[Theosophie und Philosophie]
Translation from the German by Robert Hutwohl[1]
From left to right: Subba Row, Bavadjee, H. P. Blavatsky
“My kingdom is not of this world.” (John XVIII. 36.)
Ever since the earliest times there have been people who have endeavored throughout their lives to gain clarity for themselves and others about God and the world, about the nature of man, his origin, the reason and purpose of his existence and his destiny, and yet the enigma of the world and of people is far from being solved, despite all the efforts of philosophers and theologians, because there is a lack of inner spiritual perception and experience, which is absolutely necessary for the cognition of spiritual things. That is why all the philosophical systems invented by man so far, only come close to the truth to the extent that their founders were capable of spiritual perception, or at least felt the truth intuitively, and even if the teachings arising from this religious knowledge are explained so very clearly, even the most astute thinkers, lacking in their own insight, have no understanding of that which lies beyond the horizon of their intellect, which is limited to sensuous perception and reasoning.
To the naturalist who wishes to learn the laws of external phenomena, observing their effects is a necessity; all true knowledge, both material and spiritual, comes from experience. Man has his external senses for perceiving material phenomena, his inner senses for perceiving and looking at spiritual things, but these are not yet open in everyone, and he has his intellect to examine and judge what he sees. The invention of the microscope and telescope has opened up new realms of research for natural science, and the more man spiritualizes, i.e., the more is awakened in him the consciousness of his higher immortal Self, his divine Master, indwelling but not enclosed in him, the more his inner senses will open; his intuition, which is only a glimmer coming from a higher sphere, will become the light of clear knowledge, and through this light coming from above he will gain a spiritual view of spiritual things, which always remains closed to the earthly intellect rummaging and brooding in the lower material. Without this inner experience, all religious knowledge rests only on blind belief and all speculative philosophy is only about changing opinions; the theoretician judges things he does not know just as the blind man judges colour; a philosopher is only on the right path if he is a “theosophist” at heart; that is, if he has in his heart a living faith in the highest ideal of mankind, truth.
The word “philosophy” (from philo = love, and sophia = wisdom) means “love of wisdom.” Wisdom is the knowledge of truth, and truth is supreme in the universe; it is reality and all else is appearance. Consequently, philosophy in the true sense of the word is the love of God, while the dominant “philosophy” of today is often subject to self-conceit and arises from the craving for the satisfaction of scientific curiosity. “Love of God” is love of truth, of justice and of everything that is highest for mankind. He who loves truth for its own sake will also find it; but he who seeks it only for the sake of his personal desires, lust for glory and greed to serve, to him it remains hidden. Whoever wants to penetrate into the kingdom of God, the kingdom of truth, must rise in spirit to those regions where earthly wisdom ends and divine wisdom begins; where human intellectual speculation ceases, the light of truth illumines the soul. This knowledge, which emerges from inner enlightenment, is true Theosophy.
Among the ancient sages there have been philosophers like Plato, Pythagoras, and others who, because they were initiates and based their philosophy on God-knowledge, have come very near to the truth, while the speculations of most professional philosophers of our day are products of the human-animal intellect, are, as it were, gymnastic exercises of the mind, which cannot rise above the material. They do not know what is true, but indulge in brooding over what they think might possibly be true, and turn a blind eye to the truth when it does not agree with their own ideas. Even if they discover the truth, their knowledge is based only on inference and not on their own experience. Goethe says:
“The philosopher enters
And establishes to you that it should be like this.
The first would be like this, the second like this,
And therefore the third and fourth like this;
And if it weren’t for the first and second,
The third and fourth would never be again.” (Faust.)
But where ever the truth reveals itself, there is no need for proofs, which are nothing more than a makeshift and are only in place where there is a lack of personal knowledge. There is nothing higher than the truth and therefore it needs no support. A truth, once known, is self-evident to him who knows it, and without this self-evident knowledge the truth of any proof could not be known either. That once one is one needs no proof, that’s what everyone’s reason tells, and reason adds: “It can’t be anything else.” But where knowledge rests only on ideas, the opinions of philosophers are usually very different; one contradicts the other, calls him a fool, and speaks of him with contempt. Some think they have solved the riddle of the world and have only created a dazzling soap bubble that bursts when touched. Many a man lies on his stomach and worships a god of his own making, and his imaginary god is, on closer inspection, but a caricature.
Thomas of Kempis says: “Blessed is he whom wisdom itself, teaches; not by fleeting images and words, but as it is in its essence.” But the light of wisdom cannot enter the temple of the human soul when doors and windows are shut by cherished errors and prejudices. Divine wisdom (Theosophy) is not human wisdom (anthroposophy). Christ (the God-man) says: “My kingdom is not of this world.” The human mind turned to this world of appearances can comprehend nothing higher than the things that belong to this world. However high he may rise in his infatuation, he always remains limited and cannot embrace the infinite. “All human knowledge is fragmentary,” it is superficial, and for lack of anything higher it is necessary and not to be despised; but only the Spirit of God comprehends the whole and penetrates into the depths. That is why St. Paul also says in his Letters to the Corinthians: “The wisdom of which I speak is not the wisdom of this world, but Theosophy, the hidden wisdom of God.”
But if this light is hidden from the rationalists and dogmatists digging for treasure in the dark, it is manifest to all those who emerge from the dust of the earthly and transitory, from the bonds of selfishness and the fetters of passion, to the light of true faith, which illuminates the sphere of the spirit for them.
“The spirit world is not closed;
Your mind is closed, your heart is dead!
On! Swim students, undaunted
The earthly breast in the dawn! (Faust.)
This true, living faith is a spiritual power, a higher state of consciousness, which has nothing to do with mere opinion and belief, but is based on inner illumination and is unknown to all those who do not feel their own higher self, i.e., not perceiving the presence of God in their hearts; for the spiritual belief in divine existence is based on contact with the divine; you cannot feel what you do not touch. In order to be able to truly believe in God, man must be aware that he lives in God and God in him (I Corinthians III. 16). But it is written that only those who are pure in heart can see God. Only those who are free live in freedom; the prisoner is a slave to his desires and errors, every sense of guilt clings to his soul like a leaden weight, pulls him down into the material world and, as it were, produces a painful bump on his astral body. Regarding the spiritual, there is no other completely indubitable and convincing revelation for us than the revelation of the spirit within us.
In order to get a picture of this process it may be useful to take a look at the occult constitution of the human organism and to remember that in the soul of man, as well as in the soul of the world, there are at least two regions which are to be distinguished: A higher one, the realm of light, perception and true knowledge, and a lower region where the human mind still wanders in the dark and gropes for things it cannot see. We can think of the various states of consciousness in the microcosm and macrocosm as a series of concentric circles; the innermost and narrowest as the region of self-delusion in which we live, and the outermost as the realm of wisdom to which we aspire; or we recognize the innermost of our mind as the seat of light to which we aspire, and the outer circle as the sense world with its delusions, from which we withdraw to enter the temple of God within. Both views are correct; for there is no local “above” and “below.” The deepest absorption in the state of meditation is also the highest elevation, and the highest elevation makes the interior free. The key to this is the will.
“Sink then! I could also say: Climb!”
(Faust, Part II.)
These different realms of consciousness are separated from each other, and the eternal cannot mingle with the transitory, nor can the lower draw down to itself or produce the higher; but the light of the upper shines into the lower and the lower is thereby enlightened. The Spirit of God is everywhere; it is in us too, even if we do not realize it because we are caught in the delusion of selfhood. If we let go of this illusion of individuality by overcoming it through the power of divine love and living faith, then the consciousness of God can awaken in us. In such moments man no longer recognizes his transitory selfhood, but his inseparable oneness with God. He is then no longer a “man” and also no “superman,” but as it were a living power of God in God and in harmony with other spiritual and divine beings. Man is God at heart, his ephemeral personality but a shadow; when he reaches true knowledge, the shadow disappears from his consciousness and he enters the light. The shadow cannot contain the light; only through the sacrifice of selfhood does the soul attain to the light. Self-sacrifice consists in man loving what is true in all things, and this love constantly guiding him in all his actions, even when it does not seem to be to his own advantage. In this way he makes himself capable of ever-growing knowledge; because true knowledge emerges from true selfless love. Whoever loves truth for its own sake, it impels him to his actions; such a person does not act “himself”; not in his own name, but in the name of his God and in his power. Through this he rises above his personality and enters the sphere of the gods.
This is the right beginning and way to true philosophy; the proper preparation for attaining occult science. Whoever follows this path will sooner or later, according to the law of karma, open the gates of the temple in this or another incarnation, where he will find the divine Master, who will be his guide in the knowledge of the higher worlds.
A real theosophist or “occultist” should thus be an initiate, a saint, an enlightened one. Such a person is also a “Christian” in the true sense of the word, if one understands by this term not a blind believer in an antiquated ecclesiastical system, but rather a person filled with the Holy Spirit of Christ [Buddhi]. We shall not inquire whether there are, or have been, among our well-known modern philosophers; but there is no doubt that such initiates, enlightened ones and wise ones still live in secret, be it in Tibet or elsewhere, who have come to the union of consciousness with the divine spirit and are in a sense the spiritual guides of mankind. Their teachings form the basis of all religious systems of the East as well as the West and are not confined to any particular faculty; Because, since the whole universe, the visible world as well as the invisible regions, as Jacob Böhme teaches, has emerged from his wisdom through the divine will, Theosophy also includes the spiritual world with all its powers: “He who sees God in all things, he is the real seer.” (Bhagavad Gītā. XIII. 27.)
Such Adepts are citizens of the heavenly world and are free to roam within it; for though they still inhabit the physical body they are not attached to it, because the organization of their astral or thought body is so highly developed that they can leave and re-enter the physical body at will and consciously. Such “high priests” and hierophants were also active in initiations among the ancient Egyptians, and in modern times the personality of H. P. Blavatsky presents us as a disciple and emissary of such Adepts. She herself speaks of the way in which she was taught, by the following:
“Knowledge comes through contemplation. Visions come first in dreams and then in images presented to the inner eye during meditation. In this way I was taught the whole system of evolution, the law of life and everything I know, the mysteries of death, the workings of karma, and so on. Not a word of any of this was spoken to me in the usual way, except perhaps in confirmation of what was seen; nothing was taught to me in writing. Everything learned in this way is so clear, so convincing, and makes such an indelible impression on the mind, that all other methods of teaching seem almost worthless by comparison.”
Other occultists have had similar experiences, but I do not know of any Doctors of Philosophy among them.
This is not to say that speculative philosophy, human thought, and what is called “science” are to be despised. Everything is good insofar as it suits its purpose. Where there is no railroad, one is satisfied with the stagecoach. For those who cannot travel to see foreign countries, the travelogues offer a substitute; but the correct knowledge of the country and people can only be gained by those who have been there themselves; and however much the philosophers and theologians try to find out what it is like in heaven, they will not know for sure until they have been to heaven themselves.
Fortunately everything in nature is so wisely arranged that in this respect our wishes can also be fulfilled; for heaven and hell are not only outside our bodies but also within ourselves, and each one can have his experience of it if he endeavors to look within himself and find there the spirit of self-knowledge. When there is clarity within himself, the light of truth will also be revealed to him. All knowledge relating to spiritual facts that is not based on this self-knowledge and personal perception is only theory.
“Dullness, dear friend, is all theory,
But green [is] the golden tree of life.” (Faust.)
The truth of the teachings of Theosophy rests not on the correctness of theories, nor on the credibility of H. P. Blavatsky, St. Paul, or any other person. You can certainly show another person the way to knowledge and teach him, but everyone has to acquire this knowledge himself; no one else can do this for him, just as no one can eat or drink for another. You can show a person the way; but he must walk it himself, otherwise he will not reach his goal.
There has never been a lack of such signposts and guides. Through the teachings of the enlightened, the teachings of wisdom are spread. Religious systems are formed there, but like every thing in the world, they have their periods of emergence, flowering, ripening and decay.
“Form fades and new life blooms from the ruins.”
What is perishable perishes, what is born dies in the end; but the eternal, self-existing remains. When in the course of time the sublime teachings of wisdom disappear from the memory of mankind, the spirit is driven out by the being of forms and ignorance takes over, then a new master appears on earth to raise people up again and to proclaim the ancient teachings anew. The Bhagavad Gītā says:
“So often people’s sense of justice and truth
Disappears and the injustice
Raise your head, I’ll be born again
At the right moment. That is what the Law wants.” (Ch. IV. verse 7.)
We have good reason to believe that the Great Spirit (Mahātma), whose student and instrument was H. P. Blavatsky, used her organism to warn the world of the coming of a new “Messiah,” i.e., prepare for a new period of enlightenment. In fact, a new spirit was already coming into the world through them. Since the founding of the “Theosophical Society” in 1875, the movement it created has spread all over the world with unimagined rapidity and the new teachings have brought many thousands of aids to their progress, which they had previously found in vain in the speculations of philosophers, in ecclesiastical articles of faith, or in materialism, rationalism, atheism, agnosticism, spiritism, etc. In these teachings we find a world view that eclipses all previous views. We see there a union of true religion and true science; through them the foundation is laid for a brotherhood of all mankind; they give us reasoning as to the states of the soul after the death of the shell in which the soul occupies; by them both the folly of the fear of death and the futility of suicide are exposed. Theosophy leads man on the way to perfection; through them he finds his freedom. Then unbelief disappears, as does superstition, and man himself becomes the guardian of his immortality. Theosophy or knowledge of God is the eternal light that shines on man and of which it is said: ‘Whoever follows me will not wander in darkness.’
Note
[1] Theosophy and Philosophy [Theosophie und Philosophie. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Neue Lotusblüten 3, nos. 5-6 (May-June 1910), 129-145] {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}