Theosophical Correspondence.
Translation from German by Robert Hutwohl[1]
What do you think about Catholicism?
Question: — What do you think of Catholicism?
Answer: — The Catholic Church is, in my opinion, in its very essence a secret school of theosophy and occult science, which possesses excellent symbols and methods of education and teaching, which are for the most part derived from northern Buddhism. For example, the ceremonies used in the Catholic Church at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are almost exactly the same as those used in Buddhist temples in China. If the Catholic Church were what it should be, one could not wish for a better “Theosophical Society” and “Esoteric School.” Then the Pope would be an adept, the clergy would consist of disciples of wisdom, and the members would be men striving after the light of truth. But here, as everywhere, the reality does not correspond to the ideal, and as a result of human folly, weaknesses and passions, the inner core is overgrown with a mass of outgrowths, so that it is often difficult to recognize. Protestantism was intended to purify Catholicism; but in many respects it has also thrown the baby out with the bathwater and substituted a stubborn rationalism for naive superstition, and in the process a good deal of Christian love was lost.
What is meant by “determination”?
Question: — What is meant by “destiny”?
Answer: — In my opinion, the word “destiny” corresponds exactly to the meaning of the word “karma.” Every human being occupies the position that he has created for himself through his will, thoughts and actions in the past, or in other words: in his being he represents a sum of vibrations of an instrument that is tuned to a certain note that is the result of his previous work and that he has therefore determined himself. There is no effect without corresponding previous causes. The state of our present existence is determined by our previous life. Without previous reincarnations there would be no differences in destiny at birth. Every human being represents, as it were, a musical poem in the great harmony of the universe, and his task is to strive to bring this musical poem into harmony with it, or in other words: to put himself into that permanent mood which harmonizes with the great whole. To do this he must learn through experience to eliminate the discords in his nature, and repeated incarnation offers him the best opportunity for this, since his earthly appearance again comes into existence in those spheres which correspond to the mood in which his soul finds itself, and to which he naturally belongs according to his innermost being. There is no talk here of an alien god who determines our fate, but everyone makes his own destiny; Nor is it a question of “reward” or “punishment,” but of the law of universal justice, according to which everyone has what he himself acquires. He who makes the right use of his temporary existence brings the strings of his soul into the right tuning and re-enters life as a harmonious whole on a higher level.
Is there such a thing as “coincidence”?
Question: — Is there such a thing as “coincidence”?
Answer: — Yes! Everything that happens to a person happens by chance; but nothing happens without a reason. If a person wins the big prize in a lottery, the reason is that he has chosen the right number. The word “chance” is one of the many words that are thoughtlessly used and abused by most people, but whose meaning is obvious.
Note
[1] Hartmann, F. (1907). “Theosophical Correspondence. What do you think about Catholicism? What is meant by ‘determination’? Is there such a thing as ‘coincidence’?” Hutwohl, R., (trans.), Theosophischer Wegweiser 8, no. 8 (May 1907), 247-248 [Translation from German by Robert Hutwohl, ©2025]