Not by giving up wanting and knowing, or by inaction, but by overcoming “self-will” and “self-knowledge,” through the birth of the God-man in the animal man, through the awakening of God-knowledge in the earthly human mind, with everything earthly disappearing in it, it is found through an awakening of true self-awareness, in which no more delusion of selfhood exists. This self-sacrifice in the power of divine love leads to true knowledge, eternal life and the power of wisdom or “white magic.” The other way is to subordinate the inflowing power of God-knowledge to one’s own animal self and to make it subservient to its self-interests and all that goes with them. This path leads to “black magic” and the death of the soul; for everything that makes the deceptive “I” strong in man only serves to strengthen something transitory which stands in the way of true knowledge and should not be strengthened but overcome. But since this self is transient and since everything returns to its origins in the end, all of its “self-knowledge” and “self-skills” perish with this transient “I.” Many pursue the quest for wisdom as a “sport,” and many adorn themselves with it, but few love wisdom more than themselves. However, we are also given the divine powers to use them to the best of our knowledge, but since these powers are of God, we should not misuse them by using them for selfish purposes; they belong to the divinity in man and not to the animal man. For this reason, one should also do the good that one does, not out of self-conceit or self-interest, but in the power of divine love only for the good’s sake. But the really good can only be accomplished when knowledge is perfect; for only then is the distinction between good and evil complete. This selfless knowledge is divine wisdom or “theosophy.”
To be distinguished from the pure knowledge of God are the teachings which are nowadays known under the name of “Theosophy,” the purpose of which is to teach people correct concepts about their own nature, their position in the universe and the purpose of their existence on earth. They are not Theosophy itself, and a theoretical knowledge of them is not enough to make someone a theosophist. They are the teachings of Theosophy only inasmuch as they emanate from men who have actually come to the self-knowledge of the truth, and their purpose is to smooth the way for those who have not yet come to attain it. But whether these teachings spring from the borrowed light of Lucifer or from the light of self-knowledge is decided only by the light of the knowledge of the truth itself.
Note:
[i] “Lucifer.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 9, no. 53 (February 1897), 79-89. {This article was reformatted from the original, but with the content unchanged other than fixing minor typos. Translation from the German by Robert Hutwohl, ©2025}