Martinus's spiritual science

1. Introduction

Version followed: Martinus's spiritual science ("Martinus Cosmology") as the Martinus Institute (Frederiksberg, Copenhagen) publishes it on its English-language pages in 2026; clinical procedures are the psychotherapist's own and are marked [synthesis].

What it is. Martinus Thomsen (1890–1981), a Danish dairy worker and office clerk, reported in March 1921 a transformation he called "cosmic consciousness" and then wrote the body of work he and his readers call The Third Testament, whose main work is the seven-volume Livets Bog (The Book of Life, first volume 1932) [source: Wikipedia, Martinus Thomsen; uncertain: secondary, unverified]. The collected work runs to roughly 10,000 pages [source: IPKat 2021]. The Institute says Martinus left more than 40 books and over 100 hand-drawn symbols, and that he bequeathed the work to a self-governing institution, now a foundation, whose tasks are to "preserve, translate and publish his work" and to teach it [source: Martinus Institute, The Martinus Institute; Studying Martinus]. This is an organisation and a body of teaching, not a therapy: there is no clinical protocol. The guide therefore describes (a) what a client encounters when they study with the Institute, then (b) the psychotherapist's work with a client for whom this world view matters.

Core idea (as the current holds it). Martinus presented his work as a "spiritual science": a rational, intellectual account of a world picture in which the living being is eternal, death is likened to sleep, and life continues through reincarnation; the Institute's suggested readings include The Principle of Reincarnation and the article Through the Gates of Death – Sleep and Death [source: Studying Martinus; Martinus Cosmology Podcast ep. 27]. Change, in the current's own terms, comes through study and understanding of this world picture, applied in daily life and shared in study groups, rather than through ritual, initiation or a guru [source: Studying Martinus; Wikipedia: Martinus did not want a sect or new religion; uncertain: secondary, unverified]. Fuller statements of the doctrine (a "law of fate", spiral cycles of evolution, the eternal "I") appear in his books but are not summarised here [uncertain: not verified].

Evidence status (one line). Claims about reincarnation, survival of death and cosmic consciousness are metaphysical and have not been established by empirical testing [synthesis; uncertain: not verified].

Change in therapy. In therapy the cosmology is the client's meaning system, not a treatment. Change comes from the usual therapeutic processes (alliance, understanding, emotional processing, behavioural change), with the client's world view used as a resource and assessed for any part it plays in distress [synthesis].

2. Framework

2a. The organisation as it publishes itself

• Legal form and governance. A self-governing foundation, "The Martinus Institute of Spiritual Science", housed at Mariendalsvej, Frederiksberg, since 1943; a board traditionally called "the Council"; a few employees and many unpaid volunteers. Martinus lived and worked there until his death in 1981; his apartment is kept as a small museum [source: The Martinus Institute].
• Funding. Largely gifts and inheritances, plus book sales and courses; the site lists legacies and wills as a way to support the work [source: The Martinus Institute; Front page].
• No membership or grades. The Institute's pages describe no membership, grades, initiations, vows or confidential teachings; the offer is books, lectures, study groups, courses and the magazine Kosmos (English edition free) [source: Front page; Studying Martinus]. Wikipedia reports that Martinus did not want his work made into a sect, new religion or global organisation [uncertain: secondary, unverified].
• Scale. Wikipedia reports about 2,000 study-group participants in Denmark in 2005 [uncertain: secondary, unverified]; a 2021 legal commentary refers to about 40,000 followers [source: IPKat 2021].

2b. Study pathway (as published; no fixed stages)

The Institute describes many entry points rather than a staged curriculum [source: Studying Martinus]:

1. Orientation reading. Suggested starts: Livets Bog 1 (preface and introduction), The Eternal World Picture 1 (14 symbols with explanations), Martinus's Memoirs, short books (e.g. The Fate of Mankind), articles, secondary literature and Kosmos. All texts are also free in an online library.
2. Community study. Long-time students quoted by the Institute recommend lectures, study groups and conversation; study of Livets Bog alone is described as demanding.
3. Courses. Online lectures (free on YouTube), online study groups, and summer courses at the Martinus Centre, Klint.

Published formats and costs (2026).

Volume 5 of Livets Bog treats sexuality as a dimension of spiritual evolution (masculine and feminine "poles" in consciousness, marriage, orientation, a future unified "third" sex): this is doctrine about sexual development, not a practice [source: Study groups].

Criteria for moving on. None published: participants choose their own pace and level [source: Studying Martinus].

2c. The psychotherapist's framework [synthesis]

No session count is given by any source. A practical sequence:

1. Engage and map (early sessions): learn what the cosmology means to the client, how they study it, with whom, and why they raise it now.
2. Formulate: cultural formulation, including religion and spirituality; differential assessment without pathologising belief.
3. Work: use the world view as a resource for the presenting problem; address any distress linked to it (guilt, fear, grief, conflict with family or the community).
4. Review and close: check that the client's relationship to the teaching is chosen and flexible, and that supports outside therapy are in place.

Move from mapping to formulation once the therapist can state, in the client's own words, what the teaching gives and costs them; move to closing when the presenting goals are met and any risk is managed.

3. Guiding principles

• Describe it as it describes itself — use the client's and the Institute's terms ("spiritual science", "cosmology", "the Third Testament", "study group"), not imposed labels [source: Institute pages; synthesis].
• Neither endorse nor dismiss — reincarnation, life after death and cosmic consciousness are the client's beliefs; the therapist states no view on their truth unless asked, and then briefly and neutrally [synthesis].
• Belief is not a symptom — assess form (distress, impairment, fixity, idiosyncrasy beyond the shared teaching), not content [synthesis].
• Client-led meaning — the client decides how far the teaching enters the work; ask consent before exploring it [synthesis].
• This is a study tradition — expect clients to bring texts, symbols and reasoning; engage their understanding, not doctrine-checking [source: Studying Martinus; synthesis].
• No guru, reader or teacher role — the therapist does not interpret Martinus's texts for the client or rule on doctrine [synthesis].
• Watch for self-blame framed as fate — any teaching about causes of suffering can be turned against the self; explore it gently [synthesis; the doctrine itself uncertain: not verified].
• Money and legacies are ordinary therapy topics — the Institute openly invites donations and bequests; discuss large gifts like any major financial decision [source: The Martinus Institute; synthesis].
• Community conflict is real — a public dispute over textual revisions reached the Danish High Court in 2021; clients may hold strong views on authentic versus revised texts [source: IPKat 2021].
• Medical decisions stay with doctors — the therapist never advises on starting, stopping or changing medicines [synthesis].
• Cultural humility — Danish and Nordic context, lay study culture, and the client's own family religious history all shape meaning [synthesis].

4. Intervention inventory

Part A describes the activities the Institute offers, so the therapist knows what the client is doing. These are the client's practices, not techniques the therapist delivers. Part B gives the psychotherapist's own procedures [synthesis unless a source is given].

Part A. What the Institute offers

A1. Reading The Third Testament

• Purpose (as published): to come to understand Martinus's world picture through his books, articles and Kosmos; the Institute suggests starting with Livets Bog 1 (preface and introduction), The Eternal World Picture 1, Martinus's Memoirs, or short works such as The Fate of Mankind [source: Studying Martinus].
• Steps (as published): choose an entry text; read in the online library or in print; use the search function and secondary literature for unfamiliar concepts; move on to Livets Bog when ready, ideally with others [source: Studying Martinus].
• Therapist's use: ask what the client is reading and what in it matters now; do not set or correct reading [synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "Which part of Martinus's writing are you spending time with at the moment, and what is it opening up for you?"
• Watch for: reading used to calm or reassure (checking passages repeatedly when anxious); reading that brings up fear or guilt; reading crowding out sleep, work or relationships. Working well: the client describes the reading as enriching and chosen [synthesis].

A2. Study groups

• Purpose (as published): shared, systematic reading and discussion; long-time students quoted by the Institute say groups, lectures and conversation helped them most [source: Studying Martinus].
• Steps (as published): the English online group meets on Zoom on alternate Fridays for 90 minutes over 20 sessions reading one volume (vol. 5 in 2026); places are limited; enrolment by email; a fee is published [source: Study groups]. Local groups also run in person [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified].
• Therapist's use: treat the group as part of the client's social network; map support and strain it brings [synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "What is it like for you in the group: who do you feel close to, and is there anything you hold back there?"
• Watch for: social anxiety or shame in discussion; conflict over interpretation; the group becoming the only network. Working well: belonging, intellectual stimulation, friendships outside sessions [synthesis].

A3. Studying the symbols

• Purpose (as published): Martinus's 100-plus hand-drawn symbols present the world picture visually; The Eternal World Picture volumes explain them; summer-course afternoons are given to symbol sessions [source: Studying Martinus; Klint summer weeks].
• Steps: follow the published explanations in the books or a course; no ritual or meditative use is described in the Institute's published pages [source: as above; uncertain: not verified].
• Therapist's use: if the client brings a symbol, ask what it means to them; do not interpret it [synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "You brought this diagram. Would you show me the part that speaks to what we're working on?"
• Watch for: idiosyncratic, self-referential readings of the symbols ("it is about me") that go beyond the shared teaching, which may need gentle assessment (see B4) [synthesis].

A4. Lectures, summer weeks and conferences at Klint

• Purpose (as published): intensive teaching and community; the six summer weeks are the busiest period, the last two "International Weeks" with interpretation [source: Klint summer weeks].
• Steps (as published): arrive Saturday; morning lecture on a theme; afternoon symbol sessions; optional study groups; Sunday café seminar; camping, holiday houses or rooms; meals bought on site; week and day study cards [source: Klint summer weeks].
• Therapist's use: if a client plans to attend during a vulnerable period, plan as for any intensive retreat: support, contact, return [synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "What are you hoping to bring back from Klint, and how would you like to use our sessions before and after?"
• Watch for: post-course low mood or re-entry difficulty; sleep loss; elevated mood with grand ideas. Working well: renewed meaning, contacts, a plan for continuing study at home [synthesis].

A5. Volunteering and giving

• Purpose (as published): the Institute relies on unpaid volunteers and on gifts and inheritances; it invites volunteering, donations and legacies [source: The Martinus Institute; Front page].
• Therapist's use: treat volunteering hours and gifts like any other commitment of time and money [synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "How does the time you give at the Centre sit with the rest of your life right now?"
• Watch for: giving beyond means, gifts made while depressed, manic or newly bereaved, or pressure from anyone (inside or outside the community) over a will. Working well: giving is affordable, deliberate and discussed with family where relevant [synthesis].

Part B. The psychotherapist's procedures

B1. Consent and client-led exploration of meaning

• Purpose: to learn what the cosmology means to the client, with their agreement, in their language [synthesis].
• When: whenever the client mentions Martinus, reincarnation, "cosmic consciousness" or the Institute.
• Steps: (1) Note the reference and ask whether they want it to be part of therapy. (2) Ask how they came to it, what it gives them, and what it asks of them. (3) Reflect back using their terms. (4) Ask how it relates to the presenting problem. (5) Agree how it will be included (often, at the client's pace).
• Example language (illustrative): "You mentioned Martinus. I don't need to share a view to be interested in yours. Would you like this to be part of what we talk about?"
• Watch for: the client testing whether the therapist will mock or convert them; relief when neither happens. Working well: the client speaks about the teaching freely and links it to their goals.

B2. Cultural formulation including religion and spirituality

• Purpose: to place the presenting problem in the client's cultural and spiritual context [synthesis].
• Steps: use the DSM-5-TR Cultural Formulation Interview and its supplementary module on spirituality, religion and moral traditions, in your own words: the client's definition of the problem; cultural explanations; sources of support and stress; spiritual identity and practices; role of the community; past help-seeking; expectations of therapy [uncertain: not verified; follow the published CFI, do not reproduce items].
• Example language (illustrative): "In the way Martinus's teaching sees life, how would you understand what's been happening to you?"
• Watch for: differences between the client's own understanding and how they think the teaching "should" see it; family members with other faiths or none. Working well: a formulation the client recognises.

B3. Spiritual history and involvement map

• Purpose: to chart the client's path into and within the current [synthesis].
• Steps: (1) Draw a simple timeline: first contact, key texts, groups, courses, turning points, doubts. (2) Mark life events alongside (losses, illness, moves). (3) Note hours per week of study and community time, and money given. (4) Ask what each phase met in them.
• Example language (illustrative): "Let's sketch when Martinus came into your life and what else was happening then."
• Watch for: involvement that rose sharply after a loss or crisis (meaning-making that may also hold unprocessed grief). Working well: a coherent narrative the client owns.

B4. Differential assessment without pathologising belief

• Purpose: to separate shared religious belief and experience from symptoms needing treatment [synthesis].
• Steps: (1) Establish what the shared teaching holds (from the client, the texts or community members if the client consents). (2) Assess form, not content: distress, impairment, sleep, conviction beyond the shared teaching, self-reference, thought disorder, perceptual disturbance, mood elevation. (3) Ask about family and past history of psychosis or bipolar disorder. (4) Consider dissociation, OCD-type scrupulosity, complicated grief and trauma. (5) Where criteria are not met, record a religious or spiritual problem as a focus of care (ICD-10-CM Z65.8 [source: ICD-10-CM Z65.8 (Unbound Medicine)]; DSM-5-TR wording [uncertain: not verified]). (6) Refer for psychiatric assessment when warning signs are present.
• Note: Martinus reported a 1921 experience he called "cosmic consciousness" [source: Wikipedia; uncertain: secondary, unverified]. A client who reports a similar experience is not therefore ill; assess function and course. The spiritual emergency debate (Grof; Lukoff's work on a DSM religious or spiritual problem category) is relevant background [uncertain: not verified].
• Example language (illustrative): "Many people in your study group share this belief. What feels different about what you've been experiencing lately?"
• Watch for: new beliefs that one has a special personal mission or message beyond the shared teaching, reduced sleep, pressured speech, withdrawal. Working well: belief remains shared, flexible and life-enhancing.

B5. Grief and death beliefs

• Purpose: to support grieving clients who hold that death is like sleep and life continues [source for the belief: Studying Martinus; Podcast ep. 27; procedure: synthesis].
• Steps: (1) Ask what the client believes is happening for the person who died. (2) Ask what comfort the belief gives and what it leaves untouched (missing, anger, guilt). (3) Make room for ordinary grief alongside belief. (4) Watch for belief used to block grieving ("I shouldn't be sad"). (5) Use standard grief interventions as indicated.
• Example language (illustrative): "You trust that she lives on. And you miss her here. Can both of those have space in this room?"
• Watch for: guilt about grieving, prolonged grief, spending on mediums or readers (not part of the Institute's offer, but common among the bereaved) [synthesis]. Working well: the belief comforts without silencing grief.

B6. Fate, cause and self-blame

• Purpose: to address distress when a client reads suffering as self-caused through past actions or past lives [synthesis; how Martinus's "law of fate" frames this is uncertain: not verified].
• Steps: (1) Ask how the client understands why this happened. (2) Notice self-blame or blame of others (including ill children or abuse victims). (3) Explore how the client's own reading of the teaching addresses compassion and responsibility; invite them to check with their texts or community. (4) Use standard work on guilt and shame (cognitive, compassion-focused) in the client's terms. (5) Medical illness: affirm that treatment decisions sit with their doctors.
• Example language (illustrative): "When you say this is your fate, what does that mean you deserve, and what does the rest of the teaching say about how to treat someone who is suffering?"
• Watch for: victim self-blame after abuse; refusal of medical care justified by fate (refer to medical team; see B10). Working well: reduced shame, more self-compassion, practical action.

B7. Using the world view as a resource

• Purpose: to draw on values and practices the client already holds (study, friendship, the Institute's stated culture of friendship and love) for the presenting problem [source: The Martinus Institute; synthesis].
• Steps: (1) Identify values the client takes from the teaching. (2) Link them to therapy goals (e.g. behavioural activation through group attendance; values work in ACT). (3) Plan small actions. (4) Review.
• Example language (illustrative): "You said the teaching is about learning to love more. What would one small act of that look like towards yourself this week?"
• Watch for: values turned into harsh standards. Working well: goals the client experiences as meaningful.

B8. Dependency, time and money check

• Purpose: to make sure involvement remains chosen and affordable [synthesis].
• Context: the Institute's costs are published and modest per course, and its income relies largely on gifts and inheritances [source: The Martinus Institute; Klint summer weeks; Study groups]. Documented coercive financial practices by the Institute: none found in the sources consulted.
• Steps: (1) Ask about time, money given and planned bequests, as with any major commitment. (2) Check state of mind when decisions were made (bereavement, depression, elevated mood). (3) Encourage independent legal or financial advice for large gifts or wills. (4) Check that the client's life outside the community is maintained.
• Example language (illustrative): "Leaving money to causes that matter is common. Would it help to talk through how you're deciding, and who else you'd like to involve?"
• Watch for: secrecy from family, gifts beyond means, loss of non-community relationships. Working well: open, deliberate choices.

B9. Community conflict, doubt, leaving and religious hurt

• Purpose: to support clients in conflict with the Institute or other students, in doubt, or leaving [synthesis].
• Context: after Martinus's death the Institute made changes to the published work; some followers who treat the text as sacred and unalterable published the original without permission; in June 2021 the Danish High Court found copyright infringement and ruled for the Institute, while noting the followers remained free to voice their views and criticise the Institute's management of the work [source: IPKat 2021, a law blog's report of the judgment; uncertain: judgment text not verified]. A client may therefore face divided loyalties between the Institute and independent study circles.
• Steps: (1) Hear the conflict without taking sides on texts or doctrine. (2) Separate the client's relationship to the teaching from their relationship to people and institutions. (3) Explore losses (friends, identity, meaning) if they are leaving or doubting. (4) Use standard grief, identity and values work; consider religious-trauma-informed approaches only where there is evidence of harm. (5) Help the client decide what they keep, change or let go.
• Example language (illustrative): "It sounds as if you love the teaching and feel hurt by how people around it have acted. Can we look at those two things separately?"
• Watch for: isolation after a split, anger rumination, shame about doubt. Working well: the client holds a position they chose and keeps or rebuilds relationships.

B10. Health decisions and children

• Purpose: to keep medical decisions with medical professionals and protect children [synthesis].
• Context: the Institute's pages do not present the teaching as a medical treatment [source: Institute pages]. Kosmos publishes on topics including health and food [source: Studying Martinus].
• Steps: (1) If a client links illness to fate or spiritual causes, explore meaning but route all treatment decisions to their doctor. (2) Never advise starting, stopping or changing a medicine. (3) If a child's medical, psychological or developmental care is being refused or delayed on any spiritual basis, follow local safeguarding procedures. (4) Children's beliefs about reincarnation or "past lives" in a family that studies the teaching are not in themselves a concern; assess for distress, and refer for developmental, ADHD or autism assessment when indicated, without letting spiritual labels replace assessment. (5) Seek the child's assent and the parent's consent for any work.
• Example language (illustrative): "Your understanding of why this is happening matters to me. The decisions about treatment belong with your doctor; shall we think about the questions you want to ask them?"
• Watch for: delayed care; frightened children; family conflict over beliefs. Working well: the client uses both their world view and medical care.

B11. Family members' concerns

• Purpose: to help relatives worried about a family member's involvement [synthesis].
• Steps: (1) Gather specifics: what has changed, time, money, contact. (2) Provide accurate information from the Institute's own pages (no membership or grades; published costs; open texts). (3) Separate disagreement about beliefs from signs of harm (isolation, financial loss, mental-health deterioration). (4) Coach curious, respectful contact; avoid ultimatums. (5) Refer the relative for their own support where needed.
• Example language (illustrative): "What worries you most: the ideas themselves, or changes you've seen in how they live?"
• Watch for: relatives' fear that leads to confrontation and estrangement. Working well: contact is maintained and concerns are specific.

B12. Boundaries, self-disclosure and dual roles

• Purpose: to keep the therapist's role clear [synthesis].
• Steps: (1) Do not teach, interpret or rule on the teaching. (2) If the therapist also studies Martinus, consider whether to disclose and whether shared community membership creates dual relationships; consult a supervisor and consider referral. (3) Do not attend the client's study group or events. (4) Build spiritual and religious competence (Vieten et al. 2013 [uncertain: not verified]). (5) Follow the profession's ethics code on multiple relationships and competence [synthesis].
• Example language (illustrative): "I'm not the right person to say what Martinus meant. You and your study companions know that far better. My part is helping you with what you're facing."
• Watch for: the client seeking spiritual direction from the therapist; therapist curiosity steering sessions. Working well: clear roles.

B13. Referral and involving the community

• Purpose: to connect the client with the right help [synthesis].
• Steps: (1) Psychiatric assessment for possible psychosis, mania or severe depression. (2) Medical care for physical symptoms. (3) With the client's consent and wish, involve trusted study companions or the Institute's teaching staff as a source of community support or for questions about the teaching [Institute contact route: source: Studying Martinus]. (4) Legal or financial advice for large gifts. (5) Safeguarding services where children are at risk.
• Example language (illustrative): "Is there anyone from your study circle you'd like to have alongside you as you go through this?"
• Watch for: the client feeling handed off; community involvement without consent. Working well: a joined-up support network the client chose.

5. Handling problems

All guidance in this section is [synthesis] unless a source is given; sources on Martinus's teaching do not address therapy problems.

• Client fears the therapist will mock or pathologise the belief. Name your stance early: interest without judgement, no view required. Ask what earlier helpers said. Return to their language.
• Client wants the therapist to agree, study Martinus or discuss doctrine. Acknowledge the wish; restate the role (B12); redirect to what the doctrine means for their life.
• Stuck: "It's my fate, nothing can change." Explore the client's own reading of the teaching about effort and compassion; work on small, practical steps; check for depression (hopelessness can borrow religious language).
• Belief used to avoid feelings (spiritual bypassing). Gently note the pattern ("Whenever we come near the loss, we move to the bigger picture"); invite both levels; use grief and emotion-focused work.
• Overwhelm after an intensive course or long study. Slow the pace; ground in daily routine and sleep; assess for mood elevation or psychosis; agree a lighter study rhythm with the client.
• Non-adherence because therapy feels secular or "materialist". Collaboratively reframe tasks in the client's values (B7); let the client choose which tasks fit.
• Rupture over a comment about the teaching. Acknowledge it promptly; apologise for the impact; ask what it touched; repair before continuing.
• Conflict over authentic versus revised texts or the 2021 court case. Do not take sides; work on the relationships and losses involved (B9) [context: IPKat 2021].
• Unusual experiences claimed as "cosmic consciousness". Assess form and function (B4); avoid both dismissal and endorsement; refer when sleep loss, grandiosity, disorganisation or risk appear.
• Grief with spending on mediums or psychics. Not part of the Institute's offer; discuss cost and effects as with any exploitation risk; support ordinary grieving (B5).
• Self-harm or suicidal thinking, including beliefs about life continuing after death. Treat as any risk: ask directly, assess plans and protective factors, follow standard risk-assessment and safety planning; explore whether beliefs about death lower barriers or offer reasons for living; involve crisis services as needed.
• Family conflict over the client's involvement. Offer joint sessions if both wish; separate beliefs from behaviour (B11).
• Client leaving and losing community. Grief work for lost friendships and meaning; build new networks; respect what the client keeps.

Sources

• The Martinus Institute – Martinus Institute en
• Studying Martinus – Martinus Institute en
• Study groups – Martinus Institute en
• Summer weeks at Klint Martinus Centre – Martinus Institute en
• Martinus Spiritual Science – The Martinus Institute (front page)
• Guest post: Danish court tackles balance between copyright and freedom of speech and religion (IPKat, 28 June 2021)
• The Martinus Cosmology Podcast, episode 27: Reincarnation in a nutshell
• Martinus Thomsen – Wikipedia [uncertain: secondary, unverified]
• ICD-10-CM Z65.8 "Other specified problems related to psychosocial circumstances" (Includes: religious or spiritual problem): ICD-10-CM Z65.8 (Unbound Medicine)
• Martinus, Livets Bog (The Book of Life), 7 vols, first volume 1932 (part of The Third Testament); edition not specified [uncertain: not verified].
• American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5-TR Cultural Formulation Interview and supplementary modules (2022) [uncertain: not verified].
• Vieten, C. et al. (2013), spiritual and religious competencies for psychologists [uncertain: not verified].