Theosophical Correspondence.
Translation from German by Robert Hutwohl[1]
Question: — Is there a heaven and a hell? — Are these just subjective states or places? — How can one get there?
Answer: — To answer such questions one could refer to various authors, but it is enough to consult one’s own common sense.
We live in a visible, physical world filled with all kinds of objects, and the objects a person sees are not all his own products, but he also comes into contact with other beings and their products. Likewise, his mental world consists not only of thoughts generated by himself, but he is also constantly under the influence of ideas and concepts created by other people.
Now, the images and forms created by thought and will are not visible to our physical eyes; we can thus only perceive their representations on the physical plane; but it is reasonable to assume, and confirmed by the experience of authorities, that the world of thought is as real to the thought body of man, separated from the physical body, whose senses are open, as our world is to our physical powers of perception. It is filled with the products of thought and will, and each person moves there not only among the forms which he himself has created by his thought and will, but also among the thought products of others. Moreover, every thing, whether it be a form created by imagination or a material body, needs a place in which to exist.
Of course, these arguments can also be applied to the astral world, that semi-material world which is the link between the world of thought and the physical world of the body, and since men are constantly creating all kinds of beings through their will, thoughts and actions, it is not surprising that it is claimed that on the planes invisible to us there exist the most varied creatures, both good and evil, which perhaps have some similarities to those described by Dante in his Divine Comedy. It is the spirit (life) which creates these beings, and its creative power is not limited to our visible world. But if we consider the atrocities committed by men under the influence of passion or even by madmen who are evidently possessed, we can get an idea of the kind of forces and beings that populate hell. It is also a general law of nature, operating on all levels, that like comes together with like, and that consequently everyone gravitates to where they belong according to their nature.
It is a great error on the part of the “rationalists” when they believe that they have abolished hell; for by doing so they have opened its gates to our world, and since they themselves close their eyes to spiritual knowledge, they will not see any light, but will remain in darkness. For people who have attained full knowledge, heaven and hell, like our visible world, are indeed only products of will and imagination, but for the millions who have not yet been purified and awakened to true divine self-consciousness, these states are reality. But whether we go to heaven or hell depends on our free will. If we surround ourselves with good thoughts, we are in heaven and enjoy bliss; if we attract devils and ghosts, we are in their company. (Compare Bhagavad-Gītā, XIV, 14 and 15.)
This society may not be particularly troublesome to us while we live in the physical body, since we do not see it and the body protects us; but when we leave it after death, different conditions will undoubtedly arise and the beings formed by the animal passions will show themselves in their true form.
The most reliable teacher of these things, Gautama Buddha, says about the conditions after death: “There are five paths: the wrong path (destruction), the animal womb (hell), the ghost realm (the lower astral world with its earthbound souls),[2] humans (reincarnation) and the gods (the heavenly world).” He compares the “wrong path” to a pit full of glowing coals into which a person falls, the “animal womb” to a cesspool full of rubbish and stinking excrement, the “ghost realm” to a stunted tree that offers only scant protection against the heat of the sun, the state before “rebirth” to a blissful rest, the world of the gods as a place of heavenly joy. (See, K. E. Neumann [Karl Eugen Neumann], “The Speeches of Gotamo Buddho,” Volume 1, page 117 et seq.)
If we compare the statements of Christian mystics or indeed of enlightened people of all nations with this, we will find a great deal of agreement. Every true disciple of occult science also knows that in the astral world there are powerful forces which would be able to destroy all of humanity and the entire globe if higher, heavenly powers did not watch over them and protect us. Thus the battle between good and evil continues, and man takes part in it, even without knowing it; but learned school wisdom, like the ostrich when persecuted, buries its head in the sand and in its vanity imagines that what it cannot see with closed eyes does not exist.[3]
Note
[1] Theosophical Correspondence. Heaven and Hell. By Dr. Franz Hartmann [Theosophische Korrespondenz. Himmel und Hölle. Von Dr. Franz Hartmann. Theosophischer Wegweiser 8, no, 4 (January 1907), 131-133]
[2] [R.H.—This is called the realm of hungry ghosts.
[3] [R.H.—This of course is merely a metaphor. Not true in actual fact.]