The Rudolf Steiner Archive

3. Secrets and Secrecy

[ 1 ] Today, during this “occult hour,” I would like to continue where I left off last time and add a few more remarks—this time from a different perspective—regarding the last lecture. I would like to say a few words about why the esoteric teachings are being revealed specifically in our time.

[ 2 ] The Theosophical Movement differs from other movements in that it has made various fundamental esoteric teachings public and will continue to do so in the future. It is a necessity for our time. These are esoteric teachings that have existed in the past as well. The teachings we find in The Secret Doctrine are not new. These esoteric teachings constitute an ancient body of wisdom. The manner in which this wisdom has been preserved was, and still is, a secret, and it will remain a secret in the future as well. It was to be communicated only by word of mouth, and even then, it was to be passed on to the candidate only after a rigorous period of testing. For this knowledge can also be misused, it is said. And there is some truth to this view.

[ 3 ] Now, if certain fundamental aspects of this esoteric body of wisdom have been and continue to be made public, then Theosophy must ensure that no potentially harmful influence—or even misuse—arises. When fundamental aspects of the esoteric teachings appeared in publicly available books, this caused great consternation in certain circles of occultists. And the Theosophists were accused of divulging secrets that were otherwise reserved for only a select few. We must therefore ask ourselves now: Should any of this knowledge be published at all?

[ 4 ] I already referred last time to a secret society—namely, the Mysteries of the Knights Templar—whose goal was the restoration of Christianity. The Theosophical Movement has a similar goal. From an even deeper perspective than we discussed last time, I would like to explain today why it has become necessary to share some of the world’s occult knowledge. In the past, it was considered wrong to pass on this esoteric knowledge. It was accessible only to initiates. It was preserved within closed, secret societies. But over the course of the last millennia and centuries, there were time and again traitors who betrayed individual parts of this “secret knowledge” and carried it out of the temples. But external science, too, researched and uncovered former “secrets,” thereby contributing to their disclosure.

[ 5 ] Thus, there are two schools of thought among occultists today: One school maintains that it is wrong and even harmful to publish even a portion of this knowledge. This has led responsible occultists to ask: How should the secret teachings be handled in the future? Secrecy or publication? Which is more appropriate for the future of humanity? However, this question also had to be answered from another perspective. For the serious occultists had recognized that humanity would inevitably degenerate morally by sinking into materialism unless parts of the secret knowledge were published to save humanity. She (Helena Petrovna Blavatsky) therefore set about compiling what had already been published—that is, the parts of the various secret teachings that had already been “revealed” and made public—and making them available to the public. The published teachings, which appear [for example] in *Isis Unveiled* and *The Secret Doctrine*, were examined. Essentially, the occultists had to admit that they withstood this scrutiny. We Theosophists stand on the side of those occultists who take the view that these publications—*Isis Unveiled* and *The Secret Doctrine*—are not only useful but that it was even necessary to make them public and accessible to the general public.

[ 6 ] Human knowledge cannot be acquired all at once, nor even over the course of an entire age. Knowledge is in a state of constant development. This can be observed in the astral sphere. The astral sphere does not always remain the same; it undergoes small changes. These changes are not significant, but they are nonetheless clearly perceptible. The general landscape of the astral plane was different in the time of the Atlanteans and is different in our time. It changed from year to year. Certain changes in the astral world have led to the realization that it is necessary to share a portion of occult knowledge with humanity—specifically, to share it publicly and in a way accessible to the general public, rather than merely with a select few initiates. This concerns the deepest occult knowledge, and only a portion of it can ever be revealed.

[ 7 ] Around the year 1900, very special signs appeared in the astral world that prove to the initiated with absolute certainty that the greatest mystery, which must find expression in our race, now exhibits a somewhat different character than it did before. There are guiding truths, and these lead upward to what we call the mysteries of existence. In no age is humanity capable of fully assimilating the deepest truths of its time. Nor is humanity today suited to understanding the deepest mystery of its race. It must first mature before it can understand.

[ 8 ] The fundamental secret was always known only to the adepts. Because they possessed this secret, they were the leaders of the respective race. We are now members of the fifth [root] race. First came two [root] races that were organized differently. Then came the third [root] race, which was already organized similarly to our own. The Atlanteans came as the fourth [Root] Race. Following this prior human and racial development, we come as the fifth [Root] Race. Two further [Root] Races, the sixth and the seventh, will follow. Every [Root] Race has a great secret of existence. The realization of this great mystery of existence brought access to the great truths, which are living forces. These are the great laws that are at work in the world. These great laws cannot intervene in the world in this way from the outset. They must first be in the possession of the Masters and the Initiates. Only through these Masters do they then act indirectly upon humankind.

[ 9 ] In the upcoming issue of *Luzifer*, the subject at hand will be touched upon. Only at the end of the fifth [Root] Race will it become known to a larger number of people and be understood by them. In the earlier Root Races, these mysteries were preserved only among a few. In our Root Race, the capacity of the intellect and the mind has already been developed to a very high degree. The deepest depths, however, remain closed to the mind. Yet some aspects of the mystery can be surmised by the mind. Before the year 1875, nothing was known about these things, or at least they were not taken into account. The mystery of the fifth [root] race can [now] be transmitted from mind to mind without being spiritualized. The deduced mystery can then also be passed on to the non-spiritualized mind in this way. I cannot explain the nature of the signs in the astral realm that appeared around the year 1900. But it is an indisputable fact that some elements have indeed been guessed by individuals who stand far removed from any occult movement. This is due to the character disposition inherent in the fifth human race. Soon there will be many who will guess certain things.

[ 10 ] But uncovering these secrets is a very dangerous thing. It is detrimental both to the person involved and to all of humanity. It is dangerous because revealing the secret of the fifth root race would effectively divide humanity into a few very good people and many others who are radically immoral. At first glance, this is a paradoxical and bold assertion. But it is indeed true. One is not capable of revealing the central secret of the fifth root race. If someone were to reveal the secret, he would be at the mercy of others. He would lose the ability to exert the beneficial influence that emanates from this secret upon humanity. Furthermore, it is entirely futile to reveal the secret, because it could only lead to harmful consequences. There is no initiate who has ever revealed this secret. And there is no way to make a person discover the secret. Even torture would be of no use. The person in question would go mad or die from the torment.

[ 11 ] Theosophy is intended to prepare humanity so that later, when the mystery is partially revealed, its harmful effects will be neutralized. A fundamental difference between the mystery of the fifth root race and the mysteries of the earlier root races is that the mystery of the fifth root race can be partially deduced by the intellect. In the past, the mystery was strictly in the hands of adepts, who thereby held the power to guide humanity. This danger [of deduction] now exists. However, humanity could, in a certain sense, outgrow the adepts. Some must therefore be prepared should the mysteries be presented to them from outside. Then the time will come when individuals among those who can deduce the truth may step forward with fragments of truth. But that would be terrible, and devastation would ensue among humanity. The result would be that only a few good people would remain, while the vast majority of others would be lost to the good. These truths are to be used only on the basis of the fundamental theosophical teachings.

[ 12 ] If the Adepts had not gained influence, humanity would have been divided into three parts:

— first, into the thoughtless masses,
— second, into the destructive intellectuals who have guessed the secret, and
— third, into the occultists.

[ 13 ] [People] would wage a life-and-death struggle against one another. Those who had guessed the secret would not understand why it must not be revealed. The gift of clairvoyance might also avert disaster.

[ 14 ] The Theosophical Society therefore strives not for the emergence of three divisions of humanity, but for the creation of a core of universal brotherhood. One might now object: There will never be universal brotherhood. — To this we reply: What you say is true, but we know the fundamentals and understand that such a core will protect humanity. This is a kind of prophecy, but one based on objective perception in the astral world.

[ 15 ] The [fifth] root secret is, therefore, one that can be guessed to a certain degree. That is why the moment of discovery must be prepared for. We thus know of an even deeper reason behind the astral laws, one that compels the individual in question to devote his powers to the Theosophical Movement. This reason lies in the fact that he knows where humanity is headed.

[ 16 ] If I am to describe how devastating it is to guess a part of the [fifth] secret, I can only say that, because of the aforementioned character trait, a person is capable of guessing. But it is precisely this that also renders them incapable of doing anything to counteract the harmful effects. Those who have already guessed something have proven that they do not know how to handle such a secret. Anyone who has guessed or learned something is himself exposed to many dangers. Usually, the wildest imaginings prevail regarding these dangers. Nevertheless, what is said about the dangers is, if not literally, then absolutely true. The human being of the fifth [root] race possesses so-called inhibitory mechanisms. His kama-manas has restraining mechanisms that act back upon the astral and mental bodies. There are a great many forces present in the astral body that are kept in check by these mechanisms. The morality of the Fifth [Root] Race, as it relates to actions, is far superior to the morality of astral and mental qualities. Many often have very little morality. It is difficult to make them understand that there is a morality of feeling and a morality of thought. Very little of what lies within them comes to the surface. It looks much dirtier there than one usually observes.

[ 17 ] The moment a part of the mystery is revealed to a person, all restraints fall away, and the full power of those forces bursts forth. These wild inner forces must be channeled into the proper course through the Theosophical Movement. People who appear to be good on the outside—seemingly angels—would become devils under the influence of the aforementioned moment [the unveiling of the fifth mystery].

[ 18 ] People must therefore support one another; they must work together. Any thoughts focused solely on the immediate present will have a harmful effect. There are vast masses of thoughts that are directed solely toward the temporal. These are idealistic notions, certain legal claims, that relate only to the temporal and not to the eternal.

[ 19 ] I have already described how an initiation took place in the Pythagorean school. There were preliminary stages to the initiation. In *Luzifer*, I have already spoken publicly about higher aspects of initiation. Now I would like to say something that cannot be said in a public journal—and indeed must not be said.

[ 20 ] In the various stages of initiation, the initiate was first made aware of the insignificance of physical existence. Second, the initiate was introduced to a world of a completely different nature than our visible world. The initiate was introduced to a world that is more real, more powerful, and more guiding—a world that underlies our own but cannot be perceived by our senses.