A new world picture

According to Martinus, there is a spiritual world behind the physical world. Everything in the spiritual world functions according to laws, just as everything in the physical world functions according to the well-known physical laws of nature. He experienced being able to see and understand this spiritual world, its powers and laws, and what they meant for the evolution of the world and of mankind, indeed, for all evolution.

Martinus’s world picture is all-encompassing. It deals with both the physical world and the spiritual world and all living beings, including humans, animals, plants and even minerals, which in his eyes have a particular place and form of life. He saw the whole universe as one great living organism, the infinite universe, which Martinus also calls God. God thus encompasses everything from the smallest particle to the stellar systems of the universe and even larger entities. Everything is “life within life” – beings that live within other beings.

Life is a cycle, analogous to the cycle of the year, that extends from the icy cold of winter to the gentle caresses of warm midsummer days. According to Martinus, all individuals are on a journey during which they gradually evolve from minerals to plants and animals and then to human beings. But for terrestrial mankind this evolutionary journey has not ended. New, higher forms of existence await us, and in the far distant future we will enter spiritual worlds, the greatness and splendour of which we can hardly imagine today. Martinus, however, rejected the idea of an eternal paradise, as we know it from, for example, the great world religions, since no state in itself lasts forever. He introduces us instead to an eternal spiral cycle.

In Martinus’s view, death is a superstition that is due to the fact that we do not see the full extent of the cycle of life. Between each physical life, all beings have a period of rest in the spiritual world, after which they are born again. This principle has been known for millennia under the concept of reincarnation, and it ensures that the individual can develop from one life to the next in the physical world. Unlike Eastern religions, Martinus associates reincarnation with an organic theory of evolution.

Many people seek or lack a meaning in life. According to Martinus, the meaning lies in experiencing life in ever-new forms and in learning from it. We take with us into subsequent lives the insight and evolution that the experiences give us, even though the memory of the physical events disappears. All good and bad experiences help us evolve. This does not mean that the painful experiences are not hard to get through, and that we do not need help, compassion and support from others. But, according to Martinus, the encounter with, for example, adversity, grief and illness in the long run develops our empathy and thus our ability to have compassion for others and to love everything around us. It is the most profound meaning of the suffering that we all experience to a greater or lesser extent in every life.

Karma is another key concept for Martinus. In other words, what we do to others – be it good or bad – will eventually return to us. For example, if we commit murder, we ourselves shall experience being killed. If we exploit others, we shall experience being exploited. If we help others, we will be helped. Martinus saw the whole of existence as a kind of school of life, where we meet exactly the challenges we need on our path to greater compassion, social understanding and the development of an ethical sense. Karma is a pedagogical principle – not a punishment.

Martinus’s vision of life is consistently tolerant. He clearly saw the faults and deficiencies of the world and of people, but he regarded them all as expressions of ignorance, and he never judged anyone. As he himself said: ‘Where ignorance is removed, the so-called “evil” ceases to exist.’

Martinus’s world picture is fundamentally positive and optimistic. The sufferings the world is so replete with are necessary stones on the road to a more peaceful world. According to him, our experiences – not least our experiences of suffering – will eventually form the basis for a completely new culture here on Earth. Martinus himself speaks of “… tolerance, neighbourly love, interest in spiritual matters and a longing for a more elevated experience of life…” as the hallmarks of future bearers of the culture. In his many “cosmic” analyses he addresses a wide range of topics including food, health and ill health, relationships, monetary systems, work and salaries, the surrender of sovereignty in international cooperation, and sexuality.

Martinus’s works provide a wide range of recommendations on how, according to him, people can live more in harmony with themselves and their surroundings. Specifically, he recommends, among other things, a vegetarian lifestyle that both protects other beings and is healthy for body and soul. He also recommends, for example, the power of prayer, and that we always strive to meet one another with open hearts, forgiveness and tolerance.

Martinus did not want any sect or association to be formed in connection his work, and he encourages everyone to test out what he says for themselves. He addresses the modern, independent thinker. Those who are interested in Martinus, therefore, vary in their attitudes to his work. Some are deeply engaged in studying it, while others use it more as a peripheral source of inspiration. As Martinus himself said: “Take what you can use and leave the rest.”