The Rudolf Steiner Archive

12. Theosophy, Science, and Religion. Annie Besant

[ 1 ] After an eighteen-month absence, our esteemed Annie Besant returned to Europe in May from her work in India to spend several months among us here in Europe, working to spread the Theosophical teachings and the Theosophical way of life.

[ 2 ] As you all know, in just a few days we will also have the opportunity to hear Annie Besant speak here in Berlin. Even though Annie Besant now visits Europe only briefly, her visits are a cause for celebration for the members of the Theosophical Society on our continent and in England. It is a celebration especially for those who, out of full awareness and insight, appreciate the greatness and significance of this unique personality. There are many people in Europe who are deeply attached to this personality with a love founded on understanding and knowledge.

[ 3 ] In the arena of her work—where she is now most active—Annie Besant is understood in a very special way. One understands why Annie Besant is so extraordinarily well understood and so beloved, especially in India. One understands this when one reads—and lets them sink in—the words that are, on the one hand, imbued with profound wisdom and, on the other, filled with power. These words are found in the lecture—now also available in print—that Annie Besant delivered two years ago at the annual meeting of the Theosophical Society in England: the lecture on “Theosophy and Imperialism.” The lecture that Annie Besant gave at that time on the role of her own people, the English, in India—this lecture was, if I may use that overused word, an act. For it sprang from what I would call the deepest historical insight into the needs—the true, innermost needs of the heart and soul—of a people.

[ 4 ] Annie Besant, if I may say so, appealed to the conscience of her compatriots at that time. And they were words of love—for only words of love can come from true Theosophy—but at the same time, they were words that sounded quite different from what England, from what English imperialism, is still doing in India today. They were words entirely befitting a Theosophist.

[ 5 ] What Annie Besant called for was nothing less than a modern fulfillment of what Christians call the miracle of Pentecost. You all know that this miracle of Pentecost expresses, through powerful symbolism, the fact that at that time the apostles—the messengers of Christianity—began to speak in all tongues. They began to speak in all tongues because this is necessary for anyone who wishes to carry the message of the divine world order out into the world. God speaks to all hearts. But only in their own language can the members of a people hear the divine word. Go to a people and try to interest them in the spirit of divine wisdom—or to impart the spirit of human comfort—then, above all, you must be understood by that people. You must speak in the language of that people. You must draw from that people the words, mental images, and feelings through which you express yourself. Appreciation and respect for the distinctive characteristics of every people—that is what the Theosophist sets out to do when he or she wishes to contribute to the dissemination of human-divine wisdom.

[ 6 ] And this is what Annie Besant demands of her people—with what one might well call fervor—when she says: “When you go to that country, do not be strangers, do not be rulers, do not be conquerors; be loving friends who wish to learn the language—at least the spiritual language—of those to whom you wish to speak, [to whom] you wish to impart a culture different from their own.”

[ 7 ] You see, this is the understanding that Annie Besant has been extending to the Indian people for years—the active understanding that has led her to work in India, where she has been a blessing for the education of this people and for the development of the extraordinarily high spiritual culture that exists there today. Because she understands how to speak to everyone in their own language, in the spirit of the symbolic miracle of Pentecost, and because the Indian people in particular have an understanding of this, Annie Besant is so deeply loved there. Those in the West who also understand this spirit of genuine theosophical conviction—who have not merely grasped it intellectually but have embraced it with the depths of their hearts, so that it has become the very foundation of their lives—are equally devoted to Annie Besant, and for them, Annie Besant is currently the soul of the Theosophical Movement. She is so because the spiritual life that the Theosophical Movement seeks to restore to modern humanity flows through every one of her words and can be felt in every one of them, so that each of her words—even though it springs from a complete mastery of all contemporary sciences—at the same time sinks, can sink, deep into the hearts of her listeners.

[ 8 ] Well, distinguished guests, Annie Besant may be called the soul of the Theosophical Movement, and it is with particular satisfaction that we welcome the fact that this year’s season, this year’s work, may begin with a presentation by Annie Besant within our section.

[ 9 ] I would like to say that the topic Annie Besant will speak about next Friday in Berlin is emblematic of the entire mission of the Theosophical Movement and of the significance of the Theosophical Society in our time. “The New Psychology,” the new science of the soul—that is the topic. The best way for us to prepare for the lecture—which, after all, is meant to be a celebration for us—is to clarify for ourselves what exactly this lecture is intended to convey in the spirit of the Theosophical Movement. Psychology, as you know, is the science of the soul. It is a “new psychology” that will be discussed here. The word “new” indicates that we are dealing with a doctrine that did not exist before. And if it did not exist: Compared to which doctrine of the soul is the one Annie Besant intends to speak about a new doctrine of the soul? The fact that we can speak of a new doctrine of the soul today is something that is connected to the entire mission, to the entire significance of our Theosophical Movement. And it is likely that if we could not speak of a new doctrine of the soul today, the Theosophical Movement would by no means have attained its significance, nor would it have fulfilled its mission in the way that is already largely the case today.

[ 10 ] What is this ancient doctrine of the soul? We will understand this if we look back half a century at the development of our cultural life. What I am about to say applies not only to Germany but to all civilized countries. If we look back to the middle of the nineteenth century, we find that peculiar ideas about the nature of the soul and the nature of the human spirit prevailed at that time. That was the so-called high tide of materialism. At that time, those who had the ear of their contemporaries—Ludwig Büchner, Vogt, Moleschott, and others—were the ones who championed materialism. At that time, the words that the natural scientists Vogt in Germany and Clifford in England had spoken resounded throughout the world: “Human thoughts are secreted by the brain just as bile is produced by the liver.” That, then, was the time when people wanted nothing to do with a distinct soul. In particular, those who regarded the physical as superior to the spiritual wanted nothing to do with a distinct soul; in particular, those who believed at the time that they stood at the pinnacle of science wanted nothing to do with it. The heyday of modern science had just begun.

[ 11 ] If we look back at modern science, we must acknowledge that tremendous developments and discoveries were made during that time. The new science of life was discovered [under] the microscope. It was back then that people first looked through a microscope at the tiniest living organisms, the so-called cells. The study of the Earth’s formation, which we now call geology, was still in its infancy. The storm of Darwinism raged through the educated world. One discovery followed another, and these scientific discoveries led to changes in our external lives, as industry made its great strides in the fields of natural science and the forces of nature. Humanity had become completely at home in the physical world. It had celebrated its great triumphs in the physical world. This was also the era in which humanity—at least those who had immersed themselves in it—strayed from millennia-old truths by denying what our forefathers and the forefathers of our forefathers had regarded as the foundation of their existence and the pillar of their lives.

[ 12 ] We may say that not all educated people—perhaps only a small number of them—had adopted this materialistic worldview. But that is not what matters in the ongoing development of the human race. What matters is not whether only a few or the masses grasp a new idea, but whether that idea has staying power in cultural development, whether it is capable of taking root in people’s hearts and in the minds of those who reflect. There have always been only a few in the world who were truly enlightened. If you look back to ancient times, you will always see that there have been only a few spiritual leaders. And it is true that the spiritual heritage of these spiritual leaders later becomes the nearly universal heritage of a large part of humanity. Go back to the times when Christianity was spreading, when the Gospel—which we call the Christian Gospel—first came into the world, and of which we must say that at first there were only a few who adhered to this creed. Then their numbers grew more and more, and later they numbered in the millions. And if you go back to the time when new eras dawned, to the time of humanity’s scientific discoveries, and investigate, you will find that only a few held the scientific convictions that are now common knowledge among countless people—our views of the starry sky, for example, the so-called Copernican worldview—and see how few people centuries ago professed this conviction. You will see that there were only a few. And then the idea flooded into the minds of a great many people. This is the nature of ideas that have staying power, that are destined to fill people’s hearts. With such ideas, it does not matter whether they are initially held by a few or by a large number. What matters is who it is that holds them—whether they are those who stand at the pinnacle of their era or not.

[ 13 ] If you trace back through history to the early decades of Christianity, you will find that a large number of people—namely, the best and brightest within European culture, who were at the intellectual forefront of their time—were captivated by the principles of Christianity. And if you go back to the sixteenth century, you will find that a large number of people, inspired by a few, were convinced by the ideas that Copernicus, Galileo, Giordano Bruno, and others brought into the world. These are the leaders of humanity, and the question is whether these leaders of humanity can win the ear of their contemporaries. It was a crucial question in the mid-nineteenth century whether the few whose convictions found expression in the words “The brain sweats out thoughts just as the liver secretes bile”—whether these few would find a receptive audience among their contemporaries. It was, I say, a major question. For those who spoke in this way—and we must be clear about this—were not the worst of their age at that time. They were the ones who spoke from scholarship, from science. And science itself had taken on a form that was quite suited to implanting such views in the hearts of many. Can you imagine what would happen if, instead of the spiritual worldview, the purely materialistic doctrine alluded to were to become common knowledge among humanity? Anyone who has the slightest inkling of the devastating effects that materialistic doctrine would have on humanity, anyone who understands how the destructive, ravaging forces of human nature are connected precisely to this worldview, also knows that there was a danger at that time within our education and within our development; but such a person also knows that it is human beings themselves who guide history.

[ 14 ] Our revered first teacher, Madame Blavatsky, once stated this in her *Esoteric Doctrine*—and it is a profound truth: Certainly, whatever is necessary happens in the world. And when an age needs a teaching, a wisdom, a truth, then it will come. But human beings are called upon to receive it. Although the higher forces must flow into human nature, it is nevertheless the case that human resistance—the destructive, evil forces within human nature—can delay the inflow of the higher forces for a long time. Human beings are not mere, passive instruments of the divine world order; rather, this divine world order speaks through human thought and feeling. Once we realize this, we must acknowledge that much depends on how humanity in the second half of the nineteenth century responds to the materialistic worldview—and what it will say to those who fully embrace that worldview. It came close—and anyone who cannot observe the times cannot create a mental image of how close it came to the materialistic worldview finding a full response among its contemporaries— when, in 1875, that stream of spiritual wisdom was sent into the world—that stream of spiritual wisdom emanating from the very same beings from whom spiritual wisdom has spread throughout the ages.

[ 15 ] It was then that our first teacher, Madame Blavatsky, was commissioned to serve as the voice of this spiritual wisdom, and those who heeded the messenger of higher beings—Madame Blavatsky—at that time were the first to vigorously counteract the materialistic tide. But do not think that the current I have spoken of was at work only within what we call the Theosophical Movement or the Theosophical Society. Oh no, in the last third of the nineteenth century, a powerful spiritual wave began to sweep across the entire civilized world. Everywhere, a longing arose to recognize the spirit once again. Everywhere a longing arose to gain clarity regarding the materialistic orientation of science. The Theosophists were merely the standard-bearers, the pioneers of this spiritual movement. Look to all nations and see how every nation yearns for a new spiritual life, and how this spiritual life lives as a longing in all souls who frequently engage with the mysteries of human existence. This yearning lives within the people who today may call themselves the most cultured, and [more than] anything else, this urge for a new idealism, for a new spirituality, is alive. This spiritual wave has also made its mark on science, and a powerful shift has taken place in science, particularly in recent years. Anyone—to reiterate—who knows that what is established by the so-called authorities is only a relatively small wave, one that is nevertheless spreading in all directions and affecting humanity, and who also knows how the materialistic movement was stirred up back then, understands the significance this new wave will have for humanity. Humanity must surely look to those who have the opportunity to engage with science and with the truth. Where should the ordinary person turn when he asks: What is the smallest living being? He can turn only to science. What the priests once were in the broadest sense, the men of science have become for modern, cultured humanity. But science, as it stands today at the height of its development, has thoroughly broken with the kind of psychology that Vogt expresses with the words, “The brain sweats out thoughts just as the liver secretes bile.”

[ 16 ] Those who, fifteen years ago, confidently proclaimed materialistic science—who denied any life extending beyond birth and death—precisely those who did so just fifteen years ago, but who have seriously engaged with science, who have not remained stuck in their prejudices and opinions, and who have thus evolved—it is precisely they who speak a completely different language today.

[ 17 ] Those who once claimed that human beings are descended from mere animals, that the human soul is nothing more than an expression of the mechanically functioning organism—just as the activity of a machine is an expression of the mechanical nature of that machine—those who spoke or speak in this way are no longer regarded by those with true insight as being on the cutting edge of science. Those who have evolved further have at least come to this one realization: they have come to admit that materialistic science cannot claim to have attained an understanding of the soul, knowledge of the soul, or a true psychology. Take a look around here in Germany. The natural scientists who have conducted their studies over the past fifteen years and are beginning to speak about these questions—how cautiously they speak compared to the materialistic certainty one could hear fifteen years ago. Compare what was said about Darwin in the past with what is said about him today. It is a tremendous difference. And look at books that stem from immense erudition, such as those by [Fresnel]—I could also name a few German natural scientists in this field—and you will see what a shift has taken place in scientific thinking. Fifteen years ago, everywhere you turned, you could still hear talk of the same mechanical science that operates in the laboratory and the dissection room, that examines tissues under the microscope, and so on. It can provide no insight into the soul. Laplace, from whom the theory of the motion of celestial bodies originates, once responded to the great Napoleon with a remarkable remark. Napoleon said: “I find that there is no God in your explanations of the motion of celestial bodies.” To which Laplace replied: “I have no need of that hypothesis!” Just as Laplace believed at the beginning of the nineteenth century that he had no need for the “God” hypothesis, so science believed it had no need for the hypothesis of the soul. It says: “We have thoroughly investigated and dissected the brain—we have found no soul.”

[ 18 ] Only a natural scientist whose views are outdated would say that today. No natural scientist who is at the cutting edge of his field would say that anymore. Today, the natural scientist who cannot yet bring himself to follow the new paths of a new theory of the soul will at least say one thing with caution; he will say: “In the face of the problems of the soul, in the face of the mysteries of life, my science must come to a halt.”

[ 19 ] This is what natural scientists say: It is agnosticism, that is, non-science or ignorance. For many, this is just a buzzword. The conviction that materialistic science must remain humble—that it must be agnostic with regard to the higher realms of existence—is one that is spreading more and more widely. From this you can see that the “doctrine of the soul” from fifty years ago—which is not a doctrine of the soul at all, but rather a denial of everything spiritual—is on its way to being completely overcome.

[ 20 ] But this materialistic doctrine of the soul has given us one thing: For centuries and millennia, there has been a doctrine of the soul that the priests taught and that comforted people as they were dying. At that time, many people were able to doubt this doctrine of the soul, and they believed—with sincere conviction—that they had to doubt it because, in their view, their research demanded it. Certainly, the eternal truths proclaimed by the religions of all ages are unshakable; they stand firm. They have not been shaken, not even by the fact that individual people have erred regarding them. The spread of the materialistic doctrine of the soul is no proof that, at that time, this religious teaching lacked the power to instill conviction in its truth. Rather, the spirit had grown weak, especially among the inquisitive and earnest seekers of truth. And because the spirit had grown weak—overwhelmed by the flood of new physical truths that had swept over it amid the splendor of new cultural achievements, and because it had attained a different, external, physical grandeur—it lagged behind in spiritual life and was therefore unable to grasp the truths in their old form. A new form for the doctrine of the soul has therefore become necessary. And a completely new method of research has also become necessary. And while the natural scientists of whom I have spoken have become more modest over the course of the last fifteen years—while they have turned to non-knowledge, to agnosticism—others are working to develop a new doctrine of the soul.

[ 21 ] They are working on this and investigating that which does not present itself to external research, that which reveals itself only to the spiritual-psychic gaze. Thus we see that, over the past twenty years, a new theory of the soul has flourished, entirely independent of any occult movement. We see that within the circles of scholars, natural scientists, and researchers, a new science of the soul—a new psychology—is emerging. And while the Theosophists wish to be the pioneers, the standard-bearers for a spiritual deepening of humanity, you see the work beginning here from an entirely different perspective. You see how the same results are being sought on a much larger scale than those the Theosophical Movement aims to bring into the world. The spiritual forces are working in unison. Do not believe that the forces inspiring scholars today to develop a new psychology are any different from the spiritual beings who also stand behind the Theosophical Movement! These beings choose many paths. They choose them—unconsciously from a human perspective—to advance humanity in spiritual knowledge and in the study of the soul. One of the paths running parallel to Theosophy is the one taken by this new psychology. The Theosophist already knows today where this new psychology will lead in years to come. He knows that it is a tributary that will flow into the great current of spiritual movement represented by Theosophical teaching and Theosophical life. With full foresight of what must come, and in order to help humanity truly understand what is to come, the Theosophical Movement has been called into the world by Beings who far transcend the limits of what even the most highly educated person within our culture can achieve. Anyone who does not believe, with complete humility, that his wisdom is the sum of all wisdom, or that his power of judgment represents the highest power of judgment, will soon be able to observe that there are other people around him who possess greater wisdom and greater power of judgment, and he will listen to these individuals and allow himself to be instructed by them. As he gains some insight, he will come to say to himself: I still have the path to walk that others have already walked. The more insight a person gains, the more humble he becomes in this regard; the clearer it becomes to him how much he still has to learn; and the more he is then able to find those who have something to teach him from their spiritual heights, which he has not yet attained. If someone believes he can learn nothing from anyone, that is certain proof that he has not advanced very far. The more advanced a person is, the more he comes to a certain knowledge that people stand at different stages of development, and that there have always been those who have been spiritual guides to humanity and who, in their development, have gone before their fellow human beings—the most developed, the brothers who have advanced the farthest ahead of humanity. It is they who are the most difficult for their less-developed fellow human beings to understand, let alone recognize. From such highly developed beings—who are difficult to fathom and difficult to recognize—the great spiritual current emanated in 1875, which, through the Theosophical Movement, poured out upon humanity, which yearned for it.

[ 22 ] People often ask why these highly evolved beings do not reveal themselves, why they make their presence known only rarely. You will find the answer in one of the most profound works produced by the Theosophical Movement—a small book that nonetheless encompasses a world of wisdom: *Light on the Path*. What is said there—that the guiding beings, these highly evolved individuals who tower far above their fellow human beings, can be present, indeed can be right in the midst of a crowd, without being recognized; that they can reside in St. Petersburg, Berlin, London, or Paris without anyone—except for a very few—knowing anything about it. This is the literal truth. There are reasons—certain reasons—why the advanced guide of humanity

[ 23 ] must keep hidden. We cannot concern ourselves with such reasons today. It is, however, necessary for the highest teachers to erect a kind of wall around themselves, and for only those who have prepared themselves through a suitable way of life to be granted access to them. It was and continues to be such beings from whom the movements we call “theosophical” originate. In their infinite goodness, such beings possess great power, and much of what happens among humanity emanates from them without humanity even suspecting it.

[ 24 ] When we speak of new currents in spiritual life, of a new psychology that appears to lie apart from the great theosophical current, this is only seemingly the case. The same entities and forces are at work there as well, and they speak the language that can be understood in scholarly circles and in the circles of scientific research. For the observation of the miracle of Pentecost—speaking in all tongues—is the theosophist’s guiding principle; it is that which fills him completely. That is why the theosophist speaks to every race, every people, and every tribe in their own language; that is why, where an ancient teaching has filled the hearts of people—as in India—he speaks in the language of the Hindus, and to others in other tongues; and to people accustomed to thinking and speaking in scientific mental images, these entities are also able to speak to them in their own language. And gently, gently, and slowly, Theosophy will also guide science along its proper course.

[ 25 ] That is the outlook for the future. The theosophist knows that what is meant to happen will happen. He knows that even what we must speak of today as a very young plant—he knows that even this new doctrine of the soul will grow into a powerful light in a short time, that it will radiate and fill people with a completely new sense of time.

[ 26 ] Scholars have laid the foundations for this new psychology, and scholars will continue to develop it. But if we wish to learn something about its significance and its mission for the future, then we must hear Theosophy’s perspective on this new psychology, and our esteemed and beloved Annie Besant will speak in Berlin on Friday about the significance and the essence of this new psychology. You can see how such a single act by a Theosophist is connected to the entire mission of Theosophy, and how, in turn, the entire mission of Theosophy is connected to the mission of our time. We do not believe that the Theosophical Movement is called upon to explore the nature of the soul in light of new truths, as is happening in the field of new psychology; nor do we believe that these truths are to be found in ancient wisdom. We are clear on one thing: wherever new life is sprouting in the present, wherever something new is emerging, it requires an infusion of a spiritual breath—an immediate revitalization with new spiritual life. And this spiritual life, this breath that is to blow through the souls and hearts of humanity today—this immediate life in response to the new truths—is what the Theosophical Movement seeks to bring about.

[ 27 ] You will hear these new truths presented in a new form from every pulpit, from all quarters, in the future. The deepest life—the very soul of this new spiritual life—with which they must be imbued is what the Theosophical Movement seeks to provide. And the one who is filled with this life, who is filled with this spirit—the one who desires that all our new souls striving for truth be imbued with it, so that what we explore may penetrate hearts from a warm heart, giving us strength for life and comfort as we look into the farthest future—for what would remain a dead letter, dead science if it were to remain merely scientific—whoever wishes to bring that to life is a Theosophist. For those who, in quiet moments, hear the inner voice speaking, for such men and women, the Theosophical Society is merely the outer instrument. It does not matter whether there is something more or less good or bad in the Theosophical Society. It is built upon human frailty and human judgment, just like all human institutions. Even the greatest Masters themselves—who have brought us theosophical wisdom, who speak to those who infuse the theosophical movement with life—cannot concern themselves with the external organization of the Society. They leave that to those who are charged with carrying out their missions, who place themselves at their service as their messengers. What matters is not the external framework. But we want to preserve it, precisely because we do not overestimate it, because we need it, and because we would be hindered and prevented from working if we did not have this external framework as an overarching structure encompassing Europe, America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. We wish to point out that it is not this framework that matters, but rather the spirit that humanity needs, a spirit that flows through the Theosophical Movement and flows to those who desire it.

[ 28 ] Thus, a society composed of Theosophists is something different from a society composed of others in the present day—something fundamentally different. People seek out all kinds of societies—geographical, anthropological, philological, philosophical, and so on. There they find that all cultural products must spread through society. But one thing is different about the Theosophical Movement. Where Theosophists are united, they do not wish to be bound by shared truths, nor by shared convictions, nor by dogmas; rather, they wish to be united in that which is accessible not to the mind, not to the intellect, but to the heart—the heart that comprehends and is filled with wisdom, which is at the same time the loving heart. Theosophists wish to be filled with a shared spiritual life. When they are united, this shared spiritual life is to flow through their souls. And wherever there is a Theosophical Lodge—where more or fewer contemporary Theosophical figures have come together—there they wish to form a focal point in which they gather these forces of the soul and the spirit, this power from which this spiritual life then radiates in all directions. Every gathering, every branch, should be a focal point in itself, and something invisible should radiate from it. What matters in these gatherings is not what this or that person says, whether they are more or less learned, nor whether they are this or that, but whether those who are gathered are filled with this true spiritual life that radiates from their center, so that the people of the present day may understand it more and more. What matters is not what I say here, not my words, but each and every one of us gathered here. What matters is what flows through all our souls in the moments when we are united here. It is merely by chance that one person speaks; it is merely by chance that one person puts into words what needs to be said. In the eyes of those who lead the Theosophical Movement, what one person says is no more important than what flows through the souls of the others. Equally important is what truly matters: the spiritual life that is meant to blossom in all souls at this very moment and radiate out into the rest of the world, into present-day civilized humanity. That is the true teaching of our Society. That is what is vividly embodied in our Annie Besant, and why we can call her the soul of the Theosophical Movement. That is why she embodies the mission of the Theosophical Movement before others. That is why what she does is, in particular, a Theosophical deed. And if today we have tried to immerse ourselves for an hour in the spirit of the Theosophical Movement and in the mission of the Theosophical Society, if we have tried to grasp what will be so vividly embodied for all of us in the near future—this coming Friday and Sunday—then let this be our mission before our souls, shining ahead of us as the finest Theosophical light of the present. Hopefully, once we have moved beyond the preparations, we will arrive at what it has to say to us about important contemporary issues within the Theosophical Movement.