The Christian Mystery
GA 97
25 April 1906, Leipzig
XXVIII. The Reasons for the Existence of the Theosophical Movement
It is not by chance that we have a theosophical movement. It has to do with the whole of 19th-century development, with the spread of materialism which came to the fore in the 1840s—more or less, also a little before and after that. Materialism had also spread during the four centuries that went before. To understand this we have to go back to the 5th and 6th centuries. People have a completely wrong idea about the way people's minds went in those days. It is the worst of errors to imagine they thought the way we do today. They had quite different ideas about the stars in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, for example. Today people see only material things in them. In medieval times every star was seen to be a spirit. Not only uneducated but also educated people saw a star as a spirit. And so the whole space of heaven was filled with spirit. There is a big difference between assuming the universe to consist of bodies only or thinking that there is also spirit. In those times people felt secure in a spiritual cosmos. We have no need, however, to long for those medieval views to come back.
Copernicus201Copernicus, Nicolas (1473–1543). De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, Nürnberg 1543. conquered cosmic space for a materialistic approach. Exploration of the physical world reached its greatest height. Schleiden202Schleiden, Matthias Jakob (1804–1881), German botanist. Beiträge zur Phylogenesis, in Archiv für Anatomie, Physiologic und wissenschaftliche Medizin vol. 5, 1838. and others discovered the cell. Railways and everything of that kind gave a tremendous boost to materialism. The great guides of humanity then asked themselves what was to be done. How can we make people understand that there is a life of the spirit? People then only had a feeling for material things and would say: ‘If there is a spirit, let it prove itself to be a spirit.’ Spiritualism broke out and people actually attempted this.203See Rudolf Steiner's public lecture on the history of spiritualism in The History of Spiritism and the History of Hypnotism and Somnambulism (in GA 52, Berlin 30 May 1904. Tr. F. E. Dawson. London & New York: Rudolf Steiner Publishing Co. & Anthroposophic Press 1943; also lectures of 10 and 11 October 1915 in The Occult Movement in the Nineteenth Century (GA 254). Tr. D. Osmond. London: Rudolf Steiner Press 1973. Initiates always seek to teach people in a way they will understand, and efforts were therefore made to produce manifestations, revelations from the other world.
Now we must first of all consider human destiny after death. When we are asleep, physical body and ether body are united and the astral body is floating above the physical body. When we die, not only does the astral body separate from the physical body, but both the astral and the ether body go away, leaving the physical body behind. The astral and ether bodies remain together for a short time, a review of life follows that takes two or three days. Then they, too, separate, the ether body dissolves to be part of the power of life in general, and the astral body reaches a state known as kamaloka. It is disembodied but still has the habits and inclinations of the physical body. Let me illustrate this. A gourmet still has his food fancies. He no longer has a palate, but the palate's desire remains as a sensation of burning thirst. In kamaloka such habits are shed, with the desires finally consuming themselves. Then the astral body, too, is shed, in so far as it was the vehicle for desires.
There is a way in which such abandoned astral corpses can be galvanized and brought into the world we perceive through the senses. The medium makes his ether body available for this and ‘materializations’, as they are called, are brought about with its help. This was the method used to show materialistic humanity what remains after death, and the initiates had hoped that this would convince people.
Two problems arose, however. In the first place, people who became convinced because of spiritualism did not improve morally with this, that is they did not reach a higher level ethically. In the second place this way of seeing, or of being convinced, actually proved unfavourable—after death. People who had it did not have it easier in kamaloka but harder. For on top of everything else they now also brought the desire with them to see all things of the spirit satisfied in material terms, through the senses, for any such view will appear as a quality in kamaloka. An oppressive, leaden weight lay upon these dead. The initiates therefore said to themselves: ‘This will not do.’ Ah, you'll say, the initiates got things wrong then. But they, too, have to learn from experience, trial and error. It was then the almost unanimous decision in the great community of occultists that as this external means had not proved effective they would take another route, which was the inner route of theosophy. What are its aims? The aim is to get to know the spirit that lives in the human being himself. This spirit is the goal. But it is only possible to get to know the spirit if one is without prejudice. One has to understand the things that humanity has in common.
Egotism had evolved parallel to materialism. Here's just one example. Participation in group travel is contingent on one particular condition, which is that religious subjects must not be brought up in conversation. People are afraid of the egotism of personal opinion, for if you have seven people you'll also have seven opinions. Opinions are thus put above general love for humanity. But brotherhood only begins where love of humanity ranks above opinions.
Theosophy exists so that truth may be sought with personal opinions in balance. People have to be tolerant again, not only as regards the person but also with regard to individual nature. To be tolerant is not just to let others be but in this context to open oneself up to understanding their peculiar nature. Theosophy should thus not be a dogma but an expression of love. We must help our brothers, that is, put love above opinions, and this brings a uniform spirit to human evolution. This is the practical approach which should develop in the theosophical movement.
Answers to questions
Question. What method of training should be chosen instead of yoga training?
Answer. Do not confuse occultism with theosophy. The aim of theosophy is to teach the profound wisdom. It does not in itself exist to make people clairvoyant, though it does also go towards such training.
Occult training is available. Some people think they have to look to India for this, but in this they are greatly mistaken. Training of this kind is also available in Europe. Someone looking for a teacher or guru will find him in the world. Theosophists are wrong to look for this only in India. Chacravarti,204Chakravarti, Prof F. N. spoke for Hinduism at the World Religious Congress in Chicago and also for theosophy, being a theosophist himself. an Indian of high repute, significantly said at the Chicago congress: ‘My people, too, have gone downhill when it comes to understanding the world in spiritual terms, and theosophy has helped us to rise up again.’
Mrs Blavatsky actually did not only present Indian views, as many people assume. First a European was her guide, and then an Egyptian.205Nothing further is known about these two guides. See Olcott HS Old Diary Leaves 1895. That was when she wrote Isis Unveiled.
You should not think that the training should be the same for all. The nature of the Indian organism is such that the ether body may be drawn out much more easily. It is at a different level, the first level of the Indian root race, i.e. its first root race, whereas Europeans are at the fifth level of the fifth root race. It is relatively easy to get an Indian to be clairvoyant, drawing out the ether body and putting it into the state known as lethargy, i.e. numbness and lack of sensation. It is as if the body has gone dead. If we were to let a finger die by tying it off, a clairvoyant would see the ether finger hang down beside the tied-off finger. When someone has been hypnotized, the clairvoyant sees the etheric brain hanging down on either side of the head. When the body has thus been deadened, the astral body has to be used, and this imprints anything impressed in it into the ether body. It is extremely difficult for a European to get such astral impressions, or to have them given to him, and a way was sought, therefore, where it was not necessary to draw out the ether body. The Rosicrucians found this from the 14th century onwards, and their method is the best for Europeans. Our bodies have grown denser than Indian bodies; they have gone through a downward development, which is in accord with the necessary process of evolution. On the other hand we enter this state in full conscious awareness, whilst daytime consciousness is suppressed with the Indian method.
Hypnotizing people is not, on the whole, a good thing. Firstly the intervention weakens the subject's will. Secondly it is black magic, with the subject being overcome by the hypnotist. It definitely should not be used with healthy people, though the situation may be a little different in case of sickness.
What does the term ‘downward development’ mean?
Take the materialistic view of things. Here ape, here man—and man is therefore descended from the ape. This is not the case, for ape and man have common ancestors, something modern scientists also accept.206See Poppelbaum H. Man and Animal, chapter on origins The truth is that the one must develop at the cost of the other. Thus there was a realm of life forms during the ancient moon period of evolution that were somewhere between animal and plant. Mistletoe is a relict of this. The plant evolved downwards, the animal upwards. The same applies to man. Human beings developed some parts upwards and others downwards. Thus it is a fact, for instance, that humans once had cartilage instead of bones. To put it crudely: they are progressively hardening. On the other hand any loosening or separation of the higher bodies brought about by occult training is an anticipation of general evolutional stages that will be reached in the future.
Why has man been incarnated in his physical body?
Man already had all the potential in those earlier times which he is to develop on earth, but none of it was his own. When man will no longer gain anything from being in this world he will no longer need to incarnate. He will then give his body to the planet.
What is the situation with the Flood?
This Flood was the great event which came when the greater part of Atlantis went down. The actual end of Atlantis covered vast spaces of time. Like everything important told in the Bible and the oldest records—much treasure trove still waits to be found there—the rainbow which came into being in Noah's day207Genesis 9: 13-17. is something of great significance. We are told it symbolized the covenant between god and humanity. In occult terms it has another meaning as well. On Atlantis, moisture and air were distributed in a very different way. German mythology refers to Niflheim, home of mists. The whole of the air was filled with water then. Human beings of post-Atlantean times were only able to live after the sinking of Atlantis. The rainbow could only develop when both rain and sunshine had become possible on earth.
We read of dirigible airships in records of Atlantis.208E.g. in W. Scott-Elliot's The Story of Atlantis, preface by A. P. Sinnet What was the situation there?
The Atlanteans had developed their second body, the ether body with its vital energies, to a high level. The rational mind was only feeble at that time. Memory had to take its place. Thus Atlanteans would not do sums, now knowing the value of figures, but were able to judge quantities from memory. They knew what amount they would have if they added 3 items to 3. Earlier situations they were able to remember helped them to know this. Having fully developed their vital energies they knew how to make use of the vital energies in the whole natural world. They knew the germinative potential of grain seed, for instance, and how to draw it forth and use it. Just think of the power in a seed grain! Think of everything that may come of it. The yogis also know, in a way, how to lure the germinative power out of the seed. The stories of a mango seed being put in the soil and a shoot arising, then the tree, leaves, flowers and finally fruit is not fiction, it is a fact. Atlanteans who were able to use vital energies for a dirigible as well as for other things therefore need not be mere fable.
Is it possible to avoid having to go through devachan after death?
At a particular stage of development the ether body is so firmly put together that it will not dissolve after death. This happens when the astral body has imprinted much spirituality in the ether body. With the ether body able to continue, the pupil need not go into the devachan, which is the place where the new ether body is created.
Does the kind of food we eat really have such great significance for the development of occult powers?
Absolutely. Development is completely impossible if alcohol is taken. And it is strange, but there are deep reasons for this, that the issue of abstinence and temperance is coming alive so much again at this time.
But wine is surely only grape juice, and therefore fruit juice?
Juice obtained from grapes is good for development for as long as it is only fruit juice, though when it has fermented it has a detrimental effect. Look back once more in history. Wine began to be taken 600 years before Christ, when the custom was probably already at its height, for the feasts of Dionysus developed at which homage was paid to the god of wine. But just like everything else, so every fruit, too, has its time, and grapes will vanish from the earth again. Just think of the coming of the vine pest. Everything coming from a living animal serves us for food—milk, eggs—and so does every part of a plant that seeks to reach the light, the sun. Because of this, tree fruits are very good. Tubers growing in the soil, such as potatoes, and roots are not so good. In the past, people ate people, then they ate animals. They will gradually change to a pure vegetable diet and finally end with the minerals. Everything that precipitates should be avoided, salt, for instance. All this has to do with the development of occult powers and not with gaining knowledge of spiritual truths.
Welches Sind Die Gründe Dafür, Dass Es Heute Eine Theosophische Bewegung Gibt?
Es ist keine Zufälligkeit, daß es eine theosophische Bewegung gibt. Sie hängt mit der ganzen Entwickelung des 19. Jahrhunderts zusammen, mit der Ausbreitung des Materialismus, die in den vierziger Jahren - ungefähr, auch etwas vor- und nachher - ausschlaggebend wurde. Schon in den vorangegangenen letzten vier Jahrhunderten bereitete sich der Materialismus vor. Um das zu verstehen, muß man sich einmal bis in das 5. und 6. Jahrhundert zurückversetzen. Man macht sich eine ganz falsche Vorstellung von den geistigen Zuständen damaliger Zeiten. Es ist der größte Irrtum, anzunehmen, daß der Mensch damals so dachte wie heute. Zum Beispiel von den Sternen hatte man noch im 13,14. und 15. Jahrhundert eine ganz andere Vorstellung. Jetzt sieht der Mensch auf ihnen nur Materielles. Im Mittelalter sah man in jedem Stern einen Geist. Nicht nur für den Ungelehrten, sondern auch für den Gebildeten war der Stern der Ausdruck für einen Geist. So war der ganze Himmelsraum vergeistigt. Das ist ein großer Unterschied, ob man im Universum nur Körper oder auch Geistiges vermutet. Der damalige Mensch fühlte sich ganz geborgen in einem geistigen Weltenraum. Wir brauchen uns aber nicht nach dieser mittelalterlichen Anschauung zurückzusehnen.
Kopernikus eroberte den Weltenraum für eine materialistische Anschauung. Die Erforschung der physischen Welt stieg auf den Höhepunkt. Schleiden und andere entdeckten die Zelle. Eisenbahnen und alles dergleichen förderten mächtig den Materialismus. Da fragten sich die großen Führer der Menschheit: Was tun? Auf welche Weise ist es den Menschen beizubringen, daß geistiges Leben vorhanden ist? — Es war nur Sinn für das Materielle vorhanden. Man sagte: Gibt es Geist, so soll er sich auch als Geist beweisen. — So wurde denn tatsächlich ein Versuch unternommen durch den hereinbrechenden Spiritismus. Da von den Eingeweihten immer Belehrung in der den Menschen verständlichen Weise versucht wird, wurde angestrebt, Manifestationen, Offenbarungen aus der jenseitigen Welt hervorzubringen. Wir müssen nun zunächst einmal das Schicksal des Menschen nach dem Tode betrachten. Wenn der Mensch schläft, sind physischer Leib und Ätherleib vereinigt, der Astralleib schwebt über dem physischen Leib. Wenn der Mensch stirbt, trennt sich nicht nur der Astralleib vom physischen Leib, sondern Astralleib und Ätherleib gehen zusammen fort, der physische Körper bleibt zurück. Astralleib und Ätherleib bleiben noch kurze Zeit vereint, es findet eine zwei bis drei Tage dauernde Lebensrückschau statt. Dann trennen auch sie sich, der Ätherleib löst sich als Lebenskraft in der allgemeinen Lebenskraft auf, und der Astralleib kommt in den Zustand, den man Kamaloka nennt. Er ist entkörpert, hat aber noch die Gewohnheiten und Neigungen des physischen Leibes. Hier ein verdeutlichender Fall: Der Feinschmecker hat noch seine Gelüste. Das ist eine seelische Eigenschaft, eine Begierde. Den Gaumen hat er nicht mehr, aber die Gaumenbegierde bleibt ihm als brennendes Durstgefühl. Im Kamaloka findet die Abgewöhnung statt, denn die Begierde verzehrt sich schließlich, und dann wird auch der Astralleib abgelegt, soweit er Träger der Begierden ist.
Nun gibt es eine Möglichkeit, solche abgelegte Astralleichname zu galvanisieren, sie hereinzurufen in die sinnliche Welt. Hierzu stellt ein Medium seinen Ätherleib zur Verfügung. Mit dessen Hilfe kommen sogenannte Materialisationen zustande. Das war die Methode, der materialistischen Menschheit zu zeigen, was übrigbleibt nach dem Tode, und die Eingeweihten hatten gehofft, dadurch die Menschen zu überzeugen.
Zwei Mißstände aber zeigten sich. Erstens wurden diejenigen, die durch den Spiritismus überzeugt wurden, nicht moralisch besser mit dieser Auffassung, blieben also ohne sittliche Hebung. Zweitens aber erwies sich diese Art von Anschauung oder Überzeugung sogar als ungünstig - nach dem Tod. Denn solchen, die sie hatten, wurde der Zustand im Kamaloka nicht leichter, sondern schwerer. Zu allem übrigen brachten sie nämlich noch das Verlangen mit, alles Geistige materiell durch die Sinne befriedigt zu sehen, weil eine jede derartige Anschauung als Kamaloka-Eigenschaft auftritt. Es war eine drückende Schwere, die sich bleiern auf die Toten legte. Das war der Grund, daß die Eingeweihten sich sagten: So geht es nicht weiter. - Also irrten sich die Eingeweihten - wird man hier einwenden. Aber auch Eingeweihte müssen ihre Erfahrungen sammeln und erproben. Da beschloß man ziemlich einstimmig in der großen Gemeinschaft der Okkultisten, nachdem sich dieses äußere Mittel nicht bewährt hatte, einen andern Weg einzuschlagen, einen inneren, den theosophischen Weg. Was will dieser? Er will dasjenige, was im Menschen selbst als Geist lebt, kennenlernen. Dieser Geist ist das Ziel. Nun kann man den Geist nur kennenlernen, wenn man sich unbefangen hingibt. Man muß das Gemeinsame der Menschheit verstehen.
Als Parallelerscheinung des Materialismus hatte sich der Egoismus entwickelt. Hier nur ein Beispiel: Bei allgemeinen Reiseunternehmungen gibt es eine besondere Bedingung zur Teilnahme: Alle religiösen Fragen sind als Gesprächsgegenstand ausgeschlossen. — Man fürchtet den Egosimus der Meinungen, denn wo sieben Menschen beisammen sind, kann man sieben Meinungen finden. Man stellt also die Meinungen über die allgemeine Menschenliebe. Da aber fängt Brüderschaft erst an, wo Menschenliebe über den Meinungen steht.
Dazu ist die Theosophie da, um im Ausgleich der Meinungen die eine Wahrheit zu suchen. Die Menschen müssen wieder tolerant werden, nicht nur bis in die Persönlichkeit, sondern bis in die Individualität hinein. Tolerant heißt nicht nur duldsam sein, andere gewähren lassen, sondern heißt hier, sich offen machen, ihre Eigenart zu verstehen. Theosophie soll also kein Dogma sein, sondern Äußerung der Liebe. Man muß den Menschenbrüdern helfen, also die Liebe über die Meinungen stellen, und das bringt den einheitlichen Geist in die Menschenentwickelung. Das ist das Praktische, was in der theosophischen Bewegung herausgebildet werden soll.
Fragenbeantwortung
Welche Schulungsmethode soll man anstelle der Jogaschulung wählen?
Man darf nicht Okkultismus mit Theosophie verwechseln. Die Theosophie sucht die Lehre von der tiefen Weisheit zu verbreiten. Sie ist an sich nicht da, um die Menschen zum Hellsehen zu führen. Dennoch leitet sie auch zu solcher Ausbildung hin.
Es gibt okkulte Schulungen. Manche glauben, sie müßten solche in Indien suchen. Das ist ein großer Irrtum. In Europa finden auch solche Schulungen statt. Derjenige, der seinen Lehrer oder Guru sucht, findet ihn in der Welt. Die Theosophen tun unrecht, nur in Indien zu suchen. Der hochstehende Inder Chakravarti sagte auf dem Kongreß in Chicago die bedeutsamen Worte: «Auch mein Volk ist heruntergesunken von der spirituellen Erfassung der Welt, und die Theosophie hat uns geholfen, uns wieder zu erheben.»
Übrigens hat Frau Blavatsky gar nicht, wie so viele annehmen, uns nur indische Anschauungen gebracht. Zunächst war ein Europäer ihr Führer, dann ein Ägypter, damals schrieb sie «Isis unveiled».
Man darf nicht glauben, daß gleiche Ausbildung für alle sein muß. Der indische Organismus ist so, daß der Ätherleib viel leichter herausgezogen werden kann. Er steht auf einer andern Stufe. Er befindet sich auf der ersten Stufe der fünften Wurzelrasse, also deren erster Stammrasse, während der Europäer sich auf der fünften Stufe der fünften Stammrasse befindet. Es ist verhältnismäßig leicht, den Inder zum Hellsehen zu bringen, den Ätherleib herauszuziehen und ihn in den Zustand zu bringen, den man Lethargie nennt, das heißt Betäubung und Unempfindlichkeit. Der Körper ist dann wie abgestorben. Ein Hellseher würde, wenn man beispielsweise einen Finger mittels eines abschnürenden Fadens absterben ließe, den Ätherfinger neben dem abgebundenen herunterhängen sehen. Beim Hypnotisierten sieht der Hellseher das ätherische Gehirn zu beiden Seiten des Kopfes herunterhängen. Wenn also der Körper wie abgestorben ist, muß der Astralleib benutzt werden, und nun drückt dieser das, was ihm eingeprägt wird, dem Ätherleib ein. Weil es nun für den Europäer außerordentlich schwer ist, solche astralischen Eindrücke zu bekommen, oder sich geben zu lassen, wurde ein Weg gesucht, auf dem es nicht nötig war, den Ätherleib herauszuziehen. Diesen hatten seit dem 14. Jahrhundert die Rosenkreuzer gefunden, und ihre Methode ist für die Europäer die geeignetste. Unser Körper ist dichter geworden als der der Inder; er entwickelte sich hinunterwärts, dem notwendigen Entwickelungsgang gemäß. Dafür aber entsteht dieser Zustand bei uns bewußt, während bei den Indern das Tagesbewußtsein unterdrückt wird.
Das Hypnotisieren ist im allgemeinen nicht gut. Es ist ein Eingriff, der erstens den Willen des Hypnotisierten schwächt. Und zweitens ist es schwarze Magie, man überwältigt den andern. Bei gesunden Menschen darf er unbedingt nicht angewandt werden. Bei Kranken dürfte es etwas anderes sein.
Was ist mit dem Ausdruck gemeint: Hinunterwärts entwickeln?
Nehmen Sie die materialistische Anschauungsweise. Sie sagt: Hier Affe, hier Mensch -, also stammt der Mensch vom Affen ab. — Dem ist nicht so, sondern Affe und Mensch haben gemeinsame Ahnen, das erkennt heute auch die Naturwissenschaftan. Tatsächlich muß sich der eine auf Kosten des andern entwickeln. So gab es zu einem Zeitpunkt der alten Mondentwickelung ein Reich, dessen Wesen zwischen Tier und Pflanze standen. Ein Relikt davon ist die Mistel. Die Pflanze entwickelte sich hinunter, das Tier hinauf. Das gilt nun auch für den Menschen: gewisse Glieder entwickelte der Mensch hinauf, andere hinunter. Tatsache ist zum Beispiel, daß der Mensch einst Knorpel statt Knochen hatte. Grob ausgedrückt: er ist in der Verhärtung begriffen. Indessen ist jede Lockerung oder Loslösung der höheren Wesensglieder, wie sie durch die okkulte Schulung bewirkt wird, eine Vorausnahme späterer allgemeiner Entwickelungszustände.
Wozu wurde der Mensch im physischen Leib inkarniert?
Der Mensch hatte wohl schon früher alle Anlagen, die er auf der Erde zur Entfaltung bringen soll, aber sie waren noch kein eigenes Besitztum. Wenn erst der Mensch nichts mehr auf dieser Welt gewinnen kann, braucht er sich nicht mehr zu inkarnieren. Dann gibt er seinen Leib an den Planeten ab.
Wie verhält es sich mit der Noahschen Flut?
Diese Flut war das große Weltereignis, das eintrat, als das Festland der Atlantis zum größten Teil versank. Sein eigentlicher Untergang erstreckte sich auf lange Zeiträume. Wie alles, was in der Bibel und den ältesten Schriften von Bedeutung ist — es sind da noch unsägliche Schätze zu heben -, so ist auch der Regenbogen, der zu Noahs Zeiten erstand, etwas ganz Bedeutungsvolles. Er soll, so heißt es, den Bund zwischen Gott und den Menschen symbolisieren. Aber okkult hat er noch eine andere Bedeutung. Auf der Atlantis war eine ganz andere Verteilung von Feuchtigkeit und Luft. Der germanische Mythus spricht von Niflheim, Nebelheim. Die ganze Luft war damals von Wasser erfüllt. Erst nach dem Untergang des atlantischen Festlandes konnte der Mensch der nachatlantischen Zeit leben. Der Regenbogen konnte nur entstehen, als Regen und Sonnenschein zugleich auf der Erde möglich waren.
In Beschreibungen der Atlantis liest man von lenkbaren Luftschiffen. Wie verhält es sich damit?
Bei den Atlantiern war zunächst das zweite Wesensglied des Menschen, der Ätherleib mit der Lebenskraft, hervorragend entwickelt. Dagegen war der Verstand erst ganz schwach vorhanden. Das Gedächtnis mußte ihn ersetzen. Der Atlantier rechnete zum Beispiel nicht, er kannte nicht den Wert der Zahlen, doch wußte er aus dem Gedächtnis Mengen zu beurteilen. Er wußte, wenn er zu drei Stück noch drei hinzulegte, welche Menge das geben würde; frühere, im Gedächtnis haftende Fälle verhalfen ihm zu dieser Vorstellung. Weil er nun aber das zweite Wesensglied, die Lebenskraft, voll entwickelt hatte, wußte er die Lebenskraft in der ganzen Natur für sich nutzbar zu machen. So kannte er die Keimkraft des Kornes und verstand es, sie herauszuziehen und zu verwenden. Und welche Kraft liegt in einem Samenkorn! Was alles entsteht aus ihm! Auch die Jogis wissen in einer gewissen Weise die Keimkraft aus dem Samenkorn herauszulocken. Denn die Erzählungen vom Stecken eines Samenkornes des Mangobaumes in die Erde und dem alsbaldigen Hervorwachsen erst von einem Trieb, dann von Baum, Blättern, Blüte und endlich Frucht ist keine ausgedachte Erzählung, sondern eine Tatsache. Daß also der Atlantier zu einem lenkbaren Luftschiff wie zu andern Dingen Lebenskräfte zu verwenden verstand, braucht nicht in das Reich der Fabel zu gehören.
Ist ein Verzicht auf den nachtodlichen Durchgang durch das Devachan möglich?
In einem gewissen Stadium der Entwickelung ist der Ätherleib so fest gefügt, daß er sich nach dem Tode nicht auflöst. Es ist das der Fall, wo der Astralleib dem Ätherleib viel Spiritualität eingeprägt hat. Weil der Ätherleib weiterbestehen kann, braucht der Schüler nicht erst ins Devachan überzugehen, den Ort, wo der neue Ätherleib gebildet wird.
Hat die Ernährungsweise wirklich eine so große Bedeutung für die Entwickelung okkulter Kräfte?
Unbedingt. Vollständig ausgeschlossen ist die Entwickelung bei Alkoholgenuß. Und das ist wieder das Eigenartige, aber Tiefbegründete, daß gerade jetzt die Abstinenz- und Temperenzfrage lebhaft auftaucht.
Aber Wein ist doch nur Traubensaft, also Fruchtsaft?
Solange der aus Trauben gewonnene Saft nur Fruchtsaft ist, ist er gut, gegoren aber nachteilig für die Entwickelung. Blicken Sie wieder in die Geschichte zurück. 600 vor Christus fing der Genuß von Wein an, war damals vielleicht schon in voller Blüte, denn da erstanden die Dionysos-Feste, durch die dem Weingott gehuldigt wurde. Aber wie alles seine Zeit hat, auch jede Frucht, so wird auch die Traube von der Erde wieder verschwinden. Denken Sie nur an das Auftreten der Reblaus. Vom Tier ist alles zu genießen, was vom lebenden Tier kommt - Milch, Eier -, von den Pflanzen das, was hinaufstrebt nach dem Licht, der Sonne zu. Deshalb sind Baumfrüchte sehr gut. Knollengewächse, die in der Erde wachsen, wie Kartoffeln, Rüben, sind nicht so günstig. Früher fraßen Menschen andere Menschen, dann genossen sie Tiere. Sie werden zur reinen Pflanzenkost übergehen und schließlich mit dem Mineral enden. Alles, was sich niederschlägt, ist zu meiden, zum Beispiel Salz. Dies bezieht sich alles auf die Entwickelung okkulter Kräfte, aber nicht auf die wissensmäßige Aneignung spiritueller Wahrheiten.
What are the reasons for the existence of a theosophical movement today?
It is no coincidence that there is a theosophical movement. It is connected with the entire development of the 19th century, with the spread of materialism, which became decisive in the 1840s—roughly speaking, and also somewhat before and after that. Materialism had already been developing over the previous four centuries. To understand this, we must go back to the 5th and 6th centuries. People have a completely false idea of the spiritual conditions of those times. It is a great mistake to assume that people thought then as they do today. For example, in the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries, people had a completely different idea of the stars. Nowadays, people see only material things in them. In the Middle Ages, people saw a spirit in every star. Not only for the uneducated, but also for the educated, the star was the expression of a spirit. Thus, the entire sky was spiritualized. It makes a big difference whether one assumes that the universe consists only of physical bodies or also of spiritual beings. People at that time felt completely secure in a spiritual world. However, we do not need to long for this medieval view.
Copernicus conquered the universe for a materialistic view. The exploration of the physical world rose to its peak. Schleiden and others discovered the cell. Railways and everything of that kind powerfully promoted materialism. Then the great leaders of humanity asked themselves: What to do? How can we teach people that spiritual life exists? — There was only a sense of the material. People said: If spirit exists, it must prove itself as spirit. — So an attempt was actually made through the advent of spiritualism. Since the initiated always try to teach in a way that is understandable to people, the aim was to bring about manifestations and revelations from the other world. We must first consider the fate of human beings after death. When a person sleeps, the physical body and the etheric body are united, and the astral body hovers above the physical body. When a person dies, not only does the astral body separate from the physical body, but the astral body and the etheric body go on together, leaving the physical body behind. The astral body and etheric body remain united for a short time, and a review of life lasting two to three days takes place. Then they also separate, the etheric body dissolves as life force into the general life force, and the astral body enters the state called Kamaloka. It is disembodied, but still has the habits and inclinations of the physical body. Here is an illustrative case: the gourmet still has his cravings. This is a mental characteristic, a desire. He no longer has a palate, but the palate's desire remains with him as a burning thirst. In Kamaloka, weaning takes place, because the desire eventually consumes itself, and then the astral body is also discarded, insofar as it is the carrier of desires.
Now there is a possibility of galvanizing such discarded astral corpses, of summoning them into the sensory world. For this purpose, a medium makes his etheric body available. With its help, so-called materializations take place. This was the method used to show materialistic humanity what remains after death, and the initiates had hoped to convince people by this means.
However, two problems arose. First, those who were convinced by spiritualism did not become morally better with this view, and thus remained without moral elevation. Second, this kind of view or conviction even proved to be unfavorable after death. For those who held it, the condition in Kamaloka did not become easier, but more difficult. In addition to everything else, they brought with them the desire to see everything spiritual satisfied materially through the senses, because every such view appears as a Kamaloka characteristic. It was an oppressive heaviness that weighed heavily on the dead. That was the reason why the initiates said to themselves: This cannot go on. “So the initiates were mistaken,” one might object here. But even initiates must gather and test their experiences. After this external means had not proven successful, the large community of occultists decided almost unanimously to take another path, an inner one, the theosophical path. What does this path want? It wants to get to know that which lives in human beings themselves as spirit. This spirit is the goal. Now, one can only get to know the spirit if one surrenders oneself impartially. One must understand what humanity has in common.
Egoism had developed as a parallel phenomenon to materialism. Here is just one example: on general travel ventures, there is a special condition for participation: all religious questions are excluded as topics of conversation. People fear the egoism of opinions, because where seven people are together, there can be seven opinions. So opinions are placed above general human love. But brotherhood only begins where human love stands above opinions.
This is what theosophy is for, to seek the one truth in the balance of opinions. People must become tolerant again, not only in their personality, but also in their individuality. Tolerant does not only mean being tolerant, allowing others to do as they please, but also means opening oneself up to understanding their uniqueness. Theosophy should therefore not be a dogma, but an expression of love. We must help our fellow human beings, placing love above opinions, and this brings a unified spirit to human development. This is the practical aspect that should be developed in the theosophical movement.
Questions and Answers
Which training method should one choose instead of yoga training?
One must not confuse occultism with theosophy. Theosophy seeks to spread the teaching of deep wisdom. It is not there to lead people to clairvoyance. Nevertheless, it also leads to such training.
There are occult training courses. Some believe that they must seek such courses in India. That is a great mistake. Such training courses also take place in Europe. Those who seek their teacher or guru will find him in the world. Theosophists are wrong to seek only in India. The eminent Indian Chakravarti said the following significant words at the congress in Chicago: " My people, too, have fallen away from the spiritual understanding of the world, and Theosophy has helped us to rise again.“
Incidentally, Madame Blavatsky did not, as so many assume, bring us only Indian views. At first, her guide was a European, then an Egyptian, and at that time she wrote ”Isis Unveiled."
One must not believe that the same training is necessary for everyone. The Indian organism is such that the etheric body can be extracted much more easily. It is on a different level. It is on the first level of the fifth root race, i.e., its first root race, while Europeans are on the fifth level of the fifth root race. It is relatively easy to make an Indian clairvoyant, to extract the etheric body and bring him into a state called lethargy, that is, numbness and insensitivity. The body is then as if dead. A clairvoyant would see, for example, if a finger were to be cut off with a constricting thread, the etheric finger hanging down next to the tied-off one. In the hypnotized person, the clairvoyant sees the etheric brain hanging down on both sides of the head. So when the body is as if dead, the astral body must be used, and now it presses what is impressed upon it into the etheric body. Because it is extremely difficult for Europeans to receive such astral impressions, or to allow themselves to receive them, a way was sought in which it was not necessary to pull out the etheric body. The Rosicrucians had found this way since the 14th century, and their method is the most suitable for Europeans. Our body has become denser than that of the Indians; it developed downward, in accordance with the necessary course of development. However, this state arises consciously in us, while in the Indians, daytime consciousness is suppressed.
Hypnotism is generally not good. It is an intervention that firstly weakens the will of the hypnotized person. And secondly, it is black magic; you overwhelm the other person. It must not be used on healthy people under any circumstances. In the case of sick people, it may be different.
What is meant by the expression: developing downward?
Take the materialistic view. It says: here is the monkey, here is the human being – so the human being is descended from the monkey. That is not the case, however. Monkeys and humans have common ancestors, as science now recognizes. In fact, one must develop at the expense of the other. At one point in the ancient development of the moon, there was a realm whose beings stood between animals and plants. A relic of this is mistletoe. The plant developed downward, the animal upward. This also applies to humans: humans developed certain limbs upward, others downward. It is a fact, for example, that humans once had cartilage instead of bones. Roughly speaking, they are in the process of hardening. Meanwhile, any loosening or detachment of the higher members of the being, as brought about by occult training, is a preview of later general states of development.
Why was man incarnated in the physical body?
Humans already had all the predispositions they need to develop on Earth, but they were not yet their own property. Once humans can no longer gain anything in this world, they no longer need to incarnate. Then they surrender their bodies to the planet.
What about Noah's flood?
This flood was the great world event that occurred when most of the mainland of Atlantis sank. Its actual demise spanned long periods of time. Like everything of significance in the Bible and the oldest writings—there are still untold treasures to be unearthed—the rainbow that appeared in Noah's time is also something very meaningful. It is said to symbolize the covenant between God and humankind. But occultly, it has another meaning. On Atlantis, there was a completely different distribution of moisture and air. Germanic mythology speaks of Niflheim, Nebelheim. At that time, the entire atmosphere was filled with water. Only after the demise of the Atlantean mainland could humans of the post-Atlantean era live. The rainbow could only come into being when rain and sunshine were possible on Earth at the same time.
Descriptions of Atlantis mention steerable airships. What is the truth behind this?
Among the Atlanteans, the second element of the human being, the etheric body with its life force, was initially highly developed. In contrast, the intellect was only very weakly developed. Memory had to replace it. For example, the Atlanteans did not calculate; they did not know the value of numbers, but they knew how to judge quantities from memory. They knew that if they added three more to three, what quantity that would make; earlier cases stored in their memory helped them to form this idea. But because they had fully developed the second element of their being, the life force, they knew how to harness the life force in all of nature for their own benefit. They knew the germinating power of the grain and understood how to extract and use it. And what power lies in a seed! What all arises from it! The yogis also know how to draw out the germinating power from the seed in a certain way. For the stories of planting a seed from the mango tree in the earth and the immediate growth of first a shoot, then a tree, leaves, blossoms, and finally fruit are not invented tales, but facts. So the fact that the Atlanteans knew how to use life forces to build a steerable airship, as they did other things, need not belong to the realm of myth.
Is it possible to forego the post-death passage through Devachan?
At a certain stage of development, the etheric body is so firmly established that it does not dissolve after death. This is the case when the astral body has imbued the etheric body with a great deal of spirituality. Because the etheric body can continue to exist, the student does not first need to pass into Devachan, the place where the new etheric body is formed.
Does diet really have such a significant impact on the development of occult powers?
Absolutely. Development is completely impossible if alcohol is consumed. And that is again the peculiar but deeply rooted reason why the question of abstinence and temperance is now emerging so vividly.
But wine is just grape juice, i.e., fruit juice, isn't it?
As long as the juice extracted from grapes is only fruit juice, it is good, but once fermented it is detrimental to development. Look back at history. The consumption of wine began in 600 BC and was perhaps already in full swing at that time, as the Dionysus festivals, through which the god of wine was worshipped, originated then. But as everything has its time, including every fruit, so too will the grape disappear from the earth again. Just think of the appearance of phylloxera. Everything that comes from living animals can be enjoyed – milk, eggs – and from plants, everything that strives toward the light, toward the sun. That is why tree fruits are very good. Tubers that grow in the earth, such as potatoes and beets, are not as beneficial. In the past, people ate other people, then they enjoyed animals. They will switch to a purely plant-based diet and eventually end up with minerals. Anything that precipitates should be avoided, for example, salt. This all relates to the development of occult powers, but not to the scientific acquisition of spiritual truths.