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Magic: White and Black

by

Franz Hartmann,M.D.

 

 

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Magic: White and Black

or

The Science of Finite and Infinite Life

Containing Practical Hints for Stu ents of Occultism

 

by Franz Hartmann,M.D.

Published by Kegan Paul,Trench,Tr ό bner &Co.,Lt .

Broa way House,68-74 Carter Lane,E.C.London

1924 -Seventh E ition

 

"Everything that exists upon the Earth has its ethereal counterpart above the Earth,

and there is nothing,however insignificant it may apear in the world ,

which is not depending on something higher;so that if the lower parts acts,

its presi eing higher part reacts upon it".

Sohar Wajecae,Fol.156,6

"For in our searching are fulfille all our esires, and we obtain the victory over all world s".

Khan .Upanisha .

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CONTENTS

Page 23 INTRODUCTION SPIRITUAL LAW IN THE NATURAL WORLD.

The meaning of "Magic"– The Life principle – Man's spiritual nature -Magicians and mediums – Man and

the universe -The inner world – Go ,science,religion,superstition -Mystic and mysticism – Truth and

fiction -The Bible allegories – Soul -knowle ge and brain speculation – Self-knowle ge and theories –

Realisation by experience -Selfishness – The false Egos – Elementals – Spiritual germs and their

growth-Asceticism -Visionaries and reamers -The wisdom religion -The "sons of darkness"and the

"chil ren of light"-Spiritual evolution

Page 49 CHAPTER I THE IDEAL

The ideal self – Realisation of ideals – Truth – Me itation – Prayer – Go prays to himself – Interior

revelation – The universal ideal -Christianity – Theosophists – I entity of revelations – Perception of

truth – Self-control – Intuition and logical inferences – The A epts – False science – Nature – Me icine

of the future – Faith is spiritual knowle ge – Min -substance – Invisible beings – Object of life and its

necessities – Alchemy

Page 67 CHAPTER ll THE REAL AND THE UNREAL.

Primordial essence – The abstract ideas  – Character and purpose – Reincarnation – The Ego – Self-

consciousness before and after eath – The spiritual man – Relative existence – Unreality of external

appearances – Matter and motion – Consciousness – Objective and subjective existence – The unknown

One – Imagination – Perception -The "Fall"– Creation – The inner senses – States of min – Dualism –

Go and i ols

Page 85 CHAPTER III FORM

Creation of forms – Spirit – Soul -Matter – The seven principles – The four planes of existence -The

"resurrection of the flesh"– Spheres and auras – Psychic emanations – Physical and astral forms –

Elementaries – "Materialisations"– Necromancy – "Doubles"– Wraiths – Apparitions – Ghosts – Spirits

of nature – Gnomes – Sylphs – Un ines – Salaman ers – Spiritual beings – Planetary spirits – Emotions

and their origin – Organisation of forms on the various planes – Daemons Obsession – Spirits of music –

The Creator and his creatures – Witchcraft – Astral appearances – Spiritism – Spooks – Spirits of the

"ea ”– Devas – Unconscious exercise of magic power – Protection against evil spells

Page 110 CHAPTER IV LIFE

The will and the life – Expression of character – Chiromancy – Psychometry – Reincarnation of soul –

In ivi uality – In ddifferentiation of form and of character – Change of character – In ivi uality – Change of

purpose – The ideal realises itself – Spirituality – Delusion of separate ness – Isolation – Vampires –

Incubi and succubi – Elementaries – "Killing out ”passions – Change of esires – The reamer and the

realist – Life transfer – Suspension of life – Evolution – The Elixir of Life.

Page 124 CHAPTER V HARMONY

Harmony – The music of the spheres – Spirituality and scientific curiosity – Unity of the Law – Variety of

forms -Karma – Accords and iscords – Numbers – Number one – Perio icity – Magic Squares –

Number Seven – Love and life – Man and woman – The true marriage – Humanity and ivinity –

In uction – Foo for the physical bo y – Nutriment of the soul – "Sin ”Suffering and its necessity –

Experience – Purification – The spiritual organism – A oration – Me itation – Efficacy of "prayer"–

Illumination.

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Page 143 CHAPTER VI ILLUSIONS

Imagination – Two world s – The Dwellers of the Threshol – Reason and Truth – Illusions an

appearances – Prostitution of principles – Starvation of soul – "Self"– Money – Possession – "Love"–

Celibacy – Life and illusion – Science – Intellectuality without spirituality – Ambition – Power – Fame –

Authority – Fear – Doubt – Remorse – Sins – The "Lamb"– Obe ience – Reason – Passive imagination

– Visions – Artificial means for in ucing hallucinations – Fumigations – Magic mirrors – Fortune telling –

Me itation – Exercise of the will – "Mesmerism"an "hypnotism"– Unreality of illusions – Mediumship –

Responsibility – Power of the imagination – States after eath – Materiality and ensity – Heaven an

hell – Happiness .

Page 164 CHAPTER VII CONSCIOUSNESS

Min – Absolute and relative consciousness – Realisation of existence --Perception —Development of

the senses – Light anddarkness – Resistance – Astral Light – Astral forms – Haunte houses – Sight

an touch – True self-consciousness – Reason and reasoning – Muscular consciousness – Astral

consciousness – Obsessions – Thought-bo y – Apparitions – Double consciousness – Projection of the

astral form – The Kama Rupa – Double memory – The inner man – Somnambulism and trance – Two

lives – Two souls – Two attractions – Spiritual consciousness – Wisdom – Organisation – Regeneration –

The spiritual bo y.

Page 183 CHAPTER VIII UNCONSCIOUSNESS

Knowle ge is life – Ignorance is eath – Relative life and relative eath – Physical eath – Immortality –

Nirmβnakβyas – Death is change – Go re eems himself – Principles and forms – Living corpses or

shells – Insanity – Process of ying-The astral form – Letter from and A ept – Kama loca – Animal souls –

Heaven and hell – Post-mortem consciousness – Devachan – The mystic eath – Spiritualism an

spiritism – Communications from the "eparte "– Conscious immortality – Object of life – Reincarnation

– Assuming a new bo y – Shall we know each other after eath ?– Degra ation is eath – Black magic

– White magic – Evolution – Permanent love.

Page 204 CHAPTER IX TRANSFORMATIONS

Memory – The Astral Light – Impressions and temptations – Responsibility – Crimes – Capital

punishment – Clairvoyance – Seership – Amulets – The Mumia – Mysterious powers of precious stones –

Action of rugs – Primordial matter – Single bo ies of chemistry – Transformation – Will and imagination

– Alchemy in its three aspects – Projection of thought – Mental epi emics -Receptivity – Occult

phenomena – H.P.Blavatsky – Controlling the thoughts – The Master – Wisdom – Accumulation of

energy – Manifestations of consciousness – Organisation require – The ivine Man – The Re eemer.

Page 227 CHAPTER X CREATION

The great mystery – Man – Memory and forgetting – Mand the Creator of his world – Self-ma e men –

Material and spiritual nature – Cosmology – Mythology – Animal foo – Practical occultism – Union –

Faith and oubt – Action – Development of will-power – Experiences of life – Truth and error – Duty –

Knowle ge – Belief – The "Path"– Rules of life

Page 250 CHAPTER XI LIGHT

Spirit and form – Free om – Personality and in ivi uality – The permanent and the impermanent –

Hermes Trismegistus – The Saviour – The Lord – The true baptism,forgiveness of sins,communion,

marriage – The true and universal church – The "Son of Man"– Birth of the Christ – Biblical "history"–

Prayer – The true Faith – Soul knowle ge – Physical effects of regeneration – Suffering – The true

Rosicrucians and their symbols – Initiation – Spiritual nutriment – Ceremonies – Jesus of Nazareth –

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Re emption – Allegories "Faust"– Real knowle ge – Unselfishness – Goo and evil – The unpar onable

sin.

Page 267 CHAPTER XII THEOSOPHY

Beauty beyon the power to escribe it – The spiritual Sun – Divine Wisdom the realisation of Truth –

The Philosopher's Stone – The Elixir of Life and Universal Panacea – Magic power – The Path – To

know – Forbi en knowle ge – True knowle ge – To will – Love the fountain of true knowle ge –

Development of will-power – To are is obe ience to the law – Strengthening of self-will – Fakirs – Hatha

yoga – Philosophical and theosophical courage – Self-sacrifice – To be silent – Jackob Boehme – Raja

yoga – Instructions – Symbols – Language – The threefol word – The language of nature – Universal

language – Thought,word,an action – Mystic symbols – The five-pointe star – The ouble interlace

triangle – The cross – The Brothers of the gol en and rosy cross – The true cross – The self realisation

of Truth.

Page 297 APPENDIX A NEW GUIDE ON THE PATH.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE FRONTISPIECE

[Page 5 ] At the foot of the picture is a sleeping Sphinx,whose upper part (representing the higher

principles)is human;while the lower parts (symbolising the lower principles)are of and animal nature.She

is reaming of the solution of the great problem of the construction of the Universe and of the nature an

estiny of Man,an her ream takes the shape of the figure above her,representing the Macrocosm an

the Microcosm and their mutual interaction.

Above,aroun ,an within all,without beginning and without and en ,penetrating and perva ing all,from

the en less and unimaginable periphery to the invisible and incomprehensible centre is Parabrahm ,the

unmanifeste Absol te ,the supreme source of every power that ever manifeste or may in the future

manifest itself as a "thing",an by whose activity the world was thrown into existence,being projecte by

the power of His own will and imagination.

The Omega (and the Alpha in the centre)represent the "Son ",the Absolute having become manifest as

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the Universal Logos or The Christ ,also calle B ddhi ,or the sixth principle ,the cause of the beginning

and the en of every create thing.It is One with the "father ",being manifeste as a Trinity in a Unity ,the

cause of what we call Space,Motion,and S bstance .Its highest manifestation is Self-conscio sness ,by

which it may come to the comprehension of Man .The spiritual man whose matrix is his own physical

bo y,raws his nutriment from this universal spiritual principle as the physical [Page 6 ] foetus is nourishe

by means of the womb of the mother,his so l being forme from the astral influences or the so l of the

world .

Out of the Universal Logos procee s the "invisible Light "of the Spirit,the Truth ,the Law ,and the Life ,

embracing and penetrating the Cosmos and becoming manifest in the illuminate soul of Man,while the

visible light of Nature is only its most material aspect or mo e of manifestation,in the same sense as the

visible sun is the reflex of its ivine prototype,the invisible centre of power or the great spirit al Sun.

The circle with the twelve signs of the Zo iac,enclosing the space in which the planets belonging to our

solar system are represente ,symbolises the Cosmos,fille with the planetary influences perva ing the

Astral Light ,an which are cause by the interaction of the astral emanations of the cosmic bo ies an

their inhabitants.

The activity in the Cosmos is represente by the interlace triangle.The two outer ones represent the

great powers of creation,preservation,an estruction,or Brahama ,Vishn ,an Siva ,acting upon the

elements of Fire,Water,an Earth —that is to say,upon the original principles out of which ethereal,

flui and soli material substances and forms are pro uce .

The two inner interlace triangles refer more especially to the evelopment of Man.B ,C ,an D

represent Knowledge ,the Knower ,and the Known ,which trinity constitutes Self-knowle ge.E,F,an G

represent the Physical Man,the Ethereal or Inner Man ,and the Spirit al Man .The centre represents the

ivine Atma ,being i entical with the Universal Logos .It is,like the latter,a Trinity in a Unity.[Of the three

interlace A's only one is istinctly rawn in the figure.It is the spiritual see [Page 7 ] implante in the soul

of man,through whose growth immortal life is attaine .Its light is the Rose of the Cross that is forme by

Wisdom and Power .But below all is the realm of ill sion ,of the most gross and heavy materialise

thoughts,sinking into Darkness and Death,where they ecompose and putrefy,an are resolve again

into the elements out of which the Universe came into existence.[Page 8 and 9 ]

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PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION

This book was originally written for the purpose of isenchanting certain cre ulous inquirers,who fancie

that the exercise of spiritual powers coul be taught by teaching them certain incantations and formulas.

It was to prove that spiritual powers must be evelope before they can be exercise ,an to explain the

con itions necessary for their evelopment.

Since the appearance of the previous e ition,a little a itional knowle ge,gaine by the experiences of

my own inner life,has enable me to make certain corrections;to sift out much of what was irrelevant,

an to remo el a great eal of what was incorrectly expresse .Moreover in this e ition and attempt has

been ma e to answer the numerous questions which have been a resse to me by the rea ers of

"Magic".

The most serious objection which has been ma e against this book has been on account of its title;but

the causes which in uce me to select such a title were suggeste by the purpose for which the book

was inten e ;nor woul I at present be able to fin one more appropriate for it,for "Magic"means that

ivine art or exercise of spiritual power by which the awakene spirit in man controls the invisible living

elements in the soul-substance of the universe;but,above all,those in his own soul,which are the ones

nearest to him.

If we esire to master any forces whatever,it is,above all,necessary to know what they are and how

they originate,an as we have no better means to stu y the qualities of any internal forces,than by

observing [Page 10 ] those which are active within ourselves,the perception of the processes going on

within our own psychic organism,will be the means to accomplish our object.The art Magic is the

exercise of spiritual power,to be obtaine by practising self-control,an this power cannot be acquire in

any other way;nor is it possible to teach anyone how to exercise a power which he oes not possess,

because he has not evelope it;we can only in icate the way in which the psychic powers latent in

every human constitution may be evelope .The constitutions of all men are fun amentally the same,

an in each human being are containe magical powers germinally or in a latent con ition;but they

cannot be sai to exist before they become active and manifest themselves,first interiorly,an

afterwards in and outward irection.

It was not my object,in composing this book,to write merely a code of ethics ,and thereby to increase

the alrea y existing pile of moral precepts,but to assist the stu ent of Occultism in stu ying the elements

of which his own soul is compose ,an to learn to know his own psychical organism.I want to give an

impulse to the

stu y of a science,which may be calle the "anatomy and physiology of the so l ",which investigates the

elements of which the organism of the soul is compose ,and the source from which man's esires an

emotions spring.

Physical science has a vance with great stri es in the realm of superficial phenomena and external

illusions,but the science of the real interior and invisible man is still very little known.The mechanical

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an chemical forces of nature have been ma e subservient to physical science.She has lai the yoke

upon the neck of the giant Steam and chaine Electricity to her triumphal chariot;she ma e mechanical

motion,heat,an light,an magnetism the obedient slaves of men;she ma e [Page 11 ] iscoveries which

make man to a certain extent independent of the con itions impose upon him by space and time;she

succee e in realising certain ideas  and to put them into practical execution,ideas  which a century ago

were believe to belong merely to the realm of the fancies of the visionary and the reamer.

Why shoul we stop here?Why shoul it not be possible for us to a vance still further,an to enchain

those semi-conscious and conscious forces which perva e our own soul,an also the soul of the world ?

Why shoul it be impossible to con ense into forms by the omnipotent power of Will the living but

formless Elementals ;to concentrate and give shape to living and universal principles,which,although

they are at present invisible for us,nevertheless exist?Such things have been accomplishe by the

Eastern sages thousan s of years ago,an may be accomplishe by ourselves,provi e we attain the

same state of perfection which characterises these Adepts .

To arrive at this en the merely superficially intellectual rea ing of books on Occultism is entirely

insufficient.The ivine mysteries of nature are above and beyon the power of conception of the limite

intellect.They must be graspe by the power of the spirit.If we cannot by our own soul perception

perceive a spiritual truth with the eye of the spirit,intellectual reasoning and book learning will not enable

us to perceive it clearly.Books,ealing with such subjects,shoul not be masters to us;they shoul

merely be our assistants.They are merely useful to escribe the etails of things which we alrea y know

in the epths of our soul;they are merely servants to hol up before our eyes magnifying mirrors,

wherein we see the truths whose presence we feel in ourselves.

Jackob Boehme ,the great theosoph,says in regard to [Page 12 ] the stu y of Occultism:"If you esire to

investigate the ivine mysteries of nature,investigate first your own min ,an ask yourself about the

purity of your purpose.Do you esire to put the goo teachings which you may receive into practice for

the benefit of humanity ?Are you rea y to renounce all selfish esires,which clou your min and hin er

you to see the clear light of eternal truth ?Are you willing to become and instrument for the manifestation

of Divine Wis om ?Do you know what it means to become unite with your own higher Self,to get ri of

your illusive Self,to become one with the living universal power of Goo and to ie to your own sha owy

insignificant terrestrial personality ?Or o you merely esire to obtain great knowle ge,so that your

curiosity may be gratifie ,an that you may be prou of your science,an believe yourself to be superior

to the rest of mankin ?Consi er,that the epths of Divinity can only be searche by the ivine spirit

itself,which is active within you.Real knowledge must come from our own interior,not merely from

externals,and they who seek for the essence of things merely in externals may fin the artificial colour of

a thing,but not the true thing itself".

Again this self-taught philosopher says:"The intellect shoul be evelope ,but above all the heart .We

shoul attempt to un erstan intellectually the laws of everything;but our own still fallible intellect shoul

not be ma e the starting-point in our investigations.Man shoul not be governe by his reasoning from

appearances;but he shoul govern his min ,so that the light of ivine wisdom may illuminate his

intellect.If our ju gment becomes free of all selfish taint,and the vibrations of our soul are ma e to

vibrate in harmony with the eternal spirit,our perishable intellect will be [Page 13 ] penetrate by the

imperishable light of ivine wisdom;an we will be able to perceive and to solve the eepest problems of

nature.If our esire and reason cling to the sphere of self,we shall see merely the illusions which we

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ourselves have create ;but if we become free by being obedient to the universal law,we will become

one with the law and see the truth in its purity".

An to this we will a ,as a warning to all inquirers,that a scientific investigation of the occult mysteries

of nature,without that firm foun ation furnishe by the evelopment of true spirituality,is excee ingly

angerous and lea s to eplorable consequences.The perception of things which belong to the spirit is a

faculty of the spiritually evelope man and not within the reach of the semi-material min .He who

continually pores over things which he cannot comprehen lives in the realm of his reams;he becomes

an unpractical person,incapable to fulfil his uties in life,an often insanity and suici e is the result.The

school of the occultist is only for those who have gra uate in the school of terrestrial life.

Let,therefore,those who wish to acquire spiritual or ivine power,follow this a vice:let them rise

spirit ally into the highest regions of thought and remain therein as its permanent resi ents.Let them

cultivate their physical bo ies and their mental constitutions in such a manner that the matter of which

they are compose will become less gross and more penetrable to the ivine light of the spirit.Then will

the veils that separate them from the invisible world become thinner;then will they become aware of the

fact that the circle which limits their terrestrial and phenomenal existence is merely a small segment of

that gran circle wherein their existence as self-conscious beings on the spiritual pIane is enclose ,an

as they increase in transcen ental [Page 14 ] knowle ge they will grow in spiritual power,until,by the

un erstan ing of the ivine laws of the universe,they will become the co-operators of Go ,an Go will

perform his miracles in and through them.

The following pages are and attempt to show the way how Man may become and instrument of the Divine

Power whose pro uct is Nature;they constitute a book which may properly bear the title of "Magic",for if

the rea ers succee in practically following its teachings,they will be able to witness the greatest of all

magical feats,the spiritual regeneration of Man.[Page 15 ]

PREFACE

Our age is the age of opinions.The majority of our ed cated people live,so to say,in their hea s,an

the claims of the heart are neglecte .Vanity is king,an wisdom is only permitte to speak when it oes

not come into conflict with selfish consi erations.The guardians of a narrow limite science elu e

themselves with a belief of being capable to bring the infinite truth within the grasp of their finite

un erstan ing,an whatever they fail to comprehen is asserte not to exist.Our speculative

philosophers refuse to recognise the eternal power of universal love whose light is reflecte in the human

soul;they wish to examine eternal truths by the flickering can le-light of their logic,reasoning from the

basis of sensual observations;they forget that Humanity is a Unity ,an that one in ivi ual cannot

encompass the All;and the ignorant asks scientific reasons why man shoul be faithful and true,an why

he shoul not consi er his own personal interests above those of the rest of mankin .

It is universally a mitte that man's final estiny cannotdependon the theories which he may have

forme in his min regarding Cosmology,Pneumatology,plans of salvation,etc.,an as long as he

possesses no real knowle ge,one set of beliefs or opinions may perhaps be as goo as another;but it

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cannot be enie ,that the sooner man frees himself of the erroneous opinions of others and opening his

own eyes recognises [Page 16 ] the real truth,the less will he be impe e by the obstacles which are in the

way of his higher evolution,and the sooner will he reach the summit of his final perfection.

The most important question seems,therefore,to be:"Is it possible that a man shoul actually know

anything transcen ing his sensual perception,unless it is tol to him by some suppose authority ?Can

the power of intuition be evelope to such and extent as to become actual knowle ge without any

possibility of error,or shall we always be oome todependon hearsay and opinions?Can any

in ivi ual man possess powers transcen ing those which are a mitte to exist by mo ern science,an

how can such transcen ental powers be acquire ?"

The following pages were written for the purpose of attempting to answer such questions,by calling the

attention of those who esire to know the truth to a consi eration of the true nature of Man and of his

position in the Universe.Those who alrea y know these things of course will not nee the instructions

which these pages contain,but to those who esire to know they may be of some use,an to the latter

we recommen the a vice given by Gautama Bu ha to his isciples:"Believe nothing which is

unreasonable,an reject nothing as unreasonable without proper examination".

This book was not written for the purpose of convincing sceptics of the fact that phenomena of and occult

character have taken place in the past and are occurring at present;though and attempt has been ma e

to prove the possibility of mystic occurrences,by offering some explanation in regar to the laws by

which they may be pro uce .No space has been evote to lengthy illustrative examples of

phenomena.Those who require them will fin such evi ence in the books whose titles have been given

at the foot of the pages.[Page 17 ]

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INTRODUCTION

SPIRITUAL LAW IN THE NATURAL WORLD

"There is no religion higher than truth".

[Page 23 ] WHATEVER misinterpretation ancient or mo ern ignorance may have given to the word Magic ,

its only true significance is The Highest Science ,or Wisdom,based pon knowledge and practical

experience.

If you oubt whether there is any such thing as Magic,an if you esire any practical illustration about it,

open your eyes and look aroun you.See the world ,the animals,and the trees,an ask yourself

whether they coul have come into existence by any other power than by the magic power of nat re .

Magical power is not a supernatural power,if by the term "supernatural"you mean a power which is

outsi e,beyon ,or locally above nature.To suppose the existence of such a power is and absurdity and a

superstition,oppose to all our experience;for we see that all organisms,vegetable and animal ones,

grow by the action of internal forces acting outwardly,an not by having something a e to their

substance from the outsi e.A see oes not become a tree,nor a chil a man,by having substance

a e to its organism by some outsi e workman,or like a house which is built by putting stones on the

top of each other;but living things grow by the action of and internal power,acting from a centre within the

form.To this centre flow the influences coming from the universal storehouse of matter and motion,an

from [Page 24 ] there they ra iate again towards the periphery,an perform that labour which buil s up the

living organism.

But what else can such a power be,except a spirit al ,power,because it penetrates to the very centre of

material things.It acts according to law,an buil s up organisms accor ing to a certain or er,an is

therefore superior to blin mechanical force.It cannot be a mere mechanical force;for we know that a

mechanical force ceases as soon as the impulse which originate it ceases to act,while the stream of life

is inexhaustible,an only the forms in which it becomes manifest ie.It cannot be a chemical force,for

chemical action ceases when the chemical combination of the substances which were to combine has

taken place.It must therefore be a living power,an as life cannot be a pro uct of a ea form,it can be

nothing else but the power of the One Life ,acting within the life centres of the forms.

Nature is a magician,every plant,animal,an every man is a magician,who uses his powers

unconsciously and instinctively to buil up his own organism;or,in other words,every living being is an

organism in which the magic power of the spirit in nature acts;an if a man shoul attain the knowle ge

how to control this power of life,an to employ it consciously,instea of merely submitting unconsciously

to its influence,then he woul be a magician,an coul control the processes of life in his own organism,

an perhaps in that of other beings.

Now the question is:Can any man obtain such a power as to control the processes of life ?The answer

to this questiondepends on what you mean by the term "man ".If you mean by "man "an intellectual

animal,such as we meet every ay in the streets,then the answer is:No!for the majority of the men an

women of our present generation,inclu ing our greatest scientific l mens ,know absolutely nothing about

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their own inner nature or about the universal power of the One Life ,an many of them have not even

ma e up their min s whether or not they will believe in the existence of their own soul.They can neither

see it nor feel it objectively,and therefore they o not know what to make of it.[Page 25 ]

But if you mean by "man"that intelligent principle,which is active within the organism of man,an which

constitutes him a human being,an by whose action he becomes a being very istinct from and superior

to animals in human or animal form,then the answer is:Yes !for the ivine power which acts within the

organism of man is the same and i entical power which acts within the centre of nature.It is and internal

power of man,an belongs to man's true self,an if man once knows all the powers which belong to his

essential constitution,an knows how to use them,then he may enter from the passive into the active

state,an employ these powers himself.

Absurd as it may seem,it is nevertheless a logical consequence rawn from the fun amental truths

about the constitution of man,that if a man coul control the universal power of life acting within himself,

he might prolong the life of his organism as long as it please him;if he coul control it,an knew all the

laws of his nature,he might ren er it ense or vaporous,concentrate it to a small point,or expan it,so

as to occupy a great eal of space.Verily,truth is stranger than fiction,an we might see it,if we coul

only rise above the narrow conceptions and preju ices which we have inherite and acquire by

e ucation and sensual observation.

The most strange things happen continually in nature,an har ly attract our attention.They o not seem

strange to us,although we o not un erstand them;merely because we are accustome to see them

every ay.Who woul be so "foolish"as to believe that a tree coul grow out of a see – as there is

evi ently no tree in the see – if his experience ha not tol him that trees grow out of see s in spite of

all arguments to the contrary ?Who woul believe that a flower woul grow out of a plant,if he ha not

seen it,for observation and reason show that there is no flower in the stalk ?Nevertheless,flowers grow,

an cannot be ispute away.

Everywhere in nature the action of a universal spiritual law is manifest,but we cannot see the law [Page

26 ] itself.Everywhere we see the manifestations of wisdom;but those who seek for the origin of wisdom

within their own brains will seek for it in vain.

The art of Magic is the art of employing invisible or so-calle spiritual agencies to obtain certain visible

results.Such agencies are not necessarily invisible entities,flitting about in vacant space,rea y to come

at the comman of anyone who has learne certain incantations and ceremonies;but they consist

principally in the unseen but nevertheless powerful influences of the Emotions and the Will,of esires

an passions,thought and imagination,love and hate,fear and hope,faith and oubt,etc.,etc.They are

the powers of what is calle the Soul;they are employe everywhere and by everybo y every ay,

consciously or unconsciously,willingly or unwillingly,an while those that cannot control or resist.such

influences,but are controlle by them,are passive Instruments,"Medi ms "through which such unseen

powers act,an often their unwilling slaves;those who are able to gui e and control such influences by

gaining control over themselves,are,in proportion to their controlling capacity,active,an powerful,an

true Magicians,an may employ their powers for goo or for evil.We see,therefore,that with the

exception of irresponsible persons,everyone who has any will power is,in so far as he exercises that will

power,an active Magician;a white magician if he employs them for goo ,a black magician if he uses

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them for the purposes of evil.

There are people in the East and some in the West,through whom extraordinary feats,such as are

usually classifie as "Magic",are performe ;but it oes not logically follow that such people are therefore

conscious Magicians;it only shows that the power which acts through their organism,is a magic power,

and the suppose "Magician"may be merely the instrument through which invisible intelligent powers

perform such feats,an he may not even know who or what such a power is.

We all cannot honestly say "we have life ";for life oes not belong to us,an we cannot control or

monopolise [Page 27 ] it.All we can say without arrogance and presumption is,that we are instruments

through which the universal One Life manifests itself in the form of a human being.We are all Medi ms ,

through which the universal One Life acts.Only when we know our own selves and can control the life-

principle within ourselves,can we become our own Masters.He who thinks that he has any power

whatever of his own,thinks foolish:for all the powers he has are lent him by nature,or – more correctly

speaking – by that eternal spiritual power,which acts in and from the centre of nature,an which men

have calle "Go ",because they have foun it to be the source of all goo ;the one Reality within the

universe and within every being.

No one will eny that Man,besi es having physical powers,is also temporally en owe with mental an

even spiritual energies.We love,respect,or obey a person,not on account of his superior bo ily

strength,but on account of his intellectual and moral worth,or while we are un er the spell of some real

or imaginary authority,that we may believe him to possess.A king or a bishop has,as a person,not

necessarily any more physical power than his lackey or butler,an must make himself known before he

will be obeye ;a captain may be bo ily the weakest man in his company and still his sol iers obey him.

We love beauty,harmony,an sublimity,not on account of their usefulness for material purposes,but

because they satisfy a correspon ing inner sense,which oes not belong to the physical plane;

civilisation gains groun ,more by moral and intellectual influences than by the power of the bayonet,an

it is a true saying,that in our age the pen is mightier thand the sword.

What woul be a world without the magic power of love of beauty and harmony ?How woul a world look

if ma e after a pattern furnishe by mo ern science ?A world in which the universal power of truth were

not recognise coul be nothing else but a world of maniacs and fille with hallucinations.In such a worl

art and poetry coul not exist,justice woul become a convenience,honesty be equivalent [Page 28 ] with

imbecility,to be truthful woul be to be foolish,and the i ol of "Self"the only go worthy of any

consi eration.

Magic may be sai to be that science which eals with the mental and moral powers of man,an shows

what control he may exercise over himself and others.In order to stu y the powers of man it is necessary

to investigate what Man is,an what relation he bears to the universe,an such and investigation,if

properly con ucte ,will show that the elements which compose the essential man are i entical with

those we fin in the universe;that is to say,that the universe is the Macrocosm ,an man – its true copy

– the Microcosm .

Microcosmic man and the Macrocosm of nature are one.How coul it be possible that the Macrocosm

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shoul contain anything not containe within the Microcosm or that man shoul have something within

his organism,which cannot be foun within the gran organism of nature ?Is not mand the chil of nature,

an cand there be anything within his constitution which oes not come from his eternal father and mother

?If man's organisation containe something unnatural,he woul be a monster,an nature woul spew

him out.

Everything containe in nature can be foun within the organism of man,an exists therein either in a

germinal or evelope state;either latent or active,an may be perceive by him who possesses the

power of self-knowle ge.

We are born into a world in which we fin ourselves surroun e by physical objects.There seems to be

still another – a subjective – world within us,capable of receiving and retaining impressions from the

outsi e world .Each one is a world of its own,with a relation to space different from that of the other.

Each has its ays of sunshine and its nights ofdarkness,which are not regulate by the ays and nights

of the other,each has its clou s and its storms,an shapes and forms of its own.

As we grow up we listen to the teachings of science to try to fin out the true nature of these world s an

the laws that govern them,but physical science eals [Page 29 ] only with forms,an forms are continually

changing.She gives only a partial solution of the problems of the objective world ,an leaves us in regard

to the subjective world almost entirely in the ark.Mo ern science classifies phenomena and escribes

events,but to escribe how and event takes place is not sufficient to explain why it takes place.To

iscover causes,which are in themselves the effects of unknown primal causes,is only to eva e one

ifficulty by substituting another.Science escribes some of the attributes of things,but the first causes

which brought these attributes into existence are unknown to her,an will remain so,until her powers of

perception will penetrate into the unseen.

Besi es scientific observation there seems to be still another way to obtain knowle ge of the mysterious

si e of nature.The religious teachers of the world claim to have soun e the epths which the scientists

cannot reach.Their octrines are suppose by many to have been receive through certain ivine or

angelic revelations,procee ing from a supreme,infinite omnipresent,an yet personal,and therefore

limite external Being ,the existence of which has never been prove .Although the existence of such a

being is – to say the least – excee ingly oubtful,yet men in all countries have bowe own in terror

before its suppose ictates;rea y to tear each other's throats at a sign of its suppose comman ,an

willing to lay own their money,their lives,an even their honour at the feet of those who are looke

upon as the confi ants or eputies of a go .Men and women are willing to make themselves miserable

an unhappy in life for the purpose of obtaining some reward after they live no more.Some waste their

life in the anticipation of joys in a life of which they o not know whether or not it exists;some ie for fear

of losing that which they o not possess.

Thousan s are engage in teaching others that which they themselves o not know,an in spite of a

very great number of religious systems there is comparatively little religion at present upon the Earth.

The term Religion is erive from the Latin world religere ,which may be properly translate "to bin

back",[Page 30 ] or to "relate".Religion,in the true sense of the term,implies that science which examines

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the link which exists between man and the cause from which he originate ,or in other words,which

eals with the relation which exists between man and Go ,for the true meaning of the term "God "is

S preme First Ca se ,an Nat re is the effect of its manifestation.True religion is therefore a science far

higher than a science base upon mere sensual perception,but it cannot be in conflict with what is true

in science.Only what is false in science must necessarily be in conflict with what is true in religion,an

what is false in religion is in conflict with what is true in science.True religion and true science are

ultimately one and the same thing,and therefore equally true;a religion that clings to illusions,an an

illusory science,are equally false,and the greater the obstinacy with which they cling to their illusions the

more pernicious is their effect.

A istinction shoul be ma e between "religion "an "religionism ";between "science "an "scientism ";

between "mystic science "an "mysticism ".

The highest aspect of Religion is practically the union of man with the Supreme First Cause,from which

his essence emanate in the beginning.

Its second aspect teaches theoretically the relations existing between that Great First Cause and Man;in

other words,the relations existing between the Macrocosm and Microcosm.

In its lowest aspect religionism consists of the a ulation of ea forms,of the worshipping of fetiches,of

fruitless attempts to whee le oneself into the favour of some imaginary eity,to persua e "Go "to

change his min ,an to try to obtain some favours which are not in accordance with justice.

Science in her highest aspect is the real knowle ge of the fun amental laws of Nature,an is therefore a

spiritual science,base upon the knowle ge of the spirit within one's own self.

In its lower aspect it is a knowle ge of external phenomena,and the secon ary or superficial causes

which pro uce the latter,an which our mo ern scientism mistakes for the final cause.[Page 31 ]

In its lowest aspect scientism is a system of observation and classification of external appearances,of

the causes of which we know nothing.

Religionism and Scientism are continually subject to changes.They have been create by illusions,an

ie when the illusions are over.True Science and true Religion are one,an if realise by Practice,they

form,with the truth which they contain,the three Iateral pyrami ,whose foun ations are upon the earth,

an whose point reaches into the king om of heaven.

Mystic science in its true meaning is spiritual knowle ge;that is to say,the soul knowle ge of spiritual

an "super-sensual"things,perceive by the spiritual powers of the soul.These powers are germinally

containe in every human organisation,but only few have evelope them sufficiently to be of any

practical use.

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Mysticism belongs to the vapoury speculations of the brain.It is a hankering after illusions,a esire to pry

into ivine mysteries which the material min cannot comprehen ,a craving to satisfy curiosity in regard

to what and animal ought not to know.It is the realm of fancies,of reams,the para ise of ghost-seers,

an of spiritistic tomfooleries of all kin s.

But which is the true religion and the true science ?There is no oubt that a efinite relationship exists

between Man and the cause that calle humanity into existence,an a true religion or a true science

must be the one which teaches the true terms of that relation.If we take a superficial view of the various

religious systems of the world ,we fin them all apparently contra icting each other.We fin a great mass

of apparent superstitions and absurdities heape upon a grain of something that may be true.We a mire

the ethics and moral octrines of our favourite religious system,an we take its theological rubbish in our

bargain,forgetting that the ethics of nearly all religions are essentially the same,an that the rubbish

which surroun s them is not real religion.It is evi ently and absur ity to believe that any system coul be

true,unless it containe the truth.But it is equally evi ent that a thing cannot be true and false at the

same time.[Page 32 ]

The truth can only be one .The truth never changes;but we ourselves change,an as we change so

changes our aspect of the truth.The various religious systems of the world cannot be unnatural pro ucts.

They are all the natural outgrowth of man's spiritual evolution upon this globe,and they iffer only in so

far as the con itions un er which they came into existence iffere at the time when they began to exist;

while his science has been artificially built by facts collecte from external observation.Each intellectual

human being,except one blin e by preju ice,recognises the fact that each of the great religious

systems of the world contains certain truths,which we intuitively know to be true;an as there can be

only one fun amental truth,so all these religions are branches of the same tree,even if the forms in

which the truth manifests itself are not alike.The sunshine is everywhere the same,only its intensity

iffers in different localities.In one place it in uces the growth of palms,in another of mushrooms;but

there is only one Sun in our system.The processes going on,on the physical plane have their analogies

in the spiritual realm,for there is only one Nature,one Law.

If one person quarrels with another about religious opinions,he cannot have the true religion,nor can he

have any true knowle ge;because true religion is the realisation of truth.The only true religion is the

religion of universal Love;this love is the recognition of one's own ivine universal self.Love is an

element of ivine Wisdom,and there can be no wisdom without love.Each species of birds in the woo s

sings a different tune;but the principle which causes them to sing is the same in each.They o not

quarrel with each other,because one can sing better thand the rest.Moreover,religious isputations,with

their resulting animosities,are the most useless things in the world ;for no one can combat thedarkness

by fighting it with a stick:the only way to removedarkness is to kin le a light,the only way to ispel

spiritual ignorance is to let the light of knowle ge that comes from the centre of love shine into every

heart.[Page 33 ]

All religions are base upon internal truth,all have and outsi e ornamentation which varies in character in

the different systems,but all have the same foun ation of truth,an if we compare the various systems

with one another,looking below the surface of exterior forms,we fin that this truth is in all religious

systems one and the same.In all this,truth has been hi en beneath a more or less allegorical

language,impersonal and invisible powers have been personifie and represente in images carve in

stones or woo ,and the formless and real has been picture in illusive forms.These forms in letters,an

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pictures,an images are the means by which truths may be brought to the attention of the unripe Min .

They are to the grown-up chil ren of all nations what picture-books are to small chil ren who are not yet

able to rea ,an it woul be as unreasonable to eprive grown-up chil ren of their images before they

are able to rea in their own hearts,as it woul be to take away the picture-books from little chil ren an

to ask them to rea printe books,which they cannot yet un erstan .

Very uninteresting and insignificant woul be the stories containe in the Bible ,an in other religious

books,if the personal events escribe therein were referring merely to certain occurrences having

happene in the lives of certain in ivi uals who live some thousan s of years ago,an whose

biography can seriously interest no one to ay.What o we care now about the family affairs of a man

calle A am or Abraham ?Why shoul we want to be intereste in knowing how many legitimate or

illegitimate chil ren the Jewish Patriarchs ha ,an what became of them?What is it to us whether or not

a man by the name of Jonah was thrown into the water and swallowe by a whale ?What happens to ay

in the various countries of Europe is more interesting and important for us to know than what happene

at the court of Zerubabel or Nabucho onoser.

But fortunately for the Bible and – if we only knew how to rea it – fortunately for us,the stories containe

therein are by no means merely histories of persons who [Page 34 ] live in ancient times,but they are

allegories and myths having always a very eep meaning,of which our expoun ers of the Bible,as well

as its critics,usually know very little.

The men and the women of the ol and new "testament"are much more than mere persons suppose to

have existe at that time.They are personifications of eternally active spiritual forces,of which physical

science oes not even know that they exist;and their histories give and account of their action,their

interrelations within the Macrocosm and its counterpart the Microcosm;they teach the history of the

evolution of mankin in its spiritual aspect.

If our natural philosophers woul stu y the Bible and the ancient religious books of the East,in their

esoteric and spiritual aspects,they might learn a great many things which they esire to know.They

might learn to fin out what are the true powers of the still sleeping "Inner Man",which are require to

pro uce occult phenomena at will;they might fin instruction how to transmute lea or iron into pure

gol ,an to transform animals into go s.

But it is a truth,base upon natural laws,that man can see nothing except that which exists in his min .

If a man closes his eyes,he sees nothing,an if his min is fille with illusions,he will have no room for

the truth,and the eepest of symbols will be pictures without meaning to him.

If our chil ren – the big ones as well as the little ones – are only looking at the pictures without learning

the text,they are apt to grow to believe the pictorial representations to be the very things they are

inten e to represent;they become accustome to forget that forms are only illusions,an that formless

realities cannot be seen.It is so much easier to believe than to think.Chil ren shoul not linger over their

picture-books so long as to neglect their higher e ucation.Humanity has outgrown the infancy of its

present cycle,an asks for more intellectual foo ;the age of superstition is passing away,and the

eman is not for opinions but for knowle ge,an knowle ge cannot be obtaine without [Page 35 ] an

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effort.If we examine the various religious systems we may fin a great eal of truth,but we cannot

recognise it without knowle ge,an real knowle ge can only be obtaine by practical experience.The

expresse opinion of one person can only give rise to conviction in another,if corroborate by the same

or a similar experience of the latter.A person can only truly believe that which he knows himself,an he

can only actually know himself that which he has experience himself.

There is a great ifference between believing and un erstan ing the truth.We may believe the truth with

our heart and reject it with our brain.In other words:We may feel the truth intuitively,an not see it

intellectually.If our present generation woul cultivate the faculty of knowing the truth by heart,an

afterwards examine that which they know by means of their intellect,we woul soon have a far better

an happier state of society everywhere.But the great curse of our age is that the intellectual faculties

reject the truth in the heart.The science of the brain suppresses the knowle ge of the soul,an tries to

grasp that which only the heart can touch.

Men,instea of living in the sanctuary of the temples which they inhabit,are continually absent from

there,an resi e in the garret un er the roof,looking out through the win ows of the garret after scientific

theories and other illusions of life.Day and night they stand there and watch,careful that none of the

passing illusions may escape their observation,an while their attention is absorbe by these i le shows,

the thieves enter the house and the sanctuary without being seen,an steal away the treasures.Then at

the time when the house is estroye ,an eath appears,the soul returns to the heart and fin s it empty

an esolate,an all the illusions that occupie the brain uring life fly away,an man is left poor in ee ,

because he has not perceive the truth in his heart.

The real object of a religious system shoul therefore be to teach a way by which a person may evelop

the power to perceive the truth himself,independent of [Page 36 ] anybo y's opinion.To ask a man to

believe in the opinion expresse by another,an to remain satisfie with such a belief,is to ask him to

remain ignorant,an to trust to another person more than to his own experience.A person without

knowle ge can have no real conviction,no true faith.His a option of one particular theory or system

epen s on the circumstances un er which he is born,or brought up,or surroun e .He is most liable to

a opt that system which his parents or neighbours have inherite or a opte ,an if he changes from

one to another,he,generally speaking,oes so from mere sentimentalism,or on account of some selfish

consi eration,expecting to obtain some benefit to himself by that change.From a spiritual stan point he

will gain nothing un er such circumstances;because to approach the truth,he must love the truth for its

own sake,an not on account of the personal a vantage that it may bring;from and intellectual stan point

he will gain little or nothing by exchanging one superstition for another.The only way by which Man can

hope to arrive at the truth is to love the truth on account of its being the truth,an to free his min from all

preju ices and pre ilections,so that its light may penetrate into the min .

What is the religionism of to ay,but a religion of fear ?Men o not wish to avoi vice,but they wish to

avoi the punishment for having in ulge in vice.Their experience teaches them that the laws of nature

are unchangeable,but nevertheless they continue to act against the universal law.They claim to believe

in a Go who is unchangeable,an yet they implore his assistance if they esire to break his own law.

When will they rise up to the true conception that the only possible Go is that universal power which

acts in the law,which is itself the law of the spirit in nature,an cannot be change ?To break the law is

i entical with breaking the Go within ourselves,and the only way to obtain forgiveness after he is

broken is to restore the supremacy of the law,an to create a new Go within ourselves.

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It may be well to stu y the opinions of others,an [Page 37 ] to store them up in the book of our memory,

but we shoul not believe them to constitute self-knowle ge.Even the teachings of the world 's greatest

A epts,unimpeachable as they may be,can only instruct us,but give us no real knowle ge.They can

show the way,but we must take ourselves the steps on the la er.Were we to recognise their dict m as

the final aim,to be accepte without any further internal investigation,we shoul again fall back into a

system of belief for the sake of authority.Knowle ge gives strength,oubt paralyses the will.A man who

oes not believe that he is able to walk will not be able to walk as long as he oes not believe;a man

who knows by experience that he can comman himself will be able to o so.He who can comman

himself can comman that which is below him,because the low is controlle by the high,and there is

nothing higher than Man having obtaine a perfect knowle ge of Self.

The knowle ge of Self is i entical with Self-knowle ge,i.e.,with one's own Soul knowle ge independent

of any ogmas or octrines,no matter from what external authority they may procee .If we stu y the

teachings of any suppose authority external to our own selves,we at best know what the opinion of

such and authority is in regard to the truth,but we o not necessarily arrive thereby at a self-knowle ge of

the truth.If we,for instance,learn what Christ taught about Go ,we are only informe of what he knew

or believe to know;but we cannot know Go for all that,unless we awaken to a realisation of Go 's

presence within our own heart.The knowle ge of even the wisest of all men,if communicate to us,will

be to us nothing more than and opinion,as long as it is not experience within our own selves.As long as

we cannot penetrate within the soul of Man,we can know little more about him but his corporeal form;but

how coul we penetrate within the soul of another as long as we o not know our own ?Therefore the

beginning of all real knowle ge is the knowle ge of Self;the knowle ge of the Soul and not the vagaries

of the brain.

Does external science confer any true knowle ge of [Page 38 ] Man ?The range of her power of

observation is limite by the perceptive power of the physical senses,assiste by physical instruments;

she has no means to investigate that which transcen s physical sense,she cannot enter the temple of

the unseen,she only knows the external form in which the reality wells.She only knows what man

appears to be,but not what he is,she knows nothing whatever of the essential and real man,an

sometimes enies his existence.In vain shall we look to her for the solution of the problem,which

thousan s of years ago the Egyptian Sphinx propoun e .

Do the popular religious systems confer any true knowle ge of Man ?The conception which the average

theologian has of the mysterious being calle Man is as narrow as that of the professor of mo ern

science.He looks upon man as a personal being,isolate from other personal beings aroun whose

infinite little personality centres the interests of the infinitely great.He forgets that the foun ers of the

principal religious systems taught that the original and essential man was a universal power,that the real

man is a whole and cannot be ivi e ,an that the personal form of man is only the temporary temple in

which the spirit wells.[Bible:Corinth.iii.16.]

The misconceptions arising from ignorance of the true nature of Man are the cause that the popular

religious opinions hel by the average theologians in Christian and Pagan countries are base upon

selfishness,contrary to the spirit of that which true religion teaches."Christians"an "Heathens"clamour

for some benefit to be conferre by some imaginary person upon that insignificant soap bubble,calle

the "personal self",either here or in the hereafter.Each one of such short-sighte nothings wants to be

save personally himself above all,the salvation of the rest is a matter of secon consi eration.They

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expect to obtain some benefit which they o not eserve,to whee le themselves into the favour of some

personal eity,argue their case before Go ,cheat the "evil"of his just ues,an smuggle their

imperfections into the king om of heaven.[Page 39 ]

The only reasonable object which any external religious system can possibly have,is to elevate man

from a lower state to a higher one,in which he can form a better conception of his true ignity as a

member of the human family.If there is any possibility of imparting to a man a knowle ge of his true self,

the churches are the places where such a knowle ge shoul be imparte ;but to accomplish this the

claims of the truth shoul pre ominate over those of the form,the interests of religion and the interests of

the "church"woul have to cease to be interchangeable terms,and the church shoul again be foun e

upon the rock of self-knowle ge,instea of the craving to obtain some selfish personal benefit in this

world or in the problematical hereafter.

He who is le by selfish consi erations cannot enter a heaven where personal consi erations o not

exist.He who oes not care for heaven but is contente where he is,is alrea y,in heaven,while the

iscontente will in vain clamour for it.To be without personal esires is to be free and happy."Heaven"

can mean nothing else but a state in which free om and happiness exist.The man who performs

beneficial acts in uce by a hope of reward is not happy unless the reward is obtaine ,an if his reward

is obtaine his happiness en s.There can be no permanent rest and happiness as long as there is some

work to be one and not accomplishe ,and the fulfillment of uties brings its own reward.

A man who performs a goo act with the hope of reward is not free.He is a servant of Self,an works for

the benefit of Self and not for his Go .It is,therefore,not the power of Go which will reward him,he can

only expect that reward from his own temporary surroun ings.

The man who performs evil acts,in uce by a selfish motive,is not free.He who esires evil and is

restraine by fear is not his own master.He who recognises the supreme power of the universe in his

own heart has become free.He whose will is swaye by his personal self is the slave of his person,but

he who has conquere that so-calle "self"enters the higher life and becomes a power.[Page 40 ]

The science of Life consists in sub uing the low and elevating the high.Its first lesson is how to free

oneself from the love of self,the first angel of evil,or,according to E win Arnol in his "Light of Asia"-

"The sin of self,who in the universe

As in a mirror sees her fon face shown,

An crying ‘I ’,woul have the world say 'I',

An all things perish so if she en ure.

This lower Self is and unreal thing,compose of a great many illusive egos,of which each one has his

peculiar claims,an whose eman s grow in proportion as we attempt to satisfy them.They are the

semi-intellectual forces of the soul that woul ren the soul to pieces if they were allowe to grow,an

which must be sub ue by the power of the real Master,the superior "I"—the Go .

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These "I ’s"are the Elementals ,of which has been sai so much in occult literature.They are not

imaginary things,but living forces,and they may be perceive by him who has acquire the power to

look within his own soul.Each of these forces correspon s to some animal esire,an if it is permitte to

grow is symbolise by the form of the being which correspon s to its nature.At first they are thin an

sha owy,but as the esire which correspon s to them is in ulge in,they become more and more ense

within the soul,an being nourishe by the will,they gain great strength as our esires grow into a

passion.The lesser Elementals are swallowe by the bigger ones,the little esires are absorbe by the

stronger ones,until perhaps at last one Master Passion,one powerful Elemental remains.They form the

rea e Dwellers of the Threshold ,who guard the garden of the para ise of the soul.They are escribe

as having the form of snakes and tigers,hogs,insatiable wolves,etc.,but as they are often the result of a

mixture of human and animal elements,they o not merely exhibit purely animal forms;but frequently

they look like animals with human hea s or like men with animal members;they appear un er [Page 41 ]

en less varieties of shapes,because there is and en less variety of correlations and mixtures of lust,

avarice,gree ,sensual love,ambition,cowardice,fear,terror,hate,pri e,vanity,self-conceit,stupi ity,

voluptuousness,selfishness,jealousy,envy,arrogance,hypocrisy,cunning,sophistry,imbecility,

superstition,etc.,etc..

These Elementals live in the soul-realm of man as long as he lives,an grow strong and fat,for they live

on his life-principle,an are fe by the substance of his thoughts.They may even become objective to

him,if uring a paroxysm of fear or in consequence of some isease they are enable to step out of their

sphere.

They cannot be kille by pious ceremonies,nor be riven away by the exhortations of a clergyman;they

are only estroye by the power of the spirit al Will of the ivine man,which annihilates them as the light

annihilatesdarkness,or as a stroke of lightning seems to ren the clou s.

Only those who have awakene to ivine spiritual consciousness can have that spiritual will,of which the

non-regenerate knows nothing.But those who are not yet so far a vance may cause those elementals

to ie slowly,by with rawing from them the foo which they require,that is to say,by not esiring or

enjoying their presence;by not giving to their existence the consent of the will.They will then begin to

wane,to get sick,ie and putrefy like a member of the bo y which has become mortifie .A line of

demarkation will be forme in the soul-bo y of man,there may be "inflammation"an suffering.A

process,similar to that which occurs if a gangrenous part of the physical bo y is thrown off,takes place;

an at last the putri carcass of the Elemental rops off and issolves.

These escriptions are neither fancies nor allegories.Theophrast s Paracelsus,Jackob Boehme,an

many other writers on Occultism write about them,an a ue appreciation of their octrines will go far to

explain many occurrences mentione in the history of witch-craft,an in the legen s of the lives of the

saints.

But there are not merely animal germs within the realm of the soul of man.In each human constitution

[Page 42 ] there are also the germs which go to make up a Shakespeare,a Washington,Goethe,Voltaire,

a Bu ha,or Jesus of Nazareth.There are also the germs which may grow to make a Nero,Messalina,

or Torquema a;an each germ hag the latent power to evelop,take a form and ultimately fin its

expression and reflection in the outward bo y,as much as the ensity of the material atoms,which are

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slow to transform,will permit;for each character correspon s to a form,an each form to a character.

Man's microcosm is a garden in which all kin s of living plants grow Some are poisonous,some are

wholesome.It rests with man to eci e which germs he wants to evelop into a living tree,an that tree

will be himself.

To accomplish the task of becoming spiritual it is not necessary to be a misanthrope and retire into a

jungle there to fee on the pro ucts of one's own morbi imagination;the struggle cause by the petty

annoyances of every ay life is the best school to exercise the will power for those that have not yet

gaine the mastery over Self."To renounce the vanities of the world "oes not mean to look with

contempt upon the progress of the world ,to remain ignorant of mathematics and logic,to take no interest

in the welfare of humanity,to avoi the uties of life or neglect one's family.Such a procee ing woul

accomplish the very reverse of what is inten e ;it woul increase the love of self,it woul cause the soul

to shrink to a small focus instea of expan ing it over the world .We must attain a state before we can

outgrow it.A misanthrope cannot attain the love of Go ,if he oes not first rise up to the love for

mankin ."To renounce one's self"means to conquer the sense of personality and to free one's self of the

love of things which that personality esires.It means to "live in the world ,but not cling to the world ",to

substitute universal love for personal love,an to consi er the interests of the whole of superior

importance than personal claims.The renunciation of that self which is only a mask,is necessarily

followe by spiritual growth.As we forget our personal self,[Page 43 ] we attach less importance to

personalities,personal things,an personal feelings.We begin to look upon ourselves not as being

permanent,unchanging and unchangeable entities,stan ing isolate among other isolate entities,an

being separate from them by impenetrable shells,but as manifestations of and infinite power,which

embraces the universe,an whose powers are concentrate and brought to a focus in the bo ies which

we temporarily inhabit,into which bo ies continually flow and from which are incessantly ra iating the

rays of and infinite sphere of light,whose circumference is en less and whose centre is everywhere.

Upon the recognition and realisation of this truth rests the only true Law,the Religion of the Universal

Love of God in all Beings .As long as man takes only his own little self into consi eration in his thoughts

an acts,the sphere of his min becomes necessarily narrow.All our popular religious sects are base

upon selfish consi erations.Each of our religious sectarians speculates to obtain some spiritual,if not

material,benefit for himself .Each one wants to be save by somebo y;first he,and then perhaps the

others;but,above all,he himself.The true religion of universal Love knows of no "self".

Even the high and lau able esire to go to heaven or enter the state of Nirvana is,after all,but a selfish

esire,an as long as man has any selfish esires whatever,his min perceives only his own self.Only

when he ceases to have a limite illusive "self"will his real go become unlimite and be omnipresent,

like the spirit of Wisdom.He who esires unlimite knowle ge must rise above limitation.

Looke at from that height,the personality appears excee ingly small and insignificant,an of little

importance.Man appears as the centralisation of and i ea,persons and peoples like living grains of san

on the shore of and infinite ocean.Fortune,fame,love,luxury,etc.,assume the importance of soap-

bubbles,and the soul has no hesitation in relinquishing them as the i le playthings of chil ren.Neither

can such a renunciation be calle a sacrifice,for grown-up boys and girls [Page 44 ] o not "sacrifice"their

popguns and olls,they simply o not want them any longer.In proportion as their min s expan ,o

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they reach out for something more useful,an as a man's soul expan s,his surroun ings,an even the

planet on which he lives,appear to him small as a lan scape seen from a great istance,or from a high

mountain,while at the same time his conception of the infinite grows larger and assumes a gigantic form.

This expansion of our existence "robs us of a country and a home"[Bulwer-Lytton:"Zanoni"] by making

us citizens of the gran universe;it separates us from the fancie affections for the impermanent forms of

our mortal parents and frien s,to unite us with their true in ivi ualities for ever as our immortal brothers

an sisters;it lifts us up from the narrow confines of the illusory to the unlimite realm of the Ideal,an

releasing man from the prison-house of insignificant clay,it lea s him to the sublime free om an

splen our of Eternal and Universal Life.

Every form of life,the human form not excepte ,is nothing more than a focus in which the energies of

the universal principle of life are concentrate ,and the more they are concentrate and cling to that

centre,the less are they able to manifest their activity,to grow and expan .Self-satisfie man,who

employs his capacities only for his own selfish purpose,contracts them into himself,an as he contracts

he becomes more and more narrow-min e and insignificant,an as he loses sight of the whole,the

whole loses sight of him.If,on the other han ,a person lives only in reams,sen ing his forces into the

region of the unknown,scattering them through space,without having obtaine intellectual strength,his

thoughts will wan er like sha ows through the realm of the infinite and become lost.Neither the self-

conceite realist nor the visionary reamer and idealist grasps the truth.Harmonious growth requires

expansion along with a correspon ing accumulation of energy.

Some persons are possesse of great intellectual power,but of little spirituality;some have spiritual [Page

45 ]

power,but a weak intellect;those in whom the intellectual energies are well supporte by a strong spirit

are the elect.To become practical,we must first learn to un erstand the thing we want to practice,by

observation and receiving instruction.Un erstan ing is a result of assimilation and growth,not a result of

memory.The truth must nourish the soul.It is and awakening to a state of consciousness of the nature of

the thing that comes to be a part of our own being.A person coming to a strange country in the evening

will,when after a night's rest he awakes in the morning,har ly realise where he is.He has,perhaps,

been reaming of his home and those that are left there,an only after he opens his eyes and awakens

to a full sense of consciousness of his new and strange surroun ings,will the ol impressions fa e away,

an he will begin to realise where he is.In the same manner ol errors must isappear before new truths

can be realise .Man only begins to exist as a conscious spiritual being when he begins to experience

spiritual life.

To become spiritual,physical health,intellectual growth,an spiritual activity shoul go han in han .

Intuition shoul be supporte by and unselfish intellect,a pure min by a healthy form.How to accomplish

this can neither be taught by a science which eals only with illusory effects,nor by a religious belief

base upon illusions;but it is taught by Theosophy,the Wisdom Religion of the ages,whose foun ation

is truth,an whose practical application is the highest object of human existence.

This Wisdom Religion has been,an is to ay,the inheritance of the saints,prophets,an seers,an of

the illuminate ones of all nations,no matter to what external system of religion they may have given

their a herence.It was taught by the ancient Brahmins,Egyptians,an Jews in temples and caves,

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Gautama Bu ha and Jesus of Nazareth preache it,it forme the basis of the Eleusinian and Bacchic

mysteries of the Greeks,and the true religion of the eternal Christ is resting upon it.It is the religion of

Humanity,that has nothing to o with opinions and forms.Now,as [Page 46 ] in times of ol ,its truths are

misun erstoo and misrepresente by men who profess to be teachers of men.The Pharisees an

Sadd cees of the New Testament were the prototypes of mo ern churchmen and scientists existing

to ay.Now,as then,the truth is aily crucifie between superstition and selfishness and lai in the tomb

of ignorance.Now ,as then,the spirit has fle from the form,being riven away by those that worship the

letter and ignore the spirit.Wisdom will forever remain a secret science to the i olators a oring the form,

even if it were proclaime from the housetops and preache at a market-place.The ealer in poun s an

pennies,absorbe by his material interests,may be surroun e by the greatest beauties of nature an

not comprehen them,the speculative reasoner will ask for a sign and not see the signs by which he is

continually surroun e .The tomb from which the Saviour will arise is the heart of mankin ;if the Go in

Humanity awakens to self-consciousness of his Divinity then will he appear as a sun,she ing his light

upon a better and happier generation.[See "Bhagava Gita",chap xi.)]

The existence of the magic power of goo will probably be enie by few;but if the existence of

benevolent,or White Magic ,is a mitte ,that of malevolent,or Black Magic ,is not any more improbable.

It is not man who exercises goo or evil magic powers,but it is the spirit in him who works goo or evil

through the organism of man.Go in his aspect as the great cause is goo or evil according to the

con itions un er which he acts,for if Go i not inclu e evil as well as goo ,he woul not be universal.

Go performs goo or evil ee s accor ing to the mo e in which he must act;in the same way as the

sun is goo in spring-time when he melts the snow and assists the grass and flowers to crawl out of the

ark earth,an evil if he parches the skin of the wan erer in tropical Africa and kills persons by sun-

stroke.Go causes the healthy growth of a limb and the unhealthy growth of a cancer by the power of his

unintelligent material nature which acts accor ing to law and not according to whims.[Page 47 ] Divine

wisdom oes not become manifest in that which is not ivine or spiritual.Consciousness cannot become

reveale in and unconscious bo y.Only when the spirit in Man has awakene to consciousness an

knowle ge,will man be able to control his own spiritual power and employ it for goo or for evil.

A person having create (or calle into consciousness)in himself a spiritual power may employ it for

goo or for evil.Every ay we may rea of persons who have use high intellectual powers for vile

purposes.We see persons making use of the vanity,gree iness,selfishness,or ambition of others to

ren er them subservient to their own purpose.We see them commit murder and instigate wars for the

benefit of their own purposes or to attain some object of their ambition.But such events belong more or

less to the struggle for existence.They o not necessarily belong to the sphere of black magic because

they are usually not cause by a love for absolute evil,but by a esire of a personal benefit of some kin .

The real black magicians are those that are oing evil for the sake of oing evil,who injure others without

expecting or receiving any benefit for themselves.To that class belong the habitual backbiter an

slan erer,tra ucer and se ucer,those who enjoy to create enmity in the bosom of families,oppose

progress and encourage ignorance,and they have been rightly calle the Sons of Darkness ,while those

who o goo for the sole purpose of oing goo have been calle the Children of Light .

The struggle between Light and Darkness is as ol as the world ;there can no light become manifest

without Darkness and no evil without goo .Goo and evil are the light and sha ow of the one eternal

principle of life,an each is necessary if the other is to become manifest.Absolute goo must exist,but

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we cannot know goo without knowing the presence of evil.Absolute evil cannot exist,because it is hel

together by the power of goo .A soul in which there were no goo whatever woul rage against itself,

the forces constituting such and entity woul combat each other and ren it to pieces.Man's Re eemer is

his power for goo .This power [Page 48 ] attracts him to that which is goo ,an at the en ,when the

supreme source of all power,from which life emanate in the beginning,with raws that activity into itself,

the powers ofdarkness will suffer,but the creatures of Light will be one with their own source.

This is the law of evolution,that the lower shoul evelop into something higher;but this can be

accomplishe only by the power of the highest of all germinally containe within the form,an acte

upon by itself from without.The soul requires nutriment as much as the physical form,and the nutriment

of the soul escen s from above like the rain;while the earth below furnishes the con itions for its

assimilation.This is the law of the spirit in the natural world ,that all nature shoul receive it and by a

spiritual unfol ing rise up to the spirit,while matter is to furnish the steps upon which to ascen .This

unfol ing and uprising takes place in proportion as the spirit of Go becomes self-conscious in man,

en owing him with a sense of its ivine nature,which will ultimately lea him to a recognition of Go .

[Page 49 ]

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CHAPTER I

THE IDEAL

"Go is a Spirit,and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth".-John iv.24.

THE highest esire any reasonable man can cherish and the highest right he may possibly claim,is to

become perfect.To know everything,to love all and be known and belove by all,to possess an

comman everything that exists,such is a con ition of being that,to a certain extent,may be felt

intuitively,but whose possibility cannot be graspe by the intellect of mortal man.A foretaste of such a

blissful con ition may be experience by a person who – even for a short perio of time – is perfectly

happy.He who is not oppresse by sorrow,not excite by selfish esires,an who is conscious of his

own strength and liberty,may feel as if he were the master of world s and the king of creation;an ,in fact,

uring such moments he is their ruler,as far as he himself is concerne ,although his subjects may not

seem to be aware of his existence.

But when he awakes from his ream and looks through the win ows of his senses into the exterior world ,

an begins to reason about his surroun ings,his vision fa es away;he behol s himself a chil of the

Earth,a mortal form,boun with many chains to a speck of ust in the Universe,on a ball of matter

calle a planet that floats in the infinity of space.The ideal world ,that perhaps a moment before

appeare to him as a glorious reality,may now seem to him the baseless fabric of a ream,in which

there is nothing real,an physical existence,with all its imperfections,is now to him the only

unquestionable reality,an its [Page 50 ] most ear illusions the only things worthy of his attention.He

sees himself surroun e by material forms,an he seeks to iscover among these forms that which

correspon s to his highest ideal.

The highest esire of mortal is to attain fully that which exists in himself as his highest ideal.A person

without and ideal is unthinkable.To be conscious is to realise the existence of some ideal,to relinquish the

ideal world woul be eath.A person without any esire for some ideal woul be useless in the economy

of nature,a person having all his esires satisfie nee s to live no longer,for life can be of no further use

to him.Each one is boun to his own ideal;he whose ideal is mortal must ie when his ideal ies,he

whose ideal is immortal must become immortal himself to attain it.

Each man's highest ideal shoul be his own higher spiritual self.Man's semi-animal self,which we see

expresse in his physical form,is not the whole of man.Man may be regarde as and invisible power or

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ray exten ing from the (spiritual)Sun to the Earth.Only the lower en of that ray is visible,where it has

evolve and organise material bo y;by means of which the invisible ray raws strength from the earth

below.If all the life and thought-force evolve by the contact with matter are spent within the material

plane,the higher spiritual self will gain nothing by it.Such a person resembles a plant eveloping nothing

but its root.When eath breaks the communication between the higher and lower,the lower self will

perish,and the ray will remain what it was,before it evolve a mortal inhabitant of the material world .

Man lives in two world s,in his interior and in the exterior world .Each of these world s exists un er

con itions peculiar to itself,an that world in which he lives is for the time being the most real to him.

When he enters into his interior world uring eep sleep or in moments of perfect abstraction,the forms

perceive in the exterior world fa e away;but when he awakes in the exterior world the impressions

receive in his interior state are forgotten,or leave only their uncertain [Page 51 ] sha ows on the sky.To

live simultaneously in both world s is only possible to him who succee s in harmoniously blen ing his

internal and external world s into one.

The so-calle Real sel om correspon s with the Ideal,an often it happens that man,after many

unsuccessful attempts to realise his ideals in the exterior world ,returns to his interior world with

isappointment,an resolves to give up his search;but if he succee s in the realisation of his ideal,then

arises for him a moment of happiness,uring which time,as we know it,exists for him no more,the

exterior world is then blen e with his interior world ,his consciousness is absorbe in the enjoyment of

both,an yet he remains a man.

Artists and poets may be familiar with such states.An inventor who sees his invention accepte ,a sol ier

coming victorious out of the struggle for victory,a lover unite with the object of his esire,forgets his

own personality and is lost in the contemplation of his ideal.The extatic saint,seeing the Re eemer

before him,floats in and ocean of rapture,an his consciousness is centre in the ideal that he himself

has create out of his own min ,but which is as real to him as if it were a living form of flesh.

Shakespeare's Juliet fin s her mortal ideal realise in Romeo's youthful form.Unite with him,she

forgets the rush of time,night isappears,an she is not conscious of it;the lark heral s the awn an

she mistakes its song for the singing of the nightingale.Happiness measures no time and knows no

anger.But Juliet's ideal is mortal and ies;having lost her ideal Juliet must ie;but the immortal ideals

of both become again one as they enter the immortal realm through the oor of physical eath.

But as the sun rose too early for Juliet,so all evanescent ideals that have been realise in the external

world vanish soon.An ideal that has been realise ceases to be and ideal;the ethereal forms of the

interior world ,if graspe by the ru e han of mortals and embo ie in matter,must ie.To grasp an

immortal ideal,man's mortal nature must ie before he can grasp it.[Page 52 ]

Low ideals may be kille ,but their eath calls similar ones into existence.From the bloo of a vampire

that has been slain a swarm of vampires arises.A selfish esire fulfille makes room for similar esires,a

gratifie passion is chase away by other similar passions,a sensual craving that has been stille gives

rise to new cravings.Earthly happiness is short-live and often ies in isgust;the love of the immortal

alone is immortal.Material acquisitions perish,because forms are evanescent and ie.Intellectual

accomplishments vanish,for the pro ucts of the imagination,opinions,and theories,are subject to

change.Desires and passions change and memories fa e away.He who clings to ol memories,clings

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to that which is ea .A chil becomes a man,a man and ol man,an ol man a chil ;the playthings of

chil hoo give way to intellectual playthings,but when the latter have serve their purpose,they appear

as useless as i the former,only spiritual realities are everlasting and true.In the ever-revolving

kalei oscope of nature the aspect of illusions continually changes its form.What is laughe at as a

superstition by one century is often accepte as the basis of science for the next,an what appears as

wisdom to ay may be looke upon as and absurdity in the great tomorrow.Nothing is permanent but the

truth.

But where can man fin the truth ?If he seeks eep enough in himself he will fin it reveale ,each man

may know his own heart.He may let a ray of the light of intelligence into the epths of his soul an

search its bottom,he will fin it to be as infinitely eep as the sky above his hea .He may fin corals an

pearls,or watch the monsters of the eep.If his thought is stea y and unwavering,he may enter the

innermost sanctuary of his own temple and see the go ess unveile .Not everyone can penetrate into

such epths,because the thought is easily le astray;but the strong and persisting searcher will

penetrate veil after veil,until at the innermost centre he iscovers the germ of truth,which,awakene to

self-consciousness,will grow in him into a sun that illuminates the whole of his interior world .[Page 53 ]

Such and interior me itation and elevation of thought in the innermost centre of the soul,is the only true

prayer .The a ulation of and external form,whether living or ea ,whether existing objectively or merely

subjectively in the imagination,is useless,an serves only to eceive.It is very easy to atten to forms of

external worship,but the true worship of the living Go within requires a great effort of will and a power of

thought,an is in fact the exercise of a spiritual power receive from Go .Go in us prays to himself.

Our business consists in continual guarding of the oor of the sacre lo ge,so that no illegitimate

thoughts may enter the min to isturb the holy assembly whose eliberations are presi e over by the

spirit of wisdom.

How shall we know the truth ?It can be known only if it becomes reveale within the soul.Truth,having

awakene to consciousness,knows that it is;it is the go -principle in man,which is infallible and cannot

be misle by illusions.If the surface of the soul is not lashe by the storms of passion,if no selfish

esires exist to isturb its tranquility,if its waters are not arkene by reflections of the past,we will see

the image of eternal truth mirrore in the eep.To know the truth in its fulness is to become alive an

immortal,to lose the power of recognising the truth is to perish in eath.The voice of truth in a person

that has not yet awakene to spiritual life,is the "still small voice"that may be heard in the heart,listene

to by the soul,as a half-conscious reamer listens to the ringing of bells in the istance,[See H.P.

Blavatsky:"The voice of the silence".] but in those that have become conscious of life,having receive

the baptism of the first initiation a ministere by the spirit of Go ,the voice heard by the new-born ego

has no uncertain soun ,but becomes the powerful Word of the Master.The awakene truth is self-

conscious and self-sufficient,it knows that it exists.It stan s higher than all theories and cree s an

higher than science,it oes not nee to be corroborate by "recognise authorities",it cares not for the

opinion of others,an its ecisions [Page 54 ] suffer no appeal.It knows neither oubt nor fear,but reposes

in the tranquility of its own supreme majesty.It can neither be altere nor change ,it always was an

ever remains the same,whether mortal man perceives it or not.It may be compare to the light of the

earthly sun,that cannot be exclu e from the world ,but from which man may exclu e himself.We may

blin ourselves to the perception of the truth,but the truth itself is not thereby change .It illuminates the

min s of those who have awakene to immortal life.A small room requires a little flame,a large room a

great light for its illumination,but in either room the light shines equally clear in each;in the same manner

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the light of truth shines into the hearts of the illumine with equal clearness,but with a power iffering

according to their in ivi ual capacity.

It woul be perfectly useless to attempt to escribe this interior illumination.Only that which exists

relatively to ourselves has a real existence for s ,that of which we know nothing oes not exist for us.No

real knowle ge of the existence of light can be furnishe to the blin ,no experience of transcen ental

knowle ge can be given to those whose capacity to know oes not transcen the realm of external

appearances.

There is nothing higher than truth,and the acquisition of truth is therefore man's highest ideal.The

highest ideal in the Universe must be a universal ideal.The constitution of all men is built according to

one universal law,and the highest ideal must be the same to all and attainable to all,an in its attainment

all in ivi uals become reunite .As long as the soul of man oes not recognise the highest ideal in the

Universe,the highest one which he is able to recognise will be the highest to him;but as long as there

still exists a higher one thand the one he perceives,the higher will unconsciously attract him,unless he

forcibly and persistingly repulses its attraction.Only the attainment of the highest ideal in the Universe

can give eternal and permanent happiness,for having attaine the highest there is nothing left that coul

possibly be esire .As long as there is still a higher ideal for man,he will have aspirations [Page 55 ] to

reach it,but having reache the highest all attraction ceases,he becomes one with it and can esire

nothing more.There must be a state of perfection which all may reach and beyon which none can

a vance,until the Universe as a whole a vances beyon it.All men have the same right to reach the

highest,but not all have the same power evelope ,some may reach it soon,others may lag on the

roa ,an perhaps the majority may fall and have to begin again at the foot of the la er.Each ripe acorn

that falls from and oak has the inherent capacity to evelop into and oak;but not each fin s the same

con itions for evelopment.Some may grow,a few may evelop into trees,but the majority will enter into

ecomposition to furnish material out of which new forms may be evelope .

The highest truth in its fulness is not known to man in the mortal form.Those that have attaine to a state

of perfect consciousness of infinite truth are not imprisone in a limite form,they belong to a formless

tribe;they coul not be one with and universal principle if they were tie by the chains of personality;a

soul expan e ,so that the prison-house of flesh can hol it no more,will require that prison-house no

longer.Flesh and bloo is only require to shelter the spirit in the infancy of his evelopment,as long as

he has not attaine full power.The "clothes of skin,[ Bible:Genesis iii.21 ]were nee e to protect him

against the estructive elementary influences of the sphere of evil as long as he coul not rise above evil.

Having attaine the knowle ge of evil and the power to sub ue it,an having by the realisation of the

truth "eaten from the tree of life and attaine substantiality",[Bible:Genesis iii.22 ] he can protect himself

by his own power,an requires his clothes of flesh no longer.

Imperfectly evelope man,unless he has become egra e ,feels intuitively that which is true,but oes

not know the truth by irect perception.The externalist who reasons only from the plane of sensual

perceptions is farthest from a recognition of the truth,because he mistakes the illusions pro uce by his

senses for the reality,an repulses the revelations of his own [Page 56 ] spirit.The philosopher,unable to

see the truth,attempts to grasp it with his logic,an may approach it to a certain extent;but he,in whom

the truth has attaine its own self-consciousness,knows the truth because he is himself one with it.Such

a state is incomprehensible to the majority of men,to scientists and philosophers as well as to the

ignorant,an nevertheless men have existe ,an exist to ay,who have attaine it.They are the true

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Theosophos ,but not everyone is a Theosopher who goes by the name of "Theosophist",nor is everyone

a Christ who is calle a Christian.But a true Theosopher and a true Christian are one and the same,

because both are human forms in which the universal spirit al so l ,the Christ or the light of Divine

Wisdom,has become manifest.

The terms "Christian"or "Theosophist",like so many other terms of a similar kin ,have almost entirely

lost their true meaning.A "Christian"now-a-days means a person whose name is inscribe in the register

of some so-calle Christian Church,an performs the ceremonies prescribe by that social organisation;

while a "Theosophist"is sai to be a visionary or reamer.

But a real Christian is something entirely different from a merely external one.The first Christians were a

secret organisation,a school of Occultists,who a opte certain symbols and signs,in which to represent

spiritual truths,an thus to communicate them to each other.

A real Theosophos is not a reamer,but a most practical person.By purity of life he acquires the power

to perceive higher truths than average man is able to see,an he un erstan s the things which he sees,

because he possesses a spiritual knowle ge gaine by many a life of self-denial in repeate

reincarnations.

As fun amental truth the life of all things is only one,men in all countries,having attaine self-

consciousness in it,have the same perception.This explains why the revelations or the sages are

i entical with each other.The truths reveale by a Jackob Boehme,Eckhart,or Paracelsus in Germany,

are essentially the same as those reveale by the Thibetan A epts,they only iffer in [Page 57 ] extent an

in mo e of expression.A true Christian saint in Englan or France woul tell the same tale as a real

Brahmin in In ia or a truly wise re In ian in America;because all three,being in the same state of clear

perception,woul exactly see the same thing.The truth is there,visible to all who possess it,but each

will escribe what he sees accor ing to his mo e of thinking and in his own fashion.If – as the ignorant

believe – all the visions of saints and lamas,sanyβssi,an ervishes,were only the result of

hallucinations and fancies,not two of them,having never heard of each other,woul have the same

vision.A tree will be a tree to all who are able to see it,an if their sight is clear no arguments will change

it into and oyster;a truth will be seen as a truth by all who are able to see it,an no sophistry will change it

into a lie.To know the whole truth is to know everything that exists;to love the truth above all is to

become unite with everything;to be able to express the truth in its fulness is to possess universal

power;to be one with immortal truth is to be for ever immortal.

The capacity of perceiving the truthdepends on the tranquility of the soul.The soul not being true cannot

realise truth,it can at best ream of it as of something existing in another world .The soun of the voice

of the truth cannot penetrate through the noise cause by the turmoil in the heart;its light cannot break

through the clou s of false theories and the smoke of opinions which inhabit the brain.To un erstan

that voice and to behol that light istinctly and without any foreign a mixture,heart and hea shoul be

at rest.To perceive the truth,purity of heart and self control shoul go han in han ,an it is therefore

taught that men must become as unsophisticate as chil ren and strong as lions before they can enter

the sphere of truth.Hea and heart,if unite ,are One ,but if they act against each other they form the

absurd Two that pro uces illusions.The emotional maniac is only gui e by his heart,the intellectual fool

only listens to the ictates of his hea ,he lives in his hea and knows not the heart.But neither the

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revelry of the emotions nor intellectual fanaticism iscloses the truth;[Page 58 ] only in the "stillness that

follows the storm",[‘Light on the Path',by Mabel Collins ] when the harmony of both is restore ,cand the

truth be iscovere .A man who only follows the ictates of his emotions,resembles one who in

ascen ing a mountain peak becomes izzy,an losing his power to control himself,falls over a precipice;

a man who is only gui e by his sensual perceptions influencing his intellect is easily lost in the whirlpool

of multifarious illusions.He is like a person on and islan in the ocean examining a rop of water taken

from the ocean,an being blin to the existence of the ocean from which that rop has been taken.But if

heart and hea are attune to the ivine harmonies of the invisible realm of nature,then will the truth

reveal itself to man,an in him will the highest ideal see its own image reflecte .

We sometimes hear some people boast that they are controlle by their intellect,others are gui e by

their emotions;a free man is not controlle by either of the two;he is his own master gui ing his heart

an his min .By the power of the go in him he controls the intellectual workings of his brain no less

thand the emotions of his heart.Heart and brain are not ourselves.They are instruments which have been

lent to us by our Creator.They shoul not govern us;but we shoul govern them,an use them

according to the ictates of his wisdom.

Material man,entombe in his chrysalis of clay,can only feel,but not see,the spiritual rays that ra iate

from the sun of infinite truth;but if he bi s his emotions be still !an comman s his reasoning power be

not elu e !he may stretch his feelers into the realm of the spirit.In ealing with the unseen,his heart

shoul be use as a touchstone to examine the conclusions arrive at by the brain,and the brain shoul

be employe like scales to weigh the ecisions of the heart;but when the light of ivine wisdom comes to

his ai ,there will be no more ifference of opinion between the hea and the heart,the perceptions of

the one will be in harmony with the [Page 59 ] aspirations of the latter,because both will be joine in the

light.

Man is usually gui e principally by his intellect,woman by her emotions;man represents intelligence,

womand the will.To reason from external appearances has become a necessity to men in consequence of

their material organisation,which like a shell surroun s their soul;but if the innermost spiritual man,

sleeping in every heart,awakens to life,he emits a light that penetrates through the veil of matter an

illuminates the min .If this germ of ivinity,hi en in the centre,awakens,it emits a spiritual light,which

reaches from man to the stars and to the utmost limits of space,an by the help of that ivine light the

min may perceive and penetrate into the eepest mysteries of the Universe.Those who are able to

know the truth by irect perception o not nee to be informe of it by others,the whole of the visible an

invisible realm lies open before them,like a book in whose pages they may rea the whole history of the

world .They know all the manifestations of life,because they are one with the source of life from which all

forms were born,they nee not stu y letters,because the Word itself is living in them.They are the

instruments through whom eternal wisdom reveals itself to those who are entombe in matter.These are

the true Savio rs ,Adepts,Ill minates,Rosicr cians,Mahatmas,and Theosophoi ;not those preten ers

who merely fancy to be what they not really are.

How pitiful must appear to the enlightene the war of opinions raging among those whom humanity

believes to be the keepers of knowle ge and wisdom;how insignificantly small appear those lights before

the sun of ivine truth.What appears as a light to the ignorant,appears to the illuminate seer as

arkness and smoke,and the wisdom of the world becomes foolishness [ 1 Cor.iii.19 ] before the eye of

the truth.The oyster in its shell may believe itself at the pinnacle of perfection,an that there is no higher

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existence than that which it enjoys in the ocean-be ;the self conceite ,prou of his learning,is swelle

[Page 60 ] with vanity,knowing little how little he knows.Many of the representatives of mo ern science

forget that the greatest inventions have been ma e,not by the professe guardians of science,but by

men with a clear perception,an upon whom they looke with contempt.They ought to remember,that

many useful inventions were ma e and intro uce ,not with the assistance,but in spite of the opposition

of the learne .It may be isagreeable to call up unpleasant memories,but we cannot close our eyes to

the fact that the inventors of railroa s,steamships,an telegraphs have been ri icule by professors of

science,that men of science have laughe at the belief in the rotun ity of the earth,an that some of the

appointe keepers of the truth have often been conspicuous on account of their misun erstan ing of the

laws of nature,an of their opposition to truth,whenever it conflicte with their preconceive opinions.

Many useful iscoveries have been ma e through the power of intuition;some have been ma e by

logical reasoners without intuition,and their results are still a curse to mankin .For centuries the learne

professions have been thriving on human suffering,an many of their followers,mistaking the low for the

high,have prostitute their knowle ge.The fear of and illusory evil external to man has serve to swell

the money-bags of Brahmins and priests,while the real internal evils,resi ing in the passionate nature

of man,were allowe to grow.For centuries many of the self-appointe servants of the Supreme have

only serve the gol en calf,resi ing in their animal nature,fee ing their followers with false hopes of

immortality,an speculating on the selfish propensities of men.Those to whom humanity looks for

protection against bo ily ills,an who therefore – more than anybo y else – shoul un erstand the real

constitution of man,still experiment with the physical form to seek the cause of isease,being ignorant of

the fact that the form is and expression of life,the pro uct of the soul,an that external effects cannot be

effectually change without changing the internal causes.Many of them refusing to believe in Soul,seek

the cause of iseases in its [Page 61 ] external expression,where it oes not exist.Diseases are the

necessary results of isobe ience to the laws of nature,they are the consequences of "sins"that cannot

be forgiven,but must be atone for by acting again in accor ance with natural laws.In vain will the

ignorant ask the guardians of health for their assistance to cheat

nature out of its ues.Physicians may restore health by restoring the supremacy of the law,but as long

as they know only and infinitesimal part of the law they can only cure and infinitesimal part of the iseases

afflicting mankin ;they sometimes suppress the manifestation of one isease by calling another an

more serious one into existence.In vain will such investigators seek for the cause for epi emic iseases

in places where such iseases may be propagate ,but where they are not create .The soul of the worl

in which such causes resi e cannot be seen with microscopes,it can only be recognise by a man

capable of perceiving the truth.

A true conception of the nature of man will lea to the comprehension of the fact that man,being as a

microcosm the true image,reflection and representative of the macrocosm of nature;Nature has the

same organisation as Man,although not the same external form .Having the same organs and functions,

an being rule by the same laws,the organism of Nature is liable to experience iseases similar to

those experience by the organism of man.Nature has her ropsical swellings,her nervous tremblings,

her paralytic affections by which civilise countries turn into eserts,her inflammatory affections,her

rheumatic contractions,spells of heat and col ,eruptions and earthquakes.If our physicians knew the

nature of man,they woul also know the organisation of Nature as a whole,an un erstan more about

the origin of epi emic iseases,of which they now know merely the external effects.

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What oes mo ern me ical science know of the constitution of man,whose life and safety is ma e to

epen on that knowle ge ?It knows the form of the bo y,the arrangement of muscles,an bones,an

organs,an it calls these constituent parts by names [Page 62 ] which it invente .Having no supersensual

perceptions it oes not know the soul of man,but believes that his bo y is the essential man.If its eyes

were open it woul see that this visible bo y is only the material kernel of the "immaterial",but

nevertheless substantial real man,whose soul-essence ra iates far into space,an whose spirit is

without limits,an that the spirit is not merely within the bo y,but rather the bo y within the sphere of the

spirit.They woul know that in the life-principle resi es sensation,perception,consciousness,an all the

causes that pro uce the growth of the form.Labouring un er their fatal mistake they attempt to cure that

which is not sick,while the real patient is unknown to them.Un er such circumstances it is not surprising

that the most enlightene physicians of our time have expresse the opinion that our present system of

me icine is rather a curse than a blessing to mankin ,an that our rugs and me icines on the whole o

vastly more harm than goo ,because they are continually misapplie .This is and assertion which has

often been ma e by their own most prominent lea ers.

The ideal physician of the future is he who knows the true constitution of man,an who is not le by

illusive external appearances,but able to examine into the hi en causes of all external effects.To him

the acquisitions of external science are not the gui es but only the assistants,his gui e will be his own

knowle ge and not a theory,an his knowle ge will en ow him with power.[Such a physician was

Theophrast s Paracelsus ,the great reformer of me icine in the sixteenth century.]

If our me ical stu ents were to apply a part of the time which they employ for amusements for the

evelopment of a love for the truth,they woul become able to know certain processes within the

organism of man,which are at present to them a mere matter of speculation,an which are not

iscoverable by any physical means.

But even the mo ern physician acts wiser than he knows.He may say that he oes not believe in faith,

an yet it is only faith that uphol s him and by which [Page 63 ]he exists,because if men ha no

confi ence in him they woul not employ him,an if his patients i not believe that he coul benefit

them they woul not follow his irections.A physician without spiritual knowle ge,having no confi ence

in himself,an in whom no one else has any faith,is perfectly useless as a physician,no matter how

much he may have learne in schools.

There is nothing whatever that can be accomplishe without the power of Faith,and there is no faith

possible without spiritual knowle ge.We can only accomplish that of which we are confi ent that we can

accomplish it,an we can only be truly confi ent if we know by experience that we have the power to o

it.

What oes popular science know about Min ?Accor ing to the usual efinition,Min is "the intellectual

power in man",an as "man "means a visible bo y,this efinition makes of min something confine

within that visible form.But if this conception were true,there coul be no transmission of will to a

istance and no transmission of thought.No soun can be heard in a space from which the air has been

exhauste ,an no thought can travel from one in ivi ual to another without a correspon ing "ether"

existing between them;but the possibility of thought-transference is now and universally a mitte fact;its

truth has been perceive long ago by chil ren who make practical use of it in some of their games,an it

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has now been a mitte as a fact even by the most sceptical and superficial observers.["Report of the

Society for Psychical Research".London,1884.] Moreover,anyone who oubts its possibility has it in his

power to convince himself by either impressing his thoughts silently upon others,or by letting others

impress their thoughts upon him.

How infinitely more gran and how much more reasonable is the conception of ancient philosophical

science,according to whose octrines everything that exists is and expression of the thoughts of the

Universal Min ,perva ing all space!This conception makes Mind a power in the realm of infinity,acting

through living and intelligent instruments,an of Man ,[Page 64 ] and intellectual power,an expression of

the Universal Min ,able to receive,reflect,an mo ify the thoughts of the latter,like a iamon that

becomes self-luminous through the influence of the Sun.

There is no reason why we shoul elu e ourselves with a belief that and intelligent min can exist only in

a form which is visible and tangible to the external senses of man.There may be,for all we know,untol

millions of intelligent or semi-intelligent beings in the universe,whose forms are constitute differently

from ours,living on another plane of existence than ours,an who are therefore invisible to our physical

senses,but may be perceive by the superior power of perception of the inner man.Nor is their

existence a matter of mere speculation,for they have been perceive by those who have the power of

interior perception.

All we know of external objects is the images which they pro uce in the sphere of our min .Astral or

spiritual beings pro uce no reflection upon the retina,but their presence may be known when they enter

the mental sphere of the observer and they may be perceive with the eye of the soul.

The ideal scientist of the future having attaine the power of inner perception,will recognise this truth.

If we believe that the object of life is simply to ren er our material Self satisfie and to keep it in comfort,

an that material comfort confers the highest state of possible happiness,we mistake the low for the high

an and illusion for the truth.Our material mo e of life is a consequence of the material constitution of our

bo ies.

We are "worms of earth"because we cling with all our esires and aspirations to earth.If we can enter

upon a path of evolution,by which we become less material and more ethereal,a very different or er of

civilisation woul be establishe .Things which now appear in ispensable and necessary woul cease to

be useful;if we coul transfer our consciousness with the velocity of thought from one part of the globe to

another,the present mo e of communication and transportation woul be no longer require .The eeper

we sink into matter,the more material means for comfort will be [Page 65 ] nee e ;but the essential inner

man is not material – in the usual acceptation of this term – and independent of the restrictions of matter.

What are the real necessities of life ?The answer to this questiondepends entirely on what we imagine

to be necessary.Railways,steamers,electric lights,etc.,are now a necessity to us,an yet millions of

people have live long and happy knowing nothing about them.To one man a ozen of palaces may

appear to be and in ispensable necessity,to another a carriage,another a pipe,or a bottle of whisky.But

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all such necessities are only such as man himself has create .They make the state in which he now is

agreeable to him,an tempt him to remain in that state and to esire for nothing higher.They may even

hin er his evelopment instea of a vancing it.If we woul rise into a higher state,in which we woul no

longer require such things,they woul cease to be a necessity,an even become un esirable an

useless;but it is the craving and the wasting of thought for the augmentation of the pleasures of the

lower life which prevent man to enter the higher one.

To raise the evanescent man to a state of perfection enjoye by the permanent ideal man is the great

Arcan m ,that cannot be learne in books.It is the great secret,that may be un erstoo by a chil ,but

will for ever be incomprehensible to him who,living entirely in the realm of his reams,has no power to

grasp it.The attainment of a higher consciousness is the Magn m op s ,the great work,of which the

Alchemists sai that thousan s of years may be require to perform it,but that it may also be

accomplishe in a moment,even by a woman while engage in spinning.They looke upon the human

min as being a great alembic,in which the conten ing forces of the emotions may be purifie by the

heat of holy aspirations and by a supreme love of truth.They gave instructions how the soul of mortal

man may be sublimate and purifie from earthly attractions,an its immortal parts be ma e living an

free.The purifie elements were ma e to ascen to the supreme source of law,an escen e again in

showers of snowy whiteness ,visible to all,because [Page 66 ] they ren ere every act of life holy an

pure.They taught how the base metals – meaning the animal energies in man – coul be transforme

into the pure gol of true spirituality,an how,by attaining spiritual knowle ge and spiritual life,souls

coul have their youth and innocence restore and be ren ere immortal.

Their truths share the fate of other truths;they were misun erstoo and rejecte by the ignorant,who

continually clamour for truth and reject it when it is offere ,an ri icule by fools.Theology and Masonry

have – each in its own manner – continue the teachings of the Alchemists,an fortunate is the Mason

or the priest who spiritually un erstan s that which he teaches.But of such true isciples there are only

few.The systems in which the ol truths have been embo ie are still in existence,but the col han s of

Sophistry and Materialism have been lai upon the outward forms,an from the interior the spirit has

fle .Doctors and clergymen see only the outward form,an not the hi en mystery that calle these

forms into existence.The key to the inner sanctuary has been lost by those that were entruste with its

keeping,and the true password has not been re iscovere by the followers of Hiram Abiff.The ri le of

the Egyptian Sphinx still waits for a solution,an will be reveale to none unless he becomes strong

enough to iscover it himself.

But the true Word still lives.The light of truth still shines eep into the interior world of man,an sen s its

ivine influence own into the valleys,an wherever the oors and win ows are open to receive it,there

will it ispel thedarkness,ren ering men and women conscious of their own go like attributes an

gui ing them on the roa to perfection,until,when all their struggles have cease and the law has been

restore ,they will fin permanent happiness in the realisation of the highest universal ideal,their own

ivine self.[Page 67 ]

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CHAPTER II

THE REAL AND THE UNREAL

"Allah !Bi'-smi'-llah !– Go is One".– Koran.

EVERYWHERE in the broa expanse of the universe we see and almost infinite variety of forms,

belonging to different king oms and species,an exhibiting and en less variety of appearances.The

substance of which those forms are compose may,for aught we know,consist essentially of the same

primordial material,forming the basis of their constitution,although the qualities of the various bo ies

iffer from each other,an it is far more reasonable to suppose that this one primordial eternal essence

exists and appears in the course of evolution in various forms,than to believe that a number of different

original substances have come into existence either by being create out of nothing or otherwise.What

this primordial essence – this immaterial substance [The A'kβsa of the Brahmins or the Iliaster of

Paracelsus,the Universal Prote s .] – is we o not know,we only know of its manifestation in forms

which we call things.Whatever fin s expression in one form or another is calle a thing,an a thing may

change its form and the substance remain.Water may be frozen into soli ice,or be transforme by heat

into visible vapour;an vapour may be chemically ecompose into hy rogen and oxygen;yet,if the

necessary con itions are given,the energies which previously forme water will form water again;the

forms and attributes change,but the elements remain ,the same and combine again in certain

proportions,regulate by the law of mutual attraction.[Page 68 ]

As this hypothetical primordial substance or principle has no attributes which we can perceive with our

senses,we o not know the real substance of a thing.We may gra ually eprive a thing of some of its

attributes and change its form,an yet it remains that thing as long as its character remains,an even

after we estroy its form and issolve its materials the character of the thing still remains as and i ea in

the subjective world ,where we cannot estroy it,an we may clothe the ol i ea with new attributes an

repro uce it un er a new form on the objective plane.A thing exists as long as its character exists,only

when it changes its character it changes its essential nature.A material thing is only the symbol or the

representation of and i ea;we may give it a name,but i ea remains hi en behin the veil.If we coul on

the physical plane separate a single substance from its character,an en ow it with another,then one

bo y coul be transforme into another,as,for instance,base metals be transforme into gol ;but

unless we change the character of a thing,a mere change of its form will only affect its external

appearance.

By way of illustration,let us look at a stick.It is ma e of woo ,but this is not essential;it might be ma e

of something else and still be a stick.We o not perceive the stick itself,we only see its attributes,its

extension and colour and ensity;we feel its weight and we hear its soun if we strike.Each of these

attributes or all of them may be change ,an it will remain a stick for all that,as long as its character is

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not lost because that which essentially constitutes its character is its purpose,an i ea which has not a

efinite form.Let us en ow that formless i ea with a new purpose that will change its character,an we

shall have transforme our ideal stick into anything we choose to make of it.

We cannot change copper into gol on the physical plane,we cannot change a man into a physical chil ,

but we may aily transform our esires,our aspirations,tastes,an our character,if we conceive of a

new purpose of life,In oing this we make of man,even on the physical plane,a different being.[Page 69 ]

Nobo y ever saw a real man,we only perceive the qualities which he possesses.Man cannot see

himself.He speaks of his bo y,his soul,his spirit;it is the combination of the three which constitutes the

sum of his attributes;the real Ego ,in which his character rests,is something unknown,whose nature

becomes conceivable to us only when we ivine the purpose of its existence.As and i ea and for a

purpose he enters the world of matter,evolutes a new personality,obtains new experience an

knowle ge,passes through the pleasures and vicissitu es of life and through the valley of eath,an

enters again into that realm where in the course of ages his outward form will cease to exist,to appear

again in such a form upon the scene when the hour for his reappearance strikes.His bo y an

personality change his purpose,and therefore his Ego remains the same and yet not the same,because

uring life it acquires new attributes and changes its characteristics.

A true appreciation and un erstan ing of the essential nature of man will show that the repeate

reincarnation of the human mona in successive personalities is a scientific necessity.How coul it be

possible for a man to evelop into a state of perfection,if the time of his spiritual growth were restricte to

the perio of one short existence upon this globe ?If he coul go on and evelop without having a

physical bo y,then why shoul it have been necessary for him to take a physical bo y at all?It is

unreasonable to suppose that the spirit al germ of a man begins its existence at the time of the birth of

the physical bo y,or that the physical parents of the chil coul be the generators of the spiritual mona .

If the spiritual mona existe before the bo y was born,an coul evelop without it,what woul be the

use of its entering any bo y at all?

We see that a plant ceases to grow when its roots are torn from the soil,an when they are replace into

the soil the growth continues.Likewise the human soul,for the purpose of attaining self-knowle ge,takes

root in the physical organism of man,an evelops a character,but when eath tears out the roots,the

soul rests and ceases to grow,until it fin s again a physical [Page 70 ] organism to acquire new con itions

for continue growth.

What can this inner ego be,which lives through eath and changes uring life,except a spiritual ray of

Life,obtaining relative consciousness by coming in contact with matter ?Is any man certain of his own

existence ?

All the proof we have of our existence is in our own self-consciousness,in the feeling of the I Am ,which

is the realisation of our existence.Every other state of consciousness is subject to change.The

consciousness of one moment iffers from that of another,according to the changes which take place in

the con itions which surroun us,an according to the variety of our impressions.We are craving for

change and eath;to remain always the same woul be torture.Ol impressions ie and are replace

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with new ones,an we rejoice to see the ol ones ie,so that the new ones may step into their places.

We o not make our impressions ourselves,but we receive them from the outsi e world .If it were

possible that two or more persons coul be born and e ucate un er exactly the same con itions,

having the same character and receiving always the same impressions,they woul always have the

same thoughts,the same feelings and esires,their consciousness woul be i entical,and they might be

consi ere as forming collectively only one person.A person,having forgotten all the mental impressions

he ever receive ,an receiving no new ones,might exist for ages,living in eternal imbecility,with no

consciousness whatever except the consciousness of the I Am ,an that consciousness coul not cease

to exist as long as his personality were capable to recognise its existence relatively to itself.

This woul be the only con ition in which a person coul possibly exist,if he ha gaine no spiritual self-

knowle ge and if he were to cease to receive any impressions from the external world ,an similar to this

may be the state of such a person after the eath of his bo y,if uring life he has not attaine any higher

knowle ge than that which refers to perishing things.Having no spiritual consciousness,he can have no

spiritual perceptions,he can bring with him into the spiritual world nothing except his own ignorance.

[Page 71 ]

His sensations leave him at eath,and the images receive in his min uring life will fa e away;the

intellectual forces which have been set into motion by his scientific pursuits will be exhauste ,an after

that time the spirit of such a person,even if he has been uring life the greatest scientist,speculator,an

logician,will be nothing but and imbecile,living indarkness,an being rawn irresistibly towards

reincarnation;to reimbo y itself again un er any circumstances whatever,to escape from nothingness

into existence.

Un er whatever form life may exist,it is only relative.A stone,a plant,an animal,a man or Go ,each

has and existence for itself,an each exists only for the others,as long as the others are conscious of his

existence.Man looks upon the existence below him as incomplete,and the incomplete beings below him

know little about him.Man knows little about any superior beings,an yet there may be such,looking

upon him with pity,as he woul look upon and inferior animal,an ape that has not yet awakene to a

realisation of its own nature.

Those who are suppose to know,inform us that there is no being in the universe superior to the man

having become conscious of his own ivine and immortal nature;but that there are innumerable invisible

beings who are either far superior or inferior to mortal man as we know him.In other words,the highest

beings in the universe are such as have once been men;but the men and women of our present

civilisation may have to progress through millions of ages before they attain that state of perfection which

such beings possess.

Existence is relative .There is something in me which causes me to live and to think.I may call it "I"or

"Go ";in either case it is intellectually incomprehensible,an it has no existence for me of which I am

conscious,as long as I o not realise the relation between this unknown something and my own nature.

Nevertheless it is;for if it were nothing it coul not cause me to live and to think.It is the source of my

being,and therefore it is existence and my nature is its manifestation.In realising my own existence,

existence becomes [Page 72 ] to me a reality;to realise the nature of ivine being is to enter into that state.

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We are accustome to look upon that which we perceive with our senses as real,an upon everything

else as unreal,an yet our aily experience teaches us that our senses cannot be truste if we wish to

istinguish between the true and the false.We see the sun rise in the East,see him travel along the sky

uring the ay and isappear again in the West;but every chil now-a-days knows that this apparent

movement is only and illusion,cause by the turning of the earth.At night we see the "fixe "stars above

our hea s,they look insignificant compare with the wi e expanse of the earth and the ocean,an yet

we are tol that they are blazing suns,in comparison with which our mother Earth is only a speck of ust.

Nothing seems to us more quiet and tranquil thand the soli rocks un er our feet,an yet the earth

whereon we live whirls with tremen ous velocity through space;the mountains seem to be everlasting,

but continents sink beneath the waters of the ocean and rise again above its surface.Below our feet

moves,with ebbs and ti es,the swelling bosom of our apparently soli mother the earth,above our hea

seems to be nothing tangible,an yet we live on the very bottom of the airy ocean above us,an o not

know the things that may perhaps live in its currents or upon its surface.A stream of light seems to

escen from the sun to our planet,an yetdarkness is sai to exist between the atmosphere of the

Earth and the sun,where no meteoric matter exists to cause a reflection;while again we are surroun e

by and ocean of light of a higher order,which appears to us to bedarkness,because the nerves of our

bo ies have not yet been sufficiently evelope to react un er the influence of the Astral Light .The

image reflecte in the mirror seems a reality to the unreasoning min ,the voice of and echo may be

mistaken for the voice of a man.We often ream when awake,an while believing to be awake we are

asleep.

"Conscio sness"is a relative term .It is not scientific to say "we are asleep";as long as we o not know

[Page 73 ] who "we "are.We can only truly say that such and such functions of a physical or psychical

organism,which are calle our own,are asleep or inactive while others are active and awake.We may

be fully awake relatively to one thing and asleep relatively to another.A somnamb le's bo y is in a state

resembling eath,while his higher consciousness is fully alive and employs even far superior powers of

perception than if all the activity of his life-principle were engage in performing the functions of his lower

organism.

"Matter"and "Motion"are relative terms ;both referring to manifestations of something we o not know,

an which we may call "Spirit".There is no motion without matter,no matter without some motion,an

every power is therefore substantial.A soli mass of matter is con ense energy,representing a certain

amount of latent power;every force is invisible substance in motion.

"Space","extension","d ration"are relative .Their qualities change according to our stan ar of

measurement and according to our mo e of perception.To and animalcule in a rop of water that rop

may appear as and ocean,an to and insect living on a leaf that leaf may constitute a world .If uring our

sleep the whole of the visible world were to shrink to the size of a walnut or expan to a thousan fol its

present imensions,on awakening we shoul perceive no change,provi e that change ha equally

affecte everything,inclu ing ourselves.A chil has no conception of its relation to space and tries to

grasp the moon with its han s,an a person who has been born blin and is afterwards ma e to see,

cannot ju ge of istances correctly.Our thoughts know of no intervening space when they travel from

one part of the globe to another.Our conceptions of our relation to space are base upon experience an

memory acquire in our present con ition.If we were moving among entirely different con itions,our

experiences,an consequently our conceptions,woul be entirely different.Space relatively to form can

only have three imensions,because all forms are compose of three imensions:length,thickness,an

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height.[Page 74 ]

Consciousness in the Absolute is unconsciousness relatively to everything.A consciousness being in

relation with nothing is inconceivable.A consciousness existing in relation to its own self is self-

consciousness.

The Absolute is independent of its manifestations;but all manifestationsdependon the presence of that

which becomes manifest.Go can exist in his own ivine nature without revealing his presence to his

creatures;but his creatures cannot exist without Go .We know that space exists;but it is inconceivable

to us as long as it oes not become reveale to us in a form.Forms are objectifie space.Without such a

manifestation of three imensional bo ies we can form no conception of space.We know that Go

exists;but we cannot conceive of his existence unless his nature becomes reveale to us in its triunity

within ourselves.

The imensions of space exist in our own min .We conceive of no imensions of space in a

mathematical point,an self-consciousness exists in itself without any relation to anything except its own

self.This might therefore be calle a one-dimensional space.As to two-dimensional space,everyone

knows that there is a ifference between goo and evil,between love and hate,etc.,and the realisation

of such a ifference furnishes us with a conception of space in which we perceive only two imensions.

Three-dimensional space is the world of corporeal bo ies;but there is also a fourth imension of space,

known only to the enlightene ,who have learne how to square the circle,because fo r is the number of

truth,an three the number of form.

As our conception of space is only relative,so is our conception of time.It is not time itself,but its

measurement,of which we are conscious,an time is nothing to us unless in connection with our

association of ideas .The human min can only receive a small number of impressions per secon ;if we

were to receive only one impression per hour,our life woul seem excee ingly short,an if we were able

to receive,for [Page 75 ] instance,the impression of each single un ulation of a yellow ray of light,whose

vibrations number 509 billions per secon ,a single ay in our life woul appear to be and eternity without

en .[Carl u Prel:"Die Planetenbewohner."]To a prisoner in a ungeon,who has no occupation,time

may seem extremely long,while for him who is actively engage it passes quickly.During sleep we have

no conception of time,but a sleepless night passe in suffering seems very long.During a few secon s

of time we may,in a ream,pass through experiences which woul require a number of years in the

regular course of events,while in the unconscious state time has no existence for us.[In books on

mystical subjects we fin often accounts of a person having reame in a short moment of time,things

which we shoul suppose that it woul take hours to ream them;for instance the following:"A traveler

arrive late at night at a station.He was very fatigue ,an as the con uctor opene the oor of the car,

he entere ,an imme iately fell asleep.He reame that he was at home,an living with his family;that

he fell in love with a girl and marrie her;that he live happy

until he me le with political affairs,an was arreste on the charge of having entere into a conspiracy

against the government.He was trie ,an con emne to be shot,an le out to be execute .Arrive at

the place of execution,the comman was given,and the sol iers fire at him,an he awoke at the noise

cause by the shutting of the oor of the car,which the con uctor ha shut behin him when our frien

entere .It seems probable that the noise pro uce by shutting that oor cause the whole ream".]

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Persons fully in the subjective world receive no impressions from the objective world .If they are only

partially in that state which occurs in reams and insanity,the sensations carrie to the half conscious

brain become mixe with the ideas  born in the subjective world ,an pro uce caricatures and istortion of

images.In this state,when the experiences of the internal state mingles with the sensations of the

external consciousness,the most erroneous impressions may be pro uce ;because the intellect

labours,but reason oes not act sufficiently powerful to enable man to iscriminate between the true an

the false.

But what is the ifference between objective and [Page 76 ] subjective states of existence ?We o not

cease to live while we are asleep,but we have a different kin of perceptions in either state.The popular

i ea is that sensual objective perceptions are real and subjective ones only the pro ucts of our

imagination.But a little reflection will show that all perceptions,the objective as well as the subjective

ones,are results of our "imagination".If we look at a tree,the tree oes not come into our eye,but its

picture appears in our min ;if we look at a form we perceive and impression ma e in our min by the

image of and object existing beyon the limits of our bo y;if we look at a subjective image of our own

creation,we perceive the impression which it pro uces on our min .In either case the pictures exist

objectively in our min ,an we perceive the impressions.

The fact is,that everything appears either objective or subjective according to the state of consciousness

of the perceiver,an what may be to him entirely subjective in one state may appear to him objectively in

another.The highest ideal truths have to him who can realise them and objective existence,the grossest

material forms have no existence to him who cannot perceive them.

But here the great question arises:"Who or what is this unknown One that perceives the images existing

in its own min ,and the sensations that come to his consciousness ?What is that which you call your "I",

which knows that you know,an which also recognises your ignorance ?What is that Self ,which is

neither the bo y nor the min ,but which uses these things as its instruments ?If you know that invisible

being,you may throw away this book;it can teach you nothing new,because you know Go and are the

wisest of men.

The basis upon which all exhibition of magical power rests is a knowle ge of the relations that exist

between objective and subjective states of existence,and the source from which they originate.If we

conceive in our min of the picture of a thing we have seen before,an objective form of that thing comes

into existence

within our own min ,an is compose of the substance [Page 77 ] of our own min .If by continual practice

we gain sufficient power to hol on to that image and to prevent it from being riven away and isperse

by other thoughts,it will become comparatively ense,an can be projecte upon the mental sphere of

others,so that they may actually see objectively that which exists subjectively as and image within our

own min ;but he who cannot hol on to a thought and control it at will cannot impress it upon the min s

of others,and therefore such experiments fail,not on account of any absolute impossibility to perform

them,but on account of the weakness of those who experiment,but have not the power to control their

own thoughts,an to ren er them corporeal enough for transmission.

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Everything is either a reality or a elusion,accor ing to the stan point from which we view it.The words

"real"an "unreal"are only relative terms,an what may seem real in one state of existence appears

unreal in another.Money,love,power,etc.,appear very real to those who nee them;to those who have

outgrown the necessity for their possession they are only illusions.That which we realise is real to us,

however unreal it may be to another.If my imagination is powerful enough to represent to me the

presence of and angel,that angel will be there,alive and real,my own creation,no matter how invisible

an unreal he may be to another.If your min can create for you a para ise in a wil erness,that

para ise will have for yo and objective existence.Everything that exists,exists in the universal Min ,an

if the in ivi ual min becomes conscious of his relation to a thing therein,it begins to perceive it.No man

can realise a thing beyon his experience,he cannot know anything to which he stan s in no relation.

For the purpose of perceiving,three facts are necessary:The perception,the perceiver,and the thing

that is the object of perception.If they exist on entirely different planes,an cannot enter into

relationship,no perception will be possible.If I wish to look at my face,an am not able to step out of

myself,I must use a mirror to establish a relation between myself and the object of [Page 78 ] my

perception.The mirror has no sensation,an I cannot see myself in the mirror,I can only see myself in

my min .The reflection of the mirror pro uces a reflection which is objective to my min ,an which

comes to my perception.

A consi eration of this will give us the key to and un erstan ing of man's original nature,an of the

necessity of his "fall from grace".We cannot objectively see the light or the truth,as long as we are within

the bo y of the one or the other.Only when we go beyon the sphere of the light,we can see luminosity,

only when we fall into error,will we learn to appreciate the truth.As long as primor ial man was one with

the universal power from which he emanate as a spiritual ray or entity in the beginning,he coul not

know the ivine source from which he came.The will and imagination of the Universal Min were his own

will and imagination.Only when he began to "step out of his ivine self",coul he begin to exist as an

in ivi ual "Self";only when he began to act against the law,i he begin to realise that there was a law.

Man's apparently separate existence from Go is and illusion:but this illusion must be experience by

him,so as to enable him to outgrow it,an to realise his unity with Go .A go who oes not realise his

own ivine nature woul not be able to enjoy it.When man,as a spiritual entity,having attaine

perfection,enters again into his source,his sense of self and separateness will be lost,but he will be in

possession of knowle ge.To see a thing,it must become objective.To know what love is,we must be

separate from the object of our love.When we fully comprehen a thing,we become one with it,an

know it by knowing ourselves.

This example is inten e to illustrate the fun amental law of creation.The first great cause – so to say –

stepping out of itself,becomes its own mirror,and thereby establishes a relation with itself."Go "sees

his face reflecte in Nature;the Universal Min sees itself reflecte in the in ivi ual min of man.Go

comes to relative consciousness in his own nature,but when he again retires into himself the relation will

[Page 79 ] cease,he will again become one with himself,there will be no more relative consciousness,an

"Brahma will go to sleep"until the new ay of creation begins.But man knows that he exists even after

all his relation with external things has cease ,he oes not nee to look continually into a mirror to be

remin e of that fact.Likewise the absolute self-consciousness of the great I Am is independent of the

objective existence of Nature,an he will still "sit on the great white throne after the earth and the heaven

fle away from his face";[St John:Revelations xx.2.]which means that he will rest in his own ivine self-

consciousness.

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The superior powers of inner perceptions are those possesse by the inner man ,and they become

evelope after the inner man awakens to self-consciousness.They correspon to the senses of the

external man,such as seeing,hearing,feeling,tasting,smelling.

External sensual perceptions are necessary to see sensual things;the internal sensual perceptions are

necessary to see internal things.Physical matter is as invisible to the spiritual sight as astral bo ies are

to the physical eyes;but as every object in nature has its astral counterpart within the physical form,it

may see,hear,feel,taste,an smell with its astral senses those astral objects,and thereby know the

attributes of the physical objects as well or still better thand the physical man might have been able to o

with his physical senses;but neither the physical nor the astral senses will be able to perceive,unless

they are permeate by the power of the spirit which en ows them with life.

Men usually look upon a thing as real if it is seen alike by several persons,while if only one person

professes to see it,it being invisible to others,it is calle illusive;but each impression pro uces a certain

state of the min ,an a person perceiving it must be in a con ition to enter into a relation with that state

which the impression pro uces.All persons being in the same state of min ,an receiving the same

impression,will perceive the same thing,but if their states of min iffer,their perceptions will iffer.A

horse or a lion [Page 80 ] may be seen alike by everyone who has his normal senses evelope ;but if one

is excite by fear,his perception will iffer from that of others,because the pro uct of his own

imagination istorts the impression receive .A runkar in a state of deliri m tremens believes to see

worms and snakes crawling over his bo y.His experience tells him that they have no external existence.

Nevertheless they are realities to him.They really exist for him as the pro ucts of his own mental

con ition,but they o not exist for others who o not share that con ition.But if others were to enter the

same state they woul see the same things.

Our perceptions therefore iffer – not only in proportion as the impressions coming from the objects of

our perception iffer – but also accor ing to our capacity to receive such impressions,or according to our

own mental states.If we coul evelop a new sense of perception,we woul be in a new world .

If our capacity to receive impressions were restricte to only one sense,we woul only be able to

conceive of that which coul become manifest to us through that sense.Let us suppose the existence of

a being who coul enter into only one state of consciousness;for instance,that of hate.Having all his

consciousness concentrate into one gui ing passion,he coul become aware of nothing else but of

hate.Such a "go of hate",incapable of entering into any other mental state,coul perceive no other

states but those correspon ing with his own.To such a being the whole world woul be ark and voi ,

our oceans and mountains,our forests and rivers woul have no existence for him;but wherever a man

or and animal woul burn with hate,there woul be perhaps a luri glow perceivable by him through the

arkness,which woul attract his attention and attract him,an on his approach that glow woul burst

into a flame in which the in ivi ual from whom it procee e may be consume .Any other mental state or

passion may serve for a similar illustration.Hate knows hate,Love knows love,an a person full of hate

is as incapable to love as a being full of love is incapable to hate.[Page 81 ]

The Bhagavad Gita says:"Those that are born un er and evil estiny"(having acquire evil ten encies by

their con uct in former lives)"know not what it is to procee in virtue or to rece e from vice;nor is purity,

veracity,or the practice of morality,to be foun in them.They say the world is without beginning an

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without en ,an without and Ishwar,that all things are conceive in the junction of the senses,an that

attraction is the only cause".[Bhagava Gita,L.xvi.]

Those who believe that everything exists in consequence of the unconscious attraction of two principles,

forget that there coul be no attraction if there were not some continually acting cause that pro uces that

attraction.They are the elu e followers of a octrine which they themselves cannot seriously believe.

They agree that out of nothing,nothing can come,an yet they believe that unconscious attraction can

pro uce consciousness.They are the followers of the absurd Two which has no real existence,because

the eternal One ivi e into two parts woul not become two Ones but the two halves of a ivi e One.

One is the number of Unity,an Two is Division;the One ivi e into two ceases to exist as a One,an

nothing new is thereby pro uce .If the plan for the construction of the world ha been ma e according

to the ideas  of the followers of Dualism,nothing coul have come into existence,because action an

reaction woul have been of equal power,annihilating each other.Neither coul there be any progression

un er such circumstances at present.

But behin all manifestations of power there is the eternal power itself,the source of all perfection that

can become manifest.This is the Unity and Reality,in which no ivision exists;from which all things

originate and to which all will return.In its aspect as being the source of perfection in everything an

which all things esire to attain,it has been calle "goo ".

Whatever this power of goo may be it is beyon the capacity of man to give it and appropriate name,or

to escribe it,because it is beyon the comprehension of mortal man.To give a name to that which

inclu es [Page 82 ] everything,is to limit the whole to one of its parts.It has been calle "Go ",an as

such it has "many faces",because its aspect iffers according to the stan point from which we behol it.

It is the S preme ca se ,from which everything comes into existence;it must be absol te

conscio sness,wisdom and power,love,intelligence,an life,because these attributes exist in its

manifestations and coul not have come into existence without it.

It is necessarily one and unlimite ,an cand therefore not be known to the limite intellect of man.It can

only be known by itself;but if it reveals itself in our soul,our soul will partake of its knowle ge.Therefore

Angelus Silesius says —

"Go welleth in a light far out of human ken,

Become thyself that light,an thou shalt see him then."

When Gautama Bu ha was aske to escribe the supreme source of all beings,he remaine silent,

because those who have reache a state in which they can realise what it is,have no words to escribe

it,[2 Corinth.xii.4.]an those who cannot realise it woul not be able to comprehen the escription.

To escribe a thing we must invest it with comprehensible attributes,an it then ceases to be unlimite

an becomes limite .Therefore all theological iscussions about the nature of "Go "are useless,

because "Go "is the All and oes not iffer from anything;but not everything is Go ;because not

everything is conscious of its own ivine nature.To become conscious of one's own ivine nature,is to

realise the presence of Go .To eny the existence of Go is and absurdity equivalent to enying one's

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own existence,while existence is its own proof.He can only be spiritually known,but not scientifically

escribe ,and the fight between so-calle Deists and Atheists is a mere quarrel about words which have

no efinite meaning.Every man is himself a manifestation of Go ,an as each man's character iffers

from that of every other,so each man's i ea of Go iffers from that of the rest,an each one has a Go

(an ideal)of his own:only when they all have the same aspirations,will they all have the same Go .

[Page 83 ]

To him who has not the power of Go ,the power of Go oes not exist.To him who perceives the

presence of Go ,Go exists,an to him his existence cannot be ispute away.The ignorant cannot be

ma e to realise the existence of knowle ge unless he becomes knowing;those who know cannot have

their knowle ge reasone away.The caricatures of go s set up by the various churches as

representations of the only true Go are merely attempts to escribe that which cannot be escribe .As

every man has a highest ideal (a go )of his own,which is a symbol of his aspirations,so every church

has its peculiar go ,who is and outgrowth or a pro uct of evolution of the ideal necessities of that

collective bo y calle a church.They are all true go s to them ,because they temporarily answer their

nee s,an as the requirements of the church change,so change their go s;ol go s are iscarde an

new ones put into their places.The go of the Christian iffers from that of the Jews,and the Christian

go of the nineteenth century is very different from the one that live at the time of Torquema a an

Peter Arbues,an was please with torture and A tos da Fι.As long as men are imperfect their go s will

be imperfect;as they become more perfect their go s will grow in perfection,an when all men are

equally perfect they will all have the same perfect "Go ",the same highest spiritual ideal recognise alike

by science and by religion as being ivinity in humanity;because there can be only one supreme ideal,

one absolute Truth,whose realisation is Wis om,whose manifestation is power expresse in Nature,

an whose most perfect expression is ideal Man.

There are seven steps on the la er,representing the religious evelopment of mankin :On the first

stage man resembles and animal,conscious only of his instincts and bo ily esires,without any

conception of the ivine element.On the secon he begins to have a presentiment of the existence of

something higher.On the third he begins to seek for that higher element,but his lower elements are still

prepon erating over the higher aspirations.On the fourth his lower and higher esires are

counterbalancing each other.At times he seeks for [Page 84 ] the higher,at other times he is again

attracte to the lower.On the fifth he anxiously seeks for the ivine,but seeking it in the external he

cannot fin it.He then begins to seek for it within himself.On the sixth he fin s the ivine element within

himself and evelops spiritual self-consciousness,which on the seventh grows into self-knowle ge.

Having arrive at the sixth,his spiritual senses begin to become alive and active,an he will then be able

to recognise the presence of other spiritual entities,existing on the same plane.On the seventh he fin s

that he himself is the Go which he has been seeking.His will is free from every selfish esire,his

tho ght is one with his will,his word becomes a creative act.Such a spiritual being may still well in a

human bo y upon this planet,an not even be recognise as something superior to the rest of mankin ;

for his personality is not Go .He lives,an yet he lives not;for it is Go ,his ivine Self,the eternal

Reality living in him.

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CHAPTER III

FORM

"The Universe is a thought of Go ”.—Paracelsus.

ACCORDING to Plato the primordial essence is and emanation of the Demi rgic Mind,which contains

from eternity the i ea of the natural world within itself,an which i ea is thrown into objectivity by the

power of the ivine self-conscious will.This octrine seems to be almost as ol as the existence of

reasoning man on this globe.It contains essentially the same truth which has been taught by the ancient

Rishis ,an has been expresse by the eepest thinkers of all ages,apparently from the first planetary

spirit ,that ma e his appearance on this earth,own to the mo ern philosophers who teach that the worl

is a pro uct of i eation and will.[Schopenhauer:"Die Welt als Wille un Vorstellung ”]

The great Christian Mystic,Jacob Boehme escribes the Great First Cause as a trinity of will,intelligence

an action.His octrine correspon s to that which is taught in the East,regarding the three emanations

of Brahm,an of which that German shoemaker coul at that time hardly have known anything,if he ha

not been and Ill minate .He says in his book on "The Three Principles ” ,that by the activity of the Will-Fire

at the Centre the eternal consciousness of the latter was reflecte in Space as in a mirror,an from this

activity Light and Life were born.He then escribes,how by the action ra iating from the

incomprehensible centre,ra iating into the element of Matter,and the subsequent reaction from the

periphery toward the centre rotation was cause ,an how in the Ether ,the world of forms.came into

existence,an grew into material ensity.Thus through the action of the Father in the [Page 86 ] Son,the

"Holy Ghost ”became manifest,an its manifestation is the visible and invisible universe in one,with all

its suns,stars,planets,their forms and inhabitants,with all the angels and emons,evas,elementals,

men and animals,or in other words,with all the energies and powers and forms of the visible an

invisible si e of nature.

This trinity manifests itself on three different planes or modes of action ,that have been terme Matter,

So l,an Spirit ,or according to the symbolism of ancient occult science,Earth,Water ,an Fire .The

One becomes manifest in the Three ,but the Three is a whole and oes not consist of three parts,of

which one comes into succession after another,it springs into existence at once.Reaction cannot exist

without Action ,an both are ue to a co-existing Potency or Ca se.

Spirit or "Fire ”is immaterial,formless,an universal,manifesting its power in forms.It is the "creator ” ,the

great "carpenter ”of the universe,the "stepfather of Christ ” ,whose wife is Maja (Nature),the ever

immaculate virgin.

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So l or "Water ”is a semi-material element,formless in its original state.It is the organising element of

corporeal forms.It penetrates and surroun s the planets as it surroun s and penetrates the bo ies of

men and animals and all other bo ies and forms,an all material forms will soon perish after the soul-

principle has cease to be active in them.

Matte r or "Earth ” ,or (as it is calle in its primor ial state)A'kβsa ,is and invisible material element

perva ing all space.Con ense by the organising power of the soul,it clothes the forms of the latter an

ren ers them visible on the physical plane.

By the interaction of the three primordial elements,Spirit,Soul,an Matter,four interme iate links

become manifest,and these four a e to the three former represent seven principles.

These three,respectively seven principles,must not be suppose to exist separately;they are seven

aspects of one element,in the same sense as the seven notes of one octave are seven mo ifications of

one [Page 87 ] vibration pro ucing soun .Man is a unity;but also a trinity of expression,capable to enter

four istinct states of consciousness and existence,a compoun of four elements joine to the fifth One

Element,making him a harmonious accord of five notes.He may also be regarde as a manifestation of

three higher and three lower powers,in which the unmanifeste seventh is to become manifest.All these

ivisions are legitimate and not arbitrary;because they are base upon the action of natural certain laws.

1.A The element of Matter ,A kβsa ,represented by "Earth ”.

2.AB The combination of Matter and Soul,known as the Astral Body,a mixture of

"Earth and Water ”.

3.B The Soul,known as the animal principle in man,represented by "Water ”.

4.ABC The Essence of Life ,a combination of Matter,Soul,and Spirit,"Earth,Water,

and Fire ”.

5.AC The Mind ,a combination of Matter and Spirit,or "Earth and Fire ”(the

principle of Intellectuality ).

6.BC The Spiritual Soul ,a combination of Soul and pure Spirit,or "Water and

Fire ”(the principle of Spiritual Intelligence).

7.

C

Pure Spirit or "Fire ” .[The Sanskrit terms for the seven principles are:1,

Pracriti;2,Lingsarira;3.Kamarupa;4,Jiva;5,Manas;6,Buddhi;7.Atma.—

See "Five Years of Theosophy ”,p.153.]

The ivisions a opte by Paracelsus and in "Esoteric B ddhism ”are nearly i entical with the above:1.

The physical bo y.2.Vitality (Mumia).3.Astral Bo y (Si ereal bo y).4.Animal Soul.5.Intellectual Soul.

6.Spiritual Soul.(The man of the new olympus).7.Spirit.

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It is sai that this ivision was also known to the ancient Jews,an that the Hebrew Alphabet,consisting

of 22 letters,was ma e with reference to it;because the three in seven states pro uces twelve symbols,

an 3+7+12 =22.[Page 88 ]

This sevenfol ivision of principles,representing the constitution of man as well as that of the Universe

as whole,was also known to the ancient Egyptians,an escribe as follows —

I.chat.The material body.

II.bas (heart)

and

nif (breath)

Physical life.

III.Ka.The astral body (Personality).

IV.ab.Will.(Kama)The centre.

V.ba.Soul (Manas).

VI.chaib.The shadow of the spirit (Buddhi).

VII.chu.The spirit (Atma).

The ancient Alchemists represente the same ideas  by the symbols of the seven planets —

Saturn,The material element.

Jupiter,Power or Life.

Mars,Will,Strength.

Sun,The centre;the source of all planets.

Venus,Love.In its lower aspect esire.

Mercury,Min ,Intelligence.

Moon Spirituality.

The qualities of these powers iffer in their combination accor ing to the prepon erating influence of one

over another;an this causes their aspects to be either goo or evil.Thus these aspects are ba as

follows —

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If spirituality [Moon ] is overrule by materiality [Saturn ]

If the min [Mercury ] is ominate by blin force [Jupiter ]

If love [Venus ] is overrule by passion [Mars ] .

If the contrary is the case,their aspects are goo .

The sun occupies the centre of these planets;it is their parent,an not ominate by any of them.

[Page 89 ]

Jane Leade also a opts a sevenfol ivision of principles;but in a reverse or er —

1.Spirit The wor .The creator.

2.Wind The breath or the life.

3.Water Coagulate win (soul).

4.Light Intelligence.

5.Heaven The astral world .

6.Air Physical life.

7.Earth The matrix or centre.

To these seven principles correspon four planes of existence or states of consciousness;namely —

I.The physical world.

II.The astral world .

III.The spirit al world .

IV.The divine plane of existence .

Each of these world s has its own state of being,an each form in either of them contains all the above-

name seven principles,which are fun amentally one and inseparable;only with this ifference,that

according to the plane in which a form exists,some of these principles are active while others are latent.

Thus in a stone or a tree the higher principles are entirely latent and as if non-existent,while in one of the

higher plane the higher principles are alone manifest while the lower ones have cease to manifest any

activity.The following table may give and approximate illustration of this theory.The prominently active

principles are printe in larger,and the less active ones in smaller,type;while those that are still latent,or

have become so,are enclose in brackets.

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Physical Nature.Astral Plane.Devachan.

PHYSICAL MATTER.(Physical matter.)(Physical matter.)

PHYSICAL LIFE .(Physical life.)(Physical life.)

Astral life.ASTRAL LIFE.(Astral life.)

Kama life.KAMA LIFE.(Kama life.)

Lower Manas.Lower Manas .(Lower Manas.)

(Higher Manas.)(Higher Manas.)HIGHER MANAS.

(Bu hi.)(Bu hi.)BUDDHI

(Atma.)(Atma.)Atma.

[Page 90 ] The proportion of activities of course iffer in in ivi ual cases.There are many variations.

Upon this earth all the seven principles may become manifeste in man;he may live alternatively or

successively,in either one of these four states of consciousness;his spirit belongs to Go ,his min to

heaven,his esires to the soul of the world ,an his bo y to earth.After eath the lower principles

become inactive and he moves upwards on the scale of being in proportion as he has become attune to

it uring his life.

What are the con itions of the divine state of being we o not know nor care to speculate about it.Our

object ought to be to attain it rather than to worry our brains in seeking to gratify our scientific curiosity in

regard to it.It might be suppose that in this plane only the B ddhi,Atma ,and the highest essence of the

Manas is active;but Jacob Boehme tells us,that "all the Seven Spirits of God are born one in another;

one gives birth to the other and there is neither first nor last ” ."They are all seven equally eternal ” ;["The

life and octrines of Jacob Boehme ” ,p.73.] and furthermore he escribes that the third principle

reappears in the seventh;an that therein consists the "resurrection of the flesh ” ,["The life an

octrines of Jacob Boehme ” ,p.84.] which causes a divine being to be – not and unsubstantial spirit – but

possessing the "Bo y of Go ” ."In the seventh form all the other forms of nature manifest their activity ”;

the element of earth therefore manifests itself again on a higher octave,an this will give us a key to the

un erstan ing of the meaning of the words of St.Paul,when he speaks of a bo y "that has been sowe

in corruption and is raise in glory ”;but which is surely not the astral form of a ghost.[1 Cor.i.5.]

All forms are the expression of either one or more of these elementary principles,an exist as long as

their respective powers are active in them.They are not necessarily visible,because their visibility

epen s on their power to reflect light.Invisible gases may be [Page 91 ] soli ifie by pressure and col ,

an ren ere visible and tangible,and the most soli substances may be ma e invisible and intangible

by the application of heat.The pro ucts of cosmic thought are not all visible to the physical eye,we see

only those which are on our plane of existence.

All bo ies have their invisible spheres.Their visible spheres are limite by the periphery of their visible

forms;their invisible spheres exten farther into space.Their spheres cannot be always etecte by

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physical instruments,but they nevertheless exist,an un er certain con itions their existence can be

prove to the senses.The sphere of and o oriferous bo y can be perceive by the organ of smell,the

sphere of a magnet by the approach of iron,the sphere of a man or and animal by that most elicate of all

instruments,the sensitive soul.

These spheres are the magnetic,caloric,o ic,luminous auras and other emanations belonging to every

object in space.Such and emanation may sometimes be seen as the A rora Borealis in the polar regions

of our planet,or as the photosphere of the sun uring and eclipse.The "glory ” aroun the hea of a saint

is no poetical fiction,no more thand the sphere of life ra iating from a precious stone.As each sun has its

system of planets revolving aroun it,so each bo y is surroun e by smaller centres of energy evolving

from the common centre,an partaking of the attributes of that centre.Copper,Carbon,an Arsenic,for

instance,sen out auras of re ;Lea and Sulphur emit blue colours;Gol ,Silver,an Antimony,green;

an Iron emits all the colours of the rainbow.Plants,animals,an men emit similar colours accor ing to

their characteristics;persons of a high and spiritual character have beautiful auras of white and blue,gol

an green,in various tints;while low natures emit principally ark re emanations,which in brutal an

vulgar or villainous persons arken almost to black,and the collective auras of bo ies of men or plants or

animals,of cities and countries,correspon to their pre ominant characteristics,so that a person whose

sense of perception is sufficiently evelope may [Page 92 ] see the state of the intellectual and moral

evelopment of a place or a country by observing the sphere of its emanations.

These spheres expan from the centre,and their periphery grows in proportion to the intensity of the

energy acting within the centre.We know the sphere of a rose by the o our that procee s from the latter

if we have the power to smell,we know the character of the min of a man if we enter the sphere of his

thoughts.

The quality of psychic emanationsdepends on the state of activity of the centre from which they

originate.They are symbols of the states of the soul of each form,they in icate the state of the emotions.

Each emotion correspon s to a certain colour.Love correspon s to blue,Desire to re ,Benevolence to

green,and these colours may in uce correspon ing emotions in other souls.Blue has a soothing effect,

an may tranquillize a maniac or sub ue a fever;Re excites to passion,a steer will become furious at

the sight of a re cloth,an and unreasoning mob become infuriate at the sight of bloo .This chemistry

of the soul is not any more won erful thand the facts known in physical chemistry,and these processes

take place accor ing to the same law which causes Chlori e of Silver to turn from white into black if

expose to light.

The thoughts of the Universal Min expresse in matter on the physical plane comprise all the forms of

the mineral,vegetable,an animal king oms on Earth,escribe by physical science.Each material

form contains within itself its ethereal counterpart,which will,un er certain con itions,separate itself

from the more material part,or be extracte therefrom by the han s of and A ept.These astral parts may

be reclothe with con ense A 'kβsa and be ren ere visible,an in this way and object can be uplicate

by him who knows how to manipulate these invisible forces.[A.P.Sinnett:"The Occult World ”.]

Such astral forms exist after their material forms have ecaye ;the astral forms of the ea may be seen

by the clairvoyant hovering over the graves,bearing the resemblance of the once living man.They may

be artificially infuse with life and with a borrowe consciousness,an ma e use of in the practices of

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Necromancy and Black Magic ,or be attracte to "spiritual sιances ” to represent the spirits of the ea .

There are persons in whom this principle – either in consequence of constitutional peculiarities or in

consequence of isease – is not very firmly unite with the physical bo y,an may become separate

from it for a short perio .[This intimate relation of the astral form and the physical bo y is often illustrate

at so-calle exposures of "spiritual mediums.If a materialize form is soile by ink or soot,the colouring

matter will afterwards be foun on the correspon ing part of the medium's bo y,because,when the

astral form re-enters that bo y,it will leave the soiling matter on the correspon ing parts of the latter.]

Such persons are suitable "medi ms ”for so-calle spirit-materialisations ,their ethereal counterparts

appear separate from their bo ies and assume the visible form of some person either living or ea .It

receives its new mask by the unconscious or conscious thoughts of the persons present,by the

reflections thrown out from their memories and min s,or it may be ma e to represent other characters

by influences invisible to the physical eye.

As the brain is the central organ for the circulation of nerve-flui ,an as the heart is the organ for the

circulation of the bloo ,so the spleen is the organ from which the astral elements raw their vitality,an

in certain iseases,where the action of the spleen is impe e ,this "ouble ”of a person may involuntarily

separate itself from the bo y.It is nothing very unusual that a sick person feels "as if he were not

himself ” ,or as if another person was lying in the same be with him,an that he himself were that other.

Such cases of "Doppelgaengers ” ,Wraiths,Apparitions,Ghosts,&c.,cause by the separation of the

Lingasarira from the physical form can be foun in many works treating of mystic phenomena occurring

in nature.[A olphe D'Assier;"L'humanitι posthume ”]

Usually these astral forms are without consciousness and without any life of their own;but they may be

[Page 94 ] [The stories of fakirs who have been burie alive for months and resurrecte afterwards might

here be use as illustration.They are too well known to nee repetition in this place.Moreover,

phenomena,however well atteste they may be,can never stan in the place of knowle ge;they furnish

no explanation of the mysterious laws of nature.The occurrence of phenomena proves nothing but that

they occur.Real knowle ge is never attaine by the observation of external phenomena,it can only be

attaine by un erstan ing the law.]

But there are also many forms whose natural home is the astral plane,of which physical science oes

not know,because they can be seen only by means of the astral perception,a faculty which is at present

in possession of only comparatively few persons.The astral plane has,like the physical plane,its

mineral,vegetable,an animal king om,its four elements;an as in our world the earth,the air,and the

sea have their inhabitants,so in the astral world there are inhabitants,the Spirits of Nat re ,to be foun in

the elements of the earth,air,water,an fire.They are all the pro uct of originally shapeless ideas ,

existing in the Universal Min ,con ense into organise forms by the creative power of nature;visible

an objective to each other as long as they exist on the same plane.

In ivi ual forms on that plane often make their presence felt to men or animals,but un er or inary

circumstances they cannot be seen.They may,however,be seen by the clairvoyant,an un er certain

con itions,even assume visible and tangible shapes.Their bo ies are of and elastic semi-material

essence,ethereal enough so as not to be etecte by the physical sight,and they change their forms

according to certain laws.Bulwer Lytton says:"Life is one all-perva ing principle,an even the thing that

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seems to ie and putrefy but engen ers new life and changes to [Page 95 ] new forms of matter.

Reasoning then by analogy – if not a leaf,if not a rop of water,but is no less than yon er star – a

habitable and breathing world – common sense woul suffice to teach that the circumfluent Infinite,which

you call space – the boun less Impalpable which ivi es the earth from the moon and stars – is fille

also with its correspon ent and appropriate life ”.

An further on he says:"In the rop of water you see animalcule vary;how vast and terrible are some of

these monster-mites as compare with others.Equally so with the inhabitants of the atmosphere.Some

of surpassing wisdom,some of horrible malignity;some hostile as fien s to man;others gentle as

messengers between Earth and Heaven ” .[Bulwer Lytton;"Zanoni ”]

Our ignorant and therefore sceptical age is accustome to a mire in such escriptions the fancy of the

writer ,never suspecting that they were inten e to convey a truth;but there are many witnesses to

testify that such invisible but substantial and variously shape beings exist,an that they,by the

e ucate will of man,can be ma e conscious,intelligent,visible,an even useful to man.This assertion

is supporte by the testimony foun in the writings of Rosicrucians,Cabbalists,Alchemists,an A epts,

as well as in the ancient books of wisdom of the East and in the Bible of the Christians.

Such existences are,however,not necessarily personal beings.They may be impersonal forces,

acquiring form,an life,an consciousness by their contact with man.The Gnomes and Sylphes ,the

Undines and Salamanders ,o not entirely belong to the realm of fable,although they are something very

different of what the ignorant believe them to be.How insignificant and little appears in ivi ual man in the

infinity of the universe!an yet there is only a comparatively insignificant part of the universe reveale to

him by the senses.Coul he see the world s within world s above,beneath,an everywhere,swarming

with beings whose existence he oes not suspect,while they,perhaps,know nothing of his existence,he

woul be overwhelme with terror and seek for a go to protect him;an yet there are none of these

beings higher or as powerful as the spiritual man who has learne to know his powers.[See

"Theophrast s Paracelsus ” ,chapter v ]

The beings of the spirit al plane are such as have once been men,their constitution is beyon the

comprehension of those that are not their equals,and their ethereal forms in a state of perfection we

cannot conceive.Still higher beings,having outgrown the necessity of manifesting themselves in a form,

enter the state of the formless.We may look upon a personal man as a single note in the great orchestra

composing the world ,an upon a Dhyan Chohan [Son of Wisdom (Planetary spirit)]as a full accor or a

compoun of notes in the symphony of the go s.There may be unharmonious compositions of notes in

music,and there are evil spiritualities as there isdarkness in contra istinction to light.

The surface realm of the Soul is the realm of the emotions.Emotions are not merely the results of

physiological processes depending on causes coming from the physical plane,but they belong to a form

of life on the astral plane,they come and go without any known cause.The state of the weather,or

circumstances over which we have no control,cause certain emotions.A person entering a room where

everyone is laughing is liable to participate in the laughter without knowing the cause of the hilarity;a

whole crow may be swaye by the intense emotion of a speaker,although they may not even

un erstan what he says;one hysterical woman may create and epi emic of hysteria among other

women,an a whole congregation may become excite by the harangue of and emotional exhorter,no

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matter whether his language is foolish or wise.A su en accumulation of emotion or energy on the astral

plane can kill a person as quickly as a su en explosion of pow er.We hear of persons who were

"transfixe by terror ”or "paralyse by fear ” .In such cases the astral consciousness having become

abnormally active at the expense of the consciousness on the physical plane,the activity of life on the

physical plane ceases when the affecte person faints or ies.[Page 97 ]

All forms come into existence accor ing to certain laws.The solar microscope shows how,in a solution

of salt,a centre of matter is forme ,an how to that centre its kin re forces are attracte ,crystallising

aroun it,an becoming soli and firm.Each kin of salt pro uces the peculiar crystals that belong to its

class and no other,however often the process may be repeate .In the vegetable king om the see of

one plant attracts to itself those forces which it requires to pro uce a plant resembling its parent;the

see of and apple-tree can pro uce nothing else but and apple-tree,an and acorn can grow into nothing

else but and oak.The principal characteristics of and animal will be those that belong to its parents,and the

external appearance of a man will correspon more or less to that of the race and family in which he was

born.

As every mathematical point in space may evelop into a living and conscious and visible being,after

once a certain centre of energy (a germ)has been forme ,so in the invisible realm of the soul astral

forms may come into existence,wherever the necessary con itions for their growth exist.In the same

manner as a living germ on the physical plane attracts matter for its growth,a psychic germ on the astral

plane causes to crystallise aroun a thought and invisible but nevertheless substantial entity.As the forms

on the physical plane correspon to the characters of the germs,so the forms on the astral plane are

expressions of the characteristics of the prevailing emotions on that plane.They manifest themselves

either in beautiful or in horrible shapes,because every form is only the symbol or the expression of the

character which it represents.

The animal forms are expressions of forces acting on the animal plane.Some have a consciousness of

their own and realise their existence,but un er ordinary circumstances they have no more intelligence

than animals,an cannot act intelligently.They follow their blin attraction,as iron is attracte to a

magnet,an wherever they fin suitable con itions for their evelopment,they are attracte thither.We

therefore see that if and emotion is not controlle in the beginning [Page 98 ] it grows and becomes

uncontrollable.Some people have ie of grief and some others of joy.

But if these unintelligent forms are infuse with the principle of intelligence procee ing from man,they

become intelligent and act in accordance with the ictates of the master from which they receive their will

an intelligence,an who may employ them for goo or for evil.Every emotion that arises in man may

combine with the astral forces of nature and create a being,which may be perceive ,by persons

possessing higher faculties of perception,as and active and living entity.Every sentiment which fin s

expression in word or action calls into existence a living entity on the astral plane.Some of these forms

are very en uring,according to the intensity and uration of the thought that create them,while others

are the creations of one moment and vanish in the next.

There are numerous cases on record in which some person or other having committe some crime is

escribe as having been persecute for years by some avenging emon,who woul appear objectively

an isappear again.Such emons are the pro ucts of the involuntary action of the imagination of their

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victims;but they are nevertheless real to them.[A person in Paris became insane and was remove to

an insane asylum in Italy,where he rage and ha to be confine to a solitary cell.After a while he

became su enly well and was permitte to return to Paris.Some months afterwards a report reache

him,that the cell which he ha occupie in the asylum was still haunte by his "ghost ” .which continue

raving and making a noise,an that this ghost ha been seen by many persons.Curious to see his own

"ghost ”the man returne to Italy,went to the asylum,saw his ghost,an becoming again obsesse with

it,remaine insane to the en of his life.] They may be calle into existence by memory and remorse,

and their images existing in the min ,become objective by fear,because fear is a repulsive function;it

instinctively repulses the object of which a man is afrai ,an by repelling the image from the centre

towards the periphery of the sphere of min ,that image is ren ere objective.

Instances are known in which persons have been [Page 99 ] riven to suici e,hoping thereby to escape

these persecuting emons.Such emons are sai to have in some cases taken even a tangible form.

But whether tangible or intangible,the substance of which they are forme is merely a projection of

substance of the person to whom they thus appear.They are,so to say,that person himself.[In the

"Lives of the Saints ” ,an in the history of witchcraft,we often fin instances of the appearance of

"oubles ”in visible and even tangible forms.Such phenomena take place in mediumistic persons,if by

contrary emotions the Will becomes ivi e ,acting in two different irections,an projecting thereby two

forms;for it is the Will of man that creates subjective forms,consciously or unconsciously,an un er

certain con itions they become objective and visible.

As and illustration of this law we may cite from the Acta Sanctorum and episo e in the life of Saint Dominic.

He was once calle to the be si e of a sick person,who tol him that Christ ha appeare to him.The

saint answere that this was impossible,an that the apparition ha been pro uce by the evil,

because only holy persons coul have and apparition of Christ.As he sai so,a oubt as to whether the

apparition seen may not have been a true one after all,entere his min ,an imme iately a ivision of

consciousness was pro uce ,which cause the ouble of Dominic to appear at the other si e of the

patient's be .The two Dominics were seen by the patient,an heard to ispute with each other.an

while one Dominic asserte that the apparition ha been the work of the evil.the other one maintaine

that it was the true Christ.The two Dominics were so exactly i entical,that the patient i not know which

of them was the true saint and which one his image,an he coul not make up his min what to believe;

until at last the saint calle upon Go to assist him,– that is to say,he concentrate his willpower again

within himself;his consciousness became again a unity.and the "ouble ”isappeare from view.

Absurd as such stories may appear to our "enlightene age ” ,their absurdity ceases when the occult laws

of nature,and the fact of the possibilities of a do ble conscio sness are un erstoo .]

An A ept in a letter to Mr Sinnett says:

"Every thought of man upon being evolve passes into another world and becomes and active entity by

associating itself – coalescing,we might term it – with and Elemental – that is to say,with one of the semi-

intelligent forces of the king oms.It survives as and active intelligence – a creature of the min 's begetting

– for a longer or shorter perio ,proportionate with the [Page 100 ] original intensity of the cerebral action

which generate it.Thus,a goo thought is perpetuate as and active,beneficent power,an evil one as a

maleficent emon.An so man is continually peopling his current in space with the offspring of his

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fancies,esires,impulses,an passions;a current which re-acts upon any sensitive or nervous

organisation which comes in contact with it,in proportion to its ynamic intensity....The A ept evolves

these shapes consciously,other men throw them off unconsciously ”.[A.P.Sinnett:"The Occult World!” ]

This testimony is corroborate by one coming from another source,an proving that to create subjective

forms it is not necessary to give a istinct shape to our thoughts by the power of imagination,but that

each state of feeling or sentiment may fin expression in subjective forms,whether or not we may be

conscious of their existence.A form is a state of min ,an a sentiment is a state of min ;a sentiment

expresse will be represente by a correspon ing form.[Mr Whitworth,a clairvoyant,escribes how in

his youth,while seeing a German professor perform on and organ,he notice a host of appearances

moving about the keyboard – veritable Lilliputian sprites,fairies,an gnomes,astonishingly minute in

size,yet as perfect in form and features as any of the larger people in the room.He escribe them as

being ivi e into sexes and clothe in a most fantastic manner;in form,appearance,an movement

they were in perfect accord with the theme.

"In the quick measures,how ma ly they ance ,waving their plume hats and fans in very ecstasy,an

arting to and fro inconceivable rapi ity,with feet beating time in rain-like patter of accor !Quick as a

flash,when the music change to the solemn ca ence of a march for the ea ,the airy things vanishe ,

an in their place came black robe gnomes,resse like cowle monks,sour face Puritans,or mutes

in the black garb of a funeral procession!Strangest of all,on every tiny face was expresse the

sentiment of the music,so that I coul instantly un erstand the thought and feeling that was inten e to

be conveye .In a wil burst of soun ing grief came a rush of mothers,tear-eye and with ishevelle

hair,beating their breasts and wailing pious lamentations over their ea love ones.These woul be

followe by plume knights with shiel and spear,an host of fiery troops,mounte or foot,re -han e

in the fiery strife of bloo y battle,as the clang of martial music came leaping from the keyboard,an

ever,as each change brought its new set of sprites,the ol ones woul vanish into the air as su enly as

they ha come.Whenever a iscord was struck,the tiny sprite that appeare was some misshapen

creature,with limbs and ress awry,usually a humpbacke warf,whose voice was guttural and rasping,

an his every movement ungainly and isagreeable.

He then escribes how in his riper age he saw such fairy-like beings coming from the lips of persons

talking and which seeme in every action the very counterpart of the feeling conveye in the uttere

speech.If the words were inspire by goo sentiments,these figures were transcen entally beautiful;

ba sentiments pro uce horri -looking creatures;hate was expresse by hissing snakes and ark,fiery

evils;treacherous words pro uce figures beautiful in front and isgusting and horri behin ;while love

pro uce forms silvery,white,an full of beauty and harmony.

"On one never-to-be-forgotten occasion I was a paine witness to a scene of living faithlessness on one

si e and a ouble-face ,treacherous uplicity on the other.A fair young girl and her eparting lover ha

met to exchange greetings ere he went on a istant journey.Each word of hers gave forth beautiful,

ra iant fairies;but while the front half of each that was turne to the girl was equally fair to look upon,an

smile with all the ra iant seeming of un ying affection,the rear half of each was black and evilish,with

fiery snakes and re forke tongues protru ing from their cruel lips,as gleams of wicke cunning ance

in sneaking,si e-long glances from the corners of the half-close eyes.These ark backgroun s of the

little figures were horrible to look at,ever shifting,o ging,an seeming to shut up within themselves,as

they sought to keep only bright and honest toward the trusting girl,an hol the black eception out of

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sight.An it was noticeable that while a halo of clou less ra iance surroun e the goo outsi e

seeming,a pall of thick vapour hung like a canopy of unbroken gloom above the other".[Religio-

Philosophical Journal.] [Page 101 ]

All forms are manifestations of life,they have no life of their own;for life is a universal power.They are

the creations of thought-power,acting upon the A'kβssa.The creations of man are kept alive by the life-

power that ra iates into them from the life-centre in man who is a go in that world which he creates in

his min ;his creatures are like sha ows,vanishing when the fountain of light from which they rink is

exhauste .When the psychical action of man,that gave them life,ceases to act,or acts in another

irection,they will isappear sooner or later,an in the same way the forms of men isappear,when the

life coming from Go is with rawn.However,as the corpse of a man oes not issolve imme iately as

soon as the principle [Page 102 ] of life is eparte ,but ecays slowly or rapi ly accor ing to their

molecular ensity and cohesion,likewise the astral forms and memories create by the thoughts an

sentiments of man require time for their issolution.They continue to exist as long as man infuses life

an consciousness into them by his thought and his will,an if they have once gaine a certain amount

of power,they may still cling to him,although he may not esire their companionship.Theydependon

him for their life,and the struggle for existence forces them to remain with the source from which they

raw their vitality.If they epart from that fountain they ie;they are therefore force to remain,an ,like

the phantom create by "Frankenstein ” ,they persecute their creators with their unwelcome presence.To

ri oneself of such a presence,he who is persecute shoul irect the full power of his aspirations an

thoughts into another and higher irection,and thereby starve them to eath.In this way the spiritual

principle of every man becomes his special Redeemer ,who by the transformation of character saves him

from the effects of his sin,an before whose pure light the illusions create by the lower attractions will

melt like the snow un er the influence of the sun.

Elemental forms being the servants of their creator —in fact,his own self – may be use by him for goo

or for evil purposes.Love and hate creates subjective forms of beautiful or of horri shapes,an being

infuse with consciousness,obtain life,and they may be sent on some erran for goo or for evil.

Through them the magician blen s his own life and consciousness with the person he esires to affect.A

lock of hair,a piece of clothing,or some object that has been worn by the person he esires to affect,

forms a connecting link.The same object can be attaine if that person is put into possession of an

article belonging to the magician,because wherever a portion of anything with which the magician was

connecte exists,there will a part of his own elements exist,which will form a magnetic link between him

and the person whom he wishes to affect.If he projects his astral form at a [Page 103 ] istance,his

personality will be present with his victim,although the latter may not be able to see it.[Lord Lytton,

"Zanoni ”an "Strange Story ”]

The astral image of a person may be projecte consciously or unconsciously to a istance.If he intensely

thinks of a certain place,his thought will be there,an if his thought is spiritual and consequently self-

conscious he will be there himself.Wherever a man's consciousness is,there is the man himself,no

matter whether his physical bo y is there or not.

The history of spiritualism and somnambulism furnishes abun ant evi ence that a person may be

consciously and knowingly in one place,while his physical bo y lies ormant in another.Franciscus

Xavier was thus seen in two different places at one and the same time.Likewise Apollonius of Tyana,an

innumerable others mentione in ancient and mo ern history.

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The Elemental sent by a magician is a constituting part of the magician himself,an if the victim is

vulnerable or mediumistic,the latter may be injure by the former.But the astral form of the magician

may also be injure by physical force,an as the astral form re-enters the physical bo y,the latter will

partake of the injuries inflicte upon the former.

The magician,who,by the power of his will,has obtaine control over the semi-intelligent forces of

Nature,can make use of these forces for the purposes of goo or evil.The helpless medium,through

whom manifestations of occult power take place,can neither cause nor control such manifestations.He

cannot control the elementals,but is controlle by them.The elements of his bo y serve as instruments

through which these astral existences act,after the Medium has surren ere his will and given up the

supreme comman over his soul.He sits passively and waits for what these elementals may o;he

unconsciously furnishes them with his life and power to think,an his thoughts and the thoughts of those

that are present become reflecte in these astral forms,enabling them to manifest apparently an

intelligence of their own.[Page 104 ]

A medium for spirit-manifestations is merely and instrument for the manifestation of invisible forces over

which he has no control.The best of such mediums have been very unjustly blame for "cheating ” .The

thoughts of the person visiting a Medium,are reflecte by him.It is therefore not the Medium's person

that cheats purposely,but his visitors are cheating themselves through his instrumentality.A mirror that

woul not reflect al l the objects that are brought before it,woul be a very unnatural and eceptive thing;

a Medi m who woul only reflect such thoughts as he or she chooses to reflect woul be and impostor,for

exercising and intelligence of his own,he woul not be in that passive con ition which constitutes his

mediumship.

The A ept in Magic is not the slave of these forces,but controls them by the power of his will.He

consciously infuses life and consciousness and intelligence into them,an makes them act as he

pleases;they obey his comman ,because they are a part of himself.The spiritualists o this

unconsciously;they sing at their sιances,thinking that the more the con itions are harmonious the better

will be the manifestations.The true reason for this is,that the more the thoughts of the sitters are in a

state of abstraction,the more they are "absent-min e ” ,the easier it will be for the Elementals to take

possession of them.

The astral elements use by the Elementals in spiritual sιances for the purpose of pro ucing physical

phenomena,are not only taken from the medi m ,but from all present,whose constitution is not strong,

an who may therefore be easily vampirize for the purpose of furnishing the require elements.In

sιances for materialization s,they are also taken from the clothing of those present,an furnish material

for the rapery of the "spirits ” ,an it has been observe ,that the clothing worn by people who frequently

atten to such sιances,wears out sooner than usual.

To bring fresh-spille bloo into such "spiritual sιances ” ,increases the strength of the "materialisations ”

very much,an a knowle ge of such facts has given rise to some abominable practices of black magic ,

which [Page 105 ] are still going on in many parts of the world ,although secretly and unknown to the public.

This knowle ge has also un oubte ly given rise to the sacrifice of animals in the performance of religious

ceremonies.A certain executioner was unfortunately gifte with clairvoyance,an every time after having

ecapitate a person he coul see the "spirits ”of ea people – sometimes even his frien s an

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relatives – pounce upon the fresh-spille bloo of the criminal,an fee on its emanation and aura.It is

also a fact that,at a time when the bloo -drinking mania in Europe was starte by me ical ignorance,

some people who practise it became insane,an many became emoralise by it.[One of the favourite

ai s for the materialism of spooks is the a ra seminalis ,which increases the power of ghosts,elementals

an vampires for assuming a substantial form.There are many curious practices going on at such

sιances,which we must forbear to escribe.See "The Life and Doctrines of Theophrast s Paracelsus ”

pages 66 and 90

The astral remnant of man is without ju gment and reason,it goes wherever his instincts attract it,or

wherever ny unsatisfie craving impels it to go.If you wish to be haunte by the "ghost ”of a man,attract

him by the power of esire.Leave some promise you ma e to him unfulfille ,an instinctively the astral

form of the ecease will be attracte to you to seek its fulfillment,rawn to you by its own unsatisfie

esire.

It is not his fault if you o not perceive his presence and hear his voice,it is because your astral senses

are asleep and unconscious;you may feel his presence and it may cause a feeling of epression in your

min ;he speaks to you,but in a language which you have not yet learne to un erstan .In those

elementary remnants remains that which constitute the lower nature of man,an if they are temporarily

infuse with life,they will manifest the lower characteristics of the ecease ,such as have not been

sufficiently refine to join his immortal part.If a music-box is set to play a certain melo y and ma e to

start,it will pro uce that same melo y and no other,although it has no consciousness of its own.The

remnant of emotional and intellectual powers in the [Page 106 ] astral remnant of man will,if this remnant is

ma e to speak,become manifest in the same kin of language which the man uring his life use to

speak.

The fresh corpse of a person who has su enly been kille ,may be galvanise into a semblance of life

by the application of a galvanic battery.Likewise the astral corpse of a person may be brought back into

an artificial life by being infuse with a part of the life principle of the medium.If that corpse is one of a

very intellectual person,it may talk very intellectually;an if it was that of a fool,it will talk like a fool.The

intellectual action resembles mechanical motion in so far,that if it is once set into action,it will continue

without any special effort of the will,until impulse is exhauste .We often see this in aily life.There are

ol and young people frequently seen,who are in the habit of telling some favourite story,which they

have alrea y tol many times,an which they repeat on every occasion.It may be notice ,that when

such and one begins to tell his story,it is of no use to tell him that one knows it alrea y.He has to finish

the story nevertheless.

An orator or a preacher oes not nee to think and reason about each word he utters.When the stream

of ideas  once flows,it flows without any effort of will.If life from a medium flows into the astral brain of a

ecease person,that brain will elaborate its latent ideas  in the same way it was accustome to o

uring life.

We also reason while we ream;we raw logical conclusions uring our sleep;but reason is absent,an

although,while we ream,our logic seems to be reasonable,nevertheless we often see that it was

foolish,when we awake and our reason returns.

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The mental organism of man resembles a clockwork,which if it is once set into operation will continue to

run until its force is exhauste ;but there is no clockwork which win s itself up without extraneous

assistance,and there is no mental organism able to think without a power that causes it to begin the

process of intellectuation.

But here we must raw the attention to one of the [Page 107 ] many angers of that amusement calle the

practice of spiritism.

In a eparte soul the attraction of goo and evil still continues to act,until the final separation of the

higher and the lower takes place.It may follow the attraction of the higher principles and be attracte to

"heaven ” ,or again come into contact with matter through the instrumentality of mediumship,take again

part in the whirling ance of life,though by vicarious organs;follow once more the se uction of the

senses,an lose entirely sight of the immortal self.

It is therefore not merely angerous to a person to hol intercourse with the "spirits of the eparte ” ;but

it is especially injurious to the latter,– as long as the final separation of their lower principles from the

higher ones has not yet taken place.Necromancy is a vile art,an so has therefore always been

abhorre .It may isturb the blissful reams of the sleeping soul,which aspires to a higher state of

existence.It is like isturbing the peace of a saint uring his hours of me itation,or to se uce a chil .It is

a step towards egra ation;an as every impulse has a ten ency to repeat itself,the most terrible

consequences may follow after what seeme to be at first merely some innocent amusement.

These astral remnants are use by the black magician and by the elemental forces in nature for the

purpose of evil.If they are unconscious,they will only serve as the blin instruments of the latter;if they

are conscious he may enter into and alliance and co-operate with them.

Such alliance,either consciously or unconsciously on the part of him who enters into such and nspirit al

intercourse,may take place between and evil-dispose person and a very evil inhabitant of the spiritual

plane.Many people who are in actual possession of powers to work black magic ,work evil

unconsciously;that is to say,they are unconscious of the effects which their will pro uces,an of the

mo e in which it acts.The spiritual force create by hate enters the organism of another,and the person

from whom the evil power procee s may be entirely ignorant of it.Such black [Page 108 ] magicians

unconsciously furnish the elements by which their own evil spirit acts.If the will of a black magician is not

strong enough to effect his evil purpose,the force will.return and kill the magician.This is un oubte ly

true,and the grossest illustration of it is,if a person by a fit of rage or jealousy is in uce to kill himself.It

is the reaction following and unfulfille esire,which in uces the rash act;the act is merely a result of his

previous mental state.

The surest protection against all the practices of black magic,whether they are cause consciously or

unconsciously,is to acquire strength of character – in other words,faith in the ivine power within one's

own soul.

As man becomes ennoble ,the lower elements in his constitution are thrown off and replace by higher

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ones,an in a similar manner a transformation takes place in the opposite way if he egra es himself by

his thoughts and acts.Sensual man attracts from the A'kβsa those elements that his sensuality requires,

for gross pleasures can only be felt by gross matter.A man with brutal instincts growing and increasing

egra es himself into a brute in character,if not in external form.But as the form is only and expression of

character,even that form may come to approach and animal in resemblance.

The proof of this assertion is seen every ay,for we meet every ay in the streets brutish men,whose

animal instincts are only too well expresse in their external forms.We meet with human snakes,hogs,

wolves,an those upon whom alcohol has stampe his seal,an it oes not nee the instructions given

in book on physiognomy to enable almost anybo y to rea the character of certain persons more or less

correctly expresse in their exterior forms.

In the physical plane the inertia of matter is greater than in the astral plane,an consequently its

changes are slow.Astral matter is more active,an changes its form more rapi ly.The astral bo y of a

man whose character resemble and animal will therefore appear to the seer as and animal in its outward

expression.[E.Swe enborg:"Heaven and Hell ”] [Page 109 ]

The astral form of and evil person may appear in and animal shape if it is so fille with brutish instincts as to

become i entifie with the image of that animal which is the expression of such instincts.It may even

enter the form of and animal and obsess it,an it sometimes happens that it enters such forms for its own

protection against imme iate ecomposition and eath.

It woul be easy to give anecdotes illustrating instances in which such things took place.[For examples.

see Goerres:"Christian Mysticism ” ;Maximillian Perty:"Mystic phenomena in Nature ” ;D'Assier:

"Postumus Humanity ”;Catharine Crowe:"Nightsi e of Nature ” ;Hardinge Britten:"History of Spiritualism ” ;

H.P.Blavatsky:"Isis Unveile ” ,etc.,etc..] The principal object of the rea er shoul be to learn to know

the nature of his own constitution and the law which rules in all forms.If he once un erstan s the mo es

in which the law acts,it will be a matter of little importance to know in what particular cases it has

manifeste itself in such mo es.Accounts of phenomena can never supply the place of the

un erstan ing of the law.

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CHAPTER IV

LIFE

"I never was not ,nor shall I hereafter cease to be ” Bhagavad Gita

THE universe of forms may be compare to a kalei oscope in which the various forms of the original

energy manifest themselves in and en less variety,appearing,isappearing,an re-appearing again.As

in a kalei oscope the pieces of variously coloure glass o not change their substance,but only change

their positions,an ,through the elusive reflections of mirrors at each turn of the instrument,are ma e to

appear in new constellations and figures,so the One Life manifesting itself appears in and infinite number

of forms unconscious or conscious,blin or intelligent,voluntary or involuntary,from the atom whose

auras and ethers rush through a common vortex,[Babbit:"Principles of Light and Colour ”] up to the

blazing suns whose photospheres exten over millions of miles,an from the microscopic Amoeba ,up to

perfect Man,whose intelligence conquers the go s.

Forms are materialise thoughts.If you can control thought you can control life and call into existence a

form;but few persons are able to hol on to one thought even for one minute of time,because their

min s are wavering and their will is ivi e .If a form comes into existence on the physical plane,its

growth is simply a process by which something that alrea y exists in thought becomes visible an

material.This something is the character of the form,an as each character is in ivi ual and a whole,it

becomes expresse in all parts of the form.A human being —for instance – will not have the bo y of a

man,and the hea of and animal,but its human character will be expresse in all its parts,an as the

character constituting humanity is expresse in all human in ivi uals,so is the character of and in ivi ual

expresse in all its parts.This is a truth upon which the octrines of Astrology,Phrenology,Chiromancy,

Physiognomy,etc.,are base ,which are necessarily true,because Nature is a Unity .An animal,a plant,

or a man,is a unity,an is therefore expresse in all the parts of the forms.It can be scientifically

emonstrate that each component part of and organism is a microcosm,in which are represente the

principles composing that organism.We may by examining a part of a leaf know that it comes from a

plant,an by looking at and animal substance see that it came from and animal,or by testing even the most

minute part of a mineral or metal know that it belongs to the mineral king om.Likewise we may rea a

man's character in his han s or face or feet or in any other part of his bo y,if we have acquire the art

how to rea it correctly.

Upon this law is base the science of Psychometry .[Prof.W.Denton:"Soul of Things ” .J.R.Buchanan:

"Manual of Psychometry ”] By this science we may obtain a true history of past events.By

psychometrically examining a stone taken from a house we may obtain correct information in regard to

the former or present inhabitants of that house,or a fossil may give us a true escription of ante iluvian

scenery and of the mo e of life of prehistoric animals or men.By the psychometrical examination of a

letter we may obtain information about the person who wrote the letter and also of the place in which the

letter was written.[By submitting a letter which I ha receive in and occult manner from a "Master in Tibet,

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to a German peasant woman,for the purpose of having it examine psychometrically,I receive a

correct escription of a certain temple in Tibet,an of certain persons with whom I afterwards became

acquainte .– H.] If this art were universally known and practise ,criminals coul be etecte by

examining psychometrically a piece of [Page 112 ] the wall,the floor,or the furniture of the room in which a

mur er or robbery was committe ;it woul make and en to convicting of innocent persons on

circumstantial evi ence,or to letting the guilty escape for want of proof;for the psychometer woul ,by

the superior powers of his perception with the spiritual eye,see the murderer or robber or counterfeiter

as plain as if he ha seen them with his external eyes while the ee was committe .

Each form is the external expression of a certain character which it represents,an as such it has certain

peculiar attributes,which istinguish it from other forms.A change of its character is followe by a

gra ual change of the form.An in ivi ual who becomes egra e in morals will,in the course of time,

show his egra ation in his external appearance;persons of a different appearance and different

characters may,in the course of time,as their characters harmonise,resemble each other to a certain

extent in appearance.Forms of life,belonging to the same class and species,resemble each other,an

each nationality has certain characteristics expresse in the in ivi uals belonging to it.A full-bloo e

Irishman will not easily be mistaken for a full-bloo e Spaniard,although the two may be resse alike,

but,if they emigrate,they or their chil ren will in time lose the national character which they possesse .

Change of character changes the form;but a change of form oes not necessarily change the character.

A man may lose a leg and become a cripple,an still his character may remain the same as before;a

chil may grow into a man,an still his character remain that of a chil unless mo ifie by e ucation.

These facts are incontrovertible proofs that the character of a being is more essential than his external

form.If the character of and in ivi ual were todependon his inherite form,chil ren born of the same

parents and e ucate un er the same circumstances woul always manifest the same moral

characteristics,but it is well known that the characters of such chil ren often iffer wi ely from each

other,an possess characteristics which their parents o not possess.[Page 113 ]

If,as it frequently happens,chil ren show the same or similar talents and intellectual capacities as their

parents,such a fact is by no means a proof that the parents of the chil 's physical bo y are also the

parents or pro ucers of its intellectual germ;but it may be taken as and a itional evi ence of the truth of

the octrine of reincarnation ,because the spiritual mona of the chil woul be naturally attracte ,in its

efforts to reincarnate,to the bo ies of parents,whose mental and intellectual constitution woul

correspon nearest to its own talents and inclinations,evelope uring a previous earthly life.

"Character ”means "in ivi uality ” ,It is that which istinguishes one in ivi ual from another.That which

represents the true character of something is its in ivi ual being,an not its corporeal form,an this

in ivi uality exists after the corporeal bo y,which was the expression of its qualities which has been

issolve .This in ivi uality,calle the "so l ” ,is not seen with our physical eyes,neither uring the life of

the form nor after its eath.The life of the bo y may epart;but the life of the in ivi uality is independent

from that of the form or personality.

The in ivi uality may belong either to a class as a whole,or to separate isolate beings.In the lower

king oms no ddifferentiation of character or soul exists;there is only a ddifferentiation of form;they have

one common soul;but in intelligent beings a istinct in ivi uality belongs to each form;each self-

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conscious being has its own in ivi ual soul as soon as it has attaine and in ivi ual character,an its

in ivi uality is independent of the existence of its personality.Forms perish;but the in ivi uality remains

unchange after their eath.

Seen from this stan point,"eath ”is life,because,uring the time that eath lasts,that which is essential

oes not change;life is eath,because only uring life in the form the character is change ,an ol

ten encies and inclinations ie and are replace by others.Our passions and vices may ie while we

live;if they survive us they will be born again.[Page 114 ]

The character of and oak exists before the acorn begins to grow,but the growing germ attracts from earth

an air such elements as it nee s to pro uce and oak;the soul of a chil exists as such before the

physical form of the chil is born into the world ,an uring its life in the form it may attract from the

spiritual atmosphere the elements to which its aspirations and ten encies reach.Each see will grow

best in the soil that is best a apte to its constitution,each human mona existing in the subjective state

will be attracte at the time of its incarnation to parents whose qualities furnish the best soil for its own

ten encies and inclinations,an whose moral and mental attributes correspon to its own.The physical

parents cannot be the progenitors of the spiritual germ of the chil ;that germ is the pro uct of a previous

spiritual evolution,through which it has passe in connection with former objective lives.In the present

existence of a being the character of the being that will be its successor is prepare .Therefore every

man may be truly sai to be his own father;for he is the incarnate result of the personality which he

evolve in his last life upon the planet,and the next personality which he will represent in his next visit

upon this globe,is evolve by him uring his present life.

The evelopment of a plant reaches its climax in the evelopment of the see ;the evelopment of the

animal bo y reaches its climax in the capacity to repro uce its form,but the intellectual and spiritual

evelopment of a man goes on long after he has acquire the power of repro uction,an it may not have

reache its climax when the physical form is on the ownward path,an ceases to live.The con ition of

the physical bo y un oubte ly furnish facilities for the evelopment of character in the same sense as a

goo soil will furnish facilities for the growth of a tree;but the best soil cannot transform a thistle into a

rose-bush,and the son of a goo and intellectual man may be a villain or a unce.

As the primor ial essence procee s to manifest itself in forms,it escen s from the universal con ition to

[Page 115 ] general,special,an finally in ivi ual states.As it ascen s again to the formless,the scale is

reverse ,and the in ivi ual units expan ,to mingle again with the whole.Life on the lowest planes

manifests itself in and un differentiate con ition;air has no strictly efine shape;one rop of water in the

ocean shares and existence common to all other rops;one piece of clay is essentially the same as

another.In the vegetable and animal king om the universal principle of life manifests itself in in ivi ual

forms;still there is little ifference between in ivi ual plants,trees,animals,an men belonging to the

same species,and the peculiar attributes which istinguish one in ivi ual form from another cease to

exist when the form isappears.That which essentially istinguishes one in ivi ual from another is

independent of form.Distinctions of form isappear after the forms have issolve ;istinctions of

character remain.Those attributes which raise their possessors eminently above the common level begin

at a state where external appearances cease to be of great consequence.Socrates was eforme an

yet a great genius;the size of Napoleon's bo y was not at all in proportion with the greatness of his

intellect.Spirituality rises above the grave of the form,and the influence of great min s often grows

stronger after the bo ies that serve them have turne to ust.Strong min s exert a power far beyon

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their physical form while they live;that power remains what it is when they ie.They o not ie when the

form isappears.

All characters may become reincarnate or reimbo ie after they have left the form,but if and in ivi ual

has no specific character of its own the common character belonging to its species or class will be all

that,after leaving the ol bo y,can enter the new.If and in ivi ual has evelope a specific character of

its own,that istinguishes it from its fellows,that in ivi ual character will in ivi ually survive the

issolution of its form,because the law that applies to the whole,or to the class,will also apply to the

part.A rop of water mixe in a bo y of water will become isperse in the mass,it may be evaporate

an con ense again,[Page 116 ] but it will never again be the same rop;but if a rop of some ethereal

oil is mixe with the water,and the whole is evaporate in a retort,it will,after being con ense ,form

again the same in ivi ual rop in the mass.A character may lose its in ivi uality uring life and sink to

the common level,but if it bas establishe a istinction from others,its in ivi uality will survive the eath

of the form.To buil up a character and in ivi ual form is require ;to buil up and in ivi ual form a

character must exist.

If we wish to pro uce a form we must first eci e upon its character.A sculptor who woul aimlessly cut a

stone,without making up his min as to what form he esire to pro uce,woul not accomplish anything

great.The form is a temple of learning for the character,in which the latter gains experience by passing

through the struggles of life.The har er the struggle the faster may the character of the in ivi ual

become evelope ;an easy life may increase the size of the form,but leave the character weak;a hard

struggle may weaken the form,but strengthens the spirit.

If we wish to make a new form out of ol clay,we must first of all etermine what that form shall be which

we are about to create.The clay is passive,we may moul it into a thing of beauty or make it to

represent something vile.If we wish to change our character for the better uring our life,we must first of

all learn to know a higher purpose of life,an reach up for a higher ideal,to be realise within our own

self.After this nothing else nee s to be one but to keep away everything that will prevent this ideal to

realise itself in us.If we only protect it in its work,it will accomplish that work alone and without our active

co-operation.We nee not run after,catch,invent,create or manufacture our ideal,we only nee to let

that which alrea y exists become a reality in us.We cannot even grow a cabbage;we can only prepare

the con itions un er which a cabbage can grow.We cannot grow and ideal in us;the ideal grows itself ,if

we furnish the soil,an that soil is our life.

If our soul is to expan its consciousness beyon the [Page 117 ] narrow limits of this world and realise the

glory of and universal existence,then must we let a high and universal ideal realise itself in us.Dreaming

an talking of some ideal is to no purpose,we must let it nourish itself by our life.Wis om and Power,

Love and Truth,Justice and Knowle ge,are no objects for reaming or for scientific research;they must

become our life and nourish us by our living in harmony with these universal principles,otherwise we

cannot rise above the limitation of form,which is the cause of the elusion of separation and personality.

From the illusion of separate ness cause by the realisation of form arises this elusion of self.From this

elusion arise innumerable others.From the sense of self arises the love of self,the esire for

continuance of personality,gree ,avarice,envy,jealousy,fear,oubt and sorrow,pain and eath,an

the whole range of sufferings which ren er life miserable and afford no permanent happiness.If a person

is miserable and can fin no happiness in himself,the surest and quickest way for him to be contente is

to forget his own personality.

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A person living in a continual state of isolation of the heart,cares for nothing but for his own personality.

He passes away his life in reaming of that which he oes not possess,an thus he loses his spiritual

substance and power,becoming himself like a vapoury ream.

Isolation on the physical plane pro uces starvation.He who is not nourishe by the spirit of universal

love starves his soul.An organism upon a low scale of existence,a stone,en ures isolation;a scrub pine

may live in a place where no higher plant can exist.An i iot may live alone in a cave and not trouble

himself,because he has no spiritual aspirations requiring nourishment;but one who esires to attain life

an strength in the spirit,must be nourishe by that spirit,whose name is universal spiritual love.

As on the physical plane,so on the astral plane,isolation pro uces starvation.A esire locke up in the

heart fee s on the life of him who harbours it;store up anger seeks for some object upon which to [Page

118 ] spen itself;passions are never contente ,they always clamour for more.The forces of the astral

plane are conscious,even if not intelligent;they refuse to be "kille out ” ,they cry for life,an follow the

currents of life's attractions.The astral soul of a runkard will be attracte to runkards;the astral spook

of the lew seek enjoyment in a brothel through the organs of another;the ghost of the miser is hovering

over his burie treasures until the force which put him there is exhauste .There are spooks,ghosts,

vampires incubi,succubi,an elementals of various kin s,all thirsting for life.

An isolate esire oes not ie,but grows into a passion;passions grow stronger at one's expense by

being imprisone .Accumulate energy cannot be annihilate ,it must be transferre to other forms,or be

transforme into other mo es of motion;it cannot remain for ever inactive.It is useless to attempt to

resist a passion which one cannot control.If its accumulating energy is not le into other channels it will

grow until it becomes stronger than reason.To control it,it shoul be le into another and higher

channel.Thus a love for something vulgar may be change by turning it into a love for something high,

an vice may be turne into virtue by changing its aim.Passion is blin ,it goes where it is le to,an

requires reason to gui e it.Love for a form isappears with the eath of the form,or soon after;love of

character remains even after the form in which that character was embo ie cease to exist.

The ancients sai that Nat re suffers no vacu m .We cannot estroy or annihilate a passion.If one

passion is riven away another will take its place.We shoul therefore not attempt to estroy the low,but

isplace the low by the high;vice by virtue,an superstition by knowle ge.

There are some persons who live in perfect isolation on the intellectual plane.They are such whose

thoughts are entirely absorbe by intellectual speculation,having no time or inclination to atten to the

claims of their character.They fee their brains while [Page 119 ] their hearts are ma e to starve.They live

in reams and scientific illusions,in the smoke of the speculations arising from their vapoury brains.They

are like misers,filling the min with what they believe to be immortal treasures,consisting of collections

of theories,ogmas,hypotheses,suppositions,inferences,an sophistry,while they have no room for

the evelopment of spirituality or the ivine knowle ge of self.This class is constitute of the very

learne ,the great ogmatists,rationalists,material philosophers,an "sceptical ”scientists of our age,

with overgrown brains and petrifie hearts.They argue about immortality or eny its existence,instea of

seeking to attain it;they sometimes become criminals for the sake of gratifying their scientific curiosity.

Their astral corpses will continue to exist for a while after the eath of the bo y,until their life is

exhauste ,an having attaine no spirituality uring terrestrial life,they will,after their borrowe

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treasures have eparte ,be spiritual i iots.

There exists no isolation on the spiritual plane,nor can we speak of isolation in Go ;for if Go is self-

existent,self-conscious,self-knowing,an self-sufficient,his self,his existence,his knowle ge encloses

the All with all of his creatures.Well may he who has gaine the knowle ge of his own ivine self be

satisfie to live in a tomb;for what other company shoul be esire by one who enjoys the presence of

Go ;what comfort shoul be given to one who lives in ivine peace;what coul be offere to one who

possesses the All?

Life itself never perishes;only the forms perish,if life ceases to manifest itself in them.

Life is universally present in nature,it is containe in every particle of matter,an only when the last

particle of life has eparte the form ceases to exist.Life in a stone oes not appear to exist,an yet

without life there woul be no cohesion of its atoms.If the life-principle were extracte from a mineral its

form woul be annihilate .A see taken from the tomb of and Egyptian mummy began to germinate an

grow after [Page 120 ] it was plante in the earth,having kept its life-principle uring a sleep of many

centuries.If the activity of animal life coul be correspon ingly arreste ,an animal or a man might

prolong in ivi ual existence to and in efinite perio .Stones may live from the beginning of a Manvantara

unto its en ;some forms reach a very ol age,but if the life-impulse is once given it is ifficult to arrest it

without estroying the form.[If the life of a person coul be suspen e by arresting its activity for some

years (as has been actually one in the well-known instances of burie fakirs),we might preserve all our

great statesmen and politicians for ages,an wake them up only on occasions when their a vice woul

be require ???]

Life may be transferre from one form upon another,and the power by which it may be transferre is the

power of Love,because Love,Will and Life are essentially the same power,or different aspects of one,in

the same sense as heat and life are mo ifications of motion.The power of hate may kill,and the power

of love has been known to call the apparently ea back to life.Spiritual Love is Life,a spiritual power

more powerful than all the rugs of the Pharmacopoeia.A person may actually give his life to another

an ie himself,so that another may live.This transfer can be ma e and sick persons restore to health,

by the power of love.

The fountain of this universal love is also the source of the life of all things;it is ivine self-

consciousness,the power by which Go recognises himself in everything;in other words,it is ivine

wisdom,the Light .["In him was the life,and the life was the light of all men ” .– John i.4.also "He is the

light in all luminous things.He is the Knower,the Knowle ge,and the object of Knowle ge ”.-Bhagavad

Gita xiii.17.]It is everywhere present,an manifests itself in every form capable to correspon to its

living vibrations.It cannot be foun by vivisection nor by means of the microscope,telescope,or

chemical analysis,an mo ern science knows nothing about it.Nevertheless it is a principle or power,in

an through which we all live and have our being,an if it were with rawn [Page 121 ] from us for one

moment,we woul be imme iately annihilate .

To be blin to the universal presence of this Light is to be blin to the fact that grasses and trees,men

an animals,live and grow,an that every form strives to be initiate into a higher egree according to

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the law of evolution.The buil ing of the "Temple of Solomon ”goes on unceasingly.Invisibly act the

elements of nature,the master buil ers of the universe,an no soun of a hammer is heard.Life inhabits

a form,an when the form is ecaye it gathers the elements and buil s itself a new house.A rock,

expose to the action of win and rain,begins to ecay on its surface the elements gather again an

appear in a new form.Minute plants and mosses grow on the surface,living and ying and being reborn,

until the soil accumulates and higher forms come into existence.Centuries may pass away before this

part of the work is complete ;but finally grasses will grow,and the life that was formally ormant in a

rock now manifests itself in forms capable to enter the animal king om.A worm eats a plant,and the life

of the plant becomes active and conscious in a worm;a bird eats the worm and the life that was chaine

to a form crawling indarkness and filth,now partakes of the joys of and inhabitant of the air.At each step

on the la er of progression life acquires new means to manifest its activity,and the eath of its previous

form enables it to step into a higher one.But a time arrives in the process of its evolution when its activity

becomes so high and its sphere so expan e ,that no physical organism,no form of which we can

conceive,will be able to serve as and instrument in which its attributes coul fin and appropriate

expression.Then will the mortal frame be too insignificant to serve the immortal genius,and the free

Eagle will arise from the form.

Forms are nothing but symbols of life,and the higher the life expresses itself the higher will be the form.

An acorn is and insignificant thing compare with the oak,but it has a character,an through the magic

action of life it may evelop into and oak.The germ of its in ivi ual [Page 122 ] life is incarnate in the

acorn,an forms the point of attraction for the universal principle of life.Its character is alrea y forme ,

an if it grows it can become nothing else but and oak.Burie in the earth it grows and evelops from a

lower into a higher state through the influence of the highest,because the principle of life is present in it.

But however great its potency for growth may be,still it cannot germinate without the life-giving influence

of the universal fountain of life reaching it through the power of the sun,and the sun coul not make it

grow unless the same principle of life were containe within the germ.

The rays of the sun penetrate from their airy regions to the earth;their light cannot enter the soli earth,

which protects the ten er see of a plant from the fiery rays,whose activity woul estroy its inherent

vitality.But the see is touche by the heat that ra iates into the earth,an a special mo e of life

manifests itself in the see .The see begins to sprout,and the germ struggles towards the source of the

life-giving influence,an strives towards the light.The roots have no esire for light,they only crave for

nutriment,which they fin in the ark caverns of matter.They penetrate eeper into the earth,an may

even absorb the activity of the higher parts of the plant.But if these parts belong to a species whose

character it is to grow towards the light,its nobler portions will enter its sphere,an ultimately bear

flowers and fruits.

The soul of man being burie in matter,feels the life-giving influence of the supreme spiritual sun,while

at the same time it is attracte by matter.If man's whole attention is attracte to the claims of his bo y,if

all his aspirations and esires are irecte to satisfy the esires of his "self ” ,he will himself remain a

thing of earth,incapable to become conscious of the existence of Light.But if he strives for Light an

opens his soul to its ivine influence,he will enter its sphere and become conscious of its existence.

The true Elixir of Life can only be foun at the eternal fountain of life.It springs from the seventh

principle,manifesting itself as spiritual power in the [Page 123 ] sixth and she ing its light own into the

fifth,illuminating the min .In the fifth it is manifest as the intellectual power in man,ra iating own into

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the fourth it creates esires,by calling forth instincts in the lower tria ,and thereby enabling the forms to

raw the elements which they nee from the storehouse of nature.It for ever calls men to life by the

voice of truth,whose echo is the power of intuition crying in the wil erness of our hearts,baptising the

souls with the water of truth,an pointing out to them the true path to the realisation of their own

immortality.[Page 124 ]

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CHAPTER V

HARMONY

“Let no one enter here who is not well verse in mathematics and music ” .– Pythagoras.

To listen to the music of the spheres ”is a poetical,expression,but it expresses a great truth;because the

Universe is fille with harmony,an a soul who is in full harmony with the soul of the universe may listen

to that music and un erstan it.The world as well as man resemble musical instruments,in which every

string shoul be in perfect order,so that no iscordant notes may be soun e .We may look upon matter

on the physical plane as a state of low vibration and upon spirit as the highest vibration of life,an

between the two poles are the interme iary states constituting the gran octave calle Man .

Plato is sai to have written over the oor of his aca emy:“Let no one enter here,unless he is verse in

mathematics ” ,an Pythagoras eman e of his isciples and a itional ”knowle ge of music ” ;meaning

the capacity to keep their soul attune to the harmonies of the ivine law of being,so as to be able to

realise the beauty of truth;for without such and elevation of soul and without spirituality,all esire for a

knowle ge of that which transcen s the realm of the sensual is merely and outcome of vanity,an insane

craving for gratifying curiosity,which efeats its own en ;because the more one seeks to examine

objectively the One which inclu es the All,the more oes he rece e from it and separate himself from the

realisation of that truth which is one,eternal,omnipresent and infinite.[Page 125 ] It is not the personality of

man that can grasp the impersonal.If man wants to know Go ,he must ie to himself,an enter Go 's

nature;which means that he must overcome the isharmony cause by the elusion of ivision,

separation and self,an again realise the unity of the whole.

The foun ation of nature is Unity.Go is only One.He is the Law,an requires no “law-giver ” ;being

Himself omnipresent within the All of his nature;self-sufficient,self-existent and absolute.The Law is

everywhere,an everything exists in the Law,an without the law of existence no existence is to be

foun .

But as by the act of creation and subsequent evolution a variety of forms comes into existence,with

innumerable beings capable to will,an to think,an to use the law contrary to ivine wisdom,many

isharmonies are cause in what ought to be a harmonious whole.

Thus the law is still the same;but its action may be misapplie and its use perverte .It is still the

foun ation of every in ivi ual being,and the sooner each in ivi ual will become able to recognise the

highest and fun amental law of its own nature,which is i entical with the law that rules the All,the

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sooner will the original harmony be restore .

Man is himself and outcome of the action of law,an that law is in him.It is the centre and fountain of his

own being;he is and expression of it,an it is his true self.He is himself the law,an will recognise

himself as the law when he learns to know his true self.All the elements in his nature which o not

recognise this one universal law,an act in accordance with it,o not belong to man's ivine nature;they

are not his real self,but pro uce the isharmony which exist in his world .Only when all the inhabitants of

his king om will bow before the superiority of that law,will there be perfect harmony.

In every epartment of nature every effectdepends on a correspon ing cause,an every cause will

pro uce a certain effect accor ing to the con itions in which it becomes manifest.If we knew the causes

we coul easily calculate their effects.Each thought,each word,each [Page 126 ] act creates a cause,

which acts irectly on the plane to which it belongs,creating there new causes,which react again upon

the other planes.A motive or thought which fin s no expression in and act will have no irect result on the

physical plane,but it may cause great emotions in the sphere of min ,and these may again react on the

physical plane.The best intention will pro uce no visible effect unless it is put into execution;but

intentions pro uce certain mental states,that may be pro uctive of actions at some time in the future.

The performance of and act will have and effect,no matter whether it was preme itate or not,but and act

without a motive will not irectly affect the planes of thought.Such and act imposes no moral responsibility

upon the performer,but it will,nevertheless,have its effects on the physical plane that may react upon

the min .

From the causes create on the physical,astral,an spiritual planes innumerable combinations of effects

come into existence,creating new causes,that are again followe by effects,an every force that is put

into action on either plane continues to act until it is exhauste by transformations into other mo es of

action,when its vibrations will be change into others,and the previous effects will cease to exist.

By the threefol action of that law as tho ght ,will ,an performance on the physical,emotional,

intellectual and spiritual planes a great many con itions ensue which give rise to en less mo ifications

an varieties,an again pro uce innumerable secon ary causes,which again pro uce effects,an at

last the actions of the law of Karma will become so complicate ,that it is impossible to follow it into its

etails.

The law of Karma is the law of justice for the purpose of restoring harmony;it inclu es retribution in the

shape of “punishment ”an “reward ” .It knows nothing of “revenge ” ,neither oes it recognise any

personal merits;it is the Law itself,an acts according to its own nature and not in accordance to this or

that consi eration.It is the law according to which the sum of the causes create by one in ivi ual in on

incarnation will pro uce certain effects in his next [Page 127 ] incarnation,an cause him to either enjoy or

suffer that which he has either willingly,an with etermination,or ignorantly create himself.Every being

in nature having attaine in ivi uality has its own in ivi ual Karma ,etermining the course of its future

career;each of the in ivi ual elements in the constitution of man has its own Karma ,an man being

i entifie with his nature,partakes of the Karma of the principles which constitute his own nature;but as

Go is superior to nature and therefore not subject to it,so the in ivi ual man who conquers his nature,

rises above it,an becoming one with the law,becomes free of the Karma affecting his terrestrial nature.

“Giving his nature away ” ,an sacrificing himself wholly to the law of ivine being,he also “forgives ”his

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sins.

The iscords in nature,cause by the action of the elu e self-will and the perverte esires of

in ivi ual entities,cannot cease in any other way than by the restoration of the unity of the in ivi ual will

with the will of the fun amental law of the whole.This unity exists;it oes not nee to be create by man;

he is only require to recognise it.If he recognises it practically,it will become realise in him.Personal

man cannot recognise himself as being this Unity,because he is ivi e against himself;his “self ”is an

illusion,an and illusion cannot become a realisation of truth.If the truth becomes realise ,the illusion

ceases to be.

All numbers are the outcome of one;in all numbers the one is containe ,an without the one at the

bottom no numbers coul come into existence.This number one remains always the same;whether

ivi e or multiplie by itself,it oes not change.All mathematics is base upon the faith into the

immutability of number one.We have no positive proof that it never changes;our knowle ge about it is

only negative;because it has never been known to change.In the same way our intellectual knowle ge

of Go is only negative;we cannot prove his eternal immutability scientifically;we only believe in it;the

only proof we have of it is,that our own inner self-consciousness,if [Page 128 ] we have once attaine it,

remains ever the same.This proof is sufficient for the wise;but it will go for nought with the fool.

The foun ation of nature is one ;but the numbers of its manifestation appear to be infinite.Nevertheless,

all things in nature are relate to each other,owing to their relation to the one ,which is at the bottom or

their existence.

Everything has its number,measure,an weight,and there is nothing in nature which is not rule by

mathematical laws.Suns and stars have their perio ical revolutions.The molecules of bo ies combine in

certain proportions,known to chemistry,an in all events on the physical plane as well as in the realm of

the emotions a certain regularity and perio icity has been observe .There are regular hours for the

appearance of ay and night,fixe intervals for spring and summer,autumn and winter,for ebbs an

ti es in the ocean and in the waters constituting the soul.The physiological and anatomical changes in

animal forms occur at fixe perio s,an even the events of life take place according to certain occult

laws;because,although man's will seems to be free,nevertheless his actions are controlle by certain

circumstances,an even the comparative free om of his will is a result of the action of the law of his

evolution.

The followers of Pythagoras believe every process in nature to be regulate by certain numbers,which

are as follows:

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3 9 15 45

4 16 34 136

5 25 65 325

6 36 111 666

7 49 175 1225

8 64 260 2080

9 81 369 3321

This table represents a succession of numbers,which are obtaine by the construction of Tetragrams or

magic sq ares ,an it was believe that by the use of these numbers every effect coul be calculate if

the original [Page 129 ] number referring to the cause were known.If everything has a certain number of

vibrations,an if these vibrations increase or iminish at a certain ratio and in regular perio s,a

knowle ge of these numbers will enable us to pre ict a future event.[The magic squares of o numbers

are forme as escribe below:by writing own the numbers of their squares in regular succession,

cutting out their “heart ”an transposing the numbers that are left to their opposite places.The following

is the process in forming the magic square of the number III.The square of 3 is 9:

We see here the numbers 1,3,7,9,left on the outsi e of the square.If they are inserte in a certain

or er into the blank spaces at the opposite si es of the square,the following figure will be the result:

These numbers,if a e in any column of three,will always pro uce 15.

The following will make still clearer the order in which the numbers are to be inserte ,with the figure

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rawn in and upright position.

Accor ing to this principle,all the other magic squares of o numbers are ma e.

The following is the tetragram of the number seven:

Each column a e together pro uces 175.

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The numbers omitte here may be inserte by the stu ent.

The construction of tetragrams of even numbers is more complicate ,but the following examples will

show the principles after which they are constructe .

VI

6 (32)(3)(43)(35)1

(7)11 (27)(28)8 (30)

(24)(14)16 15 (23)(19)

(13)(20)22 21 (17)(18)

(25)29 (10)(9)26 (12)

36 (5)(33)(4)(2)31

Summa =111

VIII

8 (58)(62)(4)(5)(59)(63)1

(9)15 (51)(53)(52)(54)10 (16)

(48)(18)22 (44)(45)19 (23)(41)

(25)(39)(35)29 28 (38)(34)(32)

(33)(31)(27)37 36 (30)(26)(40)

(24)(42)46 (20)(21)43 (47)(17)

(49)55 (11)(13)(12)(14)50 (56)

64 (2)(6)(60)(61)(3)(7)57

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Summa =260

Every person has a certain number that expresses his character,an if we know that number,we may,by

the use of the magic squares,calculate certain perio ical changes in his mental and emotional states,

which in uce him to make certain changes in his outward con itions,an in this way calculate

approximately the time when some important changes may take place in his career.]

Perio icity is a manifestation of universal law,an and attention to it may lea to some important

iscoveries.Its actions have long ago been known to exist in the vibrations pro ucing light and soun ,

an it has recently been recognise in chemistry by experiments ten ing to prove that all so-calle

simple elements [Page 130 ] are only various states of vibrations of one primordial element,manifesting

itself in seven principal mo es of action,each of which to be sub-divi e into seven [Page 131 ] again.The

ifference which exists between so-calle single substances is,therefore,no ifference of substance

[Page 132 ] or matter,but only a ifference of the function of matter or in the ratio of its atomic vibration.

This perio icity is also known to exist in the macrocosm of the universe;the ti e of civilisation rises an

sinks according to certain laws,an ages of spiritual ignorance are followe by eras of spiritual

enlightenment;upon the Kali Y ga follows the Satya Y ga (the era of wisdom),as sure as ay follows the

night.[This perio icity is state to be as follows:-

Satya Y ga =4,800 ivine years.

Treta Y ga =3,600 ivine years

Dwapara Y ga =2,400 ivine years

Kali Y ga =1,200 ivine years

Each ivine year being equal to 360 years of mortal men.See H.P.Blavatsky:“Theosophical Glossary ”]

The number Seven represents the scale of nat re,it is represente in all epartments of nature,from the

ra iant sun,whose light is broken by a ew rop into the seven colours of the rainbow,own to the

snowflake crystallising in six-pointe stars aroun the invisible centre.The law of seven has been foun

to rule in the evelopment and growth of vegetable and animal organisms,in the constitution of the

universe,an in the constitution of Man.Seven is the rule by which the totality of existence is measure ,

but Five is the number of Harmony .If the fifth note in the musical scale is in accor with the first and the

thir ,harmony will be the result.There are other accords which are harmonious,but the most perfect

accord is cause by the harmony of the first,the third,and the fifth.Two soun s may be harmonious,but

to attain a perfect accord a third one is require .The same law rules in the constitution of Man.If his

bo y (his first principle)is in accord with his instincts (the thir ),he experiences pleasant sensations,but

full harmony and happiness is only attaine when his fifth principl e [Page 133 ] (his intelligence)fully

assents in the union of the first and the third.Other parallels may be rawn between the musical scale

and the scale of principles in man,an it will be foun that both have their accords in moll and in d r that

correspon to each other.Each man's life is a symphony,in which either harmonious or iscordant tunes

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may prevail.

The power by which harmony is pro uce is the power of Love.Love pro uces union and harmony,hate

causes issension and iscor .Love is the power of mutual recognition;recognition is a manifestation of

consciousness,consciousness is a manifestation of life.Life,Love,Consciousness,Harmony,are

essentially one.Love is the power by which a being existing in one form recognises itself in the form of

another being.Why o some notes,if soun e together,pro uce harmony,if not on account of the

similarity of the elements that compose them coming to the consciousness of our own min ?Mutual

recognition among frien s causes joy,an joy means harmony,happiness,an content.

If two or more notes of exactly the same kin are soun e together,they pro uce neither harmony nor

iscord,they simply increase their own strength.They are alrea y one,in form and in spirit;but if

different notes are struck,each containing and element also containe in the other,each sees its own

counterpart represente in the mirror hel by the other,an this recognition is joy.If we listen to beautiful

music the air seems fille with life.If the principle of harmony exists within ourselves we recognise it in

music;it becomes alive in our soul.A iscor ant being may listen to the most beautiful music and will

experience no pleasure because there is no harmony within his own soul.

If a principle becomes conscious of its own existence in another form and recognises its beauty in that

form in its purity,an unalloye by any a ulteration,perfect harmony is the result.If two or more things

contain the same element,these elements are justly a apte to each other,an seek to unite,because

they are constitute alike,they vibrate together as one.This ten ency [Page 134 ] to unite is Attraction ,

which manifests itself on all planes of existence.The planets are attracte to the sun and to each other,

because they all contain the same elements,seeking to reunite,and the power of gravitation is nothing

else but the power exercise by love.Man is attracte to woman and woman to man,because if they

realise in each other the presence of the elements of their own ideal,they will love each other and be

fully contente .Man and woman can only truly love each other if they are both attracte by the same

ideal.This ideal may be high or low,but the higher it is the more permanent will it be,and the greater will

be their mutual happiness.

Original man was a Unity;an ethereal being,in whom will and thought were one.Being misle by the

allurements of sensual existence he began to ream,an while he reame he forgot his own ivine

nature and became a worm of the earth.When he opene his eyes,he foun the woman before him.He,

the original unity ha become ivi e in two;which means that his will and his reason ha become

ivi e ;they were no longer in harmony with each other and no longer in harmony with the law.Man

represents the imagination,womand the will.If they ha both separate themselves from the law as they

i from each other,woman woul have no intelligence and man woul have no will;but fortunately some

of the original nature that constitute original man remaine with them;they still are both to a certain

extent embo iments of the law,an by entering again into harmony with the law,will and intelligence will

become unite in wisdom;the heart one with the hea ;the true man and the true woman one being.This

is the celestial marriage of the soul with the spirit,of beauty with strength,of which all external marriages

are at best symbols but usually caricatures.

Mankind is only one,but it appears in many millions of various masks.This mask is the personality of

each man,the instrument through which his humanity acts,an which is full of imperfections.He,in

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whom humanity has become conscious,sees in every man and [Page 135 ] woman not only his brother or

sister,but his own self .A person who injures another,injures himself,for each man constitutes a power

which acts upon all the elements constituting humanity and the goo or evil he oes will return to himself;

because whatever takes place in humanity,takes place within his own nature;for his true nature is that of

humanity and the bo y of humanity belongs to it as a whole.

Love is self-recognition.You cannot love a thing or recognise yourself in it,if you are not relate to it.You

cannot love humanity if you have not the principle of humanity alive in you;you cannot love Go and still

remain Mr Smith or Mrs Jones;only Go can love Go .To love Go you must outgrow yourself an

become truly ivine.He who claims to love Go without having any spiritual knowle ge of Him is a

hypocrite or a fool.

Love is self-knowle ge,Go .It is a spiritual,self-existent,an self-sufficient principle,requiring for its

own being only its own self;but without some object it cannot become manifest,and the quality of its

manifestationdepends on the quality of that object.A person in love with himself loves a nothing.Love in

the high acts high,in the egra e ,low.The more universal the object,the more will the power of love in

a person expand the min ;but the min ,to be so expan e ,must be strong,a weak min has no power.

Love,to be strong,must be pure,intelligent,an unalloye with selfish consi erations.If we love a thing

on account of the use we can make of it,we o not in reality love that thing,but ourselves.Pure love has

only the well-being of its object in view,it oes not calculate profits,an is not afrai of isa vantages

that may grow out of its love.The intellect calculates,but love is its own law.

Impure love is weak and oes not enter into its object;it may cause a ruffle on the soul of another,but

oes not penetrate to the centre.Pure love penetrates and cannot be resiste .The most potent love

potion a person can give to another is to love that person without any selfish object in view.[Page 136 ]

If you wish to progress on the roa to perfection,take lessons in love.Learn to love the highest,an you

will be attracte by it.Love in every man not the person,but his humanity.If you espise another you

espise your own self,because he who prominently notices the faults of another has the elements of

those faults in himself.A vain person is repulse by the vanity of another,a liar expects from others the

truth,a thief oes not wish to have his own property taken away.

Each man is a mirror in which every other man may see his own image reflecte ,either as he is or as he

may become in the future,for in every human soul exist the same elements,although in different states

of evelopment,and there evelopment oftendepends on external con itions over which man has but

little control.

Love is the most necessary element for the continuance of life;there is no life without love,an if man

were to cease to love life he woul cease to live.A love for a higher life will lea men to a higher

con ition,a love for a lower state will rag them own to the low.It often happens that if a person's love

for a high ideal oes not meet the object which it esires,it transfers its love upon something that is low.

Ol females without any offspring often transfer their parental affection upon some favourite cat or og,

and there are men who buy the semblance of love when no genuine love can be ha .

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Whenever a lower vibration is not entirely out of harmony with a higher one,the higher vibration

accelerates the action of the lower one and brings it up to its own level,in the same manner as a bar of

iron,surroun e by and insulate electric wire,may have electricity in uce in it,an through a long-

continue and powerful action of the higher vibrations upon the lower ones,even the involuntary actions

of the bo y,such as the movements of the heart,may become subject to in ivi ual will.Two strings of a

musical instrument which soun not entirely out of harmony,by being soun e together for a certain

length of time,at last become harmonious;a man living in more refine society,which is not too far

above his moral or [Page 137 ] intellectual level,will become more refine ,servants will ape their masters,

an animals take some of the lower characteristics of those that atten to them,an frien s or marrie

couples being continually in each other's company may finally resemble each other to a certain extent.

If the respective rates of the vibrations of two substances are entirely out of harmony,they may repel

each other,an abnormal activity or excitement follows.The animal bo y,for instance,can be expose

without anger to a comparatively high egree of heat,if the temperature is gra ually raise ;while an

even lower egree of heat may be very injurious if applie su enly.It is not without reasons that the

occultist abstains from Alcohol and from animal foo .

“What may be one man's foo ,will be another man's poison ” ;in the sphere of matter as well as in the

sphere of the emotions.Strong constitutions can bear strong foo ,weak min s will get frightene at

unwelcome truths.No man has ever become and A ept merely because he live on vegetables;a

vegetable iet is however preferable to meat-eating for various reasons.Apart from the self-evi ent fact

that it is entirely oppose to the ivine law of justice that he who strives after the attainment of a higher

state of existence shoul estroy animal life,or cause others to estroy it for the purpose of gratifying his

appetite.

Those who esire to become more spiritual and refine shoul avoi supplying their bo ies with that

which is gross;those who esire to master their passions shoul not fee them with substances in which

the elements of such passions resi e.

A great variety of different kin s of foo pro uces impurities of the bloo ;a struggle ensues between the

different auras,an excitement,fever,an isease is the result.The same law explains the origin of

venereal and cutaneous iseases,an in the astral plane,a great variety of emotions,calle into

existence within a short space of time,may ren er a person insane.

If two forces of a character different from each other meet,isharmony will be the result.Everybo y has

[Page 138 ] his own peculiar emanations and auras and transmits them to others,so everyone receives the

magnetic auras of others or of the locality by which he is surroun e ,and these emanations may be

either wholesome or pestiferous;men and women may either cure or poison each other by them,an it is

therefore well to follow the a vice which Gautama Bu ha gave to his isciples,an eat and sleep alone.

Many people are very careful to have their foo well prepare ,so that no unhealthy foo enters the bo y;

while at the same time they are very careless as to what thoughts enter their min ;but the quality of the

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thoughts that well in the min ,an of the emotions which nourish the soul,is of far more importance

thand the quality of the foo which enters the bo y.The min and the will of man,no less than his bo y,

may be poisone ;the foo which the min requires comes from the highest planes of thought;the foo

for the soul from the light of ivine wisdom.Only that which has escen e from heaven can rise to

heaven again.

There is no such thing as “sin ”in the usual acceptation of this term and there is no one to punish it.Our

mistakes are our teachers;our vices are often the basis of our virtues,our passions are the steps which

furnish material for the steps that lea us to heaven.Vice and virtue are manifestations of one energy,

which we may employ accor ing to the egree of our wisdom;but he who has no power for evil has also

no power for goo .We may spen the treasure which nature has lent us either for a high or for a low

purpose,it concerns only ourselves;but we cannot expen the same sum again after it has been

expen e .A purely animal life will pro uce happiness if the possessor is contente with it.If a person

has no higher object in view than to eat and rink,sleep,an propagate his species,he may be thereby

ren ere happy;there can be nothing wrong;but he who esires to become and immortal being,must

take care not to waste his strength.

Only that which is pure can be harmonious.

Singleness of purpose ren ers a motive pure,but a variety of purposes causes impurity.If a person

evotes [Page 139 ] himself to a certain mo e of life,because all his esires are irecte towards that en ,

his motive will be pure;but if he has besi es other objects in view,his motive will be impure,an may

efeat his aim.

The word “asceticism ”is continually misun erstoo .A man who lives in a convent,or as and hermit in the

wil erness,is not and “ascetic ” ,if he has no esire for a life in the world ;for it is no act of self-denial to

avoi that which we o not want.“Asceticism ”means discipline ,an a person who is isguste with the

ways of the world un ergoes a much more severe iscipline,if he remains in the world ,than if he runs

away,an goes where he may enjoy his peace.The real ascetic is therefore he who lives in the mi st of

the society whose manners isplease him,an whose tastes are not his own,an who,in spite of all the

temptations by which he may be surroun e ,still maintains his integrity of character.Strength only grows

by resistance.Our enemies are our frien s,if we know how to use them.A hermit living in the woo s,

where he has no temptations,gains no strength.Isolation is only suitable for and A ept;the Neophite must

go throughout the ordeal of life.

A tiger oes not sin if he kills a man,he only follows the law of his nature.He who follows the ictates of

his nature commits no crime.But what is virtue in and animal may become vice in a man;because he has

two natures,an animal and a spiritual nature.If he knows his own higher nature,he will follow it,an for

the purpose of obtaining knowle ge of it he must sin and suffer the consequences.Real sin is the wilful

rejection of the manifestation of ivine truth.

The saintly Eckhart says:“Go has ma e great sinners of those who were to become the performers of

great works;so that they coul attain a superior wisdom by means of his love.If Go foun it necessary

that I shoul have sinne and suffere for the purpose of gaining experience,I o not wish that I ha not

sinne ,nor o I regret having sinne ;for thus his will is one on earth as it is in heaven.A truly honest

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man will also not wish that he shoul have no esire for [Page 140 ] sinning;because without the power to

sin he woul have no means to overcome it.There can be no victory without a battle,an no true

knowle ge of goo without the experience of evil ”.

Suffering is and absolutely necessary con ition for man as long as he has not attaine perfection.To

believe in the presence of suffering is as necessary for his terrestrial nature as it is necessary for his

spiritual nature to realise the presence of Go .There is no other Re eemer of Mankin except Self-

knowle ge attaine by experience.If all the poverty in the world coul be artificially abolishe at once,

men and women woul perish in in olence.Nothing can be truly enjoye which has not been gaine by

one's own exertions.If there were one teacher suppose to be infallible,whose ictates woul be

accepte by everybo y,the whole world woul be satisfie in believing his theories;there woul be no

incitement for anyone to seek himself for the truth.If we support a lazy beggar in his i leness,we rob him

of the opportunity to gain by experience that knowle ge which he can rightfully claim.

Metals are purifie by fire,and the heart gains knowle ge by suffering.The lower esires must starve to

nourish the higher;the animal passions must be crucifie and ie;but the angel of Love removes the

stone from the sepulchre,an liberates the higher energies from the sphere of selfishness anddarkness;

and the resurrecte virtues live and become active in a new world of light and harmony.

If you wish to represent to your min the process of spiritual purification,seek to un erstan that you are

a world create by a ream,fille with the pro uct of the imagination of nature,an thrown into isorder

by the absence of the light of ivine wisdom,which is the recognition of ivine law,the true inner self-

consciousness,which you o not possess.You are comparable to and empty nothing,an evanescent

soap-bubble,upon whose glittering surface various colours play;but in which there is no true life and no

substance as long as the truth has not become a living power in you.In this world as in a mirror the

invisible image of the [Page 141 ] ivine Adonai is for ever reflecte and his power is latent within you.If,by

the strength of obe ience and the knowle ge which you have alrea y receive ,you can sub ue the

turbulent elements in your world and restore or er in Chaos by ceasing to give life and strength to your

esires and reams,then will the image of the Lord of All,whose presence is everywhere,become

visible in yourself and his power awaken within you.

In this principle will and thought and the law are as one without any ivision.If you know the law,it will

lea you to unity and restoration of harmony;the ivine ideal will become realise within you,an as it

becomes a reality in you,you will recognise it as being your own immortal self.

Bones,muscles,nerves,etc.,are the elements of the physical constitution of man;illusions,elusions,

reams,theories,opinions,an ogmas are the inhabitants of his min ;truth,love,justice,purity,self-

knowle ge,free om,harmony,an happiness are the elements and attributes of his spiritual organism,

and the more these principles manifest their universality in him,the more will he himself approach the

ivine state.

To recognise the ivinity in humanity is to become ivine;to behol the realisation of the highest ideal

within one's own soul is ivine a oration;to esire not the possession of any creature,but to a ore the

Creator within them all,inclu ing oneself,is worship;to recognise and enjoy the harmonies of the

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universe manifeste in nature is ivine praise;to let the unity of will,thought,an law be restore within

one's soul is true me itation;to rise above the illusion of self and sacrifice oneself to the Go of All is true

prayer;to realise the truth within one's own heart is to ispel the clou s of error;to become nothing

oneself is to enter into that higher self-consciousness which constitutes man's ivine state.

There is not a single instance known in history in which true prayer has not been efficacious.If any man

has not obtaine that which he aske ,it only proves that he i not know how to pray.True prayer oes

[Page 142 ] not consist in words,but in actions,and the go s help him who helps himself;but he who

expects that the go s shoul o for him that which he ought to accomplish himself,oes not know how to

pray,an will be isappointe .Prayer means the rising up in our thoughts and aspirations to the highest

ideal;if we o not rise up to it,we o not pray.If we expect our highest ideal to come own to us,we

expect and absurdity and impossibility.

To attain the highest the spirit shoul be the master,the passions the servants.A helpless cripple is the

slave of his servant;a man whodepends on ignorant servants to o work which he can o himself,has

to submit to their whims and imperfections,an if he changes his servants,that oes not change his

position.A person who has vulgar esires and tastes becomes their servant;they ictate to him,an he

has to exert himself to attain the means to gratify their claims;but he who has no ignoble esires to

serve,is free.Having conquere the world of which he himself is the creator and which belongs to him,

his strife with the astral elements ceases.For him iscord no longer exists,an resting with his heart at

the centre,he is himself the sun illuminating his world and enjoys the harmonies which he create in his

own ivine nature.[Page 143 ]

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CHAPTER VI

ILLUSIONS.

"Reason issipates the illusions and visionary interpretations of things,

in which the imagination run!!riot ” .– Dr Cair .

THE first power that meets us at the threshol of soul's ominion is the power of imagination:it is the

plastic and creative power of the min .Man is conscious of being able to receive ideas  and to put them

into forms.He lives not entirely in the objective world ,but possesses and interior world of his own.It is in

his power to be the sole autocrat in that world ,the master of its creations and lord over all it contains.He

may govern there by the supreme power of his will,an if ideas  intru e,which have no legitimate right to

exist in it,it is in his power either to rive them away or suffer them to remain and to grow.His reason is

the supreme ruler in that world ,its ministers are the emotions.If man's reason,misle by the treacherous

a vice of evil emotions,suffers evil ideas  to grow,they may become powerful and ethrone reason.

This interior world ,like the outer world ,is a world of its own.It is sometimes ark,sometimes illumine ;

its space and the things it contains are as real to its inhabitants as the physical world is real to the

physical senses;its horizon may be either narrow or expan e ,limite in some and without limits in

others;it has its beautiful scenery and its ismal localities,its sunshine and storms,its forms of beauty

an horrible shapes.It is the privilege of man to retire to that world whenever he chooses;physical

enemies o not persecute him there;bo ily pain cannot enter.The vexations of material life remain

behin ,only that which moves his soul enters with him.[Page 144 ]

In this interior realm is the Temple of Man wherein he can lock the oor against the intrusion of sensual

impressions.On the entrance of that temple are the Dwellers of the Threshold,ma e of esires an

passions,which are our own creations,an which must be conquere before we can enter.Within that

temple exists a world ,as big and illimitable as the unboun e universe.In this inner realm is the Go

whose spirit floats over the waters of the eep,an whose fiat calls into existence the creatures which

inhabit the king om of min .

In the air surroun ing the centre of that interior world is the battle groun of the go s.There the go s of

love and hate,the aemons of lust and pri e,an anger,the evils of malice,cruelty,an revenge,

vanity,envy,an jealousy,hol high carnival,they stir up the emotions,an ,unless sub ue by Reason,

grow strong enough to ethrone it.

Reason rests upon the recognition of Truth.Wherever truth is isregar e illusions appear.If we lose

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sight of the highest,the low will appear,an and illusion will be create .One is the number of Truth,Six is

the number of illusion,because the Six have no existence without the Seventh,they are the visible

pro ucts of the one,manifesting itself as six aroun and invisible centre.Wherever they are six,there

must be the seventh.The six cannot know the seventh if the seventh oes not become manifest.Go

knows himself;but we cannot know his presence unless that presence becomes manifeste in us.One is

the number of life,an six the number of sha ows,having no life of their own.

Forms without life are illusive,an he who mistakes the form for the life or principle of which it is an

expression is haunte by and illusion.Forms perish,but the principle that causes their existence remains.

The object of forms is to represent principles,an as long as a form is a true representation of a

principle,the principle gives it life;but if a form is ma e to serve another principle thand the one which

calle it into existence,egra ation will be the result.[Page 145 ]

The irrational forms pro uce by nature are perfect expressions of the principles they are inten e to

represent;rational beings only are the issemblers.Each animal is a true expression of the character

represente by its form,only at the point where intellectuality begins eception commences.Each animal

form is a symbol of the mental state which characterises its soul,because it is not itself the arbitrary

originator of its form,but rational man has it in his power to create,an if he prostitutes one principle in a

form for another,the form will gra ually a opt that shape which characterises the prostitute principle,of

which,in the course of time,it becomes a true expression.

Therefore we fin that a man of noble appearance,by becoming a miser,gra ually a opts the sneaking

look and the stealthy gait of and animal going in search of its prey;the lascivious may acquire the habits,

an perhaps the appearance,of a monkey or goat,the sly one the features of a fox,and the conceite

the looks of a onkey.

If our bo ies were forme of a more ethereal and plastic material than of muscles and bones,each

change of our character woul pro uce quickly a correspon ing change of our form;but gross matter is

inert and follows only slowly the impressions ma e upon the soul.The material of which astral forms are

ma e are more plastic,and the soul of a villainous person may actually resemble a pool fille with vipers

an scorpions,the true symbol of his moral characteristics,mirrore in his min .A generation of saints

woul ,in the course of time,pro uce a nation of Apollos and Dianas,a generation of villains woul grow

into monsters and warfs.To keep the form in its original beauty the principle must be kept pure an

without any a ulteration.

One fun amental colour of the solar spectrum,if unmixe ,is as pure as another;one element,if free

from another,is pure.Unmixe copper is as pure as unalloye gol ,an emotions are pure if free from

extraneous mixture.Forms are pure if they represent their principles in their purity;a villain who shows

himself what he is,is pure and true to his nature,a [Page 146 ] saint who issembles is impure and false.

Fashions are the external expressions of the mental states of a country,an if men and women

egenerate in their character their fashions will become absurd.

The want of power to iscriminate between the true and the illusive,between the form and the principle,

and the consequent error of apprehen ing the low for the high,is the cause of suffering.Man's material

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interests are generally consi ere to be of supreme importance,and the interests of the highest

elements in his constitution are forgotten.The power that shoul be expen e to fee the high is eaten

up by the low.Instea of the low serving the high,the high is ma e to serve the low,an instea of the

form being use as and instrument of action for a high principle,a low principle is substitute for a higher

one,for the purpose of serving the form.

Such a prostitution of principle in favour of form is foun in all spheres of social life.We fin it among the

rich and the poor,the e ucate and the ignorant,in the forum,the press,and the pulpit,no less than in

the halls of the merchant and in the aily transactions of life.The prostitution of principle is worse than

the prostitution of the bo y.He who uses his intellectual powers for selfish and villainous purposes is

more to be pitie than she who carries on a tra e with her bo ily charms to gain the means by which she

may keep that bo y alive.The prostitution of universal human rights for the benefit of a few in ivi uals is

the most angerous form of prostitution on Earth.[ The ifference between vulgar prostitution of the bo y

and the more refine prostitution of the intellectual faculties for the purpose of accomplishing selfish

en s,is merely that in the first class merely the grossest parts of the human organisation are misuse ,

while in the other class the higher and nobler elements are prostitute .There are few women in the worl

who have become egra e from and inclination to be so;in the great majority of cases they are the

victims of circumstances which they ha not the power to resist;but intellectual prostitutes belong to the

higher classes,where want and poverty are unknown ” .]

To employ the intellectual powers for selfish purposes is the beginning of intellectual prostitution.Blesse

are they who are able to gain their brea by the [Page 147 ] honest work of their han s for and employment

which requires little intellectual attention will leave them free to employ their powers for the purpose of

spiritual unfol ment;while those who spen all their energy upon the lower planes of the min are selling

their immortal birthright for a worthless mess of potage which will nourish the impermanent intellect while

it starves the soul.

The soul no less thand the bo y requires to be nourishe .The heart starves if the brain is overfe .The

nutriment of the soul comes from the action of the spirit in the bo y,an this foo is as "material ”an

necessary for it as physical foo for the physical bo y.The existing of the emotions is no nutriment for

the soul.The emotions belong to the astral form.The nutriment of the soul is rawn out of the material

bo y by the power of the ivine light of the spirit within the heart.

The greatest of all illusions is the illusion of Self .Material man looks upon himself as something existing

apart from every other existence.The shape of his form creates the illusion of being a separate part of

the whole.

Still,experience shows that there is not a single element in his bo y,in the constitution of his soul,or in

the mechanism of his intellect,that is not continually eparting,an is replace by others.What belongs

to him to ay belonge yesterday to another,an will belong to another tomorrow.In his physical form

there is a continual change.In the bo ies of organise beings tissues isappear slowly or quickly,

according to the nature of their affinities,an new ones take their places,to be replace in their turn by

others.The human bo y changes in size,shape,an ensity as age a vances,presenting successively

the symbols of the buoyant health in youth,the vigorous constitution of manhoo ,or the grace an

beauty of womanhoo ,up to the attributes in icating ol age,the forerunner of ecay and cessation of

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activity in that in ivi ual form.

No less is the change in the min .Sensation and esires change,consciousness changes,memories

grow im.No man has the same opinions he ha when he [Page 148 ] was a chil ;knowle ge increases,

intellect grows weak,an on the mental as well as on the physical plane the special activity ceases when

the accumulate energy is exhauste by transformation into other mo es of action or is transferre into

other forms.

The lower material elements in the constitution of man change rapi ly,the higher ones change slowly,but

only the highest elements are en uring.Nothing can be sai to belong essentially to man but his

character.He who cares a great eal for his lower nature,cares for that which is not his own,but which

he has only borrowe from nature.While he enjoys its possession and illusion is create ,making it appear

to be and essential part of himself.But man's terrestrial nature is not more and essential part of himself than

the clothes which a man wears,a constituent part of the man.His only true self is his character,an he

who loses the purity and strength of his character loses all his possessions.

One of the kings of illusions is Money ,the king of the world .Money represents the principle of equity,an

it shoul be employe to enable everyone to obtain the just equivalent for his labour.If we esire more

money than we can rightfully claim,we wish for something that oes not belong to us but to another.If

we obtain labour without paying for it its proper equivalent,we eprive others of justice,and therefore

eprive ourselves of the truth,which is a more serious loss to ourselves thand the loss of money to the

efrau e .

Money as such is a symbol,only the principle which it represents has a real existence.Nevertheless we

see the world lie at the feet of the illusion.The poor clamour for it,and the rich crave for more,and the

general esire is to obtain the greatest amount of reward by giving the least possible equivalent.

Clergymen save souls,an octors cure bo ies for the purpose of making money;law is sol to him who

is able and willing to pay,fame and reputation and the semblance of love can be obtaine for money,an

the worth of a man is expresse in the sum of shillings or poun s which he may call his own.Starvation

threatens the [Page 149 ] poor,and the consequences of superabun ance the rich,and the rich take

a vantage of the istress of the poor to enrich themselves more,Science exerts her powers to increase

the amount of the material comforts of man.It vanquishes the impe iments presente by time and space,

an turns night into ay.New engines are invente ,and the work whose performance in former times

require the use of a thousan arms,may now be accomplishe by a chil .An immense amount of

personal suffering and labour is thereby save ,But as the means to satisfy the craving for comfort

increase a craving arises for more.Things that formerly were consi ere luxuries now become

in ispensable nee s.Illusions create illusions,an esires give rise to esires.The sight of the principle

is lost,and the gol en calf is put into its place.Pro uction is followe by over pro uction,the supply

excee s the eman ,the price of labour comes own to starvation rates,an on the rotten soil the

mushrooms of monopoly grow.The more the facilities increase to sustain the battle of life,the more

increases its fury.The noblest power of man,his intellect,whose estiny it is to form a soli basis for the

highest spiritual knowle ge of man,is force to labour for the satisfaction of the animal instincts of man;

the bo y flourishes while the soul starves and becomes a beggar in the king om of truth.

From the love of self arises the love of possession.It is the hy ra-hea e monster whose cravings can

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never be stille .Nearest to the illusion of self stan s the illusion of so-calle Love .True love is not an

illusion,it is the power that unites the world s and an attribute of the spirit;but the illusion of love is not

love,but only love's sha ow.True love is sacrifice,but false love cares for itself,an seeks for

enjoyment.True love exists,even if the form is issolve ;false love ies,when the form to which it was

attache ecays .Ideal women is the crown of creation,an has a right to be love by man.A man who

oes not love beauty has no element of beauty in him.Man loves beauty and woman loves strength,A

man who is the slave of [Page 150 ] his esires is weak,an cannot command the respect of woman.If she

sees him squirm un er the lash of his animal passions,she will see and animal and will not be able to look

upon him as her protector and go .

Marital love is a law of nature and a necessity for the propagation of man.But however beautiful the

relations between husban and wife may be,sexual intercourse belongs to the animal king om and not

to the spiritual nature of man.Mutual attraction between animals is not less beautiful and usually more

pure than among mankin ;the bir s of the air o not marry for money,an often animals ie on account

of their grief over the eath of their mates.A person who has not yet outgrown his terrestrial nature will

yearn for terrestrial love;a celibacy enforce by law is a crime against nature;a celibacy enforce by

circumstances is a misfortune;but for the spiritually unfol e soul there exists a higher attraction;the true

ivine requires no law to teach him celibacy;he is alrea y a natural celibat,an inhabitant of that

king om (coel m ),where terrestrial marriage oes not exist .

Another illusion is the craving for physical life,an well may he crave for it who has no in ivi ual

character of his own,because,if he loses his life,he loses his all.Men and women cling to the illusion of

life because they o not know what life is.They will submit to in ignity,ishonour,an suffering rather

than ie.But why shoul animal life be so esirable as to sacrifice character for it ?One life is only one

temporary con ition among a thousan similar ones through which the in ivi uality of man passes in its

travels on the roa to perfection,an whether he remains a longer or a shorter interval at one station,

cannot be of any very serious importance to him.Man can make no better use of his life than to sacrifice

it,if necessary,for a high purpose;because this act will strengthen his own in ivi uality,in which rests

the power by which he is enable to reappear in a new form.

On the other han ,he who sneaks away from the battle of life for selfish purposes,or because he is

afrai to continue its struggles,will not escape.He may wish [Page 151 ] to step out of life and estroy his

bo y,but the law cannot be cheate .Life will remain with him until his natural ays woul have en e .

He cannot estroy it,he can only eprive himself of the instrument through which he can act.He

resembles a man who has to perform some work and throws away the instrument which woul have

enable him to perform it.Vain will be his regrets.

Another illusion is a great eal of what is calle "science ” .True knowle ge makes a man free,but false

science ren ers him a slave to the opinions of others.Many men waste their lives to learn that which is

foolish and neglect that which is true,mistaking that which is evanescent and perishing for the eternal.

Often learning is not the aim but the means to the aim of the stu ent,while his real objects are the

attainment of wealth,position,an fame,or the gratification of ambition or curiosity.The true wealth of a

nation or a man oes not rest in its collecte opinions,but in moral and spiritual possessions,which

alone will remain permanent.

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There is nothing more pro uctive of a ten ency to the evelopment of and extreme egree of selfishness

thand the evelopment of a high egree of intellectuality,without any accompanying growth of spirituality.

A high egree of intellectuality enables a person to take personal a vantages over others who are less

clever,an unless he possesses great moral powers he will not be able to resist the temptations that are

put in his way.The greatest villains and criminals have been persons of great intellectual qualifications.

That which a man really nee s to know,an without whose knowle ge he cannot obtain the

consciousness of his own true and immortal nature,is not taught in our colleges.The most favoure

stu ent is he who is taught by his Go ."Blesse is he whom wisdom teaches,not by perishable

emblems and words,but by its own inherent power;not what it appears to be,but as it is ” .[Thomas e

Kempis ]

The esire for power and fame are other illusions [Page 152 ] True power is and attribute of the spirit.If I am

obeye because I am rich,it is not myself who comman s obe ience,but my riches.If I am calle

powerful because I enjoy authority,it is not myself who is powerful,but it is the authority veste in me.

Riches and authority are illusions thrown aroun men,which often vanish as quickly as they have been

acquire .Fame is often enjoye by him who oes not eserve it.The most honoure man is he who has

cause to respect himself.

Place of birth and con ition of life are circumstances which are usually not matters of choice,an no one

has a right to espise another on account of his nationality,religious belief,colour of skin,or the act he

may play on this planet.Whether and actor plays the part of a king or a servant,the actor is,therefore,not

espise ,provi e he plays his part well.

"Honour and shame from no con itions rise;

Act well your part,there all the honour lies.” Pope.

One of the greatest illusions is much of what goes to ay by the name of "religion ” ,not religion itself,but

its mask in the shape of clericalism,priestcraft,an ortho oxy.Each religious system represents an

expression of truth,but it requires the possession of truth to fin truth therein.As a man's spirit cannot

exist upon this earth and express itself except in and through the material bo y,so each church,however

spiritual its soul may be,has and external,physical,animal,an mental organism,represente by the

members composing the church or society and by its octrines,cree s,theories,an speculations;

neither cand the spiritual organism be separate from the lower principles;such a separation woul be

eath to the visible church.Thus the lower self of the church battles for life and is foun e upon

selfishness,while its spires reach up to heaven.All that can be hope for reasonably is that the

spirituality at the top may gra ually escen to the foun ations,an that each member may fin the truth

containe in his religious [Page 153 ] system,not by the can le light of blin speculation and foolish belief,

but by its own light;for the truth requires no other light but itself .

There are other illusions which come without being aske ,an remain,although their stay is not wante .

They are the unwelcome visitors – Fear,Do bt ,an Remorse .Their father is "selfishness ” ,an

"cowardice ”is the name of the mother.Born from the king om ofdarkness,their substance is ignorance,

which only the magic of true knowle ge can issolve.Men live in fear of a revengeful power which has

no existence,an ie from fear of and evil that oes not exist.They are afrai of the effects of causes

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which they,nevertheless,continue to create;an not aring to face their natural consequences,they

seek to escape from the creatures which they themselves have create .Every act creates a cause,an

the cause is followe by and effect which reacts on him who create the cause,whether he may

experience that effect in this life or in another.To escape the effect of the cause which has been create ,

he who create the cause must try to transform himself into another being.If the elements composing his

lower nature have le him into making mistakes they will suffer,but if he succee s in living in his higher

nature he changes himself into a superior being.Only in this sense is the Christ in every human nature

the "Lamb ” taking upon himself the sins of the world .The lamb is the symbol of obe ience to ivine law;

this obe ience is wisdom;wisdom is self-knowle ge;ivine self-knowle ge is ivine being,an he who

has entere the state of Divinity is one with the law and has cease to sin.Such is the only rational

philosophy of the "forgiveness of sins ” ,an priests coul forgive sins if they were able to change the

sinner into a saint.This can,however,only be one by the in ivi ual exertions of the "sinner ” ,who may

be instructe by one who is wise.To become sufficiently wise to instruct another about the laws of his

nature it is of the utmost importance that the instructor shoul know these laws,an be acquainte with

the true constitution of man.

The truth is the saviour of man,ignorance is [Page 154 ] his perdition.Reason is the power of the min to

recognise the truth,an in the light of truth the sha ows of oubt and fear and remorse cannot exist.

Illusions are isperse through the power of true knowle ge.When the will is hel in abeyance the

imagination is ren ere passive,and the min takes in the reflections of pictures store up in the Astral

Light without choice or iscrimination.When reason oes not gui e the imagination the min creates

isorderly fancies and hallucinations.The passive seer reams while awake,an to him his reams are

realities,they are impressions cause by foreign ideas  taking possession of the unresisting min ,an ,

according to the source from which such impressions come,they may be either true or false.Various

means have been a opte to suspen the iscriminating power of reason and ren er the imagination

abnormally passive,an all such practices are injurious,in proportion as they are efficacious.The ancient

Pythoness attempte to heighten her alrea y abnormal receptivity by the inhalation of noxious vapours;

some whirl in a ance until the action of reason is temporarily suspen e ;others use opium,In ian

hemp,an other narcotics,which ren er their min a blank,an in uce morbi fancies and illusions.

[ The fumigations which were use at former times for the purpose of ren ering reason inactive,an

allowing the pro ucts of a passive imagination to appear in and objective state,were usually narcotic

substances.Bloo was only use for the purpose of furnishing substance to Elementals an

Elementaries,by the ai of which they might ren er their bo ies more ense and visible.

Corneli s Agrippa gives the following prescription:Make a pow er of spermaceti,aloe woo ,musk,

saffron,an thyme,sprinkle it with the bloo of a hoopop.If this pow er is burnt upon the graves of the

ea ,the ethereal forms of the latter will approach,an may become visible.

Eekartsho sen ma e successful experiments with the following prescription:Mix pow ere frankincense

an flour with and egg,a milk,honey,an rose water,make a paste,an throw some of it upon burning

coals.

Another prescription given by the same author consists of hemlock,saffron,aloes,opium,man ragora

henbane,poppy-flowers,an some other poisonous plants.After un ergoing a certain preparation,which

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he escribes,he attempte the experiment,an saw the ghost of the person which he esire to see;but

he came very near poisoning himself.Dr Horst repeate the experiment with the same result,an for

years afterwards whenever he looke upon a ark object,he saw the apparition again.

Chemistry has a vance since that time,anti those who esire to make such experiments at the risk of

their health,may now accomplish this in a more comfortable and easy manner by inhaling some of the

stupefying gases known to chemical science.] [Page 155 ]

Fortune-tellers and clairvoyants employ various means to fix their attention,for the purpose of

suspen ing thought and ren ering their min s passive;others stare at mirrors or crystals,water or ink,

[There are numerous prescriptions for the preparation of magic mirrors;but the best magic mirror will be

useless to him who is not able to see clairvoyantly;while the natural clairvoyant calls that faculty into

action by concentrating his min on any particular spot,a glass of water,ink,a crystal,or anything;for it

is not in the mirror where such things are seen,but in the min ;the mirror merely serves to assist in the

entering of that mental state which is necessary to pro uce clairvoyant sight.The best of all magic

mirrors is the soul,an it shoul always be kept pure,an be protecte against ust and ampness an

rust,so that it may not become tarnishe ,an remain perfectly clear,an able to reflect the light of the

ivine spirit in its original purity.] but the enlightene ren ers his imagination passive by maintaining,

un er all circumstances,tranquility of the min .The surface of a lake whose water is in motion reflects

only istorte repro uctions of images projecte upon it,an if the elements in the interior world are in a

state of confusion,if emotion fights with emotion and the uproar of the passions troubles the min ,if the

heaven of the soul is clou e by preju ices,arkene by ignorance,hallucinate by insane esires,the

true images of things seen will be equally istorte .The ivine principle in man remains in itself unaltere

an un isturbe ,like the image of a star reflecte in water;but unless its welling is ren ere clear an

transparent,it cannot sen its rays through the surroun ing walls.The more the emotions rage,the more

will the min become isturbe and the spiritual soul be force to retreat into its interior prison;or if it

loses entirely its hol over the min ,it may be riven away by the forces which it cannot control,burst the

oor of its ungeon,return to the source from whence [Page 156 ]it came.[See H.P.Blavatsky:"Isis

Unveile ”.

The author says:"Such a catastrophe may happen long before the final separation of the life-principle

from the bo y.When eath arrives,its iron and clammy grasp fin s work with life as usual;but there is no

more soul to liberate.The whole essence of the latter has alrea y been absorbe by the vital system of

the physical man.Grim eath frees but a spiritual corpse,at best and i iot.Unable either to soar higher or

awaken from lethargy,it is soon issolve in the elements of the terrestrial atmosphere.] But as long as

this Christ is one of the passengers in the boat tosse by the waves of the inner life,he will always be

rea y to come forth,stretch out his han (manifest his power),bi ing the turbulent waters to be still.

Then will the storms cease to rage and the soul be restore to calmness.

If a person suffers his reason to give up the control over his imagination he surren ers one of the

greatest prerogatives of man.True me itation oes not consist in ren ering the min passive for the

influences of the astral plane,nor oes it consist in reaming.It is a state in which the min oes not

roam in the realms of the imagination,but is hel still by the soul so as to receive the light of the spirit.

"Yoga is the exercise of the power to hol in abeyance the transformations of the thinking principle ” ,says

the Patanjali,and the Bhagavad Gita teaches:"Whenever the wavering and unstea fast heart wan ers

away,let him sub ue it and bring it back to the control of the soul ” .[Bhagavad Gita,vi.2 b ]

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This cannot be accomplishe by means of the imagination (which ought to be at rest);neither cand the

min control its own self;but it is one by means of the spiritual power of spiritually awakene man.]A

person who reams oes not control the actions which he performs in his ream,although he may ream

that he is exercising his will.The things seen in his ream are to him realities,an he oes not oubt

their substantiality,while external physical objects have no existence for him,an not even the possibility

of their existence comes to his consciousness.He may see before him a itch and ream that he wills to

jump over it,but he oes not actually exert his will,he only reams that he wills.A person in a magnetic

trance has no active will of his own,an is [Page 157 ] le by the will of the operator.What he sees is real

to him,an if the operator creates a precipice in his imagination,the subject will,on approaching it,

experience and manifest the same terror as he woul in his normal state if a precipice were yawning

un er his feet.A glass of water transforme into imaginary wine by the will of the "mesmeriser ”makes

the subject intoxicate ,an if that water has been transforme into imaginary poison it may injure or kill

the sensitive.

[Mrs.Chan os Leigh Hunt of London,in her "Private Instructions in Organic Magnetism ” ,informs us,

that imaginary intoxicants,emetics,etc.,have a powerful effect upon subjects.

Eliphas Levi (Abbι Constant)cites a case in which some sceptics submitte a poor girl to magnetic

experiments,to gratify their curiosity,an to see whether "magnetism was true ” .They succee e in

putting her to sleep,an comman e her to look into hell.She became terribly agitate ,an begge for

mercy,but they insiste that she shoul go there.

"The features of the subject became frightful to see;her hair stoo upright on her hea ;her eyes were

wi e open,an showe nothing but the white;her bosom heave ,an a kin of eath-rattle came from

her breast.

"Go there!I will it !”repeate the magnetist.

"I am there ” ,sai the wretche subject,between her close teeth,an fell exhauste .Then she spoke no

more;her hea rests on her shoul er;her arms hang motionless own.They approach her and touch

her.They wish to awaken her;but the crime has been one;the woman was ea ,and the authors of

this sacrilegious experiment were safe from prosecution on account of the public's incre ulity in regar to

such things ”] A powerful "hypnotiser ”can form either a beautiful or a horrible picture in his min ,an by

transferring it by his will upon the mental sphere of a sensitive,he may cause him either pleasure or

suffering.

Such states may be in uce not merely uring the "hypnotic ”sleep,but also uring the normal con ition,

an without any conscious esire on the part of a magnetiser.If the au ience she s tears uring the

performance of a trage y,although they all know that it is merely a play,they are in a state of partial

"hypnotisation ” .Hun re s of similar occurrences take place every ay in every country,and there is

sufficient material everywhere in every-ay life for the stu ent of psychology to investigate and explain,

without seeking for cases of and abnormal character.[Page 158 ]

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All these things are classifie as illusions,because the power of reason,the power of iscriminating

between the true and the false has been suspen e ,which causes a person to mistake things for

realities which only exist in his own imagination,but if this efinition is applie to every ay existence it

appears that the whole world is in a state of hypnotic sleep,for there are few that are capable of seeing

the truth or to iscriminate between the true and false,an few who act always according to reason.

Whenever the external form of a thing is examine carefully,it will always be foun to constitute an

illusion.The illusion oes not exist in those things,it exists in ourselves.Go i not create the world for

the purpose of elu ing mankin .The illusions are cause by our own misconceptions of truth,which

hin er us to see that which is real.If we were to see that which is real,we woul be knowing the truth.If

we ha always known the truth,we woul not have nee e to come into the world .Our existence upon

this planet is a certificate of our ignorance,and the fact of having been born a proof of our folly.

That which istinguishes a man from and animal is the use of his reason.If a "Medium ”submits the control

over his imagination to another being he surren ers his reason.This other being may be another person,

or and invisible power.It may be and elemental,an astral corpse,or a malicious influence,and the Medium

become and epileptic,a maniac,or a criminal.A person who surren ers his will to and unknown power is

not less insane than he who woul entrust his money and valuables to the first stranger or vagabon that

woul ask him for it.

If a crime is committe in consequence of "hypnotic suggestions ” ,it is the hypnotiser and not the

sensitive person who is responsible for it.Such cases occur every ay;for it is not necessary that a very

sensitive person shoul be put to sleep for to become capable of being influence by the will of another.

All in ivi ual min s act upon each other;each influences the other or becomes influence by others

without knowing the [Page 159 ] source of the influence.Thoughts and impulses come and go,and their

source is not known.No man creates his own thoughts out of nothing,an he who has no self-knowle ge

cannot even know who or what it is that is thinking or willing in him.

How many murders and crimes are committe every year through sensitive persons,who have been

influence ,"hypnotise ” ,or "mesmerise ”by invisible powers to commit them,an who ha not sufficient

will-power to resist,it is impossible to etermine.In such cases we hang or punish the instrument,but the

real culprit escapes.Such a "justice ”is equivalent to punishing a stick with which a mur er has been

committe ,an to let the man who use the stick go free.Verily the coming generations will have as

much cause to laugh at the ignorance of their ancestors as we now laugh at the ignorance of those who

prece e us.

We take not things for what they are,but for what we imagine them to be.The savage sees in the

sculpture Minerva only a curious piece of rock,an a beautiful painting is to him only a piece of cloth

aube over with colours.The gree y miser,looking at the beauties of nature,thinks only of the money-

value they represent,while for the poet the forest swarms with fairies and the water with sprites.The

artist fin s beautiful forms in the wan ering clou s and in the projecting rocks of the mountains,an to

him whose min is poetic every symbol in nature becomes a poem and suggests to him new ideas ;but

the coward wan ers through life with a scowl upon his face;he sees in every corner and enemy,an for

him the world has nothing attractive except.his own little self.The world is a mirror wherein every man

may see his own face.To him whose soul is beautiful,the world will look beautiful;to him whose soul is

eforme ,everything will seem to be evil.

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The power of the imagination,if ren ere strong by the will and ma e alive by the spirit,is little known.

The impressions ma e on the min by the effects of such and imagination may be powerful and lasting

upon the person.They change or istort the features,they ren er the hair white in a single hour;they

[Page 160 ] mark,kill,isfigure,or break the bones of the unborn chil ,an make the effects of injuries

receive by one person visible upon the bo y of another with whom that person is in sympathy.They act

more powerfully than rugs;they cause and cure iseases,pro uce hallucinations,an stigmata.

Imagination performs its miracles,either consciously or unconsciously.By altering the surroun ings of

animals the colour of their offspring can be change at will.The tiger's stripes correspon to the long

jungle grass,and the leopard's spots resemble the speckle light falling through the leaves.[Sir John

Lubbock;"Procee ings of the British Association ”]The forces of nature,influence by the imagination of

man,act on the imagination of nature,an create ten encies on the astral plane,which,in the course of

evolution,fin expression through material forms.In this way man's vices or virtues become objective

realities,an as man's imagination becomes purifie ,the earth becomes more beautiful and refine ,

while his vices fin their expression in poisonous reptiles and noxious plants.The Elementals in the soul

of man are the pro ucts of the action of the thought in the in ivi ual min of man;the elemental forms in

the soul of the world are the pro ucts of the collective thoughts of all beings.These elemental powers are

attracte to the germs of animals,an may grow into objective visible animal forms,an mo ify the

characters and also the outward appearance of the animals of our globe.We therefore see that as the

imagination of the Universal Min changes uring the course of ages,ol forms isappear and new ones

come into existence.Perhaps if there were no snakes in human forms,the snakes of the animal king om

woul cease to exist.

But the impressions ma e on the min o not en with the life of the in ivi ual on the physical plane.A

cause which pro uces a su en terror,or otherwise acts strongly on the imagination,can pro uce an

impression that not only lasts through life but beyon it.A person,for instance,who uring his life has

strongly believe in the existence of eternal amnation and hell-fire,may at his entrance into the

subjective state after eath,actually [Page 161 ] behol all the terrors of hell which his imagination uring

life has conjure up;the terrifie soul,seeing before it all the horrors of its own vivi imagination,rushes

back again into the eserte bo y,an clings to it in espair,seeking protection.Personal consciousness

returns,an it fin s itself alive in the grave,where it passes a secon time through the pangs of eath,

or,by sen ing out its astral form in search of sustenance from the living,it becomes a vampire,an

prolongs for awhile its horrible existence.[Maximilian Perty:"Die mystischen Erscheinungen in er Natur ”

] Such misfortunes in ortho ox countries are by no means rare,and the best reme y for it is knowle ge

and the cremation of the bo y soon after eath.

On the other han ,the convicte murderer who,before stepping on the gallows,has been fully

"converte ”an "prepare ”by the atten ing clergyman,an ma e to believe firmly that his sins have

been forgiven,an that the angels will stan rea y to receive him with open arms,may,on his entrance

to the subjective state,see the creations of his own imaginations before him until the elusion fa es

away.

In the state after eath and in the evachanic con ition the imagination neither creates new and original

forms nor is it capable of receiving new impressions;it lives on the sum of the impressions accumulate

uring life,which evolute innumerable variations of mental states,symbolise in their correspon ing

subjective forms,an lasting until their forces are exhauste .These mental states may be calle illusive

in the same sense as events of the physical life may be calle illusive,an life in "heaven ”or "hell ”may

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be calle a ream,as life on this earth is calle a ream.The ream of life only iffers from the ream

after eath,that,uring the one,we are able to make use of our will to gui e and control our imagination

an acts,while uring the latter that gui ance is wanting,an we earn that which we have sown.No

effort,whether for goo or for evil,is ever lost.Those who have reache out in their aspirations towards a

high ideal on earth will fin it in heaven;[Page 162 ] those whose esires have ragge them own will sink

to the level of their esires.

It is generally suppose that this world in which we live is the most ense and "material ” ,and the astral

world the lan of vapoury ghosts;but the terms "materiality ” ,"ensity ”,etc.,are merely relative terms.

What appear to us ense and material now,will appear ethereal or vaporous if we are in another state,

an things which are invisible to us now may appear grossly material then.There are world s more ense

an material to its inhabitants than our physical world is to us;for it is the light of the spirit that enlivens

matter,and the more matter is gathere up by sensuality and concentrate by selfishness,the less

penetrable to the spirit will it become,and the more ense and hard will it grow,although it may for all

that not be perceptible to our physical senses,they being a apte merely to our present state of

existence.

There is no heaven or hell but that which man creates in his imagination;nevertheless,the state in which

he lives is real to him.If we wish to secure happiness after eath in our next life upon this planet,we

must secure it before we ie by controlling our impulses for evil,an by cultivating a pure and exalte

imagination.

We shoul enter the higher life now,instea of waiting for it to come to us in the hereafter.The term

"heaven ”means a state of spiritual consciousness and enjoyment of spiritual truths;but how can he who

has evolve no spiritual consciousness and no spiritual power of perception enjoy the perception of

spiritual things which he has not the spiritual power to perceive?A man without spiritual power entering a

heaven woul be like a man blin and eaf and without the power to feel.Man can only enjoy that which

he is able to realise,that which he cannot realise oes not exist for him.

The surest way to be happy is to rise above "self ” .People crave for amusements and pastimes;but to

forget one's time is to forget one's self;by forgetting themselves they are ren ere happy.The charm of

music consists in the temporary absorption it causes to [Page 163 ] the personality in the harmony of

soun .If we witness a theatrical performance and enter into the spirit of the play,we forget our personal

sorrows and live in the actor.An orator who is in full accord with his au ience becomes inspire with the

sentiments of his au ience;it is his au ience that gives expressions of his feelings through him.There

are no "spirits"require to inspire and inspirational speaker.If he is impressible the thoughts of those that

are present will be sufficient to inspire him.

If we enter a cathe ral or a temple,whose architecture inspires sublimity and solemnity,expan ing the

soul;where the language of music speaks to the heart,rawing it away from the attachment to the earth;

and the beauty and o our of flowers lull the senses into a forgetfulness of self,such amusements ren er

us temporarily happy to and extent proportionate to the egree in which they succee in estroying our

consciousness of personality and self.

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Illusions as such o not exist;their existence is and illusion.Nature is not and illusion,but a manifestation of

truth.Every form in nature is and expression of truth;but it requires the eye of truth to fin the truth in

those forms.If we cling to forms,we cling to illusions,having no real existence;if we cling to the truth we

have the reality.If our happinessdepends on the possession of a cherishe form,our happiness will

perish when that form isappears.

To attain real knowle ge is to make the min free of its illusions;this free om is attaine only by a love

for the truth;for the truth is the life and the foun ation of our existence,which will remain after all the

illusions constituting our lower nature have passe away;when we will possess nothing but that which

we are,an being ourselves the light and the truth we will be in possession of truth.[Page 164 ]

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CHAPTER VII

CONSCIOUSNESS

“I am that I am ” .-Bible.

EVERYTHING in the universe is a manifestation of the Universal Min .Everything is therefore min

itself,an exists in absolute consciousness;but relative consciousness begins when it becomes manifest

in the form.The term consciousness signifies realisation of existence.Consciousness in the absolute is

unconsciousness in relation to things.Consciousness means knowle ge and life;unconsciousness is

ignorance and eath.An imperfect knowle ge is a state of imperfect consciousness;the highest possible

state of consciousness is the full realisation of the truth.

A thing has no existence relatively to ourselves before we become conscious of its existence.A person

who oes not realise his own existence is unconscious,an ,for the time being,to all practical purposes

ea .We cannot actually realise the existence of a power which we o not possess.We see the effects

pro uce by electricity and realise that such effects take place;but we o not realise the existence or the

nature of what is calle “electricity ” if we are not conscious of that same power existing in our own

constitution.In the same sense we can realise the effect of the manifestation of ivine wisdom within the

universe;we behol the expression of beauty,justice,an truth;but we cannot realise the existence of

these principles,unless we become conscious of their presence in us.Go 's works exist and we see the

pro ucts of the [Page 165 ] action of his spirit in nature;but Go himself is to us a nonentity if we are not

ren ere ivine by his presence in us;we cannot realise the nature of Go ,unless his ivine nature is

present in us and comes to our own consciousness.A state of existence is incomprehensible unless it is

experience and realise ,an it begins to exist from the moment that it is realise .If a person were the

legal possessor of millions of money and i not know it,he woul have no means to ispose of it or

enjoy it.A man is present at the elivery of the most eloquent speech,an ,unless he hears what is sai ,

that speech will have no existence for him.Every man is en owe with reason and conscience,but if he

never listens to its voice,the relation between him and the voice of wisdom will cease to exist,an it will

ie for him in proportion as he ies to the power to hear it.

A man may be alive and conscious in relation to one thing,an ea and unconscious relatively to

another.One set of his faculties may be active and conscious,while another set is unconscious and its

activity suspen e .A person who listens attentively to music is conscious of nothing but soun ;one who

is wrapt in the a miration of form is only conscious of seeing;another,who suffers from pain,may be

conscious of nothing but the relation that exists between him and the sensation of pain.A man absorbe

in thought believes himself alone in the mi st of a crow .He may be threatene by estruction and be

unconscious of the anger.If he has the strength of a lion,it will avail him nothing unless he becomes

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conscious of it;he cannot be immortal unless he becomes conscious of his own immortal life.The more a

person learns to realise the true state of his existence the more will he become conscious of real

existence.If he oes not realise his true state he oes not know himself.If he fully knows himself,he will

be conscious of his own powers,he will know how to exercise them and become strong.

To become conscious of the existence of a thing is to possess it.To perceive its existence means to enter

[Page 166 ] into relation with it,an to realise the existence of that relation.Consciousness begins,

therefore,wherever sensation begins,but sensation and perception of a form are only followe by a

recognition of the truth if the principle that exists in that form is a conscious power in our own constitution.

If a stranger is intro uce to us we perceive his exterior form and see the clothes which he wears,we

realise his existence as a living form,but we know nothing of his true character.His appearance may be

prepossessing and still he may be untruthful,his clothing may be new and elegant and still his character

ba .His bo y may be healthy,but his soul may be isease .His certificates and testimonials may be

excellent,an yet they may eceive us.If we want to know the true character of the man,we must be

able to realise the nature of his character in ourselves.We may look into his eyes,an when soul speaks

to soul,the two will enter into conscious relation with each other,and there will be no eception possible.

This recognition of the truth by irect perception is one of the faculties which at the present state of

evolution are not yet fully evelope in man.It is a sixth sense that as yet exists only as a bu in the tree

of life,while the other five senses have been fully evelope .Still it exists,and therefore the first

impression we receive of a stranger is usually correct,but not always believe ,because speculation

comes in to mislea .

Perception is the entering into a relation to the object of one's perception.Such a relation is only

possible,if the perceiver and the object of his perception exist upon the same plane of existence.For this

reason physical objects are perceive by the physical senses;the things of the soul by the soul,an that

which belongs to the spirit can only be perceive by the power of the self-conscious spirit in man.

Everything that exists,exists within the Universal Min ,an nothing can exist outsi e of it,because the

Universal Min inclu es all.Perception is a faculty by which min learns to know what is going on within

itself.To see a thing is to perceive the existence of its [Page 167 ] appearance within one's own min ;to

feel the presence of and invisible power within the soul is to become conscious of its presence by means

of the sense of touch that belongs to the min .Man can know nothing but what exists within his own

min .Even the most ardent lover has never seen his belove one,he merely sees the image which the

form of the latter pro uces in his min .If we pass through the streets of a city the images of men an

women pass review in our min while their bo ies meet our own;but for the images which they pro uce

within our consciousness we woul know nothing about their existence.The images pro uce in the

min come to the consciousness whose workshop is the brain;if man's consciousness were centere in

some other part of his bo y,he woul become conscious in that part of the sensations which he receives.

He might for instance see with his stomach or hear with his fingers,as has often been prove by

scientifically con ucte experiments,and the reason of it is that sensation is not a quality belonging to

the physical bo y;but belongs to the astral form,whose senses are not so localise ;but which

penetrates the physical bo y and whose senses become localise therein.

A self-conscious power,being universally iffuse through space,woul have the faculty to realise all

that takes place in any portion of it,because it woul be in conscious relation with everything.A

conscious power being boun to a material form,can only realise that which enters into relationship with

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that form.All self-consciousness and all perception cannot belong to a limite form;it belongs to the

ivine nature of man,which is not limite by the limitations of form.

From the influence of the universal power of Min ,and the resistance of the form,physical senses came

into existence.If man ha originally remaine in perfect harmony with the Universal Min ,he woul

never have become clothe in a material form.There coul be no perception without resistance.If our

bo ies were perfectly transparent to light we coul not perceive the light,because light cannot illuminate

itself.The Astral [Page 168 ] Light penetrates our bo ies,but we are not able to see it,because the physical

bo y offers no resistance to it.

At the time when we fall asleep,consciousness gra ually leaves its seat in the brain and merges into the

consciousness of the “inner man ” .We then begin to realise another state of existence;an if a part of the

consciousness still remains with the brain,the perception of the interior consciousness comes to the

cognisance of the personal self.It is therefore possible in that half-conscious state,between sleeping an

waking,when consciousness is oscillating between two states of existence,to receive important

revelations from the higher state and retain them in the personal memory.The more our consciousness

merges in that higher state,the better will we realise the higher existence,but the impressions upon our

external self will become im and not be remembere ;but as long as the greatest part of our

consciousness is active within the material brain,the perceptions of a higher state will only be im an

mixe up with memories and sensations of the lower state of existence.

There probably was a time in the evelopment of the bo y of man,when his form was -so to say -all

eye,an his whole surface sensitive to the power of light.The resistance of his form to the influence of

light create the eye.Fishes have been foun in subterranean lakes which have no eyes;there being no

light,they nee e no organs to receive it and none to resist it.In tropical countries the intensity of light is

stronger.Tropical man nee s the ark pigment in his skin to protect his nu e bo y from the influence of

the tropical sun.

There are semi-material existences (Elementals)which have no teguments sufficiently soli to protect

them from terrestrial light.Such natures are very sensitive to the action of light,they can only continue to

live indarkness,an only manifest their powers at night.[ Adolphe d'Assier ,who spent much time in the

investigation of occult phenomena,tells of a case,where a person slept in a “haunte house ” ,for the

purpose of investigating the spook.He went to be and left the light burning.At once a ark sha ow

seeme to rush through the oor into his room and went un er his be .Soon a long arm exten e from

un er the be ,reache up to the table and extinguishe the light,an imme iately the rampage began.

Furniture was overthrown and broken,and the noise was so great that it attracte the neighbours,who

came with a light,when the ark sha ow fle through the oor.] [Page 169 ] If the astral bo y of man were

expose to the full influence of,the astral light,without having acquire the power to resist it,it woul be

estroye slowly or quickly according to the intensity of that light.The myths of “hell ”an “purgatory ” are

suggestive of that action of the estructive action of the Astral Light.But this estruction is not

necessarily accompanie by sensation,unless that bo y is conscious.A corpse from which the spirit has

with rawn may be cremate and cannot feel it,an astral corpse may issolve into its elements and feel

no pain.Only when a form becomes associate with spirit,in whatever plane of existence,there will

sensation become manifest.

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Some of the practices of black magic and necromancy are base upon this fact,an it oes not appear

impossible that the astral bo ies of the ea may be tormente by the living,if they knew how to en ow

them with spirit,an to reawaken consciousness by infusing some of their own life within these forms.

If our bo ies were sufficiently ethereal to pass through others without experiencing any resistance,we

woul not feel their presence.If the keyboard of the ear were not present to receive the vibrations of

soun ,hearing woul be efective.The power to resist pro uces sensation.

Man suffers because he resists.If he were to obey the laws of his nature un er all circumstances,he

woul know no bo ily isease;if he were to execute in all things the ivine will of Go ,he woul incur no

suffering.

Life,sensation,perception,an consciousness may be with rawn from the physical bo y and become

active in the astral bo y of man.The astral mand then becomes conscious of his existence independent of

the physical bo y and can evelop faculties of sense.He may then see sights which have no existence

for the physical [Page 170 ] eye,hear soun s that the physical ear cannot hear,feel,taste,an smell things

whose existence the physical senses cannot realise,an which consequently have no existence to them.

What and astonishing sight woul meet the eyes of a mortal,if the veil that mercifully hi es the astral

world from his sight were to be su enly remove !He woul see the space which he inhabits occupie

by a different world full of inhabitants,of whose existence he knew nothing.What before appeare to him

ense and soli woul now seem to be sha owy,an what seeme to him like empty space he woul

fin people with life.

Scientifically con ucte researches have brought to light many instances of cases in which the astral

senses have been ren ere more or less active.The Seeress of Prevorst,for instance,perceive many

things which for other persons ha no existence;the history of the saints gives numerous similar

examples,an mo ern “mediumship ”proves the existence of such inner senses by facts which occur

every ay.If the astral senses of a person are fully alive and active,he is able to perceive things without

the use of his physical senses.He will be clairvoyant and claira dient ,he will be able to see,hear,feel,

taste,an smell the astral attributes of things existing in or out or corporeal forms.

All houses are “haunte ” ,but not all persons are equally able to see the ghosts that haunt them,because

to perceive things on the astral plane requires the evelopment or a sense a apte to such perceptions.

Thoughts are “ghosts ” ,an only those that can see images forme of thought can see “ghosts ” ,unless

the latter are sufficiently materialise to refract the light and to become visible to the eye.

We may feel the presence of and astral form without being able to see it,an be just as certain of its

presence as if we i behol it with our eyes;for the sense of touch is not less reliable thand the sense of

sight.The presence of a holy,high,an exalte i ea that enters the min fills it with a feeling of

happiness,with and exhilarating influence whose vibrations may be perceive long after that thought has

gone.[Page 171 ]

The explanation which material science gives in regard to the process of seeing only explains the

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formation of a picture on the retina of the physical eye,but gives no explanation whatever how these

pictures come to the consciousness of the min .If the min of man were enclose in the physical bo y of

man he coul not perceive the size of any exterior thing.In such a case he coul at best see the minute

picture forme on his retina,and the outsi e world woul appear to him like the microscopic object seen

through a reverse telescope.But the reflections forme in the physical eye only serve to call the

attention of the min to the objects of its perception,or awaken the interior sense of feeling which the

min possesses to a consciousness of its relation to the objects of its perception,which exist within its

own sphere.Visible man is the kernel of the invisible man,the sphere of his min surroun s him in all

si es like and invisible pulp,exten ing far into space,an he can become conscious of the objects

existing within that sphere if he recognises his relation with them.

This invisible and ethereal sphere is as essential to constitute a man as the pulp of a peach is essential

to constitute a peach,but material science knows only the kernel,an knows nothing about the pulp.Still

this soul sphere exists,an intermingles with the spheres of others,pro ucing sympathies,or

antipathies,according to the harmony,or isharmony,of their respective elements.A great many events

may take place within one's min and we may not perceive them,unless our attention is attracte to

them,and they come to our consciousness.

The min perceives what is going on in the physical plane by being awakene by physical means to a

consciousness of his relationship with physical things;it perceives what is going on in the realm of the

soul by being awakene to a consciousness of his relationship with the realm of the soul by influences

coming from that realm,an it perceives spiritual truth by being awakene to a recognition of its

relationship to truth by the power procee ing from it.

The physical bo y may be ormant and perceive no [Page 172 ] external objects;the astral senses are

un evelope ;the spiritual power of perception in the majority of mankin is still inactive,an feels the

presence of the spirit only by the uncertain reflex of its light,like a man in a semi-conscious con ition

may see the reflex of light shining through the close li s and not know what it is.This is the power of

intuition that prece es and awakening to spiritual knowle ge.

Min has no conceivable limits,an istance is therefore no impe iment to mental perception,because a

min being in soli arity with the whole stan s in relation to every part of the whole,an as soon as man

recognises his relation to and object in space he becomes conscious of its presence.

The reason why the min of man oes not perceive everything and requires the ai of the physical

senses,is that A am is still sleeping the sleep which came over him while he was and inhabitant of the

para ise.He is still unconscious of the fact that his real nature comprises the all;his consciousness has

become boun to a material form,an he is now the prisoner of that form.

To see a thing is i entical with touching it with the min .The in ivi ual min of man being one with the

universal min ,exten s through space;it is therefore not merely the images of things,but the things

themselves that exist within the periphery of our min ,however istant from the centre of our

consciousness they may be,an if we were able to shift that centre from one place to another within the

sphere of the min ,we might in a moment of time approach to the object of our perception.

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The min substance is everywhere,but its consciousness is limite .If the whole sphere of the min of a

man were self-conscious,he woul be omnipresent and all-knowing.As the sphere of perception of an

in ivi ual min expan s,so expan s the sphere of his conscious being.

The centre of consciousness in man is locate in the brain,an if the min touches and object the

impressions have to travel all the way to the brain.If we look at a istant star our min is actually there

an in contact [Page 173 ] with it,an if we coul transfer our consciousness to that place of contact,we

woul be ourselves upon that star and perceive the objects thereon as if we were stan ing personally

upon its surface.

This however is and impossibility as long as the centre of our consciousness is in the brain;because that

consciousness is and illusion itself,it enables us to roam through space by means of our imagination,but

oes not reveal the truth.The consciousness of the brain is in regard to our true self-consciousness what

the false light of the moon is to the light of the sun.Our true self-consciousness rests in the heart,an

therefore the heart can expan in that universal love,which is not imaginary,through the whole of

creation.If that love becomes self-conscious in our heart,all the mysteries of the universe will be open

before us.

Perception is passive imagination ,because if we perceive and object,the relation which it bears to us

comes to our consciousness without any active exertion on our part.But there is and active imagination by

which we may enter into relation with a istant object in space by a transfer of consciousness.By this

power we may act upon a istant object if we succee in forming a true image of it in our own

consciousness.By concentrating our consciousness upon such and object we become conscious in that

place of the sphere of our min where that object exists.Thus we establish a conscious relation between

such and object and ourselves,but this requires that spiritual power which resi es in the heart.

Consciousness is existence,and there are as many states of consciousness as there are states of

existence.Every living being has a consciousness of its own,and the state of its consciousness changes

every moment of time,as fast as the impressions which it receives change;because its consciousness is

the perception of the relation it bears to things,an as this relation changes,consciousness changes its

character.

If our whole attention is taken up by animal pleasure,we exist in and animal state of consciousness;if we

are aware of the presence of spiritual principles,such as hope,faith,charity,justice,truth,etc.,we live in

our [Page 174 ] spiritual consciousness,an between these two extremes there are a great variety of

gra ations.Consciousness itself oes not change,it only moves up and own on the scale of existence.

There is only one kin of consciousness which never changes its place because it is independent of all

relation to things.It is the self-consciousness of self-existence,the realisation of the I am .It can be

ignore ,but once attaine it cannot change,because Go never changes;its change woul involve non-

existence or the annihilation of all.He who has not attaine that true self-consciousness,the realisation

of the existence of his own real self oes not exist.He may be highly evelope physically an

intellectually;nevertheless he is nothing else but a compoun of physical and intellectual elements an

his sense of self and ever-changing illusion.He cannot ie,because he has never come to life;he oes

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not truly exist,because he oes not realise his true existence.There is no one truly alive,except he who

can realise his own true ivine life.

When Life manifests itself in a form it begins to live relatively to form;but the egree of consciousness of

the formdepends on the state of its organisation.In a low organise form there is sensation,but no

intelligence.An oyster has consciousness,but no intelligence.A man may have a great eal of intellect

an no consciousness of spirituality,sublimity,justice,beauty,or truth.

The lowest existences follow implicitly the laws of nature or of Universal Reason ;because in them exists

no ddifferentiation of min ;they have no will and reason of their own.The highest spiritual beings follow

their own reason;but their will and reason is in harmony with the universal law.The ifference between

the lowest beings and the highest ones is,therefore,that the lowest ones perform the will of “Go ”

unconsciously and unknowingly;while the highest ones o the same thing knowingly and consciously.It

is only the reasoning beings who imagine that they are their own law-givers,an may o what they

please.All evil is cause by reasoning;the [Page 175 ] enlightene oes not reason;he has Reason itself

for his gui e.

The muscular system exercises its habitual movements in the act of walking,eating,&c.,without being

especially gui e by a superinten ing intellect,like a clockwork that,after being once set in motion,

continues to run;an a man who is in the habit of oing that which is right and just,will act in accordance

with the law of wisdom and justice instinctively,an without any consi eration or oubt.

Each state of min has its own mo e of perception,sensation,instinct,an consciousness,and the

activity of one may overpower and suppress that of the other.A person being only conscious of the

sensations create by some physical act,is at that time unconscious of spiritual influences.One who is

un er the influence of chloroform loses his external sensation.One in a state of trance is awake on a

higher plane of existence,an unconscious of what happens on the physical plane.

The unintelligent muscular system is conscious of nothing else but the attraction of Earth.In it the

element of Earth pre ominates,an unless it is uphel by reason,it acts accor ing to the impulse

create in it by that attraction.The astral bo y is unintelligent,an unless infuse with the intelligence

coming from the higher principles,it follows the attractions of the astral plane.These attractions are its

esires.As the physical bo y,if ungui e by reason,follows the law of gravitation,so the astral bo y

follows the attractions of esire.The animal consciousness of man is that unreasoning attraction which

impels him to seek for the gratification of his instincts.

Correctly speaking,there is no such thing as animal reason,animal intellect,animal consciousness,etc.

Consciousness,reason,intelligence,etc.,in the absolute,have no qualifications;they are universal

principles,that is to say,functions of the Universal One Life ,manifesting themselves on various planes in

various forms.

The con ition of a person whose consciousness is no more illumine by reason,is seen in emotional

mania and obsession.In such cases the person acts entirely [Page 176 ] according to the impulses acting

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in him,an when he recovers his reason,he is unconscious of his actions uring that state.Such states

manifest themselves sometimes in only one person,or they affect several persons simultaneously,an

even whole countries,as has been experience in some wholesale “obsessions ” occurring uring the

Mi le Ages.[“ Histoire es iables e Lou in ” .-Cases of obsession are by no means unfrequent,an

many cases of insanity are merely cases of obsession.It is extremely esirable in the interests of

humanity that our superinten ents and octors of insane asylums shoul stu y the occult laws of nature,

an learn to know the causes of insanity,instea of merely stu ying their external effects.] They are often

observe in cases of hysteria,may be witnesse at religious meetings,uring theatrical performances,

uring the attack upon and enemy,or at any other occasion,where the passions of the multitu e are

excite ,in ucing them to acts of folly or bravery,an enabling people to perform acts which they woul

be neither willing nor able to perform if they were gui e only by the calculations of their intellect.All such

states are the manifestation of unseen powers,acting in and through different forms.

There are persons in whom the astral bo y has become the centre of consciousness,and they may

acquire the power to transfer that consciousness to a istant locality.Min is everywhere,an capable of

receiving impressions.If we stea ily concentrate our thoughts upon a istant person or a place,a current

of min is create .Our thoughts go to the esire locality,for that locality,however far it may be,is still

within the sphere of min .If we have been there before,or if there is something to attract us,it will not be

ifficult to fin it.Un er ordinary circumstances consciousness remains with the bo y.But if our astral

elements are sufficiently alive,so as not to cling to the bo y,but to accompany our thoughts,then our

consciousness may go with them,being projecte there by the power of the will,and the more the will is

intense the easier will this be accomplishe .We shall then visit the chosen place consciously and know

what we are [Page 177 ] oing,an our astral elements carry the memory back and impress them upon our

physical brain.

This is the secret how the thought bo y may be projecte to a istance by those who have acquire that

power.It is a power that may be acquire by birth or learne by practice.There are persons in whom,in

consequence of either and inherite peculiarity of the constitution or from sickness,such a separation

between the physical and astral elements may either voluntarily or involuntarily take place,and the astral

form either consciously or unconsciously travel to istant places or persons,an by the assistance of the

o ic and magnetic emanations even “materialise ”into a visible and even tangible form.[ Adolphe d '

Assier cites several instances in which the ouble of a person was seen simultaneously with the physical

form.A young la y at college was seen by her mates in the parlour of the school,while at the same time

her ouble was in the garden.The stronger the “double ”grew,the more faint became her corporeal form.

When she recovere her strength,the ouble isappeare from sight.In this case,the consciousness of

the la y was evi ently ivi e between the room and the garden,an as her thoughts went to the flowers

they forme a bo y there.In stu ying the law accor ing to which such apparently mysterious things

occur,it will be a visable to remember that all forms ,whether material or ethereal,consist merely of

certain vibrations of primordial matter,manifesting themselves accor ing to the character impresse

upon them.]

The Kama-rupa is sometimes attracte unconsciously to places while the physical bo y is asleep.It has

been seen by impressible persons on such occasions,but it shows no signs of intelligence or life;it only

acts like and automaton and returns when the physical bo y requires its presence.At the time of eath,

when the cohesion between the lower and higher principles is loosene ,such a projection is of not

unfrequent occurrence;it may then be for a short time,conscious,alive,an intelligent,an represent the

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true man.[Numerous instances of such occurrences may be foun in E,Gurney,“Phantasms of the

Living ”]

There are a great number of cases on record where,in consequence of a su en and intense emotion,

for instance,the esire to see a certain person,the thought [Page 178 ] bo y projecting itself from the

physical bo y has become conscious and visible at a istance.In cases of home-sickness we fin some

approach to and instance of this,The person separate from home and frien s,having and intense

yearning to see his native place again,projects his thoughts to that place,He lives – so to say – in that

place,while his physical bo y vegetates in another.He becomes weaker,an finally ies;that is to say,

he goes where his thoughts alrea y are,although his gra ual going is imperceptible and unrecognisable

to physical senses.

In cases of sickness or eath a similar process of separation takes place.When,from whatever cause,

the union between the physical form and the astral bo y becomes weakene ,the astral form separates

itself for a while or permanently from the physical form.

The symptoms of such a beginning of separation is often observe in severe sickness,when the patient

has the sensation as if another person were lying in the same be with him.As recovery takes place,the

principles whose cohesion has been loosene become reunite and that sensation isappears.

Accor ing to the plane of existence,where a person lives is the state of his consciousness,an each of

these planes has its own sensations,perceptions,an memories.What is seen and perceive an

remembere in one state,is not remembere in another state,an it is therefore not improbable that a

person,entering into a higher state of consciousness after the eath of his bo y,will remember nothing

about the con itions of his terrestrial life.[A case is cite in Dr Hammon 's book on insanity,in which a

servant,while in a state of intoxication,carrie a package with which he ha been entruste to the wrong

house.Having become sober,he coul not remember the place,and the package was suppose to be

lost;but after he got runk again he remembere the place,he went there and recovere the

package.This goes to show that when he was runk he was another person than when he was sober;

man's in ivi uality continually changes according to the con itions in which he exists,an as his

consciousness changes he becomes another in ivi ual,although he still retains the same outward form.

]

In the state of intoxication the person is only conscious [Page 179 ] of his animal existence and entirely

unconscious of his higher existence.A somnambule in the luci con ition looks upon her bo y as a being

istinct from her own self,who is,to a certain extent,un er her care.She speaks of that being in the thir

person,prescribes sometimes for it as a physician prescribes for his patient and often shows tastes,

inclinations,an opinions entirely oppose to those which she possesses in her normal con ition.

Persons while in a trance may love another person intensely,because they are then capable to perceive

his goo interior qualities,an etest him when they are in their normal con ition,when they merely

behol his external attributes.[H.Zachokke:“Verklaerungen ”(Transfigurations)]

In the state of trance the bo y is entirely unconscious and unable to realise any physical sensation.It

may be burnt or burie .Such a procee ing woul not affect the inner man otherwise than to prevent his

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return to that bo y.But while his earthly form is unconscious,his spiritual self is conscious,an may be

engage in uties beyon our comprehension,among scenes from which it must be painful to return to

the bon s of Earth.

Even while physical consciousness is active the consciousness of the higher principles may be so

exalte as to ren er the bo y little conscious of pain.History speaks of men and women whose souls

rejoice while their earthly tabernacles were un ergoing the tortures of the rack,or evoure by flames

at the stake.

Man lea s essentially two lives,one while he is fully awake,another while he is fully asleep.Each has its

own perceptions,consciousness,an experiences,but the experiences uring sleep are not

remembere when we are fully “awake ” .At the borderlan between sleep and waking,where the

impressions of each state meet and mingle,is the realm of confuse reams,which sel om contain any

truth.

This state is,however,favourable to receive impressions from the inner self.The inner man may use

symbolical forms and allegorical images to convey ideas  [Page 180 ] to the lower self,an to give it

a monitions,forebo ings,an warnings in regard to future events.

There are various kin s of reams.Many a ifficult problem has been solve uring sleep,and the

terrestrial world is not always without any reflex of the light from above.The min of the sleeper uring

the sleep of the bo y comes into contact with other min s,an passes through experiences which one

oes not remember when awake.Man,in his waking con ition,often has experiences which he

afterwards oes not remember,but which he,nevertheless,enjoye at the time when they occurre ,an

which at that time were real to him.[ One extraor inary case is mentione in A.P.Sinnett's “Inci ents in

the Life of Ma ame Blavatsky ”.Speaking of her sickness in Tiflis,Ma ame Blavatsky says,that she ha

the sensation as if she were two different persons,one being the Ma ame Blavatsky,whose bo y was

lying sick in be ,the other person and entirely different and superior being.“When I was in my lower

state ” ,she says,“I knew who that other person was and what she (or he)ha been oing;but when I

was that other being myself,I i not know nor care who was that Ma ame Blavatsky ”.It is therefore

very well possible that Ma ame Blavatsky's “transcen ental Ego ” ,with all its consciousness,faculties,

an powers of perception,in fact,her real self ,was consciously and really un ergoing certain mysterious

experiences in Tibet,while the physical instrument,which we call “Ma ame Blavatsky ” ,was sick at Tiflis.

]

Man feels in himself at least two sets of attractions that come to his consciousness.One set rags him

own to earth and makes him cling to material necessities and enjoyments,the other set,lifting him up

into the region of the unknown,makes him forget the allurements of matter,an brings him nearer to the

realm of immortal beauty.The greatest poets and philosophers have recognise this fact of ouble

consciousness,or the two poles of one,an between those two poles ebbs and floo s the normal

consciousness of the average human being.

Goethe expresses this in his “Faust ”in about the following terms:

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Two souls,alas I are conscious in my breast,

One from the other seeks to separate.

One clings to earth,where all its life is roote ,

The other rises upwards to the go s.[Page 181 ]

One attraction arises from Wisdom,another from folly.By the power of Knowle ge,Man is enable to

choose which way he will follow,an by the power of obe ience he is enable to procee .He may live

on the lower planes of consciousness and become ea to spirituality and immortal life;or in the highest

spheres of thought,where his min expan s and where he ultimately will fin that spirit al self-

conscio sness,which is Divine Wisdom,the realisation of eternal truth .Few may be able to reach such a

state,an few will be able to comprehen its possibility;but there have been men who,on the threshol

of Nirwana,an while their physical bo ies continue to live on this planet,coul consciously roam

through the interplanetary spaces and see the won ers of the material and spiritual world s.This is the

highest form of A eptship attainable on Earth,an to him who accomplishes it the mysteries of the

Universe will be like and open book.

Divine Wisdom for the purpose of manifesting itself requires and organism.In the mineral king om it

manifests itself as attraction,in plants as life,in animals as instinct,in human beings as reason,in Divine

natures as self-knowle ge;on every plane the character of its manifestationdepends on the character of

the organism through which it acts.Without a human organism,even the most intelligent animal cannot

become a man;without a spiritual organism even the most pious christian will be only a reamer.

Every state of consciousness requires for its expression a suitable organism,and the greater the realm of

its manifestation,the more expan e must be the sphere of its activity.There is no realisation of physical

existence without a physical bo y;there is no emotional nature without and organise astral form;no

i eation without and organise min ,an no ivine existence without and incorruptible bo y.Without that

spiritual organisation,whose elements are self-conscious immortality,ivine justice,eternal beauty an

harmony,universal justice and love,knowle ge and power,purity and perfection,free om and glory,

even the most evout worshipper can only feel.Even the most evout worshipper,as [Page 182 ] long as

the ivine spirit has not awakene within his soul,will merely feel the beauties of the spiritual realm in the

same sense as a blin man may enjoy the warm rays of the sunshine without being able to see the light;

only when the process of spiritual regeneration has been accomplishe will he be able to see the sun of

ivine glory within his own soul,an know that he exists as and eternal,self-existent and immortal power

in Go .

To become a magician requires a perfect man and not merely a being born of a ream;the exercise of

spiritual power requires a substantial bo y as its foun ation;to attain true knowle ge of all the mysteries

of the universe requires and organisation as large as the world .This spiritual bo y grows out of the

elements of the corruptible material bo y.Without that organism there can be no realisation of one's own

ivine nature:“Unless a man is reborn in the Spirit,he cannot enter the King om of Go ”.

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CHAPTER VIII

UNCONSCIOUSNESS

"Omne bonum a Deo,imperfectum a Diabalo ” .—Paracelsus

[Page 183 ] CONSCIOUSNESS is knowle ge and life;unconsciousness is ignorance and eath.If we are

conscious of the existence of a thing,we know that a relation exists between ourselves and that thing.If

we become unconscious of its existence,neither we nor that object ceases to exist,but we fail to

recognise its relation to us.As soon as we begin to realise that relation,the character of the object

perceive in the sphere of our min becomes a part of our mental constitution,an we begin to live in

relation to it.We then possess it in our consciousness,an may retain it there by the power of our Will.If

it isappears,we may recall it by the power of recollection and memory.To know and object is to live

relatively to it,to forget it is to cease to exist in relation to it.

Unconsciousness,ignorance,an eath are therefore synonymous terms,an everyone is ea in

proportion as he is ignorant.If he is ignorant of a fact,he is ea relatively to it,although he may be fully

alive relatively to other things.We cannot be conscious of everything at once,and therefore,as our

impressions and thoughts change,our consciousness and relation to certain things change,an we

continually ie relatively to some things and live relatively to others.There can be no absolute

unconsciousness;because the One Life is self-existent and independent of its manifestations.It

manifests itself in our forms,an even if our forms issolve,Life continues to be and to evolve other

forms.[Page 184 ] There can be no cessation of absolute consciousness as long as there is absolute

being,because the "Absolute ”never ceases to be in relation to itself.Relative eath an

unconsciousness occurs every moment,an we are not aware of its occurrence.We meet hun re s of

corpses in the streets,which are entirely ea and unconscious in regar to certain things of which we

are alive;an we are ea in regar to many things to which others are alive and conscious.Only

simultaneously occurring omniscience in regar to everything that exists woul be absolute life without

any a mixture of eath,but such a state is and impossibility as long as man is boun to a personality an

limite form,an has therefore only a limite existence and consciousness.

Each principle in man has a certain sphere of activity,an its perceptions can only exten to the limits of

that sphere.Each is ea to such mo es of activity as are in no relation with it.Minerals are unconscious

of the action of intelligence,but not of the attraction of Earth;the spirit is ea to earthly attraction an

mechanical pressure,but not to love.If we can change the mo e of activity in a form,we call into

existence a new state of consciousness,because we establish new relations of a different or er;the ol

activity ies and a new one begins to live.

If the energy which we are now using for the purpose of igesting foo ,for performing intellectual labour

an for enjoying sensual pleasures,were use for the purpose of eveloping the spiritual germs

containe within the constitution of man,we woul be in a comparatively short time rewarde for our

labour by becoming superior beings,of a state so far above our present con ition,that we can at present

not even conceive of it,because we have no experience about it.All we know about such states is that

which has been tol to us by those who have entere it,an in moments of tranquility and exaltation the

soul of even not highly spiritually evelope people may occasionally pass by the temple of ivine

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wisdom,when the oor is left ajar,an from the glance caught of the interior light that streams [Page 185 ]

through the Gates of Gol it may form a conception about the beauties containe therein.

In the constitution of average man life is especially active in the physical bo y,an he clings to the life of

that bo y as if it were the only possible mo e of existence.He knows of no other mo e of life,an is,

therefore,afrai to ie.A person who has concentrate his life and consciousness into his astral bo y will

be conscious of another existence,an his physical bo y will be only so far of value to him,as by its

instrumentality he can act on the physical plane.Physical eath is a continuation of the activity of life in

other principles.If we,by and occult process,concentrate all our life into our higher principles before our

bo y ceases to live,we master eath,an live independent of our physical bo y.[Such beings exist an

are calle "Nirmβnakβyas ” .See H.P.Blavatsky,"The Voice of the Silence ” ,Part III.They are not to be

confoun e with the so-calle "Theosophical Mahatmas ” ,who are terrestrial men and A epts;but who

have been represente by some fanatical a mirers as "spirits ”or ghosts.]

Such a transfer of life and consciousness is not beyon possibility.It has been accomplishe by many,

an will be accomplishe by others.The material elements of the physical bo y are continually subject to

elimination and renewal.By permitting the physical bo y gra ually to ie,while the spiritual organism

becomes evelope ,the astral bo y assumes the functions of the physical form.

No one woul be willing to look upon such a change as death ,an nevertheless it woul be nothing else

but a mo e of ying slow as far as the physical bo y is concerne ,while at the same time it is a raising

of the real man into a superior form of existence.Death – whether slow or quick – is nothing but a

process of purification,by which the imperfect is eliminate and ren ere unconscious.Nothing perishes

but that which is not able to live.Principles cannot ie,only their manifestations cease in one plane,to

appear in another.

Only that which is perfect can remain without being [Page 186 ] change .Go oes not re eem the

personal man by the process of eath;he re eems himself by freeing himself from the personality of the

man.Truth,wisdom,justice,beauty,goo ness,etc.,cannot be exterminate ;it is merely the forms in

which they become manifest that can be estroye .If all the wise men in the world were to ie,the

principle of Wisdom woul nevertheless continue to exist,an manifest in ue time in other receptive

forms;if Love were to leave the hearts of all human beings,it woul thereby not be annihilate ,it woul

merely cease to exist relatively to men,an men woul cease to live,while love woul continue to be.

Eternal principles are self-existent,and therefore independent of forms,an not subject to change;but

forms are changeable,an cannot continue without the presence of the principles whose instruments for

manifestation they represent.

The human bo y is and instrument for the manifestation of life,the soul is and instrument for the

manifestation of spirit.When life leaves the bo y,the bo y isintegrates;if the spirit leaves the astral

form,the latter issolves.A person in whom the spiritual principle has become entirely inactive is morally

ea ,although his bo y may be full of life and his earthly soul full of animal esires.Such spiritless living

corpses or shells are often seen in fashionable society as well as in the crow s where the vulgar

assemble.A person in whom the principle of reason has become inactive is intellectually ea ,although

his bo y may be full of animal life;lunatics are ea people,in whom reason has cease to live.If the

soul leaves the bo y,the form ies,but the soul lives if en owe with spirit,but if its connection with spirit

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ceases,either before or after the eath of the bo y,it issolves into the elements of the astral plane.

The astral soul,like the bo y,is a compoun organism,compose of various elements.Some of these

elements may be fit to assimilate with the spirit,others are not fit to o so.If a person,uring his earthly

life,has not purifie his soul sufficiently,so as to enter the spiritual state imme iately after the eath of

the [Page 187 ] physical bo y,a gra ual separation of the pure and impure elements from the still impure

remains takes place in the state after eath.When the final separation is accomplishe ,the spiritual

elements enter the spiritual state (which,in fact,they have never left);and the lower elements remain in

the lower plane,where they gra ually isintegrate.

If the organisation of the physical bo y becomes impaire to such and extent,that the principle of life

cannot employ it any longer to serve as and instrument for its manifestation,it ceases to act.Death may

begin at the hea ,the heart,or the lungs but life lingers longest in the hea ,an is still active there to a

certain extent after the bo y,to all exterior appearances,has become unconscious and cease to live.

The power of thought continues for a time to work in its habitual manner,although sensation has cease

to exist in the nerves.This activity may even grow in intensity as the principles become isunite ;an if

the thought of the ying is intensely irecte upon and absent frien it can impress itself upon the

consciousness of that frien ,an perhaps cause him to see the apparition of the ying.At last vitality

leaves the brain,and the higher principles epart,carrying with them their proper activity,life,an

consciousness,leaving behin and empty form,a mask,an illusion.There nee not necessarily be any

loss of consciousness in regard to the persons and things by which the ying person is surroun e ;the

only consciousness which necessarily ceases is that which refers to con itions concerning his

personality,such as physical sensation,pain,weight,heat and col ,hunger and thirst,which affecte the

physical form.As his life eparts from the brain,another state of consciousness comes into existence,

because he enters into relation to a different or er of things."The principle,carrying memory,emerges

from the brain,an every event of the life which is ebbing away,is reviewe by the min .Picture after

picture presents itself with living vivi ness before his consciousness,an he lives in a few minutes his

whole life again.Persons in a state or rowning have [Page 188 ] experience that state.That impression

which has been the strongest,survives all the rest;the other impressions isappear to reappear again in

the evachanic state.No man ies unconscious,whatever external appearances may seem to in icate to

the contrary;even a ma man will have a moment,at the time of his eath,when his intellect will be

restore .Those who are present at such solemn moments shoul take care not to isturb,by outbursts

of grief or otherwise,that process by which the soul behol s the effects of the past and lays the plan for

its future existence ” .[Extracte from the letter of and A ept.]

The process of the parting of the astral form from the physical remains is escribe by a clairvoyant as

follows:"At first I saw a beautiful light of a pale blue colour,in which appeare a small egg-shape

substance about three feet above the hea .It was not stationary,but wavere to and fro like a balloon in

the air.Gra ually it elongate to the length of the bo y,the whole envelope in a mist or smoke.I

perceive a face correspon ing in features to that which was so soon to be soulless,only brighter,more

smooth,more beautiful,yet unfinishe ,with the same want of expression that we observe in a new-born

infant.With every breath from the ying bo y the ethereal form was a e to and became more perfect.

Presently the feet became efine ,not si e by si e,as the ying man ha place himself,but one

hanging below the other,an one knee bent,as new-born infants woul be in and acci ental position.The

bo y appeare to be enshrou e in a clou like mist.A countless host of other presences seeme to be

near.When the whole was complete,all slowly passe out of sight ” .[A.J.Davis escribes a similar

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scene.]

This ethereal bo y is the soul-bo y or perisprit of the person that ie .It is not the spirit itself,but still

connecte with the spirit,as it was connecte with it uring life.It still contains the goo and evil

ten encies which it acquire uring life,unless its attraction towards one pole or the other was alrea y so

great [Page 189 ] that a separation of the highest principle has taken place before physical eath.The real

man is and impersonal power,an his existence oes notdependon a physical form,he only acquires

such a form to manifest his activity on the lower planes.If his spirit rises above the attractions of his

lower self,his lower self will be unconscious and isintegrate;but if he clings to his animal nature with a

great intensity of esire,a centre of consciousness may become establishe therein,an its sense of

personality still continue to exist for a while even after the physical bo y is ea .His soul will in such

cases be a semi-conscious inhabitant of the Kama loca state.

The time uring which and astral corpse may remain in this state before it is entirely issolvedepends on

the ensity and strength of its elements.It may iffer from a few hours or ays to a great many years.

Man is ma e up of a great many living elements or principles,of which each one exists in its own

in ivi ual state while they all receive their life from the spirit.When the spirit with raws they become

separate ,while each retains for a while its own particular life in the same sense as a wheel which is

once set into motion will continue to run until after the force is exhauste ,even if the original motive

power is with rawn.

The remnant of a man in the Kama loca state is therefore not the man,but and elementary part of him

which may or may not be conscious that it exists.

This Kama loca state is the "lan of the sha ows ”,the Hades of the ancient Greeks,and the "purgatory"

of the Roman Catholic Church.Its inhabitants may or may not possess consciousness and intelligence,

but the astral souls of average men and women possess no intelligence of their own;they can,however,

be ma e to act intelligently by the power of the Elementals ,who infuse their own consciousness into

them.Paracelsus says:"Men and women ie every ay,whose souls uring their lives have been subject

to the influence and gui ance of Elementals.How much easier will it be for such Elementals to influence

the si ereal bo ies of such persons and to make them act as they please,after their [Page 190 ] souls

have lost the protection which their physical bo ies afforde !They may use their soul-bo ies to move

physical objects from place to place,to carry such objects from istant countries,an to perform other

feats of a similar kin that may appear miraculous to the uninitiate ”.

The state of consciousness of the fourth principle (the animal soul)after the lower tria has become

unconscious and lifeless,therefore,iffers wi ely in different persons,according to the con itions that

have been establishe uring its connection with the bo y.The soul of and average person in Kama loca

with only mo erate selfish esires is not conscious and intelligent enough to know that its physical bo y

has ie ,an that it is itself un ergoing the process of isintegration;but the soul of a person whose

whole consciousness was centre in self,chaine to earth by fear,remorse,gree ,or esire for revenge,

[Chinamen kill themselves for the purpose of fastening their soul upon and enemy and taking revenge.

Let those who "know ” that this is a superstition try the experiment.] may be conscious and intelligent

enough to make esperate efforts to enter again into physical life.Feeling its impen ing fate,seeking to

prolong its existence,it clings for protection to the organism of some living being,an causes obsession.

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Not only weak-min e human beings but also animals may be subject to such and obsession.

To a bo y without sensation or consciousness it can make no ifference un er what con itions it may

continue to exist or perish,because it cannot realise its existence;but to a soul in which the ivine spark

of intelligence coming from the sixth principle has kin le consciousness and sensation,its surroun ing

con itions will be of importance,because it realises them more or less fully according to the egree of its

consciousness.Such surroun ings,in the state after eath,each man creates for himself uring life by

his thoughts,his words,an his acts.Man is creating all his life the world wherein he will live in the

hereafter.

Thought is substantial and objective to those who live on the plane of thought.Even on the physical

plane [Page 191 ] every form that exists is materialise thought,grown or ma e into a form;the world of the

souls is a world in which thought itself appears material and soli to those who exist in that world .Man is

a centre from which continually thought is evolve ,an crystallises into forms in that world .His thoughts

are things that have life and form and tenacity;real entities,soli and more en uring thand the forms of

the physical plane.Goo thoughts are light and rise above us,but evil thoughts are heavy and sink.The

world below us to which they sink is the sphere of the grossest,most isease ,an sensual thoughts

evolve by evil-dispose and ignorant men.It is a world still more material and soli to its inhabitants

than ours is to us;it is the habitation of man-create personal eities,evils,an monstrosities invente

by the morbi imagination of man.

They are only the pro ucts of thoughts,but nevertheless they are relatively real and substantial to those

who live among them and realise their existence.The myths of hell and purgatory are base on ill-

un erstoo facts."Hells ”exist,but man is himself their creator.Brutal man creates monsters by the

working of his isease imagination uring life;isembo ie man will be attracte to its creations.There

are few persons who are not subject to evil thoughts;such thoughts are the reflex of the luri light from

the region of folly,but they cannot take form unless we give them form by welling on them and fee ing

them with the substance of our own will.Love is the life of the goo ,malice the substance of evil.An evil

thought,evolve without consent of the heart,is without life;an evil thought,brought into existence with

malice,becomes malicious and living.If it is embo ie in and act,a new evil will be born into the world .

The horrors of hell exist only for those who have been conscious,voluntary,an malicious colaborers of

the imagination,peopling the min with the pro ucts of fancy;the beauties of heaven are only realise by

him who has create a heaven within himself uring his life.

Pain is only cause if a being exists un er abnormal con itions.Allegorically speaking,evils o not

suffer [Page 192 ] in hell,because they are there in their own natural element;they woul suffer if they ha

to enter into heaven.A man suffers if his hea is kept un er water:a fish suffers if he is taken out of the

water.

We can only be conscious of the existence of things,if a relation exists between ourselves and these

things.A person who has create nothing uring life that coul have establishe a conscious relationship

with his immortal self will have nothing immortal with which to remain in relation with after eath.If his

whole attention is taken up by his physical wants,the sphere of his consciousness uring life will be

confine to those material wants.When he leaves his material habitation material wants will no longer

exist for him,an his consciousness of them ceases.Having create nothing in his soul that can enter

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into relation with his own spirit,his soul will neither lose that which it never possesse nor gain that which

it never esire ,but remain a blank.Death will clear away that which hin ers our spiritual perception of

truth;but it cannot enable us to evelop that power.If we hire a priest or a professor to o our thinking for

us,an to be guardian of our knowle ge and spiritual aspirations,we create no spiritual aspirations or

living thoughts for ourselves.If we are contente to live in the opinions of others,we have no truth of our

own.The artificial consciousness,which has thus been create by the illusive reflection of the thought of

others on the mirror of the in ivi ual min ,has no roots in the spiritual soul,an mere opinions have no

immortal existence.Those min s which have been fe on illusions will have no substance after the

illusions have passe away.The only knowle ge which can remain with the soul is that which it loves an

knows and is itself .

Whatever thou lovest,man,that too,become you must,

Go ,if thou lovest Go ;– ust,if thou lovest ust ”.

-Angel s Silesi s .

Every cause is followe by and effect.Illusions that have been create in the min are forces that must

become exhauste before they can ie.They will continue to act in the subjective state and pro uce

[Page 193 ] other illusions by the law of harmony that governs the association of ideas ,an all illusions will

en in the sphere to which they belong.Selfish esires will en in the sphere of self,unselfish aspirations

an thoughts will bring their own rewards if they were goo ,and their own punishment if they were evil.

But after all the goo and evil thoughts have been exhauste in Kama loca and Devachan ,there can be

left nothing of the in ivi ual but the self-consciousness of his spirit,that existe uring his life in the

innermost sanctuary of his heart.If no such consciousness existe ,if there was nothing in him to cause

him to feel his own ivine nature,the presence of truth,there will be nothing left but a blank,an empty

min ,to become reincarnate for the purpose of trying again to attain the knowle ge of self.Death is a

transformation or change of con itions un er which we exist.Our esires for things change as the

con itions un er which we exist assume a different character.Before we are born our state of life

epen s on the state of the mother's womb;but having been born into the world ,we care nothing more

for that which furnishe us with nutriment and life uring our foetal existence.Being infants,our interests

are centre upon the breasts of the mother,but these breasts are forgotten after we nee them no more.

Things which absorbe the whole of our consciousness uring our youth are iscar e as we grow ol er.

If we throw off the physical bo y,the esire for that which was attractive to it and important for its

existence is thrown off with it,or perishes soon afterwards.

But if the soul again approaches the material plane,an again enters into relationship with it,the ol

consciousness and the ol esires,that were gone to sleep,reawaken,an its physical sensations

return,but vanish again after the influence of the medium is with rawn.The "Elementary ” then relapses

in his unconscious state.[The non-remembering of previous appearances is and essential feature in

returning ghosts.]

There are innumerable varieties of con itions and possibilities in the world of spirit and on the astral

plane,as there are upon the physical plane.If the min [Page 194 ] begins to investigate these things

separately,an without un erstan ing the fun amental laws of nature upon which such phenomena are

base ,it may as well espair of ever being able to form a correct conception of them.If a botanist were

to examine separately each one of the thousan s of leaves of a large tree which he has never seen,for

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the purpose of fin ing out the true nature of that tree,he woul never arrive at and en ;but if he once

knows the tree as a whole,the colour and shape of the in ivi ual leaves will be of secon ary importance.

If we once arrive at a correct conception of the spiritual nature of man,it will be easy to follow the various

ramifications of the one universal law.

There is no eath for that which is perfect,but the imperfect must perish sooner or later.So-calle eath

is simply a process of elimination of that which is useless.In this sense we all are continually ying every

ay,an even wishing to ie,because every reasonable person esires to get ri of his imperfections

and their consequences and the sufferings which they cause.No one is afrai to lose that which he oes

not want,an if he clings to that which is useless,it is because he is unconscious and ignorant of that

which is useful.In such a case he is alrea y partly ea to that which is goo ,an must come to life an

learn to realise that which is useful,by ying to that which is useless.This is the so-calle mystic death ,

by which the enlightene come to life,which involves the unconsciousness of worthless and earthly

esires and passions,an establishes a consciousness of that which is immortal and true.The reason

why men and women are sometimes afrai to ie is because they mistake the low for the high,an

prefer material illusions to spiritual truths.We ought not to live in the fear of eath;but in the hope of

coming to life.There is no eath for the perfect,and the ea in life must throw away their imperfectness,

so that,that which is perfect in him may become conscious and live.This mystic eath is recommen e

by the wise as being the supreme reme y against real eath.This mystic eath is a spiritual

regeneration.[ John iii.3.] [Page 195 ]

Hermes Trismegistus says:"Happy is he whose vices ie before him";and the great teacher Thomas e

Kempis writes:"Learn to ie now to the world "(to the attractions of matter),"so that you may begin to live

with Christ ” ;an Angel s Silesi s writes:"Christ rose not from the ea ,he is still in the grave for those

who o not know him ” .The true and only saviour of every man or woman is the self-knowle ge of ivine

truth.

A person whose vices have ie uring his earthly life oes not nee to ie again.His si ereal bo y will

issolve like a silver clou ,being unconscious of any esires for that which is low,an his spirit will be

fully conscious of that which is beautiful,harmonious,an true;but he,whose conscience is centre in

the passions that have rage in his soul uring life,can realise nothing higher than that which was the

highest to him uring his life,an cannot gain any other consciousness by the process of eath.Physical

eath is no gain,it cannot give us that which we o not alrea y possess.Unconsciousness cannot confer

consciousness,ignorance cannot give knowle ge.By the mystic death we arrive at life an

consciousness,knowle ge and happiness,because the awaking of the higher elements to life implies the

eath of that which is useless and low."Neither circumcision nor un-circumcision availeth,but a new

creature ” .[Galat.vi.15.]

There are Esprits so ffrants ,our suffering souls.They are the "revenants ”or "restants ” ,the astral bo ies

of victims of premature eath,whose physical forms have perishe before their time.They remain within

the attraction of the Earth until the time arrives that shoul have been the termination of their physical

lives accor ing to the law of their Karma.They are un er normal con itions,not fully conscious of the

con itions in which they exist;but they may be temporarily stimulate into life by the influence of

mediumship.Then will their half-forgotten esires and memories return and cause them to suffer.To

rouse such existences from their stupor into a realisation of pain for the [Page 196 ] purpose of gratifying

i le curiosity is cruel,an very injurious to such irrational souls,as it reawakens their thirst for life and for

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the gratification of earthly esires.

The soul of the same suici e,however,or that of a malicious person,may be fully conscious and realise

the situation in which it is place .Such sha ows wan er about earth,clinging to material life,an vainly

trying to escape the issolution by which they are threatene .Partly bereft of reason,an following their

animal instincts,they may become Incubi and S ccubi,Vampires stealing life from the living to prolong

their own existence,regardless of the fate of their victims.The soul-bo ies of the ea may be either

unconsciously or consciously attracte to mediums for the purpose of communicating with the living.By

using the astral emanations of the medium they sometimes become materialise ,visibly and tangibly,

an appear like the ecease person himself.But if a ecease person was in possession of high

aspirations and virtues,his soul-corpse will not be the actual entity which it represents,although it may

act in some respect as the person whose mask it wears.If one blows into a trumpet it will give the soun

of a trumpet and no other.The soul-corpse of a goo person,if infuse artificially with life,will pro uce

the thoughts it use to pro uce uring life;but there nee s to be no more of the i entity of that person in

the corpse thand there is the i entity of a frien in a phonograph.

The revelations ma e by such "spirits ”are the echoes of their former thoughts,or of thoughts impresse

upon them by the living,as a mirror reflects the faces of those that stan before it.They o not give us a

true escription of the spirit's con ition in the world of souls,because they are themselves ignorant of

that con ition.At the time when Plato was living,such souls returne ,giving escriptions of Ha es and of

the eities that were believe to exist in that place.At the present ay the souls of Roman Catholics will

return and ask for masses to be relieve from purgatory,while the Protestants refuse to be benefite by

the ceremonies [Page 197 ] of the Catholic Church.The souls of ea Hin us ask sometimes for the

performance of sacrifices to their go s,an every such "spirit ”is omineere by those ideas  in which he

believe uring his life.The iscrepancy in their reports prove that their tales are only the pro ucts of the

imagination of the irrational soul.[We o not eny the occurrence of so-calle spiritual phenomena;an

we are not oppose to "spiritualism ” ;but we are oppose to the misun erstan ing of it.We believe in

Spiritualism as belonging to the epartment of natural science and as having been very useful in

overthrowing the blin materialism of the past.We also make a istinction between Spirit alism which

implies Spirit ality and ennobling elevation of soul and Spiritism ,which consists in ealing with the

inhabitants of the Astral plane,an intercourse whose angers are unfortunately not sufficiently known.]

If man has a "spirit ” that spirit must be immortal,but a man is not immortal if he oes not realise the

presence of the immortal spirit in him.Having become conscious in man,it cannot become unconscious

again,because it is self-existent and independent of all con itions but those which it creates itself.In him

who IS,the consciousness of the I Am is in estructible,because it exists in the absolute eternal One .If

that consciousness were to perish,the world woul perish with it,because in the consciousness of the I

Am the world came into existence,an by its power oes it continue to exist.Its consciousness uphol s

the world ,its unconsciousness woul be annihilation,but that which not truly IS cannot have the true

consciousness of being;it may at best fancy to be.It exists;but as and illusion and not in truth.The object

of man's life is to become conscious that He is – not and illusive personal form – but and impersonal,

immortal reality,to ren er the unconscious spirit conscious and enable the immortal soul to realise its

own immortality;the object of eath is to release that which is conscious from that which is unconscious,

an to free the immortal from the bon s of matter.

The tree of life grows and pro uces a see ,an this see has to be plante again,to grow into a tree

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an pro uce another see ,an this process will have to be [Page 198 ] repeate over and over again,until

at last the soul slumbering in the see awakens to the realisation of its immortal life.Unconscious of any

relation to personalities,unconscious of its own self,it will be attracte to such con itions as may be best

suite for its further evelopment,as its Karma eci es.It will be attracte to oversha ow a man whose

moral and intellectual ten encies and qualities correspon to its own,careless whether it enters the worl

as a new-born babe through the oor of the hut of a beggar or through the palace of a king.It oes not

care for its future con itions,because it is unconscious of their existence.The unconscious spiritual

mona ,escen ing into the lower plane,gathering again the elements which belonge to the previous

man of earth,buil ing again the thought-bo y which it ha create in former lives and which constitute

its terrestrial character,an entering again into connection with a human physical organism,is born once

more into the world of sorrow,buil s up the house of flesh,an takes up once more the battle with life,

the strife with its lower nature,to make a step forward and come nearer to Go .

Thus a man that reigne as a king in a former incarnation may be reborn as a beggar,if his character

was that of a beggar;an a liberal beggar may create as his future successor a king or a being of noble

birth.Both act without free om of choice at the time of their visit to the Earth,following unconsciously

their Karma.But the A ept,who knows his own real self and has learne to realise his immortal

existence,will be his own master.He has grown above the sense of personality,and thereby gaine

immortal consciousness uring his earthly life.He has thrown away his lower self,an eath cannot rob

him of that which he no longer possesses and to which he attaches no value.Being conscious of his

existence and of the con itions un er which he exists,he may follow his own choice in the selection of a

bo y,if he chooses to reincarnate,either for the benefit of humanity or for his own progression.Having

entirely overcome the attractions of Earth,he is truly free.He is ea and unconscious to all earthly [Page

199 ] temptations,but conscious of the highest happiness attainable by man.The elusion of the senses

can fashion for him no other tabernacle to imprison his soul,an before him lies open the roa to eternal

rest in Nirvana.[

But now,thou buil er of the tabernacle,thou !

I know thee!Never shalt thou buil again

These walls of pain,

Nor raise the roof-tree of eceits,nor lay

Fresh rafters on the clay.

Broken thy house is,and the ri ge-pole split I

Delusion fashione it.

Save pass I thence.Deliverance to obtain.

E win Arnol :"The Light of Asia ”.]

If a person has once attaine spiritual self-knowle ge he will not nee to follow the blin law of attraction,

but he will be able to choose the bo y and the con itions most suitable to him.He may then reincarnate

himself in the bo y of a chil ,or in the bo y of a grown person,whose soul has been separate by

isease or acci ent from the bo y,an that person will thus be brought to life again,if no vital organ is

too seriously injure ,to carry on the functions of life again.Cases are known in which a certain person

apparently ie ,an finally came to life again,when from that time he appeare to be and entirely different

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man;he may have ie as a ruffian and after his recovery become su enly like a saint,so that such a

su en change appeare inexplicable on any other theory than that and entirely different character ha

taken possession of his bo y.Such people may,after their recovery takes place,speak a language they

never learne ,talk familiarly of things they never saw;call people by their names,of which they never

heard,know all about places,where their physical bo ies never have been,etc.,etc.If phenomena coul

prove anything,such occurrences might go to prove the theory of the reincarnation of living a epts.

"Shall we know our love ones after eath ?”is a question which is often aske ,an which answers itself

if the true nature of the "Ego ”is known.In all planes rules the law of harmony,an like is attracte to like;

but and illusion can only know illusions.We o not [Page 200 ] know each other in this life,if we have not the

knowle ge of our own self.

He who,having become self-conscious of his own spiritual nature,knows his own real self,may rise up

in his soul to the planes of the blesse ,an by entering their in ivi ual spheres join their own happiness

an partake of their joys;but the souls reaming in heaven,being immerse in bliss,o not escen an

join in the circus of life,before the time of their reincarnation arrives.Such a escent woul be

egra ation.Heaven oes not escen to earth;but if earth ascen s to heaven it becomes heaven itself.

To ie is to become unconscious in relation to certain things.If we become unconscious of a lower state,

and thereby become conscious of a higher existence,such a change cannot properly be calle eath.If

we become unconscious of a higher con ition,and thereby enter a lower one,such a change is followe

by egra ation,and therefore egra ation is the only eath to be feare .Degra ation takes place if a

human faculty is employe for a lower purpose than that for which it was by nature inten e .Degra ation

of the most vulgar,the lowest material type takes place,if the organs of the physical bo y are use for

villainous purposes,an isease,atrophy,an eath are the common result.A higher and still more

etrimental and lasting egra ation takes place if the intellectual faculties are habitually use for selfish

an egra ing purposes.In such cases the intellect,that ought to serve as a basis for spiritual

aspirations,becomes merge with matter,its consciousness is boun own to the plane of materiality

an selfishness,an becomes inactive in the region of spirituality.The lowest and most en uring

egra ation takes place if man,having reache a state in which his personality has,to a certain extent,

merge with his impersonal I ,egra es his spiritual self by employing the powers which such an

amalgamation confers for villainous purposes of a low character.Such are the practices of black magic .A

person who,for want of any better un erstan ing,employs his intellectual faculties for his own selfish

purposes,regardless of the [Page 201 ] principle of justice,is not necessarily a villain,but simply a fool.

The mur erer may commit a mur er to save himself from being iscovere of some crime,an not for

the purpose of robbing another person of life.A thief may steal a purse for the purpose of enriching

himself,an not for the purpose of ren ering another man poor.Such acts are the result of ignorance;

persons usually act evil for selfish purposes and not for the pure love of evil.Such acts are the result of

personal feelings,an personal feelings cease to exist when the personality to which they belong ceases

to exist.Such a personal existence ceases when his life on the lower plane ceases to act.The higher

spiritual I of the man is neither a gainer nor loser on such and occasion,it remains the same as it was

before the compoun of forces representing the late personality was born.

The real villain,however,is he who performs evil for the love of evil without personal consi erations.A

person who is no more influence by his sense of personality,an has attaine spiritual knowle ge,is a

magician.Those who employ such a power for the purposes of evil have been calle black magicians or

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Brothers of the Shadow ,in the same sense as those who employ their spiritual powers for goo

purposes have been calle Brothers of Light .The white magician is a spiritual power for goo ;the real

black magician is a living power of evil attache to a personality that performs evil instinctively and for the

love of evil itself.This power of evil may kill the man or the animal that never offen e it,an by whose

eath it has nothing to gain,estroys for the love of estruction,causes suffering without expecting any

benefit for itself,robs to throw away the spoils,revels in torture and eath.Such and in ivi ual attracts

an calls to its ai other impersonal evil powers,which become a part of it,an which continue to exist

after the personality ceases to live on the physical plane.Many incarnations may be nee e before such

a power will come into existence,but when it once lives it will perish as slow as it grew."Angels ” ,as well

as "evils ” ,are born into the world ,an chil ren with villainous propensities and malicious characters are

not [Page 202 ] very rare.They are the pro ucts of such forces as in former incarnations have evelope a

spiritual consciousness in the irection of evil.

A power which may be employe for a goo purpose,can also be use for and evil purpose.If we can by

magnetism ecrease the rapi ity of the pulse of a fever-patient,we may also ecrease it to such an

extent,that the subject ceases to live.If we can force a person by our will to perform a goo act,we may

also force him to commit a crime.Everything is either goo or evil according to the purpose for which it is

use .

It is unnecessary to enter into etails in regard to the practices of Black Magic and Sorcery.It is more

noble and useful to stu y how we can benefit mankin than to satisfy our curiosity in regard to the

powers for evil.To show to what aberrations of min a craving for the power of working black magic may

lea ,it may be mentione that the woul -be black magician and great vivisector,Gilles de Rays,

marιchal of France,an better known as "Blue Beard ” ,who was execute for his crimes at Nantes,kille

an torture to eath uring a few years not less than one hun re and sixty women and chil ren in the

interest of his science,an for the purpose of gratifying his curiosity in regar to Black Magic.

The white magician elights in oing goo ,the servant of the black art revels in cruelty.The former co-

operates with the Divine Spirit of Wis om,the latter co-operates with certain spiritual forces of nature;the

former will be exalte in Go and unite with him;the latter will ultimately be absorbe by the beings with

which he has associate and which he calle to his ai .

To ennoble our character and to raise our consciousness into the spiritual plane is to live;to let it sink to a

lower level is to ie.The natural order of the universe is that the high shoul elevate the low;but if the

high is ma e to serve the low,egra ation is the result.Everywhere in the workshop of nature the high

acts upon the low by the power of the highest.The highest itself cannot be egra e .Truth itself cannot

be turne into falsehoo ,it can only be rejecte or misapplie .Reason itself cannot be ren ere foolish,

it can only be [Page 203 ] misuse by reasoning foolishly.The universal and impersonal cannot itself

become limite ,it can only come into contact with such personalities as are able to approach it.The Law

oes not suffer by breaking its connection with the form,the form alone suffers and ies.

The truth is everywhere,seeking to manifest itself in the consciousness of man.Man's consciousness

rotates between the two poles of goo and evil,of spirit and matter.The omnipresent influence of the

great spiritual Sun ren ers him strong to overcome the attraction of matter,an assists him to come

victorious out of the struggle with evil.Man is not entirely free as long as he is not in possession of

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perfect knowle ge,which means,realisation of truth;but he is free to allow himself to be attracte by a

love for the truth or to close his oor against it.He may become unite with the principle of wisdom,or he

may sever his connection with it and sell his inherite rights to immortality for a comparatively worthless

mess of pottage.The Centaur in his nature,whose lower principles are animal,while the upper parts are

possesse of Intellect,may carry away his spiritual aspirations and lull them into unconsciousness by the

music of its illusions.

Bo ies may be comparatively long-live ,an some forms,compare with others,may be very en uring;

but there is nothing permanent but the self-consciousness of love and the self-consciousness of hate.

Love is light,an hate isdarkness,an in the en love will conquer hate,becausedarkness cannot

estroy light,an wherever light penetrates intodarkness,there will love conquer,an evil anddarkness

will isappear.[Page 204 ]

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CHAPTER IX

TRANSFORMATIONS

“Be ye transforme by the renewing of your min ”.-Rom.xii.2.

THE Universe is a manifestation of Divine Wisdom and thought is and action of Min .The Min in which

Wisdom can bring and universe into existence must be and Universal Min ,embracing in its totality all the

in ivi ual min s that ever existe ,an containing the germs of everything that will ever come into

existence.Ideas  are states of min ,and the thoughts of the Universal Min store up in the Astral Light,

after their representative forms have issolve ,grow again into visible forms,by being clothe with

matter.Man remembers his thoughts;that is to say,he enters again into one of his previous mental

states.To remember a thing is to rea it in the min .The Astral Light is the book of memory,in which

every thought is engrave and every event recorde ,and the more intense the thought the eeper will it

be engrave ,and the longer will the picture remain.Thought is a force,an its pro ucts remain in the

Astral Light long after the person who gave them form has cease to live.As the images of things which

exist in the Astral Light remain there for ages,they may be seen by the clairvoyant.Such images are

forme of thought,an as [Page 205 ] thought is something substantial,it is even possible for the Occultist

to repro uce books,writings,etc.,which have existe thousan s of years ago.Men o not create

thought;the ideas  existing in the Astral Light flow into their min s,and there they transform themselves

into other shapes,combining with other ideas ,consciously or unconsciously,accor ing to the laws that

control the correlations,interrelations,an associations of thought.A great min can grasp a great i ea,

a narrow min is only capable of hol ing narrow ideas .Thoughts are existing things and are sometimes

graspe contemporaneously by several receptive min s.Some great iscoveries have been ma e

almost simultaneously by several min s.[There are three claimants for the iscovery of chloroform,two

for the iscovery of Uranus,two for the Bell telephone,etc..] Ideas  containe in the imagination of nature

throw their reflections upon the min s of men,an ,according to the capacities of the latter to receive

ideas ,they come to their consciousness,clear or istorte ,plain or sha owy,like images of pictures

reflecte in living mirrors,that are either clear or ren ere im by the accumulation of ust.In those living

mirrors they are remo ele and transforme into new pictures,to people the currents of the Astral Light

with new images,an to give rise to new forms of thought.Therefore a spiritually strong person who lives

in solitu e and silence may o a great work,by evolving ideas ,which will remain impresse upon the

Astral Light and come to the cognisance of those who are capable to grasp them.The thoughts of men

impress themselves upon the Astral Light,an every event that takes place on the physical plane is

recorde in the memory of nature.Every stone,every plant,every animal as well as every man,has a

sphere in which is recorde every event of its existence.They all have a little world of their own,ma e of

thought,an whenever they move,they think ;for their motions are motions of thought.In the Astral Light

of each is store up every event of its past history,[Page 206 ] and of the history of its surroun ings;so that

everything,no matter how insignificant it may be,can give and account of its aily life,from the beginning

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of its existence as to form up to the present,to him who is able to rea .A piece of lava from Pompeii will

give to the Psychometer a true escription of the volcanic eruption that evastate that town and burie It

un er its ashes,where it remaine hi en for nearly two thousan years;a floating timber carrie by the

Gulf Stream to the far North can give to the inhabitants of the North a true picture of tropical life;an a

piece of bone of a Mastodon teach the vegetable and animal life of ante iluvian perio s.[ Prof.Wm.

Denton:“Soul of Things ” .]The pictures impresse in the Astral Light react upon the mental spheres of

in ivi ual min s and can create in them emotional isturbances,even if these pictures o not come to

the full consciousness of their min s.Dee s committe with a great concentration of thought call living

powers in the Astral Light into existence,tempting others to commit similar acts.[A case is known,for

instance,in which a prisoner hung himself in his cell,an several other persons that were successively

shut up in the same cell hung themselves also without any apparent cause.At another place a sentinel

kille himself at his post,an several sol iers mounting guard after him i likewise,so that the post ha

to be eserte .Many similar examples may be cite .Crimes of a certain character often become

epi emic in places where a criminal has been execute ;murder becomes epi emic like measles or

scarlatina.]

Man oes not know the influences which cause him to think and to act,as long as he oes not know his

own nature.He is therefore not a responsible being,except to the extent of his wisdom and power to

control his own nature.Wisdom and strength can only be attaine in life by experience and by the

exercise of the power of overcoming temptation.If the true nature of the constitution of man were properly

un erstoo ,capital p nishment woul soon be aban one as perfectly useless,unjust,an contrary to

the law of nature.That which commits a murder or any other crime is a conscious and invisible power,

[Page 207 ] which cannot be kille and which oes not improve in character by being separate from its

external form.The bo y is innocent,it is merely and instrument in the han s of the invisible culprit,the

astral man .The face of even a criminal bears and expression of peace when the soul has eparte .By

severing the bon s between this vicious power and the physical form,we o not change its ten ency to

act evil;but while uring the life of the bo y the action of that power was restricte to only one form,

having been liberate ,it now incites numerous other weak-min e people to perform the same crimes for

which the bo y was execute .Thus by capital p nishment evil is not abolishe ,but its sphere of action

increase .As far as the theory of influencing other woul -be criminals with fear,my making and example

of one,an thus to prevent others from committing crimes,is concerne ;it is well known that criminals

o not look upon any punishment as being something which they have eserve for their ee s,but as

being a consequence of having been so careless as to allow themselves to be caught,and they usually

make up their min s,that if they were permitte to escape,they woul be more careful – not to be caught

again.Life is a school through which everyone must pass for the purpose of acquiring experience,

strength of character,an self-knowle ge.To rob a person of this opportunity is a great crime if it is one

knowingly.The fool who kills another man has little responsibility,because he has no actual knowle ge of

the nature of his ee ;but the lawgiver who institutes legal murder is the true criminal .A lock of hair,a

piece of clothing,the han writing of a person or any article he may have touche ,han le ,or worn,can

in icate to and intuitive min that person's state of health,his physical,emotional,intellectual,an moral

attributes and qualifications.The picture of a mur erer may be impresse on the retina of his victim,an

repro uce by means of photography;it is impresse on all the surroun ings of the place where the

ee occurre ,an cand there be etecte by the psychometer who,thus coming en rapport with the

criminal,can follow [Page 208 ] him and hunt him own just as the bloo houn traces the steps of a fugitive

slave.[Emma Hardinge Britten:“Ghost Lan ” .The case cite in this book,in which a clairvoyant followe

the tracks of a mur erer through several towns and caught him at last,is quote in several German

publications of the last century.]This ten ency of the Astral Light to inhere in material bo ies gives

amulets their power and invests keep-sakes and relics with certain occult properties.A ring,a lock of hair,

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or a letter from a frien ,can not only conjure up that frien 's picture in a person's memory,but bring him

en rapport with the peculiar mental state of which that person was or is a representation.If you wish to

forget a person,or free yourself from his magnetic attraction,part from everything that remin s you of

him,or select only such articles as call up isagreeable memories and are therefore repulsive.Articles

belonging to a person bring us in sympathy with that person,an this circumstance is sometimes use

for purposes of black magic.Paracelsus in his writings about the Mumia and the transplantation of

iseases gives many illustrations of this theory.The existence of a power,by which a isease may be

transferre upon a healthy person,even in “non-contagious ”cases,by means of some article belonging

to the sick person,is generally believe in by the people in various countries.It must,however,be

remembere that in making such experiments the successdepends on the amount of “faith ”which the

magician can employ.Without that faith,which is soul knowle ge,nothing can be accomplishe in any

epartment of life.As every form is the representation of a certain mental state,every object has such

attributes as always belong to that state,and therefore every substance has its sympathies and its

antipathies;the loa stone attracts iron,an iron the oxygen of the air;hygroscopic bo ies attract water,

affinities exist between certain bo ies,some substances change their colours un er certain coloure

rays,while others remain unaffecte ,etc..These phenomena are all nothing else but the various

manifestations [Page 209 ] of the One Life ,in which the principle of Love is active and seeks to unite

whatever is harmonious.Every material object is con ense and soli ifie force.Looke at in this light,it

oes not seem impossible that the ancients shoul have attribute certain virtues to certain precious

stones,an believe that the Garnet was con ucive to joy,the Chalce ony to courage,the Topaz

promoting chastity,the Amethyst assisting reason,and the Sapphire intuition.A spiritual force,to be

effective,requires a sensitive object to act upon.In and age which ten s to extreme materialism,spiritual

influence ceases to be perceive ,but if a person cannot feel the occult influences of nature,it oes not

necessarily follow that they o not exist,an that there are not others able to perceive them because

their impressional capacities are greater.

Only the fool believes that he knows everything.What is really known is only like a grain of san on the

shore of the ocean in comparison to what is still unknown.Physiologists know that certain plants an

chemicals have certain powers,and they explain their effects.They know that Digitalis ecreases the

quickness of the pulse by paralysing the heart;that Bella onna ilates the pupil by paralysing the

muscular fibres of the Iris;that Opium in small oses pro uces sleep by causing anaemia of the brain,

while large oses pro uce coma by causing congestion,etc.;but why these substances have such

effects,or why some chemical compoun of Nitrogen,Oxygen,Carbon,an Hy rogen is poisonous in

one chemical combination,while the same substances,if combine in a different stoechiometrical

proportion,may be use as foo ,neither chemistry nor physiology can tell us at present.If we,however,

look upon all forms as symbols of mental states,it will not be more ifficult to imagine why strychnine is

poisonous,than why hate can kill,or fear paralyse the heart .A simple i ea which is once firmly roote in

the min cannot be change .If and i ea is complicate it is less ifficult to mo ify it in its etails,so that

gra ually and entirely different compoun will be the [Page 210 ] result.In physical chemistry the law is

analogous.Compoun bo ies may be easily change into other combinations,but single bo ies cannot

be change .There are,however,in ications that even these so-calle single bo ies are the results of

combinations of still more primitive elements.It has been observe that when lightning has struck gil e

ornaments they have become blackene ,an it has been foun ,on analysing the blackene matter,that

the presence of sulphur was istinctly in icate .Unless sulphur exists in the lightning it must have

existe in the gol ,an have been evolve by the action of lightning.We may then fairly assume that

gol contains the elements of sulphur,an this is no anomaly in the case of gol ,as other metals have

also been prove to contain the elements of sulphur,[Davi Low,F.R.S,E:“Simple Bo ies in Chemistry ”.]

and the reams of physical Alchemy may have some foun ation,after all.But sulphur is suppose to be

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relate to nitrogen,and the elements of nitrogen are believe to be hy rogen and carbon,an if we go

still further,we fin that even on the physical plane all bo ies are only mo ifications of one primordial

element,which is not of a sufficiently material nature to be etecte by physical means,an that in this

primordial element the germs of all other secon ary principles must be containe .The power to receive,

preserve,an transform ideas ,is the power of Will and Imagination.If and i ea enters into the min ,the

imagination clothes it into a form,with or without a conscious exercise of the will.We step upon a piece

of rope in the ark and imme iately imagine that we have steppe upon a snake.This is calle passive

imagination ;while,if we etermine to give a certain form to and i ea,it is calle active imagination ;but in

both cases the will is active;only in the former instance it is exercise instinctively,an in the latter this is

one with intent and eliberation.The will is,therefore,the active power,an it forms the basis of all

artistic and magical.operations.[Page 211 ] Art and magic are closely relate together;both give objective

form to subjective ideas .The artist exercises this power when he mentally projects the picture forme in

his min upon the canvas and chains it there by the use of his pencil or brush;the sculptor shapes the

picture of a form on his min and embo ies it in the marble.He then employs mechanical force to free

the ideal from all that is foreign to it,an raises it from the tomb,a materialisation of thought.In the

regeneration of mand the will is entirely inactive as far as the creation of and ideal is concerne ;but it is

highly active in keeping away all the influences which will prevent the realisation of the ideal.Go oes

not nee the co-operation of man,his will alone is sufficient;he only requires that the will of man shall not

prevent him in the performance of his work.The magician forms and image on his min and makes it

perceptible to others by projecting it into their mental spheres.Uniting his own mental sphere with theirs,

they are ma e to participate of his imagination,and they see that as a reality what he chooses to fancy

an think.By this law many of the feats performe by In ian fakirs can be explaine .They cause tigers

an elephants to appear before a multitu e,by forming the images of such things in the sphere of their

min .What the spectators see on such occasions is nothing else but the thoughts of the conjuror,

ren ere objective and visible by the latter.[The fact,that what the spectators on such occasions believe

to see oes not actually take place,has been prove by means of photography.]In the case of and artist

mechanical labour executes the work;in the case of a magician,the will;but the greatest amount of

labour will not enable a person who is not and artist to pro uce a real work of art,and the greatest

concentration of thought will not enable a person who has no spiritual power to perform a true magical

feat.The “will ”to which we refer is a spiritual self-conscious power,unknown to mo ern psychology.A

person may be and excellent anatomist and know nothing whatever about living spiritual [Page 212 ]

principles;he may be a splen i chemist and know nothing whatever about Alchemy;he may have

perfect control over the mechanical forces of nature acting on the physical plane and know nothing

whatever about the chemistry of the soul.For this reason the mysteries of Alchemy will for ever remain

mysteries to a scientist who has no spiritual power at his comman .This spiritual power is the spiritual

will.Without this power he can only separate the substances of compoun bo ies and recombine them

again as is one in Chemistry,but not employ the principle of life.The processes of nature are alchemical

processes;because,without the principle of life acting upon the chemical substances of the earth,no

growth woul result.If the force of attraction and repulsion were entirely equal,everything woul be at a

stan still.If growth and ecay woul go han in han ,nothing coul grow,because a cell woul begin to

ecay as soon as it woul begin to form.The chemist may take earth,an water,an air,an separate

them into their constituent elements,an recombine them again,an at the en of his work he will be

where he began.But the Alchemy of nature takes water,an earth,an air,an infuses into them the fire

of life,forming them into trees and pro ucing flowers and fruits.Nature coul not give her life-imparting

influence to her chil ren if she i not possess it;the chemist,having no life-principle at his comman ,or

not knowing how to employ it,cannot perform the won ers of Alchemy.The reason why we have at

present very few alchemists,is because we have very few persons en owe with the life of the spirit.

There are three aspects of Alchemy.It eals with the physical substances of things,more especially with

their souls,an in its highest aspect with their spiritual centres.In its physical processes it requires

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physical means,an from the stu y of these mo ern chemistry has taken its rise.By the evelope

powers of his soul the Alchemist may act upon the souls of material substances,an if he can change

their qualities,the character of the physical form may be change .If the spiritual [Page 213 ] “fire ”is

awakene within him,he attains the spiritual powers require to act upon the inferior elements.An

insufficient egree of heat will not accomplish anything great:he must gra ually attain within himself the

fire of ivine love until he becomes himself the Salamander ,able to live in a light in which nothing impure

can exist.[H.P.Blavatsky says:“Everything in this world of effects is ma e up of three principles an

four aspects,each object has and objective exterior,a vital soul,an a ivine spark of spiritual fire.By

these principles nature acts,an in or er to imitate nature,Kriyasakti (the creative will)must be

evelope in man.This spiritual power is also calle the “Word ” ,of which it is written,that there is no

nee to seek it in istant places;“for it is close to yo ;it is in yo r mo th and in yo r heart ”.] Johannes

Tritheim says:“The Spirit s Mundi resembles a breath,appearing at first like a fog and afterwards

con ensing like water.This 'water'(A'kasa)was in the beginning perva e by the principle of life,an

light was awakene in it by the fiat of the eternal spirit.This spirit of light ,calle the soul of the world (the

Astral Light),is a spiritual substance,which can be ma e visible and tangible by art;it is a substance,but

being invisible,we call it spirit.This 'soul'or corp s is hi en in the centre of everything,an can be

extracte by means of the spiritual fire in man,which is i entical with the universal spiritual fire,

constituting the essence of nature and containing the images and figures of the Universal Min ”.

“This Light resi es in the Water and is hi en as a Seed in all things.Everything that originate from the

spirit of light is sustaine by it,and therefore this spirit is omnipresent;the whole of nature woul perish

an isappear if it were remove from it;it is the principi m of all things.[J.Tritheim:“Miraculosa ” ,Chap.

xiv.]

There were true Alchemists uring the Mi le Ages who knew how to extract that See from the soul-

essence of the world ,and there are some who have the power to perform that process to ay;but those

who o not possess that power will not be incline to a mit the possibility of such facts.“ It is and eternal

truth,that [Page 214 ] without our secret magical fire nothing can be accomplishe in our art.The ignorant

will not believe in it because they o not possess that fire,an without this all their labour is useless.

Without that fire spirits cannot be boun ,much less cand they be acte upon by material fire ” .[“I am the

Light and the Truth ” ;but he who spoke those words and speaks them still,cannot be ma e the servant of

those who are not themselves that Light ;nor can any “Christian Scientist ”turn himself into a Christ by

believing himself to be Christ.Real knowle ge is attaine by nothing less than experience.No one

becomes a Christ unless the Christ becomes reveale in him.]

Some of the more enlightene mo ern chemists o not eny the possibility that a metal may be

transforme into another;but the most serious objections ma e against the ancient Alchemists is that

their object was to make artificial material gol .Such objections are base upon and entire misconception

of alchemistical terms.The sole circumstance that certain planetary constellations in the microcosm were

of the utmost importance for the success of alchemical processes is sufficient to show that the

Alchemists experimente with the so ls of things,of which their material forms are only the external

representatives on the physical plane.Gol ,the purest and most incorruptible metal,represente Spirit,

Magnesia wisdom,an Calcinate Magnesia wisdom attaine through suffering.

Sulphur,Mercury,an Salt represent the trinity of all things,the fiery,watery,an material elements,an

have nothing to o with material substances.They are essentially one,but threefol in their

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manifestation.[ Here we are about to ivulge one of the secrets of Alchemy,the truth of which will,

however,be self-evi ent.On a prece ing page we have explaine that in every atom of the bo y of man

are containe all the principles which go to make up the whole organism of man,with all its organs an

functions;an likewise,in every atom of matter is containe a principle,which may grow into a whole

universe of matter with its great variety of substances.A principle cannot be change or transforme into

another.Principles are eternal.Only the mo e of their manifestation may be change .and the basis of all

material things,manifesting itself outwardly as iron or lea ,may.un er certain con itions,by changing

the ivine purpose of its existence be ma e to manifest itself as silver or gol .The Alchemist oes not

create any new substance,he merely gui es nature,an in uces her to grow “the seeds of minerals ” ,In

the same sense as a gardener assists nature to grow the see s of plants,an to evelop them into

flowers.The alchemists,therefore,say:“We cannot make gol out of anything which is not gol .To

make material gol ,we must have spiritual gol ;we can merely cause the spirItual gol which exists

alrea y to grow into a visible and material form.This process is taught by the science of Alchemy,but this

science is necessarily incomprehensible to him who has not arrive at that stage of spirit al knowledge ,

in which he can exercise a “spirit al will ” ,an a “spiritual will ”oes not exist in a man whose will is not

free of material or personal esires.As the gar ener puts the see into the groun ,an supplies it with

water and with the necessary temperature,likewise the Alchemist waters “the see s of the metals with

spiritual influences procee ing from his own ivine soul.If a true appreciation of these truths is arrive at,

it will at once remove Alchemy from the realm of superstition,an bring it within the limits of and exact

spirit al science .

To answer the question whether or not anyone ever succee e in making gol grow in this manner,we

wIll say that there is a German book in existence entitle ,“Collection of historical accounts regarding

some remarkable occurrences in the life of some still living A epts ” .It was printe In 1780;an among

many most interesting anec otes about successful attempts of “making gol grow,there are copies of the

legal ocuments and ecisions of the court at Leipzig in regard to a case where,uring the absence of

the Co nt of Erbach in the year 1715,an A ept visite the countess in the castle of Tankerstein ,an out

of gratitu e for and important service which ha been ren ere to him by the countess,he transforme all

the silver she ha into gol .When the count returne ,who,as it seems,kept his own property separate

from that of his wife,he claime that gol for himself,appealing to a certain statute of the law,accor ing

to which,treasures iscovere upon or below the surface of a certain piece of lan belong to the

proprietor of that territory;but the court eci e that as the material (the silver)out of which the gol ha

been ma e belonge legally to the countess,consequently this gol coul not be classifie as a hi en

treasure,an i not come within the reach of that statute.The count thereupon lost his case,an his

wife was permitte to keep the gol .

We have reasons to believe in the genuineness of these ocuments;an if looke at from the stan point

of Occultism,it oes not at all seem improbable that gol can be ma e in that manner.Moreover,we

have some personal experience to support our belief;for there live about ten years ago a person whose

name was Prestel ,within a short istance of the town where we are now writing,who was a repute

Rosicrucian and Alchemist.We personally knew this man,an are well acquainte with two of his still

living isciples.This man was generally known as and eccentric and mysterious person.He possesse

great powers of projecting the images forme in his own min upon the min s of others,so that they

believe to see things which,however,ha no objective existence.For instance he was once waylai by

an enemy,an as the latter bounce upon him,he cause him to see a terrible sight of a scaffol and an

executioner,so that the person was terrifie and ran away;an it was not Prestel who tol this story,but

the man himself who attacke him:the former kept silent about it.

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Now,this man was not a full-fle ge Alchemist,an coul not make gol and the Elixir of Life ,because,

as he sai ,he coul not fin a woman sufficiently p re and at the same time willing,to assist him in his

labours;for,it is known to all Alchemists,it requires the co-operation of the male and the female element

to accomplish the highest process.This person coul therefore not make pure gol ;but he coul change

the nature of metals so that they woul obtain certain chemical qualities,iffering from substances of the

same kin .He coul ,so to say ennoble metals,so that,for instance,Iron or Brass woul not rust if

expose to air and water;an we are now in possession of a Rosicrucian Cross ma e of brass,which,

although it is over twenty years ol ,an has been expose to salt-water air,an to climates where every

other inferior metal rusts,is still as bright as it has been when first receive ,an it never nee e any

cleaning or polishing.

This person also ha the power to cause combustible substances to become incombustible,an he

coul perform many of the alchemical processes escribe in the books of T.Tritheim ,abbot of Spanda .

He insiste that he coul have ma e himself to live a thousan years,if he ha foun a suitable person

to assist him in his alchemical work.] [Page 215 ]

The most important alchemical work is the generation of man;it requires not only the chemical

combination of physical substances,but involves the chemistry of the soul and an influence of the spirit,

an all must harmoniously act together,if a human being and not a human monster and mental

hom ncul s is to be the result.If [Page 216 ] the rules of Alchemy were better un erstoo and a here to,

scrofula,cancers,syphilis,tuberculosis,an other inherite iseases woul isappear,an a strong an

healthy generation of men and women woul be the result.

The great alembic in which the passions of men are purifie and transforme is the min .The true magic

fire,without which nothing useful can be accomplishe ,is his self-conscious love,in other words,spiritual

recognition [Page 217 ] of self.Man oes not create or originate a thought.Ideas  are alrea y in existence.

He oes not invent ideas ,the ideas  are alrea y present;he can only collect,elaborate,an mo ify their

expressions.We cannot imagine anything that oes not exist,we can only make new combinations of

that which is alrea y in existence.We may imagine a snake with the hea of a man,because snakes an

men o exist;but we cannot imagine the form of and inhabitant of the Sun,because we have no

conception of the forms that may be existing un er con itions of which we have no experience,an

which therefore o not exist for s.

If – as some mo ern physiologists believe – thoughts were a secretion of the brain,as the bile is a

secretion of the liver,a thought woul be lost as soon as it was expresse ,an we woul have to wait for

the brain to recuperate its power,an to form and secrete another one like it again before we coul have

twice the same thought.We woul have to be careful not to express our thought or impart our knowle ge

to others,as by oing so it woul be lost to ourselves.Verily,if we seek for absurdities,we nee not look

for them in ancient books on Alchemy,but fin them sufficiently represente in the works of mo ern

scientific authorities.

Thoughts and ideas  are entities,an exist independently of the perception of man;they o not nee man

for their existence,but man nee s them to enable him to think.Thoughts and ideas ,set in motion by the

Will,move through space;a thought set in motion in the Astral Ether resembles the expan ing ripples

upon the surface of a lake;a thought projecte to a certain estination by the power of and A ept may be

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compare to and electric current passing with lightning-velocity through space.Thoughts irecte towards

an object are like a mountain stream rushing towards that object,an if the wills of several persons

combine to irect it,it grows in extension and force,provi e their wills are single-min e and without

any secon ary esigns.[ This law is sai to be well known to certain “Jesuits ”an employe for the

purpose of influencing min s at a istance.] If a mountain stream strikes [Page 218 ] a rock,whose

resistance it cannot conquer and which it cannot pass,the waters will swell into a lake,evastating the

shore and surging back towards its source.If a thought-current cannot enter the sphere of min of the

in ivi ual towards whom it is irecte ,it reboun s upon the min of the in ivi ual from whom the impulse

came.A person who concentrates the full power of a malicious thought upon another may,if he fails to

succee ,be kille by the energy which he has calle into action.

An illustration of this law may be seen when a person ies of grief on account of isappointment.The ray

of force continually projecte by long and intense esire,unable to accomplish its purpose,returns to the

heart,pro ucing a su en revulsion of feeling;it changes love into grief,attraction into repulsion,esire

into contempt,it may cause sickness and eath.

Light travels through the air with a velocity of over 180,000 miles per secon ;thoughts pass with a similar

velocity through space.A ray of light is seen to flash through the air and is intercepte by some non-

con ucting material.An i ea flashes through space and is intercepte by a receptive min .A soun is

heard by and in efinite number of persons,an and i ea may affect the world .As a pebble thrown into

water pro uces concentric waves,which grow wi er and wi er,but less istinct as istance increases,so

a thought affects some person,an sprea ing from that centre creates a ripple in the family,the town,the

country,or all over the world .

A biogenesis of thought-infections and mental epi emics might be written.To such and investigation woul

belong the histories of all great reformations originating from some central i ea;also the history of the

crusa es,the flagellants,the inquisition,me ieval witchcraft,an mo ern materialism,and the

absurdities of fashion.

To give presupposes the ability to receive.The possibility to impress a thought upon another min

presupposes the ability of that min to receive that impression.A person who is sufficiently sensitive an

[Page 219 ] in a passive con ition,will without ifficulty be brought un er the control of the will of another,

an be ma e to act unconsciously in obe ience to that will.A sleeping person may be impresse with

such reams as another may call up in his imagination,by projecting a picture forme in his min into the

min of the sleeper;a person in a mesmeric trance may have his imagination i entifie with that of the

person who mesmerise him,an be ma e to comply implicitly with the will of the master.

We see in every ay life that one person subjects another one to his will and causes him to obey his

comman s without putting him to sleep,an even without expressly stating a wish.A general oes not

nee to hypnotise his sol iers to make them obey his orders.The ifference between such and obedient

person and one in the hypnotic sleep is merely that the former will not and the latter cannot resist.

An impulse create by the will continues until the energy is exhauste .If the first impulse is followe by a

series of others acting in the same irection,the effect will be correspon ingly greater,an one person

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may affect the thoughts of another at a istance of thousan s of miles by continually irecting his

thoughts upon him.

It woul be impossible to move inanimate bo ies at a istance by the mere power of will,if there were no

substantial contact between such objects and the person who attempts to move them.Nevertheless such

movements take place,an prove that there must be a contact of some kin ,even if it is and invisible one.

The A'kasa furnishes that contact,and the evelope will power of a person may act through the

substance of his soul upon the soul of the object,an set that object in motion.In this way tables may be

ma e to talk and bells be ma e to ring.This,however,cannot be accomplishe by everybo y;to

accomplish this and astral organism is require ,an it cand therefore be one only by such persons as

have their astral bo y evelope and are capable to use its organs at will.[ H.P.Blavatsky writes in a

private letter to the author:” I prove that all that mediums can o through “spirits ” ,others coul o at will

without any spirits;that the ringing of bells,thought-rea ing,raps,an physical phenomena coul be

achieve by anyone who ha the faculty of acting in his physical bo y thro gh the organs of the astral

body,an I ha that faculty ever since I was four years ol .I coul make furniture move and objects fly

apparently,an by my astral arms that supporte them,which remaine invisible;all this before I even

knew of the Masters ” .] [Page 220 ]

The thoughts and consciousness of a person or of a number of persons may be projecte an

concentrate upon any object or to any place that exists within the sphere of their min s.It may be ma e

to inhere in material objects by entering their astral elements and pro ucing correspon ing vibrations.

Plants or precious stones may be brought in this manner into sympathetic relation with persons,so that if

the person is sick or ies,the plants wither and the stones lose their brilliancy.No object in nature is

entirely inanimate,and the life-principle is the same in all,whether it be a man or a stone;only the state

of their activities iffer.If we can in uce correspon ing vibrations in the souls of a lower or er of life,their

life will be unite with us because all in ivi ual forms are only centres in which the Universal Min has

crystallise into forms,an all forms are relate together and boun together by the universal cement of

Love.A bird may rop own ea when its mate is kille ,a mother may feel the pain of and acci ent

happening to her chil ,twin-brothers have been known to have become affecte simultaneously with the

same isease and to ie at the same time,although their bo ies were far apart from each other.No

being stan s entirely isolate in nature,all are unite by ivine love,and the more they become

conscious of the love that unites them the more o they realise that they are one.

Separation and ddifferentiation exists only in regar to the form,the fun amental power is one ,an those

who have unite their min s with that principle know that they are one,an istance forms no

impe iment to the actions of their min s.Spirit is substance,inseparable,impenetrable,in ivisible,an

eternal;form is and aggregate,separate,penetrable,ivisible and subject to [Page 221 ] continual change.

The “communion of the saints “is a reality,for they are all one in the spirit.Light is only one.A number of

lights in a room are as one light compose of that number.There is only one “Soun “but many

expressions.If and orchestra is playe in a room,each instrument pro uces soun ,the soun of each fills

the whole room and is hear according to its intensity.One instrument may soun lou er than another;

one light may shine brighter thand the rest;but they o not annihilate or extinguish each other.Soun is

one,an Light is one,an Spirit is one,only their manifestations iffer in quality and in strength.

Love is one,but it manifests itself in various ways.Love unites all.Love is a state of the Will.Thought is

irecte by will,but the will to be powerful must be pure.If we esire two things at the same time,the will

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acts in two different irections:but ivision causes weakness,only in unity is strength.Will is one.The

will is a universal principle and not confine within a form.If we concentrate our will and thought unite

upon a clou in the sky,we can cause that clou to issolve,and the rapi ity with which it issolves will

be proportionate to the strength of our concentration of min .[There will be very few of our rea ers who

have never notice ,that if they pass a certain person in the street,and then turn aroun to look after him

or her,it very often happens that the latter turns at the same time to look after them.This happens so

frequent,to be a mere matter of coinci ence,an is cause by the fact that the impulse of will of one

person can communicate itself to another person.But if one esires to make a person turn aroun by the

effort of his will,an for the purpose of seeing whether he can o so,he will probably fail;because the

esire to gratify his curiosity weakens the force of his will;he esires two things at once,an he fails.]

As all forms are only external expressions of thought,if we coul hol on to a thought and project it,we

coul create a form.But men o not control thought,they are the victims of it;they o not think what they

choose,but what they are force to think,by the thoughts flying into their min s.To obtain magic power

the first requirement is to learn how to control [Page 222 ] thought;to comman our own moo s of min ,

an to allow only such ideas  to enter the min as we voluntarily choose to a mit.Whoever has for the

first time attempte to comman a thought,an to hol on to it for five minutes,will have experience the

ifficulty,an yet without this first requirement no progress in magic will ever be ma e.

Before one can become a magician he must learn to control his own min ;for min is the substance with

which the magician acts,and the power to control it is the beginning of magic.No one can control the

min of another as long as he cannot control his own.The will acts outwardly from within the centre of

the heart,an no one can make it act beyon the periphery of his bo y as long as he has not become

strong enough to gui e it within the bo y.The neophyte must learn first to control his own emotions

before he can control the emotions of others,he must know how to master his thoughts before he can

make them objective.But the min cannot control its own self,it cannot rise above its own nature.To

control the action of the min a Master is require ;this Master is the spirit of man.But spirit without

substance is without power – without and organism through which to act,it is merely a spirit.That which

controls the min is the spiritually awakene inner man – the ivine nature in man,which is superior to

his terrestrial min .

To change a form we change the state of min ,of which the form is and expression.Certain states of min

fin their expressions in certain attitu es,and these attitu es in uce correspon ing mental states.A

prou man will walk erect,a coward will creep,a continually practise creeping walk will evelop a

cowardly nature,an a habitually erect posture will make a man prou or conscious of his ignity.An

actor who can i entify himself fully with the personality whose part he plays,nee not stu y attitu es to

appear natural;an angry person who forces himself to smile lessens his anger;a person with a continual

scowl on the face will fin it ifficult to be gay.It is on account of the esire to facilitate the entering into

certain mental states that [Page 223 ] certain attitu es have been prescribe in religious ceremonies an

acts of evotion.

If the Min were its own Master,if the actions of the Universal Min were not subject to the eternal ivine

law of cause and effect,but gui e by the arbitrary whims and notions of some invisible power

constitute of Min without wisdom,the most extraor inary results were liable to follow and the age of

actual miracles woul begin.The earth woul perhaps stan still for a ay or a year and begin to revolve

again the next;sometimes it might turn fast and at other times slow,and there is no en to the

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absurdities which might take place;especially if this imaginary power coul be in uce to follow the

a vices of its worshippers.

To the superficial observer the processes of nature seem to be the results of chance.The sun shines an

the rain falls upon the lan of the pious as well as upon that of the wicke ;storms and fires rage,

careless whether they estroy the life and property of the learne or that of the ignorant,because they

are the necessary results of the law of cause and effect.The interest of in ivi uals cannot control the

welfare of the whole.While the welfare of the human bo y seems to be,to a certain extent,un er the

control of the will of the in ivi ual,the processes of nature,as a whole,appear to be ungui e by the

reason of the Universal Min .

The intellect,being unreasonable,is ispose to gauge the absolute reason of the Universal Min by the

relative un erstan ing of comparatively microscopic man.By the same right might the insect crawling in

the ust oubt the intelligence of the wan erer,by whose foot it is maime or kille without consi eration

an without remorse;such and insect,if capable of reasoning,woul iscover no intellect in that foot,an

yet the man,whose foot is the estroyer,may be highly intellectual.

The cause,why we cannot comprehen the eternal principle of reason in nature,is because it acts

according to law,being one with the law;while our intellect,being fille with consi erations of self-

interests,is not free of esire,and therefore always incline to act contrary to the law.[Page 224 ]

Invisible causes pro uce visible effects,and the same cause,acting un er similar con itions,will always

pro uce similar results.Whenever a certain amount of energy has been accumulate ,the time will arrive

when it will be expen e .The accumulate tension between the particles of explosives fin s its

equilibrium at the approach of a spark;the electric tension establishe in the upper regions of the air

fin s its relief in lightning;accumulate emotions will be equilibrise by and outburst of passion;

accumulate energies in the soul of the earth pro uce earthquakes in the bo y of the earth,in the same

manner as and outburst of grief causes the human form to tremble and to shake.Man's reason may

prevent and outburst of his emotions;but where is the personal go to control the emotions of the soul of

the world ?Go oes not prevent the growth of warts,or cancers,or tumours;Go being the law cannot

act in contra iction with himself.His blessings are accompanie by curses.Man's foot crushes the insect,

because man's perception and intelligence oes not perva e his feet;Go oes not prevent the growth

of a stone in the bla er,because the high cannot manifest itself in the low,wisdom cannot be active in

an unconscious form;the means must be a apte to the en .When universal Man will have so far

perfecte himself as to be a self-conscious sphere of wisdom without any material parts,then will nature

itself be a go .The music that can be ma e with a harp cannot be ma e with a stick.The absolute

intelligence of the Universal Min can only manifest itself relatively through instruments a apte to

intellectual manifestation.Consciousness can manifest itself as relative consciousness only in conscious

forms.

Wisdom is not a pro uct of the organisation of man.It is eternal and universal.It fin s its expression in

the fun amental laws upon which the universe with all its forms is constructe .It is expresse in the

shape of a leaf,in the bo y of and animal,in the organism of man.Its action can be foun everywhere in

nature,as long as the beings in nature live accor ing to natural law.There are no iseases in nature,

which have not been originally create by powers which acte contrary to the laws of [Page 225 ] nature

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an became therefore unnatural.Outward appearances seem to contra ict this assertion;because we

fin animals affecte with iseases,an epi emic iseases are even of frequent occurrence in the

vegetable king om.But a eeper investigation into the occult laws of nature will go to show that all the

forms of nature,minerals,vegetables,an animals,are merely states or expressions of the Universal

Min of Universal Man.They are the pro ucts of the imagination of Nature,an as the imagination of

Nature is acte on,influence and mo ifie by the imagination of man,a morbi imagination of man is

followe by a morbi state of Nature,an morbi results follow again on the physical plane.This law

explains why perio s of great moral epravity,sensuality,superstition,an materialism are always

followe by plagues,epi emics,famine,wars,etc.,an it woul be worth the while to collect statistics to

show that such has invariably been the case.

The elementary forces of nature are blin and obey the law that controls them.A motion originate by an

impulse continues until the original energy is expen e .Stones have no intelligence,because they have

no organisation through which intelligence can become manifest,but if and intelligent power sets them into

motion,they obey the law of its nature.As the organisms rise in the scale of evolution and evelopment

of form,their consciousness becomes more manifest.Consciousness becomes manifest as instinct in

the animal creation.It teaches the bird to fly,the fish to swim,the ants to buil their houses,the swallows

to make their nests.Acting through the nerve centres and the spinal cord it in uces the actions of the

heart and lungs and other organic and involuntary actions of the bo y.

As the spinal cord,in the course of evolution,evelops into a brain,the principle of consciousness

obtains a more perfect instrument for its manifestation.Intellectual power takes the place of instinct,an

the Universal Min begins to think through the in ivi ual brain of man,in the same sense as universal

nature uses his bo y for manifesting her powers.

With the highest evelopment of the human brain,[Page 226 ] the most perfect instrument for the external

manifestation of min is attaine .But the essential man is a spirit,an with the evelopment of the most

perfect physical form the climax of his spiritual evolution is not reache .The essential man is a spirit an

requires a spiritual organisation for the isplay of his powers.He has within himself the latent power to

realise his own ivine and universal existence,an to awaken this power hi en within his psychical

constitution another light thand the light of nature is require .This Light is the light of Divine Wis om,one

an infinite,an beyon the conception of the brain.It is itself the one eternal Life into which man must

enter,if he esires to realise his own immortal existence.To realise that ivine universal existence,an

organise soul as wi e as the universe is require .This soul belongs to the ivine man,the Divinity in

Humanity,whose material bo y is the world and whose self-consciousness is Divine Wisdom ,the self-

recognition of Truth ,the Re eemer of All.

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CHAPTER X

CREATION.

"An Go sai :Let us make Man ” .– Bible.

[The term Creation is frequently misun erstoo .Neither the Bible nor any other reasonable book says

that anything ha ever been create out of nothing.Such superstition belongs entirely to mo ern

materialistic Science,which believes that life and consciousness coul grow out of ea an

unconscious things.The word "Creation ”means the pro uction of forms out of alrea y existing formless

materials;form in the absolute is not a thing,it is nothing but and illusion,and therefore if a form is

pro uce nothing but and illusion has been create .]

THE most important question that was ever aske ,an is still aske with anxiety and often with fear,is

the same that was propoun e thousan s of years ago by the Egyptian Sphinx,who kille him that

attempte to solve the ri le and i not succee :What is Man ?Ages have passe away since the

question was first aske ,nations have slain each other in cruel religious warfare,making vain efforts to

impose upon each other such solution of the great problem as they believe they ha foun ,but from the

tombs of the past only re-echoes the same question – What is Man?An yet the answer seems simple.

Reason,if iveste of religious or scientific preju ices,tells us that man,like every other form in the

universe,is a collective centre of energy,a solitary ray of the universally present Divine Light "which is

the common source of everything that exists ” ;he is a true chil of the great Spiritual S n .[Page 228 ] As

the rays of our sun only become visibly active in contact with ust,so the ivine ray is absorbe an

reflecte by matter.

The sun-ray plays with the waves of the ocean:the heat create by the contact of water with light from

above extracts from below the refine material,and the vapours rise to the sky,where,like the ghosts of

the seas,they wan er in clou s of manifol shapes,travelling freely through the air,playing with the

win s,until the time arrives when the energies which keep them suspen e become exhauste and they

once more escen to the earth.In a similar manner a ivine ray of the spiritual sun mingles with matter

while welling on Earth,absorbing and assimilating whatever correspon s to its own nature.As the

butterfly flits from flower to flower,tasting the sweets of each,so the human mona passes from life to

life,from planet to planet,gathering experience,knowle ge,an strength,but when the ay of life is

over,night follows,an with it follows sleep,bringing reams of vivi reality.The grossest elements

remain to mingle again with earth,the more refine elements – the astral elements – which are still within

the attraction of the planet,float about,riven hither and thither by their inherent ten encies,until the

energy which hol s them together is exhauste ,and they issolve again in the plane to which they

belong,but the highest spiritual energies of man,hel together by love,free from the attraction of Earth,

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ascen to their source like a white-robe spirit,bringing with them the pro ucts of experiences beyon

the limits of matter.Man's love and aspiration o not belong to Earth.They create energies which are

active beyon the confines of the grave and the funeral-pyre;their activity lasts for ages,until it becomes

exhauste ,and the purifie ray,still en owe with the ten encies impresse upon it by its last visit to the

planet,again seeks association with matter,buil s again its prison-house of animate clay,an appears

an ol actor in a new part upon the ever-changing stage of life.

Some of the greatest philosophers have arrive at a recognition of this truth by speculation and logical

[Page 229 ] reasoning,while others,whose min s were illumine by wisdom,have perceive it as a self-

evi ent fact by the power of intuition.

To buil the new house the impressions gathere by its previous visits furnish the material.The slothful

rich man of the past may become the beggar of the future,and the in ustrious worker in the present life

evelop ten encies which will lay the foun ation of greatness in the next.Suffering in one life may

pro uce patience and fortitu e that will be useful in another;hardships will pro uce en urance,self-

enial will strengthen the will;tastes engen ere in one life will be our gui es in another;an latent

energies will become active whenever circumstances require it uring and existence on the material plane

either in one life or another according to the eternal law of cause and effect.

A chil burns its fingers by touching the flame,and the a ult oes not remember all the circumstances

un er which the acci ent occurre ;still the fact that fire will burn and must not be touche will remain

impresse upon the min .In the same manner the experiences gaine in one life are not remembere in

their etails in the next,but the impressions which they pro uce will remain.[There is a certain stage in

the spiritual evolution of man,when he will remember the events of his previous lives;but to remember

them in his present state of imperfection woul be merely a hin rance in his progress.It has been sai ,

that by not remembering the errors of our past lives,and their evil consequences,man is liable to commit

his previous errors again;but we ought not to o goo merely as a matter of speculation and to avoi evil

consequences resulting therefrom,but from and inherent sense of uty,regardless of what the resulting

consequences may be.] Again and again man passes through the wheel of transformation,changing his

lower energies into higher ones,until matter attracts him no longer,an he becomes what he is estine

to be,a go .

Man,like the majority of organise beings,is and atom in the immensity of the universe;he cannot be

ivi e and still remain a man;but unlike other and lower organise beings,whose realisation of

existence is confine to the physical or astral plane,that which [Page 230 ] constitutes him a Man an

istinguishes him from and animal is and integral and conscious part of the highest spiritual energy of the

universe,which is everywhere present,an his spiritual consciousness is,therefore,not limite to a

certain locality in the physical world .

Who ma e Man ?—Man makes himself uring every ay of his life.He is his own creator.The clay –

the material bo y – that clings to the ray of the manifeste Life,is taken from Earth,the energies,calle

the astral so l ,are the pro ucts of the astral plane,the highest energies belong to the spirit.Animal man,

like the lower orders of nature,is a pro uct of the blin law of necessity,an may even be pro uce

artificially.[See Paracelsus,Homunculi ” .] The physical attributes of the chil and its mental

qualifications are the result of inheritance of previously existing con itions.Like the tree that can sen its

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roots into the neighbouring soil and gather the nutriment by which it is surroun e ,but cannot roam

about in search of foo at istant places,so physical man has only a limite choice in the selection of

such means of evelopment as he may require;he grows,because he cannot resist the law of necessity

and the impulses given by nature.But as reason begins to enlighten him,the work of creation begins.

The intelligence within says to the will:"Let us make man ” .She urges the will,and the will sullenly leaves

its favourite occupation of serving the passions and begins to moul man in accordance with the ivine

image hel up before him by wisdom.

Let s make Man ,means:Let us make a ivine man out of and animal man;let us surroun the ivine ray

within us with the purest of essences;let us throw off everything which is sensual and grossly material,

an which hin ers our progress;let us transform the emotions into virtues in which the spiritual ray may

clothe itself when it re-ascen s to its throne.

Let us make man!Itdepends entirely on our efforts what kin of a man we shall make.To make an

average man or even a superior one in the common acceptation of the term is not a very ifficult matter.

[Page 231 ] Follow the rules of health and the laws of iet,provi e above all for yourself and never give

anything away,unless by oing so you are sure to get more in return.You will then make a respectable

animal,a "self-ma e ”man,prominent,independent,an rich -one who lives and ies on the plane of

selfishness,an object of envy for many;respecte perhaps by many,but not by his conscience.

There is another class of self-ma e men;those on the intellectual plane.They stan before the world as

the world 's benefactors,as philosophers,teachers,statesmen,inventors,or artists.They have what is

calle geni s ,an instea of being mere imitators,they possess originality.They benefit themselves by

benefiting the world .Intellectual researches that benefit no one are unpro uctive;they resemble physical

exercise with umb-bells,by which muscular strength may be gaine ,but no labour accomplishe .An

intellectual pursuit may be followe for merely selfish purposes;but unless there is a love for the object of

that stu y,little progress will be ma e,an instea of a sage,a bookworm will be the result.True genius

is a magician who creates a world for himself and for others,an his power expan s as he grows in

perfection.

The lower intellectual labour alone cannot be the true object of life;the truth cannot be graspe by the

unai e efforts of the brain,an he who attempts to arrive at the truth merely by the intellectual labour of

the brain,without consulting the heart,will fail.The heart resembles the S n as the seat of Wisdom,the

brain correspon s to the Moon ;it is the seat of the reasoning intellect,an receives its light and life from

the Sun.If the Sun stan s guard over the Moon,thoughts which are istasteful to the heart will not enter

the brain.The heart and the hea shoul work together in harmony,to kill the ragon of ignorance,

welling upon the threshol of the temple,an to arrive at the truth.

In the allegorical books of the Alchemists the S n represents Intelligence;he is the "heart ”of our solar

system;the Moon represents reams and esires or the "brain ” ;Earth represents the physical Body .If

the [Page 232 ] male S n cohabits with the female Moon in the water of Truth ,they will pro uce a son

whose name is Wisdom .The intellect is the material man whose bri e is spiritual un erstan ing,the

ivine woman;no man or woman is perfect as long as the celestial marriage has not taken place through

the power of Divine Love.[Compare "The Perfect Way,of the Finding of Christ ”.]

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The materials of which Man is constructe are the principles that flow into him from the store-house of

universal nature,the buil er is the will,reason the superinten ent,an wisdom the supreme architect.

The buil ing goes on without noise,an no soun of the hammer is heard,because the materials are

alrea y prepare by nature;they only require to be put into their proper places.The highest is the Spirit

or "Consciousness ” ,an Spirit alone is immortal.Such of the lower elements as harmonise with it

amalgamate with the spirit,an are ren ere conscious and immortal.Spirit can only fin its

correspon ing vibrations in the highest spiritual elements of the soul such as are furnishe by the higher

principles,an consist of the purest thoughts,aspirations,an memories pro uce by the fifth,in which

resi es the intellectual power of man.Pure intelligence is Spirituality,but intellectual activity confine

within the lower planes of thought can bring to light no spiritual treasures.Intellectual activity is not a

power;but the result of the power of spirit acting within the min .A very intellectual and learne person

may be very unhappy and unharmonious,if his ten encies are towards selfishness,an his min

incapable to be illuminate by the light of truth.Wis om is the self-recognition of the truth;it resi es in

the spiritual soul of man,an sen s its light own into his fifth principle,shining through the clou s of

matter like the sunlight penetrating a fog.

The fifth principle receives its stimulus from the fourth,the irrational nature of man.We cannot buil a

house without soli material,an we may just as well attempt to run a steam-engine without fuel or water

as to make a genius out of a being without any emotions.The stronger the emotions are,the more

en uring will [Page 233 ] be the spiritual temple,if they can be ma e to fit into the walls and pillars.A

person originally without any emotions is without virtues,he is without energy,a sha ow,neither col nor

warm,an necessarily useless.The passionate man is nearer to the spirit,if he can gui e his passions in

the right irection,thand the man who has nothing to gui e and nothing to conquer.

To pro uce a perfect buil ing,or a perfect man,the proportions must be harmonious.Wisdom gui es the

work and love furnishes the cement.An emotion is either a virtue or a vice according to the manner in

which it is applie .Misapplie virtues become vices,an well-irecte vices are virtues.A man who acts

according to the ictates of pru ence alone is a coward;one who in iscriminately exercises his

generosity is a spen thrift;courage without caution is rashness;veneration without knowle ge pro uces

superstition;charity without ju gment makes a beggar,an even one-si e justice,un-tempere by

mercy,pro uces a miserly,cruel,an espicable tyrant.

The irrational soul,impelle only by its esires and ungui e by wisdom,resembles a runken man who

has lost his physical balance;it totters from si e to si e,falls from one extreme into another,an cannot

gui e its steps.Only and equilibrium of forces can pro uce harmony,beauty,an perfection.The irrational

soul,swaye by uncontrollable emotions,forms and unfit habitation for the ivine ray,that loves peace

an tranquillity.

The control of the emotions is the ifficult struggle that is allegorically represente by the twelve labours

of Hercules,which the oracle of Zeus comman e him to perform.Every man who esires to progress is

his own Hercules and works for the benefit of the king (his Atma),whose orders he receives through the

ivine oracle of his own conscience.He is constantly engage in battle,because the lower principles

fight for their lives and will not be conquere .They are the pro ucts of matter and they cling to their

source.

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Whence o the emotions come?

The cosmologies of the ancients express un er various [Page 234 ] allegories the same fun amental truth;

that "in the beginning ”the Great First Ca se evolve out of itself,by the power of its own will,certain

powers,whose action and reaction brought the elementary forces that constitute the world into

existence.These elementary forces are the Devas of the East,the Elohims of the Bible,the Afrites of the

Persians,the Titans of the Romans,the Eggregores of the book of Enoch.They are the active agents of

the cosmos,beneficial or etrimental according to the con itions un er which they act,intelligent or

unintelligent according to the nature of the instrument through which they work.They are not necessarily

self-conscious rational entities,but may manifest themselves through conscious organisms en owe with

reason;they are not persons,but become personifie by fin ing expression in in ivi ual forms.Love an

hate,envy and benevolence,lust and gree are not persons,but become personifie in human or animal

forms.An extremely malicious person is the embo iment of malice,an if he sees the emon in an

objective form,he behol s the reflection of his own soul in the mirror of his min .Spirit exists

everywhere,but we cannot perceive a spirit unless it first enters the sphere of our soul.The spirit that

enters our soul obtains its life from ourselves,an if we o not expel it from our soul it grows strong by

vampirising our life.Like a parasite growing on a tree and fee ing on its substance,it fastens its feelers

aroun the tree of our life and grows strong while our own life grows weak.A thought,once taking root in

the min ,will grow until it becomes expresse in and act,when,obtaining a life of its own by that act,it

leaves its place to a successor.Those elementary forces of nature are everywhere,an always rea y to

enter the soul if its oors are not efen e .To call up a wicke spirit we nee not go in search of him,we

nee only allow him to come.To call up a evil means to give way to and evil thought,to vanquish him

means to resist successfully a temptation to evil.

The elementary powers of nature are innumerable,and their classification gave rise to the pantheons of

the [Page 235 ] Greeks and to the mythologies of the East.The greatest power is Ze s ,the father of the

go s,or the source from which all other powers take their origin.Minerva,the go ess of wisdom,

springs from his hea ,her origin is the noblest of all,but Venus,the aughter of the Sun,arising from the

ocean of the universal Soul,conquers all by her beauty.She hol s together the world s in space by the

power of her attraction,bin s souls to souls,chains the like to like,an bin s the evil to evil.She is the

mother of the minor go s that combat each other,because love of self,love of possession,love of fame,

love of power,etc.,are all only chil ren of the universal power of love.They fight among themselves like

chil ren,because action gives rise to reaction,love is oppose by hate,hope by fear,faith by oubt,etc.

To control them the go of Power (Mars)must be unite with the go ess of Love – in other words,the

passions must be hel in obe ience by the Will.

Each power exists and is hel in its elementary matrix or vehicle,the A'kβsa,the Universal Prote s ,the

generator of form,which fin s its outward expression in Matter,and these powers constitute the eternal

circle,or the snake ,"whose hea shall be crushe by the heel of the woman ” ,meaning Wisdom,the

eternal virgin,whose "aughters ”are faith,hope ,an charity .

The snake cannot enter the soul,if the soul is efen e by wisdom.If and evil thought enters the soul an

we o not reject it,we harbour a evil in our heart,whose claims we take into consi eration;we give him

a promise and in uce him to remain,an ,like and unwelcome cre itor,he will continually urge his claims

until they are fulfille .

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The lower tria s of principles in the constitution of man receive their nutriment from the inferior king oms

of nature.If the bo y is overfe or stimulate by rink,the emotional element will become excessively

active and the intellect will become weak.Too stimulating foo or rink is injurious for higher

evelopment,because life will in such cases with raw its activity from the higher principles and be ma e

to work in the lower principles of man.Large quantities of otherwise healthy [Page 236 ] foo will be

injurious for the same reason.The principle of life which transforms the lower energies into higher ones is

the same principle which causes the igestion of foo .If it is squan ere in the lower organs,the higher

organs will starve.Some men are habituate to meat-eating,and they require it;others are use to

alcohol,an if they woul su enly iscontinue its use they will suffer;but meat and alcohol are,un er

normal con itions,unnecessary for the human system,an often they act positively injurious.

The principle argument of the lovers of animal foo is that it "gives bo ily strength,an is necessary for

those who have to perform manual labour ” .This argument is base upon and erroneous opinion,because

animal foo oes not give as much strength as a vegetable iet;[According to the calculations ma e by

Prov.J.V.Liebig,the same amount of albuminous substances for which,if in the form of animal foo ,is

pai IOO .,can be bought in the shape of peas for 9 .,an in that of wheat for 4 ] it only stimulates

the organism,an in uces it to use up the strength which it alrea y possesses in a short perio of time

instea of saving it up for the future.The consequences of and exclusive animal iet,gluttony,extreme

sensuality,combativeness,cruelty,an stupi ity,in olence,physical and psychical apathy,are the

necessary consequences of over-stimulation.

Darwin says that "the hardest-working people he ever met are the persons that work in the mines of Chili,

an that they are living on and exclusively vegetable iet ” .The country people in Irelan live almost

without meat-eating,an yet they are strong and en uring.The common Russian eats very little meat

an enjoys goo health.The strongest people that can perhaps be foun anywhere are the country

people in the South of Bavaria,and they eat meat only on exceptional occasions and holy-ays.Horses,

bulls,elephants,are the strongest animals,an live on vegetable foo ,while the prominent traits of

character of the flesh-eating animals are cowardice,irritability,an cunning.A bear kept at the

Anatomical Museum at Giessen [Page 237 ] showe a quiet,gentle nature as long as he was fe on brea ,

but a few ays fee ing on meat ma e him,not stronger,but vicious and angerous.

Let those who esire to know the truth in regard to meat-eating seek the answers to their questions,not

with the intellect of the hea ,but through the voice of wisdom speaking in the interior of their heart,an

they will not be mistaken.[See Dr A.Kingsford:"The Perfect Way in Diet ”.]

Another question arises in regard to the eating of flesh;it is the question whether or not man has a right

to kill animals for his foo .To the professe Christians who claim to believe in the Bible there seems to

be no cause for any oubt,because the comman is plain:"Tho shalt not kill ” .An yet this comman is

isregarde aily by millions of professe "Christians ” ,who base their illusory right to kill animals upon a

misun erstoo verse of their Bible.It is sai that Go permitte man to"have ominion over the fish of

the sea,an over the fowls of the air,an over the cattle,an over every living thing that moveth upon

the earth ” ,[Genesis i.26.]if he kills his inferiors,his ominion over them is at and en .Man's prerogative

is to appease suffering,not to cause it;not to interrupt the work of evolution,but to assist it.Christianity

an murder are incompatible terms.

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Meat is stimulating,an stimulating foo creates a esire for stimulating rink.The best cure for the

esire for alcoholic rink is to avoi the eating of meat.It is oubtful whether there is any passion in the

world more evilish and more etrimental to the true interests of humanity and of in ivi ual happiness

thand the love of Alcohol.As meat-eating en ows man with illusory strength,that soon fa es away,leaving

its possessor weaker than he was before;likewise stimulating rinks lull him into and illusory happiness,

which soon isappears,an is followe by lasting and real misery,causing suffering to himself and to

others.It causes a long list of iseases of the internal organs,an lea s to premature eath;it is the

cause of by far the great [Page 238 ] majority of all crimes committe in civilise countries.To those who

look upon man as a rational being,it seems incomprehensible why civilise nations will suffer and evil in

their mi st that fills their jails,hospitals,lunatic asylums,an graveyards;an why men will "put an

enemy in their mouths ”that estroys their health,their reason,and their life;but those who look eeper

see that in our present age the awn of reason has only begun,an that the spiritual faculties of the

majority of men still sleep in the icy embrace of ignorance.Reforms are necessary,but they cannot be

inaugurate by merely external means;the only re eemer is knowle ge.[See Dr A.Kingsford:"The

Alchoholic Controversy ”.]

The bo y politic resembles the in ivi ual bo y.It is of no use to estroy the means to gratify a esire as

long as the esire itself is suffere to exist.The evils that affect mankin are the outcome of their esires

for such evils.Means to gratify evil esires will exist as long as they are patronise ,an if they are

abolishe other means will be foun .Wee s are not estroye by cutting their leaves,if the roots are

allowe to remain.These roots grow in the ark soil of,ignorance,they can only be estroye by the light

of the truth.

To eat and rink and sleep for the purpose of living,an not to live for the purpose of eating,rinking,

an sleeping,is a maxim which is often hear ,but which is not frequently carrie out.A great eal of

nutriment aily taken by men serves no other purpose than to comply with habit,an to gratify an

artificially create esire.The more a man is gross and material,the greater is the quantity of foo he

esires,and the more foo he takes the more gross and material will he become.Noble and refine

natures require little nutriment,ethereal beings and "spiritual ”entities require no material foo .

The means shoul always be a apte to the en in view.If the en is low and vulgar,low and vulgar

means will be nee e ;if it is noble and high,equally high and noble means are require .A prize-fighter,

whose main object is to evelop muscle,will require [Page 239 ] a different training from that of one who

esires to evelop the faculty to perceive spiritual truths.Con itions that may be suitable for the

evelopment of one person may be impracticable for another.One man will evelop faster through

poverty,another through wealth;one man may nee as his initial psychic stimulus the gentle and exalting

influences of marrie life,while another one's aspirations rise higher,if independent of earthly ties.Each

man who exercises his will for the purpose of his higher evelopment is,to the extent he exercises it,a

practical occultist.Everyone grows necessarily in one irection or in another;none remain stationary.

Those who esire to outstrip others in growth must act.

One of the Tibetan A epts says in a letter —

"Man is ma e up of ideas ,an ideas  gui e his life.The world of subjectivity is the only reality to him even

on this physical plane.To the occultist it grows more real as it goes further and further from illusory

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earthly objectivity,an its ultimate reality is Parabrahm .Hence and aspirant for occult knowle ge shoul

begin to concentrate all his esires on the highest ideal,that of absolute self-sacrifice,philanthropy,

ivine kin ness,as of all the highest virtues obtainable on this Earth,an work up to it incessantly.The

more strenuous his efforts to rise up to that ideal,the oftener is his will-power exercise ,and the stronger

it becomes.When it is thus strengthene ,it sets up a ten ency,in the gross shell of St la-sharira ,to o

such acts as are compatible with the highest ideal he has to work up to,an his acts intensify his will-

power oubly,owing to the operation of the well-known law of action and reaction.Hence in Occultism

great stress is lai on practical results.

"Now the question is:What are these practical results,an how are they to be pro uce ?It is a well-

known fact,erive from observation and experience,that progress is the law of nature.The acceptance

of this truth suggests the i ea,that humanity is in its lower state of evelopment,an is progressing

towards the stages of perfection.It will approach the final goal when it evelops new sensibilities and a

clear relation with [Page 240 ] nature.From this it is obvious that a final state of perfection will be arrive at

when the energy that animates man co-operates with the One Life operating in the Cosmos in achieving

this mighty object;an knowle ge is the most powerful means to that en .

"Thus it will be clear that the ultimate object of nature is to make man perfect through the union of the

human spirit with the One Life .Having this final goal before our min ,an intellectual brotherhoo shoul

be forme by uniting all together,an this is the only stepping-stone towards the final goal.To pro uce

this practical result,union,we must hol up the highest ideal,which forms the real man,an make others

see that truth and act up to it.To lea our neighbours and fellow-creatures to this right path,the best

means shoul be pursue with self-sacrificing habits.When our energy as a collective whole is thus

expen e ,in working up to the highest ideal,it becomes potent,and the gran est results are pro uce

on the spiritual plane.As this is the most important work in which every occultist shoul be engage ,an

aspirant for higher knowle ge shoul spare no efforts to bring about this en .With the progressive ti e of

evolution of the bo y as a whole,the mental and the spiritual faculties of humanity expan .To help this

ti e on,a knowle ge of philosophical truths shoul be sprea .This is what is expected from and aspirant

for occult knowledge,and what he sho ld do ”.

The will is evelope through action and strengthene by faith.The movements of the bo y,such as

walking,are only successfully performe by a person because he has a full and unwavering faith in his

power to perform them.Fear and oubt paralyse the will and pro uce impotency;but hope and faith

pro uce marvellous results.The lawyer or physician who has no faith in his own ability will make

blun ers,an if his clients or patients share his oubts,his usefulness will be seriously impaire ;

whereas even the ignorant fanatic or quack may succee ,if he has faith in himself.

Lord Lytton says:"The victims of the ghostly one are those that woul aspire and can only fear ”.[Page 241 ]

Fear and Doubt are the hell-born aughters of ignorance that rag man own to per ition;while Faith is

the white-robe angel that len s him her wings and en ows him with power."Samsayatma Vinasyati ”

(the oubter perishes),sai Krishna to Arjuna,his favourite isciple.

Faith is soul-knowle ge;therefore,even without intellectual knowle ge,it is more useful than intellectual

knowle ge without faith.Strong faith,even if resting upon and erroneous conception,acts powerfully in

pro ucing results;faith pro uces and exalte state of the imagination,which strengthens the will,banishes

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pain,cures isease,lea s to heroism,an transforms hell into heaven.

The only way to evelop will-power is to act according to law.Each act creates a new impulse,which,

a e to the alrea y existing energy,increases its strength.Goo acts increase the power for goo ;evil

acts,the power for evil.A person who acts only from impulse manifests no will of his own.If he obeys his

lower impulses he passively evelops into a criminal or a maniac;he who acts by the impulse of ivine

wisdom is a go .The most horrible crimes are often committe without any proportionate provocation,

because the perpetrators ha not the power to resist the impulses that prompte them to such acts.Such

persons are not necessarily wicke ;they are weak and irresponsible beings;they are the servants of the

impulses that control them,and they can be ma e the helpless instruments and victims of those who

know how to call forth their emotions;they are like the sol iers of two opposing armies,who are not

necessarily personal enemies;but are ma e to hate and kill each other by appeals to their passions.The

oftener such persons give way to impulses,the more is their power of resistance iminishe ,and their

own impotency is their ruin.It is of little use to be merely passively goo ,if abstinence from wrong-doing

may be so calle .A person who oes neither goo nor evil accomplishes nothing.A stone,an animal,an

imbecile,may be consi ere goo ,because they o no active evil;a person may live a hun re years,

an at the en of [Page 242 ] his life he may not have been more useful than a stone.[He who is neither

hot nor col ,but lukewarm,will be spue out by nature ” .– Bible.]

There is nothing in nature which has not a threefol aspect and a threefol activity.The Will-power forms

no exception to this rule.In its lowest aspect the Will is that power which in uces the voluntary an

involuntary functions of the physical organism;its centre of activity is the spinal cor .In its higher aspect

it is the power which in uces psychic activity;it is iffuse through the bloo which comes from the heart

an returns to it,an its actions are governe ,or can be governe ,by intellect acting in the brain by

means of the impulses,influences,an auras ra iating from there.In its highest aspects the Will is a

living and self-conscious power having its centre in Wisdom .

The will,to become powerful,must be free of esire.If we esire and object,we o not attract that object,

but the object attracts us.Eliphas Levi says:"The Will accomplishes everything which it oes not esire ” ;

and the truth of this para ox is seen in every-ay life.Those who crave for fame or riches are never

contente ;the rich miser is poorer thand the beggar in the street;happiness is a sha ow that flies before

him who seeks it in material pleasures.The surest way to become rich is by being contente with what

we have;the safest way to obtain power is to sacrifice ourselves for others;an if we esire love,we

must istribute the love we possess to others,and then the love of others will escen upon us like the

rain escen s upon the earth.

The evelopment of the will is a process of growth,and the only true way to evelop the Will is by being

obedient to the universal Law.If we wish to use nature,we must act according to natural law;if we wish

to use spiritual powers,we must act in obe ience to the spiritual law.Then will we become masters of

Nature and Go ,an our Will,will become a serviceable instrument for the fulfillment of law;but as long

as the Will is governe by personal esire,it is not we [Page 243 ] who control our will,but it is our esire.

As long as we o the will of the lower animal we cannot be go s;only when we perform the will of the

Divinity,we will become free of the bon age of the animal elements,an our true Self will be the Master.

Man in his youth longs for the material pleasures of earth,for the gratification of his physical bo y.As he

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a vances,he throws away the playthings of his chil hoo and reaches out for something higher.He

enters into intellectual pursuits,an after years of labor he may fin that he has been wasting his time by

running after a sha ow.Perhaps love steps in and he thinks himself the most fortunate of mortals,only to

fin out,sooner or later,that ideals can only be foun in the ideal world .He becomes convince of the

emptiness of the sha ows he has been pursuing,an ,like the winge butterfly emerging from the

chrysalis,he stretches out his feelers into the realm of infinite spirit,an is astonishe to fin a ra iant

sun where he only expecte to findarkness and eath.Some arrive at this light sooner;others arrive

later,an many are lure away by some illusive light and perish,an like insects that mistake the flame

of a can le for the light of the sun,scorch their wings in its fire.

Life is a continual battle between error and truth;between man's spiritual aspirations and the eman s of

his animal instincts.There are two gigantic obstacles in the way of progress:his misconception of the

nature of Go and of Man.As long as man believes in and extra-cosmic personal Go istributing favours

to some and punishing others at pleasure,a Go that can be reasone with,persua e ,an pacifie by

ignorant man,he will keep himself within the narrow confines of his ignorance,an his min cannot

expan .To think of some place of personal enjoyment or heaven,oes not assist man's progression.If

such a person esists from oing a wicke act,or enies himself a material pleasure,he oes not o so

from any innate love of goo ;but either because he expects a reward from Go for his "sacrifice ” ,or

because his fear of Go makes him a coward.We must o goo ,not on account of any [Page 244 ]

personal consi eration,but because to o goo is our uty.To be goo is to be wise;the fool expects

rewards;the wise expects nothing.The wise knows that by benefiting the world he benefits himself,an

that by injuring others he becomes his own executioner.

What are the powers of Man,by which he may benefit the world ?Man has no powers belonging to

himself.Even the substance of which his organisation is ma e up,oes not belong but is only lent to him

by Nature,an he must return it.He cannot make any use of it,except through that universal power,

which is active within his organisation,which is calle the Will ,an which itself is a function of an

universal principle,the Spirit .

Man as a personal and limite being is merely a manifestation of this universal principle in and in ivi ual

form,an all the spiritual powers he seems to possess belong to the Spirit.Like all other forms in nature

he receives life,light,an energy from the universal fountain of Life,an enjoys their possession for a

short span of time;he has no powers whatever which he may properly call his own.

Thus the sunshine and rain,the air and earth,oes not belong to a plant.They are universal elements

belonging to nature.They come and help to buil up the plant,they assist in the growth of the rosebush

as well as the thistle;their business is to evelop the see ,an when their work is one,the organism in

which they were active returns again to its mother,the Earth.There is then nothing which properly

belongs to the plant;but the see continues to exist without the parental organism after having attaine

maturity,an in it is containe the character of the species to which it belongs.

Life,sensation,an consciousness are not the property of personal man;neither oes he pro uce them.

They are functions of the Spirit and belong originally to Go .The One Life furnishes the principles which

go to buil up the organism calle Man ,the forms of the goo as well as those of the wicke .They help

to evelop the germ of Intelligence in man,an when their work is [Page 245 ] one they return again to the

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universal fountain.The germ of Divinity is all there is of the real man,an all that is able to continue to

exist as and in ivi ual,an it is not a man,but a Spirit,one and i entical in its essence with the Universal

Go ,an one of his chil ren.How many persons exist in whom this ivine germ reaches maturity uring

their earthly life ?How many ie before it begins to sprout ?How many o not even know that such a

germ exists?

To this Universal Principle belong the functions which we call Will and Life and Light;its foun ation is

Love.To it belong all the fun amental powers which pro uce the universe and man,an only when man

has become one and i entical with Go or to speak more correctly,when he has come to realise his

oneness with Go ,can he claim to have powers of his own.

But the Will of this Universal Power is i entical with universal Law,an man who acts against the Law

acts against the Will of Go ,an as Go is man's only real eternal Self,he who acts against that Law

estroys himself.

The first and most important object of man's existence is,therefore,that he shoul learn the law of Go

an of Nature,so that he may obey it and thereby become one with the law and live in Go .A man who

knows the Law knows himself,an a man who knows his ivine Self knows Go .

The only power which man may rightfully claim his own is his Self-knowledge ;it belongs to him because

he has require it by the employment of the powers lent to him by Go .Not the "knowle ge ”of the

illusions of life,for such knowle ge is illusive,an will en with those illusions;not mere intellectual

learning,for that treasure will be exhauste in time;but the spiritual self-knowle ge of the heart,which

means the power to grasp the truth which exists in ourselves.

What has been sai about the Will is equally applicable to the Imagination.If man lets his own thoughts

rest,an rises up to the sphere of the highest ideal,his min becomes a mirror wherein the thoughts of

Go will be reflecte ,an in which he may see the past,the [Page 246 ] present,an future;but if he

begins to speculate within the realm of illusions,he will see the truth istorte and behol his own

hallucinations.

The knowle ge of Go and the knowle ge of man are ultimately i entical,an he who knows himself

knows Go .If we un erstand the nature of the ivine attributes within us,we will know the Law.It will

then not be ifficult to unite our Will with the supreme Will or the cosmos;an we shall be no longer

subject to the influences of the astral plane,but be their masters.Then will the Titans be conquere by

the go s;the serpent in us will have its hea crushe by Divine Wisdom;the evils within our own hells

will be conquere ,an instea of being rule by illusions,we shall be rule by Wisdom.

It is sometimes sai that it oes not make any ifference what a man believes so long as he acts rightly;

but a person cannot be certain to act rightly,unless he knows what is right.The belief of the majority is

not always the correct belief,and the voice of reason is often rowne in the clamour of a superstition

base upon erroneous theological octrine.An erroneous belief is etrimental to progress in proportion

as it is universal;such belief rests on illusion,knowle ge is base on truth.The greatest of all religious

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teachers therefore recommen e Right Belief as being the first step on the Noble Eightfold Path.

The eight stages on the noble eightfold Path to fin the truth are,according to the octrine of Gautama

Bu ha,the following -

1.Right Belief.

2.Right Thought.

3.Right Speech.

4.Right Doctrine.

5.Right Means of Livelihoo .

6.Right En eavour.

7.Right Memory.

8.Right Me itation.

The man who keeps these a gas in min and follows them will be free from sorrow,an may

become safe from future rebirths with their consequent miseries.

Perhaps it will be useful to keep in min the following rules —[Page 247 ]

I.Do not believe that there is anything higher in the universe than your own ivine self,an know that

you are exactly what you permit yourself to become.The true religion is the recognition of ivine truth;

i ols are playthings for chil ren.

2.Learn that man is essentially a component and integral part of universal humanity,an that what is

one by one in ivi ual acts and reacts on all.

3.Realise that man's nature is and embo iment of ideas ,an his physical bo y and instrument which

enables him to come into contact with matter;an that this instrument shoul not be use for unworthy

purposes.It shoul neither be worshippe nor neglecte .

4.Let nothing that affects your physical bo y,its comfort,or the circumstances in which you are place ,

isturb the equilibrium of your min .Crave for nothing on the material plane,live about it without losing

control over it.Matter forms the steps upon which we may ascen to the king om of heaven.

5.Never expect anything from anybo y,but be always rea y to assist others to the extent of your ability,

an according to the requirements of justice.Never fear anything but to offen the moral law and you will

not suffer.Never hope for any reward and you will not be isappointe .Never ask for love,sympathy,or

gratitu e from anybo y,but be always rea y to bestow them on others.Such things come only when

they are not esire .

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6.Learn to istinguish and to iscriminate between the true and the false,an act up to your highest

ideal.Grieve not if you fall,but rise and procee on your way.

7.Learn to appreciate everything (yourself inclu e )at its true value in all the various planes.A person

who attempts to look own upon one who is his superior is a fool,an a person who looks up to one who

is inferior is mentally blin .It is not sufficient to believe in the value of a thing,its value must be realise ,

otherwise it resembles a treasure hi en in the vaults of a miser.[Page 248 ]

Louis Clau e e Saint Martin (the Unknown Philosopher)says:

"This is what shoul pass in a man who is restore to his ivine proportions through the process of

regeneration —

"Not a esire,but in obe ience to the law.

"Not and i ea,which is not a sacre communication with Go .

"Not a word,which is not a sovereign ecree.

"Not and act,which is not a evelopment and extension of the vivifying rule of the Word.

"Instea of this,our esires are false,because they come from ourselves.

"Our thoughts are vague and corrupt,because they form a ulterous alliances.

"Our words are without efficacy,because we allow them to be blunte every ay by the heterogeneous

substances to which we continually apply them.

"Our acts are insignificant and barren,because they can but be the results of our words ”.

The best of all instructions for becoming spiritual and ultimately ivine are to be foun in the Bhagava

Gita.They also teach that man nee s not to exert his self-will for the purpose of saving himself;for

Krishna says:"Devote thy heart to Me,worship Me,sacrifice yourself to Me,bow own before Me,so

shalt thou surely come to me ”;[Bhagava Gita,xviii.65 ]and the prayer of the Christians says:"Let thy

will be one on earth (in our mortal nature)as it is one in heaven (in our spiritual nature)”.

Such and similar instructions are nothing new;they have been pronounce in various forms by the

philosophers of all ages,an have been collecte in books,an men have rea them without getting any

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better for it,because they coul not realise the necessity for following such a vice.These octrines have

been taught by the ancient Rishis and Munis,by Bu ha and Christ,Confucius,Zoroaster an

Mahome ,Plato,Luther and Shakespeare,an every reformer.They have been preache in sermons,

an written in poems and prose,in works of philosophy,literature,fiction,an art.[Page 249 ] They have

been heard by all,un erstoo by some,an practise by a few.To learn them is easy,to realise them is

ifficult,to a opt them in practical life is ivine.The highest spiritual truths cannot be intellectually

graspe ,the reasoning powers of half-animal man cannot conceive of their importance;terrestrial man

can only look up to those ideals which are perceptible to his spiritual vision in moments of aspiration,an

only gra ually can he grow up into that plane when,becoming less animal and more spiritual,he will be

able to realise the fact that this growth is not necessary to please a go whose favour must be obtaine ,

or to insure a happy animal life;but that he himself becomes a go by that growth,an learns to

experience his own immortal existence.The highest energies are latent in the lower ones;they are the

attributes of the spiritual soul,which in the majority of men is still in a state of infancy,but which in future

generations will be more universally evelope ,when humanity as a whole,having progresse higher,

will look back upon our present era as the age of ignorance and misery,while they themselves will enjoy

the fruits of the higher evolution of Man.[Page 250 ]

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CHAPTER XI

LIGHT

“Let there be Light ” .—Bible

FORM,personality,an sensuality are the eath of spirit:the issolution of form,loss of personality an

unconsciousness of sensuous perceptions,ren er spirit free and restore it to life.The elementary forces

of nature,boun to forms,become the prisoners of the forms.Being entombe in matter they lose their

liberty of action and move only in obe ience to external impulses;the more they cling to form,the more

ense,compact,heavy,an ull will they become,and the less will they be self-acting and free.Sunlight

an heat are comparatively free;their elements travel from planet to planet,until they are absorbe by

earthly forms.Crystallise into matter they sleep in trees and forests and fiel s of coal,until they are

liberate by the slow ecomposition of form,or forcibly restore to free om by the go of fire.The waves

of ocean and lake play joyfully with the shore.Full of mirth they throw their spray upon the lazy rocks.

The laughing waters of the wan ering brook gli e restlessly through forest and fiel ,ancing and whirling

an playing with the flowers that grow by the si e of their roa .They rush without fear over precipices,

falling in casca es over the mountain si es,uniting,ivi ing,an uniting again,mingling with rivers an

resting at last for a while in the sea.But when winter arrives and King Frost puts his icy han upon their

faces,they crystallise into in ivi ual forms,they are then robbe of their free om,an like [Page 251 ] the

amsels and knights of the enchante castle,they are oome to sleep until the warm breath of youthful

Spring breaks the spell of the sorcerer,an kisses them back into life.

The fun amental laws of nature are the same in all her epartments,an man forms no exception to the

general rule.He is a centre aroun which some of the intelligent as well as some of the unintelligent

forces have crystallise into a form.Boun by the laws of the Karma which that centre create ,they are

oome to well in a form,an to partake of the acci ents to which forms are expose ;imprisone in a

personality,they partake of the sufferings which the ten encies of that personality have calle into

existence.They may be expose to esires whose thirst increases in proportion as they are furnishe

with rink,to passions whose fire burns hotter in proportion as their eman for fuel is grante ,they are

tempte to run after sha ows that ever fly,to grasp at hopes that ever beckon and vanish as soon as

they are approache ,to sorrows that enter the house although the oors may be close against them,to

fears whose forms have no substance,to illusions that isappear only with the life of the form.Like

Prometheus boun to a rock,the impersonal spirit is chaine to a personality,until the consciousness of

his herculean power awakes in him,an bursting his chains he becomes again free.

Not all the elements that go to make up a complete man are enclose in his material form.The far

greater part of them is beyon the limits of his physical bo y;the latter is merely a centre in which those

invisible elements meet.The bo y of man oes not enclose the sphere of his spirit;his soul is far greater

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thand the circumference of his form.[For this reason persons manifesting great genius have been calle

“great souls ”or “Mahatmas ” ,from “maha ”great and “atma ”the soul.]The elements that exist beyon the

limits of his visible organism stan in intimate relation with those that are within,although the elements

within the form may not seem to be conscious of the existence of those beyon .Still they act and react

upon each other.[Page 252 ]

The min of man is far more important than his physical form.Thought can create a form,but no form

can pro uce a thought;an yet the substance of thought is invisible as long as it has not clothe itself in

a form.Air exists within and beyon the physical bo y;it is invisible and yet it is and important element of

the bo y,a man who coul not breathe woul be very incomplete.The ocean of min in which man exists

is as necessary to his soul-life as the air is to his bo y,he cannot breathe if eprive of air;he cannot

think if eprive of min .The outer acts upon the inner,the inner upon the outer,the above upon the

below,the great upon the little,and the little upon the great.A man who coul live independent of his

surroun ings woul be self-existent,he woul be a go .

The spirit is not confine by the form,it only over-sha ows the form;the form oes not contain the spirit,

it is only its outward expression;it is the instrument upon which the spirit plays,an which reacts upon its

touch,while the spirit respon s to its vibrations.An ancient proverb says:“Everything that exists upon the

Earth has its ethereal counterpart above the Earth,and there is nothing,however insignificant it may

appear in the world ,which is not depending on something higher;so that,if the lower part acts,its

prece ing higher part reacts upon it ” .[Sohar Wajecae ]

The greatest philosophers in ancient times taught that the ??΅? that alone recognise noumena,always

remaine outsi e the physical bo y of man;that it oversha owe his hea ,an that only the ignorant

believe it existe within themselves.Mo ern philosophers have arrive at similar conclusions.Fichte

writes:“The real spirit which comes to itself in human consciousness is to be regarde as and impersonal

pneuma – universal reason – and the goo of man's whole evelopment therefore can be no other than

to substitute the universal for the in ivi ual consciousness ”.

The Bhagavad Gita says:“The Supreme Brahma is within and without all beings;motionless and yet

[Page 253 ] moving.Not istribute in beings,yet constantly istribute in them.He is the light of all

luminous things and in everything its perfection ” ,[Bhagava Gita,xiii ] and the same truth,speaking

through the mouth of Jesus of Nazareth,says:“I am the Light of the world .He that followeth me shall not

walk indarkness but shall have the light of life ” .[St John,viii.12 ]

The greatest of all teachers,Gautama Bu ha,says:“The permanent never mingles with the

impermanent,although the two are one.Only when all outward appearances are gone,is that one

principle of life left,which exists independently of all external phenomena.It is the fire that burns within

the external light when the fuel is expen e and the flame is extinguishe ,for that fire is neither in the

flame nor in the fuel,nor yet insi e either of the two,but above,beneath,an everywhere ”.

This principle,in which rests the self-recognition of eternal truth is the real Ego of every human being,

an he who succee s in attaining self-knowle ge of it has foun the Christ.It is the true and living Christ

of the real Christians,not the ea “Jesus ”but the living Saviour,the Divinity,who,being born in our

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Humanity,remains with his followers unto the en of the world .Everyone who unites his own soul with

that Christ – no matter what his cree or confession may be – will become as true and veritable a Christ

as ever live upon the Earth.It is the ????? of the ancients,the A am Ka om of the Hebrews,the Osiris

of the Egyptians,the Iswar of the Hin us,the way,the light,and the truth,the ivine Self of every man

and the Re eemer for all.[Though Christ a thousan times in Bethlehem is born;If he's not born in thee,

thy soul is all forlorn ” .—Angelus Silesius (born 1624)]

Hermes Trismegist s says of that being calle “Man ” :“Its father is the Sun (Divine Wis om),his mother

the stars (the Astral light)an his bo y the generations of men ”

The whole of a man is not enclose within the small [Page 254 ] circle that circumscribes his terrestrial life.

He who has foun the “Father ”within himself knows the true insignificance of his own personal self.The

life of the personality is ma e up of a comparatively small number of years passe among the illusions of

the terrestrial plane;the experience of the inner man is ma e up of the essence of a great many of such

lives;he has retaine of them only that which is useful and gran ,while the worthless materials have

been rejecte ,but the life of the Divine man is eternal,universal,self-existent,an infinite.He who has

once realise the presence of his Go laughs at the i ea of having ever imagine himself to be

something more than a bun le of semi-conscious elements from which the inner Self raws nutriment,if

it fin s anything therein compatible with its own nature.What is all the power and glory of earthly kings

compare with the ivine Man,the King in the realm of the soul?what is all the science of this earth but

nonsense,if compare with the self-knowle ge of the regenerate ?Well may he who has welcome the

Lord in his soul be willing to renounce money,power and fame,terrestrial loves and all the illusions of

life,if it can be calle “renunciation ”to refuse to touch things upon which one looks with in ifference.

How can he,who has never seen the image of the true Saviour,in his heart love him,an how can he

who has once behel his own real ideal Self cease to love and a ore it with his whole min and with all

the faculties of the soul?But such things will not be un erstoo by those who cannot yet rise above

limitation;let those who know them rejoice and worship in silence.

He who has succee e in merging the higher elements of his soul with that ivine Self will know its

power in his own heart.This principle baptises his soul with fire,an he who receives this baptism of fire

is or aine a priest and a King.He who is full of its influence is the true “vicegerent of Go ” ,because the

supreme power of the universe acts through his instrumentality.The recognition of this principle fills his

heart with a peace “which passeth un erstan ing ” .it attracts the [Page 255 ] affections of men to him,an

she s blessings upon everyone who approaches his presence.It forgives the sins of men,by

transforming them into other beings who have not sinne and nee therefore not to be pardone ;it oes

not require to hear confession to give a vice,because it un erstan s the innermost thoughts of every

being,an its a monishing voice is heard in the heart that has learne to un erstand the language of

conscience.The evelopment of the power to perceive its power confirms men's faith,by enabling them

to recognise that to be true which they heretofore only believe to be true,an being taught by the truth

itself,they can make no mistake.It communicates with man by being absorbe by man,an by

absorbing the soul of man into itself;it brings the ying to life,because,being immortal,he who is

consciously unite with it enjoys its own immortality;the marriages it celebrates can never be issolve ,

because in its power all humanity is boun together to one in issoluble whole;to separate from it woul

be eath to the part that separates itself from the whole.The world in which this principle exists is the

sphere of eternal life;it is the only true and infallible “church ”an its power cannot be taken away.This

church is truly universal,nothing can live without its juris iction,because nothing can continue to exist

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without the authority of life.Still it has no particular name,requires no other fee for initiation but self-

sacrifice,no ceremonies or rites except the “crucifixion ”an eath of the irrational man.“Heathens ”an

“Infi els ”may enter it without changing their faith;opinions cease to exist where the truth is reveale .

But this true Christ is not the Christ of popular Christianism.He has long ago been riven away from the

mo ern Christian temples,an and i ol has occupie his place.The money-changers and tra esmen

have again taken possession of the temple of the soul,sacrificing the life-bloo of the poor at the altars of

woo en go s,closing their eyes to the truth and worshipping tinsel,squan ering the wealth of nations for

the glorification of the illusion of self.The true “Son of Man ”[Page 256 ] is still scoffe at by his nominal

followers,tra uce by his preten e frien s,tormente by the lusts of the flesh,crucifie by men who o

not recognise in him the only source of their life,kille by men in their own hearts,ignorantly an

foolishly,because they o not know what they are oing,an that their own life-substance eparts at the

time when he eparts from their life.

Mo ern hypocrisy a ores the religion of selfishness and rejects the gospel of love.Humanity ebases

her own ignity by crouching at the feet of i ols,where she shoul stan up in her own ignity and purity

as the queen of the whole creation.The soul of humanity is still reaming and has not yet awakene to

life.She seeks for a go whom she oes not know,an cannot realise the fact that in herself is that go ,

an that there can be no other go besi es him.Men and women clamour for the coming of a go ,an

yet this go is there and everywhere,an ever rea y to manifest his presence as soon as he is a mitte

into the heart.

This unknown go is attainable to all and may be recognise by everyone.It is a principle ever rea y to

be born as a power in every heart where the con itions for its birth are prepare .It always begins to

come to life in a “manger ”between the elemental and animal forces in man.It can only be born in a lowly

place,because pri e and superstition are its enemies,an in a heart fille with vanity it woul soon

perish.The news of its birth sen s a thrill of pleasure through the physical bo y,and the morning stars in

the soul sing together for joy,heral ing the awn of the ay for the resurrection of the celestial spirit.The

three magicians from the East,Spirit ,So l,an Matter ,representing Love,Wisdom,and Power ,appear

at the manger and offer their gifts to the new-born babe.If the king of pri e and ambition oes not

succee in riving it out of the country,it begins to grow,an as it grows its ivinity becomes manifest.It

argues with the intellectual powers in the temple of the min and silences their sophistry by its superior

knowle ge.It penetrates into mysteries,which intellectuality,born of sensual [Page 257 ] perceptions,

cannot.explain.Grey-hea e material science,superstition hoary with age,ol logic base upon

misconceptions of fun amental truths,give way,an are force to acknowle ge the wisdom of the half-

grown go .

Living in the wil erness of material esires,it is vainly tempte by the evil of selfishness.It cannot be

misle by personal consi erations,because being superior to them,it has no personal claims.The “devil ”

can give to it nothing that it oes not alrea y possess,because being the highest it rules over all that is

low.

This principle is the first emanation of The Absolute.It becomes the “only-begotten son ”of its father,an

is as ol as the father,because the Absolute coul only become a “father ”at the time when the “son ”was

born.[Bible:St John i.1;Hebrews i.3 ]It is the living Word ,an every man is that Word ,in whom this

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“son of go ”becomes manifest.It is the ivine self of every man,his own ivine ethereal counterpart

without any infirmities,because the latter only belong to the terrestrial form.It is not a personality,but it

may become in ivi ualise in man and yet remain in its essence impersonal,a living being,ubiquitous,

incorruptible,an immortal.This is the great mystery before which the intellect,reasoning from

particulars to universals,stan s hopelessly still,but which the soul,whose inner spiritual perceptions are

alive,behol s with astonishment and won er.Only that which is infinite and immortal in man can

comprehen infinitu e and immortality.

As long as the wavering intellect oubts the existence of Go ,it cannot become conscious of His

existence,because only the stea y light of unclou e reason can penetrate into the epths where ivine

wisdom wells.Mere “belief ” is a confession of ignorance;true faith is base upon experience.We

cannot be convince of the existence of something we o not know,an of which we are unconscious,

except by becoming conscious of its existence.Consciousness,knowle ge,an realisation of the

existence of something can only begin at the moment when that something begins to become conscious

within [Page 258 ] ourselves.We may search for the go within us,but we cannot artificially bring him to

life.We can prepare the con itions un er which he may manifest his consciousness within ourselves,by

ivesting the min from all pre ilections and preju ices;the ivine principle awakes within us by the

power of its own grace.Such a grace is not a favour conferre by a partial,whimsical,an personal go ,

it is the effect of a free will which has the power to grant its own prayers.As well may and acorn enclose

in a stone pray to be evelope into and oak as a man whose heart is fille with esires for the low ask to

become conscious of the high.To put implicit belief in the statement of bonze or priest is weakness,to

keep the soul pure,so that it can be taught by wisdom itself,is strength,to arrive at conviction through

the knowle ge of the soul confers the only true faith.

Tennyson speaks of the beginning of true faith when he says -

“We have but faith,we cannot know,

A beam indarkness,let it grow ”.

When the beam has grown,it constitutes spirit al knowledge ,which is i entical with the living power of

faith .

When the ivine being becomes conscious in the personal man,the bo y begins to feel new sensations,

the pulse begins to throb with more vigour,the animal forces stirre up in their “hells ”by the arrival of the

new light,become more active,pains will be experience in various parts of his bo y,and the can i ate

for immortality will physically experience a process resembling the martyr om of the crucifie Christ.[The

pains referre to are the result of the penetrating power of the spirit,infusing a new life into the physical

form.] The penetration of the mortal by the new life will necessarily cause suffering until the lower

elements are entirely subjecte and that which is impure eliminate .

There is no salvation except through suffering;pains accompany man's entrance into the world ,pains

accompany his regeneration.The low must ie so that the high may live.Only he who has taste the

bitterness [Page 259 ] of evil can fully realise the sweetness of goo ,only he who has suffere the heat of

the ay can fully appreciate the cool of the evening breeze.He who has live indarkness will know the

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true value of light when he enters its realm.

What is true in regard to in ivi ual man is equally true in regard to humanity as a whole,but that which

may be accomplishe in a few suitable in ivi ual organisms in a comparatively short time,will require

ages to take place in the bo y of humanity as a whole.

“Though other things grow fair against the sun,

Yet fruits that blossom first will first be ripe ”.

Othello,ii.3.

Infinite love ra iating from the centre of the All,eternally escen s into the hearts of mankin .Divine

wisdom has no separate will of its own,but is oing the will of the Father.Christ takes upon His

shoul ers the sins of the world ,for he who has entere into the realisation of ivine truth,has steppe

out of the realm of ignorance and illusions and become free,is without sin,He can gain no personal

benefit by His escent into matter;being perfection itself,He nee s no further perfection.[Bhagava Gita,

iii.22 ]As men and women become conscious of His ivine presence,they become aware not merely of

their own in ivi ual evils,but of the sufferings of humanity as a whole;they begin to suffer with and for

each other,they recognise in the ivinity in humanity the universal link that bin s them all together into

one harmonious whole.

Realising their high nature as sons of the eternal Go ,they ie to all that is low,and the more they ie to

it the more will they become alive in the only true,real,an immortal life.The motto of the ancient

Rosicrucian fraternity was:In Deo nascim r,in Jesu morim r,reviviscim s in Spirit Sancto ;that is to

say,they recognise that their souls were born from the universal fountain of all;they ie to their lower

natures by entering into the spiritual bo y of Christ,an gaine eternal life by being penetrate ,

illuminate ,nourishe and glorifie by the light of ivine truth.[Page 260 ]

The temple where they worshippe was that of the “Holy Ghost ” ,the spirit of ivine wisdom,perva ing

the soul of the world .This they represente by the symbols of Mercury and the earth joine in one.

These ideas  are not new,they have not come into existence with the a vent of mo ern Christianity;they

are eternal truths,as ol as the world ,and they have been represente in various fables and allegories

among the nations of this globe.In the “Ol Testament ” we fin the octrine of salvation represente in

the story of Noah's ark.Noah represents the spiritual man,and the ark the plane of ivine self-

consciousness.Only those elements of the psychic organism of man which enter this spiritual realm can

be save ,while those who remain in a lower state are oome to estruction.Upon the waters of thought

floats the ship containing many compartments;the window of knowle ge is open to enable the inner man

to look out upon the watery waste.The intellectual raven is sent out to iscover ry lan ,but it can fin

no place to rest,an returns to the ark;the dove of spiritual knowle ge alone can fin soli groun in the

realm of the spirit;it returns carrying the emblem of peace,the oubts rece e,and the ark is turne into a

temple resting upon the top of the mountain of self knowle ge.

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Blesse is he whose ark uring his terrestrial life is gui e upon this Ar-ar-at of true Faith;it will enable

him patiently and with in ifference to bear the ills of terrestrial life until the soul is release from its bon s,

an returns to its home in the eternal king om,having become separate from all the attractions of earth.

How gran and sublime are the mysteries of true religion!How superior is knowle ge of the soul to

speculative science!How infinitely great the living spirit of Truth!

Those who cling to external forms,cling to illusion.To convert and ignorant person by substituting one

form of illusion for another is useless,and the money and labour expen e for such “conversions ”is

waste .Ignorance exchange for ignorance remains ignorance still;a change of opinion cannot establish

[Page 261 ] self-knowle ge and an imaginary knowle ge oes not make a man wise.

If a man has religion,it matters little by what name he may call it,or un er what form he may attempt to

express that which cannot be expresse in a form.The Bu hist,who looks upon the image of Bu ha

as a figurative representation of a living principle,an who,in memory of a once living person in whom

that principle foun its fullest expression,an whose example he wishes to follow,offers flowers an

fruits at his shrine,is as near the truth as the Christian who sees in the picture of Jesus of Nazareth the

representation of his highest ideal,for it is not the person ,however much he may be venerate ,that

ought to be worshippe but Divine Wisdom itself,without whose light Gautama coul not have become a

Bu ha,nor Jesus a Christ.

There has been a great eal of time and labour spent to prove or isprove that the foun er of Christianity

was a person living in Palestine at the beginning of the Christian era.To know whether or not such a

person by the name of Jesus ,or perhaps Jehosh a ,ever existe ,an whether he existe at the time

in icate by theologians,may be a matter of great historical interest,but it cannot be of supreme

importance for our salvation;because the personality of even a Go incarnate is only a mask,and the

knowle ge of another man is not our own.

The “Light of Asia ”says:

“Within thyself salvation must be foun ”.

an Angel s Silesi s (John Scheffler)expresses the same truth,when he says:

“The cross of Golgotha can never save thy soul,

The cross in thine own heart alone can make thee whole ”.

The octrines of the Jesus of the Gospel grow in sublimity in proportion as their secret meaning is

un erstoo ;the tales of the Bible in regard to His ee s and the miracles which He performe ,an

which to the superficial observer appear incre ible and absurd,represent eternal truths an

psychological processes which are not merely things of the past,but which occur even [Page 262 ] now

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within the realm of the soul of man,an in proportion as man comes nearer to the true living Christ,veil

after veil rops from his eyes.

The theory of the re emption of man oes not ate from the time when the historical Christ is suppose

to have been born.The history of Christ fin s its prototype in the history of Krishna.The Greeks taught

the re emption of the soul un er the allegory of Amor and Psyche .Psyche (the human soul)enjoys the

embraces of her ivine lover every night (in each incarnation).She feels his ivine presence and hears

the voice of intuition in her heart,but she is not permitte to see the source from which that voice

procee s.At a time when the go is sleeping her curiosity awakes and she wishes to see him objectively.

She lights the lamp of the intellect and procee s to examine critically the source of her happiness;but at

that moment the go isappears.Despairingly she wan ers through the lower regions of her intellect an

through the sphere of sensual perceptions.She cannot fin her go by the power of reasoning from the

material plane.Rea y to ie (giving up her self-will),she is save by the power of love.Losing her “self ”

in love,she becomes unite with him,knowing his attributes,which are now her own.

Mo ern Christianity has not estroye the Olympian go s,it only estroye the forms in which they were

represente .They were allegorical representations of truths,an truths cannot be kille .The laws of

nature are the same to ay as they were at the time of Tiberius;Christianism has only change the

symbols and calle ol things by new names.Dea heathen i ols have been resurrecte in the form of

Roman Catholic saints.

Mo ern writers have represente the same ol truths in other forms,in prose and in verse.Goethe

represents it beautifully in his “Faust.”Dr Faust,the man of great intellect and celebrate for his learning,

in spite of all his scientific accomplishments,is unable to fin the truth.

The unknown is the useful thing to know;

That which we know is useless for our purpose ” .[Page 263 ]

Despairing at the impotency and insufficiency of speculative research,he enters into a pact with the

principle of evil.By its assistance he attains wealth,love,an power,he enjoys all that the senses are

capable to enjoy,still feeling intuitively that selfish enjoyment cannot confer true happiness.Neither the

splen our of the imperial court,nor the beauty of Helen of Troy,who returns from the lan of sha ows at

his request,nor the orgies of the Blocksberg ,where all human passions are let loose without restraint,

can satisfy his craving.Lord of the Earth,he sees only a single hut which is not yet his own,an he takes

even that,regardless of the fate of its inhabitants.Still he is not satisfie until,after having recovere a

part of lan from the ocean by his labours,he contemplates the happiness which others may enjoy by

reaping the benefit of his work.This is the first unselfish thought that takes root in his min .It fills him

with extreme happiness,an in the contemplation of the happiness of others his sense of self ies an

his impersonal soul is save .The soul knows that it is,but it cannot intellectually and critically examine

itself unless it steps out of itself,an ,stepping out of itself,it ceases to be one.The eye cannot see itself

without the ai of a mirror;goo becomes only known to us after we have experience evil,to become

wise we must first become foolish and gain experience by eating of the forbi en fruit.A spiritual power

not having been embo ie in a form,woul not know the nature of free om.To learn the con itions of

existence man becomes embo ie in form and acquires knowle ge;having gaine that knowle ge,form

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is no longer require .The selfish esire for existence imprisons the inner man into a mortal form;he who

uring his life on Earth conquers all selfish esire for existence becomes free.The ivine Bu ha,resting

un er the Bo hi-tree of wisdom,an having his min fixe on the chain of causation,sai :“Ignorance is

the source of all evil.From ignorance spring the Sankharas (ten encies)of threefol nature-pro uctions

of bo y,of speech,an thought (uring the previous life);from the Sankharas [Page 264 ] originates

(relative)consciousness,from consciousness spring name and form,from this the six regions (the six

senses);from this springs esire,from esire attachment,from attachment existence,birth,ol age,

eath,grief,lamentation,suffering,ejection,an espair.By the estruction of ignorance the Sankharas

are estroye ,and their consciousness,name,an form,the six regions,contact,sensation,esire,

attachment,existence,an its consequent evils.From ignorance spring all evils,from self-knowle ge

comes cessation of this mass of misery.The truly enlightene one stan s,ispelling the hosts of illusions

like the sun that illuminates the sky ”.The power which estroys selfishness and the sense of personality

is the same which cause the existence of man;it is the power of universal love,and the more the love of

a person expan s over all others the more will the consciousness of personality be iffuse .We esteem

a person accor ing to the egree in which he prefers common interests to the interests of his own

personality.We a mire generosity,an unselfishness,an benevolence,an yet such qualities are

absurd and useless,if we believe that the highest object of man's existence is his own personal

happiness on the physical plane;because the highest happiness in that plane consists in the greatest

amount of possessions pertaining to that plane.To give is to experience a personal loss.But if man

strives for spiritual power,to sacrifice personal possessions will be his gain,because the less he is

attracte by personal possessions the more will his soul become free.To give with the view of expecting

some benefit in return is useless for such a purpose,because a person having such and object in view

simply gives up one personal possession for another.He is a tra esman that clings to his goo s,an is

only willing to part with something goo provi e he can get something better in exchange .Accor ing to

the unselfishness and the spiritual power of a person his in ivi ual influence may exten over a family,a

village,a town,a country,or over the whole Earth.Everyone esires influence,an seeks to obtain [Page

265 ] power by obtaining wealth and position.But the influence gaine by such possessions is not spiritual

power.A fool may be a pope,a king,or a millionary,an people bow in obe ience before him on account

of his position and wealth.They may espise his person and a ore his possessions,which he himself

a ores,an to which his person is as subject as the lowest one of his slaves.Such a person is not a

comman er;it is his wealth that comman s him and the others.His wealth and not he is,in such a case,

the object of the world 's a miration.When his wealth is squan ere ,those who use to crouch at his feet

spurn him away from their table.The spiritual power of a person is independent of such external

con itions,a virtuous person is esteeme in proportion as his qualities become known,and the spiritually

strong exerts a powerful invisible influence over all his surroun ings.Man may be compare with a planet

revolving aroun its own centre and circling aroun and invisible sun.Above the orbit in which he turns is

light,an below is thedarkness.The light above and thedarkness below attract him;farther he travels

from the invisible sun,from which the light procee s,the more will he approach the sha ow,an having

reache a certain point at which either one or the other attraction ceases,he will either rise up to the

source of light or sink into thedarkness.A change fromdarkness to light,from evil to goo ,is only

possible as long as man,in his revolutions aroun the centre of his own self,has not transcen e the

orbit where the attractions of light and sha ows are equal.Having transcen e that orbit,no return is

possible.Only he who has attaine the knowle ge of self will be able to choose free,because he will

know the nature of that which he chooses;the blin have no free om of choice.The npardonable sin is

to knowingly and wilf lly reject spiritual truth when it becomes manifest in the heart.In a certain sense all

sins are “unpardonable ” ,because they all cause effects,which have to become exhauste before they

can cease;but if a person knowingly and wilfully rejects the truth reveale to him by his own inner self-

consciousness,it proves that he [Page 266 ] loves evil better than goo ,an that his nature is evil.He who

is ignorant is not responsible for his acts.But he who knows the truth by its interior self-revelation in his

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own consciousness and rejects it,con emns himself.Truth alone will survive in the en while evil will

perish in evil.It is therefore angerous for men to seek for occult spiritual knowle ge for the gratification

of scientific curiosity,before they have become sufficiently wise to select only that which is true.[Page 267 ]

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CHAPTER XII

THEOSOPHY

“He to whom time is like eternity,an eternity like time,is free ” .—Jackob Boehme.

To picture the eternal and intellectually incomprehensible in forms,an to escribe the unimaginable in

words,is a task whose ifficulty has been experience by all who ever attempte it.The formless cannot

be escribe in forms,it can only be represente by allegories which can only be un erstoo by those

whose min s are open to the spiritual illumination of truth.The misun erstan ing of allegorical

expressions in the sacre books has le to religious wars,to the torturing,burning,an killing of

thousan s of innocent victims,it has cause the living wives of ea Hin us to be burne with the

corpses of their husban s,it has cause ignorant men and women to throw themselves before the

wheels of the car of the Juggernath ,it causes the en less quarrels between some 200 Christian sects,

an while the truth unites all humanity into one harmonious whole,the misun erstan ing of it pro uces

innumerable iscords and iseases.Far,in the unfathomable abyss of space,far beyon the reach of the

imagination of man,unapproachable even by the highest and purest angel or thought,an nevertheless

omnipresent in his own essence and power,self-existent,eternal,resplen ent in his own glory is the

Shining One ,whose Centre is rest,peace and happiness,whose heart is invisible Fire,whose rays are

[Page 268 ] Light and Life,perva ing the Universe to its utmost limits,penetrating every form and causing it

to live and to grow.Their harmonious vibrations are un ulating through space,nourishing all animate an

inanimate beings with the substance of Love.Meeting with the sleeping forms of thought in space,the

pro ucts of a previous ay of creation,the ivine rays of wisdom en ow them with life,causing them to

become living systems of world s,chaine together by the power of mutual recognition,manifesting itself

as attraction and gui ing them on in their restless revolutions.Penetrating into the hearts of animals an

men,they create sensation and relative consciousness,cause the form to feel,to perceive and to know

its surroun ings,call into life the emotions,instincts,and the power of reasoning.Penetrating eep into

the hearts of men,they kin le there the ivine fire in whose light man may see the image of the Shining

One,an know it to be his own immortal ideal,to be realise within himself.But it is beyon the power of

man to escribe in language that which cannot be escribe ,to combine words,so that the rea er may

form and intellectual conception of something,for which no intellectual conception exists,because it is

beyon the experience of the limite min .In the presence of the highest,the unthinkable ideal,

intellectual labour ceases,an spiritual recognition begins.“The secret things belong to the Lord ” ;only

ivine wisdom itself can know that which is ivine;it being the self-knowle ge of Go in man;the self-

realisation of truth.Intellectual labour is a function which man shares with certain animals;but the

prerogative of spiritual man is to realise within his own self-consciousness the presence of Truth,to

become himself one with the Go of the universe and join His self-knowle ge,an this self-realisation of

truth is calle Divine Wisdom or Theosophia.

In this eternal universal source of all that exists is all magic power containe ,even to the extent of

creating new world s.The realisation of its existence is the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir of life or

Universal Panacea ,which can be ha everywhere and at any time [Page 269 ]without expense by

everyone.It is attainable only by man,because the lower animals are not yet far enough a vance to be

use as vehicles for the manifestation of ivine wisdom;but he whom it has awakene to life shares its

attributes and is a living temple of Go .The man whom this principle has not awakene from its sleep is

merely and intellectual animal,an can possess no spiritual or magical powers.Some mo ern

“philosophers ” ,who say that man has no magical powers,are right from their own point of view;for the

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“man ”known to mo ern science has no spiritual life and therefore no spiritual power;the real man only

begins to exist when he awakens to the realisation of his ivine nature.True philosophers have

recognise this fact.Schopenhauer says:“In consequence of the action of ‘grace',the entire being of

man becomes remo elle ,so that he esires no longer anything of that for which he was craving

heretofore,an becomes so to say a new man ” .[Go is as much in a stick of woo as in a human being;

but the ifference is that a stick of woo knows nothing of Go ;while man may attain the realisation of

his presence in him ” .– Eckhart.]

Everything in nature has a threefol nature,an likewise the allegories of the sacre books of the East as

well as those of the West have a threefol meaning – and exoteric,an esoteric,an a spiritual

signification.The vulgar,the learne as well as the unlearne ,can see only the external si e,which is

often so absurd,that its very absurdity shoul serve as a warning to people en owe with reason not to

accept such fables in their literal meaning.Those who are willing to learn can be instructe ,but they that

believe that they alrea y know,refuse to be taught.For this reason the man-appointe guardians of the

truth,the learne teachers of science and religion are often the last ones to recognise that which is

true.How can we enter the path ?– Only in practical experience is life.Petrifie speculative science,

moul y speculative philosophy,an rie -up speculative theology stan in our way.Humanity awakes

from its slumber [Page 270 ] and asks for brea ,but receives only a stone.It turns to science,but science

is silent,wraps itself up in its vanity and turns away;it turns to philosophy,an ol philosophy answers,

but its talk is and incomprehensible jargon,an confuses matters still more.It turns to theology,but

theology threatens the obnoxious questioner with curses,an bi s him to be satisfie with a blin faith.

But the people,as a whole,are no longer satisfie with such answers;they are no longer contente with

the assertion that the truth is to be known to a few privilege classes,an that they themselves must

remain ignorant.Wisdom is not to be monopolise by any sectarian bo y or any Society.If we wish to

enter the path to infinite life,the first requirement is

TO KNOW

Knowle ge is the perception and un erstan ing of truth.We can only know that which we perceive.

There are two principal mo es of perception,namely,seeing and feeling.Each of these mo es,if

unaccompanie by the other,is unreliable;only if we simultaneously see and feel a thing o we

experience that it exists.Thousan s of years have passe away since mankin first saw the sun and the

stars,an mo ern telescopes have brought them nearer to us.Nevertheless our knowle ge of these

cosmic bo ies and the con itions of life existing upon them,consists merely of speculations an

opinions,which may be overthrown at any time,when our means for observation are supplante by

better ones.We give names to the substances iscovere by the spectroscope,but we will not know the

true nature of the stars as long as we are not able to partake of their consciousness and experience the

qualities of life and characters embo ie in their forms.For thousan s of years mankin has intuitively felt

the presence of the Unknown.Those who experience the presence of the universal Spirit,know that it

exists.Generations after generations have isappeare from earth after spen ing their lives in vain

efforts to know [Page 271 ]objectively that Go whose power they felt in their hearts;but whom they coul

not see with their eyes.If we are able to see and to feel the external qualities of a thing,we may

un erstan what these qualities are,but we will still be ignorant of its interior character.To know its spirit

it will be necessary to enter into its spirit,an this can only be one by the spirit of man,not by his

external senses.The spiritual principle in man,if once awakene to self-consciousness,has attributes

an functions far superior to those of the external man;it has the power to perceive,to see and to feel

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the internal qualities of things which are imperceptible to the external senses;it can i entify itself with the

object of its observation and partake of its consciousness,it becomes for the time being unite with that

object and shares its feelings,it partakes of its subjective sensations.Thus oes a lover partake of the

joys and sorrows of the object he loves,an feel as if he were one with it in spirit;for love is the power by

which such a ivine state is attaine ,it penetrates all things,an coming from the heart it goes to the

heart.What is it that prevents us to love and to know all things but our own islikes and misconceptions?

We o not see things as they are but as we imagine them to be.He who esires to know all things

shoul not look upon them with his own eyes,but with the eyes of the truth;he shoul not think the

thoughts suggeste by external appearances,but he shoul let Divine Wisdom do his thinking within his

mind.To obtain true knowle ge we must be able to receive the light of the truth;we must free our min s

from the learne rubbish that has accumulate there through the perverte metho s of e ucation of

mo ern civilization.The more false octrines we have learne the more ifficult will be the labour to

make room for the truth,an it may take years to unlearn that which we have ,learne at the expense of

a great eal of labour,money,an time.The Bible says that “we must become like little chil ren before

we can enter the king om of [Page 272 ] truth ” .The principal thing to know is to know o r own true Self ;if

we know ourselves,we will know that we are to be the kings of the universe.The essential Man is a Son

of God ,he is something incomparably greater,far more sublime and far more powerful thand the

insignificant,changeable and impermanent and unconscious being escribe as “man ”in our scientific

works on anthropology.Well may Man who knows his true nature be prou of his nobility and power;well

may the man of earth be ashame of his weakness.The real Man is a ivine being,whose power

exten s as far as his thoughts can reach;the illusive man is a compoun of semi-animal forces,subject

to their caprices and whims,with a spark of ivine fire in him to enable him to control them,but which

spark is only too frequently left to smoul er and vanish.The former is immortal,the latter exists a few

years among the illusions of life:The real man realises his own immortality;the elu e illusion,having

the appearance of a human being,elu es itself with the hope of obtaining permission,by the favour of

some personal go ,to carry its falsehoo s into a sphere in which only the truth exists.[Revelations xxi.

27 ]

There are three kin s of knowle ge,the useful,the useless,and the harmful.The useless knowle ge is

the knowle ge of,or rather the a herence to,illusions and falsehoo s;it is no real knowle ge,although it

embraces a great eal of what is consi ere of great importance in civilize countries that men shoul

know.It is true that mo ern science has on many occasions rawn away apart of the veil which hi es the

won ers of Wis om in Nature;but as our science has not reache the foun ation of truth;it is mixe up

with illusions.Our scientific systems are continually subject to change,an what is consi ere to be final

truth by one generation,is often rejecte as false by the next.Our “scientific attainments ” confer no real

knowle ge of fun amental law of nature,because they are base upon ignorance,in regar to the

fountain of All,an ,however logical the e uctions ma e from false [Page 273 ] premises may be,

falsehoo s can pro uce only falsehoo .What can be more erroneous thand the assertion of rationalistic

speculators,that the intellect is a pro uct of the material organization of the physical bo y;that life is a

pro uct of the mechanical action of a ea force;that effects can be pro uce without any a equate

causes;that something can come out of something having elements therein capable to pro uce it;that

man's min exists within the narrow limits of his skull;that man can know nothing except what he

perceives with his external senses;that consciousness is the result of the chemical action of unconscious

substances;that man can will,think,imagine,love,an hate without having a soul;that wisdom,

knowle ge,spiritual perception,prophecy,etc.,were results of pathological con itions of the bo y an

other en less absurdities and scientific hallucinations.As long as the true nature of man is not known,his

lower interests are mistaken for his higher ones.Scientific attainments are often only use for the

purpose of obtaining the power to speculate on the ignorance of those that have no such intellectual

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acquirements,an by taking a vantage of their beliefs to obtain money and material comfort.Such

scientific attainments may be goo for such purposes,but they retard the progress of man in a spiritual

irection,because they make men more selfish,an cause them to worship matter;they are therefore

useless for the only true and permanent interest of man.

If science wishes to fin the foun ation of truth,it must begin to realise the unity of the universe an

know that the world of appearances manifeste in nature is a revelation of truth originating in ivine

wisdom.This realisation cannot be attaine by arguments and inferences,it is only realise by the power

of universal love,which is the recognition of truth.

“To bring thee to thy Go ,love takes the shortest route;

The way which science lea s is but a roun about ” .[Angelu Silesius ]

The harmful knowle ge consists in scientific attainments [Page 274 ] without any correspon ing perception

of the moral aspect of truth.It is only partial knowle ge,because it recognises only a part of the truth.A

high intellectual evelopment without any correspon ing growth of spirituality is a curse to mankin .

Knowle ge to be goo must be illuminate by Wis om;knowle ge without wisdom is angerous to

possess.Misun erstan ing and misapplication of truths are the sources of evil.

“ A little knowle ge is a angerous thing ” .

Such and attainment of knowle ge without wisdom may become etrimental.The invention of the

fulminates of mercury,of gunpow er and nitro-glycerine,has cause much suffering to a large part of

humanity.Not that the substances applie ,or the forces which are liberate ,are intrinsically evil,but their

misapplication in the han s of those without wisdom lea s to evil results.If all men were intelligent

enough to un erstand the laws which govern the world ,an wise enough to employ their knowle ge for

goo purposes only,no evil results woul follow.One of the most harmful acquisitions is the so-calle

“religious knowle ge ” ;that is to say the hol ing on to theological octrines which are wrong or

misun erstoo ,because it is unaccompanie by any unfol ment of true spirituality.Such a “religion ”

results in bigotry,hypocrisy and intolerance;it is base upon fear and not upon faith.A religion without

universal love is and absurdity;because that Love is the link which relates man to Go .A faith without love

is only a superstition.Nevertheless it is that foolish “faith ”which clamours the most for its rights.Faith

without love will make the greatest roar and in;

The cask soun s lou est when there is nought within ” .[Angelus Silesius ]

If we procee a step further and imagine intellectual but wicke and selfish people possesse not only of

the power to employ explosives,an poisonous rugs,to injure others,but able to sen their own

egra ing poisonous thoughts to a istance,to leave at will the [Page 275 ] prison house of the physical

bo y to kill or injure others,the most isastrous results woul follow.Such forbi en knowle ge has been

an is sometimes possesse by people with criminal ten encies,a fact which is universally known in the

East,an upon the possibility and actuality of such facts have been establishe on many occasions,an

among others by many of the witch trials of the Mi le Ages.Mo ern scientists may now laugh at these

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facts,but the octors of law,of me icine,an of theology of their times,were as sure of their knowle ge

as mo ern representatives of science are of their own opinions to ay,and the former ha as many

intellectual capacities as the latter.The only ifference is that the former knew these facts,but gave a

wrong explanation;the latter fin it easier to ignore than to explain.

Man is continually surroun e by unseen influences,and the astral plane is swarming with entities an

forces,which are acting upon him for goo or for evil,according to his goo or evil inclinations.At the

present state of evolution man has a physical bo y,which is a mirably a apte to mo ify the influence

from the astral plane,an to shelter him against the “monsters of the deep ”.

If the physical bo y is in goo health,it acts as and armour,an ,moreover,man has the power,by a

ju icious exercise of his will,to so concentrate the odic aura by which he is surroun e ,as to ren er his

armour impenetrable to the influences of the astral world and its inhabitants;but if by ba health,by a

careless expen iture of vitality,or by the practice of mediumship,he isperses his protective power,his

physical armour will become weakene and unable to guard him;he becomes the victim of elementaries

an elemental forces,his mental faculties lose their balance,an sooner or later he will,like the

symbolical Adam and Eve,know that he is naked ,an expose to influences which he cannot repel.

Such is the result for which those ignorantly crave who wish to obtain knowle ge without correspon ing

morality.To supply the ignorant or weak with powers of estruction woul be like provi ing chil ren with

gunpow er and matches for play.[Page 276 ]

Only and intelligent and well-balance min can iscriminate properly and ive into the hi en mysteries

of Nature.“Only the pure in heart can see Go ” .He who has reache that stage nee not search the

world for a person to instruct him;the higher intelligences will be attracte to him,an become his

instructor,in the same manner as he himself is attracte by the beauty of and animal or of a flower.

A harp oes not invent soun but obeys the han of a master,and the more perfect the instrument,the

sweeter will be the music.A iamon oes not originate light,but reflects it,and the purer the iamon

the purer will be its lustre.Man oes not invent or create thought,will,an intelligence.He is a mirror in

which the thoughts of the world are reflecte ,an instrument through which the will of nature expresses

itself;a pearl fille with a rop of water from the universal ocean of intelligence.

The only true knowle ge is the knowle ge of one's own true self,which knows neither “goo ”nor “evil ” ,

but is the realisation of truth.He who ate from the tree of the knowle ge of illusion has ie ;because by

experiencing the illusion of self,he has ie to his spiritual nature and become and illusion himself.[Gen.

ii.17 ] If you eat of the tree of ivine knowle ge,which is the tree of life,your illusion will ie and you will

live.Your personality will be swallowe up by a realisation of the fact that “you ”are nothing ,an that Go

in you is the only true self and the All.Realising this,you will not be “as one of the go s ” ;but a self-

conscious power in Go ,unlimite and immortal.

How can self-knowle ge be attaine ?The answer is:“By the realisation of truth ” .The truth is

everywhere,always rea y to manifest itself in you and aroun you,if you only permit it to become

manifest.Wis om requires no other teacher but wisdom itself.Rise up to it in your soul and it will

escen upon you and fill your heart.He who ascen s to the top of a high mountain nee not enquire for

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somebo y to bring him pure air.Pure air surroun s him there on all si es.[Page 277 ] The realm of wisdom

is not limite ,an he whose min is receptive will not suffer from want of ivine grace to fee his holy

aspiration.

The school in which the occultist gra uates has many classes,each class representing a life.The ays

of vacation may arrive before the lesson is learne ,an what has been learne may be forgotten uring

the time of vacation;but still the impression remains,an a thing once learne is easily learne again.

This accounts for the different talents with which men are en owe ,an for their propensities for goo or

for evil.No effort is lost,every cause creates a correspon ing effect,no favours are grante ,no injustice

takes place.Blin to bribes and eaf to appeals is the law of justice,ealing its treasures out to everyone

according to his capacities to receive,but he who has no selfish esire for reward,an no cowardly fear

of punishment,but who ares to act rightly because he will not o wrong,i entifies himself with the law,

an in the equilibrium of the law will he fin his Power

.The secon requirement is

TO WILL

If we are not willing to receive the truth we will not obtain it.

Men believe that they love the truth,but there are few who loving for its own sake esire it.They esire

welcome truths;those that are unwelcome are rejecte .Opinions which flatter the vanity and are in

harmony with accustome mo es of thought are accepte ;strange truths are regarde with

astonishment and riven away from the oor.Men are often afrai of that which they o not know,an ,

not knowing the truth,they are afrai to receive it.They ask new truths for their passports,an if they o

not bear the stamp of some fashionable authority they are looke upon as illegitimate chil ren,an are

not permitte to grow.

How shall we learn to love the truth ?By learning to know it.How can we know the truth ?By learning to

love it.The elu e asks for external proofs,but [Page 278 ] the wise requires no other certificate for the

truth but its own revelation.There can be no ifference between speculative and practical knowledge ;

because knowle ge is one,an opinion base upon mere speculation is no knowle ge.Knowle ge can

only be attaine by speculation,if the speculation is accompanie by experience.Those who want to

know the truth must practise it;those who cannot practise it will not know it;speculation without practice

is only a eceitful ream.

Man can have no actual esire for a thing which he has never experience ,an which he therefore not

knows.How can we love a thing of which we know not that it exists ?How can we know its existence,

except by realising its presence ?How can we realise its presence if we o not enjoy it ?How can we

enjoy it if we o not love it ?Neither in uctive nor e uctive reasoning can give us a realisation of truth.

Divine Reason itself alone can cause it to become manifest in ourselves.

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To know that a thing is goo ,is to esire it;for it is a law acting within the constitution of man,no less

than among the planets,that we shoul be attracte to that which we know to be goo and be repulse

by that which we know to be evil.A strong esire to be goo ,causes man to perform goo actions;a

esire to be evil,causes him to commit evil ee s.Man is the pro uct of his own thoughts and acts;if he

thinks and acts goo ,he becomes goo ;if he thinks and acts evil,he becomes evil.In and occult sense

“willing ”is i entical with “feeling ” ;for the substance of the Will,if infuse with the consciousness of the

Spirit,feels and grasps its object.Willing,knowing,an acting are ultimately i entical;because we can

only will what we know,an we can only know that of which we have and experience.

The only way to obtain true practical knowle ge of spiritual truths is by the practice of the truth —in other

words,the a wakening of the inner consciousness to the recognition of truth existing within oneself.Only

a min which has been purifie from all selfish esires,an is fille with a strong etermination to learn

the [Page 279 ] truth,is thereby “duly and truly prepare ”to enter the temple of wisdom.Every time that a

person,either for selfish purposes or to gratify the whim of another,or for any other personal

consi eration,gives his consent to something,of which his reason or conscience tells him that it ought

not to be;however insignificant such and act may be;it will nevertheless involve for him a loss of a certain

amount of will.

Man is chaine to the king om of his illusions with a thousan chains.The inhabitants of his earthly soul

appear before him in their most se uctive forms.If they are riven away they change their masks an

appear in some other form.But the chains by which man is boun are forge by his own esire.His vices

o not cling to him against his will.He clings to them,and they will esert him as soon as he rises up in

the strength and ignity of his manhoo and shakes them off.There is a metho ,by which we may,

without any active effort,obtain that which we esire,an this is that we sho ld desire nothing except

what the divine spirit wills within o r own heart.

The thir requirement is

TO DARE

We must are to act and throw off low esires,instea of waiting inactively until they esert us.We must

are to tear ourselves loose from accustome habits,irrational thoughts,an selfish consi erations,an

from everything that is and impe iment to our recognition of truth.We must are to conquer ourselves an

the world by becoming like a isintereste spectator,taking no part in the performance,[Bhagava Gita ] –

not on account of any stupi in ifference or mournful acquiescence to the ecrees of fate,nor on account

of being a “pessimist ” or a misanthrope;but on account of having outgrown the follies of the lower worl

an realising the beauties of the high.We must learn to overcome our own ignorance,are to face the

ri icule of the ignorant,the vilifications of bigots,the haughtiness of the vain,the contempt of the learne ,

and the envy of the small;are to proclaim the truth if it is useful to o so,an are to he silent if taunte

by the fool.[Prov.xxvi.4.] We must are to face poverty,suffering,an isolation,be superior to all ills

that may affect us,an act un er all circumstances according to our highest conception of truth.

All this might be easily accomplishe ,if the will of man were free;if man were his own master and not

boun with the chains of the soul;but man is only free to a certain extent.Man may perform certain acts

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an leave others un one if he chooses;but his wisdom etermines his choice.A man knowing and wise

has the power to will that which he oes not esire personally,an not to will that to which his esires

attract him.To make the will free,action is require ,an each action strengthens the will,an each

unselfish ee increases its power.There is only one ivine Law and one ivine Will;the Will of ivine

Wisdom.He who follows the law executes the will of Go ;he who opposes it may become in ivi ually

strong in his self-will;but will finally be crushe by the opposing force,which is immeasurably stronger

than he.Dare to obey the Law,and yo will become yo r own Master,and the Lord over all .

There are three ways to evelop the power of will.

The first is to act against our own esires by forcing ourselves to perform acts which are isagreeable

an painful.This metho use to be prevalent in the West uring the Mi le Ages,an is to ay practise

in the East by Fakirs and the lower class of ascetics.It is a metho by which people ispose to

witchcraft may obtain sufficient strength of will to control some of the lower Elementals,an acquire

power to affect men and animals at a istance by the influence of their will.It consists in the en urance of

pain with in ifference,and the accounts given by travellers in the East show to what height of absur ity

such practices of Hatha yoga have been carrie out.But while such practices may strengthen the will,

they o not era icate selfishness;but they rather increase it.Seen in the proper [Page 281 ] light,people

given to such practices o not act against their esires;because their esire is the attainment of personal

power.Penances and tortures are therefore worse than useless for the higher evelopment of the soul.

The second way is not to follow our unlawful esires on account of being afrai of the consequences

which we might have to experience if we were to be isobedient to the law.This is the kin of morality

which is usually to be foun in the world ;but which is base upon cowardice and not upon recognition of

truth.Its foun ation is the i ea to forego a small pleasure for the purpose of enjoying a greater pleasure

of and equally selfish kin .

Philosophical courage is a quality for which men are a mire everywhere;its foun ation is personal

vanity.The Re In ian pri es himself at his in ifference to physical pain,the Fakir un ergoes tortures to

strengthen his will-power,the civilise sol ier is eager to prove his contempt for anger,an to measure

his strength with the strength of the enemy.But there are ee s to perform that require a courage of a

superior kin .It requires only momentary outbursts of ambition to perform a aring ee on the physical

plane,but a continual and unremitte strain is nee e to keep the emotions subjecte ,an this strain is

ren ere still more fatiguing by the circumstance that itdepends entirely on our own will whether or not

we will en ure it,an that if we relax the bri le and allow our emotions to run free,sensual gratification

will be the result.

The performance of such ee of valour requires not merely a philosophical,but a theosophical courage;

namely the courage to o one's uty because it is one's uty to o it,an for no other reason.Therefore,

the best way is,not to make any selfish attempts at all to overcome our esires;but to let the recognition

of truth overcome these esires;to sacrifice not merely our esires,but our own self with all its esires to

the fountain of Divine Wisdom,which is to be fo nd in the temple of our own heart,an to remain there

even while [Page 282 ] we atten to the uties of life.If we enter that place,all esires will remain outsi e;

they cannot enter the sacre precinct.It requires a courage of the highest order to act un er all

circumstances in obe ience to ivine law.Long may the battle last,but each victory strengthens the will;

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each act of submission ren ers it more powerful,until at last the combat is en e ,an over the battlefiel

where the remnants of the slain esires are expose to the ecomposing action of the elements hovers

the spiritual eagle,rising towards the sun and enjoying the serene tranquillity of the ethereal realm.

Metals are purifie by fire and the spirit is purifie by suffering.Only when the molten mass has coole

can we ju ge of the progress of the purification;only when a victory over the emotions is gaine ,an

peace follows after the struggle,cand the spirit rest to contemplate and realise the beauty of eternal truth.

In vain will men attempt to listen to the voice of truth uring the clash of conten ing esires and opinions,

only in the silence that follows the storm cand the voice of truth be heard.[Light on the Path ,by M.C.]

The fourth requirement to the recognition of the truth is therefore

TO BE SILENT

This means that we must not allow any esire to speak in our heart,but only the voice of the truth;

because the truth is a jealous go ess and suffers no rivals.He who selects wisdom for the bri e of his

soul must woo her with his whole heart and ismiss the concubines from the bri al chamber of his soul.

He must clothe her in the purity of his affection and ornament her with the gol of his love,for wisdom is

mo est,she oes not a orn herself but waits until she is a orne by her lover.She cannot be bought

with money nor with promises,her love is only gaine by acts of evotion.Science is only the han mai

of wisdom,an he who makes love to the servant will be rejecte by the [Page 283 ] mistress;but he who

sacrifices his whole being to wisdom will be unite with it.

The Bhagwat Gita says:“He who thinketh constantly of me,his min un iverte by any other object,will

fin me.I will at all times be easily foun by a constant evotion to me ”.

The Christian Mystic,Jackob Boehme,an illuminate seer,expresses the same truth,in the form of a

ialogue between the master and his isciple,as follows:

The isciple sai to the master:“How can I succee in arriving at that supersensual life,in which I may

see and hear the Supreme?”

The master answere :“If you can only for a moment enter in thought into the formless,where no

creature resi es,you will hear the voice of the Supreme ”.

The isciple sai :“Is this far or near?”

The master answere :“It is in yourself,an if you can comman only for one hour the silence of your

esires,you will hear the inexpressible words of the Supreme.If your own will and self are silent in you,

the perception of the eternal will be manifest through you;Go will hear,an see,an talk through you;

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your own hearing,esiring,an seeing prevents you to see and hear the Supreme ” .[Jackob Boehme:

“Theosophical Writings ” ,book vi.]

These irections are i entical with those prescribe by the practice of Raja-Yog ,by which the holy men

of the East unite their min s with the formless and infinite.All religious ceremonies are calculate to

elevate the min into the region of the formless,an ,in fact,all religious systems can have no other

ultimate object than to teach metho s how to attain such states.All churches are not worthy the name of

“church ” ,which means a spirit al nion ,unless they serve as schools in which the science of uniting

oneself with the eternal fountain of life is practically taught.But it is easier to allow one's min to revel

among the multifarious forms and attractions of the material plane,or to go through forms of external

“worship ” ;than to enter into nothingness,where at first no soun is hear but the echo of our voice.It is

easier to let our min s be [Page 284 ] controlle by thoughts that visit the min than to close the oors of

the soul to all thoughts that have not the seal of truth impresse upon their forms;an this is the reason

why the majority of men and women prefer the illusions of finite life to the eternal realities of the infinite;

why they prefer ignorance to a knowle ge of truth.

To be silent means to let no other language be heard within the heart but the language of Go ,to listen

to the voice of Divine Wisdom speaking within the heart .[H.P.Blavatsky.“The voice of the silence ”]

He who has learne to know,to will,to are,an to be silent,is upon the true path that lea s to immortal

life,but by those who move merely in the sensual plane,or whose min s are absorbe in external things

of the intellectual plane,even the meaning of these words will not be un erstoo .

Various instructions are given in the books of the East in regard to the practice of this silence and interior

me itation,but they all teach the same thing,namely,a concentration of man's higher consciousness to a

single point within his own centre.

In the O pnekhata the following irections are given:-

“Breathe eep and slow,an concentrate your unwavering attention into the mi st of your bo y,into the

region of the heart.The lamp in your bo y will then be protecte against win and motion,an your

whole bo y will become illuminate .You must with raw all your senses within yourself like a turtle,which

with raws its members within the shell.Enter your own heart and guar it,an Brahma will enter it like a

fire or a stroke of lightning.In the mi st of the big fire in your heart will be a small flame,an in the centre

of it will be Atma ”.

Herocarcas ,an abbot of a convent upon the mount Athos ,gives to his monks the following irections to

acquire the power of true clairvoyance:“Sit alone in your room,after having the oor locke against

intrusion,concentrate your min upon the region of the navel and try to see with that.Try to fin the seat

of your heart (sink your consciousness into your heart),[Page 285 ] where the centre of power resi es.At

first you will fin nothing butdarkness;but if you continue for ays and nights without fatigue,you will see

light,an experience inexpressible things.When the spirit once recognises its own centre in the heart,it

will know what it never knew before,and there will be nothing hi en before its sight,whether in heaven

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or upon the earth ”.

Let us compare with these statements one receive from and unknown une ucate person,who is an

illuminate of our times.He has never heard of the O pnekata nor of Herocarcas ;but he possesses the

power to see interior truths.He says:“Sink your thoughts ownward into the centre of your being,an

you will fin there a germ which,if continually nourishe by pure and holy thoughts,will grow into a

power that will exten and ramify through all parts of your bo y.Your han s and feet and your bo y will

become alive ;a sun will appear within your heart and illuminate your whole being.In this light you will

see the present,the past,and the future,an by its ai you will attain the true knowle ge of self ”.

Man is himself a creation of thought,perva ing the ocean of Min .If his soul is in perfect accord with the

truth,the truth will be one with his soul.A talente musician will not nee a scientific calculation of the

vibrations of soun to know whether a melo y which “he hears ”is melo ious or not;a person who is one

with the truth will recognise himself in the mirrors of every external manifestation of truth.

The highest magical power in nature is Wisdom ;it is the oneness of Intelligence,Will and Law.It is the

highest ideal that man can possess.The highest power of the soul is to express wisdom in language,the

highest power of physical man is to embo y that language in acts.

Every form in Nature is a symbol of and i ea and represents a sign,or a letter,or a word;an a

succession of such symbols forms a language.Nature is therefore the ivine language,in which the

Universal Min expresses its ideas .The in ivi ual min which is evelope to such a state of perfection

as to form the best [Page 286 ] instrument through which the highest intelligence can manifest itself,will be

the most apt to realise the meaning of that language.The highest secrets of Nature are,therefore,

accessible to him whose mental constitution is so perfecte as to enable him to un erstand the language

of Nature.

Such a language means a ra iation of the essence of things into the centre of the human min ,an a

ra iation from that centre into the universal ocean of min .Man in a state of purity,being and image an

an external expression of the highest spiritual power,is able to reflect and repro uce the highest truth in

its original purity,an man's expressions ought therefore to be a perfect repro uction or echo of the

impressions which he receives from the sphere of eternal truth;but average man being immerse in

matter,as a result of a combination of principles on a lower scale of evolution,receives the pure original

rays only in a state of refraction,an cand therefore repro uce them only in and imperfect con ition.He has

wan ere away from the sun of truth,an behol ing it from a istance it appears to him only as a small

star,about to vanish from sight.Everything in Nature has its natural name,an he who has the power to

call a thing by that name can call its form into existence.This proper name of a thing is its character,the

expression of the totality of its powers and attributes,to cause the truth in a thing to become manifest by

the spiritual power of the living word,is to call it into existence.This cannot be one by any merely

external language;but by the living power of the spirit,of which the external expression is merely an

outward symbol and form.[“There are three states of Vach or ‘word',each more interior thand the other,

an each has three elements;the meaning,the thought and its expression in soun ” .S bba Rao ,

“Lectures on the Bhagava Gita ”]

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There is only one genuine and interior language for man,the symbols of which are natural and must be

intelligible to all,an this language is and interior irect communication of thought.This interior language

is the parent of the exterior one,an being cause by the [Page 287 ] ra iation of the first cause which is

unity and with whom all men are one,it follows that if the original ra iation of the supreme ray were

existing in all men in its original purity,all men woul un erstand the same language.There exists such

an external language,which is a perfect expression of that interior one;but this language is known to

only few and it cannot be artificially acquire .He who knows the internal language will also know the

external one.The interior language breathes spirit;while the exterior one is only a succession of soun s.

The key to that interior language is in the ivine Word ,the key to the exterior one is the mental

organisation of collective bo ies of men.Man in his present con ition hears the voice which speaks that

interior language,but oes not un erstan it;he sees the sacre symbols,but oes not comprehen

them;his ear is accustome to connect certain meanings with certain soun s,but the true vibrations are

lost;he un erstan s human writings in books,but he cannot ivine the hieroglyphics that express the

true nature of things.

Each character has its own true symbol and form,which expresses its nature;each symbol is a thing

representing the essential character of a certain power,an this character cand therefore be recognise

by him who knows the language of nature in the same way as and artist recognises the character of

another artist,by simply behol ing his work.

Men have ever been esiring and universal language.Such and universal language cannot be arbitrarily

constructe ,or if so constructe ,woul be more ifficult to learn than any other.True language must

express the harmony of the soul with the nature of things,an as long as there is a ddifferentiation of

national character and isharmony there can be no universal harmonious language.

There is a threefol expression of ivine essence;a physical,an intellectual,an a ivine word.The first

is the language of nature,the secon the language of reason,the thir one is the language of Go ,which

is tho ght,speech and action in one ,an which is therefore a [Page 288 ] creative power.Each true

symbol or form is and external image of and internal state.Each bo y is the symbol of and invisible an

correspon ing power,an Man,in whom the highest powers are containe ,is the most noble symbol in

nature,the first and most beautiful letter in the alphabet of earth.If he were true to his own ivine nature,

his bo y woul be a bo y of light,a perfect expression of beauty.For every thought there is and outward

expression,an if we have a thought which we cannot express by symbols,it oes not follow that such

symbols o not exist,but that we are un-acquainte with them.A word or a language is the expression of

thought,an to be perfect it must give perfect expression to the thought it is inten e to convey.By

giving a false expression to thought the true power of language is lost.In our present state of civilisation

words are use more for the purpose of concealing than revealing thought.Lying involves a loss of

spiritual power.To give pure and perfect expression to thought is White Magic;to act upon the

imagination so as to create false impressions is witchcraft,eception,an falsehoo .Such witchcraft is

practise every ay and almost in every station of life,from the priest in the pulpit who whee les his

au ience into a belief that he possesses the keys of heaven,own to the merchant who cheats with his

goo s,and the ol mai securing a husban by means of artificial teeth and false hair.Such practices

are publicly enounce but silently followe ;they lea to a universal isappearance of faith and trust,

they will necessarily lea to active evil and bring estruction upon the nation that allows them to grow;

because,as the power of goo increases by practice,in the same manner increases the power of evil.

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Man's mission is to o the highest goo to himself that means to o that which is most useful for his

highest evelopment,an being in his true nature universal and unlimite ,his highest goo can only be

obtaine by working for the benefit of the whole world and not for his own limite personality.

In this way his nature will become more refine ,an its interior illuminate by the light of [Page 289 ] ivine

wisdom.By living attache to “self ”he attracts to himself the unintelligent and material principles of

Nature,his constitution becomes more material,egra e and heavy until,unable to rise to the true light,

be becomes meta-physically petrifie ,lost in the astral plane.

Man's actions are his writings.By putting his thoughts into action,he expresses them and records them

in the book of life.Every evil act is followe by a egra ation of character,a metaphysical incrustation of

the soul.Goo actions issolve existing incrustations pro uce by evil ee s,an re-establish the soul in

its former con ition.Repentance,unless followe by a change of nature,is useless.It is like the

inflammation cause by a thorn in the flesh;it causes pain,an unless the cause is remove putrefaction

will be the result.Man's acts are his creations,they give expression to his thoughts.The motive en ows

them with character,the will furnishes them with life.

An intention is practically useless as long as it is not put into practice.A sign,a letter,or a word is useless

unless it conveys a meaning;a symbol represents and i ea,but no symbol can be efficacious unless one

masters that which it represents.The most potent magical signs are useless to him who cannot spiritually

in his soul realise what they mean,while in him who has so l-knowledge ,the use of a single point,a line,

or any geometrical figure,may put spiritual powers into action.

Let us in conclusion attempt to explain exoterically and esoterically a few of the most important magical

signs.We may succee to a certain extent in giving these explanations in words;but their spiritual

meaning cannot be expresse in language nor even in music;language can merely attempt to gui e the

rea er into a region of thought in which be may be able to perceive the secret meaning with the eye of

the spirit;if he has the power of perceiving the truth spiritually by the light of the truth.[Page 290 ]

The Pentagram or the Five-pointe Star

In its external appearance it is merely a geometrical figure,foun everywhere

as a tra e-mark or ornament.Superstitious and cre ulous people once

believe ,that if it were rawn upon the oors of their houses it woul protect

them against the intrusions of the sorcerer and the witch.

In its esoteric signification it symbolises Man.The four lower triangles represent

the four elementary forces of nature,an as the lines of each triangle are intimately connecte or

i entical with those forming the other lines,the sum of these lines forming only one broken line without

any interruption,likewise the four lower elements are intimately connecte and i entical with the fifth

element,the quintessence of all things,situate at the top of the figure;representing the hea ,the seat

of intelligence.

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The spiritual knowle ge of the Five-pointe Star is i entical with its practical application.Let us beware

that the figure is always well rawn,leaving no open space,through which the enemy can enter an

isturb the harmony existing in the Pentagon.Let us keep the figure always upright,with the topmost

triangle [Page 291 ] pointing to heaven,for it is the seat of Wisdom,an if the figure is reverse

perversion and evil will be the result.Let the lines be straight,so that all the triangles will be harmonious

an of equal size,so that the symbol will grow without any abnormal evelopment of one principle at the

cost of another.Then the lower triangles will sen their quintessence to the top,the seat of intelligence,

and the top will supply the lower triangles with power and in uce them to grow.Then,when the time of

probation and evelopment is over,the triangles will be absorbe by the Pentagon in the centre,an

form into a square within the invisible circle connecting the apices of the triangles,an our estiny will be

fulfille .There is no higher uty for man to perform,than to keep the Five-pointe Spiritual Star intact;it

will be his protection uring life and his salvation in the hereafter.

The Double Triangle or Six-Pointed Star

This is one of the most important signs,an practically applie it invests

man with magic power.[Page 292 ] Its exoteric meaning is merely two

triangles joine together,so that they partially cover each other,while the

apex of one points upwards and the apex of the other ownward.It is

sometimes surroun e by a circle or by a snake biting its tail,an

sometimes with a ta in the mi le.

Its esoteric meaning is very extensive.It represents among other things the

escent of spirit into matter,and the ascension of matter to spirit,which is

continually taking place within the circle of eternity,represente by the snake,the symbol of wisdom.Six

points are seen in the star,but the seventh cannot be seen;nevertheless the seventh point must exist

unmanifeste ,it not having become manifest;because without a centre there coul be no six-pointe

star,nor any other figure existing.

But who can escribe in words the secret spiritual and universal signification of the six-pointe star an

its invisible centre ?Who can intellectually grasp and escribe the beauties and truths which it

represents?Only he who experiences in his own ivine nature the power of this sign can practically apply

it,an he who can apply it practically is and A ept.Knowing that sign practically means to realise the

nature of “Go ” ,to be Go and know,and the laws of eternal nature,it means to know by experience the

process of evolution and involution of matter and spirit;to realise how the life-impulse travels from planet

to planet,beginning with the evolution of the elemental king om,rising up through the mineral,

vegetable,an animal king om,an at last evolving a go -like being out of animal man.To him who

cannot realise within his heart the ivine mysteries of nature,the blin ing light shining from the centre of

the figure has no existence;but the A ept knows that invisible centre,the great Spiritual Sun,the heart of

the Cosmos,from which Love and Light and Life are ra iating for ever.He sees the seven primordial rays

of that light shining into invisible matter and forming visible world s upon which men and animals live an

ie,an are happy or iscontente according to their con itions.[Page 293 ] He sees how by the breath

of that invisible centre suns and stars,planets and satellites are evolve ,an how if the ay of creation of

forms is over,it reabsorbs them into its bosom.Verily the six-pointe star is a most potent magical sign,

an it requires the wisdom of Go to un erstan it,and the omnipotent power of Life to apply it to its

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fullest extent.

In its external signification the Christian Cross is a symbol of torture and eath.The sight of a cross calls

up in the min of the pious the memory of a historical event sai to have taken place in Palestine some

two thousan years ago,when a noble,goo ,an just man,an incarnation of Go ,is sai to have been

execute as a criminal upon across.

[Page 294 ] The esoteric meaning of the Cross is very

ancient,and the Cross has existe as a secret

symbol probably thousan s of years ago before the

Christian era.It is foun in the ancient cave-temples

of In ia and Egypt,where it was hewn in stone long

before Christianity was known.The philosophical

Cross represents,among other things,the principle

of matter and that of spirit intersecting each other,

forming the quaternary which,when it is inscribe in

the square,forms the basis of knowle ge for the

Occultist.The horizontal line represents the animal

principle,for the hea s of animals are bowe to the

earth.Man is the only being upon the globe who

stan s erect;the ivine principle within him keeps

him morally erect,and therefore the perpen icular

line is the symbol of his ivinity.The cross represents

Man,who has acte against the law and thereby

transforme himself into and instrument for his own torture.From the beginning of his existence as a ray

of the ivine spiritual Sun he represente a perpen icular line,cutting in the irection of the source from

which he emanate in the beginning.As the istance from that source increase ,an as the ray entere

into matter,it eviate from the originally straight line and became broken;creating thereby a ivision in

its own essence and making two parts out of the original Unity;thus establishing a will and imagination of

its own,acting not in accordance with the Law,but even in opposition to it.If man follows again the

ictates of the Law,he will then be taken from the Cross and resume his former position.“To take up

one's Cross ” ,means to submit one's own esires to the rule of ivine Law.

Who can know the practical spiritual signification of the Cross except spirit al man ,who by his

incarnation in a terrestrial human form has become naile to the cross of suffering the ills of the flesh an

its temptations,nor can he regain his free om unless the terrestrial man ies the mystic eath for him,by

nailing his self-will to the cross of the law and ying the mystic eath,so that the true man may live.

On the hea of the Christian cross there are inscribe [Page 295 ] the letters I.N.R.I ..,which in its exoteric

meaning is sai to rea “Jesus Nazaren s,Rex I deorum ”.This means that the light of Divine Wisdom is

the king of all knowle ge,an must rule over all intellectual speculations,to which not only the Jews,but

also our mo ern philosophers are evote ;but the Rosicrucian meaning of these letters was:In Nobis

Regnat Jesus,an this truth will also be realise only by those who are in possession of immortal life:

an because in them the true Jesus,the spiritual soul,illumine by the light of Divine Wisdom,has

awakene to life and is actually the Lord and ruler of their interior king om.

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In its practical application the Cross represents the self-recognition of Divine Truth.He whose spiritual

perception is open sees the living Cross in its glory.Sublimely stan s that Cross upon the mountain of

self-knowle ge,magnificent is its aspect.Far into heaven shines the light ra iating from its centre an

illuminating thedarkness with its beneficent rays.Rise,oh man,up to your true ignity,so that you may

see the meaning of the true Cross.Not the ea woo en Cross,the emblem of ignorance and suffering,

nor the glittering cross ma e of brass,the emblem of vanity,sectarianism and superstition;but the true

Cross,ma e of the pure gol of the light of Wis om which each true Brother of the Golden and Rosy

Cross carries eeply burie within his own heart.This cross is the full-grown Tree of Life and of

Knowle ge,bearing the fruits of salvation and immortality,the ispenser of Life,the protector against

evil.He who knows practically the true mystery of the Cross is acquainte with the highest wisdom;he

who is a orne with the true Cross is safe from all anger.Infinite power of the Cross!In thee the Truth is

reveale .Burie eep in thedarkness of Earth is thy foot,teaching us Patience ;high into the light of

heaven reaches thy crown,teaching us Faith .Lifte by Hope and exten e by Charity are thy arms,light

an sunshine surroun thee.Link upon link the chain of creation encircles the Cross;world s within

world s,forms within forms,illusions upon illusions.But in the Centre is the Reality [Page 296 ] in which is

hi en the jewel of priceless value,the Truth .Let the ew of heaven which comes from the true Cross

escen into your hearts and penetrate into your soul and bo y,so that it may crystallize into form.Then

will thedarkness within your min isappear,the veil of matter will be rent,an before your spiritual

vision will stan reveale the angel of truth.Truly!no one can be a real Christian unless he practically

realises in his soul the meaning of the symbol of the Cross;the self-revelation of Truth.

The present material age is ever rea y to reject without examination the symbols of the past whose

meaning it cannot realise because it oes not possess the treasures which they represent.Engage in

the pursuit of material pleasures,it loses sight of ivine wisdom and exchanges spiritual wealth for

worthless baubles.Losing sight of his ivine estiny,man runs after sha ows,closing his eye to the Light

of the World.Rule by fear,man bows before the Moloch of superstition and ignorance,rushes ma ly

into the arms of a ea and col agnostic science to perish in its stony embrace;but the wise,whose far-

seeing perception reache beyon the narrow circle of his material surroun ings and beyon the short

span of time which inclu es one of his lives on this earth,knows that it is in his power to control his future

estiny.He raises the magic wan of his will and quiets the tempest of the soul.The forces which were

rushing to his estruction obey him and execute his or ers,an he walks safely upon the waters un er

whose calm surface is hi en the abyss of eath,while above his hea shines that bright constellation

forme of Truth,Knowle ge,an Power,whose centre is the Law and whose germs can be foun in the

spiritual self-consciousness of every human being.[Page 297 ]

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APPENDIX

A NEW GUIDE ON THE PATH

FOR THOSE WHO DESIRE TO FOLLOW THE PRACTICAL WAY

1.Know that All is One.

 

2.Know that everything is Thyself.

 

3.Know that the One in a state of vibration pro uces the great multiplicity of forms and activities in the

Universe.

 

4.Know that if you examine this multiplicity from the stan point of your intellectual reasoning,you will

arrive at the following e uctions:

 

5.Everything that you call “Life ” ,“Energy ” ,“Substance ” ,is a Duality.

 

6.Everything has a ten ency to return to Unity .

 

7.All esire and therefore all suffering originates from uality.

 

8.Let thy aspiration be for enlightenment.

 

9.Rise above the state of con ensation.

 

11.Know that the result of the joys experience in the state of con ensation is suffering.

 

12.On the roa from Unity in motion to tranquillity is the state of con ensation.It is the cause of your

illusions,because you imagine it to be tranquillity;an it is the cause of your oubts,because you regar

it as the object of your esires.Know that the striving after the unification of the uality is the only source

of your will,your esires,an of those joys whose results you call “suffering ” .[Page 298 ]

 

13.Know that the oor for the solution of that which is fixe is what is calle “Matter ”.

Page 171?

-------
Cardiff Theosophical Society in Wales------

Magic: White and Black by Franz Hartmann,M.D.

14.Know that everything has to pass through that oor.

 

15.Know that the oor for the solution of the fixe is also calle “Life ”.

 

16.Know that everything has to pass through that oor.

 

17.An that the long sojourn in “Matter ”and the interruption of the voyage by “Life ”means retardation in

the solution of the fixe and procrastination in the unification of the uality.

 

18.Enforce the practice of the power of that which is solve over that which is con ense .

 

19.Direct your attention to the consciousness of that which is issolve over that which is con ense .

 

20.Carry this consciousness through all the planes of your being.

 

21.Elevate your whole bo y to the capacity to think,to hear,an to see.

 

22.Cause it thereby to become a fit instrument for the use of your self-consciousness of the One and of

your self-power (resulting from unification).

 

23.Conquer the pains resulting therefrom.

 

24.When the ivine Language is once heard within thy heart – when the King within thy interior has once

obtaine ominion – when thou hast passe through water and fire,an thy spirit has become the life of

thy bloo – then you may say:I am,I go,and I remain.

Page 172

 

 

 

 

 

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Blavatsky Writings Index

 

 

E-Books & Articles Index

 

 

______________________

 

THEOSOPHY

CARDIFF

Cardiff Theosophical Society in Wales

Theosophy House

206 Newport Road, Cardiff, Wales, UK. CF24 -1DL

 

Find out more about

Theosophy with these links

 

 

Theosophy

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The Cardiff Theosophical Society Website

 

Theosophy

Wales

The National Wales Theosophy Website

 

Cardiff Blavatsky Archive

Life & Work of H P Blavatsky

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Dave’s Streetwise 

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The Most Basic Theosophy

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If you run a Theosophy Group you 

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H P Blavatsky is usually the only

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The Blavatsky Blogger’s

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Blavatsky Calling

The Voice of the Silence Website

 

The Blavatsky Free State

An Independent Theosophical Republic

Links to Free Online Theosophy 

Study Resources; Courses, Writings, 

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Selection of Writings by

C Jinarajadasa

 

Feelgood

Theosophy

Visit the Feelgood Lodge

The main criteria for the inclusion of

links on this site is that they have some

relationship (however tenuous) to Theosophy

and are lightweight, amusing or entertaining.

Topics include Quantum Theory and Socks,

Dick Dastardly and Legendary Blues Singers.

 

Theosophy and Reincarnation

A selection of articles on Reincarnation

by Theosophical writers

Provided in response to the large 

number of enquiries we receive at 

Cardiff Theosophical Society on this subject

 

Nothing answers questions

like Theosophy can!

The Key to Theosophy

 

Applied Theosophy

Henry Steel Olcott

 

Blavatsky Calling

and I Don’t Wanna Shout

The Voice of the Silence Website

 

The South of Heaven Guide

To Theosophy and Devachan

 

The South of Heaven Guide

To Theosophy and Dreams

 

The South of Heaven Guide

To Theosophy and Angels

 

Theosophy and Help From

The Universe

 

Wales! Wales! Theosophy Wales

The All Wales Guide to

Getting Started in Theosophy

This is for everyone, you don’t have to live

in Wales to make good use of this Website

 

Theosophy Avalon

The Theosophy Wales

King Arthur Pages

 

Theosophy

Nirvana

 

Theosophy

Aardvark

No Aardvarks were harmed in the

preparation of this Website

 

Theosophy

 Aardvark

Heavy Metal Overview

 

Theosophy

 Aardvark

Rock ‘n Roll Chronology

 

The Tooting Broadway

Underground Theosophy Website

The Spiritual Home of Urban Theosophy

 

The Mornington Crescent

Underground Theosophy Website

The Earth Base for Evolutionary Theosophy

 

H P Blavatsky’s Heavy Duty

Theosophical Glossary

Published 1892

A B C D EFG H IJ KL M N OP QR S T UV WXYZ

 

Complete Theosophical Glossary in Plain Text Format

1.22MB

________________

 

The Ocean of Theosophy

William Quan Judge

 

Preface    Theosophy and the Masters    General Principles

 

The Earth Chain    Body and Astral Body    Kama – Desire

 

Manas    Of Reincarnation    Reincarnation Continued

 

Karma    Kama Loka    Devachan    Cycles

 

Septenary Constitution Of Man

 

Arguments Supporting Reincarnation

 

Differentiation Of Species Missing Links

 

Psychic Laws, Forces, and Phenomena

 

Psychic Phenomena and Spiritualism

 

Instant Guide to Theosophy

Quick Explanations with Links to More Detailed Info

 

 

What is Theosophy ?  Theosophy Defined (More Detail)

 

Three Fundamental Propositions  Key Concepts of Theosophy

 

Cosmogenesis  Anthropogenesis  Root Races

 

Ascended Masters  After Death States

 

The Seven Principles of Man  Karma

 

Reincarnation   Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

 

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott  William Quan Judge

 

The Start of the Theosophical Society

 

History of the Theosophical Society

 

Theosophical Society Presidents

 

History of the Theosophical Society in Wales

 

The Three Objectives of the Theosophical Society

 

Explanation of the Theosophical Society Emblem

 

The Theosophical Order of Service (TOS)

 

Ocean of Theosophy

William Quan Judge

 

Glossaries of Theosophical Terms

 

Worldwide Theosophical Links

 

 

 

Index of Searchable

Full Text Versions of

Definitive

Theosophical Works

 

 

H P Blavatsky’s Secret Doctrine

 

Isis Unveiled by H P Blavatsky

 

H P Blavatsky’s Esoteric Glossary

 

Mahatma Letters to A P Sinnett 1 - 25

 

A Modern Revival of Ancient Wisdom

Alvin Boyd Kuhn

 

Studies in Occultism

(Selection of Articles by H P Blavatsky)

 

The Conquest of Illusion

J J van der Leeuw

 

The Secret Doctrine – Volume 3

A compilation of H P Blavatsky’s

writings published after her death

 

Esoteric Christianity or the Lesser Mysteries

Annie Besant

 

The Ancient Wisdom

Annie Besant

 

Reincarnation

Annie Besant

 

The Early Teachings of The Masters

1881-1883

Edited by

C. Jinarajadasa

 

Study in Consciousness

Annie Besant

 

 

A Textbook of Theosophy

C W Leadbeater

 

A Modern Panarion

A Collection of Fugitive Fragments

From the Pen of

H P Blavatsky

 

The Perfect Way or,

The Finding of Christ

Anna Bonus Kingsford

& Edward Maitland

Part1

 

The Perfect Way or,

The Finding of Christ

Anna Bonus Kingsford

& Edward Maitland

Part2

 

Pistis Sophia

A Gnostic Gospel

Foreword by G R S Mead

 

The Devachanic Plane.

Its Characteristics

and Inhabitants

C. W. Leadbeater

 

Theosophy

Annie Besant

 

The

Bhagavad Gita

Translated from the Sanskrit

By

William Quan Judge

 

Psychic Glossary

 

Sanskrit Dictionary

 

Fundamentals of the Esoteric Philosophy

G de Purucker

 

In The Outer Court

Annie Besant

 

Dreams and

Dream-Stories

Anna Kingsford

 

My Path to Atheism

Annie Besant

 

From the Caves and

Jungles of Hindostan

H P Blavatsky

 

The Hidden Side

Of Things

C W Leadbeater

 

Glimpses of

Masonic History

C W Leadbeater

 

Five Years Of

Theosophy

Various Theosophical

Authors

Mystical, Philosophical, Theosophical, Historical

and Scientific Essays Selected from "The Theosophist"

Edited by George Robert Stow Mead

 

Spiritualism and Theosophy

C W Leadbeater

 

Commentary on

The Voice of the Silence

Annie Besant and

C W Leadbeater

From Talks on the Path of Occultism - Vol. II

 

Is This Theosophy?

Ernest Egerton Wood

 

In The Twilight

Annie Besant

In the Twilight” Series of Articles

The In the Twilight” series appeared during

1898 in The Theosophical Review and

from 1909-1913 in The Theosophist.

 

Incidents in the Life

of Madame Blavatsky

compiled from information supplied by

her relatives and friends and edited by A P Sinnett

 

The Friendly Philosopher

Robert Crosbie

Letters and Talks on Theosophy and the Theosophical Life

 

 

Obras Teosoficas En Espanol

 

La Sabiduria Antigua

Annie Besant

 

Glosario Teosofico

1892

H P Blavatsky

 

 

Theosophische Schriften Auf Deutsch

 

Die Geheimlehre

Von

H P Blavatsky

 

 

 

Elementary Theosophy

An Outstanding Introduction to Theosophy

By a student of Katherine Tingley

 

Elementary Theosophy Who is the Man?  Body and Soul   

 

Body, Soul and Spirit  Reincarnation  Karma

 

The Seven in Man and Nature

 

The Meaning of Death

 

 

Try these if you are looking for a local

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UK Listing of Theosophical Groups

 

Worldwide Directory of 

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International Directory of 

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THEOSOPHY

CARDIFF

 

 

Cardiff Theosophical Society in Wales

Theosophy House

206 Newport Road, Cardiff, Wales, UK. CF24 -1DL