These articles were reformatted from the originals, with the content unchanged other than fixing minor typos. Translations from the German by Robert Hutwohl ©2025. The translator’s note insertions are within curly brackets {}, and are not by Franz Hartmann. Titled: “Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der ‘Lotusblüten’ ” [Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten”] Published serially. The corresponding numbers or copy-books from which this series are extracted, verbatim, are listed as a note at the beginning of each number throughout this translation. They are collectively listed below, which consisted of 19 parts, running serially.

 [Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der ‘Lotusblüten’]^[1]

Translation from the German into English by Robert Hutwohl

[1.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” I. America. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 10, no. 60 (September 1897), 603-631.^[2]

In order to satisfy a wish that has been expressed in many ways, we will now include a few pages from the life history of the author of the “Lotusblüten,” which should be all the more noteworthy as it is less about his personality and more about things that have to do with of the Theosophical movement and especially with the Theosophical Society” which have not yet been sufficiently clarified. Because Dr. F. Hartmann joined the Theosophical Society in America in 1882, he was drawn into the Theosophical movement, and was a friend and student of the widely misunderstood H. P. Blavatsky for several years, a part of his life story should be suitable to dispel certain prejudices, and to shed light on much that is still in darkness.

I. America.

          It is a serious matter in writing the life-history of a mystic; because for the occultist, only the inner life has any real value, while the outer life is for him a passing tragi-comedy, the description of which can at best serve as a pastime, but only to a small extent, as instruction, if the inner threads upon which the deepest feelings and thoughts, which form the motives of external actions, are revealed. But this is downright unfeasible; for not only will every sensitive person shy away from revealing to the public that which is the highest in them and moves them in their innermost being, but he would also only be understood by a few, and would be “crucified and burned” by the great multitude of people. It takes a certain degree of self-sacrifice to reveal oneself, and therefore the personality who is the subject of these reflections has chosen with difficulty to make certain communications of his experiences, and he does so for the sole reason and purpose of being useful to the Theosophical movement in general, and specifically to the readers of the “Lotusblüten” who are striving for spiritual self-knowledge.

          Dr. Franz Hartmann is, in essence, cosmopolitan; he regards as his home the universe and all humanity as his nation. The spirit working in him, like that of every other man, is everywhere, and his soul is where one comes to meet it with understanding. What bodies overshadowed and inhabited this soul in past lives, or in which personal appearances it appeared in earlier forms of existence, may be left to those who have the necessary insight and desire to understand it. In this life the incarnation took place in Donauwörth (Bavaria). Hartmann was born on November 22, 1838, and, as far as can be approximately determined, at 2 o’clock in the morning. His parents were the Royal Bavarian. His father was Court physician, Karl Hartmann and his wife was Elise von Stack, from the family Stack, which derives its origin from Caolbha,^[3] the 123rd and last ruler of Ireland and 47th king of Ulster, who was driven from there to France as a follower of the unfortunate King Charles I, and emigrated to Bavaria during the French Revolution, where she acquired the Reichelsberg estate near Kempten.

The Reichelsberg estate in Kempten.

The translator has inserted the estate as it exists in modern times.

          Hartmann spent his youth in Kempten and received his education there. His maternal grandfather, was a veteran of the Russian campaign, a Bavarian major D., and his mother taught him the French language. He also received his schooling at the local Latin school. But the great outdoors was dearer to him than all Latin; he had built a nest in the thickest darkness of the forest on the Reichelsberge on a tall fir tree, and spent many hours there in the company of the forest spirits, reading mystical writings. Early on, the mystical nature stirred in him, and his tendency towards mystery was increased in particular by two books which fell into his hands, namely Heinrich Zschokke’s “Transfigurations” and Elisabeth Crowe’s “Night Side of Nature.”^[4] Even as a child he seems to have perceived or felt the double nature of man, because he could hardly stammer when he spoke of a “good” and a “bad Franz.” The latter gave the “good” a lot of trouble in later years; just as with every human being the whole of life is a constant struggle between the high and the low. Those who have no energy in themselves can lead a comfortable life of bourgeois mediocrity; but there, where the creative power is at work, there the urge for the higher lifts the human being up, however passion pulls him down again; there the soul swings back and forth like a pendulum; but each victory over the low gives him a higher foothold, and the next vibration downward is ever less deep.

          Hartmann’s inclination, when it came to choosing a profession, fluctuated between the soldier’s life and that of a hermit; but in the end, his preference for alchemy gained the upper hand. However, since no alchemists were to be found, he thought for the time being to be content with chemistry and decided to become a pharmacist. He dreamed of flasks and retorts and mysterious discoveries in pharmacology, and apprenticed at a pharmacy in Kempten. As long as the thing was new, everything went well; but he soon found that a pharmacy is the least suitable place to acquire a higher knowledge. There was no question at all of mysterious forces, rather, everything was very material and stuffed in cans and drawers, just as today certain “theosophists” materially conceive spiritual things and label and duly categorize everything that can be found in heaven and in hell wanting to be housed in their cerebral [spinal] system, without any feeling for the unity of the whole. Instead of penetrating into the deeper secrets of nature, it was mainly a kind of petty market and the sale of things which were foreseeable to bring not only no benefit to the ignorant buyers, but even considerable harm, just as they do nowadays, reading books which spread a pathological mysticism that does more harm than good to buyers.

          “Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur”^[5] seemed to him to be the trading adage. An interest in gaining money was absolutely not developed in him and a merit, which was based mainly on the stupidity of the audience, did not attract him. It is therefore not surprising that, having tried it in different places and found the same thing everywhere, he said to the apothecary attendant that he would consider the study of medicine as his refuge.

          The year 1859 brought a little change. The war between Austria and Italy and France also prompted a readiness of war in the southern German states. He was forced to become acquainted with the soldier’s life. Thus, he entered the artillery regiment in Munich as a volunteer. Soon after, the march to Würzburg took place. It was indeed a life of variety; quartered here today and there tomorrow, new acquaintances daily with numerous material towards the study of the human character. But the hustle and bustle was soon put to an end with the conclusion of the peace of Villafranca, and followed by a boring stay in an outpost of the fortress of Ingolstadt, which was made bearable only by the zealous study of Goethe’s Faust.

          In 1860 Hartmann moved to the University of Munich and studied with predilection, chemistry and medicine. Of course, he also had to get to know the boy’s life and joined a corps. To be sure, he did not lag behind his fellow students when he was drumming and drinking; just as he, even as a schoolboy, loved solitude rather than sociability, so he found little taste in the pubs and, more due to curiosity than taste, but took part in such amusements. In general, he may have been considered eccentric, and rightly so; for the pleasures of everyday life were not enough for him; he was looking for something higher or more mysterious which he did not know and could not find. He did not know what it was, so he was well on his way to becoming a dreamer and a zealot.

          As a result of the theosophical movement with education in general it has now become somewhat better. At that time there was nothing to be found but servile priesthood with its entourage of superstition and bigotry on the one side, and on the other side the all-negating, blind materialism and unkind scholarship; Nothing happened for an uplifting of true self-consciousness. In his earliest youth, Hartmann was fond of the Catholic Church. He felt that there was something mysteriously hidden in it, and there were hidden mysteries which he had met upon in his previous life, and perhaps suffered for its sake, hidden in fables and allegories; but what he found in the church was in the end nothing but vain moldings, the practice of prescribed customs, the alleged worship of a god, of which no one knew what or where he was, and a so-called “religious” business, through which a number of black-clad people made their living. But what he saw of Protestantism was even more repulsive than any form of Catholicism, for he felt, without being able to explain it, the absence of the Holy Spirit. Then the superstitious belief was replaced by the hypocritical faith, in the place of the love of an unknown god the cowardly fear towards it; intuition was suppressed and replaced by dogmatism and the ingenuity of the earth, which measures everything with the standard of its ignorance and judges of heavenly things of which he knows nothing, since he does not have the ability to rise from his grime and self-conceit. Then the creeping muckery was always anxious to lie to God in order to gain favors from him, and the megalomania of the theologians, whose mother is ignorance. There was Protestantism, which no longer, like Luther, served up protests against the abuses of the Church, but against everything beyond its limited horizon, and precisely because it has no spirit, can not grasp the spiritual, and therefore all around sticking to a literal interpretation of the fables of the Bible instead of letting it inspire towards further thought and contemplation.

          Then came Ludwig Büchner with his “Kraft und Stoff” and “Affenvogt” with his easy-to-understand beer house philosophy, which found their enthusiastic representative in a friend of Hartmann’s who succeeded in tearing the church faith out of his heart, but who had nothing better to put in its place. An old saying goes: “Half knowledge is a dangerous thing.” As long as man is not able to stand on his own two feet, he should not be deprived of his crutches. Those who do not find the “philosopher’s stone” within themselves easily fall into the abyss when the bubble to which they are clinging bursts. The “freethinker” who has not yet matured to think for himself shakes off all sense of virtue and justice with his belief in an external God. Take away the belief in immortality from the man who does not know and knows nothing about his true Self, and he then has no reason to be moral and virtuous. After all, this life is over for him, so why shouldn’t he enjoy it as much as he can, even at the expense of others, so long as he can do it without exposing himself to an unpleasant acquaintance with the prosecutor or similar accidents? Fortunately, the man who has not yet fully degenerated, still has within him a spark of that divine power which is called “reason” and which speaks to him through “the conscience.” This “conscience: cannot be the result of the experiences made in this life, otherwise it would be different in everyone; neither is it a result of observation and comparison; it is rather the light of knowledge which the immortal part of man has acquired in previous lives, and which shines into the soul of mortal man, illuminating it according to the degree in which it is able or willing to receive it. Ultimately, this divine reason was also the lifeline through which the object of our consideration was able to prevent a shipwreck in the swamp of blind materialism.

          May the reader not think that we wish to deny the doctrine of the unity of force and matter; it was taught from time immemorial, only with the difference that the ancient sages also added consciousness, recognizing the eternal and imperishable as a trinity of substance, energy and consciousness. Likewise, we do not want to deny the justification of the Darwinian theory; but it does not refer, as the short-sighted alleged disciples of Darwin believe, to the actual man who descends from the “gods,” but only to the animal-man, who is the “house” in which the heavenly god-man dwells. Nor do we claim that the personal animal man as such is immortal; rather, he must first attain the consciousness of the immortal light dwelling within him. But all these things should be taught before the existing is overthrown. True education is not tearing down, but building up. If the temple of wisdom is built in the human heart, the sham edifice of superstition, destroyed by the light of truth, collapses in on itself.

          After completing his university studies, Hartmann went to Paris in 1865. Desiring to see the sea, he took a pleasure trip to Havre on a “train de plaisir” [pleasure train] one Saturday evening, with the intention of being back in Paris by Monday morning. But fate had decreed otherwise; for through one of those coincidences which in ordinary life is described as “accident,” he was offered a position as ship’s doctor on the American parcel carrier “Mercury” in [Le] Havre, which carried emigrants to New York, and spontaneously he accepted, out of lust of adventures, and reached New York after a forty-two-day journey, not realizing that his visit to America would be extended to eighteen years.

          Arriving in New York, he also wanted to get to know the interior of the country, went up the Hudson river, which is similar to the German Rhine, only much grander, visited the Niagara Falls and came to St. Louis in the state of Missouri, where cholera was raging; as a result of which he settled there as a doctor, and soon got a profitable practice. But staying in one place was never his thing. He had not yet met the Indians, so he went unaccompanied into their territory. He rode all over Missouri and visited the nations of the Choktaw [Choctaw], Seneka [Seneca], Shawnee and Cherokee Indians and found among them the friendliest reception. Many remarkable things could be reported about his visit among them; for these people, where they are not yet corrupted by civilization and brandy, live more naturally than the Europeans; they are children of nature, closer to her than we are, and therefore better acquainted with her occult mysteries.^[6] Among the Indians, Dr. Hartmann also experienced his first lessons in Theosophy; for when the chief of the Shawnees invited him to ride with him inland to the Senekas, and asked him if there was no danger to a single white man, the chief replied, “Oh no! the Great Spirit, the Spirit of Love is there.” This answer, which refers to the omnipresence of God, a teaching found in every catechism but rarely considered in everyday life, made a deep impression on the visitor, although he did not immediately appreciate the consequences of the expression.

          An old Russian book on astrology claims that people born on November 22 will have no fixed abode for the rest of their lives. This observation to Dr. Hartmann seems to agree with this. The urge to get to know the world took him to different states of the Union [America] and he never stayed in one place for more than five years. It is not our purpose to follow him in all his wanderings, and to explore his various adventures, about which volumes might be written; but it is necessary to mention one event which brought about a great change in his life, and which almost looks as if it was not entirely due to rough “chance” but rather to karma:

          In 1871 he was in New Orleans, and while he was walking along the harbor he saw a schooner bound for Mexico. Then, he was overcome by the desire to get to know this mysterious country better. He took a place on the ship and traveled to Veracruz, from there to Puebla, Mexico, and after a lengthy stay in the capital and in the charmingly situated Cordova, returned again. The land and people of Mexico have been sufficiently described by travellers, and it is not our intention to be a travelogue; yet we feel compelled to give the description of a sight which can hardly be imagined by one who has never enjoyed it. If you look out of the window in Cordova in the morning before daybreak, it can happen that everything in the valley is still dark, while the sun has already risen on the snowfield of the 1800 foot [Elevation: 5,636 metres (18,491 ft)] high Pique de Orizaba [Pico de Orizaba]. The foot of the mountain is shrouded in darkness and fog, but above this the upper part appears like a luminous planet, a continent separated from our earth, and yet so close that one believes one can reach it with a ladder. Then the mists part, day breaks and with it the tropical vegetation emerges, like in a magical fairy tale which can be painted but not described in words. In Cordova, Dr. Hartmann met the former envoy of the German Confederation, Don Frederico Hube and his family and visited the Aztecs in their villages with him. In Puebla he also met a mysterious person, in whom he later recognized as an occultist; however, space does not permit us to elaborate upon these and similar matters.

          It indicates a good heart to meet everyone with trust; but it is not always prudent to act upon. This experience also had to make the Dr. a hard man; for when he got back to New Orleans he entrusted his suitcase to a fellow traveler for a few hours, and when he went back to him that “friend” had run off with the suitcase. Unfortunately, in this suitcase were not only all his belongings, clothes, instruments, documents, books, etc., but also all his cash, with the exception of some small change, which he carried in his waistcoat pocket. There, he was without means of further travel and without knowing anyone in this great city. There was no question of him having to settle there as a doctor in order to earn something; because anyone who knows the conditions in the big cities knows that even the ablest doctor could wait a year for his first patient if he didn’t have protection and acquaintances. But what he at first regarded as great “bad luck” eventually turned out to be a great good fortune; for now that he was entirely dependent on his own strength. He learned to trust it. The aforementioned “coincidence” came to his aid. In the night quarters, which he occupied the following night, he was very much plagued by mosquitoes, and therefore visited a pharmacy early on to buy a remedy for their bites. There, the pharmacist entered into a conversation with him and offered him a room in his pharmacy so that he could prescribe prescriptions there free of charge, in return for which he was promised a share of the profit for the prescribed medicines. That Dr. Hartmann accepted this offer is easy to understand. His reputation soon spread, and in the first month he had an income that, under other circumstances, could only have been acquired after many years.

          As such and similar events appear to the superficial thinker as groundless “coincidences”; but the occultist recognizes in them the operation of the law of karma, i.e., of the law, that there is no effect without a cause, and that in a certain sense the destiny of every man is under a higher direction, which is the law of the spirit in nature. For him there is no “coincidence” which has no reason, nothing happens to man other than what he has sown and planted himself in this or a previous life.

          But the involuntary sojourn in New Orleans had quite another consequence, in comparison with which material success seems insignificant; for here he found the opportunity to see the material worldview sink into nothingness. Disappointed in ecclesiastical matters and dissatisfied with material unbelief, Hartmann had temporarily surrendered to a kind of agnosticism with resignation and tried to make himself believe that one could know nothing about spiritual things and that it would be a waste of time to worry about them grieve. The questions kept coming up: “What is life? What is love? What is truth, what is virtue? Where does good and bad come from? How does justice come about? By what is reason, mind, and consciousness made or generated? How can the brain craft a thought when there is no idea about it? etc. But he dismissed all of these questions as “unscientific”; the answer to which could not be proved. Nor was he satisfied with the gossip of modern philosophers. You could tell by their words that they were babbling about things they themselves knew nothing about, and moreover, one contradicted the other. Since, for instance, to have made a great discovery, namely, that God is “space”; but what would space be without light and heaven without life and love? “Space” is an empty concept for us; we can do whatever we want with it. If God is nothing but space, then we are higher than God. Another fancied that the world was his imagination. However, the world that came to his mind was his world; but he’s dead now, and the world still exists, whether we imagine it or not.

          Disgusted with the blind speculation of modern philosophers, he threw their books where they belong and stuck to Goethe’s Faust, Shakespeare and poetry; for even if all this was only “poetry,” as he thought, there was something in poetry that “knowledge” cannot give us. Poetry shines ahead, science lags behind. A science or philosophy without poetry has no taste.

          Then one day Dr. Hartmann read in the newspaper that a certain Professor Peebles was going to give a lecture on spiritualism, to which everyone had access. “Yes,” he thought to himself, “to see such a herd of foolish spiritualists together, the haggard figures with long hair and pale faces sitting there believing the stupidest stuff and being tricked in the silliest way, that must be an interesting spectacle.”

          “To make a joke for himself,” he attended the meeting, but found himself surprisingly deceived; for instead of a gathering of hollow-eyed fools and maniacs he found there, the best company in New Orleans, well-dressed, well-fed, and merry-hearted gentlemen and ladies, not a few of whom were noted for their intelligence and sound judgment. What was said there also sounded very reasonable. In reality, according to the speaker, there was no death, only a leaving of the gross material body, with the soul attaining a much better, ethereal body, but equipped with all senses and faculties. The dividing wall between the living and the — not “dead” but only “ancestors” would not be impenetrable, but only an apparent one, due to the result of our own spiritual blindness; our friends and relatives in the spirit world would always be with us, taking part in all our fortunes and trying to help us. There is innumerable evidence that life in the spirit world is as real as in the material world. There would be schools where the children would be educated; there, bonds of friendship and marriages would be formed; there would be pleasures of all kinds. Indeed, life in the spirit world was devoid of cares and toils and sorrows, and painted with such glorious colors that it seemed as if nothing could be done better than to put a bullet through the head shoot oneself to get there as soon as possible.

          “Yes, if all this were only true!” — The “proof” of this should not be missing. The very next day, Dr. Hartmann had an opportunity to see for himself. He attended a “circle.” A couple of old ladies he knew well, were seated around a table, and the table rose freely into the air, untouched by anyone! — Ha! how was all the dung written by the opponents of spiritism about the “deceptions of the mediums,” all the nonsense of the modern philosophers, to whom the ignorance of the crowd has erected altars, been thrown overboard by an unlearned old woman! What, then, was the gossip of university professors, about things of which they had not seen and knew nothing, worth in the eyes of those who saw and knew because they saw? And didn’t the spirits agree that they were those of our dead friends? Yes, even more! They provided the evidence; they knew our most secret thoughts and communicated to the living facts from the past, which were known only to this and the “deceased.”

          At that time the “sessions” of Mrs. Rice (Holmes) were taking place, where the well-known “ghost” of “Katie King” materialized, i.e., physically visible and tangible form. Dr. Hartmann was friends at the time with a highly educated lady named Katie Wentworth, but she was very incredulous about spiritual things. He attended these sessions with her and saw the “materializations,” phenomena of light, etc., which are now well known in spiritualist literature. The “spirits” also spoke in a distinct voice and claimed that Katie Wentworth herself was an excellent “medium.”

          There was now for Dr. Hartmann the best opportunity to see if there was any fraud involved, and soon he was having daily sessions with his girlfriend. It was not long before the manifestations came and Mrs. Wentworth developed into an excellent medium. One of the first “ghosts” was that of a young lady named Jennie Melvina F. . . . .,^[7] who claimed to have killed herself in Chicago. Her statement was:

“I killed myself. I tried to get away from myself; but I was the same girl as before. I was buried with my dead body and stayed with it until I was dug up again the next day and handed over to the police doctor. I felt the cuts of the dissecting knife ten times more painful than if they had hit my living body. I saw everything that was going on. I saw the jury and the witnesses and heard what they said. Finally I became free. For a long time I roamed dark and rough paths, and met nothing but suicides who, like me, were most unfortunate. After a long and arduous journey, I came to a small gate and was led to where it was lighter.”

          Inquiries revealed that indeed a girl of that name had poisoned herself in Chicago in 1866 for an affair of love, and was buried; that the body was dug up again the next day, since there was a suspicion of murder, a judicial investigation was undertaken.

          How could one ask for further proof that communication between the living and the “predecessors” was possible! From now on, Dr. Hartmann devoted all his free time to the study of spiritistic phenomena and the philosophy based on them. He read with great interest the writings of Judge Edmonds, who had to give up his position as chief justice in the United States because of his faithfulness to his convictions, and in whose work (“Spiritualism”) Swedenborg describes his experiences. Also the works of Andrew Jackson Davis, Hudson Tuttle and many others. He made the acquaintance of the most famous “mediums,” Chs. Foster, Henry Slade, Mrs. Miller in Denver, etc. Katie Wentworth’s “mediumship” was increasing daily, and it would be difficult to find anyone in America or Europe who has seen more of spiritistic phenomena than Dr. Hartmann experienced over the next ten years. In addition to this, he himself became clairvoyant and clairaudient to a certain extent; a friendship developed, albeit quite “platonic,” between him and the spirit of Jennie M. F. [Melvina F.] He was often seen accompanied by her, could see and hear her, and they wrote poetry to one another. This friendship also offered the advantage of not being associated with any financial expenses.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[2.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. I. Earthbound Astral Bodies. II. Images in the Astral Light. III. Telepathy. IV. Reflection of unconscious emotional impressions.

750. Elementals Parading Under False Names. Lotusblüten 10, no. 61 (October 1897), 729-750.^[8]

The apparitions brought forth through the mediumship of Katie Wentworth continued to increase. Dr. Hartmann says the following about it:

          “In the beginning of our investigations I constructed a kind of “panchette [planchette],” i.e. a turntable with a fixed pointer in the center and on the periphery was the alphabet. Even when not touched, but lighter when touched, the disk spun, and so we received all sorts of communications in prose as well as poetry. It even happened that I received the continuation of an interrupted poem a few months later through another medium Katie Wentworth, who was completely unaware of it. But soon the turntable was no longer necessary as Katie’s hand wrote notes on paper while she talked about other things. Also, we received “direct ghost writing” without using hands. After a while, Katie went into a trance; she could “go out of her body” at will, and she would then be possessed by another “spirit.” Then not only the tone of her voice and her behavior changed, but her whole appearance; “transfigurations” (changes) took place, in which one could only have recognized her by the clothes she wore; the most accomplished actress could not have done this feat. Then came the spirits of Indians and Europeans, known and unknown personalities Oanamo, Wau-pon-see, an alleged Sir John Franklin, Strauss, high and low, unfortunate suicides and unctuous pastors. Each spoke in their own way; but we did not learn anything really valuable which one could not have imagined for oneself. There was no shortage of “physical” manifestations either; Katie was bound with ropes by the spirits, or if she was bound by others, she was instantly unbound; indeed, she was even lifted into the air by invisible hands, so that she often floated to the ceiling of the room. All sorts of appearances of figures and “materializations” also took place, and drawings and paintings were also provided by the spirits, but they had no particular artistic value.”

          As for the alleged spirit messages, a lot of worthless stuff came to light; on the other hand, there are also many sensible things, such as, for example, the following:

“Look no longer for external evidence. Within yourself, beneath your hard skull, there is a power by which you can converse face to face with the angels. Your job is not turning the table to get answers to trivial questions, but exploring the mysteries of nature for yourself.”

          But such answers can be drawn from one’s own reason through one’s own reflection, and it is not necessary to assume the presence of a ghost or an embodied spirit to explain them. “Spiritualism” and “spiritism” are two entirely different things. One, as opposed to “materialism,” is based on the knowledge of the Spirit of God in the universe and can be attained only through the awakening of the Divine Spirit in man; the other is the material worldview transferred to the supersensible realm. Spiritualism, in the true sense of the word, is the science of the spirit and its manifestations in nature; spiritualism is interaction with “spirits”; i.e. with the denizens of the astral plane, but they are not really spirits because they usually have no spirit. True spiritualism is based on Self-knowledge of truth; Spiritism as practiced today is based on false appearances, ignorance and deceit by half-animal beings (elementals) who are called “spirits” only because they are invisible, and whose main propensity is to play foolish farces and to lead people by the nose who are intoxicated by trusting the hype.

          As long as official science does not know about these elementals, some of which are devilish in nature, it will not succeed in discovering the causes of certain spiritistic phenomena. But the fact that science knows nothing about it is fortunate for mankind; for if persons who have not yet attained that degree of moral-spiritual perfection which would protect them from misusing the secret powers in nature, were to gain power over these devilish beings, no one would be safe anymore from being chosen as a “test subject” for the satisfaction of scientific curiosity by inquisitive disciples of black magic. Science without love leads to cruelty and crime.

          The purpose of spiritualism is to point out to the blind materialist, who denies everything which he cannot grasp with his hands, that his megalomania is a delusion and that he still does not know everything. It serves to dampen his conceit and to make him understand that Shakespeare is right when he says that there are things in heaven and on earth of which our school-wisdom does not dream.^[9] With that, however, the phenomenal has also achieved its purpose and it no longer serves any purpose to pursue the phenomena and to accept with faith everything that is preached by the alleged “spirits,” or to proceed from false assumptions and delusions when assessing these phenomena, but it is rather a matter of inquiring into the cause of these facts, and this cannot be done by observing and comparing the phenomena alone, but only by being in possession of the spirit and by knowing the spiritual laws. Realizing one’s spiritual nature offers us the key to understanding the spirit world. But what those . . . . concerned, who want to trace back all spiritistic phenomena to “fraud by mediums” and “sleight of hand,” their objections are not worth considering. Certainly there are swindlers who want to pass for media and are not, as there are swindlers in all classes; but the writer has not yet seen a “revelation of a real medium” by which anything else has been revealed other than the ignorance of the debunker.

          One should not reject what one does not know; however, one should strive not to remain stuck on the path of progress, not to encapsulate oneself in any system, but to grow beyond it and to achieve inner self-knowledge. This is the case with all religious and scientific systems and also with spiritism. Man can only really know perfection when he himself has become perfect in knowledge.

          But spiritism is a dangerous thing unless it is understood. Anyone who gives himself over to foreign influences of which he is ignorant and is possessed by them not only easily loses his moral footing and vitality, which the elemental beings draw from him and use to produce phenomena; but he himself becomes without will and in the end loses his spiritual individuality, the highest which man can strive for, and which should grow in him and come into harmony with the whole, until finally the will and the thinking of the people come to agree with of divine wisdom.^[10]

          Just as it is foolish to cling to the phenomenal, or to try to explain spiritual things in a material way, so it is foolish to deny the existence of spirit and to reject one’s intuition. This is indeed the “sin against the Holy Ghost which cannot be forgiven”; for no kind of forgiveness can give us what we do not want to accept. There are “theosophists” who imagine that Theosophy consists in scolding spiritism, and there are spiritualists who have no doubt whatsoever that the phenomena they observe are due to the spirits of their deceased friends, as a doubt about their intelligence, and they do not want to be dissuaded from their delusions at any price. But some as well as others are mistaken. It is neither a blind rejection nor a believing acceptance, but the right understanding of the law, which can only be attained through one’s inward experience and spiritual progress.

          For a long time, Dr. Hartmann wandered in the fool’s paradise of phenomenal spiritualism; but only until he had got to know the same thing in all directions. He read a great deal, wrote essays on spiritism, and got involved in newspaper polemics which did him more harm than good; because the public had no experience of, and did not understand, the things about which he wrote. Meanwhile, Katie Wentworth’s reputation as a “medium” was spreading among friends and acquaintances; she was invited here today and there tomorrow to hold meetings. In doing so, she was vampirized by the spirits and drained of her life force. The “most famous medical authorities from the spirit world” came and prescribed her the most absurd prescriptions, which only robbed her of her powers even more; until finally a general weakness of nerves and paralysis set in, and she died in Galveston in 1877 after a year confined to a sick-bed, ruined by mediumism.

          However, spiritualism offers much that is interesting, which is apt to arouse scientific curiosity; but scholarly knowledge must be based on the knowledge of truth; because where there is no consciousness of the truth, all conclusions are based only on error and self-deception and there, all knowledge moves only in the realm of deception. A thorough understanding of the composition of human nature and the constitution of our planet, as taught by Śaṅkarāchārya, and as one can recognize for oneself if one succeeds in finding oneself, is necessary in order to be able to explain the spiritistic phenomena correctly. While it is admitted that the departed souls of suicides, executed, and those killed before their time are able to connect with the living because they have not yet entirely left the earthly realm, and are still earthbound, most are to explain for such phenomena by telepathy, by a reflection of the ideas existing in our mind, by the action of elementals and demons, and the like. The human being who has been freed from the earthly no longer cares about the earthly, and the blissful soul in heaven (Devachan) knows nothing of what is happening on earth. We ourselves, when we wake up from sleep in the morning, often have to remember who and where we are. Only when personal consciousness awakens in us again does life and its plagues approach us again. So also, the soul of an ecstatic can rise to the inhabitants of heaven and share in their feelings; but the pure soul of the heavenly dweller does not descend to concern himself with the petty affairs of his loved ones; what contacts us is their animal nature left behind, the “astral corpse,” [kāma-rūpa], the dirt left behind.

          In order to make the above more clear through examples, let’s let some types from the experiences of Dr. Hartmann, in his own words:

I. Earthbound Astral Bodies.

          “The following was told to me by my mother, and confirmed by others present:

          I was born on November 22, 1838, and my grandmother (my mother’s mother) died on the 18th of the previous month, October. My grandmother’s greatest wish was to see her daughter’s child, but she did not live to see the time of its birth. Then, after I was born and laid in a cradle, the form of my grandmother appeared. She was so natural that none of those present thought at first that she was dead, but all happily called out to her. She walked up to the cradle, gave me a friendly look, smiled and disappeared. Nothing has been heard from her since then.

          This was evidently the woman’s astral body, which was still connected with the spirit of the woman, since the desire to see the child still bound it to the latter and thus to the earth. Through the fulfillment of the wish, the connection was broken and freedom gained.”

II. Images in the Astral Light.

          “In 1888 I stayed two months in Philadelphia to study the etheric force newly discovered by J. W. Keeley and lodged with a friend named H. B. F. . . . Already in the first few nights I heard repeated knocking, felt a tugging on the sheets and had the feeling that someone was in the room. A few nights later, as these phenomena grew more and more intense, I saw a red-haired woman standing by my bed; she glared at me as if to scratch my face, pulled the covers off me and slapped me in the face. The next morning I told the story to my roommate, who immediately said it was Mr. F.’s sister. We went to breakfast and told Mr. F. He was of the same opinion, and looking at the photograph album, I immediately recognized the lady. “How long has it been since she died?” I asked. “Oh, she’s not dead yet, and doesn’t think of dying,” was the reply. She used to live in that room; but she was so vicious that no one could get along with her. She resides at Ch . . . Street now.”

          This was one of the images that every human being leaves behind in the astral light, and which are all the more vivid and lasting the more passionate the human being from whom they are reflected is. They are, so to speak, living thought photographs created on the sensitive soul of the ether. They differ from the images in a mirror primarily in that they are physical. In the presence of a mediumistic person, they can draw on this life force and attain a kind of pseudo-consciousness, revealing the imprinted character peculiar to them. They are mindless beings, and “false selves” separated from man; living imprints in nature’s memory chamber.^[11]

          The following proves that such impressions can last a long time:

          “In 1871, near the capital of Mexico, there was an old building, a former convent, long ago the seat of the Inquisition, but now entirely uninhabited, as no one wanted to live in it because of the “haunted spirits” which occurred there. As I slept in it, driven by curiosity, I was awakened by a horrible howl of wailing. In between, the crack of the whip sounded, as when a person is being beaten mercilessly. The matter lasted for about half an hour, after which everything became quiet again. There was no question of “dreaming”; because I was fully awake. Other persons had similar experiences there, and the testimonies of those who have experienced these things are only contrasted with the opinions and prejudices of those who have seen or heard nothing. But as far as explanation is concerned, occult science teaches us that things which have become habitual in life are instinctively repeated on the astral plane, and that in the astral light not only images but also sound waves are stored up.”

III. Telepathy.

          “When I went to bed in Llano, Texas, on November 10, 1877, I felt as if someone was in the room and wanted to write to me. I got up again, took paper and pencil and wrote down the thoughts that came to my head. It was like someone dictating a letter to me. The letter was addressed to myself, signed by Katie Wentworth, and she informed me that she had died that afternoon in Galverston [Galveston]. She gave me various messages, personal in nature, and wrote that she had sent me a lock of hair as a souvenir. A few days later came a letter from her husband, in which he informed me of his wife’s death and sent the promised lock of hair.

          This can be seen as an effect of the intensity of the thought of the liberating mind, and is not to be seen as a commingling with the deceased, but as a concern with the living; Because even in people who are in complete health, this influence can be distant. Various examples of this can be found in the literature.”

IV. Reflection of unconscious emotional impressions.

          “In 1881, when I was living in Georgetown, a town in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, I went to visit my friend, Mrs. M. . . . in Denver. There the “ghost of my father” came and wrote on a board, that I should come back the next day because he had something important to tell me and the conditions today were not favorable. So I came back the next day and received from the spirit the news that, without knowing it, I would be very sick and would die soon if I did not follow his advice; but he wanted to prescribe a prescription for me. The following recipe was a recipe for making black writing ink from iron vitriol and tannin. I should take a tablespoon of it every two hours. I left angrily. But when I came around the same corner that I passed when I came, I saw a stationery store that I hadn’t paid attention to before, and there were bottles of black ink in the shop window. It was immediately clear to me that when I came I saw these bottles, even if I hadn’t noticed, that this made an impression on my mind and there by correlating the ideas in a way that was mechanically known to me black ink came into being, was reflected in the spirit of the medium, and was revealed by writing with the help of the elemental. I found this theory applicable to many other cases.”^[12]

V. Elementals Parading Under False Names.

          “During my stay in Georgetown, I was often greeted by the medium mentioned above, Mrs. M . . . . of Denver, who had gained a significant reputation for the “materializations” or visible and tangible incarnations of “spiritual figures” which occurred through her. She came to me not in her capacity as a professional medium but as a good acquaintance and there was no question of “fraud” under the circumstances. In the evenings, when we wanted to while away the time, I hung a blanket in a corner of the room, Mrs. M. . . . sat behind it and fell into a deathlike sleep, whereupon the figures came out from behind the curtain, visible and tangible, corporeal; Adults and children, men and women, whites and negroes, Indians and more. Among others, the figure of my friend Katie Wentworth appeared one evening; she looked like I had known her in life. I offered her my arm, we went into the next room and I sat down with her on the sofa, whereupon she put her arms around me. Then I had the distinct sensation that I was missing the astral body of Mrs. M . . . . who was held in these arms. Disgust seized me, and with it the figure changed into a form that bore no resemblance to my friend. I brought the same back to the medium. There sat Mrs. M. . . . and beside her stood the figure, which then dissolved and re-entered the body of Mrs. M . . . . stepped back, whereupon she awoke. This indicates that the elementals use the astral bodies of the mediums to bring about these materializations, giving them those forms which they find in the memory of those present. But that these beings are capable of manifesting themselves in the most varied forms is testified to by the fact that in the sessions of Dr. Slade also appeared as animals at times, even as disgusting things that were half animal and half human. This is not the appropriate place for a discussion of how these “materializations” arise.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[3.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” VI. “Obsession.” VII. Mental Perceptions Which Reach the Outer Consciousness. VIII. “Haunted Houses.” Elementals. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 10, no. 62 (November 1897), 809-832.^[13]

VI. “Obsession.”

I myself have experienced, that the “spirit,” or more correctly the essence of a person, can take possession of another person and communicate their senses, will and feelings to them, whose nature can, so to speak, be transformed into theirs. In 1888 I was at Watkins, in the state of New York, visiting acquaintances who were engaged in so-called “spiritual healing.” Being somewhat incredulous, a young lady named Miss J . . W . . . was to influence me and cure me of a cold I had caught on the trip. That same evening we went to a lecture, and I no longer thought about the matter, but followed the lecture with attention. Suddenly I felt as if I were Miss J. W.; I saw myself as she was, as a young girl with black frizzy hair, of short build, dressed in white with a cherry red sash slung around her waist; yes, I had exactly the same feelings as a young girl might have; a bit of feminine vanity and coquetry made itself felt. In my heart I knew who I was; and I could tell by my appearance that I hadn’t changed, but the intermediate consciousness, or if you may call it that, the “astral body,” was transformed into Miss J. W. I came to myself and noticed that my toothache was gone. I looked around for Miss J. W.; she wasn’t in the room. She later confessed that she had approached me from an adjoining room.

          Incidentally, it should be noted here that such “hypnotic” influences are not without danger, especially when they are often repeated; since here, the passive person comes under the influence and domination of the will of the active one, and in the end cannot shake off this influence. In this case, my confidence wasn’t completely overwhelmed; nevertheless, I developed an intense affection for Miss J. W., and the affair would have ended in marriage if circumstances had not prevented it.”

VII. Mental Perceptions Which Reach the Outer Consciousness.

          “Once in 1870, while I was in Shreveport (Lousiana), I was on my way at eleven o’clock at night to visit a patient who lived out of town. Here my way led me through a curved section of the railway embankment. As I approached it, I clearly heard a voice inside calling me, “Look out!” (Look out!). This made me instinctively pick up a firearm which, as was the custom there, I carried in my coat pocket on such nocturnal walks. In the next moment I stepped into the dark tunnel and was attacked by three highwaymen. But since the warning voice had drawn my attention to a danger and I had been prepared, this incident had no further consequences.

          In such cases it is not necessary to assume the presence of an external “guardian spirit,” although such is not out of the question. Man’s inner “I” is his guardian spirit; the inner man has his spiritual perceptions, and the intensity of the thoughts of three lurking men is well suited to make an impression on the mind, out of which the inner voice is formed; just like in every human being, words often arise involuntarily from his feelings, without him first having to laboriously search for them.”^[14]

VIII. “Haunted Houses.” Elementals.

          “In 1880 I stayed in a house in Chihuahua, (Colorado),^[15] which had a bad reputation because of the ghost stories it contained, and was not lived in. The house was one story and had a flat roof, so there was no attic for an animal to stay in. Nevertheless, soon after I lay down, it began to trample over me like a bird’s feet, as if a large bird, e.g. a turkey, was walking on the ceiling. The footsteps always began in the same corner, and when they reached over my head, it felt what I would like to compare to an electric current going through my body, which caused me a very nauseous sensation. A moment later the same steps began again in the same corner and the thing was repeated several times. At last I saw a figure that was half man, half bird; a spindly human form, with the head and feet of a bird, but which soon disappeared, and I fell asleep. In later years I saw exactly the same figures in paintings by D. Teniers depicting the “Temptation of St. Anthony.” I leave it to the reader to think of what he pleases.”

          Concerning Dr. Hartmann’s experiences in the field of Spiritism, he had a large number of interesting experiences to share, but these few examples will suffice to point out that Spiritistic phenomena are not all produced by deceased persons, and that the spirit and mind of the living possess abilities and powers, which not everyone knows yet. The superficially judgmental spiritualist often thinks he has the most undeniable evidence of his interaction with a deceased when in a session he learns something known to no one but himself. He forgets that he brings with him that which is familiar in his mind, even if it has just vanished from his memory, and that the idea existing in him unconsciously can be reflected in the mind of the medium and find expression there.

          It is well known to every spiritualist that during sessions one receives much more communication from “dead persons” one does not think of than from one who one wishes to hear from, and this can be explained by the fact that when one thinks of the deceased and at the same time is curious to receive communication from him, the will is divided and less effective, the image is distorted, so to speak, and the will is bound by desire. If, on the other hand, the idea is “unconscious” in the mind, it is more easily reflected by free (spiritual) will. The evidence of this can be found every day. If one involuntarily looks around on the street at a passer-by, it often happens that he also looks around at the other. If the attempt is made intentionally, to make the other look around, it usually doesn’t work, because the will then has two intentions and is divided. He desires to accomplish something and at the same time to see if it succeeds.

          But if you can control your will, you can also do such tricks at will, and that is why, for example, H. P. Blavatsky, when she was among the spiritualists, could evoke those appearances of the dead which she wished; i.e., she could arbitrarily transfer the image of a deceased person existing in her imagination onto the plastic matter of the medium’s astral body, thereby giving it the form of the deceased or, just as well, that of a living person.^[16]

     But as far as the “elementals” are concerned, the spiritistic phenomena will remain inexplicable to scholars until they recognize the existence of these invisible creatures, since they are the originators and helpers during most of the “physical manifestations.”^[17]

          In 1878 Dr. Hartmann went to Hot Springs in Arkansas, a city with 32 hot springs, which was a famous bathing spot … [but] on March 5, 1878 the whole city and also the house in which he lived burned down, [which caused him to] move further west again, to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where he found a quiet refuge at Georgetown (8500 feet above sea level).

          But it is not our intention now to write a book on spiritism, and we have rushed ahead of the story. All these things did not become clear to the subject of our consideration in a single day, but required many years of observation and experience, supported by the teachings of “Theosophy.”

          In 1873 Dr. Hartmann was lured to visit Texas by his desire to travel and settled there. Life in the big city had become too noisy and exciting for him; he longed for forest air and solitude, and acquired an estate near Brenham^[18] with woods and meadows, built himself a house, and devoted his time to rural practice and the study of spiritualistic writings. The clearing of the scrub, the jungle and the establishment of the farm gave him pleasant employment. But a house also needs a housewife, and so he decided to marry a lady, the sister of the wife of a neighboring landowner. The marriage was happy, but short-lived; because after just seven months Ernestine died as a result of a nervous fever. This circumstance relieved Dr. Hartmann of the place and he went further west of Texas, to Fredericksburg.^[19]

          This city was founded about fifty years ago by the well-known German noble association; i.e. by German nobles who had bought up land there by an agent who they had never seen and who thought they could introduce a kind of feudal rule there. But on their arrival in Texas the land they had bought turned out to be a rocky desert, their own treasurer ran away with the money, the majority succumbed to the coastal malaria and the rest would have starved to death once they arrived on the spot, if they had not been supported by the Indians. Now, however, the place had become a thriving town and the surrounding area was dotted with country houses. Many of the nobles had degenerated, others had devoted themselves to sheep farming and the like. The conditions there were still somewhat disordered, there was a constant war between the cattle breeders (cow-boys) and cattle rustlers, who were often difficult to distinguish from each other. Shooting and scalping was the order of the day, and so it was that Dr. Hartmann’s horse was shot out from under him by a stray bullet, on the first day of his arrival in Fredericksburg. However, the shooter in question apologized. He had just shot the pocket watch out of another cowboy’s hand for fun, and the bullet had gone too far. No further fuss was made about the matter.

          For five years, Dr. Hartmann, while in Texas, studied the country and the people; He spent many nights in the cowboy camp and found among them, in spite of their uncivilized doings, more naturalness, sincerity and love of truth than among certain circles of European aristocracy, with whom he later had the honor of coming into contact.”

          In 1878 Dr. Hartmann went to Hot Springs in Arkansas, a city with 32 hot springs, which was a famous bathing spot; but which, at least in those days, might justly have been called the town of “peasant trapping”; for, a formal bargain was conducted there with the arriving strangers and patients. Happy is he who managed not to fall into the hands of an agent on arrival, or on the way there, to be capsized by one playing the role of a fellow passenger” and handed over to the hands of a quack who himself dealt with him only while there was money in the patient’s purse. Since Dr. Hartmann could not or did not want to find his way into this kind of “business,” so there was not much to expect for him either, and when on March 5, 1878 the whole city and also the house in which he lived burned down, it moved him further west again, to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where he found a quiet refuge at Georgetown (8500 feet above sea level).

          The air there is extraordinarily pure, but also extraordinarily dry. The former circumstance is favorable for persons suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis; the latter, on the other hand, extremely unpleasant for people whose skin nerves are very sensitive; for inflammations easily form there, which are in no way relieved by the fine granite dust, which is sometimes blown down into the valley when the storm is in the Rocky Mountains. The sight of the rock giants is just as magnificent as that of our Alps, only the lush vegetation in the high-lying valleys is missing there. Hardly anything else grows now but spruces and willows, and the householder who has a small patch of grass in front of his window is as proud of it as if it were a garden. There is no lack of rushing mountain streams and magnificent views, and as with all mountainous countries, the mystical nature of the people is generally found more pronounced there than is the case with the inhabitants of the lowlands. The main occupation there is mining; both gold and silver mines abound, some of which yield a rich supply. Mining is like gaming; the opportunity presents itself and it is not easy to resist. So it wasn’t long before Dr. Hartmann was the unenviable owner of a mine that didn’t bring him anything, but he incurred all the expenses.

          As before, Dr. Hartmann with his spiritistic research, he had the best opportunity there; for not only was it swarming with clairvoyants and “occultists” of all kinds, with people who associated with the mountain spirits, and with ordinary table movers and spirit knockers, but a separate society had also been founded to use divining rods to find and mine gold and silver veins. In fact, many rich veins are said to have been found in this way; but unfortunately the owner of the mysterious dowsing rod, who had inherited it from his father, died, and for others it did not work. Whatever Dr. Hartmann’s experiences in this regard were to be, they did not turn out as desired; for even if this or that “clairvoyant” stated that a rich store of silver was very close by, and thereby caused him to penetrate further into the depths of the mountain, this “seeing” proved to be deceptive every time and there was found little silver in the end, other than much waste rock.

          Furthermore, the proximity of Denver was favorable for spiritualistic research; for located there, was his befriended medium for “spirit materializations,” the famous Mrs. Miller, of whom was spoken of above; there was Mr. Streight, who had never learned to paint, and through whose mediumship in the dark room oil-paintings of the dead were accomplished, with resemblance to the originals; there was Madame Antonie, who had a great reputation as a fortune-teller (with cards), and many other mediums. There was perhaps no deliberate deceit, but there was a lot of self-deception, there was seldom a grain of truth to be found in all that spiritistic stuff, and where it was there it came from within themselves and not from a dead person. Spiritist nonsense threw its most glorious flowers. There was, for example, a medium who answered letters addressed to the deceased, for two dollars; but if you wrote a question to which you could not think of the answer yourself, the medium was not embarrassed. One then received, instead of the desired answer, a long brew of assurances of friendship, which ended with the “ghost” saying that due to lack of time it could not answer the question today:

Question to the Spirit: “Did you ever travel to Italy in your lifetime? Answer yes or no!”

Spirit’s response: O my friend! How wonderful it is that I can associate with you in this way! It has long been my dearest wish to get in touch with you. O how grateful I am to you that you have given me the opportunity to do this; for now the dividing wall which separated me from you has fallen and the gate opened through which I can come to you and speak to you. Write to me often. As far as your question is concerned, I can no longer answer it today because the mediumistic power is exhausted. Call me again later.

          Such disappointments and similar hair-raising nonsense were likely to put the most energetic spiritist out of business. The statements of the “clairvoyants” and the spirits usually turned out to be wrong; the spirits parading under names known in history were proved by their ignorance, that they were not what they said they were; Mediums who claimed to be constantly accompanied by the highest heavenly spirits, angels and archangels and received advice from them regarding everyday life, were physically and morally degenerated; some succumbed to drunkenness, others to madness, some to suicide. The ghosts of loving mothers who had died came to be phantoms to frighten their children to death; the Apostle John came and asked for prayers and rosaries to be said, and then reappeared in tails, with a white cravat and top hat, to give thanks for the prayers said; the ghosts of Goethe’s Faust, Cervantes’ Don Quixote, and Shakespeare’s King Lear appeared in full regalia and behaved as if they were indeed deceased persons and not mere poetic creations. “Faust” even provided the material for his own commentary.

          And despite all this, the existence of mysterious forces could not be denied. Direct “ghost writings” appeared without any human intervention, on slates and paper in places where no fraud was possible; Seaweeds and shells, still damp from the salty sea, tropical plants, the damp earth hanging by the roots and with the dewdrops still fresh in the calyxes, were brought, though the sea and the tropics were a thousand miles away; and all this was done by an old woman who had neither the intelligence nor the means to deceive. When Dr. Hartmann developed an inflammation of the skin on his face and neck, which would not let him sleep, he was forced to resort to chloral and chloroform to get even a few hours’ rest. Then he received a message supposedly from the spirit of Kathie [Katie] Wentworth, which said: “The cause of your suffering is none other than the dryness of the air. Go to the coast.” (The advice worked; for a visit to California eliminated the problem, but it came back after returning to Colorado.) In addition, the most secret thoughts were often betrayed, people who could not be credited with any particular intelligence held highly poetic ones in a trance-state, talking about things they could not have known when awake.

          In short, Dr. Hartmann found himself in a world of contradictions in which he wanted to clarify at all costs. But all attempts in this direction were in vain, the key to solving the riddle was missing. But no help could be expected from the spirits; they, who otherwise meddled in the petty affairs of life, who even tended to our kitchen, lay their hands on their laps where the need was greatest and seemed to be even more ignorant of the “afterlife” than the people. Instead of simple answers to simple questions, there was long-winded and meaningless chatter, hackneyed sayings, unctuous nonsense; there was nothing valuable to learn other than what one already knew oneself, and what one learned, had not the slightest value.

          Dr. Hartmann was then, in the state which Goethe describes in Faust with these words:

“I only wake up in horror in the morning;

I want to cry bitter tears

To see the day that’s coming my way

Not one wish will be granted, not one.”

          That one desire was to know what the world really is at its basis, what is the purpose of existence, whether there is an existence after death, and what it is like. There was no answer to these questions, and more than once it occurred to him to put a bullet through his head and thus gain access to the afterlife and possibly know with certainty.

          Suddenly a star of hope appeared in the sky and an unexpected light pierced the dark night. H. P. Blavatsky’s book “Isis Unveiled” brought enlightenment to the mystery of man and his place in nature. There, it was clearly stated that the real spirit of man is a being of divine nature, having his home in heaven, and when he has entered his higher existence, he no longer bothers with earthly dreams, least of all with the trifles of spiritism. Then the mask of the “dear ones [who departed] before” was torn from the face of things and the spiritless elemental beings were shown in their often hideous forms. In this book there was no narrow-minded and spiritless erudition, no windy sentimentality and hollow enthusiasm, other than the product of true self-assurance and knowledge, which, precisely because it was true, was self-evident; no speculation based on uncertain opinions, but a deep knowledge, high above the standpoint of modern science and before which our lectern of wisdom had to hide in shame; and the plainly stated truths, which, as soon as they were known, seemed self-evident, were proved by irrefutable logic to those who could still doubt.

          The revelations given in the book were not, like those of a Swedenborg or other seers, simply descriptions of spiritual perceptions, the reality of which no one can prove, but everything was there not only described, but also proved by historical facts and tested by reason and understanding. The parallel development of man and the universe was shown there; the deep meaning of the fables, allegories and parables contained in the Bible and other “holy writings” explained, and everything traced back to a natural science, which differed from the everyday one in that it went into the real essence of things and from the spirit permeated with true knowledge.

          It was there not only from beings below us, from the invisible inhabitants of the astral light and the four elements, but also from beings even higher than us, of immortal, god-like beings, who, however, were formerly, like us, mortal human beings. They were called “Adepts” or “Mahatmas” (great souls) and the author of the book seemed to be connected with them.

          Through the journal The Theosophist, Dr. Hartmann received news of the formation of a “Theosophical Society” in New York, chaired by Col. Olcott and Wm. Q. Judge, whose members were concerned with this higher science, and there were well-known names such as General Abner Doubleday, Mrs. Emma Hardinge-Britten, etc. However, the name “Theosophy” had something chilling about it, because it is connected with the names of Jacob Boehme, Madame Guyon, Jane Leade, etc., and who has not already read in the “Konversationslexikon” that these people are all devout enthusiasts and dreamers. Since no one can know what “Theosophy” or divine wisdom is unless a ray of this knowledge of God touches him himself, even today the name “Theosophy” is considered synonymous with charlatanism and mystical reverie.

          Despite the chilling name, Dr. Hartmann joined this society [in 1882, as mentioned in another part of this series] and thereby came into contact with its members. The more he heard about the mysterious adepts, the more he wished to get in touch with them himself, even though he did not dare to announce this wish. But the Adepts were said to be in remote Tibet, Col. Olcott and H.P. Blavatsky were in India, and Colorado is a long way from Madras.

          One morning in 1883, Dr. Hartmann, while half asleep, saw a letter whose handwriting was unknown to him. The foreign postage stamps, which were also unknown to him, were also stuck on it, not on the addressed side of the letter as is customary, but on the sealed side. After breakfast he went to the post office and actually found the letter just described. It was a letter from Colonel Olcott who invited Dr. Hartmann to come to India and take part in the direction of the theosophical movement.^[20] A feeling of inner conviction, more reliable than any external motive, told him that this was the right thing to do and that he could not devote his future activity to a more better purpose. He therefore got ready to leave and left Georgetown on September 21, 1883.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[4.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 10, no. 63 (December 1897), 882-892.^[21]

We pass over the description of the interesting journey through the “Grand Cannon [Canyon]” of Colorado with its thousands of meters high rocks rising vertically from the river bed, the description of the Indians at Fort Yuma, Los Angeles with its orange groves, as well as an interesting visit to the Mormon town and the description of San Francisco with its Chinese districts and its 30,000 inhabitants.

          There is probably no more beautiful sight in the world than the “Golden Horn” [Silverton, Colorado area?] seen from “Cliff-home” [Pikes Peak]; but all these memoirs have already been sufficiently described by other travelers, and partly by Dr. Hartmann described in his novella: “The Talking Image of Urur.” On the other hand, we leave a few excerpts from his travel reports, which appeared in an American newspaper, which may be of interest to the German reader:

     Yokohama, October 31, 1883. —

“On October 11 the Coptic left San Francisco. During the previous night I felt an earthquake, my bed rocked to and fro; at the same time I felt so heavy, as if the world were about to end, or as if a great misfortune were imminent.^[22] There was a great deal of activity on the ship; because in addition to the approximately 200 European and American passengers, there were over 1500 Chinese on board, who traveled to their homeland to put their financial affairs in order there; for the Chinese New Year was approaching, on which everyone must settle his accounts and pay his debts, lest he henceforth be despised by everyone and treated as an outcast. In any case, it would be advisable to introduce this custom in Europe as well. But soon everything was fine and we drove out through the “Golden Horn” with its islands, into the deep blue sea.

     The ship’s doctor was kind enough to give me a quiet corner in his cabin where I could write without being disturbed much. But I also helped him with the surgical operations that occurred and with the “embalming” of the corpses of the Chinese who died on board; because every Chinese who dies in America or on an American ship must, according to the state treaty, be handed over to the Chinese authorities in order to be buried in Chinese soil.

     The voyage proceeded without a noteworthy event; among the passengers, the most notable were two scholars who argued about the nature of the earth’s interior. While the one maintained that the earth was a hollow sphere, the other claimed to know that it was filled with a glowing mass of molten rocks, and, thereby proving the correctness of his theory, intended to tunnel into the interior of Vesuvius to build and through this lead the Adriatic Sea into the crater, so that when the sea came together with the glowing mass of the earth’s interior, the earth would explode and be torn to pieces as a result of the developing steam pressure. This idea seems odd; but there are still more scholars who give little consideration to the consequences of their experiments, if that is the only way to satisfy their addiction to bossiness.

     On October 27th we approached land. The first signs were an albatross accompanying us and a little Japanese night owl which flew onto the deck and perched trustingly on my shoulder, which seemed to me to be a good omen as the owl is the symbol of wisdom. The next morning the lovely bay of Yokohama, with its many islands and promontories, appeared before us, illuminated by the rising sun. Countless fishing boats cruised back and forth; then came Russian, French and Japanese warships, then the “sampans” or barges with half-naked oarsmen; then the landing, shouts and tumult and the revelation of the people’s passions.

     Aside from the Japanese temples and other curiosities, what particularly interested me in Yokohama and Tokyo (which I visited yesterday) was the skill with which the Japanese fashion, out of living flowers, statues of men and animals which, seen from afar, are mistaken for living creatures. It was just some Japanese festival and new life-size idols, tigers and elephants made of all kinds of flowers.

     The vicinity of most Buddhist temples is inhabited by flocks of ravens, but by the temple of Asoka there are a multitude of pigeons, as numerous and tame as those in St. Mark’s Square in Venice. It is curious that the Buddhist ecclesiastical ceremonies bear the closest resemblance to those of the Catholic Church, and since they date from ancient times it cannot be assumed that the Buddhists “copied” them from the Catholics. As for the infamous Buddhist “prayer wheel,” which it is taken to be by uninformed European travelers, it is nothing more than a symbol of the ever-turning wheel of time, an allegory of the impermanence of all things to be contemplated as a reminder to rise to the Eternal where eternal rest reigns. The Buddhists have their sacraments analogous to those of the Roman Catholics, their monks wear a habit similar to that of the Catholic priests, and the offering box in their temples closely resembles those of the latter, while the images of angels, dragons, and Devils mean nothing more and nothing less than the saints and devils in the Catholic Churches, namely symbols of good and evil forces in nature. There is the god of the wind, the god of storm and thunder, and the reasonable Buddhist thinks no more of worshiping them than the reasonable Christian thinks of his wooden idols. Certainly there are fools among all nations; but such slanders are mostly from the pen of ignorant and jealous Protestant missionaries.”

Hong-Kong, November 11, 1883. —

“The last thing we saw of Japan was the sunlit summit of Mount Fuji Yama, or ‘Holy Mountain,’ which stands near the coast and raises its head to a height of 14,000’. It was an almost unearthly sight, for the base of the mountain was shrouded in fog and the mountain itself seemed to be floating in the clouds. A counterpart to this was the Oyama volcano [Mount Ōyama], which we sailed past; the waves of the ocean pounded the rocky shore, the mountain was shrouded in smoke, which rose from the crater in dark mists and was pierced by fiery lightning. These clouds took on all sorts of fantastic forms. The imagination saw dragons and giant birds of all kinds, witches riding on broomsticks and devils with firebrands. So they moved across the evening sky, which hung full of black clouds, the edges of which the evening sun illuminated and suffused with gold and silver and crimson. Then night came and with it the glow of the sea began. A stream of fire trailed behind the ship, and the spraying drops of water were like sheaves of fire and rockets; while schools of dolphins, or rather hogfish, swarmed around the vehicle. Finally the disk of the moon rose in the eastern firmament and spilled its silvery light on the endless sea, a sight that, like a magical world, defies description.

We passed the island of Formosa, passing here and there were fishing boats whose occupants seemed not to wish to be met unarmed, as they looked more like pirates than anything else. When we arrived in Hong Kong, it looked almost eerie; Malays and Chinese of all kinds scrambled up to the ship before it even anchored, thousands of men and women were assembled, and the roar and shriek of each was lost in the noise and din of the crowd. There were sellers of all sorts of things, agents and money changers, hotel porters and porters, and one could almost have thought it was a battle, for every traveler was being fought over there like the emperor’s flag. The question then arises as to whether life is something so valuable that one scrambles to have one’s needs satisfied, and whether it shouldn’t be arranged in such a way that everyone can obtain what they need without robbing someone else.

The opium dens in China present the picture of the worst human depravity. It is mostly underground passages and holes where the victims of opium smoking lay and go from intoxication to intoxication and finally to insanity. The Chinese wanted to abolish opium and forbid its import; but the English, the people of gluttony and hypocrisy, compelled them by force of arms to buy it.

Torture and executions of the most horrid kind are still in use in Canton; but we prefer to leave this dark side of human nature covered up.”

On November 12, a French steamer continued to Saigon, Singapore, Ceylon and from there to Madras. On the journey from Colombo to Madras, Dr. Hartmann made the acquaintance of Professor Dr. Robert Koch from Berlin, who was looking for the cholera bacillus, while Dr. Hartmann researched the “Bacillus Sapientiae.”

“India! — O what magic lay in that word!  — India! the land of wisdom, the land of magic! What was European science but child’s play compared with the higher knowledge of the next best Brahmin? Wasn’t it preached by Col. Olcott to the whole world that there is more true knowledge in the tip of an Indian fakir’s nose than in the heads of all our scholars!? Since the appearance of the “Theosophical Society” in India, hasn’t the glorious Aryavartha begun to awaken again, awakened by the breath of freedom blowing from America! India, land of mysteries, land of adepts; what precious mysteries may be hidden in your womb, which it is our destiny to bring to light.”

This was what were Dr. Hartmann’s feelings as the steamer approached the Indian coast. First a faint misty streak appeared on the horizon, which became clearer and clearer, then the white houses and palaces of Madras became visible. A little while longer and now the people on the shore could be clearly seen, men in white robes and turbans of different colors; Women dressed in brightly colored scarves, half-naked coolies in between.

Stop! The engine, which had been working day and night for so long, stopped panting, the ship stood still and the anchor rattled down.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[5.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” II. Indien. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 64 (January 1898), 53-71.^[23]

II. India.

Before proceeding in our account it is necessary to say something more about the Theosophical movement in general and the “Theosophical Society” in particular.

          It is known to every mystic that from time immemorial there has existed a Confederation of World Sages, i.e., enlightened people who have attained a higher degree of self-knowledge and are initiated into the deeper mysteries of nature. Their aim is to help humanity and, wherever conditions allow, to spread light and enlightenment in the world. Eckartshausen says about them:^[24]

“Few people consecrate themselves to true wisdom; hence there is so much error in the world; wisdom requires truth, and truth requires goodness, and this is rare in the learned. Hence their pride, hence their wisdom, folly. Above all, learn the nothingness of your Self. You can’t do anything by yourself. Never be proud of your own knowledge; everything comes from God who is wisdom itself.

“There have always been some people who sought wisdom in the purity of their hearts; but they lived in secret and did good deeds without pomp. Some of them were laughed at, others the victims of prejudice and error, but wisdom always remained wisdom, and its followers worked according to the great plan of the deity for the good of man. Seas separate the lands inhabited by the wise from the lands of the children of error. Far lies her island from the regions discovered, and will remain undiscovered until the eyes of men can endure the light of the divine sun. Rarely is a mortal granted access to its sacred shores. But at certain periods of time their envoys are sent to the known parts of the world. Her work is to spread light, to seek light wherever it may emanate. These sent out ones seek to spread God’s wisdom in quiet ways; they know the deepest mysteries of nature; they unite with people who are on the paths of good and truth, impart hidden sciences to them and lead them to light, to contemplation, to wisdom.”

          This description, which is partly allegorical, is to be understood, as has become clear to us through our own experience, in the sense that the society of the wise or “Adepts” is a spiritual community in which all people, who have attained a certain degree of self-knowledge, are spiritually united and come together, even if they are physically separated from each other by seas. The “island” spoken of is the realm of knowledge, though surrounded by the sea of ​​ignorance, where the storms of passion reign, undiscovered to anyone who does not find it within himself. But there is also not entirely talk of purely spiritual things; for the Adepts of whom the author speaks are people who as such live on earth and, as it is said, in Tibet and Egypt in lonely, remote places. In them are unfolded “spiritual” or rather “divine” powers, of which modern psychology is not yet known, but through which they are able to see and work at a distance, and since they gain power through self-control obtained through the elementals, magical “miracles,” such as for instance, to accomplish so-called “ghost writings,” apparitions and other things about which one “wonders” because one does not understand them. The manner in which they associate with truth-loving people is through the long-distance of the thought. Whoever can rise to their sphere can partake of their influence.

          The existence of the Adepts has often been disputed, but the author has come to the complete conviction through his personal experience that such wise people, endowed with magical powers, who are called “Adepts,” or “Mahatmas” (great souls), or “enlightened ones” actually live on earth; that some of them reside in Tibet, and that H. P. Blavatsky, as she always claimed, was their pupil. To be such a disciple she did not need to be a perfect saint herself or a fully trained adept, and all the errors spread about her are partly due to the ignorance of those who judge her, partly to the slanders by her envious detractors and enemies.

          As water pours out wherever there are channels through which it can find its way, so the light diffused by divine wisdom, which is the sum total of the highest intelligences in the universe, pours out into all hearts where there is no  insurmountable resistance. It is permeating all churches and systems, bringing ever more enlightenment everywhere, albeit slowly. The Spirit of Wisdom is therefore not a monopoly owned by any society, but the driving force of that movement which is now spreading all over the world and making itself felt in all branches of science, art and social relations, and one can see this movement rightly call it “theosophical” because it is based on the knowledge of truth; even if this knowledge has not yet reached consciousness everywhere, but is only felt like a dark feeling in human hearts. But the “Theosophical Society” was brought into being by H. P. Blavatsky to be a powerful center of this movement. It should, it was the intention of the Adepts, consist of noble, good, loving, intelligent and energetic people, of people whose souls are big enough to embrace the whole world in love and whose minds are enlightened enough to be a lamp to be spreading the light received from the Sun of Wisdom over the earth. Thus the light of enlightenment and the warmth of love, proceeding from this center, should gradually permeate all classes, the strong helping the weak, and the weak helping those who are weaker than themselves. And since not every human being is able to receive and absorb the light directly from the sun of wisdom, since he would be blinded by its light, so the teachers of wisdom are like the moon, which gives us the light of the sun in a milder form and illuminates the darkness of ignorance until that men, accustomed to the milder light, are able to endure the light of the sun themselves. Thus, in the sky of the Theosophical Society the Sun of Wisdom should be the Central Sun, the Adepts the moon, and each member who has come to self-knowledge, a star, a lamp for all.

          The purpose of the society was threefold. Above all, it should be the nucleus of a general brotherhood of men, regardless of religious and other differences of opinion, imbued with the spirit of tolerance.

          With that, however, an almost impossible condition was set; for since most people have little tolerance, their society cannot be permeated by their spirit either. It is precisely this difference of opinion which causes people to tear one another to pieces, and this tendency is not shaken by being inscribed on the list of members of a Theosophical Society. No general agreement can be built on the difference in opinions, and even if all people would accept one and the same opinion, such an opinion would by no means be true knowledge, such a situation would be the greatest misfortune for mankind, because with the blind, believing an idea based on ignorance would put an end to all one’s own thinking and searching. Equality of perception can only unite all people when they have all arrived at the same point of view, all have come to self-knowledge. Such a society would then no longer just be “theosophical,” but a society of real Theosophists.

          But if the diversity of knowledge and imagination cannot unite men, love of truth can. But love of truth is belief in the highest ideal, which does not dwell in the head or in the realm of imagination, but in the heart. Where the love of the good in every man recognizes the good, no matter how hidden, there, man recognizes his own divine self; there this divine love unites all people in God. Therefore the awakening of divine love in the heart, and not empty knowledge, should be the first purpose of the Theosophical Society.

          But this knowledge of God (Theosophy) is hindered by the wrong worldview, which takes appearances for essence and substitutes self-delusion for the sole indivisible deity. It was now above all important to teach those who were looking for truth and self-knowledge, so that they could rid themselves of their errors. But how could this have been done in a better way than by studying the writings of the Sages, philosophers and initiates of antiquity; but above all by those of the “Adepts,” i.e., explanations given by people who had attained divine self-knowledge? Through them the meaning hidden under allegories and fables in the religious books of the peoples was revealed and the truth brought to light. Therefore the study of religious studies and philosophy was the second purpose of the Theosophical Society. Unfortunately, many forgot about the first purpose. They just wanted to satisfy their scientific curiosity; know all sorts of things about the origin of the world, life after death and the like, enrich their own earthly knowledge, but few aspired to the love which God recognizes in all beings. Thus the name “Theosophy” often became just the designation for some other metaphysical or theological speculation.

          In fact, no one can become a real theosophist if Theosophy, i.e., the spiritual-divine self-knowledge, is not felt in himself and becomes a living force. The knowledge of God belongs to the inner divine man, but not to the dust-born earthly man. The inner divine man must come to consciousness in man; only then can his knowledge enlighten the earthly spirit of man. For this reason, the third purpose of the society was the investigation of the occult powers hidden in nature and the awakening of the higher soul powers in the consciousness of man himself. Everyone should come to know his own higher nature, which can only be achieved through the practice of virtue, justice, truth, goodness etc.

          But how little did the world, and especially the scholars, understand these three purposes of the Theosophical Society, in spite of all that has been said and written about them. The third purpose in particular attracted a multitude of enthusiasts and dreamers, believing that it was a matter of learning to use witchcraft or magic, or of easily acquiring occult powers and using them for selfish purposes.

          If H. P. Blavatsky had not supported her teachings with facts, if she had only moved in the realm of theory, many a century would have passed before the world would have approached the question of a higher world view that was so important to her. But since she herself was in possession of mystical powers, she often gave samples of them. Some people’s souls were like an open book to her; she could read closed letters, give the right answer to questions that were only thought of; it seemed to be at home in the astral world as well as in the physical world, and could voluntarily produce various phenomena such as are involuntarily produced by the spiritualists’ mediums, without their knowing how it is done. All these phenomena were, of course, only for the purpose of attracting people’s attention to the study of theosophical teachings and higher natural science, of stimulating them to think for themselves, and even if H. P. Blavatsky, as was claimed by her enemies, had produced such phenomena by sleight of hand, they would still have served their purpose and no one would have been cheated. They cost nothing; they were the peal of bells proclaiming the existence of the School of Wisdom.

         But there were also a lot of people, especially among the semi-scholars, who were only interested in the ringing of the bells, but who didn’t bother about the school itself; they racked their brains as to how the phenomena would be produced and lost their minds over it themselves. As they could not see the end of it, and were accustomed to confusing the means with the end, they considered the production of occult tricks to be the end of society, and the tricks themselves fraudulent.

          It is easy to understand that if an earthworm could think and see an eagle fly, it would think it fraud or deception; for since he himself cannot fly, flying in general is an impossibility for him. It is the same with all those who can never rise above the level of conceit, opinion and imagination. For them, inductive reasoning based on false assumptions is supreme; They know nothing of the divine powers hidden in the soul because they do not know faith.

          After all, the mystery which surrounded H. P. Blavatsky was the great magnet that attracted many whose mystical nature was stirred, but also many so-called dreamers and enthusiasts. Wherever Colonel Olcott banged his drum noise, people spoke of miracles, and the call of phenomena attracted many curious people, who often found something better than the miracles they had hoped for.

          In India, however, something else contributed to the rapid growth of the Theosophical Society. There was a nation, subjugated by foreigners for centuries, divided by the spirit of caste. Trampled and despised by the Europeans, they writhed in cowardly fear of the tyrants, knowing that they had no power to help themselves. The Christian missionaries contributed most to the corruption of morals; for though many among the Indians had also lost the key to the understanding of their religion, they still had enough knowledge left to see in the allegories and perverted interpretations dished out to them by the missionaries a caricature of their own teachings; so that some Brahmin could instruct the Christian missionary in the Christian religion, but not vice versa. Of course, the latter could not help but despise the religious ignorance of the Europeans, but they were careful not to let this be noticed. This is how hypocrisy, cowardice and belly-crawling came into being. The English were regarded and honored as unapproachable higher beings on the outside, and hated as devils on the inside.

          Then the American, Colonel Olcott, appeared like a saving angel and preached the gospel of equal rights for all people. In effusive words he praised the glory of the glorious Aryavartha (Ancient India), its superiority over European civilization, the worthlessness of the European world view in comparison with ancient Indian science, he even claimed to have been an Indian himself in his last incarnation. He explained to the Indians the secret meaning of the Christian symbols and thereby exposed the ignorance of the missionaries. He showed that the teaching of Christ is the same as the teaching of Krishna, only in a different form; that the basis of all great systems of religion is one and the same knowledge of truth, and that to arrive at true religion one need only discover the truth in one’s own religion.

          When, after a cold, rainy day, the sun suddenly shines into an anthill, everything in it comes to life. If you poke in with a stick, everything gets confused. The new light, awakened national feeling in the hearts of the Indians, and many who did not understand the equality of all men, and who had feared the Europeans, now believed themselves to be at least as good as an Englishman, if not much better. Olcott was considered by many to be the savior of India. Many pupils of the European schools understood the matter as if it were no longer necessary to study European natural sciences. Everyone applied for the favor of the Masters and looked to them for advice on their personal affairs. Everyone wanted to save themselves the trouble of studying or working and would rather live a quiet life and become a “yogi” (saint).

          The anger of the Protestant missionaries, finding their reputation and income threatened by this excitement, is understandable, and, being powerless with the weapons of the spirit, they resorted to personal attacks on the character of H. P. Blavatsky.

          This was how things stood at the headquarters when Dr. Hartmann arrived in India and we are now returning to that point in time.

          The ship dropped anchor, and soon a deputation of natives, members of the T.S., appeared on board to give the newcomer a festive welcome, and to bring him a letter from H. P. Blavatsky, welcoming him “to his homeland.” Then one of the boats, which were built very high because of the surf there, was boarded and a carriage was used on land. The journey went along the seashore; first past palatial buildings, then through the narrow streets of the natives’ quarters, then came the country road planted with bread trees, clusters of houses, coconut palms, Mohammedan cemeteries and solitary graves alternated with meadows, ponds and forest. Then it went over a large bridge over the Adyar River, and in a few minutes the carriage drove through the gateway of the wall which enclosed the park that separated the headquarters of the Theosophical Society of the whole world from the outside world.

          This headquarters was in the district of Adyar, a suburb of Madras, and belonged to a village called Urur, inhabited by fishermen. The building consisted of a charmingly situated bungalow with a portico decorated with columns. At the back of the house flowed the Adyar River, which emptied into the sea a short distance away. Owing to the proximity of the sea with its ebb and flow, the river had fresh and salty water for bathing twice a day, and the spacious park was dotted with mango trees, coconut trees and the larch-like casuarina trees.

          A few remarks, albeit cautiously, made by the Brahmins accompanying him along the way, seemed to indicate that all was not well at headquarters and that, in fact, neither the President, nor H. P. Blavatsky, but a certain Madame C . . . . . . mistress in the house.

          She had known H. P. Blavatsky in Egypt, and after she had become impoverished there, she had come to Adyar with her husband, where both were hospitably received by H. P. Blavatsky. Monsieur C., a Frenchman, carpenter by trade, oversaw the servants, did repairs, and the like, while his wife acted not only as housekeeper, but also as companion to H. P. Blavatsky, adviser to Col. Olcott, and superintendent of all. She knew how to play the cards and had various arts in an Egyptian harem, e.g. learned how to make magic mirrors; good at divination, and so had won the President’s favor that during his absence no one but she was allowed to enter his room; because, as he claimed, no one could spread “good magnetism” as she did.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[6.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 65 (February 1898), 125-150.^[25]

Dr Hartmann had come to India with great enthusiasm. His main purpose was to become personally acquainted with H. P. Blavatsky, whose spirit inspired in him so much admiration from her writings. But the headquarters were also the center of the world for him; the “Rome”— not of churchhood but of divine wisdom, Col. Olcott appeared to him as the hierophant, the chelas (disciples of the Adepts) as the apostles, free from all human passions, imbued — with divine love for all mankind, full of high intelligence and radiant in the light of truth; for otherwise how could they be the disciples of wisdom? The study of Theosophy was for him a serious, high and sacred thing which had nothing to do with the frippery of this world. How astonished he was when he entered the park to see a large elephant made of blue packing paper on either side of the entrance. The blue elephants were meant to be symbols of power and wisdom, but unfortunately they were just a caricature. Was this an omen? Dr. Hartmann had hoped to find gods, but should he find human weaknesses here too?

          It is true that he found many human weaknesses here too, but in these papers we are dealing only with memorable reminiscences.

          The author says the following about his acquaintance with H. P. Blavatsky:

          “Immediately after my arrival in Adyar I was greeted by H. P. Blavatsky, who had my sympathy from the first moment and with whom I was on friendly terms to the end of her life, although we had a few occasions to get angry at each other. I am now faced with the difficult task of attempting to give a picture of H. P. Blavatsky, an attempt that many have made and that up to now none has succeeded. It has happened to her just as with many other mystics; some had foolishly raised their skin and hair to heaven; they unjustly crucified and condemned the others; no one has fully understood them, and no one can understand and describe such people as a whole, because in them there are two natures, often contradictory, each of which is strong; that is, the wavering spirit of the earthly, ever-changing and mortal personality, and the immortal, individual, enlightened soul.

          In an ordinary man there is, as a rule, little difference in character; he remains pretty much the same in his virtues and weaknesses; he may follow one whim today and another tomorrow; but never gets over the whims. He always remains small in his pettiness, even if this shows itself in different forms; he is seldom tall. An Adept, on the other hand, whose personality is always imbued with his higher consciousness, is also always the same, but on a much higher level. Compared to everyday man, he is a god. H. P. Blavatsky was neither a god nor an everyday person, she hovered, so to speak, between heaven and earth. Soon she flew up to the highest regions and had commingled with the gods; not in her imagination but with full awareness; soon she came down to earth, and then she was like a headstrong child, with many whims which were difficult to satisfy.

          There is no talk of mediumship. Every occultist knows that there are different states of consciousness, each with its own perceptual faculties and memories; in each one the person concerned is a completely different person. A drunk can remember what he did in his last intoxication, though he knew nothing about it during the sober interval; a somnambulist communicates with the spiritual world while her body is asleep, and on waking knows nothing of what she saw and heard there. H. P. Blavatsky was neither drunk nor somnambulistic, she could consciously raise herself to a higher level of existence and when she descended again remember what was happening.

          There is a double nature in every human being, the higher and the personal ego. But in everyday man something higher slumbers, or the consciousness of the God-man shines only like a twilight into the consciousness of earthly man. In H. P. Blavatsky the higher Self had awakened to consciousness; she was at the same time an inhabitant of the higher world and an inhabitant of the earth. That is why no one understood her. She not only had spirit, but in her there was a spiritual individuality called Upasika [Upāsikā],^[26] linked to the lively and stubborn organism of a Russian lady named H. P. Blavatsky, endowed with a fiery temperament difficult to control. Whoever wants to know the character of Upāsikā must look for the spirit in the works written by H. P. Blavatsky. The personality of H.P. Blavatsky was only a tool of her inner Self; her personal faults have nothing to do with her work for the good of mankind. The biographers who wrote books about H. P. Blavatsky only described an illusion, they never knew Upāsikā herself, only the house she lived in.

          But the opinions which are widespread about the personal character of H. P. Blavatsky are also largely based on error; faults were attributed to her that she did not have, and faults that she had were exaggerated. She seemed unpredictable; undemanding and demanding again, patient and impatient, meek and short-tempered, secretive and gossipy, good-natured and quarrelsome, etc., depending on her mood.^[27] Owing to her vivid imagination she was inclined to exaggerations, exalted her friends to heaven, and then in the next moment, for some displeasure, sent them to the abyss of hell; neither the one nor the other was meant seriously. Heavenly tranquility reigned in Upāsikā; Blavatsky was like a soap bubble with an ever-changing play of colours. But the slanders which have been circulated about Blavatsky all come from persons who believed that by it they could be made Adepts and attain great honor and wealth, without realizing that their own megalomania barred their way. Disappointed, they then turned the fangs of slander against their benefactor. Now Upāsikā and H. P. Blavatsky have parted ways, and the latter is no longer of interest to us. Their works have given mankind enough food for thought for centuries to come. Upāsikā, however, did not die, but continues to work, albeit in a different way, for the good of mankind.

          If we want to explain this in more detail and the whole thing is not to sound like a fairy tale to the uninitiated, it would be necessary to delve deeply into the realm of the secret doctrine^[28]; but space allows us only to touch it briefly. According to this doctrine, in the progressive development of the human spirit there is no annihilation and no new emergence of the spiritual individuality of man, but only a re-embodiment of it in successive, newly emerging personal manifestations. The human personality, with its thinking, willing and feeling, is formed by the earthly spirit of nature; in this mortal shell dwells the heavenly spirit descended from above, the immortal “I.” It is generally admitted that the “Spirit of God” dwells in man, but few are aware of this, for few in their present existence have this higher Self come into clear self-awareness. If people were to achieve this clear Self-consciousness during their life on earth, they would be glorified saints, would have found themselves and could hardly be regarded as human beings, but rather as gods. As long as this does not happen, people do not know their real existence, but lead a kind of dream life in this world as well as after death in the spirit world.

          When an ordinary man dies, his soul separates from his body; the material body remains on earth, the “desire body” (Kāma rūpa) in the realm of desires (Kāma loka); but the heavenly soul enters the abode of the blessed, where it is surrounded by its ideals until the hour of reincarnation approaches. Even if this state in the world of the gods (Devachan) appears to be completely real for the inhabitants of the same, it is still nothing more than a dream in comparison with the complete awakening of divine Self-knowledge, and only through this awakening does man attain freedom and dominion about himself. He then became a “master.”

          If a human being awakens to the true divine life by overcoming and conquering the animal in his nature and has to a certain degree become a master, a “man born again in God,”^[29] then he is also of no dream life, be it in heaven or in heaven on earth, self-conscious, but awakened to true consciousness. By overcoming his desires he has purified his soul so that it has become permeated with spiritual life and alive, and when he leaves his visible body he is then not only a “spirit,” but one with the body of transfiguration (clothed with the transfigured astral body), although invisible to earthly eyes.^[30]

          Regarding this transfigured body, of which St. Paul says that an animal body will be sown and a spiritual body will rise, and which is not to be confused with the astral corpses of the deceased, Friedrich Rückert says:

“What is the body of the spirit? It is not the body that, built up of dust, collapses into dust. This is the spirit’s body: The form which it builds itself, in which one spirit looks at the other with a spirit’s gaze.

          This is the body which, now shining through the gross corporeal covering, as it falls, is represented in clear fullness. In this body we see each other there; let us trust; The spirit has its body in order to see, having seen itself.”

          If such a born-again human being incarnates again in a new personality in order to accomplish any work for the benefit of mankind, for which he needs a physical body, he must of course use this personality, which has a will of its own, for his purposes, train and master them, just as a servant or an official must first be instructed and educated in his services before he can be used. The only difference is that here the Master, Himself, resides in the servant and is his true self. So it is understandable why a human being who is not perfect, can nevertheless be a great genius, even an Adept, in his innermost being. After all, we are all gods at heart; but we don’t recognize it!

          Now even a not quite perfect person, for example, the disciple of a Master, sent into the world for a similar purpose, to embody and to commune with and be guided by his Master, whether he be embodied or an indweller of the spirit world, can be used. This was indeed the case with H. P. Blavatsky. Even as a child she amazed those around her with her mystical abilities, and from an early age she had been watched over and tutored by the Adepts. She had had an eventful life and on her travels had come to countries which the foot of a European seldom penetrated. Thus, she had come into contact with various mystics and Adepts in Egypt, Asia and South America, had met her own guide and teacher personally, worked her way through orthodoxy and spiritualism and finally became mature enough to announce to the world the great religious science which is so clearly set forth in her Secret Doctrine and her other writings. So, she became an apostle of the Enlightenment, as there were only a few before her and there will probably be only a few after her, an incomprehensible riddle for the scholars of this world, who know nothing of the divine existence and of whom they only know as the “Sphinx of the nineteenth century” and then declared her as a “swindler.”

          But the teaching of a doctrine is of little use if there is no one to listen to it. It was not just a question of writing the new teaching in a notebook that no one reads, but of spreading it. To this end, H. P. Blavatsky associated with H. S. Olcott, W. Q. ​​Judge, and others, and the Theosophical Society was founded in New York in 1875, the headquarters of which were later transferred to India. There could hardly have been a more suitable person to spread theosophical teachings than Col. Olcott, who had an excellent talent for forming clubs and organizations, raising funds and providing the ideal with a material basis on which to develop could. It was precisely his mistakes that benefited the cause, for if he had been less attached to the material side and had he attached less importance to occult phenomena, he would probably have only reached a few with philosophy, for the large crowd is attracted only by what they can grasp and marvel at with their hands. He did his duty as best he could.

          Besides the above, there were also some young Indians at headquarters, the most important being Damodar K. Maralankar [Mavalankar], another was Bavadjee. They had the intention of becoming “chelās.” What has become of them does not interest us here. But special mention must be made of T. Subba Row-Garu, one of the most learned Brahmins, who was also in possession of occult powers and visited the headquarters almost daily.

          There was no shortage of occult phenomena at the headquarters in those days, and Col. Olcott didn’t know enough about them. H. P. Blavatsky could knock on any object without touching it, the sounds known to spiritualists, nay, to convince a doubter, she even did it on the teeth in his mouth. Ringing of bells, as of silver bells, rang now here, now there, in the air; books, carried by invisible hands, would fly from the distant bookcase to her desk when H. P. Blavatsky wanted it,^[31] objects were brought in by the “spirits” (elementals) when she needed such things, etc., but the main things were the “occult letters,” which now this, now that, received from the Adepts, and in which personal advice was communicated. These “Occult Letters” were sometimes found in locked places where they could not have gotten by ordinary means; soon they suddenly fell down from the ceiling, or lay on the table where nothing had been lying there the moment before, yes, it even happened that you could see a kind of mist forming in the air and a written letter with an address emerging from it formed and materialized. Sometimes, too, direct writing appeared on papers placed there, and all this was not done for no purpose, or to amaze the curious, but for the purpose of making communications, giving orders, and giving advice. Manuscripts were often modified in this way, marginal notes were written on proof sheets; Papers suddenly disappeared and then just as suddenly were back in their place; in short, it was as if invisible helpers were active in the house and office in addition to the visible employees.

          Whoever is better acquainted with the laws of occult science knows what influence the light has on the ether vibrations used to bring about certain phenomena, and that in such “materializations” a closure of the light is advantageous. This is also known to all spiritualists. For this reason, a separate room was reserved on the upper floor of the headquarters and in this there was a closet. Inquiries to the Adepts were sometimes placed in this box and the door locked. Sometimes immediately and sometimes only later the letter disappeared and the answer was found in its place. The closet itself was empty except for a few pictures kept in it, portraits of Adepts. The room was guarded by the “Chelās” like a sanctuary and access was only allowed to strangers on special occasions. But the closet itself was the holy of holies before which they knelt, and no European or American, with the exception of Col. Olcott, was permitted to touch it.

          At the beginning everything went well; but as soon as a thing becomes general, it becomes common. When it became known that one could get advice from the Adepts in this way, the great and the lessor flocked to it. One wanted the great Saints to tell him if now was the right time to sell his house; the other wished for a son; a third a good appointment from the government, a fourth an increase in his salary, etc. Those who received an answer were the envied; those who did not receive an answer became angry and felt offended.

          After Dr. Hartmann had come to India to work in the service of the adepts, he would have liked to have had an external sign of life from them, but he hesitated to ask for it, as he thought that the adepts, if they wanted to tell him something, would do so would probably do without asking. But after three weeks had passed without this happening, he ventured an attempt to leave a letter in the closet, in which he declared his willingness to place his services at the disposal of the adepts. That same evening, as Col. Olcott explained, the letter disappeared from the cupboard. The next day the answer was found in its place, from which we are permitted to share the following excerpt:^[32]

[December 25, 1883^[33]]

{Excerpted} Blessings! Were we to employ in our service a man of no intelligence, we would have to point out to him, as you say in the West, chapter and verse, i.e., give him special assignments and definite orders; but a mind like yours, with a background of much experience, can find the way by itself, when given a hint in regard to the direction which leads to the goal. Make for yourself a clear picture of what a man is, in what relation this particular life stands to the sum-total of his former existences, and that his future is entirely within his own power, and you will not be in doubt any longer as to what you should do. . . . I placed in H. S. Olcott’s head the idea to suggest to you to come here. Remain in Asia. Take part in the work of the Theosophical Society. Make known without reservations the principles of the philosophy which speaks the loudest in your own heart. Help others, so that you may be helped yourself. . . . Live according to the highest Ideal of Manhood. Think and work. In this lie the conditions of satisfaction for both yourself and others. . . .       M.

          If you get a letter from someone you don’t know personally and whose handwriting you’ve never seen before, you can’t, of course, say with certainty who the sender was. In the passages omitted above, private matters were discussed which were unknown to anyone in India. Apart from that, this letter could well have been written by H. P. Blavatsky or Olcott. But this doubt was countered by that feeling of inner conviction, which is not recognized as a witness before the judiciary of science, which judges only according to outward appearances, and in the end it didn’t really matter who had written the letter, since it wasn’t intended as proof of identity, but it was written to give counsel, and the advice it contained was certainly good, no matter who gave it.^[34]

resume

          As a result of the stir caused by the exposure of occult phenomena, of which the appearance of Sinnett’s book The Occult World is a major contributor, the reputation of the Theosophical Society spread throughout the world, but the spirit of the Society was lost in the process. Nobody seemed to care anymore about the general brotherhood of men; it just ran along more like an empty phrase which nobody noticed; the “phenomena” had become the main thing. The curious flocked from all over the world to see miracles, phenomena formed the talk of the day; people argued back and forth about it, the world doubted and disputed the “authenticity” of the phenomena, laughed at the testimonies about them, people came to convince themselves and left disappointed. Society’s reputation seemed to rest solely on proving that the phenomena were “real.” This became the dominant question, they fought, scratched and bit, and the fraternity came to an end in giant strides. Doubtfulness was always the enemy of the ideal, and blind half-learnedness crying out for proof was the destroyer of faith.

          At the same time, the Protestant missionaries began to stir, and disputes about religion were added to the disputes about phenomena. The missionaries, offended by the treatment meted out to their superficial interpretation of the allegories of the Bible, and unable to defend themselves with the weapons of the Spirit, thought of destroying the Society by exposing H. P. Blavatsky, and only bided their time off, knowing that Blavatsky and Olcott were about to go to Europe. The bomb was supposed to explode while they were away, and they had the help insured with the couple C[oulombe] . . .; but nobody at headquarters knew anything about it.

          It cannot be our intention today to go into the details of this alleged “debunking,” which excited the whole world at that time; however, we owe it to the memory of H. P. Blavatsky, as a pre-eminent figure in the history of mankind, to touch upon the main points, and to set forth the matter as it really was. But for those who are interested in the question whether there are Adepts, i.e., people who can take their consciousness and perception to distant places and watch over events there may have some points to think about.

          The festivities at headquarters were over; H. P. Blavatsky and Olcott prepared to leave. Then Dr. Hartmann found, upon opening a drawer, a sealed letter addressed to him with the following content^[35]:

          February 5, 1884. — Friend! . . . . In view of certain unexpected events which I foresee, I must ask you to exercise your attachment to the cause of truth by taking the helm of the theosophical boat into your own hands. If I know anything for certain, it is that I recognize that you are entirely free from the prejudices and partisanships which usually accompany a calm and dispassionate pursuit of the chief purpose of society,—full equality of men as brothers, and loftiness over their childish fairy tales, which they call their “religions,” whether “exoteric” or “esoteric,” stand in the way. If you agree to oversee the interests of Theosophy in Olcott’s and Upasika’s absence, I will arrange for you to be given the necessary authority to do so. Use it for the good of truth, justice and love.

. . . . Let me give you some advice. Never offer yourself as a chela, but wait until chelaship descends upon you of its own accord. Seek above all to find yourself, and the path of knowledge will open before you, all the more easily since, having taken the name of the Blessed One as your spiritual guide, you have come into contact with its Ray of Light.^[36] . . . Receive my blessings and thanks in advance.      M.

          The letter also contained a portrait of the master, with a dedication. That it could have been put in the drawer by a visible person was an impossibility, for apart from Dr. Hartmann nobody in the room, and the same drawer was empty a few minutes earlier. In any case, it is advisable to point out the fact that this is only about the content of the letter and not about the way it came. Had it come the usual way, by post, it would have been the same. It wasn’t a feat, it was to make a message.

          As a result of this letter, Dr. Hartmann was entrusted with the overall management of the Theosophical Society at the headquarters. Only the apartments of H. P. Blavatsky and the upper floor, where the “occult room” and the “holy closet” were located, remained closed to him and everyone. No one was allowed to enter there except Mr and Mrs C . . . .

          Mrs C. . . was a small, elderly person with a hawk nose and small, piercing eyes. In addition to her inclination to magic, she was particularly fond of the Christian church and resented it when derogatory remarks were made about it. She was an extraordinary animal lover. On one occasion, for example, the coachman had to make a long detour at her command so that a flock of ravens which were near the path should not be frightened. On the other hand, she tormented people and was particularly feared by the “chelas.” She and her husband, a one-eyed Frenchman, were entrusted with the “sanctuary” on the upper floor.

          Dr. Hartmann accompanied H. P. Blavatsky on her journey to Bombay and paid her a visit to the court of the Thakor Sahib of Kathiavar^[37] and to another Indian prince, Hurasingshee of Wadhwan. There would be many interesting things to tell about the Maharajah’s wedding festivities, the dances of the Bayaderes, fakirs and occult phenomena, the rock temples of Ellora and the rock temples of Ellora, and the “Towers of Silence,” the burial places of the Parsis, but must so as not to interrupt the course of the story, return to Adyar with the author.

          It had become very quiet here since H. P. Blavatsky left. Apart from a Scotsman named W. F. B. . . ., who wanted to train as a “chela,” and the persons already mentioned, there was only one Englishman, Mr. St. George Lane Fox, the well-known inventor of the division of electric current for lighting purposes. Madame C . . . . took care of the household chores, and her husband was said to be busy all day with repairs on the upper floors, but no one bothered about it and no one would have thought anything ill if it weren’t for Madame C. . . . often made careless remarks regarding trapdoors and mechanical devices for producing alleged occult phenomena.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[7.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 66 (March 1898), 212-228.^[38]

Then one day Dr. Hartmann received another “occult letter” in the master’s handwriting, which he now knew well. The content, insofar as it is of interest to the reader, was as follows:

April 28th, 1884.^[39]—For some time now, in negotiations with the enemies of the Theosophists, this person has . . . . . ., embedded. She hopes to receive more than 2000 Rupees from them if she succeeds in destroying the society or at least damaging the reputation of the founders. Hence hints of deceit, trapdoors, and trickery. As for the trapdoors, by the way, they will appear as soon as the need arises, for they have been in the works for some time. The C…’s are the sole masters of the upper floor; all doors are open and they have everything in their hands. Monsieur is a skilled joiner and carpenter and is also good at bricklaying. . . . . .  M.^[40]

          As a result of this warning [from Master M.], it was decided to investigate the upper floor, which was done in spite of Mrs. C.’s resistance. Then it turned out that there were actually various hidden holes, trapdoors, etc. in the walls, which looked as if they were supposed to have the purpose of letting “occult letters” appear or disappear. Fortunately, however, these devices were not yet completely finished when Monsieur C. . . was interrupted in his work.

          A great clamor arose in all the newspapers about these discoveries. Of course, no one cared about the circumstances. It was enough to know that trapdoors had been found at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society to immediately conclude that they had been used by H. P. Blavatsky to deceive the world. The facts were distorted in every possible way, and the most ridiculous rumors spread; yes, it was even said that Colonel Olcott eloped with Madame C . . .

          At the same time, the Christian missionaries opened their floodgates and unleashed a torrent of accusations against Blavatsky. They published a number of her letters, which had been sold to them by Mad. C . . ., and distorted their contents, which was all the easier as Blavatsky had the bad habit of making fun of everyone, even her best friends make and attach the same nickname. But what appears to be a joke among those close to you has a completely different face when it appears in public. In these letters, most of the “lights” of the Theosophical Society of the time were portrayed and criticized in an unflattering way. Many felt their vanity offended by this and wanted to leave society; some branches were on the verge of dissolving, and the missionaries might have achieved their purpose had not the occurrence of what may be thought of as a game of chance or an “occult phenomenon.”

          Dr. Hartmann had already written and printed a small pamphlet about his observations at headquarters when everything was still peaceful and no one expected this attack.^[41] Oddly enough, this pamphlet appeared on the same day that the missionaries’ pamphlet was published, and served, unintentionally, as a response to their slanders. Similar “coincidences” have happened so frequently in the history of the “Theosophical Society” that one might be inclined to ascribe them to an invisible leadership. Man acts according to his sensations and ideas, he rarely knows where they come from. But the long-distance effect of thought is now a well-known fact. Isn’t it possible for a person endowed with strong will power and thought power to give another an idea and he to carry it out just as if he had had the same idea without outside help? But the good thing is that the recipient doesn’t know where his idea came from; otherwise many of our “theosophists” would give up their own thinking completely and, like certain “mystics,” staring thoughtlessly ahead of themselves, would wait for the inspiration by the Adepts.

          Also, while Blavatsky and Olcott were in Europe, the occult letters did not cease to appear in Adyar, often under circumstances where fraud was not imaginable. When advice or admonition was needed, the writing appeared on a piece of paper which happened to lie on the table, or a letter came flying through the air, or it was found in a coat pocket, etc. Communications about things were also made in this way, of which no one present could know anything. This is how Dr. Hartmann, for instance, knew a notice written in an occult manner that W. Q. Judge will be arriving. At that time Mr. Judge was still at sea, en route from London, and no one knew that he intended to come. The letter read as follows:

Jul. 30. 1884. [July 30, 1884] — . . . . Letters exist stating that she (Mad. C. . .)^[42] tried to make Upasika believe that the reason you wish to remove her and Monsieur C. is that you are masters of the situation and want to deliver Society into the hands of the spiritualists. . . . . . Be friendly to W. Q. Judge. He is true, faithful and trustworthy.” . . .  M.

          The reason why Judge was sent to Adyar was also recognizable in this letter. But he also revealed the fact that H. P. Blavatsky, in spite of her occult skills, did not know how things stood in India. This can perhaps be explained by the fact that she was in a constant state of excitement and could not see clearly. Perhaps, however, this circumstance is more correctly explained by the fact that the karma of her own creation did not permit interference; for against this law does no son of the light act,” i.e., not as an Adept in white magic.

          In Adyar, too, advice was not always at hand when one desired it, and the ‘Chelas’ in particular made many mistakes, partly from inexperience, partly from undue fear of the English, and Dr. Hartmann was often surprised that the Adepts did not choose better tools. As he thought about it, he received an occult letter answering this question. It said:

. . . It must be remembered that, while the tools we use are not perfect or sufficient to accomplish our purposes, they are the best at our disposal. They are the products of their evolution. It would often be desirable to have better servants, and it must be left to those who desire progress to participate in the great work in a disinterested manner, and thus hasten the approach of the great day.          K. H.^[43]

          From another letter by the Master, the following passages should be of interest to all Theosophists, or those who want to become one:

      Jan. 12. 1885. [January 12, 1885] — “I don’t need to explain to you that . . . . you have studied the laws of karma, not entirely without help, which is why you do not often receive instructions from me. We are leaders but not nursemaids. The weak, but not the strong, always ask for precise “commands,” and sometimes our chelas grant them. This is willing slavery, not healthy growth. Step forward and seek to see clearly for yourself what is most needed of society. Find out what your duty is and fulfill it. If you do the right thing, I will stand by you; but I will not give advice or interfere in anything unless it is absolutely necessary when you are in great doubt.

         Furthermore, with such a large movement, no one should expect to find all of their co-workers personable, instructive, wise, and courageous. One of the first signs of self-control is showing that one can be accommodating, forgiving, witty with companions of the most varied characters and temperaments. One of the greatest signs of regression is showing that you expect everyone to love what you love and do what you do. You will know who this remark applies to. There are too many of you here possessed of more or less personal sense of self. . . . An endless field of activity lies before you; the whole world is open to you. . . . Great obstacles are to be overcome; but the greater the effort required to overcome it, the greater the resulting growth. A constant restraint of passions, sleepless vigilance, and patient indulgence in human weaknesses will bring about victory.”              M.^[44]

          Mr. Judge arrived, and Hartmann found in him a valuable ally and friend. He spoke and wrote in defense of H. P. Blavatsky; but all that was done for this purpose only ultimately served to reinforce the public’s delusion that Theosophy consisted in believing in the authenticity of the occult phenomena produced by Blavatsky. That Theosophy consists in the knowledge of God, which is to be sought within the consciousness, and has nothing to do with phenomena, be they “occult” or not, and also has nothing to do with belief in authority, no one seemed to understand this, least of all the doctors of theology. After all, their own knowledge rests only on belief in authority, and how could an old woman who did not even have a doctorate dare to want to know anything more than what was taught in the seminaries? What did they care about a new lesson! After all, in such cases it is primarily a question of proving the source from which it comes, so that one also knows what one can make of it! What good is a new teaching if you cannot accept it with confidence and go to sleep with the conviction that it is true? No one seemed to understand that this was not about opinions, beliefs, delusions and beliefs, but about one’s own knowledge, and that the theory should not serve as a goal but only as a guide. If the “authenticity” of the phenomena could not be proven, then philosophy was of no value either. In the end, you would have to go to the trouble of thinking for yourself!

          After a few weeks, W. Q. Judge returned to America, where ten years later he fell victim to the ignorance just described and died a martyr of freedom of thought.

          Soon afterwards Blavatsky and Olcott returned from Europe, and after them came an agent of the Society for Psychic Research in London, who was commissioned to investigate the “authenticity” of occult phenomena and to learn of the existence or to convince the absence of adepts. That during his research, getting his information from Madame C . . ., had no success, goes without saying. The existence of Adepts, whose concern is not to be available for everyone, could not be proven; the wisdom of God did not want to appear before the judgment seat of the learned of this world, to be provided with a letter, diploma and seal by them. Also, an authoritative attestation of “science” as to the existence of superhuman beings, even if universally accepted, would only have brought into the world a general new madness, a new dogma of infallibility, opening the doors and windows to superstition, and instead of one’s own insight, blind faith in authority is made out as the basis of knowledge.

          In order to convince oneself of the authenticity of occult or spiritistic phenomena, one must first of all know how they are produced. To do this it is necessary to know the mystical powers involved, and there is only one more step from knowing this to using it. But the world is not ready for such a surrender of the higher secrets of the soul while it is still in the bondage of passion and serves the devil of selfishness. A school of “white magic” would immediately become a school of “black magic,” and the possession of divine knowledge and divine powers would only enable people to harm each other and thereby everyone. Therefore, the agent of the S. P. R.^[45] searched in vain for proofs of things which should not be proved. However, he could not deny that “occult phenomena” took place, but he lacked the understanding for their explanation. But as it was his task to find an explanation, for want of a better one, he resorted to the easiest, namely, the theory of “fraud. H. P. Blavatsky was arrested by the “scholars” of the S. P. R. as the biggest fraudster of this century. Anyone who knew her personally and was in good sense could only laugh about it.

         A great outcry arose in all the newspapers. It was as if the whole Theosophical Society had been turned into a spiritualist club and Blavatsky was exposed as a fraudulent medium. Although she had done no harm to anyone, and had never asked for money for the phenomena, indeed she always maintained that they came about quite naturally, but she was treated as a criminal and the missionaries endeavored to bring her to court. The secret reason for this was that they wanted her exposed at all costs; for it was well known that their defense could only have been a disclosure of occult secrets, and that, even if Blavatsky had consented to this, the question of the possibility of occult phenomena was quite out of the question and inadmissible before an English court. Since it was not possible to force H. P. Blavatsky to sue by insults against her honor, the opponents resorted to another means and appeared themselves as accusers against certain friends of H. P. Blavatsky, who, in their defense, had made defamatory remarks about their opponents; because one could not take legal action against Blavatsky, since no one could claim to have been cheated by her. If she could not appear as a defendant in court, she was forced to play a role as a witness there. It was just as useful in the end to lead them into their own trap. This plan was foiled with the help of the Masters.

          The pursuit was delayed by the fact that H. P. Blavatsky, as a result of the constant excitements to which she was exposed, and exhausted by the useless struggle against what, as is well known, “even the gods fight in vain,” fell sick to death. It was no longer considered worthwhile to launch a campaign against a dying person. Her illness worsened day by day. The best European doctors of Madras were summoned and held a consultation, the result of which was that she could not live twenty-four hours more, and as she had expressed the wish that her body should be cremated, they sent to the city a request to obtain the necessary permit for this.

          But the “gods” had decreed otherwise. That night the Master appeared to H. P. Blavatsky, giving her the choice of leaving her body never to be seen again, or of inhabiting it longer, in order to carry out and complete her great work “The Secret Doctrine” for the benefit of mankind. She chose the latter. Next morning, to the great dismay of all the doctors, she was perfectly well, and a few days later, in order to have the rest necessary for her work, traveled with Dr. Hartmann and two companions to Europe.

          But what is the lesson which can be drawn from the above presentation? — Nothing other than the confirmation of the biblical saying written in Matthew chap. VII verse 6. According to it and, the Bhagavad Gita which says^[46]: “This teaching is not intended for those who do not exercise self-restraint, do not worship and hold me (the inner revelation of eternal truth) holy, and do not want to hear my voice. Nor is it for the stubborn and blasphemers. But whoever teaches this secret of all mysteries to those who worship me, offering me this best of all works as an offering, will undoubtedly come to me.”

          The pure cannot approach the impure without being defiled by it. The truth has never yet walked among the crowd without being misunderstood, soiled, bartered and prostituted in the open market, laughed at and ridiculed, scourged and crucified because the crowd is unable to recognize it. The great crowd only hunts for appearances, fights over appearances and judges only by appearances, but does not see the essence and cannot see it, because man, as long as he himself is only an appearance, cannot see his own either, recognizes true beings that do not yet exist for him. Not in the blind belief in the authenticity of occult phenomena, nor in the belief in the credibility of the Adepts, nor in the belief in their teachings, but in the awakening of the God-consciousness in man’s heart, which elevates the soul above the realm of appearances, and leads the spirit to knowledge of the real, is the beginning of theosophy. This, and nothing else, was the essence of H. P. Blavatsky’s teaching, and all the rest only a means to an end. However, the knowledge of the truth is also the basis of the religion of love, which the whole of mankind needs in order to be saved in this time of hate.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[8.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” III. Occult Phenomena. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 67 (April 1898), 279-306.^[47]

III. Occult Phenomena.

The so-called “occult phenomena” differ from the ordinary phenomena of spiritualists in that they can be brought about by the self-conscious will of a man possessed of higher mystical powers, while the spiritualistic phenomena take place through “mediums” who can only be unconscious tools which serve this purpose without knowing the forces or influences that work through them. Not only could Madame Blavatsky herself, at will, produce certain occult phenomena, read minds, cause knocking sounds on distant objects, etc., but she seemed to precisely control the higher intelligences, which she called her masters, and which could operate through her sensitive organization. H. P. Blavatsky was considered by many to be a “spiritual medium,” while on the other hand spiritualists were hostile to her for destroying their cherished illusions. She never denied spiritualistic phenomena, but she warned spiritualists not to deal with things of which they did not know the dangers, and advised them, above all, to get to know the laws on which these phenomena are based. It is quite different when an experienced chemist goes into his laboratory and experiments with chemicals he knows, than when an ignorant person mixes substances whose properties are completely unknown to him and runs the risk of ending up flying up in the air with his laboratory. H. P. Blavatsky knew “the spirits” she called and could get rid of them if she wanted to.

          Long before the author came to know Blavatsky, he had the opportunity to convince himself of the possibility of magical effects, as the following example may show.

The Long-distance Effect of Thought.

          The fact that thought, guided by the will, is capable of working at a distance, and that two persons, even when separated by seas, can unite by will and exchange their feelings and thoughts, also begins in Europe to become generally known, and requires no proofs for the serious investigator, since everyone is free to obtain these proofs for himself by making such experiments himself. For this purpose, he only needs to determine a certain time with the other person, whereby if the distance is great, the geographic time difference must be taken into account. At the appointed hour, he then mentally transfers himself to the other person, who behaves as passively as possible during this time, i.e., he directs his undivided thoughts towards that person and thus communicates his feelings to that person, whereby corresponding feelings and thoughts then arise in the person concerned, provided that there is a certain degree of sympathy between the two.

          This is the voluntary transmission of thoughts, but also involuntary thoughts of people which can affect each other. We do not know where our thoughts come from, nor where they go. They are like seeds carried by the wind, which germinate where they find favorable soil, and from these germs, actions spring forth. A gothic novel concocted behind the stove by a writer may lead to a real deed and tragedy by telepathy in a distant land, and it is conceivable for a judge to convict a criminal whose crime he himself caused, by the projection of his imagination, all without knowing or willing. This is unconscious “black magic,” and we need not look far for such occult phenomena. The world is full of it, but we don’t see it. However, we do not regret that the possibility of a conscious long-distance effect through thought is not yet generally known; for as long as men have not reached that moral level at which they will not abuse the powers given them, ignorance and disbelief are the best protection against the danger of becoming the “test subject” of the curious.

The Long-distance Effects of Magical Healing.

          Thousands of Americans know the name of Dr. Newton, widely known for his magical healings, who is now long dead. He accomplished the most unbelievable cures of people who wrote to him without having seen the patients themselves and without any external means, through the use of his mental willpower.

          As a result of the unfortunate medical nonsense of vaccination, my body (like many thousands of others) was poisoned at an early age, and the result was the appearance of a weeping skin rash, which made my existence a burden for 36 years. During this time I had consulted uselessly all possible authorities in Europe and America, and all external and internal remedies had not helped, so that in the end I had to resort to chloroform and chloral^[48] in order to get a few hours of sleep. I turned to finally writing to Dr. Newton, who was in New Orleans at the time. I received no answer for a long time and concluded that he could do nothing for me, and gave it no further thought.

          A few weeks later, on New Year’s Day, 1876, I was far from where I lived, on a farm near the Indian country. I was sitting on the veranda at 8 o’clock in the evening and worried about the sleepless night to come. Suddenly an electric shock went through my limbs, and at the same time the inner conviction came to me that this was the magical healing power of Dr. Newton. The night that followed was the first in which I had complete rest, and from that moment on I was completely cured. A few days later I received from Dr. Newton a letter, from San Francisco, explaining the delay caused by his move, and in which he informed me that he had sent me, “at this very moment,” an electric shock (shoc) sufficient to cure me. The time given in Dr. Newton’s letter, after comparing the time difference between California and Texas, agreed exactly with the one I noted. Dr. Newton died long ago, and it has now been 21 years without my ever noticing anything of this evil again.

Seeing in the Astral Light.

          The “Astral Light” is the memory chamber of the world. Just as the spirit of man can search the hidden corners of his memory sphere and there find and bring to light the images and impressions of past experiences, so one can, who has awakened to that higher consciousness in which he is connected with the World Soul, see the images of the past in this mirror. The spirit is everywhere and omniscient, and in proportion as the soul is conjoined with and permeated by the spirit, it shares knowledge of it.

          We do not believe that H.P. Blavatsky had the ability to see in the astral light anything she wished, but we have reasonable grounds to believe that what she needed to know was shown to her by the Masters. Anyone who knows her works, “Isis Unveiled,” “The Secret Doctrine,” etc., knows that they are peppered with quotations from many books that are very rare to find. But she herself owned only a few and very ordinary books. Nevertheless, their citations have always been found correct. There was, it seemed, not a book in the secret archives of the Vatican, not a papyrus in the most inaccessible collections, from which she could not bring citations stating the volume and page, only the numbers she wrote were sometimes wrong, so that they, for instance, were written 306 instead of 603. But this can be explained by the fact that in the astral light things appear wrong, as in a mirror, and that she sometimes forgot this circumstance while writing.

“Precipitated Script.”

          All spiritists know that so-called direct spirit writings, pictures, etc., are often obtained through spiritistic mediums, whereby the same arise in an inexplicable way on blank paper, canvas, etc., even if similar phenomena are experienced by many who have seen nothing or cannot explain it, to be declared “fraud.” But that a man can have the ability to “precipitate” even such writings, etc., through his magical will and imagination is less well known, and cannot be done without a thorough study of the science of “occult chemistry,” which is a knowledge of the pre-supposed mystical powers in nature. Nevertheless Madame Blavatsky possessed this ability, and besides her, several others, of which the author was often able to convince himself. Letters thus obtained in Adyar were almost commonplace, and they were not intended, as certain uninitiated believed, “to amaze us,” but, like any other letter, were for the purpose of carrying communications. It was not the appearance of the letter that was important, but the content of it.

          Suppose an adept has the ability to transfer his astral body outside his physical body, to move it to a distant place, so that this astral body, although it is invisible to us, still has its organs with which it can work and act, and it is then simply a matter of having the means of transferring this astral activity to the physical plane. These means consist of a certain mediumistic organization such as that possessed by Blavatsky. From her earliest youth, she said, she had had the ability to work through her astral organs through the power of the physical body. As their physical powers declined with age, the phenomena they produced became rarer. Incidentally, such “Occult Letters” were also received without Blavatsky’s presence and under circumstances that left no doubt as to their “authenticity.”^[49]

          For those who are interested in occult phenomena, a remark is in place here, which can serve to clear up certain misunderstandings. If we give an idea to a number of people to elaborate, each will reproduce the same thing in their own way and way of speaking. So too is the case when an Adept produces a writing through a medium. In doing so he must, of course, use those things which he finds in the brain of the medium; the astral body of the medium is, so to speak, his automaton. As a result, the idea given by the Adept is expressed in the language of the medium, and it is easy for those who do not know the laws of the occult to think that the whole thing is a fraud on the part of the medium. This is not the place for further discussion of this matter.”^[50]

Apparitions of Adepts.

          “Everyone knows that he can send his thoughts wherever he pleases in a moment, and that distance is no obstacle; however, the person who has awakened to spiritual life (the Adept) can also use his will to move his consciousness at a distance, with his thoughts. In his spiritual being he is then where he thinks he is, and since the outer form is the expression of the inner being, his form (māyāvi rūpa or mental image) can also appear where he puts himself in thought, either perceptibly, like a dream image, or, if the necessary conditions are present through the presence of a suitable mediumistic person, even visible and embodied.

          I have often, and always quite unexpectedly, both in India and in Europe, and also after the death of H. P. Blavatsky, noticed the presence of the one whom Blavatsky called her teacher [Master M., from Whom Dr. Hartmann received letters], and I will mention only two cases. One occurred in a Railway coupé [a separate area, which can be closed by a door in railway passenger cars] in Blavatsky’s presence, on the journey from Wadheran to Bombay, on which occasion I also received an ‘occult letter,’ the other in Blavatsky’s room at Adyar. Needless to say, I was completely awake. However, the apparition was not materially visible to my physical eye, but nonetheless distinct [thus, etheric]. But besides seeing, there is a still more reliable way of perceiving, namely through feeling. . . . I don’t feel entitled to say more about it.”

Fakirs.^[51]

          Our account would not be complete without touching on the phenomena produced by the fakirs, of which there are frequent opportunities to observe in India, not mentioning, of course, the tricks and sleights of hand displayed by itinerant showmen. Real occult phenomena were also publicly shown in Europe, and no explanation given by the “scientific authorities” was improbable enough not to be immediately believed by the unthinking part of the public; but it is clear to every thinker that a scholar can be considered an authority only in that matter of which he knows something. In a matter of which he knows nothing, his opinion is worth as much and as little as that of an unlearned man. A tailor can be an authority in making clothes, a cobbler in making boots. But when it comes to assessing a watch, neither a cobbler nor a tailor is involved, but only a watchmaker.

          The phenomena shown by the fakirs are neither created by them nor carried out by any spirits at their command. The common fakir, in contrast to an Adept, has no power over the “spirits,” but he asks them and seeks to induce them by sacrifice to use his appropriate organization as a tool for bringing about these phenomena. Whether these “spirits” are elementals, demigods (devas), or demons, or, as the fakirs claim, “pitris,” i.e., the ancestors of our present human race, to which we have no personal experience. What is certain, however, is that modern science will never arrive at any result in these matters as long as it seeks the causes of these phenomena in places where they do not exist and denies the existence of invisible intelligent beings. The most accurate microscopic examination of a hammer will never reveal the cause of the hammer blows unless the smith wielding the hammer is considered. But as far as sleight of hand is concerned, who as alleged fakirs imitate occult phenomena, we need not dwell on them, since sleight of hand belongs in a different chapter.

          The following may serve as an example:

          “While staying at Poona in 1884, accompanied by Mr. Lane Fox and another friend named Ezekiel, I paid a visit to one of our members, Mr. [N. D.] Khandalavalla, a wealthy Parsi who holds the office of district judge there, and through whose mediation we managed to get a real fakir to come and give us an idea. The fakir sat down in the middle of the room in front of a brazier with glowing coals, on which he sprinkled incense while chanting his mantrams and saying his prayers. After a while, all the air in the room seemed to come alive. It was as if a multitude of beings were swarming back and forth, whose presence you could feel but couldn’t see. An indescribable feeling shivered through us all, similar to what I had once experienced in a violin concerto by the famous Remenyi [Eduard Reményi]. The fakir seemed to fall into a state of ecstasy, while remaining fully conscious. When the climax was reached, he took a knife, pulled his tongue out of his mouth and cut off a large piece of it. He allowed me to make the most careful examination of his oral cavity, during which we were all able to make sure that the tongue had really been cut off, and during this he held the cut piece over the brazier, apparently not to let it cool. Then he put it back on the stump in his mouth and the tongue was as whole as before.

          After this experiment, the judge’s wives came to see these things; but the fakir declared that his “pitris” refused to cause phenomena in the presence of women. Since Khandalavalla thought that it was only a question of the fakir’s whim, he sent the ladies away, but secretly hid them in the next room, where they watched what was happening through a small window in the back without the fakir. The fakir began his mantrams again, and made the best efforts to get the “spirits” to take possession of him again, but it was all in vain. A continuation of the phenomena could only take place after the ladies had completely withdrawn.

“Coincidences.”

          Finally, we must mention another class of phenomena which occur every day and are therefore little noticed, although precisely in their occurrence lies the most palpable proof that there are intelligent forces in nature which influence the actions and omissions of a human being and events are brought about which are not in his personal power. Whether these spiritual forces originate from his own “unconscious” or are alien beings [i.e., elementaries, elementals, etc.], this question does not belong here. The easiest explanation, which ignorance has for such things, is to ascribe such events to “chance,” and by “chance” they mean something that takes place without there being any reason for it; but true science teaches that nothing happens to man except what is the natural consequence of a cause, and that where an event occurs which points to an intellectual cause, that cause is also to be sought in the intellectual field.

          In the life of H. P. Blavatsky, events were constantly taking place which cannot be attributed to random accidents, but only to an invisible conduit. She didn’t have to worry about money. When the last penny was spent, unexpected help came from friends or from strangers; if a lecture was to be given, then at the decisive moment a suitable hall could suddenly be found “accidentally,” which had previously been impossible to find at any price. Visits came just when they were needed; others, eagerly awaited, were prevented from coming, and it then turned out to be for the best. Thousands of times “unforeseen events” occurred as needed, and it often seemed as if people were being guided by invisible threads like automatons, but each believing that they were acting according to their own discretion and free will. In this way, the seemingly impossible was often made possible, and what was definitely expected never happened. Going into particular facts is of no use, as it will take us to infinity, and there is nothing in the world that cannot be doubted and misconstrued.

Remarks.

          As soon as we leave the realm of generally known facts, we come upon foolish disbelief, based on doubt and vanity, all-denying unbelief, and its ever-accompanying superstition based on delusions of authority. There are many who fancy that a fact cannot be true until it is recognized by the representatives of modern science, forgetting that science is in constant progress, and has scarcely reached the limit as yet, which separates the sensual from the non-sensuous. This progression is slow. The clinging to old errors and ingrained prejudices is explained by the fact that man is made up of ideas and that each of his opinions forms a part of himself. Giving up a loved delusion is painful and is like amputating a limb or committing suicide unless one’s own realization of the truth takes its place. Gullibility leads to fanaticism and error, and ignorance, which rejects everything without examination, keeps man in error. Occult phenomena are unbelievable and wondrous only so long as one does not know the laws on which they are based. To those who know them, they appear no more wonderful than everyday phenomena in nature.

          We find nothing surprising or unbelievable in the fact that there are intelligent beings in the world besides humans, even if they are invisible to us. Human intelligence is also an invisible force. We do not see intelligence itself, only the body through which it manifests itself. Thoughts are invisible, and yet no one will deny their existence. They must also be of a material nature, for without matter there is no power, and one might add, no power without consciousness. Modern science is beginning to see this, and if it goes a few steps further, it will perhaps also understand that thoughts have a material effect and under certain circumstances can be perceived with all five senses, because in every thing, as already taught by Śaṅkarāchārya, the five forms of existence (tattvas) are contained or present.

          The question has often been raised as to why, if there are Adepts who possess occult powers, who travel far away in their astral bodies and work there bodily, or who can bring about effects through elemental beings, even make themselves perceptible to the senses, do they not put their powers at the disposal of modern science? Why don’t they satisfy the curiosity of scholars with feats of magic? Is it of no value to them to have their existence confirmed by the authorities and luminaries of science? Why did the Adepts squander this precious opportunity of having a committee of psychologists irrevocably confirm once and for all that man has a soul and that it contains as yet unknown powers?

          Against this we might ask: “What value would it be in trying to prove to the world the existence of forces which it does not possess and is not yet mature enough to understand?” Of what use would it be to the world if the learned became acquainted with and possessed occult powers until they had attained the moral maturity not to abuse them? Why should the Adepts give productions in magic to people who do not know the law of the same? Why doesn’t a person dance in front of an anthill to convince the ants, who are also clever animals, of his higher intelligence? Why did not Christ come down from the cross, and why has the God of the universe never allowed himself to be persuaded to perform a universal, supernatural miracle in order to convince all heretics in the world of his existence and all theological disputes and religious wars at one blow to put an end to. You would have a belief based on the highest authority.

          It is precisely this mindless belief in authority which is the greatest enemy of that higher knowledge which can only be attained through one’s own spiritual growth. The point is not that the probability of the theory of the existence of a soul be authenticated, but that everyone should find their own soul and get to know the powers and virtues which lie dormant in it. What is the use of believing in a theory of immortality if immortality itself is something unknown and strange to me? It is better to feel and recognize one’s own divine life in one’s soul than to believe in a sack full of proofs of the probability of the existence of a divine life. It is better to discover the redeeming power within ourselves than to have a rock-solid confidence in the credibility of a narrative of an unknown Savior corroborated by the highest authorities.

          Doubt is the enemy of truth, but also the enemy of error. It is the shell in which the germ of knowledge unfolds by destroying the shell, just as the germ in the egg develops into a bird by eating the yolk. The world is not to be led by the strings of authority forever. The self is the man. Belief in an external infallible authority would be the end of all spiritual life.

          In some parts of India blind belief in spiritual authorities and mystical leaders (gurus) who hold the keys to heaven and hell has become a plague. Deceitful Brahmins roam about playing the roles of chaplains and spiritual tyrants. They are deified by their disciples (chelās), and indulgences and forgiveness of sins are bought from them. Like vampires who gorge themselves on the blood of their victims, these comedians suck the deceived believers dry, invoking the Law of Manu which says:

          “Everything that exists is under the rule of the gods. The gods are under the power of the mantram (prayer). The mantram is under the power of the brahmin, hence the brahmin have dominion over the world. By virtue of his firstborn, the Brahmin has the right to everything that exists. Nobody can give him anything; for when he deigns to accept a gift, even if he takes all, he takes only what is already his.”

          This saying of Manu is correct, but in a completely different sense than how the so-called “Brahmins” interpret it; for a real brahmin is that part of a wise man who is one with the deity in mankind (Christ), and whose kingdom is not of this world. But the power of the true mantram is the Logos, from which everything, even the realm of the gods, springs. But since the unwise among the Indians understand the deep meaning of their religious writings just as little as the uninitiated among the Christians understand the secret meaning of their Bible, the teachings of wisdom are also made to lie there in accordance with wrong understanding. Then the Indian closes his eyes to the truth; Fearing to displease his guru, he worships and allows himself to be plundered by an impostor who calls himself a Brahmin. House and farm, wife and child, money and property belong to the guru, and the chelā can still be thankful for it when the guru takes it and rewards him with a kick. The English missionaries did not improve matters either. Their “conversions” do not abolish superstition, but only change the method of operation. In every religious system, ignorance imitates the most sacred things, and greed uses the appearance of religion for selfish purposes. Then religion is the slave of the church, false truth is the mother of lies. “Diabolus est Deus inversus.” [Lat., “the devil is God, inverted.”]

          Every human being has his guru and savior within himself, and an outer guide can only serve to show the way to find the inner guru. A man who has found his inner guru and savior is called a “yogi” or saint and sage, and such yogis are as rare among the Brahmins as are real saints among the European clergy. Also, no one needs to go to India to find a yogi, or Mahātma, a soul connected with God; for as long as he does not recognize the soul, he does not see the soul either, but only the person. But great souls and real gurus can be found by anyone who rises to their spiritual heights, just as everyone is free to immerse themselves in the spirit of Goethe, Schiller, Shakespeare, Mozart, etc., if they are able to understand it. Scientific observation has nothing to do with it.

          Every human being carries the germ of the highest in his own breast. Everyone is connected to God at heart, a Yogi, Mahātma and Adept. He comes to know his Master and Lord by grasping his own divine being, entering into it and thereby becoming one with it. Through this alone, and not through external observations and theories, he himself becomes an Adept, and the mystical powers slumbering in him awaken, the existence of which science does not know, because they do not even exist for the material human being on earth; for all existence is relative, and that which has no place in the consciousness of earthly man has no existence for him either. On the other hand, the human being who has awakened to true God-consciousness is no longer “human” in the usual sense of this word, but a divine being inhabiting a human body. Not “he,” but the true light and being in him recognizes the light and the truth. His mind is free and self-conscious both in and out of his body, even while his body is asleep. He is above life and death, a conscious inhabitant of this earth as well as the heavenly world. He is one with the soul of the whole, and therefore everything is in him. He discerns the nature and movements of the celestial bodies without external observation or instruments through divine introspection. His omniscience springs from superiority over his “self.” He does not need to travel, for the sphere of God-consciousness extends over everything, and he is wherever he puts himself through his will and thoughts. His personal appearance is not his “I,” but only an image of his being, a product of his imagination. He knows the series of appearances under which he appeared on the stage of life in earlier forms of existence. Indeed, he looks back to the times when worlds came into being and worlds passed away, because he is one with that, the uncreated, who was above all the beginning. This becoming one, of the soul with God is called “yoga” in Indian, and in Christianity it is called entering into Christ, the divinity in humanity. Many talk about it, but few know about it.

          Such a yogi and true guru, in the author’s judgment, is the one whom Blavatsky called her “Teacher.” But we shall report on Blavatsky herself in the next chapter.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[9.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” IV. Behind the Scenes. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 68 (May 1898), 365-393.^[52]

IV. Behind the Scenes.

Along with H. P. Blavatsky, the soul of the theosophical movement had vanished from India. A simpleton had stumped into a fairy temple in clumsy boots and tore the delicate silver threads which connect mind and body. Ignorance in the guise of science had come to measure spiritual conditions with a cubit and could not find the spirit because it had no spirit itself. He had seen the image of the moon in a bucket of water and, unable to grasp it with his hands, had cried out that the moon was not there. The unmasking of Blavatsky was announced to the world with drums and trumpets, ignorance celebrated its triumph, and ignorance cheered it and rejoiced in the prolongation of its life. The army of non-judgmental newspaper writers fell hungrily upon the spoils, and the unthinking crowd rejoiced. After all, the danger of having to think for oneself was postponed indefinitely by the authoritative declaration of the “representatives of science.”

          One of the prime means of preserving ignorance is envy. The tree of knowledge is surrounded by people who have not yet outgrown their infancy. In vain does desire hop and vanity stretch to snatch at the over-hanging fruit, which none can reach until they have outgrown themselves, and yet each remains small, each after his own glory and gain is thoughtful, and if a lucky man gets his hands on a piece of fruit, he can be happy if he escapes unharmed.

          The English missionaries cheered. “Science” had done police patrols for religious intolerance. Truth might perish, but the authority of clericalism was secured for a time. All earthly doings, all one’s own life, all selfhood, whether this concerns an individual, a state or a church or any other organism, is based on self-delusion. Everything strives for its own profit, its own progress, its own growth. Where there is a “self” there is also the struggle for existence, and therefore egoism lurks everywhere behind the scenes.

         The life of the church, the true spiritual church as well as the outward form, is faith, and therefore in every church we find two kinds of faith, faith in truth, of which few are aware, and blind faith in dogma and authority upon which the dominion of the Church on earth depends. Just as in every human being the higher Self lies at war with the egoism of mortal man, and man cannot be perfect as long as the higher has not overcome the lower, so also in the church the spirit of God is in constant struggle against the clergy, and this, compelled by the instinct of self-preservation, fights against the light. Truth counts for little in the external church unless it is of use to the church; belief in God is only a means of enforcing belief in dogma. God may remain locked away in a box, for otherwise his representatives could not rule in his stead.

          The true spiritual life of the church is the spirit of truth, the spirit of him who says: “I am the truth and the eternal life.” The spirit of clericalism is the spirit of lies and intolerance. He is opposed to the truth; he is the “antichrist” or “beast” of the apocalypse, on whose blood the external church feeds and by which it attains its temporal dominion. Whoever fights against this beast fights against the church. Therein lies the basis of all heretical courts, stakes and inquisitions. Neither can the Church give up her dogmatism and intolerance without committing suicide until Christ in her conquers the Antichrist who dwells in her, and the whole body of the Church is permeated and enlightened by the spirit of truth.

          No nation is less fitted for this penetration than the English, whose chief driving force in all things is the most ruthless egoism, and in which justice and humanity have no voice as soon as a sack of coffee or a bale of cotton is at stake. We have no objection to any particular person or class, and there may be decent people among the English missionaries in India, though we have never known them from that side; but the English shopkeeper spirit and English greed and lust for power are there, as in all other things, the life of “religion.” Anyone who knows the history of the revolution of 1857, willfully provoked by the English, and has seen the places where barbarians who called themselves “Christians” committed the most hideous atrocities against helpless Indians, will see that there was no intelligent one. There can be no Indian who can convert himself to the monstrosity which is presented to him as “Christianity” in any other way than in appearance, and also no one who does not condemn English tyranny from the bottom of his heart.

          The courage of the Roman Christians to die is praised, who at the time of Nero and Caligula preferred to let themselves be mauled openly by wild beasts other than to scatter a few grains of incense before the altars of the Roman emperors. They remained true to their religious beliefs. But what did the poor sepoys [Indians who served the British] do if they refused to touch their lips to the cartridges the English supplied them, because those cartridges were smeared with lard, which, religion forbids the Indian to touch, and which dishonors him forever? — As a result of this refusal, the regiments were disarmed, ambushed by women and children and shot by the thousands with grapeshot. The roads were lined for many miles with gallows from which hung the bodies of those who remained true to their faith; Old men were tied to the muzzles of cannons and “blown away,” and mothers had their bodies slashed open. But we pass over these atrocities and crimes committed in the name and for the glory of “Christianity” (read “priesthood”) and recorded in history. Also, the same thing can soon be repeated.

          That this kind of “Christianity” Theosophy, i.e., the self-knowledge of truth, which was an eyesore, is easy to comprehend; for if every man knew Christ in his heart, what need would there be of his ‘Vicar’? Then it would be over with the right to exist of the “servants of God.” But let’s get back to our story.

          Dr. Hartmann was disgusted by this system of oppression and limitation, which presented itself to him under the mask of religion. He had never seen “Christianity” as this appearance, and turned away from that system with disgust. How much more glorious did the Spirit of Truth appear to shine in Buddhist garb! In the Buddhist philosophy of religion, this spirit appeared to him in its true form, while in the picture drawn by the missionaries he saw only a frightening devil’s grimace. The spirit of Buddhism is not the spirit of domination and conquest, but of compassion and mercy. The Buddhist owes the power he has over people not to brute force, nor to the art of persuasion, but to truth itself. His propaganda does not take place with fire and sword, but with intellectual enlightenment. Since his life is a spiritual one, the Buddhist church is not resistant to brutal attacks from outside and is only protected by isolation in Tibet. It may be damaged externally by the incursion of European brutality, but the light which shines within it will exert its effect on the invaders, and in this way the light will triumph over ignorance, even if the external form perishes in the process. The spirit of true religion is one and is therefore the same in all religious systems. That form in which it is most manifest in fact is the best system. It doesn’t depend on the name. If you want to get to know this spirit theoretically, compare the “Bhagavad Gita” and Thomas of Kempis’ “Imitation of Christ.” If he understands the content, he finds the same truth in both; yes, even the language is little different. Both speak of belief in the truth, but not of a blind belief in dogmas and fables.

          Dr. Hartmann had already visited Ceylon twice and found a friendly reception there. Besides him, Blavatsky was accompanied by a young Englishwoman, named Miss Mary Flynn, who had voluntarily assumed the role of a traveling companion and maid, and a Hindu named Bavadji [variously known as M. Krishnamachari, S. Krishnamachari, S. Krishnaswami Iyengar or Aiyangar, and Darbhagiri Nath], as Blavatsky’s private secretary. Miss Flynn was very enthusiastic and was determined to convert everyone to a belief in the Adepts. Despite the greatest possible ignorance of European conditions, Bavadji possessed an exaggerated hatred of all European civilization. A fanatic in his own right, he had a very fiery temper and was always arguing, always shrieking violently and waving both arms in the air. These circumstances gave rise to all sorts of comic intermezzos, which we must pass over, as they do not belong in the context of this work.

          The voyage was favored by the most beautiful weather, and the ocean moved only slightly. During the day the sun’s rays played with the waves and tried in vain to penetrate the blue-black darkness of the mysterious depths, the dwelling place of the sea monsters; at night the sea shone, and where the screw turned in the water, a rain of fire rose. The nights were warm enough that everyone preferred to sleep on deck rather than in the cabin.

          Madame Blavatsky’s state of mind did not seem that of an adept who faces his fate with equanimity. She complained bitterly about the hyena nature of the missionaries and the foolishness of the scholars. “We have no choice,” she exclaimed, “but put up our umbrellas and let dirt be thrown at us as long as these people please.”

          “What does it matter,” Hartmann replied, “as long as dirt-throwing attracts people’s attention? There will surely be many among them who will become acquainted with the theosophical teachings in this way. The missionaries are part of that power that always wants evil and always creates good. By pursuing H. P. Blavatsky they have earned a monument and immortal merits. The publicity which our involuntary collaborators have procured for the Theosophical Society cannot be overestimated.”

          Indeed, the sensational reports which the newspapers of all countries carried about H. P. Blavatsky drew the attention of thousands to what was happening at Adyar. Among these thousands were hundreds who, moved by curiosity, procured Blavatsky’s writings of which they would otherwise never have heard, and among these many who thereby came to think for themselves. Any power grows with the resistance you offer it. It is religious intolerance that ends up hurting itself the most. The spirit of truth was behind and empowering the theosophical movement which spread throughout the world. Even the weeds that ignorance had brought to bloom on the great manure heap of the “Theosophical Society” could no longer suffocate the noble plants that had grown on it. The flame, lit by Blavatsky, spread light everywhere.

          On April 4, 1885, the “Tibre” arrived in Colombo. There, our travelers were given a festive reception in the local Buddhist monastery (Widdyodoya [Vidyodaya] College) by the chief priest H. Sumangala [Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera]. On this occasion, Dr. Hartmann was formally admitted to the Buddhist community association to which Blavatsky and Olcott had long belonged.

          The impression that a Buddhist temple makes on the beholder is all the greater, the more one understands the meaning of the symbols it contains. The very architecture of churches usually expresses the character of the religious system to which they belong. In the Protestant prayer halls, which, despite the decorations and Bible verses attached, offer nothing uplifting to stimulate us to think, but leave the heart cold, a desolate emptiness usually reigns. In the Catholic Church we encounter pain, blood, crucifixion and death everywhere; in the Buddhist temples:  bliss which is above all suffering, is offered. The Buddhist temple represents man. Inside, the figure of Buddha surrounded by light rises in the middle. It typifies the inner man and is larger than life to indicate that the wisdom of the God-man, who dwells in the heart of man, is much greater and loftier than the wisdom of earthly man. Buddhist philosophy does not ignore the sufferings of human life; but it knows that they concern only the transitory appearance of man on earth, and not his true nature, and in the knowledge of the eternal, it is above all, which is changeable. It knows no annihilation of the being, but only the disappearance and reappearance of the appearance. It deals neither with “pessimistic” nor with “optimistic views” but with the knowledge of the truth. Buddhist philosophy knows only changes in form, but no annihilation of life. The offerings that are offered are flowers and fruits, symbols of gratitude for the influence of divine grace, which is bestowed on everyone whose heart is opened to the light, without the need of a foreign intermediary.

          The ceremony took place in a large hall of the temple. The monks, wrapped in yellow robes and shaved bald, sat in double rows on the ground, and Sumangala on a raised seat. Above all, the candidate was asked why he wished to be accepted into the Buddhist Brethren. After the answer was satisfactory, the chief priest delivered a discourse in which he explained the nature of Buddhism as a religious philosophy, averse to all sectarianism, based on tolerance and compassion for all living beings. Then the fivefold solemn promise (Panca Sila [Pañca śīla = five precepts]) was made, which reads as follows:

1. Pánótipátá véramani sikkhá padam sámádi yáwi.

          (I promise not to [deliberately] kill any living thing.)

2. Adinná dáná véramani sikkhá padam sámádi yámi.

          (I promise not to misappropriate anything.)

3. Kámésu miechá cárá véramani sikkhá padam sámádi yámi.

          (I promise abstinence from sensual desires.)

4. Musá Vádá Véramani sikkhá padam sámádi yámi.

          (I promise abstinence from vain gossip, slander and lies.)

5. Surá méraya majiha pamá dattháná véramani sikkhá padam sámádi yámi.

          (I promise abstinence from intoxicating things.)

          This was followed by the solemn reception and the vow, which was repeated in chorus by all the monks present:

          “Buddham saranam gachámi.

          Dhammam saranam gachami.

          Sangham saranam gachami.”

          (That is: I take refuge in Buddha. — I take refuge in the Law. — I take refuge in the Brotherhood.)

          Namo tassa Bhagavoto arahato Sammá Sambuddhassa.

          (I worship the noble, supremely enlightened and all-wise Buddha.)

          This is not the place to go into a discussion of Buddhist philosophy, but it may be noted that a change in a religious system does not mean a change in belief. He who has true belief in truth, based on true feeling, cannot change it; that which can be changed is not a true belief, but merely an accepted opinion. That is why all so-called “conversions” are of no real value, and the only true conversion is coming from within, error to the knowledge of truth. He who recognizes and practices what is true in the religious system to which he belongs is the true convert. He who worships lies is the enemy of religion.

          The essence of the Buddhist religion is described by Gautama Buddha himself in the following words:

          “Put away all evil, lead a virtuous life and purify the heart. This is the religion of the Buddhas.”

          It differs from the Christian faith especially in that there is no redemption of the guilty through the blood shed by an innocent man. There is no one on whose shoulders one could roll one’s own guilt, but Buddhism only knows the law of necessity, according to which everyone reaps what he has sown, and above this the kingdom of love and redemption, which is attained through this complete abandonment of self-conceit and self-delusion, as symbolized in the Christian religion by death on the cross. Anyone who understands the secret meaning of the Christian holy (mystical) scriptures will find that they teach nothing other than what is also contained in Buddhism.^[53]

          But in spite of everything which the most important philosophers of Europe have written about Buddhist philosophy, the greatest ignorance about it still prevails there; the devout call Buddhists “pagans” and ridicule their ceremonies, unaware that almost all Christian customs derive from Buddhism, and that the founder of the Buddhist religion was the first reformer to promote equality of human rights for all and recognized the individual responsibility of each. The statues of Buddha in the temples are no more “idols,” than are the statues of Catholic saints, or the monuments of our kings or heroes. The much-lauded “prayer wheel” is nothing other than a symbol of the ever-turning wheel of time, with its ever-recurring changes, the contemplation of which should point us to the eternal, and the “rosary” is a symbol of reincarnations, each bead having an existence of personal appearance on earth, the cord on which they are strung, but signifies man’s immortal individuality.^[54] The symbols of religion have their meaning as well as those which chemistry uses to designate its “elements”; but they mean nothing to those who do not understand their meaning.

          Many interesting things could be said about the experiences of our travelers in Ceylon, for example, a visit to the paradisiacal island of lepers, inhabited by lepers who await salvation from their miserable existence through death; a performance of the “Devil’s Dance,” is a performance in the Siamese theater, etc.; but all such things have already been described by other travelers and do not belong here. After a few days, the journey continued to Naples; but we pass over the less remarkable events on the ship, where Madame Blavatsky was soon the center of a large audience, with whom she argued to her heart’s content, while Miss Flynn tried explaining the nature of Parabrahm and the mysteries of Theosophy to a band of Polish Jews traveling to Constantinople, and Bavadji vented his anger at the English. He did this daily in English, within earshot of a traveling companion, to annoy her, and marveling at her not responding, until finally, to his chagrin, he found out that the lady was French and did not understand a word of English. During this trip Blavatsky began to write her “Secret Doctrine” and, if we are to believe Miss Flynn’s assurances, Madame Blavatsky received a quantity of “Occult Papers” delivered to her invisibly in her bedroom daily, and related to The Secret Doctrine. What is certain is that she had placed a separate box near her bed for this “astral mail,” which performed the same service as the mysterious closet in Adyar.

          On April 23rd [April 23, 1885] the travelers arrived in Naples, where Bavadji in his Indian costume caused quite a stir, and soon had the opportunity to see for themselves the blessings of Christianity and its charity, for they were staying in a first-class hotel cheated in the most outrageous way. Because of her clumsiness, Madame Blavatsky wanted a ground-floor apartment, as she found it too difficult to climb the stairs, but after much persuasion from the landlord she decided to take a room on the second floor. Then it went up stairs after stairs. First came the ground floor, then the raised ground floor, then the mezzanine, then the first and finally the “second” floor, which was actually the fifth floor. A high price was agreed for the two rooms required, but the next morning the bill also included a special price for the use of each individual piece of furniture in those rooms. Bed, table, chairs, mirror, etc., everything was specially valued. A speedy escape from this hotel was urgently required to avoid general bankruptcy, and fortunately Dr. Hartmann was able to find a place of refuge in the Hotel del Vesuvio in Torre del Greco the very next day.

          For a self-satisfied person, Torre del Greco would have been a delightful stay. The magnificent bay of Naples, the mirror-smooth sea, the view of Vesuvius and at night the sky lit up by the firelight of the glowing lava, the proximity of the necropolis of Pompeii and Herculanum, where one feels transported back to life as it was two thousand years ago, Naples with its sights, the magnificent rock formations of Capri, the blue grotto, etc., all this would have offered enough distraction as well as an opportunity for inner concentration, but H. P. Blavatsky found no rest.

          It had already been decided to leave to go to a quiet place where she could work in peace. She should only return to the world with the “Secret Doctrine” in hand, so that she could then say:

“Why do you care about my person; rather consider my work! What does it matter if the world believes that my phenomena are real or that they are fake; I’m not asking you to believe it. Not in my ability to satisfy the curiosity of the inquisitive, but it is in the pages of the Secret Doctrine you shall know my genius. There, if you are wise, you will find who H. P. Blavatsky is.”

          But here, too, the bill was “without the landlord,” i.e., made without Blavatsky. Her fiery temperament could not bear the loneliness. She was accustomed to having a circle of worshipers around her and struggling with adversaries. She was only happy when there was anything to make her despair. It was agreed that no one should know her address, but as soon as she arrived, the letter writing began. It wasn’t long before letters began to pour in, and what was worse, whole packets of newspapers riddled with attacks on her, which she felt she had to return, arrived. There was then enough to get outraged to your heart’s content. She wanted revenge. Instead of writing The Secret Doctrine, she locked herself in her room for eight days, and then came back with a thick manuscript, which she gave to Dr. Hartmann, surrendered with a triumphant air, asking him to read it and give his opinion on it. This manuscript was entitled “My Justification,” but contained nothing to justify it in any way. There was nothing to be found in it but accusations and reproaches, which, however, had no relation whatsoever to the matter at hand. Dr. Hartmann could give her no better advice than to put the manuscript in the oven, which she did. But her person felt badly offended by this well-intentioned advice, and when Dr. Hartmann left Torre del Greco after a few weeks, she wrote to a friend in Russia^[55] (who soon afterwards became a traitor to her) a letter which began with the words: “Thank God, Hartmann is gone!”

          Her letters from that time are full of exaggerations, which, perhaps, must be credited to her vivid imagination, which also distinguished her as a novelist; but she often didn’t seem to be herself at all. It was then as if her inner “I,” that “I” which was a Chelā of the Masters, had retired to Tibet, leaving only an Elemental named H. P. Blavatsky, possessed by other intelligences, in Torre del Greco.^[56] But in the end every human being is only an unreasonable tool of his inner rational ego as long as he does not keep reason and calm. A mind ruled by passions is easily possessed by lower influences, and then cannot at the same time serve as an instrument of the higher ones. Only a calm soul can hear the voice of reason, the voice of silence. The Bhagavad Gita says: “He who is exalted above all that pertains to his person, remains ever the same, unaffected by all which surrounds him and enjoys the good in everything, merges into me.”^[57]

          Each state of consciousness has its own sphere of thinking, feeling, perception and memory. A case is known in which a servant was sent to carry a package to a certain house in London. He came back without a package, but he was dead drunk, and when he sobered up he couldn’t remember where he had left the valuable package. All investigations by the police, advertisements, etc. were in vain until they got him drunk again, whereupon he immediately went to the place in question and brought back the package.

          And just as the normal consciousness is related to that of a drunk, so is the higher consciousness related to the ordinary. What a man writes in a state of spiritual elevation often appears to him in his sober state when he reads it as the work of another man, and he is in fact a different one as often as he enters a different sphere of consciousness, and thus enter another existence. The soul can be likened to a harp with several octaves, the spirit moving now in the higher, now in the lower. Sometimes nature moves the higher, sometimes the lower strings, but the self-controlled man commands the discord to rest and strikes the chord which pleases him. He has the power to descend into Hell but can stay in Heaven if he chooses.

          The idolatry which was cast upon the person of H. P. Blavatsky is unjustified, and the judgments of damnation passed upon her are ignorant. What we admire about her person is the fitness of her organism to serve as a tool of the higher intelligences that inspire her; her personal mistakes are nobody’s business, since, as far as we know, no one has ever been harmed by them. Certain people, mostly those who used to be her friends, have attacked her most violently and said all kinds of bad things about her without providing any evidence. But if we take a closer look at these enemies of hers, we find that they are nothing but ambitious persons, who expect to gain power and prestige through Madame Blavatsky, to be instructed in the occult arts, and in the end even to be made Adepts. Deceived in their expectations and wounded in their vanity, they tried threats, after flattery availed nothing, and when even these availed to nothing, vengeance came, for which slander had to lend a hand.

          The everyday thoughtless man, sunk in his inefficiency, is like a fish which swims in water and cannot do without the element in which it is placed. If he is removed from it, he perishes. He is not capable of any crime, but neither is he capable of self-sacrifice. He lacks the courage for the former and the strength for the latter. But in genius the dual nature stirs; it is connected with the world through the lower, and with heaven through the higher. The lower has no power over the higher, it can only either obey or resist; the higher can dominate the lower if man comes to her aid with his will. The higher belongs to man himself (the Angel in man), the lower to the animal in man. The Spirit of God in man is in eternal rest and is not touched by anything which concerns man. The spirit of man moves through the different spheres of existence as long as it is not yet firmly rooted in God-consciousness. The soul of man (the [higher] mind) can be likened to a [sea] gull swimming on the stormy waves of the ocean. Sometimes she dives deep into the waters to get her prey, sometimes she soars high in the air by the strength that the food thus gained gives her, and she overcomes the oncoming wind by the power of her wings. Sometimes the man striving for the light sinks down to the material, sometimes love lifts him up to the ideal; earth gives him fire, and heaven light. Life sways up and down, and with each victory over itself its strength grows; the pendulum swings back and forth, but it is always moved up a notch [higher cycle of the spiral] until it finally comes to rest, where the awakened spirit of God is enthroned, like a star which shines high in the firmament, and sends its light on earth, even motionless and unconcerned, whether down there the storms are roaring and clouds are moving.

          So everyone should strive to find within himself this divine spirit and to share its nearness, instead of blaming the behavior of other people or making his behavior dependent on theirs. The attainment of self-knowledge does not depend on the credibility of another. He who has outgrown all belief in authority, recognizes the truth in himself, and attains dominion over the beast through the innate power of God [Ātma], is the true Theosophist.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[10.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” V. Europa. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 69 (June 1898), 457-469.

V.  Europe^[58]

On May 20, 1885, Dr. Hartmann left Torre del Greco and went to Munich. H. P. Blavatsky, upon the advice of her doctor, settled in Würzburg for the mild climate, then later went to Ostend and finally to London, where, after completing her secret teaching, she left her mortal shell on May 8, 1891.

          During these years, traffic between the two was limited to correspondence and occasional visits which Dr. Hartmann made in Würzburg and London. In order to accommodate the wishes of some readers, we share a few extracts from Blavatsky’s letters.

Würzburg. —  “My dear doctor! Oh, if I could see and speak to you, if only for a few moments! I could show you things you don’t know. I could tell you, and also prove, who it was who incited Olcott against you, slandered you, incited the Indians against you, and made me, too, come close to hating and loathing you, until the voice of one whose voice to me is the Word of God caused me to change my mind. I could reveal secrets to you for your good in the future; but I need to see you in person because of it. If possible, come and see me, even if only for a few hours.”

          The visit that Dr. Hartmann made as a result of this letter in Würzburg, had him to learn that there was some gossip that is not worth mentioning.

          Perhaps more important is the end of the letter, which says:

“If only I could shed from my heart the heavy burden which the consciousness of having profaned the names of the Masters and the sanctuary of occult science, I have profaned by imparting their secrets to those who were not worthy. I was honest with everyone and tried to do everyone good. I have sacrificed myself for everyone, and now I find myself surrounded by a circle of fiery coals, encircled on all sides, like a pitiful fly, wings torn off, surrounded by treachery, hatred, malice, cruelty, lies and all the vices of human nature. Everywhere I look I see but one thing, a colossal, simple-minded, trusting fool, H. P. Blavatsky, surrounded by a multitude of traitors, devils, and tigers in human form.”     H. P. B.

          These comments relate to the experiences which she had with her friend V. [Vladimir] S. Solovyov, who, after having wormed his way into her confidence, composed a diatribe against her, the contents of which are, however, of interest, inasmuch as the facts adduced therein entirely contradict the conclusions which its author draws from them. This book is a blatant example of the short-sightedness of those scholars, not lacking in ingenuity but lacking in common sense, who deny even what they have seen and experienced with their own eyes, if it does not fit in with their assumed template.

          So Soloviev says, for example, in his book, how he received a visit of the astral form of Madame Blavatsky’s Master and spoke with Him. How he turned on the light and looked at the clock; how he prepared for this apparition, and how it was later confirmed, etc.,^[59] and in spite of all this he denies the matter a few days later and imagines, or at least claims to believe, that it was all just a dream image.

          A still more remarkable example of the narrow-mindedness of certain mindless scholars is the so-called Confession of H. P. Blavatsky, which the same author published in his book. There are people who are born incapable of grasping a joke or an irony and just take everything literally. When H. P. Blavatsky says that if you really want it, and promise to leave her alone, she’ll finally admit that she stole the moon from the sky, Soloviev thinks she really did. Incidentally, none of these matters, for which much innocent paper was printed in England, India and America, are of any further interest to our readers in Germany.

          Of greater importance in judging the position of H. P. Blavatsky is the following letter:^[60]

         Würzburg. – “My dear doctor! Every word of your letter proves to me that you are on the right track, and I am very pleased about that. What you write to me is an almost verbatim repetition of the teachings I gave to Olcott and Judge. When we came to Bombay we had to leave the mysticism of the west and engage with that of the east. The latter was almost as inconceivable to the Europeans as the former was to the Indians. But the science underlying these two systems is only one, and the same in all systems. The difference is only apparent and lies in the external form. You learned a great deal theoretically in this respect before you were still ready for your own observation. Now you can get the rest in a practical way.

         We have all erred and learned through experience. I have never considered myself a full-fledged occultist, but am only a disciple of the Masters, and have pursued the study of occult science for at least thirty-five to forty years. I have found that before we can discover the Master and the seventh principle (Ātma) within ourselves, we need an outer Master to show us the way. The Chinese alchemist says: Everyone seeks eternal life, but the secret is not easy to discover. If you desire the treasures of heaven, you must renounce the riches of earth. You must kindle the fire that springs from the water^[61] and develop the OM contained in the tong. A word from a wise master gives you the drink of golden water. I received a hint from the Masters; They received it in Adyar. He who guides people to find the Redeemer within themselves is a Redeemer. — I would be very sorry if you could not visit me, because then we will not see each other again. If you come you will be warmly welcomed.” H.P.B.

          Yet another letter from Blavatsky may be of interest to the reader, for it proves, as far as is possible in such matters, that the Adepts are not merely living men, but that they actually dwell in Tibet. As is known to every occultist, there are sensitive persons called “psychometers” who, when brought into contact with an object belonging to a certain person, are thereby able clairvoyantly to perceive that person and his surroundings. The author had brought with him to Germany various ‘occult letters’ originating from the Adepts, and gave one to a quite ordinary but sensitive craftsman’s wife, near Kempten, asking her to tell him what she saw. The woman, who of course had no idea what it was about, then gave a description of a Tibetan temple and its surroundings, as well as inscriptions which, when she drew them, turned out to be Tibetan characters. Blavatsky responded to the relevant communication:

Ostend,^[62]

December 5 [1886].

“My dear colleague! [In the original: Doctor:—] You must excuse me if I seem to be neglecting you, my old friend; for I have an awful lot to do, and when I write letters I lack the necessary concentration to work through the “Secret Doctrine.”  But your letter is so interesting that I must answer it immediately. It is of great importance as a rebuttal to all the slanders and accusations of the “psychic researchers” in London.^[63] The description that the woman gave you corresponds to the private temple of the Teshu Lama near Tchigadzé [Tchigadze]. It is white, built of cement that looks like marble but is not marble as the description says. It is called the snowy ‘Shakang.’ What the psychic saw glimpsing on the dome is not a cross with a sphere, but a gilded sphere resting on three pillars, with a dragon on it, and the dragon holding a swastika, which she took to be a cross. Otherwise the description as a whole is wonderfully correct. The temple really stands on an artificial hill, and steps lead up to it. The floor of the temple is made of yellow polished stone. The ‘white-robed man’ might have been the master, and the ‘bald man’ might have been a Buddhist monk. The clothing is also correctly described. They wear high boots trimmed with fur. The pictures are correctly described and the vase is a Chinese one. Indeed, various statues of deities (Dhyanis) are set up there, and the roof is supported by wooden pillars. Also there are pine forests and Indian figs, and trees from whose fruit the monks make ink. There is also a lake and three hills. Meilha Gualpo’s statue looks like a sphinx, her lower body lost in clouds. The fisherwomen wear soles that look like sandals and have fur hats.” H.P.B.

          In short, the description given by the woman agreed in whole, if not in every detail, with the description sent by Madame Blavatsky. The characters she drew were not drawn quite correctly, but were accurate enough to show that they were Tibetan letters.

          Much more could be said about this and later experiments, if we wanted to drag the matter out; but it is by no means the intention of the author to make the reader believe something which cannot be proved to him, and the knowledge of which depends on one’s own insight. The inner life of a man eludes external observation, and is indubitable only for those who experience it inwardly. Therefore the “psychic investigators”^[64] will never find secure ground in their science as long as they rely only on external observation and do not get to know the inner life within themselves. The inner man is quite different from the outer man, and his life is different from the outer one, even though the two are connected in the waking state. The inner man can have experiences while the body is asleep which the outer one does not remember on waking (because the outer one does not experience them), and which, if told to him, he would smile in disbelief. Only when the personality consciousness is connected with the consciousness of the inner human being does true knowledge come about. This union is the purpose of every true religion, and the teaching of it is found in the philosophy of Yoga.

          In H. P. Blavatsky these two natures were mixed. Now the inner man appeared, now the outer personality. Each had his due qualities, and the whole cannot be judged by a template. The inner man was a disciple of the Masters; the external person is its imperfect and obstinate tool. The inner knew everything, the outer nothing. This, in a nutshell, is our view of H. P. Blavatsky.

          No matter how harsh the judgment of the ignorant world towards Blavatsky’s personality may sound, and even if it were proven that she had used appearances [phenomena], which cannot be otherwise and happens in all subjects, to lead people to their own thinking and to their own knowledge of the truth, yet she has brought about a revolution in the world of thought like hardly anyone before, and in so doing she has never sought personal advantage. Thousands owe her their salvation from the bonds of religious superstition or lifeless materialism, and her great work, The Secret Doctrine, provides the inquiring mind with food for thought for the next century.

          Super smart people have claimed that the Adepts were an invention of H. P. Blavatsky. If this were correct, and accordingly, if Blavatsky had cooked up the teachings contained in her writings herself, she herself would be the greatest Adept. Nothing can be proved about the place of residence of the Adepts either. The fact is, however, that Blavatsky sometimes lay for days in a near-death sleep, and then, on waking up, beaming with joy, declared to her friends that she had been to her “homeland,” Tibet. She was then always in a good mood for several days, and this could not be a disguise, because Blavatsky could not disguise herself at all. Also, in her last hours, as she lay dying, she kept saying, “I’m going home! I’m going home now!” which was jubilantly repeated.

          The writer had no further opportunity to see her during the last few years before Blavatsky died; but on the afternoon that she died in London, someone a thousand miles distant had a vision in which he saw a Himalayan eagle, which had escaped from its cage, soaring high in the air, accompanied by two transfigured figures. A crowd of people looked up at the soaring eagle, and from above came the cry, “Follow me!” Then the person concerned knew, even without anyone notifying him externally, that H. P. Blavatsky had died.

         (Sequel follows.)

---

[11.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” VI. “The Theosophical Society.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 12, no. 70 (July 1898), 518-551.^[65]

VI. “The Theosophical Society.”

It was H. P. Blavatsky’s favorite idea to unite all good and insightful people on earth to work together for the best of mankind, and for this purpose the Theosophical Society was founded in New York in 1875, by Col. H. S. Olcott, W. Q. Judge and others. What differentiated this society from all other similar societies, associations, or churches was the complete freedom from any prescribed dogmatic or authority beliefs. It was up to each individual member to follow the systems they liked and to choose their leader, teacher, master or leader if they wanted one; but the society as such had no official “leader” and required no belief in any authority, neither in Blavatsky, nor in Mahatmas or in any dogma, but only the belief in all-embracing love, which holds all worlds together and combines all beings among themselves. However, Blavatsky was the soul of society and the natural leader for most members; but it was because of its spiritual superiority for those who believed in it or recognized its spirit, and not as a result of an externally assigned position. She ruled by the power of her genius. From the outside, she was nothing more than a corresponding secretary of the society. There was no officially certified papacy. As such, even the “President” was only responsible for external business and was not entitled to authority in matters of faith.

          Neither dogmatics nor belief in any authority was the basis of this society, but wisdom which arises from the knowledge of the unity of the being in the multitude of appearances.

          The purpose of this society was:

 “To form a core around which the ideas of a general human brotherhood, without distinction of nationality, faith, religion, etc., could crystallize and the ideals of mankind could be realized.”

          On this basis, all people and all associations could come together, no matter what persons or systems the individual members might belong to: Christians and “pagans,” Brahmins, Buddhists, Turks and Jews, Freemasons, freethinkers and theologians, spiritualists and materialists, rationalists and “atheists,” rich and poor, scholar and ignorant; for it was not a question of accepting any prescribed opinion, or of submitting to the authority of any person, but only of realizing the inward spiritual brotherhood of all men, and there was no other prescription than that each in relation to the opinions of others should exercise the same degree of tolerance that he claimed for himself. The motto of the society was: “There is no higher religion than truth.”

          What unites men is love which springs from the knowledge of the unity of God; what divides them is the multiplicity of opinions. Where Self-knowledge sets in, there the difference of opinions ends. Since there can only be one single absolute truth, all people come together in their cognition. This knowledge of God cannot be artificially made by anyone; it is the result of the soul’s inward awakening to the consciousness of its higher existence, and this is the result of the manifestation of the Spirit of Wisdom within it. All of these are not assertions which need to be “proved,” but facts that are self-evident to everyone as soon as he understands them. But this inner awakening is opposed not only by our own sensual desires and animal instincts, but also by the misconceptions we have about our own being and our place in nature. In order to give everyone the opportunity to overcome these errors themselves, the members of the Theosophical Society were recommended to study the writings of the world sages and the religions of the East. It was not a matter, in the manner of mindless scholars and philologists, of investigating only the external forms of these, but of penetrating into the spirit of the matter itself; for “the letter kills, but the spirit gives life.” In order to penetrate the spirit of a religion, however, this requires less literacy and imagination than spirit. One must first feel what is true, then the intellect comes to examine what is felt. “If you don’t feel it, you wont’ understand it,” says Goethe, and the reasonable person doesn’t need any proof for that either, because it goes without saying.

          However, higher feeling and thinking is only possible if the human being reaches a higher level himself. True recognition is conditioned by true becoming. Despite all the theories and evidence, without spiritual growth no one can advance to a higher level. Therefore it was further recommended to the members of the “Theosophical Society” to be mindful of the development of the higher soul powers contained in the person and to get to know the connection of their own nature with the secret powers contained in the Great Nature.

          The history of mankind is not only a history of progress but also of folly, and the same is the case with the history of the “Theosophical Society,” It has done a great deal of good since its inception and is still doing it today. Through the dissemination of instructive writings, it has introduced a higher world view; old wisdom teachings, which were almost extinct in the memory of mankind, brought back into the present memory of countless people who lived thoughtlessly from day to day, or despaired of themselves and the world, to their own reflection and thus also on the way to freedom. A new world opened up to those who were willing to open their eyes and see through the teachings proclaimed by H. P. Blavatsky, and those who were able to receive the influence of spiritual powers from Adepts and participate in their higher thinking were found sometimes even under their inspiration, even if they had no external evidence of the existence of such more highly evolved men.

          But tolerance, self-denial, sacrifice, unselfish love, and knowledge of truth are not for everyone, and the sacred and sublime have never been revealed in the public marketplace without being misjudged, ridiculed, abused, and crucified. The history of all mystical societies and associations whose aim was the perfection and ennobling of mankind, from the Essenes down to the alchemists and Rosicrucians of the Middle Ages, has always been one and the same. First birth and healthy development, then overeating, contamination of the humours, hypertrophic states, disease, fever and purification through the elimination of harmful substances, or death and regeneration. As long as there are only a few people who are capable of knowledge, who come together in harmony and in secret, they can do a lot of good; but as soon as the gates of the temple are opened to the great multitude, ignorance and passion move in with them.

          Then the devil of selfishness takes possession of the chair which belongs to wisdom; the true disciples are expelled or they withdraw, and folly possesses the field. These few may form the nucleus of a new organism, in which, when it has reached a certain size, the same spectacle is repeated; for every association rooted in material ground is like an egg of which ignorance is the shell and passion is the yolk. But in the innermost is the tender germ of life, which in our present age of wrong enlightenment often lacks the air and light that it needs for its development. So it was with the “Theosophical Society,” founded by H. P. Blavatsky, which, though it had a multitude of “members,” belonged in fact and in spirit only to those few who understood its basic principle and acted accordingly. Three times in a few years there has been a revolution in the organization of this society. Whenever the outer body of the same reaches a certain size and had attained external prestige, it splintered into factions. Then intolerance, lust for power and megalomania appeared and triumphed over wisdom; but every time it appeared that H. P. Blavatsky was about to suffocate, then a gale came, which swept away the accumulated refuse and dead leaves, but refreshed and strengthened the viable stem. Then the doom-threatening papacy was swept away, and its adherents formed sects among themselves, or they sat on the ruins of their Jerusalem and in sackcloth and ashes mourned the loss of their gods; and rightly so; for belief in authority is a very necessary evil until one has outgrown it. The lame does not throw away the crutches he needs with impunity; the blind need a guide, and the slave needs a master who commands him. Freedom cannot be artificially made at will, it must be won. Greatness is not attained by stretching the limbs, but by growth. Without his own spiritual growth, the ignorant man who casts off the chains imposed by his church is like a bird which, before it can live, bursts open the protective shell of the egg.

          Authorities, guides and dogmas are necessary for the blind and minors, and therefore no member was deprived of the right to believe in whom and what he wanted; but the Society as such was free from any constraint. Everyone could find happiness there in their own way. The basis of an association of people who really strive for divine wisdom can be nothing else other than that love and harmony from which true knowledge springs. Theosophy or knowledge of God is the knowledge of the Eternal Divine Being, and the first condition for this is the possession of the ability to distinguish the eternal from the transitory. Where the feeling of the eternal, the inner faith, is not there, this distinction is also not possible. True faith is attained only through love. Without it, man only recognizes that which is just as transitory as himself.

          But precisely because the basis of this society was so simple, it was understood by so few. The first and main purpose of society, the charity and tolerance arising from true feelings, was paid attention to by very few. Some perceived the primary purpose as “scientific research,” or, to put it more correctly, the satisfaction of their scientific curiosity about things they were not yet mature enough to understand. They were less looking for wisdom than for know-it-all. They forgot that the kingdom of God is not in arguments but in power, and that it is better to come to true knowledge than to be able to give a scholarly definition of what that knowledge is. They searched for all sorts of things other than the divine power struggling for revelation within themselves. Others were interested only in their “occult development,” i.e., they strove, out of egotistic impulses, to acquire magical powers in every possible way, and thereby to make themselves great; since they did not understand that this “self,” which they were trying to make great, is precisely the obstacle to the revelation of the truth, and that the more this “I” grows in its fantastic size to the “superman,” the greater this obstacle will be. There were also not a few who were foolish enough to fancy that by false pretenses they could worm their way into the favor of the Adepts, and then be promoted by them to great honours. All these, when disappointed, turned their scorpion sting against H. P. Blavatsky; but they stung themselves and died from their own poison.

          It would be difficult to list all the crimes which have already been committed in the name of Christianity. Likewise it would lead us too far to relate the follies which sprang from a perverted conception of the purpose of the Theosophical Society. As long as Blavatsky lived she was the leading star in it; not as a result of an external power transferred to her, but because her light outshined all other lights. The direction of a fraternity, which is to embrace all mankind, can be no other than spiritual; for where external power comes into its own, contradictions and discord arise; then follows the strife of the parties, decomposition and destruction.

This was actually the case after the death of Blavatsky in the “Theosophical Society.” Rule by the power of genius was replaced by external rulers, distinguished more by ambition and eloquence than by wisdom. Then the cult of personality took the place of loyalty to principle, partisanship took the place of general brotherly love, oppression and fragmentation followed, and today there are various societies which call themselves “theosophical” but are mutually hostile, each claiming that, to be the only real “Theosophical Society.”

          But the true “theosophical society” consists, in our opinion, of those few (whatever party they belong to) who recognize the principle of the society and act accordingly. Theosophy has, as Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians, chap. II, verse 7 affirms, to do nothing at all “with the wisdom of this age, and with the great of this world, which come to naught,” but with the spirit of the knowledge of God, which is love. A real society of theosophists can be nothing but the spiritual community of saints united not by statutes but by the Spirit of God. But as to the outward organization of the “Theosophical Society,” its history only proves that so long as the spirit of Theosophy is not present, mankind is not mature enough to form such a public association, and that the noble plant of Wisdom can only flourish in secret, where it will not be trampled underfoot by the grazing herds of cattle.

The “Esoteric School” (E. S.).

The “Theosophical Society” was a completely free fraternity and as such had no externally certified “authority”; on the other hand, within this society an “Esoteric School” (E. S.) or “Eastern School” (School of the Wisdom of the East) was founded, directed by H. P. Blavatsky, which had the purpose of giving those members of the T. S. (Theosophical Society) who were qualified for this to bring still more light, and to introduce them to the higher mysteries of occult science. This “Esoteric School” was to be “not of the world” (worldly), not meddling in any external affairs of the T. S., having nothing to do with external things, having no officials or employees,”^[66] etc. On the other hand, anyone approved to enter had to take a solemn vow in which he promised to remain faithful to certain theosophical principles.

          Since true occult science does not emerge from intellectual speculation, external observations and conclusions, but is rather the result of the inward spiritual perception of a person who has awakened to higher consciousness, it goes without saying that a theosophist, i.e., a person who has attained knowledge of God, must be so before one can attain higher occult knowledge. Also, the instruction in such schools consists less in external explanations than in a direct spiritual transmission of spiritual powers and views from the master to the student, and it is therefore understandable that a complete agreement and soul harmony between master and student is the first condition for success. Where there is such agreement, it does not matter how far the student and master are physically separated from one another, for they are spiritually one and spatial distance is no obstacle to the transmission of sensations and thoughts.

          To make clear the relationships between the master and student or disciple, let us hear what H. P. Blavatsky says:

     “1. For the disciple who is in earnest, the (spiritual) guide takes the place of father and mother. For while these give him his body and his abilities, give him his life and corporeal form, the guide shows him how to develop his inner faculties in order to attain eternal wisdom (the consciousness of immortality).

     “2. To the (true) disciple, each fellow disciple is a brother or sister, a part of himself; for his interests and aspirations are theirs, his well-being is related to theirs, his progress is promoted or hindered according to their insight, morality and conduct, by virtue of the (spiritual) connection which exists between them.

     “3. A fellow disciple or ally cannot apostatize or remain behind without adverse effect even on those who stand firm, because they are all bound together by sympathy and psychic currents which are between them and their teacher.

     “4. Woe to him who forsakes the way, and woe to all who help to bring his soul where that forsaking presents itself to his mind as the lesser of two evils. Gold in the crucible is the one who endures the melting heat of temptation and only burns away the unclean from his heart; but he will find himself cursed by karmic activity who throws impurity into the crucible of discipleship to the degradation of his fellow disciple. As the limbs are related to the body, so the disciples are related to each other and to the head and heart, which teaches them and nourishes them with the life-stream of truth.

     “5. As the members defend the head and heart of the body to which they belong, so the disciples are to protect from harm, the head and heart of the body to which they belong.”^[67]

          Here H. P. Blavatsky adds that by “head and heart” is meant not themselves, nor any person, but the principle. It is not, as some believe, the deification of a person; for the personality of every man is ephemeral, and “vanity is to love that which passes quickly, but hasten not to where bliss endures forever.”^[68] Personalities are only the shadows of the spirit. Theosophy is the knowledge of eternal principles, and persons only come into consideration insofar as the principles which are worthy of worship are revealed within them. Also the spiritual vow is not a promise made to the person of the leader, but a contract with God (the higher Self) of which the leader is a witness. The star which shines for the wise is wisdom; the teacher is only a signpost on the way to wisdom. If there were no wisdom, it could not be revealed to any man, and there would be no wise men in the world.

         But wisdom is not gained in a roundabout way, through analysis and criticism. It is oneness and is attained only through love of Oneness. Unity is purity.

         H. P. Blavatsky says:

“A pure life, an open sense of truth, a chaste heart, an inquiring mind, clear insight, brotherhood with comrades, readiness to give and receive advice and help, trust in the teacher, readiness to obey the voice of truth, courageously enduring the mistakes of others, valiantly standing up for established principles, fearless defense of others unjustly attacked, a constant adherence to the ideal of human progress and perfection as portrayed in the doctrine of wisdom (religion); these are the golden stairs by which the disciple may ascend to the Temple of Wisdom.”^[69]

          But how few do they ascend! If you love dirt, cleaning is a chore. For most it is only a matter of knowing and not of becoming; they do not understand that true knowledge can only be attained through true becoming. God, the higher Self, is in Heaven, and we cannot find Him or His wisdom unless we enter His kingdom. He’s not coming out to us. This kingdom of God is holy love. The heaven of love is not attained through the knowledge of theories, but only through love. Not pondering and imagining, but love leads us into the kingdom of God. If we find this kingdom within ourselves, the Lord of this kingdom will be revealed in it.

          These were the principles of the “Esoteric School” founded by Blavatsky; but how few understood, fell. With most, the flesh triumphed over the spirit. The E. S., at least outwardly, ceased to be “occult” or secret as soon as its existence was announced to the world with bang and trumpet and everyone was invited to join. It ceased to be “esoteric” as soon as it began acting exoteric, and it became a comedy when its supposed “leaders,” despite pretending that the E. S. had nothing to do with the affairs of the T. S. to rule the latter. There, holiness and glory soon came to an end. “Secrets,” which were told only to the initiated under the seal of the vow of secrecy, often formed the subject of town gossip the very next day; the “secret resolutions” of the E. S. could be read in the daily newspapers the next morning; the most solemn promises were kept only until the paper on which they were written was laid down; while shouting “tolerance” they continued to blame and slander each other; the names of the Adepts, which are sacred to every true esotericist, were dragged in the dung, and every scribe-loving fool who peddled his fantasies to the world fancied, or boasted, that he was inspired by the Adepts. The names of the Masters were misused not only by alleged members of the E. S., but also by people who did not belong to it. H. P. Blavatsky says about it:

“Our best members wish that the Masters’ names had never been associated with our writings. In a hideous way these names have been desecrated. Almost every medium claims to have seen the masters; every mystical bogus society professes to be directed and commanded by the Masters. Many people have been deceived by such scammers’ associations, which supposedly sell magical secrets, higher knowledge and spiritual knowledge for money. What is worse, the holy names of the wisdom teachings and their holy custodians have been dragged down into this filth by associating them with wicked intentions and reprehensible actions, while thousands of people have been fooled by the evil semblance these frauds cast on the whole thing, from which ways of truth and light were kept.”^[70]

          There is no doubt that a few who caught the spirit of the “Esoteric School” attained a higher realization; but with many the matter was not meant seriously at all; they signed their “vows,” as one signs a circular or a notice, without realizing the importance of their action. Some, who could not distinguish between the essence and the mortal form, made idols of the unknown persons of the Masters, which they worshipped and from whom they expected all kinds of favors; many, in seeking external Masters, forgot the presence in their own hearts of the divine spark, without whose light no one can be a disciple; for how could the mind of a Master of Wisdom harmonize that of the student if there is no feeling in the soul of the student? It was viewed in much the same way as cycling, as a new sport and pastime; sought to get as much as possible and give as little as possible, without considering that in spiritual matters the amount of grace one can receive depends on the amount of self-sacrifice. Blavatsky also says:

     “Because the members who had grown up in the Christian church were accustomed to trusting in an external savior and scapegoat, it did not appear to them that their salvation and future reincarnation depended entirely on themselves, and that every crime against the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Self-knowledge of Truth) indeed cannot be forgiven either in this life or in the next incarnation; for karma is always present to control their actions and even their thoughts.”^[71]

          “If you had the true faith, you would see the glory of God,” says the Bible. But true faith only begins when man steps out of his egoism and no longer asks for anything for “himself.” It is the knowledge of the higher Self, which is above all narrowness and self-conceit. “Before the student can be taught, he must first see how he must behave in relation to the world, to his teacher, to sacred science, and to his inner Self.”^[72] But how difficult this is in a nation permeated with selfishness! — The Book of Wisdom says: “You shall not discuss the sacred mysteries with the commoners, nor with people whom you happen to meet, nor with newly won followers. Consider well the consequences of your talkativeness, and keep within your breast the divine teachings you have received until you find someone who can understand your words and share your aspirations.” — “Had I,” adds Blavatsky, “taken more account of the observance of the old rules when choosing my pupils, I would probably have lost two-thirds of them. Sorrow and shame followed from this neglect. In blind folly, without reason or scruple, the two founders of the T. S., and I in particular, have lifted some veils of truth and afforded some glimpses of the secret laws of nature and existence to a blind, unreasonable, and insane crowd, and thereby aroused the hatred of opponents, strengthened their disbelief, and aroused the evil will of many who otherwise would have left us alone.”^[73]

     “Many are called, but few are chosen.”

          “Behold,” says Blavatsky, quoting the words of a Master, “how many of you are idlers (in the spirit) of the morning and wasters of the night; Gluttons who eat and drink for the sake of sensual pleasure, negligent in their duties, selfish when it comes to looking after the interests of their brethren. They no longer borrow and give back, are lazy and wait for others to think for them and teach them; they do not impose the slightest austerity, even of superfluous things, to help needy brethren, care not for the common good, nor for those who work for it; yea, they are even libertines, and are guilty of secret sins of various kinds.” . . . “But even if a man with a few such faults filled the whole world with his blessings and his name became known to all nations, he would still make no progress in true occult knowledge, but would steadily decline.”^[74]

          True occult knowledge consists in recognizing the God-man in us and his divine powers. “Foolishness upon folly!” exclaims Thomas of Kempis, “everything is folly except to love God and to serve him alone. This is the highest wisdom (Theosophy), spurning the world and striving for heaven (in the heart).” H. P. Blavatsky also says:

“What is the use of hearing all sorts of things about the occult relationships between the (secret) forces in nature and human principles if we do not want to know the real Self (God) and consequently do not want to experience what it is that is upon influences and nourishes our principles. Do you not know that when you fatten the lower at the expense of the higher, the higher languishes thereby, and that the overcrowding of the animal mind, ever gravitating towards the lower, easily results in the ebbing and loss of the higher immortal Self, and with it result in the utter annihilation of your present personality?”^[75]

          Theosophy is not created, but revealed, human reason being enlightened by divine wisdom. But how could a man be enlightened by this light so long as he is unreasonable and consequently has not come into possession of his reason? The artificial and unnatural man must first become natural before he can become “supernatural” (divine). Wherever the warmth of sunlight shines into a heap of manure, disgusting worms develop in it. When the light of grace stirs an impure mind to life, the germs of evil and impurity as well as good contained therein unfold. So it was that for many who approached the Temple of Wisdom were unprepared and unworthy to receive its light, what they received became judgment. The instincts for vanity, lust for power, etc., which were dormant in them, grew and proliferated and dominated them, and their fall was profound.

          “Theosophy” or knowledge of God is not a system of theories to be learned, but the spiritual-divine life in man himself; without the awakening of this life in man there is no true “Occult Science” for him, but only mysticism and enthusiasm; For what the human being trapped in the dream life of earthly existence can grasp is not occult, and the eternal cannot be recognized by anyone as long as it has not become conscious in him. H. P. Blavatsky says:

“Real life is contained in the spiritual consciousness of spiritual existence; in a conscious existence in spirit, and not in material, and real death is the limited perception of life, the inability to feel conscious or individual existence outside of form, or at least without any material form. Those who heartily deny the possibility of conscious life separate from matter and brain matter are dead entities. This is how we understand the words of St. Paul, who says: ‘You are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.’ That means: You are dead matter in your personality, which is not conscious of its own spiritual being, and your real life is hidden in your divine Self, unknown to you because you are soulless. Such creatures (without God-consciousness), even when possessing great learning and wisdom, are only living (animal-intellected) puppets, not real human beings.”

          From the above, it should have become sufficiently clear that with the founding of the T.S. and E. S. neither the establishment of a brotherhood for the belly, nor a school for the satisfaction of scientific curiosity in relation to the divine mysteries in nature for creatures without faith and conscience, but nor was it intended, least of all, as an institution for the learning of “black magic.” The “Theosophical Society” was to be based on the recognition of the brotherhood of all men in the spirit of truth, and out of it a school of real “Theosophists,” i.e., of human beings who have attained to the consciousness of immortal existence, and they should receive help in accordance with their ability to receive help in their quest to learn the divine mysteries in nature.

          The spiritual brotherhood of all human beings was not “founded” by any human being and does not need any human being to maintain it; It has existed since the creation of the world, and it is only a matter of practically recognizing it. Also, no external organization is conceivable which could absorb and include this spiritual brotherhood as long as not all people have come to the knowledge of God. The spirit of philanthropy is free, but every form is limited. Every organization represents a “self” with self-interests; an “I” which must struggle for existence and whose interests are opposed to those of other organisms. A multiplicity of forms in religion is as necessary as a multiplicity of material forms in nature. If only one form existed, it would be ill with the spiritual progress of all mankind if it were to perish.

          Therefore, instead of striving to bring all members of the “theosophical brotherhood” under one roof, to force the divine wisdom into a system, and to form a sect, they should rather seek to work towards the holy spirit of God-knowledge and neighborly love in all systems, associations, churches, sects and nations. The first step towards this is personal knowledge, the good example and the dissemination of a higher world view, as it is contained in the writings of all wise men and in the teachings of all religious systems, if they are understood correctly, but nowhere is it explained so clearly and distinctly, than in the writings of H. P. Blavatsky.

          After what has been said above, it is not necessary to repeat that reading and accepting these writings is not enough; because no theory alone, but rather practice makes perfect. Through practicing what is good, every member of the “Theosophical Fraternity” should become a shining star in the spiritual sky of mankind, and every association a light-beaming constellation, which still strays in the darkness of spiritual ignorance, or is deceived by the false appearance of error, shows the way to knowledge of the truth inherent in himself. And just as not all planets belong to a single solar system, although they all receive their light from the eternal source of all light, so too different schools can also exist side by side in this brotherhood, in which the one eternal light of wisdom, depending on its nature, is reflected in different colors without the members of these systems fighting against each other.

          Free is the mind, but the particular forms need instruction and experience, in order that they may obey the law of the mind, so that the germ of truth contained in them may develop, and pierce the surrounding sheaths of selfishness and ignorance. Through the growth of knowledge, and through this alone, all the sufferings of ignorance and error will disappear and heaven will be revealed on earth. When this ideal will be realized is difficult to say, but it will be good if everyone who recognizes it begins to realize it within themselves.

(Fortsetzung folgt.)

(Sequel follows.)

---

Gulab-Lal-Sing (“Mahatma Morya”).

[12.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” Second part. Preliminary remark. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 88 (January 1900), 1-27.^[76]

“Half knowledge is a very dangerous thing.”

 H. P. Blavatsky says: “You have no right to throw the mysteries of occult science at the head of the ignorant crowd; for since it does not know their laws, it would only sink deeper into superstition.” She herself bitterly regretted having been too open-hearted about these things, and probably had reason to exclaim at the end of her life: “Unfortunately, we were the first to speak of such things and the fact that there were Adepts and Masters in the East of occult science to reveal to the public, and upon us has now fallen the karma, the consequences of the consequent degradation of sacred names and things.”^[77]

          If, despite these experiences, I dare to succumb to the urging of many of my friends, and in these installments of “Memorable Recollections,” speak of things I would have preferred to keep to myself, it is certainly not for the purpose to make any skeptic believe in the existence of the Adepts, and least of all am I trying to “prove” anything by it, but it is only my intention, after so many wrong views about these things which have already become public, to shed light on what has already become known, and to put on the right track, those who are concerned not only with the satisfaction of curiosity but with the knowledge of the truth.

          For the same reason, I no longer hesitate to make the portraits of these many-named Adepts accessible to the readers of the “Lotusblüten,” especially as these pictures are already available for sale in America and England. The originals of these were painted by Hermann Schmiechen in London, and are venerated as sacred by most members of the Theosophical Society. To what extent the painter relied on his intuition in making them, and whether he used his imagination in doing so, I cannot know; but I have good reason to affirm that the portraits are very similar to the originals.

          I have the highest respect and admiration for these sublime, noble and wise people, and I owe them the greatest thanks; but for this very reason I feel impelled to help that they are not made the object of superstitious idolatry, but that their doctrines be understood. The masters are not concerned with being worshiped as miracle workers, rather their teaching is that every human being is a temple of the true Redeemer within himself;

“Everyone is good in himself of freedom.”^[78]

          or, to put it in the words of these teachers themselves: “The best master that a man can find is his own sixth principle (Buddhi), rooted in the seventh (Ātma).” H. P. Blavatsky adds: “Those who lead others to find the master within themselves are saviors.” In this sense the adepts are saviors of the world. This doctrine of seeking and finding the Redeemer within ourselves is of course not to be understood as if the external masters were superfluous and a person who has not yet found the true Redeemer in his heart was his own master. Self-mastery is an elusive art that springs only from true Self-knowledge, and this Self-knowledge is possessed by none who does not renounce his self-delusions and recognize the true Self in the light of wisdom, the Lord and Master, within himself. If the following sheets help to make this clear, they have served their purpose.

I. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and her Masters.

          Here’s what I heard:

          All who knew H. P. Blavatsky in her youth agree that she was a “strange saint,” even then. She was a child of nature; she lived in nature and nature lived in her. From an early age she had the rare ability to see clearly within nature and to see mysteries unseen by ordinary human eyes. Because these pages are not written for those who do not yet know anything about such things, and who take the tales of the “spirits of nature” as lies, because they imagine that there can be no other creatures in our world other than the everyday visible ones, we do not need to apologize when we mention these things, and accept it as known that there are other supernatural and spiritual states of existence or “planes” in our material world whose inhabitants are only visible to those who have the ability to see them.

          Blavatsky had this ability to a high degree, and as a child associated with these beings called “gnomes,” “sylphs,” “undines,” and “salamanders” just as if they were her equals; yes, she was amazed that not everyone could see these playmates and comrades of hers. There are plenty of anecdotes about it in the works of Sinnett, and some were told to me by her sister, Madame Jelihovsky, but “astral vision” is not an uncommon thing these days, and those who are interested will find enough stories about it in the spiritistic and occult literature. Nevertheless, we want to cite a few typical cases as examples.^[79]

          Madame Jelihovsky says “For H. P. Blavatsky, all nature was not dead or mechanical, but a living, spiritual being. As a child she was the strangest creature in which two natures were clearly expressed, as if two beings lived in one body. One was stubborn, spiteful and domineering, the other mystical and metaphysical, like the Seer of Prevost. Her imagination, which we thought was her “imagination” at the time, was extremely developed. She often spent hours telling us the most wonderful and unbelievable stories, with a certainty and conviction as if she had really experienced it all, and there was no doubt that she actually saw what she pretended to see. Although she was fearless and courageous in everything as a child, she was often violently frightened by the apparitions she had. She asserted that she was being haunted by what she called “those horrible, shining eyes.” On such occasions she covered her eyes and screamed so that the whole house ran together. At other times she was seized with fits of laughter, and explained this by the jokes played by her invisible companions. She saw them in every dark corner, in every bush of the park and in the desolate halls of our palace. Although all the doors were always locked, Helene was often found in these dark rooms in the middle of the night in a half-conscious state, like that of a sleepwalker, and she could not say how she got there. Sometimes they were found in the attic in the dovecote, and other times in our grandmother’s zoological collection, and all the stuffed animals, crocodiles, seals, polar bears, etc. were alive for her and told her their experiences. For them there was no lifeless space. Everything was alive for her, even the stones and the sand by the sea. Everything had an inner life for them, which is a mystery for the outer world.”

          “Sometimes we made excursions to a stretch of land that had once been seabed in the olden days. Shells and fossilized remains of sea animals were often found there. Helene read their stories from such remnants,^[80] and she did so with such enthusiasm that one believed oneself to experience what she was telling. Wonderful, was her description of the sea monsters, whose shapes she drew in the sand. She described their battles, which may have taken place thousands of years ago where we camped. She described the sea with its dark blue waves, the seabed with its grotesque flora, the coral reefs and aquatic animals, so that all her listeners were carried away.”

          “Needless to say, she had never heard of reincarnation. In our highly Christian-Orthodox family such a thing should never have been discussed. Nevertheless, she knew enough to tell of such things. There was, for example, in our museum a long-legged stuffed flamingo, which she claimed, had been human many years ago; but he had committed many great crimes and one murder, which is why his soul returned to animal existence, and took up residence in this flamingo.”^[81]

          Those who understand the art of “psychometrics” and reincarnation will find these things explicable and will not attribute them to empty imagination, even if imagination plays a part. There are also a number of facts which testify that what she saw clairvoyantly was really there. We choose the following among the various examples:

          In 1858, not far from where Madame Blavatsky’s sister lived, a man was found murdered in a brandy shop. The culprit was unknown, and the district police commissioner came to the village to make inquiries. On this occasion he paid a visit to Blavatsky’s father, who suggested that he try to use Helene’s occult powers to track down the murderer. The commissioner was a skeptic, and joked about this suggestion. This provoked the little one to shame him, and she shared the following with him:

          “While you are talking nonsense, the perpetrator, whose name is Samoylo Ivanof, escaped across the border of your district before daybreak, and is now in the house of a peasant named Andrew Vlassoff, in the village of Oreshkino, where he is hidden in the hayloft. If you go there now, you’ll catch him. Samoylo Ivanof is an old soldier on leave. He was drunk and had an argument with his victim. The manslaughter was not premeditated; it is a misfortune and not a crime.”

          As soon as the inspector heard these words, he stormed off, and the next morning a messenger came with the news that in the village of Oreshkino, more than thirty miles away, the soldier Samoylo Ivanof, while on leave, was staying in the house of the farmer Andrew Vlassoff, just as Helene had described, he would have been found hidden in the hayloft and would have admitted the fact. Incidentally, this test of clairvoyance caused some inconveniences for her father, because the police in St. Petersburg wanted to know how it was that the young lady knew all this so well and since the police didn’t believe in clairvoyance, they were not satisfied with the explanations given. So the father had no choice but to calm her down in that way, which has always been effective among Russian officials.

          H. P. Blavatsky was of an extremely sensitive nature, and was an admirable “medium” until her twenty-fifth year. In her presence, all the astonishing phenomena took place, which are well known to those who are concerned with spiritism, and which we need not further mention, since a most extensive literature already exists on such things. But while the spiritistic mediums behave quite passively on such occasions and do not cause these phenomena themselves, but allow them to be brought about by means of their organism through forces or beings which are usually unknown to themselves, Blavatsky knew the forces at work, and could produce such phenomena arbitrarily and at will. In early youth she was a tool of these “spirits,” later she gained power over them, and these “spirits,” if we choose to call them as such, became her tools. This was only possible because she had the ability to see them.

          For example, she could do the well-known “ghost knocking” at will and without any external means, through her own willpower, and in this way let her “ghosts” “knock out” messages alphabetically. The knocks came from where she wanted them. For any lady who was very skeptical and made snide remarks, Blavatsky managed to have these tapping sounds occur in the gold filling of the teeth in this lady’s mouth, which was certainly convincing enough for her. Hundreds of such anecdotes could be cited.

          She produced these knocking sounds, by her own admission, in two ways. The first was that she was completely passive, letting the so-called “spirits,” i.e., the mindless and brainless elementals, work through her organism at will. These then more or less faithfully reflected the thoughts of those present, or instinctively follow the sensations and thoughts which they found inside of Blavatsky. The other way consisted in concentrating inwardly and, with closed eyes, in the astral light seeking that stream of thought which contained the genuine impression of some definite and known deceased personality. She identified herself with that current (or, as they say, entered the mind of the deceased) and then let the knocks spell out the words she herself had formed from those thoughts. When, for example, the “knocking spirit” announced itself as Shakespeare, this was not in reality the deceased Shakespeare, nor his shadow left behind, but only the echo of his immortal thoughts, which were crystallized, so to speak, in the astral light. Her own brain photographed, so to speak, what she saw with her mind’s eye, formed it into words, and by her will spelled it out with tapping tones.

          The reasonable reader may now ask why she needed this tapping when she could have expressed or written down these thoughts in a much simpler way; but he forgets that it was not Blavatsky who wanted these knocks, but the audience. An orthodox spirit believer doesn’t care what a living person tells him. But when it is said to be “knocked out” by the spirit of a deceased, he is satisfied. All of Helen’s assurances and proofs that she was doing this herself were of no use; they wanted it to be the spirits of the dead. The world doesn’t want to be deceived, but it loves to deceive itself.

          It is understandable that Blavatsky was not born with a perfect knowledge of the laws of nature, and it is therefore not surprising that in her youth, during her mediumistic development she mistook creations of her own, unconsciously working spiritual perception and the imagination to be the appearances of deceased people, which the following incident proves.

          Helene von Hahn (Blavatsky) had a distant relative from Germany, but never knew her because she had disappeared from Russia when Helene was still in the cradle. Nobody knew where she was; it was only said that she had died somewhere abroad. But one day the spirit of this relative appeared to her and told her where and when and under what circumstances she had died. The spirit gave the name of the pastor who had delivered the eulogy and the text of the sermon. Day after day this relative came and described her joys in heaven and her happiness. Many pages were filled out with these communications; some were written with “direct ghost writing.” Among these was a copy of a petition that had been sent to St. Petersburg many years before. A cousin who traveled there received permission to look in the archives and found the original petition in question. It matched the copy exactly; the handwriting was the same, and even an inkblot on the original was faithfully reproduced on the copy. The evidence of the spirit’s identity was so compelling that no spiritualist could have wished for any better representation. Even the most inveterate doubter would have had nothing to say against it. To top it all off, the spirit of the son of this relative came, accusing himself of having committed suicide, describing his condition in purgatory in moving words and asking for prayer.

          Unfortunately for the correctness of this ghost theory, a cousin of Helene’s, a young cavalry officer, came to Ekaterinoslav at that time, and his regiment pitched camp near the place where Helene lived. She visited her cousin in his tent, and while she was rummaging through his effects like a child, a portrait fell into her hands. At the sight of it she uttered a cry.

          ‘What is it?’ asked the lieutenant.

          ‘What’s up!” answered Helene. “Here is the portrait of . . . . ., whose ghost has been visiting me every day for months.”

          Then the cousin began to laugh and said: “You are foolish! This is the portrait of my aunt, who doesn’t even think about dying yet. She is enjoying her life in Dresden and knits her stockings there.”

          And so it was. The aunt was alive, and her son was alive too, and what was true about the suicide story is that he had once attempted to shoot himself, but instead, only slightly injured himself, and long after having recovered, held a lucrative position in a department store in London. In later years, after Blavatsky had become acquainted with the “spirits,” of such errors, as they occur daily in spiritistic circles, but could no longer occur with her.

          All of the above is intended to show that there are hidden powers in man which not everyone yet knows; that the spirit realm or the soul of the world is intimately connected with the spirit of man and his psychic nature, and further that Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was a strange person and was as much at home in the astral world, or the so-called spirit realm, as she was in the visible physical world. The secret powers mentioned (will, imagination, spiritual perception, etc.) were developed in her in a very extraordinary way. For her, thoughts were things which she could read, like an open book, in the aura (or mental sphere) of the one who was thinking them. The “supernatural” inhabitants of the “supernatural” world were visible and physical to them. She associated with them from an early age, and as a child she often got into trouble when her governess would not acknowledge the existence of a hunchbacked dwarf who was her playmate because she did not have the ability to see him with her own eyes. In later years, by the power of her mind, she controlled these mindless beings, which for want of a more appropriate term are still referred to as “ghosts.”^[82]

          But even in her youth, her observations consisted not only in dealing with astral images, spooks, goblins, elemental beings, etc., but the influence of higher beings, who really possessed spirit and intelligence, and this made itself apparent at an early age. It is said that every child has a guardian angel. This is usually invisible; but Helene seemed to have very unusual guardian angels, who not only guarded and protected her invisibly and saved her from some great dangers, but also interacted with her and even became visible and tangible for other people, and what is strangest about it, is these “guardian angels” were not airy spirits at all, but living people who, even if they lived far away from her, still had the power not only to be with her “in spirit” but also physically.

          Now this will sound highly improbable and unbelievable to some readers, but more so to those who believe that the whole being of man consists only in his gross material organism, and cannot see that the physical body of man is only, so to speak, the house which the actual man inhabits during his existence on this physical world of appearances; and that in addition to this organism he possesses a finer etheric body, and that once he has attained correct knowledge of his own spiritual existence, he can leave the physical body just as easily as a snail can leave its shell.^[83]

          For those who know not only the physical, but also the metaphysical nature of the human organism, there is nothing incredible about this assertion. So much has already been written about these things by Du Prel and others that knowledge of them can be assumed to be part of general education. That the “astral body” [liṅga-śarīra]^[84] or “double” can, under certain circumstances, exit and depart from the physical body is such a well-known fact that it is not worth arguing with those who do not know it. The astral body is then usually without intelligence and acts like a sleepwalker or dreamer; but there are also people who have it in their power to appear outside their physical body, in their astral body, with self-consciousness and intelligence. This is the one way in which such phenomena can be explained.

          But there is another way of working at a distance. In addition to the astral body, occult philosophy recognizes a spiritual body, or “body of thought,” called “Mayavirupa” [Māyāvi-rūpa] in [Asian] Indian, which is even less material than the “etheric” or “astral body.” Every person who has made experiments in this regard knows that he can send his thoughts into the furthest distance in a moment and through them influence other people, provided that they are receptive to it. The thought which a man sends out is a part of himself, it is not separated from the man and is not lost, any more than a ray of light emanating from the sun is separated from it or lost. Wherever a person thinks, there he is in his thoughts. It is only a matter of being able to put his consciousness there at the same time as his thoughts; then he is actually there. The reason this is possible is that in the spirit there is no space or distance at all in our terms. The Spirit of the Divine in the universe is one and omnipresent. In order to move his consciousness here and there, into a distance, man must have attained self-awareness in this spirit of the Divine. Such a person is an “Initiate,” an “Enlightened One,” or “Adept.” Such people were the teachers or Masters of H. P. Blavatsky, and during her childhood, served as her “guardian angels.”

          H. P. Blavatsky was associated with these “masters” throughout her life and received her instructions from Them. In fact, many of her works can be considered inspired or written by the Masters. But not in the same way as a spiritistic medium is used as a mindless tool by a “spirit,” which may not be known, but just as a known teacher assists a student in his or her work. Nor should one imagine this spiritual interaction between the Master and the disciple is merely external or objective. The more the two are in soul accord, the more they are actually “one heart and one mind.” The disciple, filled with the Spirit of the Master, feels himself to be the Master; he is one with him and there is no longer any difference between the two during this caring union. Who is then to distinguish between what the Master and what the disciple thought or wrote?

          The ignorance of this law has given rise to much foolish coffee gossip, misunderstanding and accusations of H. P. Blavatsky and others, and finally to a separation of the more insightful among members of the Theosophical Society from the more short-sighted.

          One feels the presence of the Master as one feels the presence of the God within; but who can prove this scientifically to another, and who can distinguish between what is divine and human in himself, than he who has recognized the Divine, and through the power of Self-knowledge has come to this faculty of discernment?

          Helene grew up surrounded by an army of changing appearances from the so-called “spirit world”; but among these there was a phenomenon which showed itself very often. It was to her an Indian of imposing appearance, with a penetrating gaze; not a “spirit” of a deceased, but the “astral form” of her teacher, master and protector living in Tibet, whom she later got to know in person. The first time she saw him in his physical body was during a visit to Paris, where he had come as a member of a Tibetan embassy. She recognized him at once and wanted to approach him; but he waved her off. Only many years later did she meet him in person in Tibet. It was he who freed her from her “mediumship,” and instead of obeying these lower “spirits,” taught her to be lord over them through the power of her magical will.

          That this master was an Adept and yogi, and possessed of powers which cannot be described other than as “magical” or “divine,” is evident from the accounts of his actions, witnessed not only by H. P. Blavatsky, but also by many other people, among which I myself. Individuals of such facts are described in Blavatsky’s book, In the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan,^[85] in the form of a novel, in which the Master is introduced by the name of Gulab-Lal-Sing; among theosophists he is called “Mahatma Morya”; but his real name is known only to the initiated. He is correctly described in the work in question as a man of unusual stature, wealthy and independent, initiated into the mysteries of magic and alchemy, and a man whom no one dared suspect of being a swindler, “the less so as he, in spite of his extensive knowledge never spoke a word about these things in public, and carefully kept his knowledge hidden except from a few good friends.” Although he appears to be a man of perhaps forty, it is claimed by initiates that he has been in his present incarnation for more than three hundred years; but on this I cannot judge, and in general prefer to remain silent about various similar matters, which, though natural enough to those familiar with Indian yoga philosophy, seem natural enough to those familiar with Indian yoga philosophy, are as yet little understood in Europe.

          But to those who find such things unbelievable, impossible and ridiculous, I would like to point out that the enlightened of all nations agree that if man really knew himself and the powers dormant within him, then he really did know that he is the lord of creation, and in a much deeper sense than is commonly understood; not a being who, by external physical power, and as a result of his intellect, makes himself the external lord over other creatures, but a heavenly being, who by his indwelling spiritual power rules all lower beings and the whole of nature, insofar as this is permitted by the law of the Karma (the law of justice).

          The sage Patañjali, who lived about 500 years before the Christian era, described the powers of such a “born again” person in his “Yoga Aphorisms” [Yoga Sūtras]. It includes the ability to enter the state of samadhi (universal consciousness), to know the past and the future, to see through people spiritually and to read their thoughts like an open book, to look into the farthest distance and to direct one’s consciousness to anyone. To move to places within our planetary system, to mentally immerse oneself in another person and take possession of their organism, to make one’s body light, heavy or even invisible at will, to control the elements, and much more. However, I do not find it desirable that much is said or written about these things, since this cannot be of any use to anyone who does not have these powers, and no one wants to take the first step towards its attainment, which is inner sanctification, without which every further step is in vain or highly disadvantageous. For the impure, the opening of the holy mysteries and the consequent degradation of them is the surest way to hell.

          But such a publication would also open the door to superstition and foolishness among the ignorant, which is why this and the following pages are only written for the wise.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[13.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” Second part. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Her Masters. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 89 (February 1900), 73-104.^[86]

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Her Masters.

Besides the Adept of whom the previous chapter spoke about, H. P. Blavatsky was associated from an early age with yet another Master, later known in Theosophical literature as “Mahatma Kut Humi.” The names Morya and Kut Humi are already mentioned in the Puranas (Vishnu Purāṇa, Book IV, Chapters 4 and 24 and Book III, Chapter 6) as the names of Rishis (World Sages) and Indian rulers. The Moryas, from the Rājput family, are said to be destined to reestablish the Kshatriya (warrior) race, which is of course to be understood in an esoteric sense, as warriors for truth and light.

          Now it has been asked by many and will be asked quite often: “If the Adepts want to restore the rule of truth on earth, why did they choose an unknown woman for this purpose? Why did they not choose as their representative some person of great scientific renown, some recognized authority who would have been given unconditional credence in learned circles? If Max Müller, a respected university professor, or perhaps also an Archbishop of Canterbury, or ultimately even the Pope, would not have been better suited to make his voice heard. How can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

          One might ask: “How is it that God made a mystic out of Jacob Boehme, since he was only a cobbler?” or: “Why did he not always choose his saints and prophets from among the doctors and professors and authorities of this world?” The reason why H. P. Blavatsky was given the mission of proclaiming the Secret Doctrine to the world is that she was fit for it. She possessed that rare psychic organization which was necessary to make this psychic connection between herself and the Adepts possible. But this can be explained by the fact that the individuality which was embodied in the person of Blavatsky, long before Blavatsky was born, was a pupil and kindred spirit of those Adepts and a member of their intellectual circle; in other words, in the person of Blavatsky was embodied a disciple of the Masters (a “chelā”)^[87] who already possessed the psychic faculties necessary for the accomplishment of his mission, and who found in the physical organism of Blavatsky, the appropriate tool to carry out his purpose. For this, Blavatsky did not need to be famous, nor learned, nor a saint, but she did have to possess intellect and willpower, and these she possessed to an unusual degree.

          In the personality of each one of us is incarnated a spiritual individuality, a higher ego possessing those talents and qualities acquired in a previous existence. That is why it also happens every day that a person has much more knowledge internally than he personally possesses, and the intuition of a person consists precisely in the fact that what he spiritually knows and recognizes reaches his personal consciousness. Anyone who was a great doctor, artist, musician, occultist, etc., in his previous life will reappear on the stage of life in his next life as a born doctor, born artist, etc. Likewise, in the person of Blavatsky gradually developed the talents and qualities that their individuality had acquired in a previous life. She was an emissary of the masters and her connection with them did not end as long as she lived.

          Also, the influence of these and other adepts not mentioned here was limited not only to H. P. Blavatsky, but also to some other persons, especially those associated with Blavatsky and who might be expected to support her in her works that could be helpful. Some of these, such as Col. Olcott, Damodar K. Mavalankar and W. T. Brown even personally met these Masters. Some entered into spiritual communion with them, but few were able to maintain it permanently; in most of them self-conceit, megalomania and the addiction to self-aggrandizement and lust for power stirred up after a short time, whereby the sublime and holy was rejected and this connection was rendered ineffective. Many examples of this are available to us. I will mention only one of them, the following: V. S. Solovyoff, the former bosom friend and later detractor of H. P. Blavatsky writes^[88]:

     “I closed my door and went to sleep. Suddenly I awoke, or more likely dreamed, or imagined that I would be awakened, by a warm breeze. I was in my room, and in front of me, in the semi-darkness, stood a tall human figure clad in white. I felt a voice telling me, I don’t know how, or in what language, to light the candle. I wasn’t the least bit shocked or surprised. I lit the candle and checked my watch. It was two o’clock. The apparition did not go away. Before me stood a living man, and this man was evidently none other than the original of the wonderful portrait which I had seen; an exact likeness of it.^[89] He sat down in a chair next to me, and spoke to me in a language I was unfamiliar with, but nonetheless understandable, on various matters concerning me. Among other things, he told me that in order to be able to see him in his astral body, I had to go through certain preparations and that I had great magnetic power. I asked him how to use them; but then he was gone. I thought I would jump after him, but the door was locked. The idea occurred to me that this was a hallucination and that I was going insane; but there Mahatma Morya was again in the same place; he didn’t move; he kept his gaze on me just as it was impressed on my brain. He shook his head and spoke in the same silent imaginary language of dreams: “Be assured that I am not a hallucination, and that your mind does not fail you.” He disappeared. I looked at my watch and it was almost three o’clock. I turned off the light and immediately fell asleep again.

     I woke up at ten o’clock and remembered everything very well. The door was locked; I was unable to tell from the candle if it had been burning during the night, as it had been used before. I met Miss A in the breakfast room. We went to the Gebhards. Madame Blavatsky met us and asked with what seemed to me a meaningful smile: “Well! How did you sleep?”

     “Very well,” I replied, adding thoughtlessly, “Have you nothing to say to me?”

     “Nothing special,” she said; “I only know that Master visited you last night.”

          Superficially judging and inexperienced people will see nothing from this description other than that the subject had a vivid dream; but I see in it a testimony to what degree doubt can blind a man. It is clear that one cannot see another person’s “illusory image” (Māyāvi-rūpa) except with the faculty of the inner eye. However, the accompanying circumstances prove that this illusory image was not one that had sprung from one’s own brain.

          I myself have seen such apparitions repeatedly. I have been present more than once when a Master has come into Blavatsky’s room and spoken to her. I could not see him, however, and therefore had to put up with remarks from Blavatsky, and on other occasions, even when Blavatsky was absent, I was given such visits which I saw plainly and distinctly, and of which no one could make me believe that they were dream images I had created myself. Also in this respect there was no lack of tangible evidence, which I still have, and finally it is nothing extraordinary that one sees an unknown person in a waking dream or in a half-sleep and gets to know the same person later in life. Some of my experiences with “occult phenomena” were published in the monthly journal “The Theosophist” in Madras in 1884; but I prefer to appeal to the testimony of others in all that concerns the Adepts than to speak about them myself.

          One of the Masters appeared in New York to the President of the Theosophical Society, H.S. Olcott, although this Master was physically in Asia (Tibet) at the same time. The Adept’s apparition spoke to Olcott, took off his turban, and gave it to him as a souvenir, and Olcott still carries this turban with him on his travels and occasionally displays it at his lectures. But whether he can convince any unbeliever that there are Adepts, I do not want to say.

          Damodar K. Mavalankar, a young Indian who was staying at Adyar at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society when I was there, had the ability to leave his body and make visits in his astral body. One day he was allowed to visit the home of Master Kut Humi in this way and reports the following about it:

     “During my stay in Lahore, I received three visits from Master in His physical body. Each of these visits lasted about three hours; I was fully conscious, and once I went to meet him outside the house. He whom I saw bodily in Lahore was the same whom I had seen in his astral body in Adyar, and also the same whom I had visited in my astral body in my dreams and visions at his home thousands of miles away. During these astral visits, since my psychic powers were only slightly developed, I had only seen him in a somewhat nebulous form, although his features were quite clearly recognizable, but now in Lahore it was different. When I touched him in his astral form, my hand went through it; but now touched material clothes and living flesh. Here I saw before me a living human being with the features I knew, and whose portrait I had often seen in Madame Blavatsky’s possession. . . . In Jummu I was fortunate to be allowed to visit him and stayed there for a few days in the company of various Himalayan Mahatmas and their disciples. . .”

          Of course, these tales prove nothing to the skeptic. There is no experience, though it may be attested by thousands of witnesses who have had it, who cannot deny those who have not experienced it, and invent some fraudulent theory to explain it. We live in a world where a lot is wrong. Much that is believed to be fraud or delusion is misunderstood truth, and much that is commonly believed to be true is delusion or fraud.

          No one can know a truth with certainty until he has experienced it himself. We cannot even recognize our own inherent powers until we have gained the ability to use them. When I speak of Adepts and occult “phenomena,” it is for no other purpose than to indicate that there are things not generally known, but are well suited to call attention to a different and higher kind of natural law than those already known. One of the phenomena that particularly surprised me was the following:

          On February 20, 1884, Blavatsky left for Europe. I accompanied her to Bombay, and after the ship left I returned to the city from the harbor. Through her mediation I had received a certain Tibetan jewel with an inscription in Tibetan script, which I highly appreciated, and I resolved to carry it with me constantly. For this I needed a small chain. I visited a couple of jewelry stores, but I could not find a matching golden chain, and I could not use a silver one, since it would have been too easy to apply chlorinated silver to the seawater salinity. I went back to my quarters, which consisted of a big hall-like room, and as I walked up and down in it, it occurred to me that, in the absence of a necklace, a silk ribbon would be the best. At the same moment I saw something flutter in the air in front of me. The thing fell to my feet, and when I picked it up I found it was a pink silk band, brand new, of the right length, and the ends were already turned so that I had nothing more to do but attach the gem to it. This ribbon has been in my possession for years.

          It would be easy to fill volumes with tales of “occult phenomena” that occurred either in my presence or with others; but not only would such tales prove nothing, but they would end up inspiring the belief among a certain class of people that a “Mahatma” could do no better than make occult phenomena, practice mumbo-jumbo, bring back lost garters, broken coffee cups, and the like, which would be about as reasonable as believing that a Minister of State’s life’s work is to drink champagne, or that a music director’s purpose is to wave a baton in the air to stop it, and amaze audiences with gymnastic exercises. It’s just the way things are in the world that people, and especially the “clever ones,” who always only see the superficial. They consider the trivial to be the main thing, but they ignore the essential. Nothing more has made the “Theosophical Society” so ridiculous in the eyes of the public as the great clamor raised by the “Theosophists” because of their “occult phenomena,” and I cannot be angry with the conjurer Herrmann for using a puppet, which he called “Mahatma Kut Humi,” appeared on the stage in Philadelphia for a hundred nights at a time and performed tricks to the Theosophists’ mockery, e.g. had “fetched” a pocket watch. Of course, he wasn’t ridiculing the Adepts, but it was the mischief that was being done with their names. It is thanks to the foolish critics and also the malicious detractors of H. P. Blavatsky that a healthy disbelief took hold among those who had no understanding of these things and would otherwise easily have fallen into morbid mysticism and superstition through their craving for the miraculous. I also think I recognize in this the work of the Masters, who know well that doubt is a necessary means of achieving self-knowledge through one’s own reflection, and of curbing the wild leaps of an unbridled imagination. The great genius manifested in the person of Blavatsky cannot be touched by any foolish gossip, and though Blavatsky personally suffered from the attacks of ignorance, her enemies were in a way her involuntary collaborators, for they contributed their part to alert the world to the ancient teachings of truth, and more than this, neither Blavatsky nor any of their successors ever demanded it. Great is the folly of those who suspect the credibility of a teacher who claims no blind faith at all, but demands nothing more than that those who are interested in the teachings of the wise should examine them for themselves and come to their own perception. It’s the old story: the struggle of self-knowledge against scholarly arrogance and the mania of authority.

          It is not a question of believing in the existence of God because some man whose credibility, one thinks one can rely on, has said that there is a God, but that each one should strive for it in himself and in his own person to know God and to be a living and speaking witness to the existence of God (the truth). Likewise, it is not a question of fantasizing about external Masters in Tibet or anywhere else, or expecting special benefits from them, but the main thing is that everyone should pay attention that the Master’s wisdom becomes apparent within himself.

          This does not mean, as has been interpreted by some, that one should “accept the teaching and ignore the teachers.” The reverence which a student has for his teacher comes from knowledge of his teachings. Whoever proclaims a truth deserves the highest respect of all men; but a teacher’s respectability rests on his knowledge of the truth, and not the truth based on the teacher’s respectability.

          As long as Blavatsky was alive, she fought against the arrogance of authority and tried to help her students to rise above it and to Theosophy, i.e., to come to Self-knowledge. She neither demanded blind acceptance of her teachings nor the teachings of the masters, but presented them as problems for one’s own research and thinking; but it was only understood by a few, because most, but especially the scholars, know no other knowledge than what arises from hearsay and belief in authority, and for them the term “Self-knowledge” is a word without a concept, because they themselves have no ability to understand it.

          There has also been quite needless fuss over the “authenticity” of their occult phenomena, for there has never been any scientific proof of their authenticity, and no one has demanded blind faith in them. The purpose of these was to point out the possibility of the existence of as yet unknown forces and to stimulate one’s own research, and in the end they would have served this purpose even if they had been “a sham.”

          In fact, these phenomena fell into two classes: First, those giving advice or teaching to anyone who asked for them, of which the “occult letters” belong, and second, those commonly known as “physical manifestations” (bell-tinkling in the air, knocking sounds, movement of objects by invisible means, etc.). As to the former class, it should be thought safe to suppose that a reasonable man would judge the value or origin of a letter by its contents rather than by the manner in which he received it. But nothing could be “proved” by the other phenomena either, and anyone who knows the deep reverence, if not idolatry, which she [Blavatsky] showed her Masters will consider it unthinkable that she misused their names for any purpose. This would have been blasphemy and eternal damnation for them.

          Without the occult phenomena, Blavatsky’s mission would hardly have succeeded. It is difficult to introduce new ideas unless attention is stimulated by external means. It took eighty years before Schopenhauer’s philosophy found its way into Germany, and the works of the best mystics (Jakob Böhme, Eckhart, Paracelsus, Eckartshausen, Jane Lead, etc.) are still known to only a few today. If Blavatsky had written philosophical works as a simple writer and had never found a publisher for them, it would have taken a long time before her writings would have become known. The occult phenomena amazed the world. They were to “Theosophy” about what the peal of bells is to religion when it gathers the faithful to prayer. No one will be so foolish as to confuse the ringing of bells with religion, or to make his belief in religion conditional on being proved to him that the ringing of bells was produced in a supernatural way.

          Many of these phenomena arose from Blavatsky’s own psychic and physical power; others apparently originated in the presence of other beings invisible to us. The most marvelous phenomenon of the latter kind was undoubtedly her sudden recovery from a serious illness which the best medical authorities had declared impossible. This took place in two cases; the first time at Adyar, where I myself was present. Blavatsky was terminally ill, and Mrs. Cooper-Oakley and I took turns keeping watch at her bedside at night. A consultation with professors and doctors revealed that she could not live another twelve hours. The next morning after this death sentence, she was completely healthy. This was towards the end of March 1885; on April 1st she steamed off with me to Europe. She said that that night Master [Morya] appeared to her and gave her new life force.

          The same was repeated in Ostend in the presence of Countess Constance Wachtmeister and others. The Countess writes about it as follows:^[90]

 “H. P. Blavatsky was in a state of lethargy. For hours she seemed unconscious and nothing could bring her around. . . . The Belgian doctor explained that he had never heard of such a serious kidney disease that the patient had endured for so long and that nothing could be done to save it. All hope is in vain.”

          The Countess then describes the painful sensations she felt at the approaching loss of Blavatsky and how, overcome with weariness, she fell asleep in her room. She continues:

“When I opened my eyes, dawn had broken and I was afraid that Blavatsky would have died in the end when I should have been awake. Startled, I turned towards the bed, and there I saw Blavatsky, who was looking at me calmly with her clear gray eyes. She asked me to come closer. “What happened?” I asked her. “You look so different?” She replied, “Yes, Master was here. He gave me the choice of either dying and being free, or living longer and completing the “Secret Doctrine.” He told me how much I still had to suffer and what terrible things awaited me in England; but thinking of those to whom I may yet teach and of the Theosophical Society to which I have devoted my life’s blood, I accepted the sacrifice; and now, to make the matter short, bring me coffee and something to eat, and my tobacco-basket. . . .” When the doctor came, he was beside himself and cried out one after the other: “Mais, c’est inoui! Madame aurait du mourir!”^[91] . . .

          She was often served by invisible hands, which sometimes also became visible; but it is useless to dwell upon these matters, which are well known in the history of the occult sciences. The stories of the “”Seerin von Prevost,” the holy Crescentia von Kaufbeuren^[92] and hundreds of others tell of such things that are still commonplace today and are known to anyone who is interested.

          Anyone who does not know his own human nature with its hidden mysterious powers will remain a mystery to H. P. Blavatsky. Her phenomena could not and should do no more than testify that she had the ability to cause them. But we cannot judge them from her writings either; for far from wanting to present herself as a scholar or prophetess, or “priestess of Isis,” she rather claimed herself that she was only the amanuensis for everything she wrote, that the Masters taught her, showed it and communicated, and that she had nothing more to do than arrange and reproduce what was communicated.

          “You are very simple-minded,” she said to her niece Vera Jelihovsky, “when you think I actually know and understand everything I write. How often must I repeat to you and your mother that these things are dictated to me, and that I often have before my eyes manuscripts, numbers and words that I did not know before.”

          These manuscripts not only appeared to her in the astral light, but very often came in tangible form “in an inexplicable way,” not only in her room in Adyar, Würzburg, Ostend and London, but also during the voyage on the open sea. But who, as a master of this science, could have provided her with all the material from which her “Secret Doctrine” is composed and instructed her in these things? Her work needs no testimony other than its content to show that it is the work of a Master whose intelligent tool was Blavatsky. However, this is all she herself has claimed to be, and those who are unable to see behind the curtain and see the Master, will puzzle in vain as to from where H. P. Blavatsky took her science. I want to compare her to a meteor. Some see it lying in the field and pay no attention to it; others find in it strange qualities which they cannot explain, because they do not know whence it comes, nor can they believe that stones fall from heaven, since, as they say, there are no stones in heaven; but still others see it shining and flashing and falling, and recognize in it the tidings it brings them from those regions inaccessible to the wretched earthbound denizens of this planet.

          But this brings us back to the conclusion already mentioned, that H. P. Blavatsky was a “chela” or disciple of the Masters, and this sketch would not be complete if we did not touch on the relationship that exists between these Masters and their disciples. H. P. Blavatsky says the following about it:

“When an enlightened person claims to be accepted as a disciple of a Master, he must always bear in mind the covenant that has either tacitly or formally taken place between him and the Master, and never forget that such a covenant is sacred. There is a seven-year examination period. If during this time he remains faithful through all temptations to his chosen Master and to the society the Masters have called into being, but disregarding the many small human frailties and faults (except two which I will not publicly name), so he can be initiated in to it . . . . .^[93] and from now on communicate directly with his guru. His mistakes can be forgiven; they belong to his future karma. It is up to the Master to judge whether during this testing period the candidate, in spite of his errors and sins, should occasionally receive (external) signs or advice.

“The Master who knows well the causes and motives which have induced the candidate to commit and omit sins alone, is qualified to judge whether the prospective disciple should be encouraged; he alone has the right to decide, for he himself is subject to the inexorable law of karma, from which no one, from a Zulu Kaffir to the highest archangel, can escape.

“The first and inevitable condition, then, is that during the period of examination the candidate remain faithful and devoted to the Master he has chosen, and to his purposes. I say this not out of jealousy, but for the simple reason that the more often the magnetic bond between the two is broken, the more difficult it is to restore it. and the Masters cannot be expected to squander their energies in reconnecting with those whose future career and eventual apostasy they foresee. But how many of those who expect favors in advance and whose desires are not fulfilled blame the Masters instead of recognizing their own guilt. They break the connection ten times a year and always want it restored. . . .

“But to those who are dissatisfied, although no one has promised them anything, and society has never offered “masters” to award prizes for good behavior, but has assured everyone that everything depends on their own personal merits, I want to say to them, “Have you fulfilled your duties and promises? Have you, who accuse the Masters, the embodiments of Mercy, Forbearance, Justice and Love, of not having sufficiently favored yourselves, have you lived a holy life and fulfilled the conditions laid upon you?” Whoever can honestly say in his heart and conscience that he has never made a serious mistake, never doubted the Master’s wisdom, never in his impatience to attain occult powers has sought another Master or Masters, never fulfilled his duties as a Theosophist in thought or action, let him blame others other than himself. But hardly anyone will be able to do this. During the eleven years of the Theosophical Society’s existence, of the seventy-two “chelas” regularly accepted as candidates for examination, and among the hundreds of aspirants, I have found only three who have not yet lost the game, and only a single one that had complete success. No one is forced into discipleship, no promises are uttered, nothing binds but the covenant of heart between disciple and Master.

“Truly! Many are called, but few are chosen; for few have the patience to endure to the end, disliking simple perseverance and unity of purpose. How could one believe that one is a Theosophist after the Master’s own heart just because one might be a vegetarian? This is also a cow. Or is his Theosophy that he has remained a bachelor after a riotous youth, or that he is studying the “Bhagavad Gita” or “Yoga Philosophy,” bottom to top? It is not the robe that makes a monk, and long hair and a dreamy, languishing look which do not make a disciple of wisdom.

“Look around and see your so-called “universal fraternity.” Behold the “Theosophical Society,” which was founded for the purpose of correcting the blatant evils of Christianity, expelling bigotry and intolerance, hypocrisy and superstition, and spreading true love not only for all mankind but for all creatures. What has become of her in Europe and America? There is only one thing do we deserve to appear better than the Christian sects who kill one another to glorify brotherhood and fight one another like devils for the love of God, namely that we have gotten rid of all dogmatics and are now trying wisely and justly to abolish even the last shadow of an even nominal authority system.

“But in every other respect we are just like the rest. Everywhere gossip, slander, ill will, nagging, know-it-all, bossiness, war-crying and mutual accusations which a Christian hell itself might be proud of. And in the end the Masters are supposed to be to blamed for all this, because they don’t want to help those who show others the way to salvation and freedom by means of footsteps and scandals. Verily! We are a glorious example to the world and accomplished companions to the holy ascetics in the snowy mountains of the Himalayas.”

          But it is not the Himalayan saints, nor the constitution of the “Theosophical Society,” nor Theosophy, but rather the want of true wisdom that is at fault in these conditions, which are as bad in Europe today as they ever were in England or America, and the cause of which is the imperfection of human nature as it appears today, as the product of modern civilization. We live in an age of rationalism, which is a product of egoism and could not exist without it. But egoism is the enemy of unselfish love, which is the sole source of true knowledge.

          With this love the knowledge of the highest and general ideal has also been lost, and now everyone creates their own idol in their imagination and demands that all others bow to it. Not on the struggle for self-made idols, nor on the quarrels about the legality of this or that authority, nor on the belief in the existence of Tibetan adepts or in the authenticity of occult phenomena, nor on the acceptance of the theories presented in The Secret Doctrine, but on the knowledge of the unity and omnipresence of God in all creatures and phenomena rests the “Theosophy” and the harmony of society, which Blavatsky founded.

          But it would be far from the mark if we were to believe that Blavatsky appeared among us only to found a so-called “Theosophical Society” and that the salvation of the world depended on its success. The light spread by Blavatsky is not the property of any association; it belongs to all mankind. It has already spread widely, and will continue to spread even if the whole so-called “Theosophical Society” perishes. This society should be a lamp to this light. Whether they will continue to fulfill this purpose and whether a society of real theosophists will emerge from it, the future must teach us.

          What is important to know about H. P. Blavatsky and her Masters is not their personal qualities, but the ancient teachings of wisdom itself, which have been almost forgotten by the passage of time, and which have been brought back into the minds of mankind by them. The principal of these doctrines are the explanations of the constitution of the universe in general and of man in particular, the position which man occupies in the universe, his origin, the purpose of his existence, his relation to God, to nature and to himself; the doctrine of karma, or the law of divine justice, the doctrine of reincarnation of the spiritual elements of which his personality is composed, and of the powers which govern them during life and after death.

          These teachings are found in veiled form in all the religious systems of the world, and are the foundation upon which all such systems rest. H. P. Blavatsky has done nothing but lift a little of the veil which rests on these deeper mysteries of religion and science.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[14.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” Second part. II. Among the Rosicrucians. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 90 (March 1900), 145-170.^[94]

II. Among the Rosicrucians.

There will be few people in Europe who have an interest in mysticism and who have not heard of the old Rosicrucians, who made a lot of talk of themselves in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Much was written about them later, but even today few know what is meant by this term, and everyone judges this class of people according to the point of view from which they stand. Most see in the ancient Rosicrucians as just a secret sect of superstitious people who engaged in gold-making during the dark period of the Middle Ages, and this view has merit inasmuch as under the name “Rosicrucians” a multitude of quacks engaged in deception of people and the world at large. The more enlightened know that in addition to the multitude of false “Rosicrucians” there were real ones, and they regard the latter as a secret order whose members were engaged in religious and scientific matters. Historians say that this order, owing to the many impure elements which crept into it, long since dissolved, and that the last of its members emigrated to India. Experts say with certainty that Goethe, Stilling and Herder were the last Rosicrucians.

          In general, the world judges everything only by the external form. If the form breaks, or if it is spoiled, the spirit will no longer be recognized by the large crowd. In fact, however, the spirit is not attached to any particular form or name, and the genuine Rosicrucians still exist today; for the essence of a genuine Rosicrucian is not that he is a member of any external association bearing that name, but that he belongs to that class of men in whose hearts the divine light of Self-knowledge has dawned. A Rosicrucian is therefore nothing other than a real Christian in the true sense of the word.

          For this, one does not need to be learned or scientifically educated, neither rich nor respected; the life and writings of Jakob Böhme, who was an enlightened mystic and excellent Rosicrucian, but outwardly only a poor, illiterate shoemaker, bear witness to this. He was not a member of any outer club, and sported no external badges; the world could not discern from his exterior, the spirit within him, and yet that spirit was the father of our modern philosophy; Schopenhauer and other famous men drew their knowledge from him. The world only sees the shell and not the core; the vessel but not the contents. Even the vessel that she sees is not the actual vessel of the spirit, but only its outer covering or the shadow of it, which is why Jakob Böhme says of his personality:

“This is the shadow only of the vessel of honor,

The center of nature has trusted in God.

Whoever wants to find the right path in life with him,

Must give birth to the angel through the fear of fire.”

          In order to understand this we must remember that God is omnipresent and the essence of everything, and that without him and apart from him nothing has the essence, exists. But a Rosicrucian is someone who, by overcoming the animal-human, has come to the self-knowledge of the human-divine within him, the “angel” in man. In other words, this means that in such a person the rose of God-consciousness has awakened, and he recognizes himself as the materially and sensually crucified Son of God. Such a Son of God recognizes the Father not only in himself, but in all creatures, and in every human being an appearance in which God is more or less evident and recognizable, depending on the degree of development of the person concerned. To see God in man is only the ability to see deep enough inside people. The Persian poet Niaz expresses this in the following words:^[95]

1. The Lord in every thing, I beheld Him,

     Hidden and revealed; I looked at Him.

2. Both real and possible He seemed to me,

     Eternal, ephemeral; I looked at Him.

3. Now he submitted to his own ruler’s command,

Here as a slave, there as a master, I saw him.

4. At times quite a stranger he appeared to me,

Then again in friend form; I looked at him.

5. There he sat on the throne of the kingdom,

There as a beggar asking for alms; I looked at him.

6. Now a monk here and now a penitent there,

As the worst of the worst; I looked at him.

7. In a dancer’s or harper’s garb he came before me;

Then also beating the drum, I heard Him.

8. In courtier’s garb he hid himself here,

Often ruling gloriously; I looked at him.

9. Or like the love-drunk Niaz in countenance and look,

Broken to death with a sore heart; I looked at him.

          Since not everyone has developed the ability to see the divinity in mankind with a spiritual eye, the Rosicrucians can also be regarded as a secret order whose distinguishing marks consist in their inner qualities and are not visible to everyone. The temple in which they gather is the Holy Spirit, i.e., the spirit of knowledge of God in which all are agreed, and the degree which a member occupies depends on the degree of his love of the Supreme and his knowledge of truth. Such were the “Rosicrucians,” with whom this chapter is concerned, and I am not allowed to give any more detailed information about their names and whereabouts, since they live in modest seclusion, working spiritually in silence and in secret. and have no intention of appearing publicly. So I can only mention the following:

          I believe that it is not a particularly rare thing for a person to dream of seeing an unknown person and later in life becoming acquainted with the same person, and I know from experience that there are symbolic dreams which can portend the future to us. On New Year’s Eve of 1883–1884, at Adyar (India), while I was half asleep, I had a vision in which I saw a giant serpent coiled up by my bed, with a human head on its erect neck. This head had such a strong individuality that its facial features stuck in my memory. It was a head with a high forehead and strangely shining eyes that looked at me with a clear, penetrating gaze. His appearance testified to intelligence, and the serpent’s body, as the symbol of wisdom, seemed to indicate that reason and wisdom were combined in this being, and I had the impression that I would meet such a person sometime later, and he will play a significant role in my life.

          In the spring of 1885 I traveled to Naples [Italy] with H. P. Blavatsky, and soon afterwards became acquainted with a small family of Christian mystics, who formed a circle among themselves concerned with the furtherance of the inner life. Two persons presided over it as guide and teacher, and in one of them I thought I recognized with certainty the object of my vision described above, although the head appeared somewhat less idealized than I had seen it. This, and also the fact that before my departure from India I had been advised by higher authorities^[96] to study the Christian mystics, caused me to take a closer look at the matter. I was soon introduced into the small circle, and permitted to attend those gatherings where there was the greatest harmony, and the mouths of the teachers spoke words of wisdom. However, these were not mere theoretical classes for instruction, entertainment and pastime, but in its entirety was intended to be a practical school for yoga.

          It was not long before I saw that these people were well acquainted with the teachings of the ancient Rosicrucians, as well as with those of the Secret Doctrine of the Indians, the Bhagavad Gita, etc., at least their teachings agreed exactly with the latter; but the strangest thing of all was that these people had never read a book on such things, indeed, which is certainly a rare case in our age of public education, they had read nothing at all, for they could neither read nor write; Outwardly they were just ordinary people who earned their daily bread through hard mechanical work.

          In America I often had the opportunity to attend séances at which ingratiating speeches were made; but the mediums through which the “spirits” spoke, as a rule, understood nothing of what was spoken through them, and still less did they themselves follow the advice given by them. Here, it was quite different. The two “leaders,” one of whom I shall call J. and the other S., not only knew and understood exactly what they were saying, but lived according to the principles they articulated.

          S.’s family was not entirely strange to me; my parents had been in relationship with her twenty years earlier. Her mother was already known among the initiates as a woman who possessed special occult powers (siddhis), through which she healed the sick or possessed people and animals and did a lot of good. A number of remarkable stories could be told about her, similar to those described in the third volume of [Joseph ] Görres’s “Christian Mysticism,”^[97] the enumeration of which seems superfluous to me here. Also, in their youth, the two were married by a man named P. . . who was considered a Rosicrucian and alchemist, and about whose occult talents I have been told various anecdotes, which suggest that he, like many Indian fakirs, was able to transfer the images of his imagination directly to others and to transmit them to others to see things in this way that were not there at the outside.^[98]

          But none of this could explain the deep religious knowledge of these people, it could only have come from their own inner vision. Their knowledge could not be the result of logical deductions, for the necessary basis of theoretical instruction was lacking; but if it is true that every man is God within himself and omniscient, what need are there to penetrate more deeply into the mysteries of God than to approach him, i.e., to come to a deeper and higher knowledge of God within the heart? But the power by which man can attain a higher consciousness and deeper self-knowledge is called “spiritual faith” by the Christian mystics, by the Indians Schraddha [Śraddhā], i.e., called inner conviction. It is the power of conscience, and is not related to “intellectual faith,” i.e., not to be confused with the acceptance of theories.

          Indeed, the “practical occultism” of these Rosicrucians consisted of nothing but a method of promoting the growth of this higher consciousness. “The external, theoretical knowledge,” said S., “is not to be despised. It is a resource for the seeker after truth; but Theosophy proper, or Self-knowledge, consists not in being learned about theories of evolution, rings and rounds, divisions and systems, the states of the inhabitants of the middle region or heaven, and other things which any other man has come to know, or that one holds to be true what any one, be it man or spirit, has said or written about it, but in coming to one’s own inward perception and Self-knowledge of the mysteries of God in the universe. “Our school,” added J., “is not a repository for scholarly stuff, however necessary it may seem to life in this world. With us it is more about the growth of the inner power of seeing and the opening of the inner, spiritual senses; much more about spiritualization and ennoblement than about intellectual research; not about external phrases and quibbles, but about the inner enlightenment and the inner word. When the Word of God speaks in the heart, it is the language of truth, and those taught by wisdom itself need no other instruction. Whoever finds God within himself, all mysteries will be revealed through him.”

          “I could search for a long time,” I interjected, “until I found a god within me. I can look into myself as much as I want, I find nothing in me but myself.”

          “Blessed is he,” replied J., who has found himself in truth, for he has found God and left that delusion of selfhood which is the figment of one’s imagination. Whoever wants to know the true Self, which is God, must become a son of God; for no one can come to the Father but through the Son. If you want to find God, you don’t have to look for him in fantasy, but in spirit and in truth. In the prayer of Christians it says: “Our Father, who art in heaven.” If we are to come to the Father, the Creator of all the phenomena which men take for their “Self,” we must create within ourselves a heaven in which God can dwell and be manifested. This is practical Theosophy.”

          I asked S. to give me a brief description of the method he was following, and he dictated the following:

          “Man is a scale of spiritual development. It’s like pulling grass out of the ground. First learn to recognize that you are standing on your feet. Climb up this ladder, use the steps, and you will find that there are twelve which gather the body into one. Push from top to bottom, in the center, the heart. There you will find a germ that grows through the light of thought, and this growth extends to the senses, the spiritual ones, in you.

          “Learn to eat from the tree of knowledge, and enjoy the fruit from the tree of life. Look for both within yourself, and when you recognize them and know their place, you have arrived at the top step of the ladder. Then it says, now learn to recognize the power, and this power overcomes death, and when this death has lost its sting, the cube of life places itself in the heart. A sun forms, a light that illuminates your whole being. In it you will see past, present and future. In this way your life is opened up and the new heaven opened, in which the perfect one will move. Go up to the sea and learn to swim like a swan that cannot go under, and you will happily reach the shore of the spiritual world within you.”

          I must confess that this language sounded as strange and incomprehensible to me as it will sound to most of those reading this, but in Self-knowledge the theory is only clearly understandable when it is confirmed through experience; which is why it took me many years before the deep meaning of these words became at least partially clear to me through inner experience, and I recognized that the truth contained in them could not have been expressed more clearly and distinctly. Just as little as a dead man can comprehend life, just as little can the spiritual life in man be comprehended in any other way than by being awakened, and whoever wants to recognize spiritual powers must not look for them with his head, but must seek them with heart and captured by the soul. For this, however, it is necessary to possess the necessary soul power, the training of which often requires many years of practice. Only when man recognizes the power of God within himself as one which has been bestowed upon him and when he can inwardly discern right and wrong, eternal from transitory, and stands firmly on the side of the eternal, only then can he stand on his own two feet. Then he can begin to climb the ladder and “it is as if someone were pulling the grass out of the ground”; i.e., in his consciousness he gradually rises from the physical to the spiritual, from the spiritual to the divine.^[99]

          The learned world has long tried in vain to penetrate the mysteries of the Rosicrucians, and finally settled the matter with the usual catchphrases of “fraud” and “superstition”; but even if these mysteries were proclaimed from the roofs of houses, they would remain forever secret for all those who did not experience them themselves. Let us imagine a person without the ability to perceive and feel himself; a person who would not even know that he had a body. How could such a person know anything about his physical existence, or use the powers of that body? This is actually the case with the great majority of men. We all have, besides the outermost sheath, which is our visible body, other sheaths or bodies of which we are ignorant; we are still stuck in different shells, invisible to us, which we do not know, each of which has its own life, consciousness and special powers. How could we get a clear idea of ​​these other and higher states of existence than that we get into them, have experiences in them, and on the way of Self-knowledge come to know our own higher existence and the powers gained through it?^[100]

          The higher can certainly grasp the lower; but not the lower the higher, to which it can indeed look up, but not grasp it. The true practical instruction in spiritual things consists not in an acceptance of theories and philosophical speculations, but in a spiritual growth, whereby the lower absorbs the higher, is nourished by it, and in the end becomes the higher itself. Accordingly, the instruction in this Rosicrucian family did not consist in answering idle questions to satisfy the thirst for knowledge, nor in exciting the imagination with sweeping phrases, but in the partaking of heavenly sustenance, and the disciple himself, by the manner of answering the questions put to him, gave evidence of his advancement in Self-knowledge. School scholars and theorists also attended these assemblies for a time, but they did not know how to take hold of the heavenly manna, and they soon returned to the flesh pots of Egypt, i.e., back to the logical deductions, speculations and proofs created for the blind.

          A scientific knowledge of the nature of spiritual powers is only possible if one possesses these powers oneself. Of what use would all the learned theories of the nature of intelligence or thought be to a man if he himself were an idiot, had no intelligence, and no power of thought? Of what use are all philosophical speculations about the nature of the soul and immortality if we do not feel for ourselves that we ourselves have souls that carry the germ of immortality within them? Of what use can the most erudite discourses on the nature of the divine qualities avail us, if they are not revealed in ourselves as our own powers? For a person who knows love, justice, patience, etc. only from hearsay or from the encyclopedia, these principles exist only in his imagination. They only really exist for him when he feels them, and he cannot feel them until they have become tangible forces within himself. The more he then practices them, the more they will strengthen in him and embody themselves in him. Experience is better than theory. When someone asks: What is faith? What is Self-knowledge? What is God-Consciousness, Truth, Freedom, Light, Tranquility, Purity, Self-Control, Will, Spirit: what is Holiness, God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, etc., he obtains the best answer by that he awakens or causes these powers to awaken in himself, just as no one can form a true conception of any passion unless he has felt it. Whoever feels the divine powers within, is aware of owning them, and it will not be difficult for him to bear witness to their existence through word and deed.

          Thus, all true religious knowledge is conditioned by one’s own becoming, and fundamentally this also consists only in the knowledge of the Self; for since God is everything and nothing outside of him, he is also man, and man in his true innermost being is God and does not first have to become one. The closer man comes to realizing his true nature, the more he becomes aware of his divine existence, which encompasses all mental, spiritual and physical forces.

          The means for this are given in all major religious systems, but they are misunderstood by those who do not know the inner life and only seek it on the outside. The Bible says, “Love the Lord your God above all things, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” No other provision is required. Whoever loves the Most High with all his powers, the powers of the Most High will be revealed in him, for God himself is in him, which is why the Bible also teaches: “Do you not know that you are temples of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you.” But the spirit of God is the spirit of divine Self-knowledge, which springs from the selfless divine love of the highest. It is from this love, which dwells not in man’s fantasies but in his heart, that redeeming power is born that lifts us up and destroys all error. “The Eternal Feminine attracts us.”

          This knowledge of God is a most simple thing, and nothing other than the self-revelation of the eternal absolute truth within man; but precisely because the absolute is simple and self-evident and indivisible, it is least understood by those who separate themselves from the truth. The more knowledge accumulated in a man’s head, the emptier his heart is, as a rule. Since he himself has become a complicated being, he only sees the composite in everything, doubts everything, wants to dissect and dismember everything, and loses the ability to recognize unity, the essence from which the multiplicity of phenomena in the universe arises. He who studies one creature after another never comes to the end; but whoever recognizes the Creator, from whom everything emerges, also knows the essence of all creatures. He sees in every human being, in every animal, in every form, a thought of God which finds outward expression through the creature, and since he recognizes the spirit of God, he also reads this thought, the soul and the essence of things in theirs veils as in an open book. For this, however, purity of heart and freedom of spirit are an absolute necessity, because eternal truth is only reflected and revealed in a soul that is pure from selfishness, and only a free and clear spirit can comprehend this revelation of the spirit. This is the teaching of the Bible, which says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” and Gautama Buddha taught, “To purify the heart and desist from evil-doing, this is the religion of all enlightened ones.”^[101]

          When divine wisdom awakens in the purified heart of man, its servants, the divine powers, awaken with it, as described in the fairy tale of “Sleeping Beauty.” All the qualities which one calls love, justice, patience, knowledge, faith, confidence, etc. enter into his inner consciousness, become his essential qualities and powers, and make him virtuous, just, loving, kind, chaste, humble, etc. They grow in him through cultivation and practice, and whatever ignorance and passion still clings to him in his outward nature gradually disappears as these powers grow. Thus, through the power of God working within, the outward man is also transformed and healed in soul and body. Thus it is not man, but the light within him that dispels darkness, provided he does not prefer to remain in darkness.

          All this is also taught in the yoga philosophy of the Indians; but it takes the grace of God, Vijñāna vidyā, or what the Buddhist calls Ātmā Buddhi, Soul knowledge, to understand it. If, for example, the sage Patañjali says: “Yoga is the art of preventing fluctuations in the mind-substance (Chitta),” he does not mean that the mind (Kāma Manas) which is ignorant can control itself, but that this control is done by the Power of God within, with which the yogi unites in the higher part of the mind (Buddhi Manas, enlightened by Ātmā). The human being has nothing more to do than remain in inner peace of mind and reject all thoughts, feelings and impressions which come from the realm of darkness or passion and are a hindrance against the spread of the light.

          This is symbolized by the symbols of the Rosicrucians, the cross and the rose. Man himself is at heart Prometheus chained to this earthly life, man imprisoned in an earthly body, abused by his passions, crowned with thorns of error, condemned to death and nailed to the cross of material existence. There he shall remain hanging quietly until the test is completed; but he should cultivate the rose of the knowledge of God in his heart so that it blossoms in him. In its light he finds his refuge and the realization of his own true nature. So, he is to climb inwardly up the ladder of faith to transfiguration, and let no “spirits” or “authorities,” good or bad, sway him from the straight line towards God; for he who seeks external idols cannot find the true ideal within himself, which for him is realized nowhere else but within himself. This supreme ideal is divinity in humanity, in every human being their own higher divine Self of all human beings, freed from self-delusion, the guide, master and lord, Christ the Redeemer in us,^[102] who speaks to us in our hearts: “I will give my peace to everyone who is of good will, so that they may all be united in human dignity, and from this come to me, death underfoot, life in the heart, head to the light.”

          But to return to my “memoirs,” there is nothing more to be noted other than that I learned the theories from the Theosophists in India and the practice from the Rosicrucians in Germany, and that the latter circumstance persuaded me to remain in Europe. In India it was mainly a question of getting to know the various religious systems, comparing them with one another and thus discovering, in a roundabout way, the truth which underlies all these systems; among the Rosicrucians I was shown the way to grasp the Spirit of Truth directly. There, it was a theoretical knowledge of the philosophy of yoga, here it was yoga, union itself. Both are necessary; for without proper theory practice is difficult, and without practice even the best theory is of no real worth.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[15.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” Second part. The Teachings of the Rosicrucians. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 91 (April 1900), 217-245.^[103]

The Teachings of the Rosicrucians.

Truth is within ourselves; it arises

Not from outward appearances,

A center is in the innermost of beings,

Where in perfection truth reigns.

Rather, recognition is a way of opening up.

To free the hidden light,

Than to pave the way for a stream of light

Which, as we wrongly think, comes from outside.

                                                     Browning.

The religion of the Rosicrucians, as has already been explained above, does not consist in an external observation, nor in a mere acceptance of theories, dogmas and articles of faith, but arises from one’s own inner experiences in the spiritual life, which for everyone who wants happiness having to do the spiritual life entails opening up himself, which will be among the most memorable and joyful memories of his life. These experiences consist in a gradual growth of inner spiritual Self-knowledge from the inside out and also from the outside in, caused by the orderly ascent on the celestial ladder of spiritual evolution to ever higher states of existence, one of which encourages the other to deepen and expand the perception and surpass knowledge. At each of these stages man is, if he is in his innermost being the same, yet as it were different; for the more his Self-knowledge grows, the more he becomes aware of his Higher Nature, until finally in the light of his true Self-consciousness the concept of his limited ego, the product of his error, disappears, and he is his true Ego, which encompasses the whole world, recognized as the Lord of all creation. This is the basic religion and the theosophical basis of all religious systems; everything else is just the preparation or often just a religious pastime, superstition and enthusiasm.

          To bring this closer to intellectual understanding, let us take a look at the evolutionary doctrine of Vedanta philosophy, which agrees with the teaching of all Christian mystics. According to it, all creation proceeds from divinity. We cannot describe this original state other than absolute consciousness, which is unconscious for us as creatures. From this arises the life and consciousness of forms. All creatures are vessels, so to speak, in which the vital activity develops ever higher. The more perfect the organism of the form, the more the universal principle of life and consciousness can unfold at its center. In stones, chemicals, then in plants and animals, consciousness expresses itself in a way appropriate to their organisms, as gravitation, elective affinity, sensitivity, instinct, thinking power, etc. At the lowest level, man is still an animal insofar as he only remembers being conscious of his animal nature; but since everything came out of God, there is also a divine essence in everything, and the human body is constituted in such a way that this divine essence can unfold and become manifest in it. Human conception cannot comprehend the divine being because it is superior to all concepts; but in that being itself dwells the power to know itself, and as this light of Self-knowledge emanates from the divine spark in man’s heart, growing and spreading, it enlightens man’s mind and understanding, and awakens in him the consciousness of his higher nature. This soul light is a spiritual force and is called “faith” by the Rosicrucians.

          If it is asked why belief is called a “light,” the answer is that it is a state of consciousness; But consciousness is life and light; from the twilight of knowledge to the full day of supreme Self-awareness in which the sun of wisdom shines. Every thing in creation is a form of consciousness, a God-thought, a light sending out its rays from its center, every thing is a word in the language of nature, which by its existence and nature proclaims its nature and being, and the more glorious a thing is, the higher is its power, the greater its light, and the more sublime is the word proclaiming its existence and the nature of its origin. An old and true proverb says: “All true wisdom comes from God, is in God and leads back to God.” To believe in God means to feel the existence of the highest in the heart; faith is the consciousness of its omnipresence, which proves itself through its existence. The divine spark in the heart is the consciousness of supreme existence, a power which, as it grows, penetrates mind, soul and body, and by its perfection overwhelms and casts out all that is base or coarse.^[104]

          What a man loves most, and what his soul is most attached to, is his faith, even if he cannot understand it intellectually; what he does not love he cannot really believe, even if he understands it intellectually; for faith is the power of union, and where there is no love, no attraction, there is no union, and consequently no self-knowledge; for no one can know a power as his own unless it has become his own through its union with him. He who only loves something transitory believes in transitoriness, unites with it and is transformed again; for the state of consciousness into which he thereby falls does not last forever; but he who loves the highest ideal above all else has the highest faith, the highest power; he is on the way to union with the highest ideal, and the highest ideal is being realized in himself. Therefore, as the Bhagavad Gita teaches, the Deity speaks to man: “Whoever loves me above all else enters into me, and my greatness, my being, my strength and glory will be his.” However, in order not to misunderstand this, we must keep in mind that the deity who speaks this to man is not a foreign god, but the creator of everything, i.e., is the primal cause of all things and consequently also the source and reason of our own being and existence.

          Imagination is a fleeting thing; in a moment it hops to the farthest reaches of the universe, but always falls back to earth. The love for a thing which we have created in our imagination is not a love for the truth, but for a figment of the imagination, and changes with the creations of our imagination. The divine Self-consciousness (faith) that springs from the steadfast love of truth is immutable; once it has been attained, it can never be wholly lost; for it is the eternal in man himself which feels and recognizes the eternal. The awakening of this power does not depend, like the leaps of the imagination, on the volition of man, but just as the plant grows without stretching itself by taking in food, so in man through the inward absorption of the spirit of self-knowledge there is a slow and often imperceptible growth which takes place within, whereby the soul is carried up from the lower to the higher, from the higher to the highest, when it overcomes the resistance of the sensuous, just as the plant does not grow through neglect, but makes its growth possible by being with its roots, eagerly searches between the stones for that food that is suitable for them.

          Indian philosophy speaks of various states of consciousness or planes of existence through which the human mind must penetrate and through which the human soul must ascend in order to attain to the Self-knowledge of supreme existence (Brahma-vidya), and these are described and stated by Sankaracharya in his Tattwa Bodha or “Awareness of existence.” Accordingly, the Rosicrucians have come to know, from their own inward experience, twelve levels of faith or “soul consciousness.” These states are as follows:

1. The seed, i.e., the spark of spiritual life and knowledge of God which is contained in every human being. Since God is the sole true essence of all things, and everything that objectively presents itself to us is in itself nothing but an insubstantial appearance, so God is also in all things; but only in those creatures who have reached the level of humanity, have the ability of divine Self-knowledge to become a force capable of development; in the lower creatures it is still much asleep, i.e., it is only latent or “potential” in them, awaiting development in the course of future evolutionary periods.
2. Food. We know that if there were no sun and sunshine, there would be no fire and light on earth; because when wood or coal is burned, this means nothing other than that the heat stored and bound in it and the light are released again through combustion. Likewise, if there were no Spirit of God in the universe, it could not be manifest in man either. But the Spirit of God is everywhere; the order in the universe and the workings of his law in nature testify to his presence, and everywhere, like is nourished by like. A well-known proverb says: “As it is below, so it is above, and there is nothing so small in the world that when what is below stirs, what is above moves towards him. Thus when love of the Highest stirs in the heart of man, love of the Highest meets him; God sacrifices himself.
3. Knowledge. Knowledge arises from spiritual growth. The more man, through the power of love, unites himself in his consciousness with his indwelling divine nature, the more he recognizes it as his own divine being. There is no talk of any objective knowledge, either external or internal. In order to know something objectively, it must be an object, i.e., must be something separate from us. The more we look at God objectively and want to investigate it scientifically, the more we separate from him and fall prey to the self-delusion and self-conceit that hides our true nature. The wisdom of God is not human wisdom. It is not the earthly man who recognizes God, but the God-man who recognizes himself in Him.
4. Cleansing. There is no more purifying means than fire and light, both without and within. When love of truth kindles within, the light of knowledge springs forth from it, before whose rays the shadows of falsehood and error vanish. The fire is the will. When it is good and strong, purification takes place from the inside out; the false appearances of our being, formed from wrong desires and ideas, disappear and the true Self emerges. To make this clearer, let us imagine that God is the true I of the universe, and every human being is a personified God-thought, who through this personification attains an I-ness of his own. Accordingly, only God would then be personified in countless appearances. Each of these personalities has its own will and imagination, from which many different “spirits” arise, whose creator is the human being himself, even if he does not know it, and each of these states of consciousness growing in him represents, so to speak, a “phantom ego” in his world, which stands in a similar relationship to his ego as he is to God. These false egos, the representatives of his desires and passions, are removed by the power of the awakening of true Self-awareness. Without this Self-awareness, man is not just a single personality, but an ever-changing series of such, of which now one, now the other, come to the forefront. Through purification, man steps out of the multiplicity and returns to his own unity, i.e., back to himself. If we take a comparison from external nature, the clear sky represents the pure mind of man; the ever-changing clouds are the personalities. The man walking in spiritual darkness takes the cloud for his own ego; the man in whose mind the sun of wisdom has risen, whose light divides the clouds, recognizes in himself the clarity of heaven and his true self as the sun whose light fills his heaven with its glory.

          Occult philosophy teaches that the substance of the mind is extremely plastic and can take various forms. Every thought permeated by the will makes a form in it, the form of which corresponds to the character of the thought from which it springs. The sphere of the thoughts of man is populated by such crystallized ideas, they are the inhabitants of his world of thought. Noble thoughts take noble form, ignoble ugly forms. By the purifying influence of the Spirit of Truth, all ideas arising from self-delusion are cast out and destroyed.^[105]

          Since the mind (the soul) is intimately connected with the material body through the astral body, the power that purifies the mind also spreads to the physical body and can cause conditions in it that would take us too far out of the way to consider here.

10. Transfiguration. Once the impure has been removed, heavenly peace and clarity enter the mind, which is also reflected in the human being’s outer appearance. It takes place when man overcomes his self-delusion and no longer works for his personal benefit, but only for the good of the whole. At this level, man’s sense of humanity becomes powerful and alive; he recognizes himself as a whole and thereby enters into communion with the gods, because this transfiguration also extends to his spiritual powers of perception.
11. Mystical death. The result of this condition is the utter dying away of all selfish tendencies, desires, and passions. The man who has come to the self-knowledge of his higher Self is no longer under the dominion of his lower nature. He recognizes his position in the universe and sees that his personal appearance on earth is only his own shadow. He rose from the grave; his body walks on earth, he himself is an inhabitant of the heavenly world. For him there is no death.
12. Justice. He who has understood the spirit of the whole also understands the law, and that law is the love of good in all things, which makes no distinction, and favors no creature to the detriment of another, but does justice to all. In this state there is no more doubt as to what is right and what is wrong. Here there is complete impartiality of justice and judgment, which annot be bent or falsified, but judges all things rightly, and weighs all things in the balance of equity; also opposed to all oppression, cruelty and all deceit.
13. Consecration or initiation, in other words sanctification. Not only has man overcome his sinful nature, but it, filled with the power of good, resists sin. This power overcomes all opposing powers and forms a protective wall around the soul, so to speak, through which nothing evil can penetrate.
14. Rebirth, i.e., Transition from the perishable to the imperishable. The heavenly man is revealed in the earthly man; the spirit penetrates and enlivens the inner being and transforms the lower, corruptible soul forces into incorruptible, higher ones. Man born again in spirit is related to his mortal personality as the rose is to the bush on which it grew, or as the fruit of a tree is to the tree; both are one in substance, and yet entirely different in their properties. Man born again in the spirit of God is the flower which the tree of his life bore, and also the ripe fruit which contains the seed for future generations (reincarnations).^[106]
15. This seed is the Word of God in man, or the divine spark of eternal love, without which man would be but an intellectual animal, incapable of truly spiritual progress. There is the spirit of God in man, and apart from this there is really no other spirit in man; for what the intellectual man calls his own spirit is nothing other than a mental activity stimulated by the Spirit of God and often wrongly applied, comparable to a drop of dew that sparkles and flashes in many colors in the sunlight.
16. Harmony or union. In this state of perfection, which is not temporary but permanent, man recognizes his own divine Self as the Creator in all creatures; not only in all men, be they good or bad, but also in all animals, gods, angels and demons; all in everything, for everything proceeds from this Self. For him, this Self-knowledge is no longer the result of logical speculation, but rather Self-realization and puts an end to all disagreements, disharmony and divisions that hinder inner calm and peace.
17. God, i.e., Perfection. The last shadow of originality disappears. Man who has become one with God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent in the spirit of God. It is the highest state of self-knowledge and bliss, called Sat-chit-ananda [Sat-cit-ānanda] (existence-knowledge-bliss) in Indian [Sanskrit].

          It will now be clear that the Rosicrucians were not so much concerned with intellectual research and knowing much as with divine Self-knowledge and the power of true faith which leads to this knowledge of God; for in comparison with the knowledge of the true Self of all beings, which is the Lord of heaven and earth, all human knowledge has only a most insignificant and secondary value, and is completely worthless without this higher knowledge, which is why then also a motto of the ancients Rosicrucian was: “I seek nothing, want nothing, and desire to know nothing, possess, or know, in heaven or on earth, as Christ crucified in me.” But they were by no means modest, as one might think; for he who comes to know within himself the Lord of himself, the God-man, which can only come about by becoming one with him, knows and possesses everything in him; he has found his Self as his master, the Master who teaches him everything, the light which illuminates everything. This inner enlightenment and Self-knowledge is incomparably higher than all external and theoretical knowledge. “If you want to know what divine love is, go into the innermost sanctuary of your heart where this love dwells, and when you find it you will know better what its nature is than if you were to study the whole scholarly world set in motion to answer this question.” All teachings of wisdom have only the purpose of leading us to that ultimate goal, true Self-knowledge, and are worthless if they do not fulfill this purpose. Of what use is it to us (to quote Thomas von Kempis) if we can talk learnedly about the nature of the Holy Trinity if we ourselves are not in possession of this Trinity, where the eternal Father is one with the immortal Son in the spirit of the Realization of his divine Self? Not mere knowledge or idle belief, but deeds is the way.

          All of this is taught not only in the Bible but also in the Bhagavad Gita, and is also found when one reads and understands these scriptures in the light of Self-knowledge. But the writings of the wise are like a deep and clear lake. The short-sighted sees only the ripples on the surface caused by his own restlessness; the deeper calm observer sees the fish within, but the brave swimmer dives to the bottom, and with the help of the light from above, discovers glorious pearls and precious treasures of wisdom.

          Christ says: “I am the head and you are the members. None can come to the Father but through the Son.” It is a matter of finding Christ as our own head or thought-light, but not the head of another person, and to become sons of the light, of the Father who dwells in secret. The Bhagavad Gita teaches us an ascension from the consciousness of the physical body (Sthūla Śarīra) to the consciousness of the soul body (Sūkṣma Śarīra), from this to that of the incorruptible spirit body (Kāraṇa Śarīra) and through this to the Logos, through which alone Brahma can be known, and the power that enables us to ascend is truth and its light, called “faith.” If there were no spark of this divine light in man, then no divine life could develop in him either; then man would be nothing more than a mindless product of a mindless nature.

          The whole attention of the Rosicrucians is therefore directed to the cultivation of the inner Word of God, as also H. P. Blavatsky teaches in her “Voice of Silence,” and about which Jakob Böhme says: “If you could just keep still for a moment from your own will and thinking, God would will and think in you, and you would hear his word in your heart.” This state, which does not consist of paralysis of the will and thoughtlessness, is elevated above all one’s own volition and thinking, is called Samādhi (superconsciousness or also divine consciousness) by the Indians. Perhaps “Godfulness” would be the best term.

          Goethe has his “Faust” say to Gretchen about this:

“Fill his heart with it, no matter how big it is,

And if you’re completely blissful in the feeling

Then call it what you want

Call it luck! Heart! Love! God!”

          Many a person has felt such bliss for brief moments in his life, which did not spring from the imagination but from the heart; but soon other desires and thoughts intruded. For the master of love, however, such enthusiasm is no empty flash in the pan; the true Rosicrucian knows how to preserve this fire so that it neither cools nor flares up too much and then goes out. The soul is the feeling, from this the thought arises and this becomes manifest as the word. Every thing in nature is a word in the language of nature, and by its appearance bears witness to its essence. If the truth is felt in the soul, then knowledge springs from it and it becomes evident through the inner and outer deeds. The inner deed is the inner revelation of truth, which is incomparably better than all theoretical knowledge.

          But God is also manifest everywhere at the external; it is only a matter of knowing His revelation. Everything we see in nature is truth; only in order to recognize it we must learn to distinguish appearances from truth and essence. In all things God speaks to us, we need to understand His language purely. In the depths of our hearts, God tells us that He is the eternal source, the eternal rest, throughout the universe we recognize Him as the One Life which animates everything; in every power He gives us testimony that He is the eternal primal power from which all powers spring; in the realm of the material it stands there as the One Fundamental Principle of all material phenomena^[107]; We recognize the greatness of God in the infinity of space, the limits of which are unthinkable; we know his righteousness in his law, and his might in his revelation in all nature. We find God as an indivisible unity in his omnipresence, in his word as the eternal truth, in his purity as the light within and without, in ourselves as the lord of heaven and earth, in his goodness as the source of all good, in his love as absolute love itself, descending to all without distinction of person; in faith as the power which draws us up to him; in hope as the ultimate goal of all existence, in patience as the peace that fills the soul. Thus, the absolute and unrelated Deity is revealed as God, and presents himself to us as God in the most varied qualities, according to the point of view from which we regard him; in relation to creation as the Creator of all things, creating everything from himself and fashioning it through his spirit, in relation to ourselves as the Redeemer, in relation to time as eternity, in relation to form as space, regarding knowledge as wisdom, etc., and yet God, as the One Being of all things, is nothing but our own true Selves. In this respect he is the only one, apart from whom nothing exists, the Α and Ω, the beginning, the middle and the end of everything; he is incomprehensible and unapproachable, and yet everyone can find him if he does not part with him; he is infinitely far away and yet eternally near. Anyone who seriously seeks him will find his greatness in self-consciousness, his peace in his love, his light in self-knowledge, his goodness in his revelation, his kingdom in his mercy, his strength in will, etc. All of these are not theories or opinions, which any one need accept trusting in the credibility of a teacher, but teachings of wisdom arising from one’s own Self-knowledge, which are open to everyone, and consequently can be found and confirmed by everyone themselves. If you want to see for yourself what it looks like high up on the mountain top, you have to climb to the top yourself and not stay in the dark valley; Whoever wants to reach the mountain of faith, where the light of self-knowledge lives, must ascend to the light in the power of spiritual faith; for down in the valley darkness reigns and only the fire of passion burns. Moses (the Wisdom) saw God in the “burning bush,” which was composed of error and passion. When this “thornbush” burns up, then stupidity (tamas) and passion (rajas) perish, and the true recognizes itself in its own essence.

          Somewhere in the Bible it is said that Jesus (the light of the Soul) could not do anything in a place where he was teaching because the people there did not want to know the truth but only wanted to hear interesting news, and he sadly went away. Such places are everywhere in people’s hearts and minds. All Theosophy consists in nothing other than the knowledge of the divine Self indwelling us all; everything else is secondary and at most a means to an end, but often also misleading; for all swarming outwardly is swarming; but whoever recognizes the essence of all things in himself, all mysteries will become clear to him in this knowledge.

          The realm of knowledge without personal experience is the realm of probabilities, but not of truth. The only purpose of probabilities is to guide us along the path on which we can search for the truth ourselves. Even if I found logical proofs of the immortality of the human soul in ten thousand books, these could only explain the possibility of it, but could not awaken in me the consciousness of immortal existence. The stuff of which a stone or a tree is made is also immortal; because nothing is lost from the universe; but he knows nothing about it. An existence of which I am not conscious and of which I feel nothing or perceive is no existence for me, and an immortality without consciousness is a life without being alive, a word without meaning.

          Nor does self-knowledge of truth come from outward manifestations of spirits, gods, or ghosts. Even if an angel descended from heaven and told me the most amazing things, I should not know if there was truth based on his tales until I recognized it in myself. Blind belief in theories and delusions of authority are just as hindering as the ignorance which doubts everything. I am only certain of what I myself am and what I recognize myself to be; true religion consists, as Goethe says, “in the respect a man has for himself,” and true Theosophy in the knowledge of our true divine Self. This is the secret or “occult” knowledge which does not spring from the brain but from the depths of the heart and which encompasses not only our personality but heaven and earth.

          But how could a person attain this Self-knowledge other than through inner peace of mind, sublimity of the soul and ennoblement of the way of thinking? How could he come to the consciousness of the higher part of himself than by loving that higher and letting go of the lower? How could the Spirit of God establish itself in him and become his strength, except by constantly remaining in this spirit, feeling, perceiving, thinking and working in him? Only there, where all voices are silent, where selfish desires, selfish lusts, prejudices, greed, and envy no longer reign, where no personal likes or dislikes bind his soul to this or that thing, then the soul becomes free and one with the Spirit of truth, she hears the voice of silence. Then the liberated self realizes its own true nature and that it is not the make-believe of its personality. Then the man who has risen to that higher existence sees that the life of his mortal appearance is only like a dream life. What do people who have been born again in the spirit care about the desires that stir in their bodies, the conditions in which they live, the weaknesses that cling to them, the ignorance which oppresses them? He is aware that he is not this body; he is no longer bound to this personal existence. He looks at this illusory self like a doctor looks at his patient, a master looks at his pupil, or like a builder looks at his house. The damage to his house is no longer his own; the doctor is not the patient, the builder is not the house; he himself has become the master of his selfhood, not in imagination, but in will and in the knowledge of Himself.

          The seed from which this knowledge, power and freedom grows is the love of the Highest. It is hidden deep within the soul and is therefore “occult.”^[108] It is not a product of the imagination, and human science can know nothing of it so long as it deals only with external things. It is the “secret fire” of the Rosicrucians, the divine spark of the mystics, the “pearl of great price” whose heavenly brilliance comes to us as intuition and as conscience which speaks to us, and the task of every Christian is to cherish that divine spark in the heart, so that through the warmth of love for the Highest it may become a flame, the light of which enlightens the mind and understanding, so that in this light the truth is revealed in its glory. This alone is true “occultism,” true religion, and practical Theosophy.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[16.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” Second part. Among the Rosicrucians. The Christian and Indian forms of mysticism. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 92 (May 1900), 289-329.^[109]

Among the Rosicrucians.

The Christian and Indian forms of mysticism.

“True religion consists in man having awe for himself.” Goethe.

True mysticism is that knowledge which emerges from inner knowledge of the inner essence of things; Mysticism, on the other hand, has two causes, springing either from stupidity (tamas) or from passion (rajas); the first kind of it is based on superstition, the other on the craving for acquiring occult powers and the pursuing of forbidden fruits. True mysticism is based on the mental ability and power to discern the essence of things from the forms in which they are revealed. Mysticism is secret or “occult” only to those who have not yet acquired or cultivated this discernment, and the lack thereof cannot be made up for by any outward explanation. What is clear to man is only what becomes clear to him within himself. So, for example, in a painting, the canvas, the paint on it, and the frame the exterior; the essential and “secret” meaning of painting. It is open to everyone and nothing is hidden from it, but whoever has no sense of it cannot understand the meaning of a work of art, a poem or a musical composition. Life, sight and feeling are needed to see and understand external things; spiritual life, inner feeling and cognition to grasp the spiritual; and he who would truly know the spirit which is hidden in the scriptures and symbols must have that spirit within him, for only like can comprehend like. No creature can have self-knowledge of anything which is not of its own Self, of its own essence.

          If we look at humanity in general at its present stage of development, we find it composed of unbelievers and the superstitious. Unbelief and superstition form the shell; the truth is the core in the middle. The same is the case with the individual human being, he vacillates between unbelief and superstition until he has found the core, the true, his own ego, his Soul. The unbeliever takes as superstition whatever he cannot pluck up with his hands or trample under his feet; the superstitious think everyone an unbeliever who does not share in his fantasies and worships his fantasies. In the great children’s school of mankind everyone rides his own hobby horse and wants the others to ride it too, or at least to admire his horsemanship; only the few stand on their own two feet who have outgrown the bondage and find themselves with the truth.

          There is but one absolute and eternal truth, and consequently only one wisdom, which is the self-knowledge of the eternal truth revealed within man himself. Thus, the teachings which emerge from this inner enlightenment and revelation are everywhere the same, regardless of whether they flowed from a European or an Asiatic pen. The truth in the scriptures is always inspired by God because God is truth itself and is the same in all people. The truth is always the same whether it is revealed in a Christian, Buddhist, Brahmin or any other man; but as water, when poured into vessels of various shapes, presents itself in different shapes and colors outwardly, so also the doctrines of wisdom differ in their forms of representation in the different religious systems and their allegories, according to the character of the nations concerned; Fundamentally, however, their essence is the same in all. For those who know the essence of it, it makes no difference whether one speaks of “Jesus” or of “Iswar” [Īśvara], for in both cases this name designates the “Son of God,” the Lord in us and above us, “who looks down from above,” the true divine Self of every human being, whose light illuminates souls.

          If you want to gain knowledge from words, you have to understand the meaning of the words. Scholarly fools have argued whether man had a soul; they dismembered human bodies and found the soul neither in the pineal gland, nor in the big toe, nor anywhere else, and concluded that belief in the soul was a superstition. The superstitious, on the other hand, speak a great deal about their souls, wanting to have them redeemed and saved; but do not know them and regard them as an unknown alien thing. But the soul of a human being is nothing other than his own true nature, his individuality and his inner spiritual individual Self-consciousness, in contrast to his personality, whose transitory self-esteem and apparent Self-consciousness are only the result of external sensations and sensory perceptions. There can hardly be anything more foolish than a person who seeks his individual Self-consciousness somewhere outside himself and not within himself. But barely can he find it in his outer sense-consciousness, since this is only a reflection of the unmanifested true light within the soul. The great majority of people live only in the external sensory life and in the imagination, they know nothing of an inner Self-consciousness of the soul.

          The teachings of mysticism and religion deal with the soul and the life of the soul; How could they be understood by those in whom this soul consciousness, this consciousness of their true individual existence has not yet been awakened, the spiritually dead or sleeping, who do not yet know what they are, who do not know their origin or their end, who are constantly more external, who need stimuli in order to feel that they are alive, and whose whole knowledge of higher things rests only in probabilities and hearsay? Self-knowledge of the higher existence is not possible without one’s own higher development, which cannot be achieved through idle intellectual brooding, but only through complete devotion. Thereby, the realm of the soul is surrounded with an impenetrable wall for the soulless, and thus it is ensured that the mysteries of God do not fall into the hands of the unbelieving, who would abuse them, but help only those who have the true faith in the spirit of truth by receiving that spirit, because faith itself is an effect of the spirit of Self-knowledge in man’s soul.

          It is therefore not the purpose of mystical writings to serve to satisfy the scientific curiosity of those in whom the life of the soul is still paralyzed; but the contemplation of the truths contained in such writings can serve to loosen this paralysis and to bring the inner life to the consciousness of the outer man. Here, heart and mind should work together, so that the spirit of God in man can unite with the spirit of the outer man.

          This union is called Yoga in Sanskrit, and various ways of finding it are given in the Vedas and Upanishads. They consist in the strengthening of the spiritual will, in the inward purification of the heart, in the exercise of the spiritual mind, in the self-control of the mind and body, and in the inner word; but all these works are of no value until they proceed from love of the Highest. Anything which springs from man’s obstinacy and self-conceit is useless to his higher divine life; but where ever divine love works in the heart, there it brings about all these spiritual works.

          Love and knowledge are the elements of wisdom; when these two become one, the Son, Wisdom, is born from her. The Rājah Yoga of the Indian sages consists in this union, and they describe as in the following stages:

1. Yama. Purification through study, surrender, devotion, or contemplation (meditation); the inner prayer of the heart, which is nothing other than an inclination of the heart to God and an inner exercise of love. This first step, without which all the other steps are useless, is the hardest thing for inquisitive theorists to decide on.
2. Nyama. Self-control of sensations and thoughts. Mastery of the mind is also gained and mastery over the functions of the body. Thought cannot control itself; this only happens through the higher power of the spirit when it has reached man’s self-awareness. A person who knew and mastered his soul powers, and through them the powers of his body, could thereby produce the most astonishing effects, and this is the wonder of white and black magic.

          III. Āsana. Posture. The yoga philosophy specifies 84 different positions, which are not very suitable for Europeans, and which are recommended for the inner development of the soul life during the “exercises.” More important than any bodily position is that the soul be firm in faith, i.e., aware of the truth.

1. Prāṇāyāma. The subtle breathing. Mortal man breathes atmospheric air; the soul of the spirit-man, spirit. The life of the body is conditioned by breathing the air; the life of the soul through the breath of the spirit. The more the mind focuses on something, for example, if you look at something with rapt attention, the outer breathing will be all the calmer, and on the other hand, calm breathing can also promote the inner concentration of thought. Upon this rests the much misunderstood “science of the breath,” as detailed in the scriptures on hatha yoga.^[110]
2. Pratyāhāra. Inner contemplation, seclusion, that is, a withdrawal of the soul from all external sense perceptions. The body becomes numb and the spirit lives in its own sphere. This is not to be confused with so-called “hypnotism.” While in hypnotic experiments the mind is as it were driven out or its activity is paralyzed and impotent, in this case the mind controls the activity of the brain and senses through its inherent power. Man then no longer thinks what “occurs” to him, but what he wants. If you try to hold on to a certain thought for even a minute, you will soon be able to see the difficulty of this undertaking.
3. Dhāraṇā. Concentration. Since only the higher can control the lower, control of thinking is also only possible when man attains that level of spiritual self-awareness which stands above the thinking activity and controls the thinking machine. It is a state of inner calm, which is not caused by not thinking, but by being superior to thinking. The forces of nature are at work in ordinary man and he is subject to their laws; in him nature feels and thinks. The spirit-man who controls his nature is superior to it; in him is God, his true Self, the lord of his feelings and thoughts, and he can therefore put himself where he wants in his thinking and consciousness.

          VII. Dhyāna. Inner vision. Superconsciousness. A state of inner peace and bliss, an opening of the inner senses, through which man is enabled to recognize the inner mysteries of creation with the spiritual eye. Here, all thinking ceases, because it is no longer necessary. A stone does not think because it cannot think; God doesn’t think because he no longer needs to think. The purpose of thinking is to replace the lack of direct knowledge with logical conclusions. Where direct vision enters, all self-made imagination stops.

          VIII. Samādhi. Complete self-control of all mental and spiritual powers. Here, the last remnant of self-delusion or egoism disappears, and man not only feels, but experiences and recognizes his unity with the Whole and the state of all-love, omnipresence and omniscience; his identity with the Deity.

          These are, in brief, the basic features of Indian mysticism or yoga philosophy. In other words “the way to Christ,” as taught by the Indian sages, and in another form taught by the Christian mystics and Rosicrucians, Jacob Boehme, Thomas von Kempis, etc. All these teachings agree with one another in all that is essential in them; all are designed to show us the way to attain the supreme goal of human existence, which no one can attain unless he loves it, and which no one can love unless he recognizes it in his heart. God is the supreme of all and consequently also supreme love itself, the supreme self-awareness, the supreme knowledge, and there is no nearer way to come to his knowledge and to become aware of his presence than the love of the supreme. Christianity is the religion of love and the Christian church in its true essence is nothing more than a yoga school in which this love (Bhakti-Yoga) is to be practiced in order to attain knowledge. Whoever has this love does not need further arguments, because by approaching his divine Self and finally uniting with him, his mysteries will become clear to him on its own accord; but if this love is lacking, then the intellect can help to find this love, and then the study of Indian mysticism proves to be an excellent means to stear people, who are still wandering in the dark, understand what is for them, in the light of born-again people, is a self-evident truth. Through the teachings of the Indian sages the mysteries of Christianity are brought nearer to the human mind, and the errors which have arisen through superficial and wrong interpretations of the Bible are corrected and overcome.

          These teachings are also found in the Christian religion; but they are hidden under symbols and allegories, the meaning of which is unknown to the great majority of Christians. The teachings of the Indian sages give us the key to understanding them; but the key alone does not open the door unless we use it; theoretical knowledge alone has no real value, but it serves to lead us to experience, which only occurs when the door of the temple opens in our interior and the full truth appears in its clarity.

          The entire path of mysticism consists in overcoming imaginary self-deception, whereby the human being comes to the knowledge of the true Being within him. The deity in him is eternal, the individual character is permanent, the personality with its sensory life, its personal feeling, willing and thinking is a temporary phenomenon. The divine love in our heart is the seed from which springs the tree of eternal life and the knowledge of truth, our consciousness of personality is the shell in which our errors and passions are hidden and which must open when the God-man in man is born and resurrection then comes. What the Buddhist calls entering Nirvana is nothing other than the entry of full Self-knowledge, whereby the delusion of one’s ownness is destroyed forever. Christian mysticism designates this as the same as mystical death, which is the entrance to eternal life. The perishable false self must vanish from our consciousness if the incorruptible true Self is to be revealed within us. The core does not grow within the shell until it becomes a tree, but the shell dissolves and a tree develops from the core. Darkness cannot be increased and improved until it becomes light, but when out of darkness comes light, darkness disappears. The self-created “I,” with all its good and evil qualities, veils the divine spark in the soul as with a hard shell, through which its light cannot shine, nor can it absorb light from the Sun of Wisdom. Therefore, this shell which self-delusion has produced, must decay in order that the soul may become free and shine and soar on the wings of spirit.

          Religion is man’s relationship to his Divine Self. Religious doctrine is supposed to explain this relationship, but that is exactly what is wrong with everyday life. A religion without reason becomes baseless fanaticism; a mind without religious sensibility leads to the abyss of hell. A true Christian, Brahmin, Buddhist, or whatever one may call a born-again spirit, capable of discerning within himself the divine and eternal from the human and ephemeral, needs no discussion; he loves God because he recognizes him within himself and in everything. For him the writings of the mystics are understandable, and what appears to the uninitiated as nonsense because it has no meaning for him is for him who has the powers, which it is a matter of, feels in oneself a thing that is clearly in front of one’s eyes. He finds no difficulty in loving and surrendering to Jesus, the light of his soul, for he recognizes the God-man as his own true Self. But the multitude of unbelievers and superstitious people cannot love Jesus because they do not really know themselves. Some do not want to know anything about higher existence; for them the highest is their personality; others look for Jesus in the story of the past or above the clouds; they create an external God in their own imagination,^[111] and in imagining that they love him, they love something foreign and external, which prevents them from realizing true self-consciousness.

          A motto of the Rosicrucians was:

“Ex Deo nascimur, in Iesu morimur; reviviscimus in Spiritu sancto.”

We are born of God, we die in Jesus; we revive in the Holy Spirit.”

          This means: “We are born of God, in the light of truth, the delusion of our individuality dies, and in the holy spirit of true Self-knowledge we come to life again.”^[112]

          Another motto was:

“In Nobis Jesus Regnat.”^[113]

“Jesus reigns in us.”^[114]

          In us, Jesus is Lord. What they meant by this was that the personal man is composed of a multitude of false “illusory egos” which are constantly changing and constantly altering his external character. The master in man who rules over these sham egos is the ego which has come to true Self-knowledge, which only those who have found themselves, in truth, know.

          The teachings of the mystics are written neither for narrow-minded unbelievers who are immersed in their own conceit, nor for superstitious fantastic enthusiasts who always live outside themselves, and whoever has come to true Self-knowledge needs no further instruction about this. But there are many people who yearn for this knowledge of God and are only prevented from attaining it by mistakes and prejudices which they have learned and acquired. For these, explanations are needed to remove the obstacles that stand in the way of Self-knowledge of the truth and prevent the light from arising within.

          In the allegories, symbols, and monuments of Christendom, the truth of all places is present before us; it is only a question of recognizing them and not taking the frame of the picture for the picture itself or the symbol for the essence. The purpose of these symbols is that we learn to grasp the meaning of them through our own feeling and thinking; for only the knowledge which springs from our own inner being is really our property, everything else consists of opinions, hunches and delusions. In order to come to this Self-knowledge, it is necessary to grasp the entirety as a whole; a discussion has value only insofar as it provides a handle for those who, without this key, would otherwise be unable to understand the whole. They are more of an impediment to the inquisitive researcher, who is satisfied with hearing what is said to him and thereby hinders his own thinking. Theoretical knowledge is not an end in itself; it has value only insofar as it is a means of arriving at practical experience within oneself.

          The key to understanding all religious truths is knowledge of the composition of human nature, and man’s relation to his higher divine Self and his lower animal self. The Indian doctrine identifies the seven principles pertaining to the essence of man and describes the immortal part of his soul as an indivisible trinity of Ātma-Buddhi-Manas (spirit, understanding and love) sprung from the Absolute, while the lower mortal part consists of Kāma Manas, Kāma, Prāṇa and Rūpa, i.e., consists of mental activity, sensuality, vital activity and material being.

          If we go to the nearest Christian churchyard, we are confronted everywhere with a symbolic representation of this Indian doctrine. The below figure of a monument represents man in which the divine part is combined with the earthly part. The lower square signifies the personality or “tomb” in which the heavenly man is buried during life on earth; the upper triangle signifies the soul resurrected and liberated from this grave. The base, which connects the triangle or pyramid to the square or cube, signifies the connection of the immortal soul with the consciousness of personality; it is the bridge from the sensuous existence to the supersensible, the light of truth which shines through the mediation of the higher part into the darkness of material existence. In other words, religious knowledge, conscience and intuition. The earthly man is, so to speak, the shadow that the heavenly man has cast into earthly life, and this shadow imagines in its own conceit that it is an independent being existing in itself. But if the four-ness is completely permeated by the three-ness (true self-awareness), then three and four become seven, the number of immortality.

        

         The purpose of such figures and monuments is to lead us to a practical realization, reminding us of the immortality of our true selves and urging us to strive for that reunion with them; for knowing what such a figure signifies is of no use to me if I do not follow what it tells me, and prefer to remain in my grave rather than strive after the resurrection in the light of Self-knowledge. We are all buried in such graves, and nothing but Self-awareness of our condition can extricate us from it. As long as we do not know this state of humiliation and the freedom which awaits us, we are fine in our prison. But once the light of the higher existence shines through the coffin lid and we begin to breathe the heavenly air of spirit, then we also behold the worms and abominations which surround us in our grave, and we realize that this is not the right place for our dwelling place, but that only through our error and ignorance have we brought ourselves into this earthly life in which stupidity and folly reign, and from which the stench of injustice rises to heaven.

          Let’s hear what an enlightened soul says about it:

     “When the inner impulse for reunion with God is stifled by the corrupt amusements of nature, we find that our will and our love follow these charms of nature. If something created attracts us very strongly, we only feel a weak impulse towards God and experience that when our love moves away from the divine source, it follows the corruption of nature and the will supports this love of the lower attraction. In this way the will rebels against God, and love becomes excessive in evil lusts. But if the soul’s attraction to God gains the upper hand and, by the grace of God, tears itself out of the darkness of error and lies, then love inclines towards God, and through this predisposition it grows in effective activity. Then the soul begins to be enlightened by the general light, the light of the truth of Jesus Christ, which light came into the world to enlighten all people. In the beginning and for a long time afterwards it is a dull and gloomy day due to the shadows of the night, which lasts until one has allowed oneself to be carried away by this train for a long time; but then Jesus Christ arises in our soul as the sun rises on our globe. As the sunlight increases, the darkness of the night necessarily divides, and thus Jesus Christ enlightens us.”^[115]

          It goes without saying that such mystical teachings are incomprehensible to the unbelievers and superstitious, and therefore such writings are taken by many to merely be pious fantasies and fantasies, while they are quite the opposite of all fantasies and deal with living facts. The spiritual life in man with its currents is just as real and essential for those who know it as material life is for the ordinary everyday man; but for those who do not know, it is no more than a dream. The common man does not understand that his personal consciousness is only a reflection of his inner being, and that this is a reflection of the God-man. He imagines that in his personality he is the lord of the world, and yet he is nothing but a plaything in the hands of nature. He imagines that he has free will and does not see that his willing is conditioned and guided by all sorts of external circumstances. The conceited pious is no better off than the unbelieving fool; for the will and action of both arise from the illusion of their [lower] selfhood. From this delusion of the imagined “I” arise self-morality, self-sufficiency, self-knowledge, dogmatism, self-aggrandizement and selfishness in its many forms, all of which must be overcome and decomposed by soul power so that the true Self, the Lord and Redeemer in the people, can be resurrected and revealed.

          The devil is God reversed; the imaginary ego is a caricature of the real Ego, and consequently also religion, which springs from self-conceit, an illusion composed of vanity, fear, and greed, from which spring hypocrisy, intolerance, cruelty, and crime. No man can have true religion unless he has a sense of the mystical, for religion is mortal man’s relation to his higher immortal Self, and that relation is not outwardly visible, but mystical, i.e., mysterious; it cannot be demonstrated and proven tangibly, but must be felt and recognized inwardly, which can only happen within each human being.

          It is not an analytical investigation by the mind, but devotion; not about correcting a theory, but about inner experience; not about logical conclusions, but about the revelation of the truth within. Sophistication is blind and therefore dependent on evidence, wisdom sees and knows itself; the truth is always self-evident to anyone who recognizes it. Sophistication comes from external observations, opinions, and inferences; the self-knowledge of truth in man’s heart has no source other than truth. That is why all scriptures are inspired by God, not by an alien God, but by Him who dwells in the heart of all. Sophistication is limited to this and that phenomenon; the wisdom of God embraces in itself the whole universe and the inmost essence of things.

          “Come to Jesus!” cries the Christian parrot, not knowing what he is saying if he does not know Jesus. “I seek refuge in Buddha!” says the Buddhist, and it is often difficult to explain how he does this. “Recognize yourself!” the philosopher preaches, and anyone who is not already on the way to this Self-knowledge does not know what it is all about. “Tatwam asi!” [Tattvam asi] says the Indian; “That you are,” and if he doesn’t know the ‘you,” he doesn’t know the “I” either. All these teachings are mystical and incomprehensible to the non-mystic. They all have the same meaning, and mean to say: “Learn to realize that in your inmost being you are one with Deity; fix the highest ideal in your consciousness and never let it go.” But this is not the religion of slaves which prevails in churches and schools, but the religion of the free, who recognizes God in himself and in everything. He who seeks God not within himself, but only in external forms, consumes his own vitality outside of himself; he lives outside of himself, in the realm of fantasy, and cannot attain true self-confidence. Anyone who does not know God and imagines himself to be a god is an egoist and cannot find him because the hard shell with which he surrounds his heart does not allow the divine light to penetrate. The mysticism of all peoples teaches that God is the essence and center of everything; whoever does not find it in his own center cannot find his essence in external things either.

          In all external religious systems there are a multitude of precepts, rules and instructions about what to do and what not to do. Who can remember them all, and what good is it for a man to live by the pattern if he cannot overcome the greatest error from which all other errors spring: The delusion of his ownness and separateness from God? How could he attain true God Consciousness if he clung to self-conceit, which is the greatest obstacle on the way to realizing the true self? For those who cannot distinguish between the real and the ephemeral “I,” these teachings constitute an insoluble contradiction; but the born mystic sees that the knowledge of God is to be found neither through searching externally nor through sense of superiority, which also belongs to the external human being, but only within the soul. This deepening into the true interior is at the same time an elevation; it is as if the sun’s rays were concentrated in one focus, and from this focus the light then spreads out. Learning regulations and rules by heart often serves more for external distraction than for internal concentration; they are signposts for the blind, but those who know the way do not need them. Whoever is on the path of truth, its light shines for him and he does not need a lantern. Whoever finds the true higher Self, the Lord, within himself, will be guided by him, and whoever allows himself to be guided by this master will not go astray, because he will only carry out what happens within him through the master. He lives in the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God is his inner life.

          This is the Christian doctrine, and in order to give us a clear idea of its meaning, let us consider a symbol from the Indian doctrine. According to this, in the unity of the great whole, four states of existence or consciousness are distinguished, of which the lower one is always the reflection, the mirror image, or as it were “the son” of the higher one standing next to it. Indian philosophy describes these four states as:

1. 1. 1. Parabrahm or the Absolute, the “Superdivinity” of the Christian mystics.
      2. Brahma. God as the primal force or creator of all; the Logos of the Christians.

          III. The inner self-consciousness. The soul or human-divine individuality. The “Heavenly Man.”

1. 1. 1. The consciousness of the personality. The earthly mortal man. His external material appearance is irrelevant here, since it is only the house in which man lives.

          If we compare the Absolute as with a spiritual sun, invisible to us, and the Logos as a ray of light from the sun, which falls on a clear mirror, then a luminous image of the sun will be reflected there, which we call the son of this sun. If we assume that a ray of light emanates from this mirror image and falls on a metal plate, it produces a reflection there which, in our comparison, represents the higher individual consciousness, “the soul.” If finally a reflection falls from this on a dark surface, then we can think of the consciousness of the personality under it, whereby it is still to be considered that on this “dark surface” besides the light coming from the inside, there are also all sorts of things from the outer world of senses as coming lights, so that the reflection coming from the soul easily disappears in this flickering and play of colors, as it happens all too often in everyday life when sensory impressions and fantasies suppress the awareness of true human dignity.

          “No one can come to the Father but through the Son.” We must emerge from the tangle formed around us by sensuality and error, desire, passion and prejudice, beyond false personality and into soul consciousness, i.e., to become aware of our true individuality and human dignity. Only then can the light of truth be revealed in us, whereby we become one with Christ, the God-man, and through him recognize the Father.

          This goal is still so far away that the thought of it only seems like a dream; but this is only when we regard it as something remote, forgetting that within ourselves dwells the light and sun of wisdom. We are not gods, but we are God, and we can become gods when we become aware of our divine existence and the divine powers within us. The essence of all things is God; our true innermost being is God and need not first become it; it is nothing more than freeing ourselves from the delusion of the material and sensual, and recognizing ourselves for what we were and are and will be from eternity; but of course we cannot become conscious of the divinity of our existence until we have even known our humanity to its full extent; we cannot hop from the bottom rung of the ladder to the top, but must first climb the intermediate rungs. That is why the writings of the mystics are only written for those who have truly become human through the knowledge of true human dignity; for everyone else the external religious and moral teachings are there to make them human.

          Even without the aid of the teachings of the Indian sages, this scale of development or unwinding of the spiritual from the material presents itself as a revelation of a higher life made possible by the progressive improvement of the forms. The highest three stages are as follows:

          VII. The Realm of Wisdom, i.e., the realm of power. ♃

1. 1. 1. The realm of vision or knowledge. ☿

1. 1. 1. The realm of love. ♀

          These three levels of consciousness belong to the divine life.

1. 1. 1. The realm of thought life. ☾

          Representatives: The everyday people at their present stage of development.

          III. The realm of instincts and passions.

          Representatives: The animals.

1. 1. 1. The realm of vegetative life. ☉

          Representatives: The plant world.

1. 1. 1. The Realm of Latent Life. ♄

          Representatives: The mineral kingdom, the earth.

          The ancient mystics referred to these seven states of consciousness by the name of the “seven planets,” whose signs we have attached above. In each of them, as Paracelsus says, the other six are hidden. Even in apparently dead matter, God is the essence and everything else is just appearance. His spirit (consciousness) expresses itself in stone as gravitation, in plants as irritability and growth, in animals as instinct, in man as a sense of personality and the qualities arising from it, in an enlightened man as true individual Self-awareness, direct vision, and finally at the highest level as true Self-knowledge, i.e., that absolute knowledge of truth in which there is no longer any separation between object and subject, but the knower and the known are one in the power of knowledge. If a stone, a plant, an animal possessed the necessary organization, then the divinity of God could also be revealed in them. But man has received an organism suitable for this from the workshop of nature, and should acknowledge this gratefully, even if externally he lives under circumstances that are by no means desirable. It only takes one thing to make the world perfect, and that is for people to realize what they really are.

          The material attains its consciousness through the spirit, the spirit gains strength and power through the material. All power is material in nature, and without matter it would be nothing. Matter is nothing but condensed force. God is unity and undivided. What we call “force” and “matter” are not two different gods or entities, but only two different modes of manifestation of unity or states of being. Thus the whole universe represents an innumerable series of forms and forces or states of consciousness, in which the higher dominates the lower, and the lower, through the influence of the higher, is ennobled and can ascend. The plant feeds on the earth, the animal on the plant world, the earthly man fights the struggle for his existence with the weapons which his animal and intellectual powers give him, the intellect develops through the absorption of ideas and is ennobled by the intuition; the soul, ennobled by the influence of the light of truth, attains the power of vision, expands, and finally ascends to the sun of wisdom. This is the “heavenly ladder” of spiritual evolution known to every mystic.

          Man is therefore basically nothing other than a state of existence of the omnipresent God, and he must work his way up this ladder until he reaches the self-knowledge of his true existence. At each level he attains a different kind of consciousness, receives different impressions, has different perceptions and experiences, the memorable memories of which accompany him to the highest level, while that which does not belong to the higher, in his ascent to it, lags behind and for the time being disappears from him. The path to self-knowledge is the path to eternity and involves many “incarnations” or “embodiments,” i.e., re-manifestations of the soul in successive forms; it is the school of the soul and its individual development through a series of personal forms of existence, the school of mysticism, in which birth and death alternate and do not stop until man recognizes himself as the creator of his states of existence.

          The truth in Christian and Indian mysticism is one and the same, though the words in which it is taught are different. It has nothing to do with the patchwork of the external sciences, but relates to the knowledge of the whole, from which knowledge of the individual phenomena arises of its own accord. Man’s soul is the whole, and he must comprehend himself as one with the whole if he is to truly know the whole. Whoever has come to this consciousness through the power of divine love within him, recognizes God in himself and the divine powers as his own; he feels God within himself as love transcending greed, his personality as the emanation of his own will; he recognizes God’s power as the word which creates in him, his work as the revelation of himself, his power as justice, his breath as the life in everything, his perfection in his truth and the order of all things in nature in his law. He recognizes God as the unshakable rest at the bottom of the soul, the “philosopher’s stone,” and the “rock” upon which the church of the God-man (i.e., the knowledge of truth) is founded, and he finds eternal salvation in the realization of the divine existence in itself.

          Certainly this mystical self-knowledge is not a thing to be acquired for amusement or the gratification of scientific curiosity, for it requires that renunciation of selfhood which springs not from one’s own will or fancy, but from the creative power within the mind of God, whereby the new man is born in spirit and in truth, and attains a higher consciousness, a higher spiritual life.

          The human spirit, a reflection of the divine spirit, searches in the multiplicity of appearances and does not recognize the unity, the essence. The Holy Spirit of God in man strives for nothing other than the revelation of Himself. Whoever finds himself in this spirit of truth has found God, truth and everything; for in that One is all contained; God and the realm of spirits, heaven and earth and all of nature. That is why the Rosicrucians said: “He who knows many things and does not know one thing knows nothing. Whoever recognizes the One knows the essence of everything.” Every human being has the germ of this knowledge within himself. The more it grows up, the more the soul rises, the further the circle of self-conscious thinking and perception expands. He reaches that height where his own personality and everything earthly appears to him only like a shadow play, until he finally reaches that state of Self-knowledge which the Indians call nirvāna, which on the one hand means a human being entering into Christ, and on the other hand can be described as an ascension of the deity in man. Then the drop is not swallowed up by the sea and has become nothing, but the limitation is destroyed, the drop is no longer a drop, but it has become one with the sea of ​​all love and omnipotence, and in it the knowledge has dawned that it is itself this sea, is this blossoming of the knowledge of God in the heart of man, whose light softens and penetrates the hard shell which ignorance has drawn around his soul, is represented by the Rosicrucians under the symbol of a rose. The spiritual forces that promote their growth are spiritual faith, divine love, unselfish hope and true patience.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[17.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” Second part. Excerpts from the Letters of a Rosicrucian. Vorbemerkung.

Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 93 (June 1900), 361-389.^[116]

Excerpts from the Letters of a Rosicrucian.

Preliminary remark.

The teachings contained in these letters from a Master arose from the inward revelation of the truth. However, as with all genuine mystical writings, so it is with these, the fact must be considered that precisely because they deal with higher and mysterious things, the depth of their content is not usually immediately clear to everyone on first reading, but rather serves a purpose when repeated by the study of the same comments to awaken in the soul those forces which are necessary for practical application and thus also for a clear understanding of the theory.

The Whole.

          All numbers flow out of the one, but the unit does not change as a result. Above the changing stream of thought reigns the spirit, the light, the unchanging self-awareness of the thinker, calm as the sun over the surging sea. The thought radiates from this one light, which is like a bright fire from which all warmth comes. This warmth becomes love, penetrates the body and radiates back from the body as love. Without this ray of thought, which springs from the eternal light, there is no revelation and no knowledge. Where man stops, there the knowledge of the truth begins. The spirit manifests its presence through its omniscience. Man’s knowledge is but a reflection of the wisdom of God in him. Wisdom is the self-contemplation of God in the universe, i.e., in the mirror of all nature.

          Space is the unit in which everything moves. The spirit moves in space. Space is dark without the light, and man’s mind is dark without the light of knowledge. When man creates space for the light within himself, it will shine within him. Search for the center. There God breathes. There the spirit breathes on the soul; there speaks the word of truth. There is the inner nature, the light and the spiritual life. From there the light and life penetrate all limbs and fills the whole human body. There is essentially God as the light, Christ as the Word and Jesus as life in man’s shell.

          Spiritual life is divine love. Anyone who knows the commandment of love, believes in the omnipotence of the creator and hopes for the promise of the grace of light is in the spiritual life and feels the dignity of it within himself. The feeling is the beginning of the awakening of the ego. The reason why people’s inner feelings can still deceive is that they no longer recognize where the inner voice comes from. When feeling has grown into knowledge, then the eye will be light, the hands will be strong, the feet will be strong, and the light will radiate outward as revealed truth. Look at yourself and you will see a world which lacks light. Let the light rise within you, strip off everything that is useless, and you will see that human dignity is the highest, and the human being who in truth knows himself is higher than all other creatures, is master over himself, about nature and the elements.

          All secret powers are contained in man himself; he lacks nothing more when he has found himself, for he himself is the whole. It stands as one in the whole, yet is one with the whole, for the whole is not divided. Man should not divide himself either, but lighten up, search his body, search his soul, find the light in himself, because light is life and life is the whole and the whole is spirit. Where there is spirit, there is God, and where God is, there is truth, and truth is a mirror in which everything can be seen.

          “Do not look for me on the outside,” speaks the truth. “Search me inside! I am the power within you that can uplift you.” The people who live on the outside do not want to realize that they are going astray. Everyone just wants to enjoy the fruit that grew in someone else’s garden, but they don’t want to create anything themselves. Don’t reach for the empty appearance, only the truth is your light, in it you try to shape yourself.

God and man.

          God is the apex and supreme, the depth of all depths, the ground, the foundation, the power and the essence. He descended from his height and became a word in man’s inner being. Nature, the universe, with everything in it, is embraced by the only God, his spirit animates and moves everything, both large and small. It is the thought that rules everything. God’s life is eternal life, and this life of God is our life when it awakens in us. Do not dream, O man, of death, but recognize yourself in your unity with the universe, as one with God, and your life a life without beginning and end, the life of eternity. Look at creation and marvel at the goodness of omnipotence! God is life in everything, and a self-confident life is the goal of all beings. Remember that you are free, limitless in creation of space and in God, for no limits enclose the universe.

          When you turn to God, the deity speaks to you everywhere. When the word resounds from the depths of your heart, the word becomes connected with word and man himself becomes a word. When the Lord speaks within us through all our senses, there is new life in us. Love is the means to work, because if man does not love the Creator, he will not hear his voice or understand his language.

          God is spirit and is everywhere. The primordial light is a power emanating from it, but not an emptying, but only communication of secret light sparks (monads). If the human being searches for the light, he will find it, because a spark of the original light has been allocated to all human beings and lies locked between heaven and earth. The “Earth” is the basic substance of material life, the sky the indwelling power, spirit, soul and form of being. The spark of light within must be stimulated so that it ignites into a fire and reveals the truth. Truth can only be found in the light. Unless the light is cleared of mist and the clouds that cover it do not pass away, it cannot be revealed. The knowledge of truth separates day from night, light from darkness, error from truth. This is the work of the Son of God in man. It is Heavenly Father’s love at work within us that uplifts, enlarges, and redeems us.

          Immeasurably large and unfathomably deep are the thoughts of God. His thought rules the immeasurable universe. People have many kinds of thoughts, but they are different from the thoughts of God, even if they have their first origin in God, because everything is in God as the original thought from eternity and everything is enlivened by him. Draw the thought of God to you, and there will be light in you; it offers no refuge within you for the thoughts of darkness. The original thought in God is eternity. God does not first need to look for a thought, for he is thought itself, in which true wisdom is hidden; he is the thought of the wise, the creative thought, through which the will becomes the word. The will of God is the law. Blessed is the man who accomplishes this will by law.

          Do not seek, O man, to drag down the Eternal to you in the dust and dismember it, but knock at the gate of eternity, and with childlike trust turn your eyes to yourself. The sublime in you is immortal, and when heaven is opened to the spiritual eye all the joys of the spirit are found in it. Do not hesitate! Every second is precious time.

The Truth.

          Do not only seek the truth in external things, in gods and masters and in nature, but also seek it within yourself. Search within yourself the Trinity that dwells in secret and you will see, feel, hear, smell, taste and realize that there is only one God, and besides Him no other rules. You must find the truth within yourself, in the powers of the spirit that stir and move within you. There is a new existence, a new heaven and a new world. There, the true spiritual sun shines on the horizon of human feeling. There, the light forms of the created spirits, there they perform their services in the innermost being and announce themselves as ambassadors and emissaries of God. In this inner being it is never night, because the eternal sun shines there. There, the Lord has his throne, and before him people bow who have knowledge.

          O how the very night is in you! Turn back from the way of perdition and walk the way of the law, for outside of the law there is no salvation; but whoever walks in the law shall be called a son of light. The time will come when people will see that divine justice rewards everyone according to his works, and that everyone will reap the fruit whose seed he sows. Search for the light so that you can partake of it, for only those who have reached the light themselves can truly bear witness to the light. This light is not the light of the scholars of the world, with which they deceive themselves and other people and which does not exist; for when their houses become rotten and their bones grow old, they no longer know what their teaching consisted of. It is also not the light of the priests who received their teaching from worldly wisdom and only spread darkness instead of light. Few are among them who hear the voice of truth, but there are many who darken the light of truth.

          If you want to find the light, you have to rise to the light. The eagle shall soar into the air, and the serpent shall crawl into the earth. Man shall rise again in power. Knowledge of God in man is light, love, life. Every thing has its strength not outside of itself, but in itself. The core is only one thing, but many forces are hidden in it. Seek within your own inner being the harmony between God and nature. When man has found himself in his great ego, he has the light and is triune and recognizes his immortality.

          The man and the woman are mentally able to give birth. First by thought, second by word, and third by deed. When the thought has become light in the human body, the word has become alive and the deed has become truth, then the path to immortal existence has been traversed and man stands at the entrance to the realm of spirits. The fertilizing spirit descends from above, man grows upwards from below, strength penetrates up from the roots. The human body^[117] is a perishable shell unless it has put on immortality. In order to accomplish this, the spirit must achieve victory over the flesh, and this can only be done through thought, for in it lies light and vitality. Man must live to die and die to live. Take refuge in love and practice patience. Faith gives you power and strength, and hope brings victory.

The Light.

          It’s a point that everything revolves around. Keep all your senses focused on him. Keep your eyes open and don’t close your ears. Let the heart feel and absorb spirit through all your organs. When the whole body is filled with light, it is the Creator who is transfigured in it. Then the spiritual sun rises to never set again in eternity. He, who knows everything, wants to make man a fellow knower of the divine mysteries, but man should not seek to fathom God in his own individuality; he should only research in order to find in himself the forces that are necessary for life. He is not created to mourn his life, but to win himself, to explore himself deep down, to know himself and to be master of himself.

          Everything in nature strives for light and knowledge, only man deviates from the path. If it weren’t for the mixture, the goal would soon be reached. Whoever is born again through water and the Spirit is born to life and has been given the power to become a child of God. The new birth is the new inner man. When the new person sees, feels and hears himself, then this stage has been reached. Everything in nature wears the dress of its own character; but man must put on the new garment, the garment of the Nazarene. How small and insignificant is man on the outside, but how great is he within! Its size reaches skyward, and everything that it achieves for itself is its own property. The new heaven is open to his spiritual eye, words of peace to his spiritual ear, and a heavenly breath to his veins, refreshing to his heart. Newborn man sees God glorified in all nature. The birds in the air, the flowers in the field, the fish in the water bear witness to him. You, O man, glorify your God in you; you alone are able to approach him and gain heaven by conquering yourself. If you want to believe in God, you must also believe in yourself and realize that you come from God and that God is in you as one light and one life and as the eternal Word. If you want to speak to God, keep your heart clean and your mouth clean. Those who are impure may still be impure, but those who are clean should become even more clean. Useless talk is a waste of strength; it invalidates the thought of God and prayer goes unanswered.

          Man is a spiritual structure. The foundation upon which this structure rests is truth; from it man must arise. The truth frees man from spiritual captivity and leads him to where there is no longer a dividing wall between God and man, between soul and spirit, between father, son and spirit. Man’s inner spiritual eye opens up when he becomes spiritual. It is he himself who rises from the night of death to the heavenly light of life. Only he alone among all creatures is able, through God’s grace and the teaching of the Spirit, to take the highest step on which the spirit of prophecy reveals itself within.

          Narrow is the gate, Jesus tells you, and only the little ones can pass through. Narrow is the path that leads to life. It is a way of suffering; blessed is he who endures to the end. Then the day breaks and the shadows disappear in themselves, and there will be no more night; for the Lord is the light within us, illuminating the land of our homeland, the heavenly paradise hidden in man, and into which he enters who overcomes himself and conquers the world. Jesus himself is the way, the truth and the life; through him you can come to the father, for he is one with him. Become one with Jesus, who will dwell in you in power, might and glory. In unity there is purity, in virtue there is obedience, in innocence there is love and in faith there is the power to be just.

Belief.

          Faith is the power of the spirit. It is a high mountain and the foundation of true Christianity on which the individual should stand. There are few who seek him and few who know him, for faith involves works of love; faith without works is dead. Faith is the power of truth. It involves knowledge of the unity of God, redemption through Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. The higher you rise in faith, the greater your power of spiritual perception. You will grasp the truth with all your senses, and faith will grow in you into a power that works from the inside out, and through which one can heal the sick and call the dying back to life by breaking the bonds of body, soul and spirit reconnects. Faith is already powerful in the ordinary natural man, but in the spirit man who has been born again in the spirit it is the omnipotent power of the Godhead himself. Only when man has overcome himself and is born again does he begin to work in the power of faith, to serve by faith and to walk by faith. The truth is living faith, and this power is in man who has received the Holy Spirit; for only in this spirit alone, through it and with it, is faith effective and its outflowing power becomes a living breath, a living word and a living deed. Believe and you will be amazed at what God will accomplish through you.

          Believe as much as you can, but not in what is of the world, for it is disappearing. Believe in the worlds in the creation space and in the universe, and find yourselves in the universe as one living your destiny. The man who truly knows himself embraces the universe, because everything is contained in him and nothing is missing. Take care of yourself and see how you treat yourself, because you are guided by an eternal power that emanates from the highest. The inner, the innermost and the outer should come into harmony, then faith becomes power, and this works everything in harmony with the law of eternity.

          Practice yourselves and become strong in faith; because only practiced faith becomes living power in you. Power reaches farther than faith, and faith farther than (spiritual) knowledge. The power of faith is mightier than sin; therefore the sick are healed by faith. The power of faith is the spiritual will, the urge to do good, i.e., the urge to do the Father’s will.

          You have the seed within you from which faith grows. It is given to you by God. In faith the corn ripens in the field and man in his members. As you grow in spirit, so will faith grow in you. There are few who rise to the highest faith, for the summit of this mountain is difficult to attain. But the higher one rises, the more faith, in accordance with the law, becomes a convincing certainty and certainty in all that one accomplishes. Then the word is followed by the deed, and this is the spiritual faith, which no longer stands in the way of an obstacle, because this faith is the power of God. It is God who thinks, speaks and acts through spirit man. If you truly knew yourself, you would know God. As much as you can believe in spirit, God will give you as much.^[118] There are many treasures in man, wonderful in strength and form.

The Secret Power of Faith.

          The power of faith is the power of the spirit. If you can believe, you are great. Happy is the man who can rise to faith.

          What should we believe in? Believe in your Ego and place this ego on the highest peak. When you recognize the power of faith, the spirit in you, nothing will be impossible for you, because the spiritual spark will begin to blaze like a flame, big and powerful. In you lies the hidden power, which is not only powerful over nature, i.e., the elements but also power over death. When this power awakens in you, it will become bright in you and faith will show itself as the light of life in you. When you have found the I within you, which is the power, then you are no longer “you,” but the spirit within you is the I that speaks and acts. Faith comes from perfection. All of the forces that man combines in his being form one force, the force of faith, hope and love. Faith is a power that can express itself in all members, in all senses and outwardly through spiritual words and spiritual deeds.

          Believe in the Father almighty, in Jesus, the eternal wisdom, and in the Spirit of sanctification and of the power of knowledge; it is the power of faith within you. Father, Son, and Spirit are one, united in one eternal being in spirit man; for God is without beginning and without end. Man should believe in his Ego as a unified being, which I call “God’s nature in man.” Do not trust yourselves, but believe in the Lord, who has set up his throne in you and who rules through your human form.

          Let the mustard seed grow and do not damage the root within you. It is deep within you and from it the power rises and fertilizes the tree of life. It is the confidence which God has placed in you, the belief in immortality and the knowledge of God within you. When man has risen above his nature, he is spirit. If you want to test your strength, practice your faith through deeds. The more you practice, the greater the power becomes. Try to tame and subdue your passions through the power of faith. Faith is a lifeline, not only for good people, but also for bad people when they turn around on their way. Everything in nature has its end; but everything must germinate and grow. The whole is contained in the germ. With the feeling that grows in you, faith also grows. With every perception within you, your confidence grows, and with every good deed you do to your neighbor, your strength grows. The sign of the Christian is that he believes in Jesus’ death and resurrection in man. Close your heart and wake up in faith! The day is near. You will hear the voice of the Lord within you, he will speak to you as your king and will be enthroned in your heart.

The Magical Power of Belief.

          The power of belief is a magical power in man. It works firstly on the interior of the human being, secondly on the human being himself, thirdly through the human being on the external nature. She carries the soul far away on the wings of the wind; it is a spirit and a power, and to feel this power-spirit in oneself is the highest good, because it leads the human being into the spheres where the omnipotence of God is located. Faith attracts the light, it gives birth to the new man; he is a spirit, a force that reveals itself through man. He ascends to the highest and draws everything higher after him, and the gates of knowledge open when faith unites with the light.

          The inner man, whose image is like the Elohim, also possesses their divine qualities and perfections. When you help your neighbor, it is the power of faith within you that helps him and you and accomplishes everything. If faith is great, you can accomplish great things; if he is small, you can do little; but living faith is the power in which all powers unite into a whole; it is the certainty in man that he can accomplish what he wants. Whoever has won it will, in faith, accomplish the Father’s will, which lies in obedience. Do not trust yourself; build the house and cover it with the truth; put on the cross and put it on. It is not human power but spiritual power that works in faith.

          In faith all senses and forces unite and communicate to the nerves and senses. Each individual force works well for itself, but the forces all unite in the spirit. This spirit is the power of faith; it inhibits everything material in man and works in the universe as a spiritual force. Faith is a tree; he takes within himself the power from above and bears the fruits of eternity. The spirit works when man believes, but few have found spiritual belief in themselves. Above all, man shines in faith, in hope and in love. Faith necessitates works, works necessitates love, and love is the life of faith, for through it man achieves union with God.

          You cannot enter the realm of the spirit otherwise than through the open gate of love; but through faith man overcomes the obstacles which stand in his way. Every deed that leads man to good is an expression of spiritual power. The external faith conditions the form, the internal the union, but the spiritual the spirit man. Believing in an All means believing in yourself, in the inner spirit, in the inner strength, in the inner light. Whoever believes in Jesus also believes in himself, because the Lord is in him, with him and through him. The spiritual man has his base in the grace of God, in the belief in immortality and in the self-confidence in the greatness of the spirit.

The Soul.

          The breath of the Lord is life in everything. It blows through space and enlivens the whole. This is the World Soul, which gives life to all beings. Man is the head of all created things; the Spirit of God has been breathed into him so that he may live forever. He is created within himself in the image of God as a triune being, and as such he possesses everything. Search and you will find that you lack nothing.

          The soul is the guiding star through life; it is a working and producing Self, and what it produces is revelation, the Spirit of God in the light. The soul walks its ways in harmony with the World Soul; she is a legislator for man, for she carries the law within herself. It steers man towards good, points him to the path of virtue and exercises its full power; but the outward man veils them in night, imprisons them, and binds them. Do not bind your soul, but free it from the bonds of the flesh, so that it may ascend on spiritual paths and, united with the World Soul, make known its properties and its laws.

          The soul is the sacred, God-given “I.” It is yourself. This is what your soul is looking for. When it expresses itself in the senses, it reveals itself to people with love. It is the reflection of the divine, the form of the spiritual and the life of man. If the soul frees itself from some bonds while the body is asleep, it can connect with the world soul and reveal itself miraculously. Not the natural man, but his ego then goes into the distance, absorbs everything as an image and presents it to man. She moves to absorb the divine. The “evil self” binds them, and this is your wrong spirit received from the world. This hinders the soul in its work, and the flesh that encloses it forms the bonds that in many people are only loosened in death. Search your soul so that you live in it forever.

          A hard school is imposed on man and he is given a period of life to search for the soul, the spirit, his own ego, to loosen the soul’s bonds and to give it the freedom to work divinely. It is a perfect image in the born-again spirit man, endowed with divine virtues and qualities. It is the creative Word of the Father. She is love and wants love; Love for yourself, for God. So let yourselves be guided by the good self, by the soul that speaks within you. You who hear the voice of the soul, rejoice, for the day is near when you will walk the paths of law with united spiritual power and do the will of the Father who created you.

Soul Cognition.

          In the depths of the soul seek true knowledge, the united power. The spirit of truth will lift the darkness. If you want to give birth again, free your soul from the bonds which bind it. Think deep inside and let the soul act. The realm of the soul is the circle formed by thought. From this the force emanating from the center flows in all directions of the human body.

          When you think inwardly, your soul draws nourishment from the light; the light shines in the sphere of the soul, and the soul draws everything into its sphere. That’s why she’s where you think. Human beings, who are aware that you have a soul, call it and it will make known to you that it is a life that manifests itself everywhere, in the human body, on it and outside it. In him through feeling, on him through forms and numbers,^[119] and outside him in truth and in light. The soul’s strength makes the body healthy; all truth comes from the depths of the soul, as a new birth and as an appearance in the light.^[120] If you are wrong, the soul can only show what is wrong; but if you are genuine, it will bring the truth. The soul is strict and true in the ways of the law, for only man transgresses the law; then the soul can only work in him while he is asleep; but in a man who seeks the truth, the soul becomes more and more free from its bonds. Man suspects nothing of this activity, but his soul is active; she does not sleep; it works without his intervention. If you want to bring your greetings to the soul, have faith and call her, and absorb her word.

          Man is a miniature world, an earth which must bear fruit. The word is the power to make the seed sprout and to blow on the fire. This is how man progresses up the steps. Her seat is in the depths, in the heights and in the middle. Blessed is he who calls upon his soul and finds it as his immortal Self.

          Strike the inner book, the home of the soul. Faith, hope and love are the three basic forces that are given to people to reach their inner self, their soul. The soul guides, directs and governs within man; it takes shape and shines in various images. She is man’s guide through life and at death she sheds everything that is not suitable for her. She is the master who will solve the human riddle for you if you obey.

          When soul and spirit unite, the soul appears in the light of thought. Where the light is, there the soul is form, and where man thinks, be it in the hand, in the foot, in the eye or ear, etc., there is his soul. When the soul moves it is life, when it reveals itself it is perception in all the inner senses. Its food is the light; Light is what she needs. She is the pound to increase, given to man by the Lord. In it are all arts and sciences. Only what comes out of the human soul is truth; without feeling, no mental perception and no inner revelation is conceivable.

          The entering soul is the breath, the out going soul is light and word. The light forms emerge from the word structure within. The heavenly beings create themselves in the light of thought and their form is called word. The word is the first thing that makes itself known in man. Outer sounds reach the outer ear, but the true heavenly sounds come from the depths of the soul, from the feeling where the seat of the whole is. Feeling is the most all-encompassing of all psychic powers, psychic strength and psychic revelation.

          When the soul shows itself in form, it is a faithful and true guide. God rules the soul and the soul rules man. The soul is what you perceive, what you feel, what moves within you. Soul is light, light is life, life is the word and the word is truth. You must feel in your heart what is green, what blooms and what bears fruit.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[18.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.”

Second part. Diary notes. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 16, no. 97 (October 1900), 649-681.^[121]

Diary Notes.

          Collected among the Rosicrucians and intended for the few who are able to feel and comprehend the truth it contains.

Wisdom is a precious treasure known only to those who have received it by the grace of God.

          In spite of everything that is learned in the world, one must become a child and learn letters on the way to the art of life.

          Whoever wants to find the philosopher’s stone must descend into the interior of the earth. – Anyone who wants to understand this must first be mature enough to feel and think higher.

          Raise your soul to me and I will show you wonderful things.

          We can only bring the outside into the inside when we are imbued with the spirit of love.

          The elemental spirit comes from the outer nature, the mental spirit (the spirit of love and justice) is from the angelic world, and the third, the light, is the thought of God.

          Man is of God for the Word, of nature for the Spirit, and of the elements for the testimony.

          Air is water, earth is fire, sun is life, love is spirit, light is thought, life is eternity.

          The grace of God is Self-knowledge.

          What we see within ourselves are the images of our actions.

          Before man can control the organic workings of his body, he must first control his soul excitements through the power of his spirit, for the body is the expression of the soul. One must try to work from the inside out and not from the outside in; because you have to be spiritually developed in order to be able to achieve spiritual things.

          Hard physical work tires the body. Spiritual (Divine-Spiritual) work can cause physical pain through the spirit penetrating marrow and bone.

          No one can approach the fire in which God dwells because it is the spiritual Word. In itself it must be ignited by the light, whereby one becomes fire (or words) oneself.

          Just as rocks gradually crumble, dissolve and pass into another being, so must the opposite happen within us.

          Through the sensuous man who crucifies himself when he is subject to it, instead of subjecting it to himself.

          God gives us a spirit name for our progress, that by it we shall remember our mission. This name should be a strength for us in doubt and unbelief. He should raise us from the animal and material, and give us the awareness that we are images of the spirit-human. “Love God above all things and your neighbor as yourself.”

          How do you keep this commandment?

          Just as the church bells call people to prayer, the voice of the soul calls people to God.

          Like gold taken from the earth to be refined in the fire, so the soul must be drawn from the flesh to be refined in the fire of faith.

          The crown of life is the knowledge of the truth. It shall adorn the head of man. Whoever possesses it has truth and can explore the depths of divinity.

          The heart of man is like a harp. When the strings are in tune, they are in perfect harmony.

          The heart is the shell of thought. Not in the head but only in the heart can the thought develop into a divine feeling.

          There are no keys that can open the door by themselves; we must have hands to use the keys. Action proves strength.

          No man can perish as long as hope lives in him.

          If there were no error, there would be no struggles to overcome it. But as it is, the truth must be born with pain.

          If you want to be just, you have to do what your faith demands, and this is difficult. Suffering is the life of faith. Without them, faith is dead.

          A pure, innocent human heart can always see and feel heaven, and go in and out of it at will.

          Just as a torrent of water descends from on high and destroys everything that cannot be sustained by the torrent, so too must our spirit penetrate into the deep chambers of hell and bring forth flesh and strength.

          When faith is alive in our hearts, it carries us over the high mountains and deep valleys; it flies over the wide seas and penetrates the thickets of the forests.

          Anyone who has inner contentment feels the bliss within himself, which has no end.

          The passions are the clouds which hide the light from us.

          All forms make up words, but the soul-spirit is not a form; he is the word (the power) of life.

          In the hands lies the action to do good to others. Love of neighbor must work through the hands.

          If you love God above all else, you must also stand firm on your feet in whatever comes your way. But when we falter or fall, we know that our love is not perfect.

          We are to endure with patience everything that comes upon us, especially from our enemies, and not seek justice, but endure everything, even if the heart bleeds.

          For a man who aspires to the Divine, the lower influences also become more prominent as a result of the energy which is awakened; because two poles meet here, they fight each other. You will be amazed at the power of the Spirit, before which all lower sensual thoughts must give way. Man must, as it were, call God to life within himself; because God is only conceivable as a force within us, and we must recognize him in thought as a primal force, in feeling as a force of action and in all our actions as a creative force in revelation.

          Being educated in the art of living is a task that every person should determine for themselves. The path to true life, to the higher spiritual light and to self-knowledge is not easy and only succeeds for a steadfast, courageous person; for light and darkness oppose each other as mighty fighters in man.

          Anyone who has attained resurrection in the spirit does not need to be reincarnated unless he voluntarily undertakes a mission for the world.

          Man may be regarded as the noblest of creatures, because each has received a spark from the Primordial Thought, which is God; for this spark unites with God and with the spirit of the world, and brings him into harmony with the World Soul.

          If you want to walk the path to immortality, you must embody the idea of ​​God in you through the word: Let it be! (i.e. by deed).

          Man’s true spiritual guide, which everyone must find within himself, is the spark of God within us, and it can be perceived in all five senses once they are awakened and alive. The disciple has no power over the master; the leader within us stands in freedom and manifests himself in love and grace to those who submit to him. We must strive to get into and remain in the spirit, and not step out of it unless necessary.

          Don’t dwell on the past and worry about the future. The past has no value to the seeker of truth, and the future springs from the present. In the present the divine spirit manifests itself in man as a light surrounded by the splendor of the spiritual sun.

          Obstacles are thrown in the way of a man who strives to advance on the path of self-ennoblement; from God, from nature and from people, to toughen him for the spiritual path of self-knowledge and self-control, which is not easy and not for everyone. Many are called, but few are chosen. The calling is hard, the election still harder; but without a fight there is no victory. So don’t let up in your struggles to awaken the higher I in you to life in the spirit.

          The spiritual path is not easy. One can penetrate into the truth and one is already in it with the first revelation within; but to get to the source of truth requires years; because it is the quintessence from the center of spiritual life. The victorious risen man can draw from it; but we still lie in the suffering grave of our multiplicity of passions.

          Man’s task is to save his true self and raise it to where it belongs. Man’s life on earth is short, and therefore it is his duty to God and to himself to realize the eternal within himself during this life, so that when he departs his soul may shine in the divine light.

          The working of the Spirit of God in man is mysterious. Blessed is the one to whom the golden rope of redeeming grace is thrown, and who grasps it and lets himself be pulled up by it through the goodness of the omnipotence of the Eternal.

          Not everyone is mature enough to know the truth until he has gone through the secret school of life. The theory may be very nice, but living in the truth ourselves is our goal. The path to the light advances gradually and slowly, but the courageously persevered never retreat.

          Spiritual revelations within us do not come about by willing or desiring them; because our will is of this world and only hinders the working spirit in us. But as soon as our will ceases to will, the Spirit Will becomes known in us. Then it comes forth as a birth which is a beneficial revelation to us.

          Man can only find within himself that which is the ultimate goal of his destiny. Where else could we find our peace than in our innermost being: In the innermost is the divine. The more we penetrate into it, the calmer we will become.

          The more you descend within yourself, the more the power of the Spirit will increase in you.

          Whereever the material begins, we have to fight with our will to drive out what is a hindrance to us. But if we penetrate within, at the threshold of the sanctuary, then our will should stop and we should be free.

          There are no spiritual students who do not put obstacles in their own way somewhere; but it is precisely these that bring us to consciousness and stimulate the desire for something higher in us again and again.

          Every human being has his spiritual leader; but not everyone has the grace of God to recognize him in everything.

          He who is in the battle of rebirth should not look to the right or left, but wait until he has a firm footing where it is no longer possible to fall when the storms come. Standing firmly, everything can be tested and learned, considering it as a passage.

          Practicing the word is a grace of God; because only what comes down from above can also go up again.

          Truth is everything material that we see, grasp, hear, etc. from the outside, but revelation is what we perceive inside with all five senses and what is not available outside.

          Spiritual obedience is fighting against [lower] self-will as much as possible.

          If the body is ill and attacked, then the inner-sensible comes to the fore, because then the nervous forces are weakened and with it the will to live.

          Where there is no temptation there is no struggle and no victory. Anyone who has nothing to fight within is like a dead person who is never able to come to real life. There is no shame in losing in such battles, but it is a sign of weakness to lie down and not get up again.

          When the inner senses are awakened, through them we perceive the presence of the higher Self within us.

          The greatest good work which a man can do, he can above all do to himself, by lifting himself up to the light and not letting the powers of darkness rule over him.

           Those who are dissatisfied with what they have received make themselves unable to receive more. The clearer the note of thanks rings out to the throne of the Eternal, the clearer and brighter it becomes within us. Those who are grateful for the small things which they have received spiritually will receive greater things.

          There are two “inner words,” that is, a true one and a false one. The false or lying word comes forth through self-will, the true through self-denial. Anyone who no longer wills himself, but lets God’s Will rule in him, is never led astray. Such a man is in true self-awareness, purified in stillness; therefore he also gets a true word from God; the dissatisfied and agitated man is always wrong, and that is why his inner word is also wrong and he deceives himself with it. Give glory to God alone and let him become the truth in yourselves. The true servant of God is chosen to be a witness of God in this World. The lie does not reveal itself in him.

          The born-again man is begotten by the one who assumes power in man, power in will and accomplishment, in being and becoming. God begets himself in man and bears witness of himself in and through him. No one recognizes it other than the one who grasps it within himself. Love is good, grace is truth, and man is the temple in which God reveals his power and glory. Only through him can there be peace on earth.

          God speaks: I am eternal love. Whoever stands by me is my property, and whoever turns away from me is lost. This cannot be otherwise, for the sake of freedom, i.e., so that the free will of man is preserved.

          Remain, O Lord, always in the human child, so that the resurrection may become power, strength and glory in him, because in that alone true life will celebrate its triumph in every single person who seizes you with his whole spiritual being.

          Love speaks: I ask nothing of you other than that you always think of me in the whirlpool of the world, in the family and under the effects of the various opposing forces. I am love, and far from you be anger. In love and wisdom I train you, in patience I sustain you, in grace I redeem you, in righteousness I lift you up. Your desire shall be my will; in this alone I am Master within you.

          We started out from God and in him is our home. If you want to come home, you have to long for it. Our home is the light, and whoever strives for the light will be happy that a star shines that announces his homeland. Take on the childlike mind, forget the evil in you, then love will be the force that animates you. The worm that gnaws in you is created by your own will; you are bound to him. Only the creature that rises to its Creator is free.

          We can bring the outside in only when we are imbued with the fire of love.

          The greatest thing in heaven is the revealed Father; the smallest thing in the world is the seed which the Heavenly Father has planted in us.

          Faith comes from revelation, will comes from faith. From feeling comes fear, from fear conscience, from conscience reason, and from reason spiritual knowledge.

          We love one another because we have spiritual free will. The opposite of love is hate, from which all wickedness springs.

          Spiritual freedom is fighting the cravings and passions of your own body. It is spiritual life when one draws instruction from within. Thoughts are curbed by regarding everything external as a passage and not absorbing it.

          The will is a human power. It has its seat in life and this is in the blood. With the outward man the blood is the will over the flesh, and in the inward (heavenly man) the word of God is the power over flesh and blood. The power of this word is the truth, and we know it by reading the word in which makes our feelings come alive, but this is done by practicing the prayer of the heart and learning to obey the commandments of God.

          The soul is feeling, its power is thought, and its revelation is the word. The word connects the body with the soul, thought connects the soul with the spirit. The power of thought is the breath, and the power of the Word of God in man is shown by the actions he can perform.

          Matter is an external, visible force, spirit an invisible force.

          Thought, word, and revelation become active through the inner impulse after the divine. Through rebirth the soul is given the power to rise to higher spheres.

          We should not indulge in beliefs, false feelings, dreams, and imaginations, for they are seldom truth, because they come from our outer mind, which makes us depressed and restless within.

          Past, present and future lie in man. We live in the past through thought, see the future through feeling, and work in it through words.

          Hope is a consuming fire for those who do not persevere in it.

          It is the inner strength of faith. Love is stronger than faith and hope because it transcends both of these forces.

          Thought goes out of the heart, penetrates the person and goes back to the center, to the heart. Thought enters the heart as light and goes out again as shadow. The shadow is the witness of the light and forms different forms.

          It is darkness when a person has no knowledge of God. Spiritual blindness, when the spirit manifests itself visibly and people do not see it. Wisps are those who pretend to be teachers (in religious matters), but do not get their teaching from God, but from books, hearsay or the outer mind.

          It is perjury against God when we promise him in our hearts not to do evil again, but do it again.

          Just as in outer nature the roots of the trees stand deep in the earth and absorb all the forces of the sun, moon, stars, planets, rain and air and draw them to themselves as containers, so it is with man. All heavenly impulses must go down in order to rise again purified by the spirit through the love of God. (Nothing ascends to heaven that has not come down from heaven.)

          The seat of thought in man has three tiers: in feeling, in heart and in action. It has its seat in feeling in a man (neophyte) who walks on spiritual paths; in the heart by the Word, where he is begetting, in a man who has further progressed spiritually; in the action of a perfect human being who carries out through his organs what he thinks.

          One should believe in God in the hope that what one believes will be obtained and attained. One of the foundations of this belief is learning to believe in yourself. This is the hardest thing because we have to infer the invisible from the visible. Only a faithful student of wisdom can accomplish it. Another basis of belief in God is the revealed creation which we see and which is meant to lead us to think, and still another is the doctrine, or revealed word, which we are to hear and take in, that is, make alive.

          Faith is a great power, but the power that emanates from a man who has the right faith is the power to act, i.e., it proceeds to and works in the fellow who has faith, and produces a manifest birth in him. (This is spiritual guidance.) But in the case of a doubter and an unbeliever, it goes back to the former.

          One should love oneself through a creative faith. One should “lay hands on oneself” (spiritually speaking) and blot out all material pains, for they hinder the divine spirit. Learn to feel the power, the greatness that is placed in you and in every human being. It is God’s gift of love, which you may only take provided you have the will, faith and courage to do so.

          Faith is spiritual life. He makes what is spiritually dead alive in us and what is alive dead in the material.

          In the head is the seat of power and authority to exercise dominion over the whole body. The blood, however, must give birth to the body again; but this sprout would be lifeless and exposed to the storm if it were not continually transformed anew by the rule of thought.

          The laying on of hands is a form intended to strengthen faith; because the same power that emanates from the fingertips (in the case of an enlightened person) streams out alive in all parts of the body if we express the will in the word. Blessed are the people who unite their spirit with the spirit of God.

          One man’s soul connects with the soul of another man at a distance through “air, water, and sound.” “Air” is the power of the union of two souls, water (ākāsha) is a significant, thickened “air,” and from it emerges the form of the human being with whom we want to have interaction so that we can recognize him. “Sound” is the life of the whole, namely the word which speaks to us.

          We call the secret forces in nature faith, will and power of revelation. We know them from their revelations. They are in us from birth, but we must enliven them. Believe as much as you can, but don’t forget the will.

          We have recognized God in us as power; but that power is not God himself, but an emanation from him, and it is subject to us according to our will, be it good or evil.

          People cannot grasp the divine because they no longer have any truth within themselves.

          Evil has no self; therefore it is and is not. It also cannot create; it is limited to effect.

          The Lord speaks: If you want to approach me in spirit and in truth, you must not have any thoughts and also not be ready to speak; just feel alone.

          You should breathe the spiritual ether (love and knowledge), not the raw animal air.

          The brave do not die, but the doubter perish.

          All beginnings lie in keeping yourself still. This is the only way to reach the desired goal. The Eternal speaks: When I speak to you, I do not need your thoughts, but if you want to speak to me, you must think what you speak. Then I will grant your request because I am love. I scatter roses and lilies on your course; you yourself sowed the thistles and thorns.

          The “transfiguration on the mountain” is the fire of love against our fellow human beings, which overcomes everything and in which we sacrifice everything out of love. This overcoming leads us to intercourse with the blessed spirits.

          Nothing darkens the mind’s eye more than ingratitude.

          Man overcomes his blood by believing in the law of God, which is proclaimed to him through the mouth of the enlightened. We are to believe this word, even if it does not come true in our sense.

          Aliveness is a force brought about by the will. The will itself is that power.

          We cannot see the Father because we are not children of God but of the world.

          The blood is movement; the will shall be the Lord. Anyone who cannot check movement (the passions) also has no spiritual will.

          The outer man is to become the basis of the inner man, i.e., we must receive within us the divine power that comes from without, and establish it within us by faith; for this faith is the foundation of the inner man, from which the outer comes in and the inner comes out.

          All forms of heaven and earth are forgiven, but the Word cannot perish because it is perfection.

          The forms we see are the shadows of the light. If we have no light in us, we live in darkness and darkness is death.

          We are to fear God by doing what he wills. Then we have wisdom.

          Action is in the hands, and the power of the spirit-will is in the arms.

          A word of truth heals the sick soul.

          The body is a testimony of the Creator (thought) in nature. The power-spirit of this is the sensual feelings.

          To help oneself, one must, above all else, stand firmly on one’s feet and have firm faith that God’s power is at work in us, and that through it we can help ourselves. If faith is great, we can remove a great evil; if it is small, we can only help for a small one. But in order to help our neighbor we must be permeated by love; but from a divine one, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit of God, which produces only good.

          The spirit of man is composed of three qualities: supernatural, natural, and unnatural. “Supernatural” is what the materialists cannot comprehend. Man is natural when he realizes his true nature. It is unnatural to deny what one owns because one does not recognize it. The unnatural man must become natural before he can grasp the supernatural.

          The light of the spirit is rest, contentment, bliss; the shadows of the mind sorrow, sorrow and pain. The first commandment of the spirit is that it should put on a body like itself.

          The gravity of the mind is in the body with its passions. The gravity of the soul is in the material senses. We must learn to fix the spirit within us; for he cannot produce a new birth outside of us, but only within us. That is why we are in this material world. The Lord is supposed to move into our material body shell, but our own will resists him, and as long as no one wants to surrender to him, it won’t happen.

          Man’s power lies in his obedience. He who submits to the will of God is a hero.

          The peace within ourselves is a star that divides all the clouds in our head.

          It is spiritual seeing when man lives in the light, according to the degree of his knowledge.

          As man thinks, so is his soul, because the soul is the form of thought. The soul accomplishes the activity of the senses and pictures them to us as they are, be they beautiful or ugly, true or false. The soul is the mirror of man, in which he sees his thoughts and the sensuous which is embodied and is taking place.

          The soul is the first manifestation of Deity because it is an outpouring of Deity. The power of the soul is natural, for the body must be its foundation. The characteristics of the soul are: First, that it is immortal. Second, that she can move outside of the body. Third, that it can take shape. (The states it assumes determine the form it must assume.) The spirit can connect with the soul only through the body. He is the power of the soul. Without him she has no apparent life. Without the light of the spirit, the soul remains in darkness for us. The states of the soul are recognized internally by its desires.

          The language of the soul is thought, its garment is the light of knowledge, its head is the thought of God, its feet are truth, its heart is love, and its adornment is wisdom. The thorn of the soul, i.e., the point by which one can wound oneself is lust. Man must learn to let go of material thoughts in order to become one with the soul. This can only happen in higher consciousness. It should no longer be thought, but only more light and soul.

          The soul speaks in our heart through the feelings that prevail in it. She can be likened to a butterfly; but its wings, through which it penetrates high and low, are still bound by our own will. If this is suppressed, then she is free. She is the “savour of the Lord” when she does His will.

          The soul is in man to be revealed and to lead us through life in this penitential field; but because of their unbelief, many do not know that they have souls. By realizing the truth, the soul is drawn from the depths. The heaviest pressure that weighs on her is the sensual lust of the flesh.

          The soul can only stand on its feet by the power of the Word; it becomes visible through virtue, tangible through practice, audible through divine thoughts, and affects the neighbor through the power of truth, which must be revealed near and far. Seeing, hearing, feeling and acting are the powers of the soul.

          The grace of God is the light that animates the universe, and in man it is the light that enlightens the soul. Through the devotion of the soul, the spiritually dead in man is awakened to life. Its highest level is faith. Only through this can it work in us. She takes nourishment from our thoughts and puts it in the flesh.

          The soul can only be attached to the body through material thought. She is then his slave and her inverse revelation. The soul of man is life at birth. When he attains full wit, it is free will; with a spiritual man it is feeling, thought and word, and with a perfect man it is the lord of nature. In death the soul will flee from the person who does not connect the soul with the spirit.^[122] The opponent of the soul is our material thought-spirit. We cause her the greatest pain when we disobey her voice. Whoever obeys her will prosper on earth.

          Love, hope, faith and knowledge unite the soul. Anyone who does not have these powers is like a wild animal tearing itself apart. We crucify the soul with doubt and torture it with lies. But if we believe in their word, we glorify them inwardly, and then we can also glorify God outwardly through deeds. The soul of a person who has no spirit-word to think about is dead.

          People tempt the soul through their insufficiency. What they have is not enough for them and they do not recognize it because it is truth. But what they don’t have, they want to possess in their wrongness.

          We have achieved the “victory of the cross” over the soul when blessed spirits and messengers of God can speak to us face to face. We have to shed everything clinging to us from material birth. This opens up the new inner senses in the human being.

          Faith rises mightily out of the spirit of obedience.

          Kill your flesh with the spirit of truth.

          The soul is a life, with which we must struggle. The first fight is with your own body.

          The nourishment of the spirit is wisdom.

          The outflow of the soul is the testimony we bear of the Godhead.

          The joys of life are dreams; but the joys (divine) of the spirit are imperishable.

          In nature there is a center which draws everything to itself. This center is the human heart, and the circles (aura) surrounding it are formed by the emanations of our feelings coming from the inner forces. The center acts on these circles through the light of thought, and inner life expands. The light of God (the wisdom) is the life of the soul. His love is as great as his wisdom: no one can grasp it. His grace flows through all members.

          Through our love we work on the inside, and free of our will, this spirit acts on our body.

          The ground on which the soul stands is the spiritual gifts it has received.

          The shadow of the free soul is pure light. Their desire is to awaken the dead and remove evil through the power of knowledge.

          Whoever recognizes the truth within himself scatters a seed which bears a thousandfold fruit.

          Anyone who has true faith also has clairvoyance, because it comes from true faith. Clairvoyance explains thought. “Transfiguration” means knowing the truth. Man’s premonitions of the spirit are inward knowledge without clairvoyance. The true inner feelings, however, come from the Word of God, which is recognized by the intellect.

          Many weaknesses lead in the end to great strength; many sorrows crown man’s head.

          The inner sense of man is a revelation whose source is Deity and which leads to perfection. The inner sense is best perceived by listening to sacred feelings, i.e., being still within yourself and living in faith that God is with us in everything we do. This inner sense is promoted in its growth through practice in goodness. It is the newborn spirit that seeks to reveal itself in us.

          Dying is transforming, i. H. go from one state to another.

          The outside is life, the inside is light and love. The spiritual “I” brings forth its manifestations through the forces which encompass it.

          Man should look into his own inner being as if through a fine “glass” that he should have inside himself. Without this, he only sees rough imprints of images. Only by shedding passions can the sense of truth be refined.

          The center of all nature is God’s visible truth.

          No man can “earn” the love of God; it is a gift of grace from the goodness of the Lord.

Man’s goal is to raise his soul from the bonds of the flesh so that he may become a true child of the Eternal Father.

(Sequel follows.)

---

[19.] Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten.” Second part.

Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 16, no. 98, November 1900: 727-732.^[123]

The spiritual will-power in man is an inner impulse, and this impulse is love. It has its seat in feelings. Only through this drive can we walk the path of rebirth.

          Faith is a secret and invisible force. His active life is suffering, humility and patience.

          Those who have been transfigured through purification wear “robes of white,” i.e., low thoughts can no longer be effective in them.

          Flesh, and the Word becomes flesh through the life of the soul. The life of the soul in the body is the thought of God, the soul itself is the feeling through the thought which springs from the heart, one prays to God with the soul.

          The human heart is only a true temple of God when we have become children of God.

          The rebirth of the soul is revealed through the opening of the inner senses, i.e., through divine seeing, divine hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting. One can achieve the utmost through one’s soul if one works with one’s entire emotional life on what one wants to achieve.

          Anyone who wants to think correctly must seek and learn to recognize with all his soul what he wants to think. If you want to climb up, you have to be righteous within yourself.

          Humility toward God lives on high.

          The foundation of truth is its knowledge; the fruit of it is the knowledge of God. The mirror of truth is the soul in its revelation. Truth is reality. Everything that is real is true.

          In truth lies the seed of wisdom, in wisdom the seed of love, in love the seed of freedom. The breath of truth is the power of God.

          By “renunciation of worldly pleasures” is meant to be humble toward God and content with the material lot that is ordained for us.

          Silence and waiting is worth more than quick talk and action. If you want to be clever in your speeches, stupidity is always the focus.

          So beautiful on the outside and so empty on the inside! Man on earth, what more do you want?

          Those who can endure the injustice of the world with patience will be honored in heaven and sought after by people on earth.

          Hope has never been put to shame unless one has deceived oneself.

          The unbeliever is bound to hell. What is dragging him down is death to the divine.

          One lives within by hearing God’s Word within oneself.

          The prayer that strengthens the most is to keep faith and live by it.

          Der Mensch wird wieder natürlich dadurch, dass er sich selbst wieder erkennt.

          Man becomes natural again by recognizing himself.

          Obedience lifts us to the highest heaven, and righteousness lifts us from the earth.

          We are in true repentance when we feel joy and lightness within.

          True spiritual life springs from self-sacrifice.

          In the natural, the spiritual is an unseen working force, and in the spiritual, the natural is the manifestation of our five senses.

          Wisdom is the revelation of truth.

          A “saint” is one who lives according to his faith.

          One “takes the sting out of death” by the grace of God.

          The key to the gospel is the Holy Spirit.

          The key to justice is love. Only the righteous can truly love God.

          Spiritual humility is dispassion, i.e., contentment with what we have, spiritual and material. It is also the key to repentance.

          One honors God by one’s knowledge, one honors one’s life by the actions one performs, and one honors one’s neighbor by forgiving one’s mistakes.

          Man’s will resides in his reason. The Lord of the Will is good or evil in itself; the leader of the will is man himself.

          Purity is innocence. Only he lives in purity who can sacrifice himself.

          Our passions are the moving life within us.

          Man is free insofar as salvation lies within himself and he can make use of it if he chooses. Nothing holds him prisoner other than his own unbelief.

          Man only begins to live when he gives birth to himself.

          For the man who knows himself in truth, everything in the world has no real value. We should leave everything that is dark.

          The greatest right is given to those who sacrifice themselves. The great military road is love, i.e., renunciation.

          True love is not desire, but being. One arrives at this through selflessness.

          In truth there is love, in love there is life, in life there is light. This is the light of which we testify.

          Power ends where violence begins.

          The purpose of existence is that one attains true knowledge and freedom.

          Only what we recognize ourselves is our property.

          Through self-knowledge one conquers death.

          Man’s freedom is not in his thoughts but in his actions.

          True being is immortality. True confidence comes from recognizing the power of God and His revelation within us.

Notes:

^[1] {R.H.—These articles were reformatted from the originals, with the content unchanged other than fixing minor typos. Translations from the German by Robert Hutwohl ©2025. The translator’s note insertions are within curly brackets {} and are not by Franz Hartmann. Titled: “Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der ‘Lotusblüten’ ” [Memorable Recollections from the Life of the Author of the “Lotusblüten”] Published serially. The corresponding numbers or copybooks from which these series are extracted, verbatim, are listed as a note at the beginning of each number throughout this translation. They are collectively listed below, which consisted of 19 parts, which ran serially.

Lotusblüten 10

1. 60 (September 1897), 603-631
2. 61 (October 1897), 729-750
3. 62 (November 1897), 809-832
4. 63 (December 1897), 882-892

Lotusblüten 11

1. 64 (January 1898), 53-71
2. 65 (February 1898), 125-151
3. 66 (March 189), 212-228
4. 67 (April 1898) 279-306
5. 68 (May 1898), 365-393
6. 69 (June 1898), 457-469

Lotusblüten 12

1. 70 (July 1898), 518-551

Lotusblüten 15

1. 88 (January 1900), 1-27
2. 89 (February 1900), 73-104
3. 90 (March 1900), 145-70
4. 91 (April 1900), 217-45
5. 92 (May 1900), 289-329
6. 93 (June 1900), 361-89

Lotusblüten 16

1. 97, October 1900), 649-81
2. 98, November 1900, 727-32}

^[2] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 10, no. 60 (September 1897), 603-631}

^[3] {R.H.—Caolbha (or Caolbadius): son of (No. 44) Crunnbhadroi; brother of Frochar, and uncle of Fergus Fogha. Caolbha: his son; the (123rd and) last Monarch of the Irian race, and 47th King of Ulster.}

^[4] {R.H.—The Night Side of Nature; or, Ghosts and Ghost-Seers. Catherine Crowe. Vol. I. London, T. C. Newby, 1848.

The Night Side of Nature; or, Ghosts and Ghost-Seers. Catherine Crowe. Vol. II. London, T. C. Newby, 1848.}

^[5] {R.H.—“The world wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived.”}

^[6] {R.H.—The clairvoyant Theosophist, Geoffrey Hodgson has, among his research, written on the topic of the native Americans of North and Meso-America, from an occult view. I have retypeset some of this research. See in particular: Indian Tree Worship. Geoffrey Hodson. The Theosophist (Hollywood) 1 [51], no. 12 (December 1930), 1039-1040. I have transcribed to text his audio talk: “Aspects of the Toltec Antiquities. Geoffrey Hodson lecture.” which is a clairvoyant reading of the ancient Aztecs and their relation to Atlantis, having brought back to the Aztec culture some Atlantean teachings. See: “Relics of Atlantean Occultism. I. The Inner Side of American Indian Life.” Geoffrey Hodson. The Theosophist 57 (May 1936), 185-188. See: “Relics of Atlantean Occultism. II. The Cacique. III. The Legend of Poseiyemo.” Geoffrey Hodson. The Theosophist 57 (June 1936), 252-257. All of these articles and audio transcription may be found on my spiritofthesunpublications.com website.}

^[7] {R.H.—Her name is spelled: Malwina Frankling. In, “From My Life” [Aus meinem Leben. Neue Lotusblüten 1, no. 1-2 (January-February 1908), 44. Translation from the German by Robert Hutwohl, to be published.}

^[8] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 10, no. 61 (October 1897), 729-750

^[9] {R.H.—““There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5.}

^[10] It is well known that the most famous “mediums” of the time all ended in insanity or suicide. This is also to be expected of the “chronically possessed,” since they themselves, for example, have lost their reason and their free will. Finding oneself in truth and one’s spiritual individuality, i.e., to fix the character and bring it into harmony with the harmony of the unified whole is the supreme purpose of human existence. This makes man and God one. It is only when one has found oneself that one can sacrifice that self to divinity.

^[11] More details can be found in Prof. Denton’s The Soul of Things. [The Soul of Things; or, Psychometric Researches and Discoveries. William and Elizabeth M. F. Denton. Boston, Walker, Wise and Company, 1863]

^[12] A description of the manner in which such “spirit writings” are brought about belongs to the field of occult science.

^[13] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” VI. “Besessenheit.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 10, no. 62 (November 1897), 809-832}

^[14] Paracelsus describes the inner “I” as “Evestrum,” the inner voice of warning, as “Trarames.”

^[15] {R.H.—Did he mean: Mexico? There is no city named Chihuahua, Colorado.}

^[16] See: Col. Olcott. “People of the other world. ” {Correct title is: People from the Other World. Henry Steel Olcott. Hartford, Conn., American Publishing Company, first edition, 1875.}

^[17] See “Elementals.” Lotusblüthen, Vol. V, p. 36.

^[18] {R.H.—Brenham is also known for its yearly German heritage festival which takes place every May. It is similar to the Volksfest (People’s Festival or just, Festival) which is celebrated in Germany.}

^[19] {R.H.—Named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. It is also the home of the dialect, Texas German, where the earliest German settlers refused to speak English.}

^[20] {R.H.—In the letter to Franz Hartmann, dated December 25, 1883 by Master M, the Adept says “I placed in H. S. Olcott’s head the idea to suggest to you to come here.”}

^[21] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 10, no. 63 (December 1897), 882-892.}

^[22]  That night the great earthquake in Java took place, which sank most of an island and killed more than 100,000 people.

^[23] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” II. Indien. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 64 (January 1898), 53-71.}

^[24] Karl von Eckartshausen. Aufschlüsse über Magie. [Explanations Concerning Magic.] Munich, 1790. Vol. II. p. 197.

^[25] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 65 (February 1898), 125-150.}

^[26] Upasika (Tibetan) means a “disciple,” a female disciple (chela) of the Masters. {R.H.—Upāsikā is Sanskrit and is a feminine noun. Chela is a Hindī word and is properly spelled, Chelā, being neither Tibetan nor Sanskrit. The long a (ā) at the end of the word, in both cases, indicates the feminine form.}

^[27] {R.H.—This was due to, in part, the fact that her astral body remained in Tibet, in the Shigatse region.}

^[28] {R.H.—By the language, I am not certain whether Dr. Hartmann is talking about H. P. Blavatsky’s book or the secret doctrine in general, because The Secret Doctrine is teaching the secret doctrine. I suppose it is the latter representation.}

^[29] The expression is scientifically correct, even if not understood by everyone. A man’s god is his immortal Self, which formed the self of all his previous incarnations. The merging of personal consciousness into this God Consciousness, which contains the memories of all previous incarnations, is rebirth or awakening in God.

^[30] See “Lotusblüten“ issue 3, page 42. {Volume 11?}

^[31] All of these phenomena produced by H. P. Blavatsky were “explained” and presented as sleight of hand in a foolhardy and utterly insufficient way by their enemies, who probably never saw them either.

^[32] Since the occult letters quoted here and later contain various private communications of a confidential nature, they can only be communicated in excerpts.

^[33] {R.H.—Instead of translating into English, Dr. Hartmann’s German version of the letter, and since the original letter was in English, I am using that English version as given by Master M, as found in H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings, Volume VIII. 1887. Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1980, 444-445.}

^[34] However, certain scholars clinging to the belief in authority could not see this precisely because they were not used to thinking for themselves. These are always less about understanding what is being said than about who said it and whether it comes from a credible source. Thus, their knowledge derives from blind belief and not from their own knowledge. They trade with probabilities and turn a blind eye to the truth.

^[35] {R.H.—This letter is given in English but Hartmann retranslated it into German. An English version is in the article: “Autobiography of Dr. Franz Hartmann.” The Occult Review 7, no. 1 (January 1908), 24. Also part of the letter, with some emendations in brackets, from a booklet: Report of Observations Made During a Nine Months’ Stay at the Head-Quarters of the Theosophical Society at Adyar (Madras), India, by F. Hartmann, M. D., F. T. S. (An American Buddhist) Madras, Printed at the Scottish Press, 1884, page 30.}

^[36] This refers to the December 26, 1883 admission of Dr. Hartmann in the religious community of Buddhists.

^[37] {R.H.—Kathiavar is the present-day Gujarat State, India.}

^[38] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 66 (March 1898), 212-228.}

^[39] {R.H.—Boris de Zirkoff, the Compiler of the Blavatsky Collected Writings Volume VIII, in his bibliography for Franz Hartmann, p. 447, indicates the date of the letter was April 26, 1884.}

^[40] H. P. Blavatsky’s learned “debunkers” never seem to have realized that if, as they claim, the occult letters exposing the plot had been written by Blavatsky, and Blavatsky herself had given permission for the trapdoors to be made, she would have reported herself as doing so, an assumption which contradicts common sense.

^[41] Report of Observations. Madras 1884.

^[42] {R.H.—Mme. Coulomb}

^[43] {R.H.—Based on the content, although this letter is heavily paraphrased by Dr. Hartmann, this appears to be the August 2, 1884 from Master K. H., considered to be the ninth letter from the Masters which Hartmann received, of which the original is in the Adyar Archives. A longer version is on page 448 of Blavatsky Collected Writings Volume VIII and slightly different but full version in: Sven Eek, Dāmodar and the Pioneers of the Theosophical Movement (Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1965), 605. Because Dāmodar and Dr. Hartmann had disagreements, Dr. Hartmann did not include the first part which talks about Damodar.}

^[44] A collection of these letters then extant, coming from the same source as those from which Mr. Sinnett composed his Esoteric Buddhism, would be of interest to any occultist, but falls outside the scope of thes memoirs. {R.H.—In the Blavatsky Collected Writings Volume VIII, p. 450-451, and Sven Eek, Dāmodar and the Pioneers of the Theosophical Movement, pages 604-606, which are similar translations to mine.}

^[45] {R.H.—Richard Hodgson, with The Society for Psychical Research.}

^[46] Ch. 18, verse 67.

^[47] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” III. Okkulte Phänomene. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 67 (April 1898), 279-306}

^[48] {R.H.—Chloral was a well-established hypnotic drug.}

^[49] For more on this see “The Theosophist,” Madras 1885. – Sinnett, “The occult world.” — Olcott, “[Old] Diary Leaves.” — Wachtmeister, “Reminiscences,” etc.

^[50] {R.H.—There is no open double quote mark in this paragraph. I am keeping the closed quote mark as with the original text.}

^[51] {R.H.—This is a Hindī (not a Sanskrit) word, meaning—a beggar, an ascetic. It is spelled: Faqír.}

^[52] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” IV. Hinter den Coulissen. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 68 (May 1898), 365-393}

^[53] The word “Bodh” (Sanskrit) means light or wisdom. “Buddha” means an “enlightened one.” “Buddhi” is the higher, cognizant region of the mind. A “Buddhist” is a person who seeks wisdom; a “Buddhaist” is a follower of the teachings of the Buddhas.

            Buddhism teaches extreme tolerance. In Ceylon, for example, the Buddhist temples were left to the Christian missionaries to hold their “worship service,” for which they then soiled the temples in a disgusting way and damaged the objects inside. If Christian missionaries were harassed in Buddhist countries, it is safe to assume that this was not because of their Christian faith, but because of their unchristian behavior.

^[54] {R.H.—Although Dr. Hartmann is correct as to these things, the 108-bead rosary of the Buddhists and Hindus, also had other meanings. The number 108 is a division of the number of breaths within a 24-hour period which recharges the cakras during that period. Also, it is symbolic of the breath of life, or prāṇa (Chinese: chi), the etheric fluid which keeps the etheric body or liṅga-śarīra circulating, as the etheric body is actually one strand, weaved together and serves as the model body for the physical body (sthūla-śarīra).}

^[55] Solovieff, “A Modern Priestess of Isis.” {R.H.—I have moved this note a few words back, where it actually applies to the reference text, instead of at the end of the paragraph.}

^[56] {R.H.—Again, there is some credence to this observation, as we know Blavatsky’s strange and sometime eccentric behavior and her cigarette smoking was, occultly, a method of settling her down since part of her principles were kept in Tibet, near Master Morya, I believe. I am sure Dr. Hartmann knew this but does not mention it here.}

^[57] Chapter 12, verse 3.

^[58] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” V. Europa. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 11, no. 69 (June 1898), 457-469.}

^[59] V. S. Solovieff, “A Modern Priestess of Isis” p. 80.

^[60] {R.H.—This letter is an extract, somewhat paraphrased, which may be found in: Letters of H. P. B. to Dr. Franz Hartmann. [V] (No Date). Theosophical Quarterly 23, no. 3 (January 1925), 217-218. I have used Hartmann’s paraphrase instead of H. P. B.’s original, as I think Hartmann had his reasons for paraphrasing as he did.}

^[61] “Fire” is divine love; “Water,” is Divine-thought; the Spiritual-life is the “air.” {R.H.—This note does not appear in the H. P. B. to Dr. Franz Hartmann letter, and so Hartmann must have inserted it for his Memorable Recollections.}

^[62] {R.H.—This letter is an extract, somewhat paraphrased, which may be found in: Letters of H. P. B. to Dr. Franz Hartmann. I. Theosophical Quarterly 23, no. 3 (January 1925), 212-213. I have used Hartmann’s paraphrase instead of H. P. B.’s original, as I think Hartmann had his reasons for paraphrasing as he did.}

^[63] What proof would there be for those who neither can comprehend nor want to accept such as the only possible proof?

^[64] {R.H.—Dr. Hartmann is referring to such a one as Richard Hodgson of The Society for Psychical Research who came to Adyar to investigate the Miracle Cabinet.}

^[65] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” VI. Die “Theosophische Gesellschaft.” Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 12, no. 70 (July 1898), 518-551.}

^[66] “Path.” July 1892.

^[67] “Instructions” III, 67.

^[68] Thomas von Kempis I, 1, 4.

^[69] “Instructions” III, 68. {R.H.—Although not verbatim, they are close to the original words of Blavatsky, from English into German.}

^[70] “Key to Theosophy” p. 301.

^[71] “Instructions III,” p. 61.

^[72] “Instructions III,” p. 63.

^[73] “Instructions III,” p. 62.

^[74] “Instructions” III, p. 71.

^[75] “Instructions” III, 72.

^[76] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Zweiter Teil. Vorbemerkung. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 88 (January 1900), 1-27}

^[77] “Key to theosophy” p. 302.

^[78] Edwin Arnold, “Light of Asia” VIII.

^[79] The anecdotes of Blavatsky’s youth contained in this chapter were communicated to me partly by Blavatsky herself, partly by her sister, Madame Jelihovsky, and partly taken from the work of A. P. Sinnett on the life of H. P. Blavatsky. [Incidents in the life of Madame Blavatsky. Compiled from information supplied by her relatives and friends and edited by A.P. Sinnett. With a portrait reproduced from an original painting by Hermann Schmiechen. London, George Redway, 1886] Compare “Lotusblüten” vol. 1893 “H. P. Blavatsky, the Sphinx of the Nineteenth Century.” {Translated by Robert Hutwohl. Appeared in heavily edited form by the editor of the Quest, 2022. The unedited version is at spiritofthesunpublications.com}

^[80] {Psychometry.}

^[81] {R.H.—I should note, this paragraph by Dr. Hartmann does not appear in the 8-part series of articles: “My Sister—H. P. Blavatsky.” Madame V. P. Jelihovsky. The London Forum, December 1934–July 1935. Dr. Hartmann could have gotten this description directly from Madame V. P. Jelihovsky or H. P. Blavatsky.}

^[82] {R.H.—Just as the Protestant and Catholic churches simplistically categorize the unseen as either demons (demonic) or angelic entities, the public at large did the same except demons were generalized as “ghosts.” Blavatsky, Dr. Hartmann and others attempted to open up the categories in order to be more specific and determine what those entities were: As elementaries, elementals or nature spirits and forms of vampirism, which is how scientists, working on the physical plane, group plants and animals into: phyla, class, order, family, genus, species and sub-species. Psychologists of the future will do the same once they come to recognize the phenomena at the etheric, emotional and mental levels and have expanded their horizons into the metaphysical realms of consciousness.}

^[83] {R.H.—Dr. Hartmann is not correct here. Snails never leave their shells. Possibly he was thinking of hermit crabs, which, as they grow, find a larger shell? Probably. The German word he used here is “Schnecke,” which means either snail, volute or slug. Slugs of course never use shells.}

^[84] {R.H.—As long as the reader knows that in the early days of the Blavatsky-era Theosophy, the astral body was considered the etheric double or in Sanskrit, the liṅga-śarīra, this will be less confusing. Thus, in the early days, the astral body, double and liṅga-śarīra were synonymous. Later, after Blavatsky died, the astral body was considered the body of desire or kāma-rūpa and its association with the human double was never used again. The early-termed astral body then became associated only with the body of desire. Only the term “etheric body” was used to describe the “double” or subtle duplicate of the physical body and that has always been the case. If, all along, only the Sanskrit words would have been used to describe these “bodies,” then there would have been less confusion but since Sanskrit was probably considered too much for the populace, or scholarly, it was never emphasized. Thus, when they say: projection of the double, they are referring to the projection of the etheric body, not the body of desire or astral body or the Sanskrit term, kāma-rūpa.}

^[85] {R.H.—The correct title is: From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan. By Radda Bai (H. P. Blavatsky) Translated by Vera Johnston. London: Theosophical Publishing Society. 1892}

^[86] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Zweiter Teil. Helena Petrowna Blavatzky und ihre Meister. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 89 (February 1900), 73-104}

^[87] {R.H.—This is how the Hindī word is pronounced. It is not a Sanskrit word.}

^[88] “A Modern Priestess of Isis” p. 79.

^[89] See the portrait in the January number. {Gulab-Lal-Sing (“Mahatma Morya”).}

^[90] Wachtmeister, “Reminiscences.”

^[91] {R.H.— French: “But, it is unheard of! Madame should have died!”}

^[92] {R.H.—Maria Crescentia Höss. b. October 20, 1682, d. April 5, 1744.}

^[93] The “initiation” does not consist in an external comedy, but in an inner awakening and opening of the inner senses, whereby he enters into visible interaction with beings who were previously invisible to him. The “Society” to which he is to remain loyal is the “Theosophical Society,” and one cannot but remain faithful to it other than to uphold its constitution, even if all the “leaders” or “presidents” act contrary to it.

^[94] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Zweiter Teil. II. Unter den Rosenkreuzern. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 90 (March 1900), 145-170}

^[95] Shah Nias Ahmed Christi es Kadini, Persian poet and Theosophist, born su Sirhind, was initiated by his master Mahmed Fakhruddin in his nineteenth year. He left his mortal form at the age of 77. He had many disciples.

^[96] {R.H.—In a letter from Master M.}

^[97] {Joseph Görres’s Die christliche Mystik (1836–1842)}

^[98] So, for instance, he was once attacked by a highwayman on his way home at night; but when the attacker jumped at him, he suddenly saw a scaffold arise in front of him and the executioners who wanted to seize him, and the attackers ran away quickly while P. went quietly home.

1. also had the power to refine base metals. I have some samples of this in my possession.

^[99] To make this clearer and more scientific. To clarify, it is necessary to consider the various sheaths (koshas) [kośas] that make up the human organism as described by Sankaracharya [Śaṅkarācārya] in his Tattwa Bodha. The lowest consciousness is that of the visible body (Annamaya-Kosha) [Annamaya-kośa]; above this is the astral consciousness of the sentient body (Pranamaya-kosha) [Prāṇamaya-kośa]; then even higher the consciousness in which man lives entirely in the thought world (Manomaya-Kosha) [Manomaya-kośa]; then comes the realm of cognition of abstract ideas, the consciousness of “conscience. body” (Vijnanamamaya-Kosha) [Vijñānamaya-kośa], and finally the form of blissful existence (Anandamaya-Kosha) [Ānandamaya-kośa], which leads to Nirvana (omniscience and omnipresence). This ascent happens because the will always remains directed towards the highest. Through this, God [Ātmā] draws man up to Himself.

^[100] [R.H.—This is in regard to the correspondences to the Buddhist text: Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra and my unpublished article: “The Abiding Principle Above the Head.” This sūtra is a very ancient text which exclaims, as does the text composed by Maitreya, the Ratnagotravibhāga, that the tathāgata or Buddha Nature, exists with every human being, but is situated within the human auric egg, as taught by HPB. Also, most importantly is The Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, translated by William H. Grosnick. From, Buddhism In Practice, Donald S. Lopez, Jr., Editor, Princeton University Press, 1995, 92-106. Grosnick does not list his sources, whether Sanskrit or Tibetan but he says the text may be the earliest for the Tathāgatagarbha idea, around the 3rd century c.e. Grosnick says on page 92,

“The idea of the tathāgatagarbha was later to form the nucleus of the concept of buddha nature (buddhadhātu) in the Sino-japanese Buddhist tradition.” His translation is the shorter version of the two Sanskrit recensions. There is also a Tibetan recension.

Thus, the Buddha-nature is not within the human being personality but above it, although the reincarnating Ego does have influence to the personality, otherwise the personality would not be alive. At issue is, to what degree does the Soul influence that personality. That is why Gautama Buddha an-ātman idea, i.e., that the Self is not within the person. Thus, scholars, over hundreds of years, said that the Buddha denied the Self. That is true. He denied the Self within the person, but the Self which is ABOVE it. The lower self, with its elementals, etc., maintains the personality principles however, at the command of the Higher Self.

At issue here is whether the Buddha taught or implied there was an eternal principle or Soul within humans. Whether the Buddhist commentators have been mistaken down through the centuries or misunderstood the Buddha, and those themselves were not that enlightened and it was necessary for a coming future age of interpreters to set the record straight. Ask the answers, find the questions. K.H. is saying the soul is not IN man but ABOVE man and thus, that is what the Buddha was saying. That is why the personality and skandhas are considered anitya or non-eternal. These ideas, called Shentong, can be found in the writings of the Tibetan teacher, Dolpopa, who lived 1292–1361. In the words of Susan K. Hookham’s 1991 book: The Buddha within: Tathagatagarbha doctrine according to the Shentong interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga, “The essential feature of a Shentong interpretation of tathāgatagarbha doctrine is that the Buddha is figuratively within all beings as their unchanging, permanent, non-conditioned nature . . .” This is paripassu with theosophy.]

^[101] Ignorant men have tried to reproach Buddhism for prescribing only the omission of evil, while Christianity recommends doing good; but this accusation is the result of a superficial understanding of the words of the Buddha, for the ungodly man can do no good by his own strength. The Bible also says: “No one is good but God.” But when the heart is cleansed, the grace of God moves into man and with it all virtues. Then man no longer works the good, but God works it through him.

^[102] Paul to Colossians I, 27 and Galatians IV, 19.

^[103] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Zweiter Teil. Die Lehren der Rosenkreuzer. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 91 (April 1900), 217-245.}

^[104] [R.H.—I should again emphasize Dr. Hartmann’s disagreement with the theist teachings by fundamentalist Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith systems. If one can understand Rosicrucianism and alchemy from the esoteric standpoint, then one can easily equate Blavatsky teachings to esoteric Buddhism. I can’t find my notes about this but at the bottom of a page of writing by Éliphas Levi, K. H. wrote something akin to: “A true Rosicrucian is not a theist.”]

^[105] These illusory egos, which are visible to the clairvoyant’s eye, can even become externally visible. This explains the various benign and malignant phenomena in the lives of the saints, of which, for example, in Görres’ “Christian Mysticism” a lot of examples can be found.

^[106] The word reincarnation is often misunderstood. Properly worded, the Indian’s doctrine of reincarnation is quite in line with the Christian doctrine of the “resurrection of the flesh,” even though it is correctly understood. That of man who is born again in spirit, entered into God, and belongs to the Godman does not have to re-embody on earth, but sends out a ray of light (seed) of his own being, which fertilizes and animates the newborn earthly personality. But this personality is from the “earth,” that is, formed in the astral world, lower, “vicious” soul forces, which are called in contrast to the spirit as “flesh” (Kāma Manas). In the language of the mystics, the incorruptible (buddhi manas) is called the “flesh of Christ,” the corruptible (manas kāma) the “flesh of Adam.” The latter corresponds to the Buddhist skandhas, that is, the earthly tendencies, talents, mentalities etc. which man brings into the world with him.

^[107] {To the reader, these definitions of Dr. Hartmann are sometimes difficult to translate into English, partly due to the interpretation of a German nominative to an English nominative and whether it should be capitalized or not, for “god” in the lower case is not the same as “God” in the upper case or capitalization. But throughout, whenever Hartmann used the word God, he always applied it as understood in the Proem of The Secret Doctrine. Not as an anthropomorphic God which is used by the Jews, Christians and Muslims. It may be an anthropomorphized personal god to all these groups but an external god to a Christian is not the same as a personal god to the Theosophist or Alice Bailey student, for it represents the solar Angel or the reincarnating Ego or the Higher Self. Further, Dr. Hartmann, when referring to the One Fundamental Principle, means, again, as described in the Proem of The Secret Doctrine from original, esoteric Advaita Vedānta, but esoterically, not the standard, dogmatic Advaita Vedānta which does not reflect the esoteric definition.}

^[108] {Therefore, those people and organizations who despise the word “occult” are attempting to dissuade and deceive others into thinking this word is anathema and evil and should be avoided as it must be from the “devil,” which is a purely Church invention which does not reflect the truth. Those who are easily deceived are incapable of thinking for themselves and therefore not ready for the truth concerning most everything around them in the world today. These people believe they are telling truth. This is how the idea of the Illuminati being evil has also become, by their definition, evil. It is actually the evil forces on this planet which have proposed and led the way as to this distortion.}

^[109] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Zweiter Teil. Unter den Rosenkreuzern. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 92 (May 1900), 289-329}

^[110] See “Lotusblüthen” 1893 “The Physiology of the Astral Body.” {Correctly: Narrainaswamy Iyer, “Hatha Yoga. Die Physiologie des Astralkörpers” [Hatha Yoga. The physiology of the astral-body.] Lotusblüthen 2, no. 14 (1993), 797-823.}

^[111] {Here is an example wherein Dr. Hartmann makes the anthropomorphic God distinction and clarifies. Unfortunately he does not write about it often. But it is the crux of a long-standing problem in Christian, Muslim and Jewish doctrine. Theosophy clarifies the problem by people who believe in an imaginary, anthropomorphic god, i.e., a being generated out of human imagination. One can read, in the Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, the statement that the belief in an external, anthropomorphic god, has caused considerable confusion and distortions through wars, human struggles and bickering and the Masters have searched far and wide but have not found such a being.}

^[112] God represented as Jehovah signifies the universe or darkness. The letter Shin 𐡵 Hebrew, means fire. When this letter is placed in the middle of the word Jehovah, Jehovah becomes Jehoshua, i.e., Jesus, indicating that from the fire of divine love in the heart springs the light of wisdom, the divine consciousness, whose light dispels the darkness and enlightens the soul. Thus, the Lord of our Selfhood, the Son of God, was born in a stable, i.e. amidst our animal instincts and passions. compare F. Hartmann, “Yehoshua the Prophet of Nazareth.”

^[113] Dies ist durch die vier Buchstaben I. N. R. I. angedeutet, welche gewöhnlich über dem Bilde des Gekreuzigten angebracht sind, und in einer andern Lesart “Jesus Nazarenus Rex Judeoram,” Jesus der Nazarener, König der Juden, bedeuten. Im Grunde genommen bezeichnen beide Lesarten dasselbe, denn unter den “Juden” sind im exoterischen Sinne diese falschen Schein-Iche, die aus den niederen und nichterleuchteten Seelenkräften, intellektuellen Spekulationen u. s. w. ohne wahre Erkenntnis, Vorurteilen u. s. w. entspringen, zu verstehen.

^[114] This is indicated by the four letters I. N. R. I., which are usually placed above the image of the Crucified, and which in another reading mean “Jesus Nazarenus Rex Judeoram,” Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews. Basically, both readings refer to the same thing, because the “Jews” are to be understood in the exoteric sense as these false illusory egos, which arise from the lower and unenlightened soul forces, intellectual speculations, etc. without true knowledge, prejudices, etc.

^[115] De la Mothe Guyon, “The Inner Life.” Vol. II, p. 128.

^[116] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Zweiter Teil. Auszüge aus den Briefen eines Rosenkreuzers. Vorbemerkung. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 15, no. 93 (June 1900), 361-389}

^[117] The astral body.

^[118] There are three kinds of belief: 1. Intellectual belief, consisting in opinions and the belief in theories. 2. Spiritual faith, the power through which the soul feels the truth. 3. Spiritual belief, which springs from spiritual knowledge and is a magical power belonging to the higher Self.

^[119] There are said to be 32 signs on the body of a Buddha by which he can be identified.

^[120] All inner revelation consists in that what the divine soul recognizes in its innermost being reaches the consciousness of the personality of man.

^[121] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Zweiter Teil. Tagebuch-Notizen. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 16, no. 97 (October 1900), 649-681.}

^[122] Intellectually gifted people without a soul are common these days.

^[123] {Denkwürdige Erinnerungen aus dem Leben des Verfassers der “Lotusblüten.” Zweiter Teil. Franz Hartmann, M.D. Lotusblüten 16, no. 98, November 1900: 727-732}