Note[1]
There are two ways, which lead to true religion, or, to express it in other words; to the realization of absolute truth; namely, knowledge and possession. Neither of these two is perfect without the other; for we cannot really know a thing unless we are in possession of it, and the possession of a thing will not be realized unless we know it. No one can come into possession of divine wisdom, by merely learning a definition of it, and the possession of truth is of little benefit to us, unless we become conscious of it; because wisdom is the realization of absolute truth. If it once becomes manifested within ourselves, we recognize it and require no other proof of its presence, than that recognition; for truth, if once recognized, is self-evident and proves itself; otherwise inference would be higher than truth itself. Every logical conclusion, every mathematical or philosophical deduction rests ultimately upon the recognition of a self-evident truth, which cannot be proved; without the admission of such an universally recognized and self-evident principle, no discussion would be possible.
There is an old maxim, recognized by every occultist, which says: “He who has the One has everything; he who has not that One, has nothing; because within the One everything is contained and everything comes of that One.”
It is asked: What is the One and how can we come into possession of it?
Spirit is the essence of all things. It is life, light, consciousness. All the faculties of human nature are rays of the spirit. The life, light and consciousness, which we find manifested in nature cannot be the highest; they cannot create immortal love, supreme intelligence, divine wisdom. The manifestations of powers in eternal nature are not their own causes; they are evidently caused by the action of underlying spiritual principles, whose presence cannot be scientifically demonstrated, but which may be perceived by the spiritual recognition of the soul of man.
What are the highest powers and faculties, of which we are capable of thinking?
All-love, all-knowledge, omnipotence. We can think of such states; but we cannot comprehend their nature; because in our own state as limited beings we cannot grasp that which is universal and infinite. We cannot accommodate God to our intellectual understanding; we can only perceive and study the manifestations of his love, wisdom and power. Love, intelligence, strength are the highest thinkable qualities of human nature and they are manifested to a certain extent in all beings. They are eternal and immortal principles, which never die, even if the forms in which they become divine all-knowledge; man’s loves, even if they are perverted, are products of the action of divine all-love; power within that which is limited, is the same as omnipotence in the eternal. All-knowledge beholds the all of eternity within the past, present and future; all-love embraces all the worlds and everything therein without any distinction or preferences; omnipotence carries out what all-knowledge decides and all-love demands. In man’s constitution, love, intelligence and strength are united and may become developed to the highest extent.
Man’s wisdom, being a manifestation of divine wisdom in him, cannot be acquired in any other way, except by establishing the conditions in which such a manifestation may take place in his soul. It cannot be acquired from reading of books. A tree cannot gather the blossoms of another tree and produce fruits thereof. Each tree has to spread its own branches towards the sunshine and let itself be pervaded by the light, that causes nutriment to be absorbed by the roots and to rise to the top. Only those who live in the light of wisdom will become wise; mere talk about wisdom is idle and fruitless.
All-love is the experiencing of one’s own life in all other things. All-love asks nothing for any separate “self”; it creates and builds up throughout eternity; because to give itself and to nourish all, is the quality of real love. Thus should man love too. He should desire nothing of that love for himself; but whatever he receives of it, he should send out again to others. In this way he will become one with eternal love and attain immortal life in it. He who is able to truly love has gained the true life; his nature, becoming pervaded by divine love becomes one with it. He will no longer need to contemplate and decide what kind of loving actions he should perform, but perform them instinctively; for divine, universal love, being his own nature, speaks in his heart and uses him as an instrument for performing deeds of love and kindness towards all beings.
Man has no power whatever which is really his own. He cannot make himself live, walk, see, hear, feel or think. He can only use or misuse the powers which are lent to him by God and nature for the term of his life. He cannot himself create any power whatever. His powers are like rays and reflections of the sunlight, producing rainbow colors in a cut crystal. They disappear at the disappearance of the sun. But while he lives, these powers may become manifested and developed in him. The ordinary powers with which his external nature is endowed are known to a certain extent; but the divine powers slumbering in the interior of his nature are known only to few. If men and women were to be told what divine and magical powers are latent within them, they would not believe it. Nevertheless it is self-evident that God in them is identical with God in the universe and that his power in both is the same. Fortunately, these divine powers cannot be developed in man unless his nature becomes divine. Were it otherwise, men would misuse these powers and the world become a still greater hell than it already is.
Thus “practical theosophy” consists neither in scientific acquisitions, nor in such works as originate from the illusory conception of self; it is higher than all human speculation can go and begins where the “self” of man ends. It consists in the development of pure intelligence, unselfish love and spiritual power as manifestations of the principles of all-knowledge, all-love and omnipotence in the individuality called “man.”
Note:
[1] What is Practical Theosophy? Franz Hartmann, M.D. The Theosophical Forum 5, no. 2 (June 1899), 26-28. {This article was reformatted from the original, but with the content unchanged other than fixing minor typos, by Robert Hutwohl, ©2025}