The Rudolf Steiner Archive

11. Theosophy and Spiritualism

[ 1 ] Questions about the origin and destination of the human soul—questions that are considered religious, theological, or theosophical—have always existed, throughout all ages. But in earlier times, the science of everyday life went hand in hand with the exploration of the spiritual world. The fact that there were knowledgeable people was not limited back then to the facts and laws of external nature and the science of material life, but also applied to the science of spiritual life. One could rely on those who were knowledgeable about natural phenomena and natural laws when seeking insight into the laws of spiritual life. There was no one-sidedness among the spiritual leaders at that time. Almost everyone had an overview of the entire field of knowledge, and probably no one dared to pass a definitive, authoritative judgment on any scientific question—say, for example, in the field of zoology—unless they were equally knowledgeable about the higher questions of spiritual life.

[ 2 ] Things have been different since the 16th century. That is when religious matters and what conventional science had to offer came into conflict with one another. And this conflict between faith and knowledge, between religion and understanding, became most acute in the 19th century. Intellectual life at that time took on a completely different character in light of what I have discussed. Great natural scientists date the dawn of the scientific age to around the 1830s. This era has rightly been identified as one of the most epoch-making in human history. People have proudly pointed out what natural science achieved in the 19th century in mastering the laws of nature and in understanding natural processes. And it has rightly been said that all the preceding millennia combined did not achieve as much in this field as the 19th century did.

[ 3 ] However, a side effect of this great, tremendous upsurge is the lack of spiritual life. The harmony that prevailed in earlier ages between the two sides of knowledge has been lost. The harmony between science, which is limited to external facts in the material world, and science, which deals with the facts of the soul, no longer exists today. It is remarkable how precisely the science of the 19th century has become completely powerless in the face of the great questions of existence, in the face of the questions of soul and spiritual life. It is remarkable how, especially in our time, the great masses can no longer be led to the higher spiritual sciences by the leaders in science. No insight can be gained from those who study nature when one asks them: What of the problems of the soul? What of the destiny of humanity? — Our age, in which things stand thus, has been called the materialistic age. Our otherwise so perfect science limits itself to the study of nature, insofar as it can be carried out with the external senses, insofar as it can be calculated or explored through the combination of external, sensory perceptions. And the insights into nature and the life of the soul no longer go hand in hand.

[ 4 ] Let us consider psychology, the science of the soul, in our time. It is as if a profound impotence had taken hold of it. Go from university to university, from lectern to lectern: what you hear regarding the life of the soul and the spirit is utterly powerless in the face of the most burning questions of our existence. It is characteristic that the so-called soul researchers have a catchphrase that is as telling as a catchphrase can be. Since Friedrich Albert Lange, the chronicler of materialism, the catchphrase “the study of the soul without a soul” has set the tone. This catchphrase aptly describes the standpoint of psychology in the second half of the 19th century, and roughly expresses that the human soul and its qualities are nothing other than the outward expression of the mechanical workings of the sensory forces of nature within our organism. Just as a clock consists of gears and moves the hands forward with the help of these gears, and just as the forward movement of the hands is nothing other than the result of purely mechanical processes, so too is our mental life—with its desires, cravings, perceptions, concepts, and ideas—supposed to be nothing other than the result of physical processes, comparable to the movement of the hands on a clock; it is said to have its basis in nothing other than the gearwork that moves within our brain and that has been elucidated to us by science in such an epoch-making way. Nothing is to be faulted in brain physiology; everything remains fully intact and can be acknowledged by no one more than by myself. But even if we can say that the clock is a mechanical mechanism and that what it does is the result of the mechanical gearwork, we must not forget that a clockmaker was at work in the clock’s manufacture. “A clock without a clockmaker” is just as impossible a slogan as “the study of the soul without a soul.” And this is not merely a slogan, but rather something that characterizes the entire manner of research, thought, and attitude of the 19th century, which observes the soul while excluding the spirit and explains it merely as a mechanism. Explanation and attitude are in accord with this slogan. It is therefore no wonder at all that those who, out of the deepest need of heart and soul, yearn for answers to the questions: Where does the human being come from? Where is he going? What is the destiny of our soul?—feel bored by what is presented as scientific psychology by those who ought to possess a psychology of the soul. In the textbooks on the soul, one finds something quite different from a doctrine of the soul.

[ 5 ] It is therefore not surprising that these people in need of knowledge about the spirit and the soul have, precisely since that time when official science has stood so powerless in the face of these questions, sought to satisfy their need in a non-scientific way, and that this science of the soul and spirit stands apart from modern materialistic science, which renders science deaf and mute; deaf to external teachings, mute when it comes to speaking of the soul itself. Our official science, even where it has good will, is powerless in the face of questions of the soul. Thus it is that where a dispute has flared up in science between materialism and spiritualism—as, for example, between Wagner and Vogt—it has by no means ended to the disadvantage of materialism. Everything the materialist researcher has countered to the spiritualist is entirely tenable, whereas what the spiritualist has put forward was completely untenable in the light of rigorous research. We see, then, that even when scholarship had the good will to delve deeper into the question of the human soul in the spirit of Weber’s genuine spiritual science, it proved powerless. The phrase “the study of the soul without a soul” is therefore not merely a catchphrase, for science has indeed lost the concept of what the soul is. If you seek advice today in this field from the most famous contemporary psychologists, you will find the same situation as with the psychoanalyst Wagner. Psychologists will have nothing to say, because they no longer have any conception of what the soul is. Not only have they coined the phrase “the study of the soul without a soul,” but they have themselves completely lost sight of the very essence of the soul.

[ 6 ] This fact must be fully appreciated if one is to understand the development of spiritualist movements. Since the emergence and rise of the materialist era—which has been enthusiastically welcomed by some and vehemently opposed by others—there has been a counter-movement known as the spiritualist or spiritualist movement. The two belong together, just as the South Pole and North Pole of a magnet are naturally and inevitably connected. Because scientific researchers and leaders had nothing more to say about the soul, people turned to other researchers to learn more about it. And since the question of the soul is advancing so inexorably, all objections raised against spiritualism have fallen completely flat.

[ 7 ] Today we wish to examine how, from a theosophical standpoint, we should respond to both the enthusiastic supporters and the objections of the opponents of Spiritism. I take for granted the insight that Spiritism is a necessary phenomenon. For when we study such a question, we must first be clear that it is not a random phenomenon, but a necessary one; recognizable as necessary simply by the way it has unfolded. Let us first set aside entirely the fact that, for the most part, it has been amateurs who have engaged with spiritualism and spiritualist phenomena. Let us look at something else, namely the fact that even among scholars, there have been researchers of the highest reputation and greatest significance who have viewed the question of spiritualism sympathetically. And because this is so, please allow me for a moment to set aside the spiritualist phenomena themselves, and to make the development of spiritualism a matter of individuals, one that relates first and foremost to those who have engaged with spiritualism, and of whom it is undoubtedly established that they possess a noteworthy judgment in spiritualist matters; of whom it is certain that they have also exerted a profound influence in the field of material science. These are scholars who, just like many other people, could not be satisfied with the concepts of a “doctrine of the soul without a soul” presented to them by their professional colleagues; these are scholars who have achieved far more in our modern science than the actual materialist researchers.,

[ 8 ] We may well ask the question: Is it not of particular significance when a researcher of unquestionable reputation, such as the great English chemist Crookes, has fully embraced spiritualism? Crookes, who has rendered the greatest services to the study of the fundamental laws of chemistry and the chemical constitution of our elements, who has not only made his mark in the scientific realm but has also achieved the highest standards in practical applications, and who occupies a position in science that few others do—this man has engaged in spiritualist experiments. It was thought necessary to object to him that he had not proceeded with precision in his observations. But this objection is of secondary importance; it merely shifts the focus of the question. For what matters is not whether Crookes experimented precisely, but whether Crookes, the great chemist, knew to what extent nature follows the laws of the senses, how far these extend, and whether they stand in the way of a doctrine of the soul derived from spiritualist experiments; whether the highest possible scientific competence does not prevent a man from achieving scientific insights in the field of spiritualism. That is what matters: Can Crookes, on the one hand, be the exact scientific researcher for us, if, on the other hand, we believe we must doubt his research in the spiritual realm? It is almost as if we were constructing a dual Crookes, a morning Crookes and an afternoon Crookes. In the morning, when he is engaged in his chemistry, he is of sound mind; in the afternoon, when he devotes himself to the investigation of spiritualist experiments, he is mad. That this is absurd is immediately apparent, but it is not acknowledged by mainstream science.

[ 9 ] Another naturalist is the English scholar Wallace, the founder of the theory of descent. Darwin and he independently arrived at the central idea of this theory, Darwinism. If one studies his works, one finds that he approached the issue at hand even more brilliantly than Darwin himself. His contribution in this field is not disputed. However, since he later spoke out in favor of the reality of spiritualist phenomena in both word and writing, he too has been, so to speak, split into two parts. On the one hand, he fights for his scientific view, and on the other, for his doctrine of the soul, which is held in the same sense that Crookes also developed an experimental doctrine of the soul. Everywhere you will find him portrayed as a poor misguided soul because he has engaged with spiritualism and spoken in its favor. Petty minds simply rebel against the way of thinking and the convictions of these great figures.

[ 10 ] The fact that even a researcher in the field of spiritualism can be on a par with a natural scientist—as is the case with the two researchers mentioned—prompted me to initially frame the issue as a matter of personal character.

[ 11 ] Indeed, what sets the 19th century apart from all previous ones is that these extraordinarily important questions are treated as scientific questions. These researchers do not consider it at all impossible to extend scientific research to this field as well. Therefore, it may well be entirely appropriate to refer to them as authorities; for what matters is not whether the observations were accurate or inaccurate, but solely what they considered possible or impossible. The accuracy or inaccuracy of an experiment can be determined later. What was done incorrectly can be corrected later under different conditions. This applies to this research into the soul, whereby the only question that matters is: Can this type of doctrine of the soul be scientifically refuted?

[ 12 ] We have no scientific theory of the soul to speak of, and the weakest and most insignificant works written by scholars throughout the 19th century are directed against spiritualism. There may be some opponents of my view sitting here, but they must admit one thing if they judge impartially: even if the writings directed against spiritualism were correct, they are all trivial and unscientific; one can be right even when asserting foolish things.

[ 13 ] Now that we have, so to speak, recognized the spiritualist movement as a historical necessity from a cultural-historical perspective, let us take a brief look at the differences between the spiritualist movement and other endeavors to explore spiritual realities.

[ 14 ] As you all know, there has been a theosophical movement since 1875, a theosophical movement, which, just as spiritualism has done for the past forty years, strives in its own way to substantiate the truth that material existence is not the only one, but that there is a higher existence in the world, that there are spiritual facts and beings that cannot be reached or explored by the external senses. Just as Spiritism, according to its own method, has dealt with the question of the existence of a spiritual, a soul-world, so too does Theosophy deal with these higher worlds. It is a simple historical fact that the founders of the Theosophical Movement, before they came to the realization of working in a Theosophical sense, were themselves part of the Spiritist movement. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott, the great messengers of the Theosophical Society, emerged from the spiritualist movement, and the theosophical association they initially formed was even called a society of dissatisfied spiritualists. Once they had come to the realization that the Theosophical Movement was correct, Blavatsky and Olcott sought nothing other than the truth in the spiritual realm. What they changed was only the method, the manner of inquiry, and why they changed it—that is what we shall now discuss.

[ 15 ] It is the task of all spiritualists and of all religious movements to provide proof that there is a higher spiritual life; that something spiritual lives within human beings, that human beings are spiritual beings in themselves, that their life between birth and death is only a part of the total human life, and that human beings are something other than their physical being. These researchers of the spirit strive to provide proof of this. That is what they have in common. That is what they jointly strive for, and in this goal they will also come together to form a necessary counterweight to the materialistic current. The truth cannot be attained by separate paths, but only in full unity, in harmonious striving. And toward achieving this unity, not only the common goal but also the knowledge of the common origin of these two movements should contribute. It was a common point of origin from which both the spiritualist and spiritist movements as well as theosophy took their start. Thus, not only the goal but also the origin is the same. Those who can look a little deeper into the inner driving forces of the spiritual movement know this. What we see externally, what lies immediately before our physical eyes in the spiritual movement, takes place in the world of effects, not in the world of causes. The spiritual researcher knows that much of what unfolds before your senses has its causes in much higher spiritual worlds. We grope about almost like blind people as we walk up and down in the sensory world, and have no idea what is happening behind the scenes, where higher spiritual powers, as it were, pull the strings of what takes place before our sensory eyes. Thus the spiritual researcher also recognizes that the spiritualist, spiritist, and theosophical movements have a common origin.

[ 16 ] Anyone who observes the development of humanity with an open spiritual eye knows that there is just as much development within humanity’s spiritual life as there is within physical nature. Just as there are beings within physical nature who grope in the dark, and others who grope in the dark but can also hear and so on, so too are there all degrees of development in spiritual life between the undeveloped soul of a Hottentot and the genius soul of a Goethe or Newton. We see, then, what enormous differences exist, both in the gradations of sensory development and in the scale of spiritual development. There are highly developed beings among humanity, and those who have found them can bear witness to this. These great beings are the leaders in spiritual development. They are not merely, as Schopenhauer said, an ideal brotherhood reaching out to one another across the ages, but a real community that works together and within one another. The Theosophist knows of their existence and calls them the Great Brotherhood of the so-called Adepts. Anyone who sincerely believes in evolution must believe in this possibility; but those who have experienced it can testify that such beings exist.

[ 17 ] When the materialistic turning point occurred in the mid-19th century, when the higher beings saw that a materialistic deluge was bound to come, it was they who brought about the counterforce. Not for a single moment did they criticize this materialistic movement. They knew that modern technology would thereby experience a tremendous upswing, and that was a necessity. Therefore, the materialistic movement should not be opposed. Only in response to the exploitation of materialistic science regarding the question of the soul was it necessary to create a counterforce—a spiritual current, a spiritual wave within humanity to counter the material one. This spiritual wave is initially expressed in the occurrence of spiritualist and spiritual phenomena. Humanity was to be shown that there is something else besides what natural science is able to grasp with its means. Those brothers who knew how to interpret the signs of the times, who have always been the leaders of humanity, also sent the spiritualist tidal wave over humanity. They have been working for centuries. Unknown and misunderstood, they will emerge in individual personalities, performing immeasurable work for humanity. As long as humanity, in its great mass, could turn to the scientific leaders, as long as it could obtain information about the burning questions of the soul, so long could those elder brothers indeed guide spiritual humanity through hidden mysteries. They then sent their scouts out into the world along paths known only to the so-called occultist. Many who truly study history encounter such spiritual influences that they cannot explain if they are merely materialistic researchers, but which become clear to them when they turn to the right spiritual researchers.

[ 18 ] Things changed in the 19th century. Precisely because the scientific leaders failed, it became necessary to produce compelling evidence for the existence of a spirit world. However, it turned out that the three decades of the spiritualist movement from 1840 to 1870 initially aroused interests quite different from those intended. Do not object that the wise leaders could therefore also be mistaken, since they otherwise should have foreseen this. That is a matter that must be discussed in a different way. It initially turned out that the interests associated with the spiritualist phenomena were not the intended ones. The aim was to point out in a striking way that, alongside the physical life, there is also a purely spiritual life. But what was fostered at that time were only interests of an all-too-human, personal nature. It was communication with the deceased that people sought above all else. But that was not at all what the messengers were meant to bring to humanity. The purpose of these phenomena was not to satisfy human curiosity, even of the most beautiful and noble kind. Rather, humanity was to be given knowledge and insights which, when correctly applied to themselves, would lead them to a higher, spiritual life. Unfortunately, too much sensationalism was sought, and exploration of the spiritual world was conducted in a manner that cannot lead to the true ennoblement of humanity. This is the reason that subsequently led to the founding of the Theosophical Society.

[ 19 ] Let me briefly explain what this is all about. Human beings are not created by purely natural forces. That which constitutes human nature—that which, so to speak, forms the shell of the life of the soul and spirit—is not created by physical force. Wisdom created the world. Wisdom also created each individual. I must take this as a given here; proving it to you could be the subject of a separate lecture. I will therefore only outline it today.

[ 20 ] You know that even a watch cannot come into being through natural forces alone, but that human ingenuity is necessary to bring about the required combinations. Those are right who say: When we investigate the organism of the living body, we find no God, no divine creative power, but only natural forces. They do not find the spiritual, creative forces. Even a little reflection can clarify this. Even when you study a clock, you can explain it entirely mechanically, and yet you are ultimately compelled to ask the question about wisdom, about human intellect, about the clockmaker who built it—and whom you cannot find within the clock. From this we see: the question is posed incorrectly. The comparison of the human organism to a clock is certainly valid, but it must be applied correctly. And it is correct when one says: Just as a clock and its mechanism cannot come into being without the spiritual influence of a clockmaker, so too the human soul—the highest flowering, the highest unfolding of the forces that have built up the human organism, the highest thing the spirit has brought about from the outer body—cannot have come into being without the spiritual influence of its Creator; this human soul with the present consciousness as we know it, which instructs us about our surroundings, which calculates, combines, and enlightens us regarding our moral life. Consider what was necessary—I must speak figuratively—to create, within this human organic development, the foundation for this flowering of organic life, for the human spirit.

[ 21 ] It is easy to imagine that these so-called builders, these lawful architects of the organism, could have built only up to one of the lower stages, but that they would never have been able to construct this complex human organism, which was to serve as a useful tool for the human soul. A pinnacle had to be reached in their capabilities. Let us therefore descend into those times that preceded the development of the human soul, when development had not yet reached a human level. We then find that these beings are wisely constructed, and it simultaneously becomes clear to us that the powers that worked on the construction of these beings can generally be seen by us humans just as little as the watchmaker can be seen in the watch. Just as little does the human being know of the spiritual powers, forces, and beings that carefully prepared the vessel in which his soul dwells, as the mechanical movement in the watch knows of the watchmaker’s spiritual activity.

[ 22 ] Spiritual forces have thus worked to shape our organism and are still at work within us. Those forces that shaped our organism so that it can breathe, send blood through the veins, digest, concentrate substances and forces in the brain, and make the brain a suitable instrument for the soul until the human soul could come into being—these soul forces are still at work today. But just as gravity and magnetism cannot be seen, just as we cannot see the forces that manifest as our desires, passions, wishes, and instincts, so too can we not perceive the creative forces that were at work in the formation of the organism. Imagine that human beings had not yet reached the stage where they are filled with what I described earlier as clear consciousness. Imagine him transported back to that time when these forces of consciousness had not yet taken possession of his organism. Before our highly developed brain could take shape in the course of world evolution, other forms of the brain developed, which are still within us today, overlaid and regulated by the highly developed, perfect brain of the human being of our time. In a way unconscious to human beings, the spiritual architects of the world have built up the human nature of desire and instinct—that nature which humans share with animals—in order to bring forth, as its flowering, the instrument of the soul. Even today, these spiritual beings who have built us up are active; they are beside us, within us, as true and real as this lamp here in the physical world is real. We move through our physical world and know of the things of the world because we have attained clear consciousness. Around us live many beings who have remained at earlier stages of existence. Just as human beings have evolved, so certain beings have remained behind and form a spiritual world of their own. But for them, too, evolution does not stand still. Just as our consciousness has evolved to our present level of clarity, so their evolution continues to advance. One cannot deny that our consciousness continues to develop to ever greater heights. But when humanity has developed further—not only to this clear consciousness but to an even higher perspective—then we will once again perceive the spiritual worlds that constantly surround us.

[ 23 ] There are two ways to gain insight into the spiritual world that surrounds us. The first is to explore what happens to a person when their clear consciousness is suspended. This clear consciousness is like a light that outshines the spiritual influences around us. We do not see them because they are outshone by our consciousness. But when we switch off our consciousness, we have drawn closer to the spiritual beings who were our builders before we had clear consciousness. We then come to realize that development is not a straight upward ascent, but that it also moves in a circular pattern, ascending and descending. By switching off our clear consciousness, we move, so to speak, back to earlier stages of our development, where we were still more spiritual, whereas today we stand above that sphere with our consciousness. We do indeed come from a spiritual world, and this spiritual world has, so to speak, prepared the ground for what the dwelling, the home of the soul, can be in the physical world. We approach the divine being in a certain sense when we scale back the level we have reached a little. That is one path; that is the path that Spiritism has taken.

[ 24 ] The other path is the one taken by modern spiritual science, theosophy. Theosophy seeks to explore the spiritual world not by shutting down consciousness, but by developing it to a higher level. The theosophist’s ideal is to gain insight into the spiritual world surrounding us while maintaining complete continuity and clear consciousness. This is the difference between the theosophical student and the spiritualist medium. The medium brings news from the spiritual world, but in doing so is merely an instrument. They offer themselves as an organ, as a medium through which the spiritual world speaks. The theosophical researcher seeks to raise their clear, lucid consciousness up to the heights where they once again perceive this spiritual world. The theosophical researcher regards it as an impairment of human autonomy, as an obstruction of the independent right of human self-determination, if he is to abandon the stage he has once reached in the course of nature—the stage of clear consciousness—and return to the state he has already passed through in earlier phases of development.

[ 25 ] The truths we receive in a state of lowered consciousness may be entirely beyond reproach, and the accuracy of the results of spiritualistic experiments may be beyond doubt to anyone; yet this does not address the question of whether the method of research is correct or permissible. And what matters most is whether it corresponds to the laws of evolution and the intentions of the cosmic powers when steps are taken backward that nature has already taken forward. Steps are not taken in nature in vain, and humanity should therefore not regress to stages of development that nature has already overcome with it. We do not seek the truth out of curiosity, nor through false or deceitful means, but solely along the path indicated to us by the higher cosmic powers—the path that leads through our clear consciousness. It is therefore the aim of the Theosophical Movement not to listen to those who reveal the truth from the unconscious or subconscious, but to those who proclaim the truth from full, clear waking consciousness. And the one who stands within the Theosophical Movement and possesses direct knowledge of the truth has sought the truth in no other way than by maintaining full, clear daylight consciousness. Not for a single moment may he switch off his consciousness. The higher development of consciousness, full and clear vision, as possessed by the Adepts, must be his aspiration. When we have attained this goal, we fulfill our human destiny.

[ 26 ] Why should we believe a medium in a trance more than someone speaking from a clear state of waking consciousness? Trust is required in both cases. It is certainly more convenient to explore the truth by suspending consciousness, but the research method that maintains clear mental consciousness is more humane. Therefore, the Theosophists have preferred the latter path as the natural one, so that all work carried out from the unconscious or subconscious must be regarded as not in keeping with the spirit of the Theosophical Movement. The Theosophical Movement seeks, as mentioned, to reach the spiritual world from a state of full, clear consciousness, and it is clear to it that man is a spiritual being who, depending on whether he stands at a higher or lower stage of development, is more or less independent of the body. Therefore, Theosophy addresses above all the embodied human being—those who, while living in the body, attain spiritual powers of vision and can temporarily, with full, clear consciousness, become independent of their physical organism. The human being independent of the body has the opportunity to gain experience in the spiritual world, not by returning to times when clear daytime consciousness was not yet developed, but by ascending to times and periods of development in which consciousness will be higher than the average consciousness of people today.

[ 27 ] The medium is a reminder of bygone eras of development. In earlier times, all people were mediums; all possessed astral perception, and all were once able to perceive the spiritual world. From this astral consciousness, however, our consciousness—our bright, clear waking consciousness—gradually emerged. During the ascent into the spiritual worlds, which all human beings will have to undertake, they will, if I may say so, pass through that astral world once more, once again becoming astral perceivers, once again becoming clairvoyant. But this is only a transitional stage, just as all stages of development can be regarded as transitional stages. Our earthly journey is a lesson we must work through, a lesson we must learn. We should therefore not become unworldly, nor should we be hostile toward the earthly realm, but rather live fully within the earthly realm and recognize there the same forces, the same beings in the earthly world that we perceive in the supersensible world, because these forces work into our earthly world by interweaving themselves with human souls, and thus gain influence over the shaping of life on Earth.

[ 28 ] This is also what the bee allegory of the mystery priests of ancient Greece sought to express. The bee allegory is therefore not without significance for us, for it is the human soul that was compared to the bees. Just as the bees are sent out of the hive to the flowers to gather honey, so the human soul is sent out from higher regions to gather experiences in the earthly world. The realm of flowers is assigned to the bees; the earthly world to human beings. It would therefore be entirely contrary to their destinies if bees and humans were to seek out other fields of exploration, engaging in regions that contain the material to be gathered either not at all or in an unsuitable measure. That is why the Theosophical Movement has made this allegory the symbol of its work, which, in short, consists in the pursuit of the higher development of knowledge and the cultivation of clear consciousness into a comprehensive one, so that it may also participate in life in the spiritual worlds. Thus, the Theosophical Society strives for the higher development of humanity. If this succeeds, then those interests within human nature that lead humanity forward will be activated. It should not be curiosity that drives us to learn about the spiritual world. And what we learn should give us the strength and power to achieve the goal set for us by the cosmic powers.

[ 29 ] The spiritualist movement will awaken in its followers the awareness that a spiritual world exists. In this endeavor, Theosophy and Spiritualism are in agreement. However, as already explained, the method of achieving this goal is different. The reasons why the Theosophical Society does not approve of the research methods of Spiritism can be summarized in a few words: At the present stage of our cosmic evolution, there is a great danger in shutting down human consciousness. Throughout the entire course of cosmic evolution, human beings must act on Earth with this consciousness. If they shut it down, they are left will-less and unconscious, at the mercy of spiritual forces. An example will clarify this. There is a great difference between entering a den of criminals with clear consciousness and a clear mind and knowing your way around, and entering it without this clear understanding. This is not only true in the extreme case of the den of criminals; it is true everywhere in the world. We must grasp the things that approach us with clear consciousness and understanding. We must not make ourselves into will-less tools, not even of the spiritual powers, for they could then do all manner of things with us. This is precisely what has contributed so greatly to hindering the culture and the development of mediums. The realization that humans should only enter into contact with spiritual beings while maintaining their full, free right to self-determination is gaining ever more ground among leading spiritualists, and it is likely only a matter of time before the other method of spiritual research, cultivated by theosophists, is also adopted by spiritualists, Clairvoyance is both what the Theosophist and what the spiritualist strives for. Both the Theosophical student and the spiritualist medium are tools; but only the spiritualist medium is without will. He who knows the dangers can speak of the mighty powers one must face in that world; powers that act upon us destructively and oppressively; powers that have a beneficial influence on the one hand and a harmful one on the other. What was beneficial when man still lived in his subconscious is harmful to him today. If we surrender ourselves without will to the powers that once guided our development, then we become their tools for good as well as for evil. That is why we must never allow our consciousness to be clouded. And this has enabled us, in our research, to recognize great truths, while the spiritualist researcher must more or less fish in murky waters. It has led us to the knowledge of what leads to the goal; it has allowed us to recognize what stands in the way.

[ 30 ] Above all, we must learn to find our way in the spiritual world. We must possess the knowledge that makes this possible, which is the prerequisite for insights into the spiritual world. Anyone who wants to become a skilled mechanic must study mathematics. Anyone who wants to be at home in the spiritual world and not move about in it in a dazed and aimless manner must have thoroughly grasped the fundamental truths of theosophy. What the theosophists recognized in 1875 will gradually win over more and more spiritualists to their side. The two movements need not fight each other, even though, as I have shown, their methods of inquiry are fundamentally and radically different; they should complement one another. Let the followers of one movement offer what they have to offer; let the followers of the other lay down what they have to offer on the altar of humanity for the good of the whole. In this way, humanity will truly be advanced by both movements, whereas a struggle between the two directions could only lead to losing sight of the great goal. Not struggle, but harmony between the two movements is necessary, which above all should lead to the common goal: to lift humanity out of the materialistic current of the present.

[ 31 ] This requires imparting an understanding of the spiritual world—an understanding of eternity and the true nature of the soul, as well as the opportunity this affords to look once more to the great spiritual forces of nature that have guided us along our paths. And how few possess such self-knowledge that they understand the origin and destination of humanity, the home of the soul, so that they may find what gives life its meaning and significance! To attain all this, one must have come to the conviction expressed by Johann Gottlieb Fichte when he spoke of that spiritual world which opens our eyes to the eternal and then leads us to say: “It is not only after I have been torn from the context of the earthly world that I will gain entry into the supernatural; I am already here and living in it, far more truly than in the earthly one; even now it is my only firm standpoint, and the eternal life that I have long since taken possession of is the sole reason why I may still wish to continue in the earthly one. What they call heaven does not lie beyond the grave; it is already spread out here around our nature, and its light dawns in every pure heart.”