[Der Geist der Weisheit[1] [2] [3]]
Translation from the German by Robert Hutwohl
At Pentecost is celebrated among Christians, the commemoration of the day on which, according to the Bible, the Spirit of wisdom was poured out upon the apostles, and enabled them to speak words of wisdom previously unknown to them; but it would do us little good to believe that such an outpouring took place almost two thousand years ago, and that others would have become wise, if we did not know that this Spirit, which is the light and spiritual life of men, also now and always shines in the darkness, and that we are all capable of receiving it if we open our hearts to it and let it enter us. This outpouring is not tied to any particular day of the year; whoever loves what is true can celebrate his resurrection from the night of ignorance into the light of self-knowledge at any time.
Our ability to work externally, theosophically depends on this reception of the spirit of truth. The law of concentration and expansion prevails everywhere in nature, in the spiritual as well as in the material. A tree must first grow from a seed before it can provide shade. Whoever wants to teach others should first gather knowledge himself, and whoever wants to spread the light of truth must first become a lamp of it, himself. If this light shines through him and fills every corner of his soul with clarity, then he is a bearer of light and is called to lead people to the light.
One such luminary was H. P. Blavatsky. She was not the spirit itself, but a bearer of it. Many spiritless people still see in her only the candlestick, but not the light; but it brought light to many thousands who were able to distinguish between the lamp stand and the light. H. P. Blavatsky snatched the world from corrupting superstition and gave scientific support to true belief, and the theosophical movement which she started has now spread to all sections of the populace.
[Theosophical] Societies have been formed in all countries which serve this movement, and each of these Theosophical Societies is intended to give its members the opportunity to become luminaries of the light and bearers of the spirit of truth. Not that they claim to have a monopoly on the possession of wisdom, but they differ from other ecclesiastical and scientific associations in that they allow complete freedom of thought, both religious and scientific, and give everyone the opportunity to learn fully the sublime teachings of the Adepts, leaving it to him to reconcile them with his reason.
This requires not only intellectual research, but also the overcoming of egoism. It is only by climbing the mountain of knowledge does our horizon expand. If you want to wait down in the valley until the view comes down to you, you’ll wait in vain. Self-knowledge and self-control are mutually dependent. The more a man realizes his true Self, the easier it will be for him to master his lower nature, and the more he transcends it, the wider the field of his spiritual vision becomes, until finally he sees himself as the all in all.
This abandoning of the delusion of individuality and the realization of the unity of the Holy Spirit in the universe is promoted by, and on the other hand springs from, love of the spirit at large and all its manifestations in the innumerable forms of existence; for only those who recognize themselves in all creatures can love them all as they love themselves. It would be asking too much of humanity at this stage of development to require that people should love one another as themselves; but it is time that they learned to tolerate and support one another, and especially in this respect the Theosophical Societies should be a model for all others. Where intolerance reigns, the cause is to be found in lack of love and the presence of self-conceit. Sectarianism is the same in churches and associations as egoism is in detail. Whoever grows beyond that, reaches freedom and comes out of the night to the light. Greed closes the door to wisdom, but love opens it, and where the spirit of lies disappears, the holy spirit of truth enters.
Notes
[1] The Spirit of Wisdom. [Der Geist der Weisheit. Franz Hartmann. Theosophischer Wegweiser 5, no. 9 (June 1903), 252-255] {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}
[2] From the letter of welcome from Dr. Franz Hartmann to the members of the “Theosophical Society” (I.T.V.) in Germany who had gathered in Leipzig at Pentecost 1903.
[3] Aus dem Begrüssungsschreiben Dr. Franz Hartmanns an die zu Pfingsten 1903 in Leipzig versammelten Mitglieder der “Theosophischen Gesellschaft” (I.T.V.) in Deutschland.