The Rudolf Steiner Archive

10. General Karma: The Example of the Atlanteans

[ 1 ] If [the Atlanteans] had not strived for higher qualities than those their race offered them, they could not have become Indians. Those who learn only what is necessary to fulfill a profession—to become a soldier and the like—are not capable of elevating or advancing the race. Those who are led into a Theosophical Lodge can learn the things that take them beyond the race and that benefit them beyond their current incarnation. Human beings can either become enmeshed with the race or rise above it; they can perish within it or attain a higher level. Those who do not learn enough must return to the same race. Those who do not strive further gradually run the risk of falling into ruin. Now, there are always many people who cling to fleeting facts, who do not wish to enter the timeless; they push aside the guides who point toward the future. One has the choice to go with them or to remain stagnant. The more intensely these people reject progress, the more they condemn themselves to falling behind. In Ahasver, the “Eternal Jew,” it is described what it means to remain eternally within a race because one refuses to listen to the Redeemer.

[ 2 ] All occult struggles affect the deepest nature of the human being. What happens in the etheric body influences the physical body. Thus, it would have had the most disastrous consequences for a people if a leader of that people had sinned against the etheric body through debauchery; consequences such as the plague could have ensued. This fact underlies the Oedipus myth. Although Oedipus is a high-ranking initiate and can solve the Sphinx’s riddle, he fails to see through the bonds of blood; thus, the is fulfilled in him. The oracle’s saying. It is argued that if a person is subject to karma and heredity, we should not intervene to alter their fate. There were many great musicians in the Bach family. Just as their physical features resembled one another, they all had an ear for music. The individuality that takes shape seeks out a suitable instrument and parents who give it the opportunity to develop its abilities.

[ 3 ] Similarly, eight famous mathematicians were incarnated into the Bernoulli family. [...] This predisposition weighs down those affected; morally upright parents will attract children with similar qualities.

[ 4 ] It is not true when it is claimed that Theosophy can destroy a mother’s love because a foreign individuality is incarnated; on the contrary: the child loves its mother even before it is loved by her. Freedom of action is in no way impaired. We should always understand karma with our hearts; then we will be carried over the difficulties. Karma is a life account. The bookkeeping is determined by the cash balance, which can vary greatly. Should a merchant allow himself to be led astray by losses? New entries can always be added to the “debit and credit” columns as needed; if the merchant needs help and we can come to his aid, that counts as a positive entry—it must have a beneficial effect. If we were willing to help, we have recorded a positive entry that will last forever. If we help in an effective way, the differences will be balanced out.

[ 5 ] This is a point of contention between theologians and theosophists. The priests claim they cannot accept the law of karma because Jesus Christ helped humanity through his death; the theosophists, however, do not wish to believe in vicarious atonement. The two views can coexist quite well. It is possible for one to help in a matter in which the other cannot help themselves. Let us consider this fact as applied to Jesus Christ. Those who look more deeply into it come to understand it; without his help, humanity would be lost.

[ 6 ] In the past, people believed in karma and reincarnation, a belief that was prevalent across all races. This teaching is still found in Buddhism and among the Mongolian race, and was once prevalent in Europe. Buddha was active in Europe in the ancient mysteries and was the same individual who appeared in Asia as the Buddha and in Europe as [Bodha – Wodha –] Wotan.

[ 7 ] The doctrine of reincarnation is fading away; the esoteric life cannot be taught publicly because a new era is dawning. Now the time is approaching once again for people to prepare themselves to receive the Christ anew. He will come when he is understood esoterically. The doctrine of reincarnation disappeared about a thousand years before Christ; he could speak of it only to his closest disciples. He spoke to them of his return, went up the mountain with them, and was transfigured. The disciples became clairvoyant beyond time and space and saw exalted figures: Moses and Elijah. The eternity of the Spirit stands before them. The disciples ask the Master whether Elijah will not return; he replies: “Did you not see him? John was indeed Elijah, but do not tell anyone.” — He will proclaim this teaching when he appears again. For the time being, this secret has been withheld from humanity. The great teachers do not tell people everything they know, but only what is beneficial to them.

[ 8 ] Most of you, as listeners, were once Theosophists or come from the ancient Druidic schools; you have heard the ancient truths in legends, fairy tales, and myths. There is no dogma in Theosophy. In three thousand years, a different form of Theosophy will take the place of today’s. Anyone who dogmatizes commits a sin against it.

[ 9 ] In ancient states, there was a firm belief in reincarnation. For example, it was almost unbelievable what Etruscan slaves were forced to endure under the Romans. Only the belief in a just recompense kept them going. The individual felt like a part of the whole.

[ 10 ] The time had to come when we would regard this present life as so important as if it were the only one—eternity depends on it. We see in our culture that people consider it so valuable to work toward this plan. Gradually, the physiological influence took hold, suggesting that the brain is incapable of comprehending anything beyond earthly life. The temperance movements are paving the way for Theosophy. Christianity had to acknowledge that humanity was not yet capable of knowing the higher worlds; therefore, it had to be taught exoterically, and it may only be proclaimed esoterically when the Christ appears.

[ 11 ] This truth is hidden in the wedding at Cana. The sacrificial libation was water; it was transformed into wine at that time. The Greek festivals of Dionysus were also celebrated to symbolize that the human ego became earthbound and turned away from heaven. Christianity retained the custom of drinking wine at festivals.

[ 12 ] In the Homeric age, the doctrine of reincarnation disappears, including the present time.

[ 13 ] This is a period during which the soul returns once as a man and once as a woman. One incarnation took place in our current culture, while the earlier one occurred at the beginning of Christianity or shortly before.

[ 14 ] It should come as no surprise that, in an age of masculine culture, the spiritual culture that originated in Theosophy came through a woman. Thus, the Theosophical Movement will prove to be eminently practical. It will lead people to overcome gender within themselves and to elevate themselves to a standpoint where the spiritual self and the spiritual human—which are beyond gender and beyond the personal—stand in relation to the purely human. A consciousness similar to that of men will gradually awaken in women. Like one of those who spoke from the depths of their soul: “The Eternal Feminine draws us upward,” those who identify with the feminine aspect of humanity will speak of the “Eternal Masculine” within the feminine nature. This will then be a true understanding and resolution of the women’s issue.

[ 15 ] A spiritual age will bring about an understanding of the inner realm beyond gender, without retreating into asceticism or denying gender. When people ennoble and beautify this relationship, they live in the realm beyond gender. It can then be said: The eternally human draws us upward.