Theosophical Correspondence.
Translation from German by Robert Hutwohl[1]
Good and Evil.
“Good” and “evil” are two properties that behave like light and shadow or like the core and the shell. “Good” is that which fulfills the purpose of its existence; “bad” is that which is useless for this purpose, and “evil” is that which runs counter to this purpose or prevents its attainment. In other words, every thing is both good and evil, because everything that can be used can also be misused. In the absolute sense, i.e. considered on its own, a thing is perfectly good if it is in reality what it should be; for then the purpose of its existence is fulfilled.
In this sense, every form of government, every religious system, every association would be good if it were what it should be. An autocracy with a wise man as autocrat at the head of wise officials who would carry out all his orders with the utmost honesty would be as good as a republic with a government composed of wise men; but where fools and impostors rule, the government in every form and under every name will be foolish and deceitful. If a church were what it should be, namely, a community of saints, it would be immaterial what title they gave themselves. If “Christians” were really inspired by the Holy Spirit of truth and Christian love, and if they really lived as “followers of Christ” according to their supposed divine example, there would be no quarrels among them and no wars among Christian peoples. A change of form will be of no avail as long as the spirit which forms their essence remains the same. On the other hand, the spirit of truth is the fundamental cause of all things. It is contained in every form, and it is only a matter of grasping it and expressing it externally. As long as this does not happen, all external reforms in the life of humanity have no lasting value and are only like houses of cards that the next breath of air blows down. The day of liberation only begins when man recognizes the purpose of his existence as a member of the whole of humanity and fulfills it.
Catholicism and Theosophy.
Question: — Is Catholicism an enemy of Theosophy?
Answer: — “Theosophy” means, as the Apostle Paul teaches, “The Hidden Wisdom of God,” and it would be a great pity if any religious system were an enemy of the divine wisdom; for it would thereby assume a diabolical character and condemn itself. But we must distinguish between “religion” in the true sense of the word and “churchism,” for in every church there are both priests and laymen who do not know and do not understand the spirit of religion, and are only followers of external ecclesiastical forms, dogmas and customs. The Catholic Church is, in its innermost essence, which is not known to everyone, a secret school of theosophy and magic. It possesses the most excellent symbolism, the most sublime ceremonies, and all the means to lead men on the path of salvation, i.e., to the self-consciousness of their immortal existence. It has a great ability to adapt to all circumstances and has therefore spread rapidly, and whoever recognizes the spirit of truth contained in it can no longer deny it. Nor did the great Reformation originally have the purpose of competing with the Catholic religion, but rather its sole purpose was to reform the Catholic Church and to control the rule of the priests.
The ideals, the realization of which should be the real purpose of the Catholic Church, are so high that they are understood by few, and even the meaning of its sacraments and symbols is mostly ignored or misunderstood. Through the spread of the teachings of Christianity, its sacred mysteries were exposed to an unintellectual multitude of learned and unlearned people who were not yet ripe to understand them; an unholy mob penetrated the sanctuary of the Egyptian mysteries and plundered pearls whose value they did not know and which they did not know how to use. The spirit of self-knowledge (theosophy) was driven out of the temple, and the spirit of churchmanship, priestly rule and obsession with authority were used to keep the foolish people in check and to acquire wealth and power. Only relatively few true Catholics remained. Thus it happens that the great majority of church-minded Catholics are hesitant towards the theosophical movement, while every Catholic who has come to the knowledge of God is by nature a theosophist and mystic.
Note
[1] Hartmann, F. (1905). “Theosophical Correspondence. Good and evil; Catholicism and Theosophy.” Hutwohl, R. (trans.), Theosophischer Wegweiser 7, no. 11 (August), 357-358 [Translation from the German by Robert Hutwohl, ©2025]