The Rudolf Steiner Archive

28. What are the reasons for the existence of the Theosophical Movement today?

[ 1 ] It is no coincidence that there is a Theosophical movement. It is connected to the overall development of the 19th century, to the spread of materialism, which became decisive in the 1840s—roughly speaking, and also somewhat before and after that time. Materialism had already been gaining ground over the preceding four centuries. To understand this, one must take a step back to the 5th and 6th centuries. People have a completely false conception of the spiritual conditions of those times. It is a grave mistake to assume that people thought back then the same way they do today. For example, people still had a completely different conception of the stars in the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. Nowadays, people see only the material aspect of 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 embodiment of a spirit. Thus, the entire expanse of the heavens was imbued with spirit. It makes a great difference whether one perceives the universe as consisting solely of physical bodies or also of spiritual realities. People of that time felt completely at home in a spiritual cosmos. However, we need not long for this medieval worldview.

[ 2 ] Copernicus opened up outer space to a materialistic worldview. The exploration of the physical world reached its peak. Schleiden and others discovered the cell. Railroads and the like gave a powerful boost to materialism. Then the great leaders of humanity asked themselves: What should we do? How can we teach people that spiritual life exists? — People were focused solely on the material. They said: If the spirit exists, let it prove itself as spirit. — And so an attempt was indeed made through the emerging movement of spiritualism. Since the initiates always strive to impart instruction in a way that is understandable to people, the aim was to bring about manifestations and revelations from the world beyond. We must now first consider the fate of the human being after death. When a person sleeps, the physical body and the etheric body are united, while 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 depart together, while the physical body remains behind. The astral body and the etheric body remain united for a short time; a review of one’s life takes place, lasting two to three days. Then they, too, separate; the etheric body dissolves as life force into the universal life force, and the astral body enters the state known as Kamaloka. It is disembodied but still retains the habits and inclinations of the physical body. Here is an illustrative example: The gourmet still has his cravings. This is a psychological trait, a desire. He no longer has a palate, but the desire for taste remains as a burning sensation of thirst. In Kamaloka, the process of weaning takes place, for the desire eventually burns itself out, and then the astral body is also shed, insofar as it is the bearer of these desires.

[ 3 ] Now there is a way to galvanize such discarded astral bodies and summon them into the physical world. To do this, 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 through this.

[ 4 ] However, two problems became apparent. First, those who were convinced by spiritualism did not become morally better as a result of this belief; thus, they experienced no moral elevation. Second, this kind of view or conviction even proved to be detrimental—after death. For those who held it, the condition in Kamaloka became not easier, but more difficult. On top of everything else, they brought with them the desire to see everything spiritual satisfied materially through the senses, because every such view manifests as a Kamaloka characteristic. It was an oppressive heaviness that settled like lead upon the dead. That was the reason 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. Thus, after this external means had proven ineffective, the great community of occultists decided quite unanimously to take a different path—an inner, theosophical path. What does this path seek? It seeks to come to know that which lives within human beings themselves as spirit. This spirit is the goal. Now, one can only come to know the spirit by surrendering oneself without reservation. One must understand what is common to all humanity.

[ 5 ] Egoism had developed as a parallel phenomenon to materialism. Here is just one example: On group trips, there is a specific condition for participation: All religious questions are off-limits as topics of conversation. — People fear the egoism of opinions, for where seven people are gathered, one can find seven opinions. Opinions are thus placed above universal love for humanity. But brotherhood begins only where love for humanity takes precedence over opinions.

[ 6 ] This is why Theosophy exists: to seek the one truth by reconciling differing opinions. People must become tolerant again—not only at the level of personality, but down to the level of individuality. Tolerance here does not merely mean being indulgent or letting others have their way; rather, it means opening oneself up to understanding their unique nature. Theosophy, then, is not meant to be a dogma, but an expression of love. We must help our fellow human beings—that is, place love above opinions—and this brings a unifying spirit to human development. This is the practical aspect that should be cultivated within the Theosophical Movement.

Q&A

What training method should one choose instead of yoga training?

[ 7 ] One must not confuse occultism with theosophy. Theosophy seeks to spread the teachings of profound wisdom. It is not, in and of itself, intended to lead people to clairvoyance. Nevertheless, it also leads to such training.

[ 8 ] There are occult training programs. Some believe they must seek such programs in India. This is a great mistake. Such training programs also take place in Europe. Those who seek their teacher or guru will find him in the world. The Theosophists are wrong to look only in India. The distinguished Indian Chakravarti spoke these significant words at the Congress in Chicago: “My people, too, have fallen from a spiritual understanding of the world, and Theosophy has helped us rise again.”

[ 9 ] Incidentally, contrary to what so many people assume, Madame Blavatsky did not merely introduce us to Indian ideas. At first, her guide was a European, then an Egyptian; it was during that time that she wrote Isis Unveiled.

[ 10 ] One must not assume that everyone must receive the same education. The Indian constitution is such that the etheric body can be drawn out much more easily. It is at a different stage. It is at the first stage of the fifth root race—that is, its first subrace—while the European is at the fifth stage of the fifth subrace. It is relatively easy to induce clairvoyance in an Indian, to withdraw the etheric body, and to bring it into a state known as lethargy—that is, numbness and insensitivity. The body then appears as if dead. A clairvoyant would, for example, if one were to cause a finger to go numb by tying a string around it, see the etheric finger hanging down next to the tied-off one. In the case of a 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 it is this that now imprints whatever is instilled in it onto the etheric body. Because it is now extremely difficult for Europeans to receive such astral impressions—or to allow themselves to be influenced by them—a method was sought that did not require the etheric body to be drawn out. The Rosicrucians had discovered this method as early as the 14th century, and their method is the most suitable for Europeans. Our body has become denser than that of the Indians; it has developed in a downward direction, in accordance with the necessary course of evolution. However, this state arises consciously in us, whereas in the Indians, daytime consciousness is suppressed.

[ 11 ] Hypnosis is generally not a good thing. It is an intervention that, first of all, weakens the will of the person being hypnotized. And second, it is black magic—you are overpowering the other person. It must absolutely not be used on healthy people. With sick people, it might be a different matter.

What does the phrase “developing downward” mean?

[ 12 ] Consider the materialistic view. It says: “Here is an ape, here is a human”—therefore, humans are descended from apes. — This is not the case; rather, apes and humans share common ancestors, a fact that modern science now also recognizes. In fact, one must develop at the expense of the other. Thus, at a certain point in the ancient lunar evolution, there was a kingdom whose beings stood between animal and plant. A relic of this is mistletoe. The plant evolved 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 bone. 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 foreshadowing of later, general stages of development.

Why was the human being incarnated in a physical body?

[ 13 ] Human beings likely possessed all the potential they were meant to develop on Earth even earlier, but it was not yet their own. Once a human being can no longer gain anything in this world, there is no longer any need for them to incarnate. Then they surrender their body to the planet.

What about the Flood of Noah?

[ 14 ] This flood was the great world event that occurred when most of the continent of Atlantis sank. Its actual downfall spanned a long period of time. Like everything of significance in the Bible and the most ancient writings—there are still unspeakable treasures to be uncovered there—the rainbow that appeared in Noah’s time is also something of great significance. It is said to symbolize the covenant between God and humankind. But from an occult perspective, it has another meaning as well. On Atlantis, the distribution of moisture and air was entirely different. Germanic mythology speaks of Niflheim, the Land of Mist. The entire atmosphere was filled with water back then. Only after the downfall of the Atlantean mainland could humanity of the post-Atlantean era live. The rainbow could only come into being when both rain and sunshine were possible on Earth at the same time.

Descriptions of Atlantis mention steerable airships. What is the truth behind this?

[ 15 ] Among the Atlanteans, the second component of the human being—the etheric body with its life force—was initially highly developed. In contrast, the intellect was present only very weakly. Memory had to take its place. For example, the Atlantean did not count; he did not know the value of numbers, yet he was able to estimate quantities from memory. He knew that if he added three more to three items, he would know what the total quantity would be; past instances stored in his memory helped him form this concept. But because he had now fully developed the second aspect of his being—the life force—he knew how to harness the life force found throughout nature for his own benefit. Thus, he understood the germinative power of the grain and knew how to extract and utilize it. And what power lies within a single seed! What a multitude of things spring from it! Even the yogis know, in a certain way, how to draw out the germinative power from the seed. For the stories of planting a mango seed in the earth and watching it immediately sprout—first a shoot, then a tree, leaves, blossoms, and finally fruit—are not mere fabrications, but facts. That the Atlanteans knew how to apply life forces to a steerable airship, just as they did to other things, need not belong to the realm of fable.

Is it possible to forgo the post-death journey through Devachan?

[ 16 ] At a certain stage of development, the etheric body is so firmly structured 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 play such a significant role in the development of occult powers?

[ 17 ] Absolutely. Development is completely ruled out when alcohol is consumed. And that is, once again, the peculiar—yet deeply rooted—reason why the issue of abstinence and temperance is coming to the fore right now.

But isn't wine just grape juice—in other words, fruit juice?

[ 18 ] As long as the juice extracted from grapes is merely fruit juice, it is beneficial; once fermented, however, it is detrimental to development. Let’s look back at history again. The consumption of wine began in 600 B.C.; it may have already been in full swing by then, for that was when the festivals of Dionysus arose, through which the god of wine was honored. But just as everything has its time—including every fruit—so too will the grape disappear from the earth once more. Just think of the emergence of the phylloxera. From animals, everything that comes from living animals—milk, eggs—is to be enjoyed; from plants, that which reaches upward toward the light, toward the sun. That is why tree fruits are very good. Root vegetables that grow in the ground, such as potatoes and beets, are not as beneficial. In the past, people ate other people; later, they ate animals. They will transition to a purely plant-based diet and ultimately end up with minerals. Anything that precipitates should be avoided—for example, salt. All of this relates to the development of occult powers, but not to the intellectual acquisition of spiritual truths.