Theosophical Correspondence.
Translation from German by Robert Hutwohl[1]
Question: — Is it true that ignorance is the source of all evil?
Answer: — Yes, provided that the word “ignorance” (avidyā) is understood correctly; for it does not mean intellectual ignorance or ignorance of scientific theories, but the lack of knowledge of the higher nature inherent in man. If people were to awaken to this knowledge, i.e. to spiritual-divine consciousness, not only would the earth become heaven, but there would be no need to be reborn at all and to endure this life which Buddha describes as an illness. If academic knowledge alone could make one happy, then the professors on their chairs would be the happiest of all people; but intellectual knowledge does not free the soul; the correct knowledge is that which arises from true love of the good and enlightened reason, in other words: from wisdom.
Question: — What do we understand by “magic” and “sorcery”?
Answer: — ‘Magic is the application of the self-conscious will to control matter and to create images and forms. The will is a universal force from which the whole of creation has emerged and which is at the service of everyone, depending on their level of knowledge and experience. Everything can be achieved through the magical power of the will; but in order to be able to work magically outwardly using one’s own power, one must first learn to control the inner powers of one’s own body. Once people can control the matter of which their body is made entirely through the power of their spiritual will, i.e. when the spirit has gained complete control over matter, it will also be possible for it to transport itself and its material body to any place by sheer force of will and to create any visible form by means of imagination. Magical arts, on the other hand, are usually performed with the help of other invisible beings (elemental spirits, demons, etc.), who are called upon for this purpose through sacrifices and prayers. The will can do anything; however, it does not have to be the will guided by the imagination, but the will permeated by the spirit.
Question: — Are the theosophical teachings intended only for the educated?
Answer: — The theosophical teachings are intended for all who are ready to receive them, and this is the case with all honest people, but least of all with eccentric scholars. I have often mentioned the teachings of reincarnation and karma to people who have had no formal education at all and received the answer: “This is nothing new to me, I have always believed it,” and when I asked: “Who explained it to you?” the answer was: “Nobody has spoken to me about it. I know all this and I think it goes without saying.” It goes without saying for every simple mind, but anyone who bases his knowledge only on arguments and fantasies will wander around for a long time and will not understand the simple.
Question: — What is Theosophy?
Answer: — This question having been so often treated by modern writers, let us hear what a real theosophist of the Middle Ages has to say about it. Dr. John Pordage (1607-1681), one of the greatest mystics of his time, who occupied in England about the same place as Jacob Boehme in Germany, writes:
“The Virgin of Divine Wisdom, in her eternal, immaculate humanity or independence, is in the paradisiacal heaven what the outer moon is in this our visible heaven; for as the earthly moon receives its light and radiance from the sun, and is a lesser light than the sun, so Divine Wisdom is a lesser light than the Sun of Righteousness, the Eternal Son of God, and derives her light and radiance from him who illumines the English heavens and the third heaven with his eternal glory. The Body[2] of Divine Wisdom is a luminous Beauty, whose splendor shines through the whole of the Paradisal Heaven, and qualifies with all the eternal elements and powers thereof, and feigns them with a silvery clarity. It fills the Paradisal Heaven with innumerable virtues and celestial powers, as with as many celestial stars and divine constellations which belong to the Paradisal Heaven. These all have their origin and birth from the Fullness of the Eternal Humanity and Divine Essence of Wisdom, whose virtue and power is in them all, and pervades them all, so that they are all dependent upon the Body of Divine Wisdom. How many of our modern “Theosophists” will understand this language?
Note
[1] Hartmann, F. (1907) Theosophical Correspondence. Is ignorance the source of evil? What is magic and sorcery? Are theosophical teachings only for the educated? What is Theosophy? (Hutwohl, R., Trans.) Theosophischer Wegweiser 8, no. 9 (June), 271-272. {Translation from German by Robert Hutwohl, ©2025}
[2] Substance.