Johan Georg Gichtel

(1628-1710)
There is no more fitting surname for Gichtel than the one of "Unknown
Theosopher", but his contemporaries called him: the Theosopher of Amsterdam.
He is unknown, not so much for his biography, the most well documented one of
the classical Theosophers, but for the persistance of the authors of later centuries to
copy, plagiate his remarquable works and correspondance. One significant
exception to this practice is the modern Theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater
who used one of Gichtel's drowings from Theosophia Practica, in his work over
the chakras.
Born in Ratisbon (Germany) in 1628, Gichtel studied Law at Stratsburg and
became a layer in his native town. At the age of 26, Gichtel meets with the leaders
of the Evangelic Missionary Movement and under the influence of this movement,
sends letters to the representatives of the Lutherian Church in all of Europe and
participates, in 1664, to the redaction of the advertissement submitted to
the Corpus Evangelicum in Ratisbone. Over a period of ten years Gichtel
constantly writes to the authorities of the churches to denounce abuses. Finally, he
is arrested and sent to jail for thirteen weeks as a criminal. Due to the intervention
of a friend of his father, he escaped capital punishment, for an accusation of
anabaptism, but is bannished ad vitam aeternam from Ratisbonne and from the
State of Bavaria and all his belongings are confiscated.
As most of the free spirits of his time, Gichtel decides to travel to Amsterdam, the
capitol of the freedom of thoughts. On his way, Gichtel managed to get himself
jailed for a second time in the city of Zwolle, where he took the defense of
Breckling, the Lutherian minister of Zwolle condemned for his advanced ideas on
education and social christianity, independant from all ecclesiastic institution.
Gichtel is severely punished: he is exposed on the town's pilori and publically
slaped in the face with his own writings, by the town executor. He is also
bannished from the City of Zwolle and the Province of Overijsel for 25 years.
Gichtel finally arrived in Amsterdam in 1668 and remained in the city until his
death in 1710. During the 42 years of his life in Amsterdam, Gichtel produced
several treatises on Theosophy and more than 4000 pages of correspondance. Very
friendly and very well organized, he leads a simple life: cutting wood in the
morning for the exercise, handeling his mail early in the morning, taking care of
his own home and household with surprising dexterity. He remains in the hart of
the city, leaving his house only ones or twice a year for a short work in nature. He
leads a lonely life, no even visiting the famous Pierre Yvon, living at the other side
of the same canal where his house is located. He is entirely occupied by his inner
life. He prays, write, studies Theosophy and in particular the works of Jacob

Boehme, receives the visit of Wisdom, exercises the priesthood according to

Melchisedech, and refuses to exercise any profane profession.
Gichtel's Theosophy.
1.) Cosmogony.
The cosmogony of Gichtel is influenced by Boeme's Three Principles and Seven
Qualities or Forms. But Gichtel emphasises the "Fourth Principle, from which
God opposes Himself to reflect Himself, to see Himself and by this to become
more conscient of Himself with the purpose of realising Himself in a later stage."
This Fourth Principle carries several names: "Sophia, the Divine Wisdom, the
Eternal Virgin, the Eternal Wisdom of God". In a letter dated april 4th 1699,
Gichtel carefully describes the eight degrees of action and of revelation of the
Divine Sophia. In all his work Gichtel tries to define the role of Wisdom in the
divine nature of God, as the mirror of God. In his vue, the created world is the
image of the pure, divine world. In this mirror, God plays with the ideas of
creation. All creatures are thus the reflection of those ideas. So Adam is born
androgyne, Eva being the reflection of the Divine Sophia, and also of Christ, the
new Adam, is also born endrogyne. Gichtel will rarely describe the wisdom in
Christ as Love, but speaks of: "the Blood and Body of Christ, that I traditionally
call Sophia" or some other time: "the Body-Energy, the Blood and Body essential
to Christ, our dear Sophia.". As such, Gistel's theosophical work remains the most
precise what regards the feminine aspect of Divinity and of Creation. Later in the
Secret Doctrine, Mrs Blavatky will take some basic ideas from Gichtel in her
commentary over the universal Father-Mother, but as customary with the authors
of the Theosophical Society, will not give any credit to the Theosopher of
Amsterdam.
2.) The Brotherhood of Men and the Reintegration.
The entire community of men is contained in a new, invisible Church, the primitive
and collective reflection of the Deity. As such, all men participate to the process of
the development of Consciousness. The stages of return to the Perfection or
Reintegration are: the Man of Darkness (symbolized by the drawing included in
the Chakras) - the Man reborn and the inner (or perfect) Man.
Altough Gichtel considers that all men are brothers, the way to Reintegration
described by him is the prefecting of the individual, or the traditional path of
personal salvation.
3.) Latent Powers in Man.
Gichtel's view to the potential development of hidden powers in man is limited to
the faculty of vision of the invisible in a world of duality: mainly the perception of
Sophia and of the dark forces. The main virtue to be cultivated is the power of the

will. The intellect, the emotions are components of the mortal part of man, and
therefore cannot contribute to his elevation. The kingdom of God is hidden in the
depth of the soul. The power of man will grow in proprtion with the strength of
the Fire of the Soul (Kundalini). The participation of the soul to the mystical
wedding of Christ and Sophia can give man unlimitted Stength as the expression of
the Eternal Life.