The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Fifth Lecture

[ 1 ] We would like to devote this evening more to a historical-occult perspective and turn to a purely human-occult perspective the day after tomorrow. If I now wish to begin with a question today—prompted, so to speak, by various necessities that already exist and that must be discussed in light of current events—this is certainly not intended to mean that I wish to rehash old issues or revisit old disputes, but rather to say a few things that simply must be said. And that is why I would like to begin with a question that I do not intend to answer directly, but which is to be answered through various considerations that I will present later. I want to begin with the question: Why has Mrs. Besant, since the outbreak of the war, been slandering our German movement in such an outrageous manner in her English journals? Why did she begin this smear campaign of hers shortly after the outbreak of the war, and why is she continuing it even now in a truly unbelievable manner? — Well, the following observations will provide some clues to answering these questions.

[ 2 ] The lectures I am now required to give in public in connection with our spiritual movement must, of course, be presented in a way that is understandable to the general public. But fundamentally, every sentence spoken in this way is based on something much, much deeper: every sentence is spoken out of the necessity of a certain factual context. And today I would like to speak about some aspects of this factual context.

[ 3 ] I have often pointed out that we live in an age in which an element of occult-spiritual insight must absolutely flow into the entire cultural movement. Now, the occult current—the spiritual-scientific current—has, in essence, never truly ceased to exist for the development of humanity. But one must break away from—not exactly a prejudice, but a kind of preconception that is very widespread even within our own ranks—if one wishes to judge certain things, which one ought already to know, in the proper way. For one must—there is simply no other way to put it—break with a certain addiction to daydreaming, with a certain drowsiness that so easily befalls those who approach our spiritual science movement seeking something truly soothing for their soul, something that carries them so warmly through life, something one listens to and allows to take effect in such a way that one feels warmed by it, that one can believe in the higher destiny of the human soul—all of which is quite true, but which can also be quite closely linked to a certain lulling of the mind. One observes this all too frequently, especially among those who allow spiritual science to influence their souls and who do not at the same time strive, precisely through what spiritual science can be, to arrive at a clear, certain judgment regarding the events of life and the interweaving of facts within which every single human being is situated.

[ 4 ] Now, whenever the development of humanity has been discussed, attention has often been drawn to how our fifth post-Atlantean cultural epoch, in which we live, has the task of developing the consciousness soul from the general capacities of the human soul, and how the spirit self will then have to be developed in the sixth post-Atlantean epoch. And attention has been drawn to how essential it is that certain human predispositions—which are to be found among the Russian people, particularly in Eastern Europe, and which are still dormant and asleep today—play a role if the sixth post-Atlantean cultural epoch is to become effective in an appropriate and proper manner. And it is necessary that certain qualities, which are so deeply rooted in the Russian national soul that the Russian people—provided they are not misled by their “intelligentsia”—are truly and deeply imbued with these qualities in their souls. Attention must be drawn to such qualities. This Russian national soul has, in its very nature, something—one might almost call it feminine—something affectionate, something that is readily suited to absorbing what cultural development has brought forth.

[ 5 ] This is connected to the fact that the Russian people have absorbed—and, in the course of the development they have undergone, have always absorbed—those elements from ancient times, in the form of the more Eastern-influenced, Byzantine religious traditions, that have permeated Russian culture. The Russian national soul has so far been not very internally productive or creative, but it is receptive in the most eminent sense. This is why there has been so little further development of the Russian Orthodox religion over the centuries during which this Russian-Byzantine-oriented religion has been active among the Russians. Anyone who participates in a ceremony in the Russian Church—even if only briefly—can sense how infinitely much of an Eastern, aura-like quality permeates these ceremonies, how something aura-like, so to speak, is tangibly brought into the immediate present. That is one aspect.

[ 6 ] A second point: It is inherent in this Russian national character that the individual Russian has little appreciation for the kinds of thought patterns that are essential in Western and Central Europe for the structuring of social life and its further development. One such necessity, as implied here, certainly existed—for example, with the incorporation of strictly legal thinking into the European social order. But the Russian has little understanding for this permeation of social life with forms of thought. This distracts him from what he would like to call the free, emotional living out of his destiny. He does not wish to be distracted by any forms of thought woven into the external social structure.

[ 7 ] And a third trend is the one that so captivated Herder and that is already deeply connected to what might be called the Russian national soul. For this trait was not discovered in Russia itself—that is to say, it was not explicitly identified as a concept in Russia—but was originally identified by Herder, just as Slavism and Pan-Slavism in general have borrowed an extraordinary amount from Herder; yet another proof of the adaptability of Russian culture. The third trait, then, is a certain peacefulness, a non-aggressive nature with regard to intellectual life, a more passively devoted disposition. Aggressive advocacy of any dogmas or the like is foreign to the Russian national character. This is a third characteristic.

[ 8 ] Of course, such qualities can be turned into their opposites by various circumstances—which is precisely what makes human life so complex—and through those demagogues we are now dealing with, almost all three of these traits have been directly turned into their opposites. To anyone versed in spiritual science, this should not seem at all surprising.

[ 9 ] Thus, however—and we would see this even more clearly if we could study in greater detail what has here been outlined in just a few strokes—it is evident that there exists in Eastern Europe a substance that must, so to speak, converge with what emerges in Western Europe from a much more active process of development. In Western Europe, one finds virtually the opposite characteristics. It has been pointed out what, as a result of a certain active development, has been brought to humanity right up into our fifth post-Atlantean epoch, and what must still be brought to it, provided such things are not overlooked—as was, for example, once again highlighted yesterday in my lecture on a faded tone in German spiritual life.

[ 10 ] For anyone who can truly view the development of spiritual life with an open mind—even when it initially presents itself in the outer physical reality, precisely in the present, in the most horrific distortions, in caricatures —who can observe the inner driving forces of this spiritual life—it is nevertheless clear that, due to a certain fact, precisely that which is present in Central European spiritual life must enter into a kind of union with that which flows from Russia’s natural dispositions. A kind of interaction must take place between what can be brought forth in Central Europe—I would say, through the distinctive character of this Central European spiritual life—and what can be absorbed through certain purely natural characteristics of Eastern Europe.

[ 11 ] If you were to study Central European intellectual life even more closely—particularly that aspect to which I have just drawn attention in this public lecture—you would see: certainly, this aspect does not yet constitute spiritual science as such, but there is indeed something in it that is the seed of spiritual science. Fichte speaks, as I have often pointed out, of a “higher sense.” Goethe speaks of “contemplative judgment.” Schelling speaks of the soul’s need to elevate itself if it truly wishes to gaze into the mysteries of existence—into what he calls “intellectual contemplation.” To understand these matters more precisely, one must also draw attention to what Schelling accomplished in his later years in the immensely profound works *Philosophy of Mythology* and *Philosophy of Revelation*. A profound understanding of Christianity lives in these works, which are still not fully understood today. A spiritual conception of the world is found in a text such as “The Deities of Samothrace,” in which Schelling attempts to penetrate the mysteries of the Samothracian Cabiri. In fact, nowhere in modern intellectual life does the awareness emerge so strongly that Christianity is not merely a collection of dogmas, that what is cultivated as Christian dogma is actually secondary, but that the main point is that the Christ event—the Mystery of Golgotha—took place; nowhere does this confront us as powerfully as in Schelling’s *Philosophy of Revelation*. All of this is capable of further development; all of this must lead to the development we have so often outlined when we look thoughtfully toward what must be accomplished in Central Europe during the fifth post-Atlantean epoch.

[ 12 ] But now, Western Europe! When considering Western Europe, one must above all be clear that this part of Europe is permeated everywhere by a historically and traditionally handed-down occultism, which nowhere emerges in such an organic, such a vibrant way from what also exists in exoteric life as a true modern occultism can emerge from the spiritual current flowing through Goethe, Schelling, Hegel, and so on. What exists in the West as occultism has very little connection to what constitutes external science. It would be impossible, for example, to find in England a similar connection between occult science and the actual pursuit of knowledge as is truly the case in the worldview of German idealism. One cannot imagine that what is outwardly authentically English—such as the philosophy of Bacon of Verulam, Spencer, Darwinism with its English flavor, or, more recently, pragmatism—could find a path to what lives within the various occult orders of the West in the same way that German idealism does. What pervades these various occult orders must remain a closed system; it cannot form a proper bridge to an external, secular science.

[ 13 ] However, within these Western orders—particularly in certain high-degree orders—there is a realization that has been historically handed down, one that everyone internalizes; there is a certain realization, I would say, of that European world situation, whose true main secret lies in the fact just described: that on the one hand, as if by its very nature, Eastern Europe is destined to receive, while that which lies west of this Eastern Europe is destined to develop something that is to be received by the East. This insight is most certainly present among the leading figures of the Western orders. When these leading figures develop the fundamental idea of their occult work, they speak quite explicitly of this connection.

[ 14 ] But there is something very specific linked to the development of such fundamental ideas in the West. One can best see what this is by tracing these ideas to where they have become most rigid and most conceited: within British monastic life. Everyone who is initiated into certain higher degrees of this British monastic life—certain higher degrees of initiation that they know historically, but into which they are, of course, not truly and vitally initiated—harbors a certain notion, namely, that Anglo-Saxon culture, out of its own national character, must produce that which can unite with Russian national character to form a kind of spiritual cultural marriage. For everyone who stands within Anglo-Saxon occultism as I have just characterized it regards it as that which must replace the deepest occult driving forces of the Greco-Latin essence. That is how people think. For the fourth post-Atlantean cultural epoch—which, as we know, came to an end around the 15th century—what was decisive was precisely what Greek and Roman civilization, and Greek-Latin culture, brought forth from within itself, including its occultism. But in the fifth post-Atlantean cultural epoch, this Greek-Latin element must be superseded by Anglo-Saxon culture. This is precisely something that is demanded, something that must therefore be brought about, something that must be realized. And anyone who adheres to this dogma—which is, after all, also a dogma of the will: that the fifth post-Atlantean culture must bear an Anglo-Saxon physiognomy, an Anglo-Saxon character—also has a certain vision of the future shape of Europe. They envision the future shape of Europe in such a way that the spiritual life existing in Central Europe must, above all, be suppressed as something that must not flow into the future of humanity. One must simply brush this aside as an insignificant fact.

[ 15 ] A more or less unconscious dogma exists in all Anglo-Saxon orders—and, by extension, in all orders that are in some way connected to the “Grand Orient de France,” for example—as well as in all Western European secret societies. A fundamental dogma that operates more or less unconsciously is precisely this: This Central European knowledge is not to be considered for the fifth post-Atlantic culture; it must not be considered. Everything must be arranged so that the fifth post-Atlantic culture bears an Anglo-Saxon character. Therefore, a kind of union between Western Europe and Eastern Europe must be brought about, precisely by neglecting Central European life. — In such occult orders, people have been speaking for many, many years of the very war in which we now find ourselves. They did not depict this war as any less terrible than it has now unfolded. It is merely a naïve belief that this war would have broken out without many people having foreseen it, as if there had not been much talk about this war. There has been much talk about it! And you will find the statement about the coming great European war cited and discussed everywhere, time and again, especially within the Anglo-Saxon orders. Time and again, there is the indication that such a great European conflict must come. And people envision the future situation in Europe. It is known that the sixth post-Atlantean cultural period—which, with a somewhat materialistic slant in the Anglo-Saxon sense, is called the sixth subrace—has something to do with the aforementioned characteristics, the blood characteristics, I would say, of the Russian people; and that therefore a kind of convergence of the Western European essence with the Russian essence must be brought about. One must think about these things with absolute clarity; one must keep them clearly before one’s eyes, otherwise one lives in a state of slumber within what is the occult movement of the present.

[ 16 ] In this connection, I would like to draw your attention to a fact. I have not forgotten it, nor can I forget it. When Mrs. Besant made her first trip to visit us in Central Europe, a meeting was first held with her in Hamburg, where she gave a lecture. At that time, I asked Mrs. Besant a specific question: If we now wish to begin a Central European occult movement, how do we account for the fact that at the dawn of the 19th century—at the turn of the 18th to the 19th century—significant seeds of a particular spiritual life were precisely evident in Central Europe? — Mrs. Besant replied—of course, little was understood of the underlying context of the matter—: “At that time, something of spiritual insight did indeed emerge within German life in an abstract, conceptual form; but because humanity simply had no use for it, it had to be properly unfolded later on in a purer, higher, and truer form within English spiritual life.” — It may be unpleasant for some people that precisely such characteristic statements of mine are not forgotten. They certainly will not be forgotten.

[ 17 ] Now, in the last third of the 19th century, a unique and extraordinarily significant phenomenon emerged in connection with the occult development of Europe, extending even as far as America. And this phenomenon—which, outwardly, appears to manifest only as a single individual—has a much greater significance than one is usually inclined to assume. This phenomenon, in fact, presents itself to us in the person of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Outwardly, there is indeed the fact—though this extraordinary fact is merely an expression of deep inner spiritual connections—that Helena Petrovna Blavatsky emerged from the Russian people, possessing all the characteristics of that Russian culture, yet developing from it great, mediumistic spiritual qualities, above all psychic abilities of the highest order.

[ 18 ] One must have some understanding of what the emergence of such a phenomenon signifies in the occult development of humanity if one is to fully appreciate it, if one wishes to follow with understanding what I am about to say, for example. In the Anglo-Saxon, Western orders, secret societies, and so on—which engaged with occult ideas in the manner I have just described—a lively activity arose when it became known that such a unique personality existed, one who, emerging directly from the most characteristic Russian folk tradition, manifested future qualities of human development—concentrated in striking psychic qualities—through a wholly unique form of mediumship. There was a stir everywhere. A life of urgent inquiry arose within these Anglo-Saxon-Western orders. What emerged there as a life of urgent inquiry can be expressed as follows, although one must, of course, generalize somewhat in doing so. The people who are the true guardians of this Anglo-Saxon-Western movement said to themselves: “It means something that such an individual is awakening in the present precisely from within Eastern humanity; this must be taken into account, and a corresponding stance must be taken.” — And now the question truly arose: How can one steer that which, through strong psychic qualities, can reveal certain deep mysteries of the world, into a course where the Russian element of the future unites with the Anglo-Saxon essence? — The aim now became to draw Blavatsky’s qualities directly into the Anglo-Saxon essence. At the very least, the intention was to ensure that, through Blavatsky’s psychic qualities, the occult dogmas of the world—precisely those that the Western orders sought to present to the world—would be brought to the fore. The goal was to demonstrate how a certain science of the future, permeated by occultism, must come to be; that was the goal. The aim was to steer people’s thinking—which, after all, can be so easily guided—toward what leads from the fifth to the sixth period, but in such a way that it would initially be permeated by the impulses rooted in Anglo-Saxon occultism and its dogmas. Thus, Blavatsky’s psychic personality was to be used to instill within her what had been historically handed down and served as articles of faith in Western occultism.

[ 19 ] At first, things went, I might say, as they were supposed to. Blavatsky certainly began by familiarizing herself with the occult aspects of Central European intellectual life. What this means will become quite clear to us if we examine this Central European intellectual life a little more closely, particularly with regard to its occult elements. For this Central European intellectual life has always brought the occult to the surface. This occult aspect can even be recognized in certain—albeit superficial—literature. It thrived in the 15th, 16th, 17th, and even into the 18th century, until Jesuitism arrived and corrupted everything outwardly—but only outwardly. Yet it was alive back then. And when we speak today of how, in a certain purely ideal form during the time of Goethe, Schelling, and Fichte, a deeper striving came to the fore, we must also be clear that this deeper striving is rooted in Central European occultism, in a Central European occult development. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky initially entered this current of Central European occult development through a truly positive process, so that at first what, I would say, rose up through the subterranean channels of the human personality into Blavatsky’s psychic life, was imbued with what had been alive throughout the later Middle Ages in the form of occultism within Central Europe.

[ 20 ] But something else had already happened with this Central European occultism in the past. Of course, Western occultists are not merely foolish or stupid; they are, in fact, extraordinarily clever, even in terms of what is sometimes recognized as outward cleverness. I do not, however, count Grey and Asquith among these clever people; I do not wish to give the impression that I consider the current English statesmen to be among the wise. But there have certainly been, particularly within the occult orders, who were endowed above all with great shrewdness, and with the help of this shrewdness, it has come to pass that virtually everything that could be adopted outwardly from Central European occultism has been brought over to England, so that it is now reviving there in a body of literature that is admittedly external and exoteric, yet nonetheless extensive.

[ 21 ] For anyone who understands things as they really are, it becomes perfectly clear—whether they draw on the works of Wynn-Westcott or those English occultists who possess genuine knowledge, or even if they study the writings of Laurence Oliphant more closely—what the purpose is behind the production of this English occult literature: that the aim is to clothe in an English, a Western European guise that which was produced in Central Europe and which initially had to take a back seat there because a more materialistic development took hold. That is why—I would say—it is so hopelessly distressing to see, time and again, how certain Germans could not get enough of pointing out just how “English” all genuine occult endeavor must actually be, and that as much of it as possible must be adopted. People simply do not realize that what originated in medieval German culture was carried over there, and that they are now bringing it back in an English guise. One could even conduct some interesting research: For example, very interesting findings would emerge if one were to translate English occult works and then place alongside the translation the much more thorough and serious medieval German occult literature. If one were to compare the two, some grotesque results would emerge! It would become apparent, in fact, that very spiritual elements within Central European development are merely covered by a kind of debris, and that these are being carried back, steeped in British materialism, without anyone realizing that they were originally brought over there from Central Europe.

[ 22 ] But Helena Petrovna Blavatsky had already been deeply imbued with what was also alive in medieval occultism. She was not fully conscious of everything that was taking place within her; she was, after all, to a high degree a subconsciously psychic being. But the striving to bring everything that holds promise for the future under the sway of the Western European-Anglo-Saxon mindset continued. This urge was very powerful. And in connection with this urge—certainly, I could describe all the individual events to you, but I must outline them because we do not have that much time—it is the case that at a certain time, for example, Blavatsky was prompted to join a certain occult order in Paris.

[ 23 ] And so Blavatsky—on the one hand possessing the deeply occult-oriented Russian traits, and on the other hand imbued with a wealth of genuine knowledge originating from Central Europe—be it Rosicrucian or whatever you care to call it—joined a secret society in Paris. There she was, then. By virtue of what lived within her soul, she was an immensely powerful soul—a soul that strongly asserted what lived within her, one who did not simply go along with it—as those occult orders in Paris would naturally have liked—and allow herself to be regarded merely as a higher medium. For what particularly troubled these people was her ability to share all her occult experiences with the world—if she saw fit to do so—since she had incorporated them into a kind of higher psyche. Otherwise, one could have said to the world: “Look, what we have to tell you, we do not tell you based on theories, but it appears through a super-mediumistic channel; it emerges from a core, from a Russian nature, from the psyche of a personality who is, to the highest degree, a psychic personality.” — If one had wanted to carry that out, then Blavatsky would, of course, have had to be a much less headstrong personality. She simply would not put up with that. Hence also the fact that she then imposed conditions on that secret order in Paris—conditions I do not wish to name here (the time will come to speak of these things)—which, in turn, stemmed from Blavatsky’s own drive. For she felt: “Those over there in the West want to promote Western dominance, to the extent that it can be promoted through occultism—I will not go along with that!” — For precisely at that time, amid all the strange events that were unfolding in that secret order in Paris, she felt strongly Russian and set conditions—which, as I said, I do not wish to name—for her continued membership in the order; conditions that could not even remotely be taken into account if this order wished to maintain any connection with the outside world. She set conditions that, in a sense, would have been capable of turning the entire history of France upside down. That is why she was expelled. There was a feeling that she had been expelled just in time, before she learned too much about the order’s secrets.

[ 24 ] Then various other events occurred, including the fact that she had, I would say, developed a taste for participating in major world events. And so she joined another order—this time an American one. She did not set the same conditions as she had with the Parisian order, but she behaved in such a way that what she had sought to achieve in Paris through those open conditions could have been achieved through the American approach. And in association with a man who, in any case, had been extremely dissatisfied with American conditions at the time—in association with Olcott—she had grand plans regarding American life, plans that put the Western occultists, insofar as they were Anglo-Saxon, into a state of mind about which one might say: These people were boiling with excitement! — “Boiling hot”—it wasn’t quite that hot for Dr. Faust, nor for Richard III, as Goethe once said in a certain mood. And now, moreover, what had not yet happened in Paris had now come to pass—well, Blavatsky already knew too much, had looked too closely into what actually existed there as intentions! —, something had come into being that, quite certainly, when measured against ancient and sacred occult rules, cannot be fully justified, but which had to happen in order to avert a great misfortune that might otherwise have befallen us. The measures that were undertaken were being discussed at that very time in a gathering of American and European occultists, and after various detours, the actions that had been taken resulted in what is known in occultism as placing someone in occult captivity. This occult confinement consists of using certain processes to ensure that a person’s aspirations—specifically their occult aspirations—are enclosed within a sphere, so that the individual in question sees only their own aspirations reflected back to them and cannot look beyond that sphere. Blavatsky was now placed within such an occult sphere. Outwardly, the situation was arranged so that she was in Asia during this occult captivity.

[ 25 ] But now, the development of humanity brought certain things with it. As I said, what one recounts is, of course, never entirely precise; that is to say, the details are accurate, but because one does not have time, one must skip over things that might be recounted another time, and which one might wish to mention on another occasion. What happened was that leading Indian occultists then attempted to promote, through occult means, that which was now, in turn, of particular political benefit to their Indian people—by freeing Blavatsky from her occult captivity. And everything that had initially taken on a Central European character—which had then been overlaid with all that Western Europe had sought to instill in her—now took on an Indian character, and a complex occult experience was now, so to speak, unfolding around poor Blavatsky. One day she was freed from her occult captivity; but everything related to the occult that resided in her soul had taken on an Indian character. Added to this was Olcott’s more unconscious influence, which ultimately amounted to making these occult elements—which were imbued with an Indian character—serve Anglo-Saxon interests once again. And so it came to pass that Blavatsky’s former guide was replaced by another guide, whom she continued to refer to—in keeping with the previous one—by the name Koot-Hoomi; but Blavatsky’s later, second leader was, in essence—as those initiated into these matters know—nothing more than a petty figure in the service of Russia, a personality who pursued entirely different goals with all the teachings he imparted to Blavatsky and her followers than the honest dissemination of occult knowledge among humanity; a figure who, above all, pursued grand political goals—a form of Russian espionage—and who now sought to direct and steer the matter in such a way that, from the other side, this spiritual marriage between the Russian and Anglo-Saxon peoples might come about.

[ 26 ] Everything that, as something so horribly corrupting, permeates some of the extraordinarily great truths contained in *The Secret Doctrine* can be traced back to the reasons implied here. One may also note that the distinctly Russian influence, which entered the entire Blavatsky movement through this later Koot-Hoomi, did not sit well with certain high-ranking English occultists, and how, in particular, certain occult circles in England that are exceptionally close to the High Church did everything in their power to combat that influence I have just described. This is a detailed, extensive story that unfolded there.

[ 27 ] It must be clear, above all, that Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was an extraordinarily significant psychic personality, through whose psyche the most diverse aspirations and currents were at work. At that time, particularly at the beginning of Blavatsky’s public appearances, there was a tendency in many quarters to lay the groundwork for certain political developments of the future by, so to speak, numbing people’s minds with certain occult teachings. After all, occultists of a certain sort know only too well that—forgive the harsh expression—nothing is better at making the world stupid than first teaching occultism in a certain way. If, then, these occult teachings are not underpinned by an absolute commitment to an honest pursuit of truth, one can lead the people—who have been made foolish by the occult—anywhere one wishes to take them. This is a tendency among those occultists who belong to the more or less dark, gray variety. And such individuals very often pursue distant political goals, carefully preparing everything well in advance. It is not for nothing that—or at least it used to be—in certain secret societies, notably in Britain but also in France, it has repeatedly been taught what Poland’s future fate will be and how one should behave toward the various aspirations and currents within the Polish people. It is not for nothing that it has always been taught how the connection must be established between Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and the annexed territories of the Balkan Peninsula, and how certain political undercurrents must be prepared so that what one desires can indeed be promoted. An enormous amount of politics is conducted precisely within the secret orders of Western Europe. I would say that high politics is conducted there.

[ 28 ] Since Blavatsky never actually allowed herself to be swayed into promoting purely Anglo-Saxon occultism, she was—because she was a psychic personality—regarded as dangerous, for example, by the high-ranking occultists who were particularly close to the High Church and who, after all, wanted nothing other than what I have already indicated. In particular, they initially thought they could exert influence through those people who, due to their limited talents and untrained thinking, were actually oblivious to their role in such a movement. In particular, they believed they could achieve a great deal by steering Mr. Sinnett’s path in a certain way. Under the circumstances I have described, a person’s path can indeed be guided and steered—as I said—if one does not stand on the ground of recognizing as supreme that which genuine occultism must recognize as supreme: the unconditional preservation of human freedom and human dignity. But it must also be repeatedly emphasized that the occultist—or anyone familiarizing themselves with occultism—must remain vigilant over their soul, particularly with regard to this point. And Mrs. Besant, too, has grown into these matters quite unwittingly, but she also possesses a strong Anglo-Saxon impulse, and so all those things were then able to work through Mrs. Besant—things that have indeed worked through her. If you consider how complicated everything is within the current into which she has been placed, you will come to understand many things precisely in the case of this Mrs. Besant. But one must be willing to engage with these matters in order to gain a little understanding of such things.

[ 29 ] It is very important, my dear friends, that our genuine, clear judgment—our ability to assess external circumstances—not be compromised by our involvement in occultism; that we, so to speak, maintain sound common sense in evaluating external circumstances and not allow ourselves to be clouded by all manner of occultism. We need clear judgment regarding the events of life, which enables us not to fall prey to all manner of murky occult charlatanism—particularly those things that, originating from certain centers, pursue something entirely different from the pure truth, and where certain forms of occultism are propagated in order to fish in troubled waters for specific goals and purposes. And it is also truly urgently necessary for our movement to draw a clear line of demarcation between its honest pursuit of truth—which arises solely from the recognition of what must be incorporated into the general spiritual movement of humanity in our time—and everything that is currently asserting itself in the world in many dishonest ways as occultism, in the face of which one must by no means say that one is not obliged to take an interest in the relevant facts. One must draw a clear line between mere superstition, which has taken hold of the “knowers”—but “knowers” in the most dreadful sense—and the spiritual movement that is to remain pure within our current, and one must leave no doubt whatsoever as to which side one does not stand on! This is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, one falls into a certain state of delusion that can wreak the very worst havoc. Because these matters are being discussed and publicized from a more materialistic perspective—and will certainly be misused in the future by ill-intentioned parties to discredit all forms of occultism—I would like to draw your attention here today—and I may even have to do so publicly tomorrow—to certain things that are already capable of opening people’s eyes to many matters, and which make it necessary to emphasize that we want nothing to do with certain practices—often regarded as occultism—so that we may be prepared and equipped should the moment come when these dark practices are conflated with what is genuine spiritual scientific endeavor.

[ 30 ] Take a fact like this—as I said, I mention these things because they are just now coming to light, and because we need to state our views on them—: In Paris, clearly in connection with the activities of certain secret orders, there lives a person who possesses mediumistic abilities—abilities that have an effect on people—and who is admired as a significant medium; yet this person is associated with occult currents of the kind described and, partly consciously and partly unconsciously, allows such occult currents to work through them. This occult figure publishes a yearbook: In the 1913 yearbook, which was already published in 1912, we read the following regarding Austria: “The one who believes he will rule in the future will not rule, but another, a young man, will rule—one whom people do not yet believe will rule.” — And in the yearbook published in 1913 for the year 1914, this assertion is repeated even more clearly.

[ 31 ] Those who like to be led astray can, if they wish, admire the great prophetic gift of this Parisian medium. But anyone whose spiritual life is more enlightened would surely want to pull threads like the ones that are becoming visible here. If we now take a certain newspaper published in Paris—one that might perhaps be compared to the *B. Z. am Mittag*—the paper is called *Paris Midi*—we find that not long after the *Almanach*’s assertion, as early as 1913, a decisive desire was expressed that the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand be assassinated. — And in that same newspaper—at the time when the three-year military service term was being negotiated in France—it was stated that, should mobilization occur, Jaurès would be assassinated in the first days of mobilization! Consider this alongside all the nonsense that is now being peddled in an attempt to cast as much of a veil as possible over the secrets behind Jaurès’s assassination, and the fact that the person who published that almanac traveled to Rome in the first days of mobilization, in August 1914, traveled to Rome to influence certain circles there in an anti-Central European spirit. Consider all these facts together and then try to form a judgment as to whether you are dealing here with a prophecy or with something entirely different, which I need not further characterize for you. But consider this: in whose service does the person sometimes stand who allows himself to be beguiled? And when something like what appears in that almanac occurs here or there—and later comes to pass—people simply speak of prophecy! A clear and discerning judgment is indeed necessary when one considers the degree of dishonesty that clings to the coattails of occultism.

[ 32 ] And we can look back even further. These Western European orders have had their emissaries in Russia since the beginning of the 19th century. People will say that Masonic orders or the like were not tolerated in Russia. — All the more did they flourish in secret and bear all the more abundant fruit, and anyone who ever studies the history of the Slavophiles and Pan-Slavism will have to look for the sources in those Russian secret societies. When someone was caught, they were sent here or there or shot; but what actually happened was that the Western European occultism I have described to you was combined with Russian intellectual life.

[ 33 ] One must look into the deeper connections that exist if one wants to form a judgment about the events of the world. And even if, for the time being—while we are, so to speak, blocked—little can be said about the matter, partly because certain facts are missing, the time will come when it will become clear what role those very Western European orders played in the outbreak of war across Western Europe—orders whose threads—and more than just threads! — extend into the British ministries, the Parisian ministries, and so on—and how these Masonic orders played a major role, particularly in Western Europe, when it came to bringing about Italy’s accession to the so-called Entente. They were very, very zealous, and were, in turn, well connected to certain circles in Eastern Europe. As for the German Freemasons of the lower and higher degrees, who—as part of an international world federation—were of course always connected with the others, exchanging “fraternal greetings” and emphasizing fraternal cooperation, it can certainly be said in their defense that they were too naive to have any inkling of the entire affair in which they were embroiled. This must also be emphatically emphasized in their defense. And this is the most significant characteristic of this Central European Freemasonry: that it was duped right up to the very last moment—as were, indeed, many others who were not actually members of Freemasonry and for whom there might have been a possibility that they might not have allowed themselves to be duped.

[ 34 ] How often, over the years, has it been necessary to emphasize that one should engage in the consideration of such connections and that, especially when one delves into occultism, one must maintain clear judgment. Now, at any rate, there is a need to draw attention to such matters within our circle. Much of what has been said—what has been incorporated over the years—has been given far too little consideration; people have paid far too little attention to these matters. Consequently, there are already many things within our movement that can fill one with sorrow, especially in our present time. Our Central European movement is truly founded on a different basis than other similar movements. Just consider this one point: we can indeed compare our Central European movement to a living being. It possesses the qualities of a living being. When one founds an association that people join and later leave, that association cannot be compared to a living being. Much of what Weismann said about a living being is certainly wrong, but one thing is true: that a living being leaves behind a corpse when it withdraws its soul. This applies precisely to our society, though in a different way than to other societies. Our society possesses the quality of life in that it passes on our cycles to the members, who now carry them within themselves. When another association dissolves, the members go their separate ways; no corpse remains behind. One can hold the most beautiful ideals and still part ways peacefully. But consider this: when we go our separate ways, the entire sum of our cycles remains behind. That is the corpse! That is the testimony that we are founded not on rigid principles or programs, but on something living. Anyone who wishes to examine the matter will surely discover this other aspect. And besides, our entire movement had to take the form that it has taken. How difficult, how infinitely difficult it was—I would say—to steer our little ship through all the reefs, which you will now begin to recognize a little when you look at everything that was necessary to wrest and liberate what had to assert itself in Central Europe from Western Europe’s entanglement, which had been there from the very beginning. And in light of this, it can indeed be somewhat disheartening that, especially in today’s grave, fateful times, the fact has become apparent in many quarters within our movement that personal disputes have not only failed to diminish since the outbreak of the war but are proliferating—in fact, proliferating in a truly terrible way. This fixation of the soul on personal matters rather than on the greater purpose of the movement has become particularly pronounced during this very time. There is something sad, my dear friends, about the fact that so little awareness is evident at this time that we are truly not part of this movement as one would be in an ordinary association, and that one does not simply leave it as one would an ordinary association if this or that does not suit one! We cannot argue that so-and-so many are innocent of what is happening; rather, precisely when one stands on occult ground, the facts must be taken into account.

[ 35 ] In contrast, it must be said: If these things are possible and have happened, then we cannot continue to work within society as it currently exists! — We cannot continue working unless the awareness takes hold that this society is something living, something genuine, and not merely an association that one can leave if something does not suit one. Of course, no one can be held back. But that is not the point of what I am saying now. If that awareness does not exist, then one can only say that the goals we seek to achieve in our spiritual culture must be achieved by means other than through this society, which is then merely an obstacle. What must flow through our movement and what will set everything else right is the purest, most sincere pursuit of truth—and nothing but that, nothing but the purest pursuit of truth. For our immediate task is to introduce a new element into the spiritual development of humanity through this pure pursuit of truth. Therefore, it is essential that certain things be understood first.

[ 36 ] It is no trivial matter when I draw attention to something like what follows. It happens time and again—though people tend to regard it as a minor matter—that this or that person comes to me and asks not about anything related to spiritual life or the like, but about something one would ask a doctor. In such cases, I must always point out: One should turn with confidence to the medical professionals who are present within our society. — That is necessary. Of course, it is true that the purest art of healing and the most effective medicine are connected to our movement. But if I am to retain the proper scope of the field through which I am meant to work, then everything related to medical advice must be kept separate from my person. And this is necessary precisely because it must be made clear that it is also a kind of lull when people say: “Official medicine out there is worthless, so we’ll use something else.” — Rather, what matters to us—or at least should matter to us—is that we carry out what we intend to do not covertly, but in an honest and open manner, and that we do not succumb to the tendency to circumvent laws or external customs. Rather, the point is to bring about external conditions that make it possible in the first place for sensible behavior and conduct to take root in human development. Everyone must know that if they do not wish to be treated by conventional medicine, they must first and foremost do their part to bring an end to the tyranny of conventional medicine, and they should not first seek treatment through all sorts of underhanded means. Of course, this does not apply to those who are currently devoting their work to this field; in fact, for them, this is precisely the right course of action. But it is necessary to take very seriously what I emphasize time and again: Turn to our medical experts when it comes to pharmacology. Of course, everyone will find friendly advice from me if they want it; but the direction in which, in principle, what we need must lie—that must be understood today.

[ 37 ] I have tried to give you at least a rough outline of what might be important to you and what might also sharpen your perspective on various things that were bound to happen. It might also be good to reflect a little on the fact that there was, after all, a deeper connection in that timely separation of our Central European spiritual movement from all the drivel that had recently crept into the Besant camp and that is now, in such a strange way, erupting into the worst kinds of slander. For that much can still be said, although, as I have said, I have absolutely no desire to rehash old disputes: Among the things Mrs. Besant is now publishing in her English journal is, for example, the absurd claim that my aim was to be elected president of the entire Theosophical Society, if possible, in order to go to India and oust her, Mrs. Besant, from her sphere of influence there, and that the real reason I would have sought this would have been that I and the others who belong to me are actually agents of the German government, who would have sought nothing less than to replace Anglo-Saxon dominance with a kind of Pan-Germanism through all sorts of occult machinations, and, from India, to unseat the English government in particular! These things can now be found in much harsher form in articles by Mrs. Besant. She also knows how to spout such nonsense in other areas that can stand side by side with the Alcyone nonsense. However, one now hears that Alcyone is said to have been removed from the position of becoming the Christ-Bearer. Well, to install Alcyone, others had to be deposed, didn’t they! After all, one or the other had always been installed as needed. Even the Russian heir to the throne had already been bestowed with the honor of becoming the Christ-Bearer in certain esoteric circles—young Alexei! The previous one, of course, had to be deposed. But there had been others before that—there were even several at the same time! Well, if one isn’t allowed to tell the other—always hinted at, mysteriously, isn’t it—then one can certainly have several things at once!

[ 38 ] But you see, if one accepts these things too lightly, one overlooks something like this, which I would also like to mention: It was in 1909, when the worst of the Leadbeater-Besant hype was in full swing—that is, “the first worst”—that a society was formed that was intended to be international. A longtime friend of Mrs. Besant’s, Mr. Keightley—who had previously always corrected her books for scientific errors—was at that time specifically associated with that international society that was to be founded from India against Besant. At that time, I was written to asking if I would accept the presidency of this international society. It was offered to me from India. In 1909, the congress was held in Budapest. In the presence of witnesses, I told Mrs. Besant at that time that this presidency had been offered to me. I did, however, mention this only to a few people on the ship, in order to tell her immediately afterward: But as far as the occult movement is concerned, my role is nothing other than to be someone who, within German culture, represents what he is called upon to represent, and outside of that German context, I will not assume any occult position whatsoever. — And now she dares to say in a newspaper that I had sought to attain the presidency from India! I have always spoken of objective untruths regarding numerous things Mrs. Besant has stated. But when one experiences something like this—that I explicitly told her I never wanted to be anything within the Theosophical Society other than, at most, the General Secretary of the German Section or something encompassing it—then one no longer needs to speak of objective untruths, but can calmly say: In this case, on Mrs. Besant’s part, there is not an “objective untruth,” but—just as with the Jesuit accusation—a deliberate lie. And anyone who wants to defend Mrs. Besant today must accept that someone who knows the facts is telling them that they are, in effect, defending a deliberate liar. And if one considers the Jesuit accusation, this matter, and the entire campaign now being waged out of English chauvinism against what is being sought here, then one can also speak of a systematic campaign of lies, which is certainly taking place.

[ 39 ] Anyone who finds these words too strong must bear in mind that I never say anything intended as an attack, but only speak when it is a matter of self-defense. This should be taken into account, in particular, by all those who are always saying that equal rights must be granted to both sides. In our case, “equal rights” have been upheld simply by turning a blind eye—at least in hindsight—to what is true, even in our own sphere! This present, fateful time must finally lead us to view things in accordance with the truth, in all their full, genuine, and honest gravity, and to act accordingly. For it is indeed true that all these sacrifices, now being made in the form of hundreds upon hundreds of deaths, will have been accomplished for the salvation of humanity if they find souls here on earth who, in due time, understand how to think and feel in the right way! What is being prepared up there in the spiritual world—if viewed correctly by those who understand—will then become forces in the future that will be transformed by discerning, spiritually sensitive souls into forces that propel humanity forward. If it is not understood, then, in a spiritual sense, the events of the present will pass in such a way that precisely those forces which exist up there in the spiritual world—as the results of hundreds upon hundreds of sacrificial deaths—will fall into the hands of Ahriman. In this connection, I have always said:

From the courage of the fighters,
From the blood of the battles,
From the suffering of the forsaken,
From the sacrifices of the people
The fruit of the spirit grows—
Guiding souls, spiritually aware<

Their minds toward the spirit realm.