[Soll man die Verstorbenen betrauern?]

Translation from the German by Robert Hütwohl^[1]

“There is no death, only transformation.”

In order to answer this question, it is necessary to get to know the existence into which man enters when he has left his body for good. For those who have the ability to leave their mortal shell while their bodies are asleep, to move fully conscious on the “astral plane,” to capture the impressions received there, and to remember them upon physical awakening, life in the “Beyond” is no longer a riddle; but for those who have not had these experiences themselves, death is a difficult puzzle to solve. The literature certainly abounds with writings by clairvoyant persons and alleged communications from the dead, in which the conditions after death are described; just reading descriptions of things you haven’t experienced yourself gives no assurance that the descriptions are true. Only from one’s own experience does the conviction and one’s own knowledge emerge.

          Gone are the days when it was etiquette, if one wished to be considered a man of “education,” to regard spiritualism as an abolished superstition, or to shrug the shoulders contemptuously at its phenomena; for, ever since the greatest scholars of the most diverse countries have occupied themselves with the investigation of these phenomena and have given testimony of the facts which they observed, a person who denies these things can only be made a fool of in educated circles by his ignorance. But however widely observed and confirmed these facts are, the learned world is still very much in the dark as to the nature of the apparently intelligent causes which produce these phenomena. One finds in spiritism a playground of apparently self-acting forces, endowed with will and intelligence of their own, the nature of which one does not know. It’s like being at a masquerade ball where you can hear crowds of hooded figures talking and acting, yet not knowing who they are.

          But sometimes it is also possible during a masquerade to recognize a good acquaintance, despite his disguise, by his voice, his behavior or other peculiarities, and it also happens in the field of spiritism or spiritualism that one is dealing with communication with people separated from the body and recognizes one acquaintance among them under circumstances which leave no room for doubt. We then have the right to place the same trust in such a “spirit” that we gave it during its life in the material body, and if it was known to us to be a truthful man and, moreover, its testimonies are confirmed by many other witnesses, then we may do so we probably trust them to be right. It then remains for us to examine whether they are consistent with our own experience and reconcilable with reason. However, the following must be borne in mind:

          First, that a human being cannot immediately become omniscient and omnipotent by separating from his material body, and consequently his knowledge and ability, though extended to his new sphere of existence, must nevertheless still be limited.

          Secondly, that existence outside of the physical body is different from existence in it, and consequently different conditions prevail in the world of the departed than when in our material world, and that it will therefore often be just as difficult for the departed to come to terms with these conditions to describe when it may be difficult for us to grasp spiritual things of which we have no personal experience.

          Thirdly, it is reasonable to suppose that there are laws in the spirit world which prevent the departed from revealing certain secrets to us, even if they knew them and could communicate them to us, thereby making it possible to avoid some misfortune or impede a crime; for, apart from the fact that there are certain forebodings, warnings, and prophecies, which, as a rule, are little heeded, it is also certain that mankind’s destiny is to learn by experience, and to gain and develop his powers by his own effort. If people are blindly allowed themselves to be guided through an unfamiliar spirit world, all self-consciousness and spiritual growth would come to an end. One’s own thinking and the development of one’s own strength would cease, individuality would disappear, blind delusions of authority and superstition would take the place of self-knowledge, and mankind would be even more like a flock of sheep which blindly follows their bellwether without using their own judgement. But from our communication with the departed we can certainly learn the following:

1. 1. 1. We are all “spirits” and the difference between the “living” and the so-called “deceased” is only that the former have a material body with material sense organs, while the deceased have shed this outer covering. Philosophy and the doctrine of religion provide the theoretical proof that man not only has spirit, but that his true ego is spirit itself; the practical conviction of this is found in the awakening of one’s higher self-awareness.

1. 1. 2. In addition to the physical, material and visible body, man also has an etheric, psychic or so-called “astral body”^[2] which is invisible to the material, external sense organs under ordinary circumstances, but which under certain conditions can condense and become visible. Evidence of this is provided by the well-known apparitions of the deceased and ghost photographs.

1. 1. 3. This etheric body, which separates from the visible body at death, is an exact, if perhaps more idealized, image of the material body and possesses the same organs and faculties, such that, owing to its ethereal nature, it is unable under normal circumstances to to work physically on the material plane. The proof of this is furnished by the study of dream life, and the practical experience of it is open to those who, while still alive, have acquired the ability to leave their material body temporarily in using the astral body with full consciousness and on their return, to recall and relate to the experiences made there.

1. 1. 4. A spiritual communication between the spirits of the living and the spirits of the departed is not only possible, but takes place every day and everywhere. The proof of this is provided not only by the history of religion and spiritualism, but also by the fact that even spiritual communication between living people at great distances is possible, although their souls are still bound to their bodies, such as the long-distance effect of the thoughts, telepathy, etc. witnessed. To the liberated spirit, the presence of the material body is an immaterial thing in relation to spiritual communication, whether with embodied or defunct human beings.

1. 1. 5. Death is the separation of the soul (the Ego) with its etheric body from the material body. A separation of these two already occurs during sleep,^[3] so that to a certain extent every instance of falling asleep is a “dying,” only with the difference that in real dying this separation is complete and no return is possible, while in a sleeping person the re-entry of the astral body and the return of the awakening mind. The proof of the latter is provided by the appearances of living persons in distant places while their bodies are asleep, but above all by the knowledge of the processes of one’s own inner soul life, which everyone can investigate within himself.

1. 1. 6. There is a possibility that the spirits of the departed in their astral bodies may as easily commune with the spirits of men who are in their astral bodies while the material body is asleep as living persons commune with one another on the physical plane. With the great majority of people, however, there is no or at least no clear recollection of the ensuing communication upon waking, because their material brain is not yet sufficiently refined to retain such mental impressions, or the recollection of them fades upon full awakening. The proof of this is provided by the dream life experiences which anyone can have when they are mature enough. The kind of spiritual experiences of which a man is capable depends not on his whims, but on the development of his mental and psychic faculties. Therefore, if we cannot consciously associate with those we love who have “dead,” it is due to our own lack of spiritual development.

1. 1. 7. Though the circumstances leading to an eventual separation of the soul from the material body, such as sickness and the like, may be painful, dying in itself is as painless as falling asleep, and the separation of the soul from the material body is accomplished without pain under ordinary circumstances. Whether this separation is easier or more difficult will depend on whether the soul of the dying person is still very attached to material existence or whether it is happy to leave the earthly body. It often happens that the deceased (including those who died under circumstances of a sudden death) do not want to believe that they are separated from the physical body and cannot make themselves felt by the relatives present.

1. 1. 8. Death is a birth into another existence, and this existence initially appears little or not at all different from material existence. Man is born naked into this world, and naked he enters the “astral world”; but the spirit when freed from coarse matter has the creative power to create for itself what it needs, and through the power of thought and will it instinctively creates the clothing which it needs. He can move about freely, and if he pleases, he can even attend the burial of his body.^[4] He sees what those left behind are doing and hears what is being said. He has all his sense organs just as they were before death, and perhaps even more perfect because their material covering is removed; his sex is also the same. His etheric body is the image of the physical; only the imperfections of the latter no longer cling to it. As already mentioned, he can also socialize with his friends who are still alive while they are asleep.

1. 1. 9. The further condition of the deceased depends on his character, the knowledge, inclinations, talents, etc. acquired during his life, but especially as to his habits and desires. Here it is particularly to be noted that after he has shed his material body, his psychic and spiritual qualities become more prominent, further that the images which he bears within him assume objective forms, and lastly that like joins like and rejects the unequal. There, thought carries man to where ever he thinks; he creates a thought-form through his thinking, and identifying himself with it, he himself is that form. Also, each being has a form or appearance appropriate to its character and thus can take on beautiful and ugly forms according to its good or evil qualities and memories. It is not improbable that a fully animalized human being may also take on an animal form, or rather be compelled by his character to take one. His appearance is the product of his involuntary imagination. When a living person directs his thoughts to a certain distant place, he sends a part of himself there like a ray of light, and a mental image of himself arises there. If his thinking is intense enough to also transfer his consciousness there, then it is, he is actually there himself, though his material body cannot accompany him. It will be similar with the souls of the departed who are still bound to this earth by a memory, wish or desire. By this law the criminal may be bound to the scene of his crime, the miser to his buried treasure, the vengeful to the object of his vengeance, and the like. Some spooky stories can be explained by the formation of such animate thought-forms. “Where the carcass lays, there the vultures gather.” The soul will dwell there where it is drawn based on its nature.

          The souls of those who have become of good will or free from earthly attractions enjoy the operation of the same law. Sooner or later they are attracted to that sphere of existence where they naturally belong, and their guardian angel, their higher Ego, accompanies and protects them. They find those antecedents with whom they are in love, and the ideals they have assimilated are realized for them.

          At our material level, the subjective develops due to the connection with the objective life; in the spirit world, the objective environment develops out of the subjective life and the forces hidden in it. In addition, there is the fact that similar things attract and connect each other and as a result everyone finds what suits him, be it good or bad. The egoist stays in his narrow shell and may find very unpleasant colleagues there; the wide world of heaven belongs to the one who has become free, and he shares the bliss of its inhabitants.

          We see from these rational considerations, the subject of which is by no means exhaustively treated here, but is only indicated in outline, that the states of the departed can vary infinitely, according to their different characters, wills, and thoughts. But the character of man is formed and strengthened in this life through his actions, if it happens according to his will and thoughts, and the lesson emerges from this that taking this circumstance to heart is of the greatest importance for everyone; for life in “this world” is like a short, fleeting dream compared to the duration of existence in the “hereafter,” and the causes we create during that dream have long-lasting consequences. Within ourselves are contained the germs of good and evil; those we tend to develop become trees whose fruits we then enjoy, whether they be sweet or bitter. We already have heaven or hell in ourselves, and death doesn’t change anything, only that the life of the inner human being comes to the fore through the cessation of external vital activity. The material body falls away, but man now appears for what he really is. Consequently, we have no reason to mourn the dead, because in reality they are not dead at all.

          Usually when one mourns someone who has passed away, one is mourning only for the loss one has suffered by their passing, and thus one is not mourning for him but for oneself. But this mourning does not essentially spring from selfless love towards the deceased, but egoism and the ignorance of the law of karma, which proves to us, among other things, that everything has its two sides, and that what appear to be the greatest evils often contain the greatest benefits, even if we do not immediately recognize them as such detect; for divine wisdom is higher and deeper than human calculation can fathom. Just one example can be given here: How often does it happen that a feeble, spineless person is only forced to exert his own strength because he loses his support and only then achieves an individual character and independence in life.

          But as for mourning over the deceased, for his sake, it is foolish and useless. If the deceased was a good person, he has not lost anything essential through death, but rather attained a higher, freer existence. He will not go without his material body and will not wish to return to it, and if he needs one for his further progress, the “Good Law” (Karma) ensures that he will return to the path of reincarnation at the appropriate time obtain a material body suitable for him. Feelings of sorrow would only cast a shadow over his luminous existence and awaken in him earthly feelings over which he must rise, disturb his peace of mind, impair his bliss and burden him with a burden that drags him down; for in the life of the spirit, thoughts are substantial things which have a powerful effect even at a distance. It is so for the living, and even more so for the departed.

          But if the deceased were a man afflicted with passions and imperfections, sins or vices, it would be of no avail to mourn him, and our melancholy could not serve to help his soul to free itself from its burden, but would rather be suited to increase it still further and to thicken and darken the mist surrounding it even more; while a luminous souvenir, an uplifting reminder of his good qualities, can be useful to him too and uplift him. The old saying: “De mortuis nil nisi bene” (one should speak nothing but good of the dead) has its deep scientific meaning; because being remembered awakens the memory. The emotional states of the living affect the souls of the departed and departing. Therefore, when someone takes leave of earthly life, the bystanders should not make it difficult for him to say goodbye with mourning, lamentation, shouting and the like, but rather greet and celebrate it as an initiation into a higher state.^[5] Forcibly dragging the departed down into the material, which can be possible under certain circumstances, is reprehensible, and that is why all wise men condemn necromancy or the conjuring up of the dead as the greatest crime.

          If there is anything worth mourning, it is not the dead but the living who deserve our mourning, that is, those who do not use their precious life on this earth to find their immortal self, their soul, and thereby awaken to true life and self-consciousness. To these belongs, however, by far the largest majority of the present generation; for the outer life makes ceaseless demands, and there is no time to attend to the eternal interests of the inner immortal man, which are of incomparably greater importance than all conventional claims, pastimes, and amusements. We are not inclined to regard earthly life as a vale of tears and hang our heads; but by being attached to worthless things and by filling the mind with all sorts of filth, we are continually creating new thought-forms and enlivening them with our will. These accompany us when we say goodbye to life, and we may find it very difficult to get rid of them again; for they shall live as long as their memory lives. The “forgiveness of sins” consists in the release of memories of useless or harmful actions; the dead thought-forms are the “dead” of whom it is written, “Let the dead bury their ‘dead,’ ” and in exchanging the worthless and perishable, after one has convinced oneself of its worthlessness, for the valuable and enduring there is the great renunciation by which man approaches the divine state and, by means of an inward resurrection, attains true self-knowledge and mastery over himself.

          Mourning for the deceased is not only useless but directly harmful, both for the deceased, to whom these gloomy feelings are sent and which can envelop him in a dark cloud, as it were, and for the mourner himself, who is harmed by it. On the other hand, it is of great benefit to both parties if the deceased is sent good and light-filled thoughts which lift him up. Anyone who has the understanding that thoughts are powers, and that it is also advantageous for a living person to have a good thought sent to him, will also recognize that praying for the departed can be of great benefit to him; for the right prayer consists in an elevation of the soul to the Divine, and has in it a spiritual power which reaches and is bestowed on the dead; for though he has discarded his physical body, apart from that he is still the same man, and perhaps even more receptive to spiritual impressions than before. Therefore, instead of vainly mourning those who have discarded the material body and taken leave of earthly life, we should rather wish them from the heart that they may find within themselves the tranquility of mind and soul necessary to their salvation, and that, may the inextinguishable light of true knowledge shine upon them, which comes to the soul when it has become free from all earthly desires and has become conscious of its true existence among the eternal.

Notes:

^[1] Should One Mourn the Deceased? [Soll man die Verstorbenen betrauern? Franz Hartmann, M.D. Neue Lotusblüten 1, no. 7-8 (July-August 1908), 239-258.] {This was reformatted from the original, but with the content unchanged other than fixing minor typos. Translation from the German by Robert Hütwohl, ©2025}

^[2] {R.H.—In Sanskrit: liṅga-śarīra.}

^[3] {R.H.—A separation but not disconnection can occur. A disconnection would mean death.}

^[4] {R.H.—However, under normal circumstances, there is a 3-day period by which the departed soul reviews the present past life experiences when it was using the physical body and therefore is not able to focus on the earth plane during that time. This period may vary. This is the reason for administering burial only after 3 days upon death, so that the departed entity may “witness it.” Rarely is this followed mainly because of the lack of occult knowledge pertaining to death.}

^[5] {R.H.—Thus, the practice of “hiring” women to wail at a middle eastern funeral procession makes no sense, but is based on having forgotten their ancient esoteric understanding about death. Wailing only slows down the moving away from the terrestrial..}