august, knowledge of the higher worlds, whole book

7/30/2019 August, Knowledge of the Higher Worlds, Whole Book

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Knowledge of the Higher Worlds

And Its Attainment

by

Rudolf Steiner

GA 10

Translated by

George MetaxaCopyright 1947

This e.Text edition is provided with the cooperation of:The Anthroposophic Press


ContentsPreface to the Third Edition

Preface to the Fifth Edition

Preface to the Edition of May 1918

I. How Is Knowledge of the High Worlds Attained

II. The !tages of Initiation

Pre"aration

Enlighten#ent

The $ontrol of Tho%ghts and Feelings III. Initiation

I&. !o#e Practical As"ects

&. The $onditions of Esoteric Training

&I. !o#e 'es%lts of Initiation

&II. The Transfor#ation of (rea# )ife

&III. The $ontin%ity of $onscio%sness

I*. The !"litting of the H%#an Personality

d%ring !"irit%al Training

*. The +%ardian of the Threshold

*I. )ife and (eath. The +reater +%ardian

of the Threshold

A""endi,


I
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How Is Knowledge of the Higher Worlds Attained?

Conditions

There slumer in every human eing faculties y means of which he can ac!uire for himself a"nowledge of higher worlds. #ystics$ %nostics$ Theosophists & all spea" of a world of soul andspirit which for them is 'ust as real as the world we see with our physical eyes and touch with ourphysical hands. (t every moment the listener may say to himself: that$ of which they spea"$ ) toocan learn$ if ) develop within myself certain powers which today still slumer within me. Thereremains only one !uestion & how to set to wor" to develop such faculties. *or this purpose$ theyonly can give advice who already possess such powers. (s long as the human race has existed therehas always een a method of training$ in the course of which individuals possessing these higherfaculties gave instruction to others who were in search of them. +uch a training is called occult,esoteric- training$ and the instruction received therefrom is called occult ,esoteric- teaching$ orspiritual science. This designation naturally awa"ens misunderstanding. The one who hears it may

very easily e misled into the elief that this training is the concern of a special$ privileged class$withholding its "nowledge aritrarily from its fellowcreatures. /e may even thin" that nothing ofreal importance lies ehind such "nowledge$ for if it were a true "nowledge & he is tempted to

thin" & there would e no need of ma"ing a secret of it0 it might e pulicly imparted and itsadvantages made accessile to all. Those who have een initiated into the nature of this higher"nowledge are not in the least surprised that the uninitiated should so thin"$ for the secret ofinitiation can only e understood y those who have to a certain degree experienced this initiationinto the higher "nowledge of existence. The !uestion may e raised: how$ then$ under thesecircumstances$ are the uninitiated to develop any human interest in this socalled esoteric"nowledge /ow and why are they to see" for something of whose nature they can form no idea+uch a !uestion is ased upon an entirely erroneous conception of the real nature of esoteric"nowledge. There is$ in truth$ no difference etween esoteric "nowledge and all the rest of man2s"nowledge and proficiency. This esoteric "nowledge is no more of a secret for the average human

eing than writing is a secret for those who have never learned it. (nd 'ust as all can learn to writewho choose the correct method$ so$ too$ can all who see" the right way ecome esoteric studentsand even teachers. )n one respect only do the conditions here differ from those that apply to

external "nowledge and proficiency. The possiility of ac!uiring the art of writing may e withheldfrom someone through poverty$ or through the conditions of civili3ation into which he is orn0 utfor the attainment of "nowledge and proficiency in the higher worlds$ there is no ostacle forthose who earnestly see" them.

#any elieve that they must see"$ at one place or another$ the masters of higher "nowledge inorder to receive enlightenment. ow in the first place$ whoever strives earnestly after higher"nowledge will shun no exertion and fear no ostacle in his search for an initiate who can lead himto the higher "nowledge of the world. 5n the other hand$ everyone may e certain that initiation

will find him under all circumstances if he gives proof of an earnest and worthy endeavor to attainthis "nowledge. )t is a natural law among all initiates to withhold from no man the "nowledge thatis due him ut there is an e!ually natural law which lays down that no word of esoteric "nowledgeshall e imparted to anyone not !ualified to receive it. (nd the more strictly he oserves these

laws$ the more perfect is an initiate. The ond of union emracing all initiates is spiritual and notexternal$ ut the two laws here mentioned form$ as it were$ strong clasps y which the componentparts of this ond are held together. 6ou may live in intimate friendship with an initiate$ and yet agap severs you from his essential self$ so long as you have not ecome an initiate yourself. 6ou mayen'oy in the fullest sense the heart$ the love of an initiate$ yet he will only confide his "nowledge to

you when you are ripe for it. 6ou may flatter him0 you may torture him0 nothing can induce him toetray anything to you as long as you$ at the present stage of your evolution$ are not competent toreceive it into your soul in the right way.

The methods y which a student is prepared for the reception of higher "nowledge are minutely


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prescried. The direction he is to ta"e is traced with unfading$ everlasting letters in the worlds ofthe spirit where the initiates guard the higher secrets. )n ancient times$ anterior to our history$ thetemples of the spirit were also outwardly visile0 today$ ecause our life has ecome so unspiritual$they are not to e found in the world visile to external sight0 yet they are present spirituallyeverywhere$ and all who see" may find them.

5nly within his own soul can a man find the means to unseal the lips of an initiate. /e mustdevelop within himself certain faculties to a definite degree$ and then the highest treasures of thespirit can ecome his own.

/e must egin with a certain fundamental attitude of soul. )n spiritual science this fundamentalattitude is called thepath of veneration$ of devotion to truth and "nowledge. ithout this attitudeno one can ecome a student. The disposition shown in their childhood y suse!uent students ofhigher "nowledge is well "nown to the experienced in these matters. There are children who loo"up with religious awe to those whom they venerate. *or such people they have a respect whichforids them$ even in the deepest recess of their heart$ to haror any thought of criticism oropposition. +uch children grow up into young men and women who feel happy when they are aleto loo" up to anything that fills them with veneration. *rom the ran"s of such children are

recruited many students of higher "nowledge. /ave you ever paused outside the door of somevenerated person$ and have you$ on this your first visit$ felt a religious awe as you pressed on thehandle to enter the room which for you is a holy place )f so$ a feeling has een manifested within

you which may e the germ of your future adherence to the path of "nowledge. )t is a lessing forevery human eing in process of development to have such feelings upon which to uild. 5nly itmust not e thought that this disposition leads to sumissiveness and slavery. hat was once achildli"e veneration for persons ecomes$ later$ a veneration for truth and "nowledge. 8xperienceteaches that they can est hold their heads erect who have learnt to venerate where veneration isdue0 and veneration is always fitting when it flows from the depths of the heart.

)f we do not develop within ourselves this deeply rooted feeling that there is something higherthan ourselves$ we shall never find the strength to evolve to something higher. The initiate hasonly ac!uired the strength to lift his head to the heights of "nowledge y guiding his heart to the

depths of veneration and devotion. The heights of the spirit can only e climed y passingthrough the portals of humility. 6ou can only ac!uire right "nowledge when you have learnt toesteem it. #an has certainly the right to turn his eyes to the light$ ut he must first ac!uire thisright. There are laws in the spiritual life$ as in the physical life. u a glass rod with an appropriatematerial and it will ecome electric$ that is$ it will receive the power of attracting small odies.This is in "eeping with a law of nature. )t is "nown to all who have learnt a little physics. +imilarly$ac!uaintance with the first principles of spiritual science shows that every feeling of true devotionharored in the soul develops a power which may$ sooner or later$ lead further on the path of"nowledge.

The student who is gifted with this feeling$ or who is fortunate enough to have had it inculcated ina suitale education$ rings a great deal along with him when$ later in life$ he see"s admittance tohigher "nowledge. *ailing such preparation$ he will encounter difficulties at the very first step$unless he underta"es$ y rigorous selfeducation$ to create within himself this inner life ofdevotion. )n our time it is especially important that full attention e paid to this point. 5urcivili3ation tends more toward critical 'udgment and condemnation than toward devotion andselfless veneration. 5ur children already critici3e far more than they worship. ut every criticism$every adverse 'udgment passed$ disperses the powers of the soul for the attainment of higher"nowledge in the same measure that all veneration and reverence develops them. )n this we do not

wish to say anything against our civili3ation. There is no !uestion here of leveling criticism againstit. To this critical faculty$ this selfconscious human 'udgment$ this ;test all things and hold fast

what is est$< we owe the greatness of our civili3ation. #an could never have attained to thescience$ the industry$ the commerce$ the rights relationships of our time$ had he not applied to all


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things the standard of his critical 'udgment. ut what we have therey gained in external culturewe have had to pay for with a corresponding loss of higher "nowledge of spiritual life. )t must eemphasi3ed that higher "nowledge is not concerned with the veneration of persons ut the

veneration of truth and "nowledge.

ow$ the one thing that everyone must ac"nowledge is the difficulty for those involved in theexternal civili3ation of our time to advance to the "nowledge of the higher worlds. They can onlydo so if they wor" energetically at themselves. (t a time when the conditions of material life weresimpler$ the attainment of spiritual "nowledge was also easier. 5'ects of veneration and worshipstood out in clearer relief from the ordinary things of the world. )n an epoch of criticism ideals arelowered0 other feelings ta"e the place of veneration$ respect$ adoration$ and wonder. 5ur own agethrusts these feelings further and further into the ac"ground$ so that they can only e conveyedto man through his everyday life in a very small degree. hoever see"s higher "nowledge mustcreate it for himself. /e must instill it into his soul. )t cannot e done y study0 it can only e donethrough life. hoever$ therefore$ wishes to ecome a student of higher "nowledge mustassiduously cultivate this inner life of devotion. 8verywhere in his environment and hisexperiences he must see" motives of admiration and homage. )f ) meet a man and lame him forhis shortcomings$ ) ro myself of power to attain higher "nowledge0 ut if ) try to enter lovingly

into his merits$ ) gather such power. The student must continually e intent upon following thisadvice. The spiritually experienced "now how much they owe to the circumstance that in face of allthings they ever again turn to the good$ and withhold adverse 'udgement. ut this must notremain an external rule of life0 rather it must ta"e possession of our innermost soul. #an has it inhis power to perfect himself and$ in time$ completely to transform himself. ut this transformationmust ta"e place in his innermost self$ in his thoughtlife. )t is not enough that ) show respect onlyin my outward earing0 ) must have this respect in my thoughts. The student must egin yasoring this devotion into this thoughtlife. /e must e wary of thoughts of disrespect$ ofadverse criticism$ existing in his consciousness$ and he must endeavor straightaway to cultivatethoughts of devotion.

8very moment that we set ourselves to discover in our consciousness whatever there remains in itof adverse$ disparaging and critical 'udgement of the world and of life0 every such moment ringsus nearer to higher "nowledge. (nd we rise rapidly when we fill our consciousness in suchmoments with thoughts evo"ing in us admiration$ respect and veneration for the world and forlife. )t is well "nown to those experienced in these matters that in every such moment powers areawa"ened which otherwise remain dormant. )n this way the spiritual eyes of man are opened. /e

egins to see things around him which he could not have seen efore. /e egins to understandthat hitherto he had only seen a part of the world around him. ( human eing standing efore himnow presents a new and different aspect. 5f course$ this rule of life alone will not yet enale him tosee$ for instance$ what is descried as the human aura$ ecause for this still higher training isnecessary. ut he can rise to this higher training if he has previously undergone a rigoroustraining in devotion. ,)n the last chapter of his oo" Theosophy$ the author descries fully the

Path of Knowledge0 here it is intended to give some practical details.-

oiseless and unnoticed y the outer world is the treading of thePath of Knowledge. o changeneed e noticed in the student. /e performs his duties as hitherto0 he attends to his usiness as

efore. The transformation goes on only in the inner part of the soul hidden from outward sight.(t first his entire inner life is flooded y this asic feeling of devotion for everything which is trulyvenerale. /is entire soullife finds in this fundamental feeling its pivot. =ust as the sun2s raysvivify everything living$ so does reverence in the student vivify all feelings of the soul.

)t is not easy$ at first$ to elieve that feelings li"e reverence and respect have anything to do withcognition. This is due to the fact that we are inclined to set cognition aside as a faculty y itself &one that stands in no relation to what otherwise occurs in the soul. )n so thin"ing we do not earin mind that it is the soul which exercises the faculty of cognition0 and feelings are for the soul


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what food is for the ody. )f we give the ody stones in place of read$ its activity will cease. )t isthe same with the soul. >eneration$ homage$ devotion are li"e nutriment ma"ing it healthy andstrong$ especially strong for the activity of cognition. ?isrespect$ antipathy$ underestimation of

what deserves recognition$ all exert a paraly3ing and withering effect on this faculty of cognition.*or the spiritually experienced this fact is visile in the aura. ( soul which harors feelings of

reverence and devotion produces a change in its aura. Certain spiritual colorings$ as they may ecalled$ yellowred and rownred in tone$ vanish and are replaced y luered tints. Therey thecognitional faculty is ripened0 it receives intelligence of facts in its environment of which it hadhitherto no idea. everence awa"ens in the soul a sympathetic power through which we attract!ualities in the eings around us$ which would otherwise remain concealed.

The power otained through devotion can e rendered still more effective when the life of feelingis enriched y yet another !uality. This consists in giving oneself up less and less to impressions ofthe outer world$ and to develop instead a vivid inner life. ( person who darts from one impressionof the outer world to another$ who constantly see"s distraction$ cannot find the way to higher"nowledge. The student must not lunt himself to the outer world$ ut while lending himself to itsimpressions$ he should e directed y his rich inner life. hen passing through a eautifulmountain district$ the traveler with depth of soul and wealth of feeling has different experiences

from one who is poor in feeling. 5nly what we experience within ourselves unloc"s for us theeauties of the outer world. 5ne person sails across the ocean$ and only a few inward experiencespass through his soul0 another will hear the eternal language of the cosmic spirit0 for him areunveiled the mysterious riddles of existence. e must learn to remain in touch with our ownfeelings and ideas if we wish to develop any intimate relationship with the outer world. The outer

world with all its phenomena is filled with splendor$ ut we must have experienced the divinewithin ourselves efore we can hope to discover it in our environment.

The student is told to set apart moments in his daily life in which to withdraw into himself$ !uietlyand alone. /e is not to occupy himself at such moments with the affairs of his own ego. This wouldresult in the contrary of what is intended. /e should rather let his experiences and the messagesfrom the outer world reecho within his own completely silent self. (t such silent moments everyflower$ every animal$ every action will unveil to him secrets undreamt of. (nd thus he will preparehimself to receive !uite new impressions of the outer world through !uite different eyes. Thedesire to en'oy impression after impression merely lunts the faculty of cognition0 the latter$however$ is nurtured and cultivated if the en'oyment once experienced is allowed to reveal itsmessage. Thus the student must accustom himself not merely to let the en'oyment revererate$ asit were$ ut rather to renounce any further en'oyment$ and wor" upon the past experience. Theperil here is very great. )nstead of wor"ing inwardly$ it is very easy to fall into the opposite hait oftrying to exploit the en'oyment. @et no one underestimate the fact that immense sources of errorhere confront the student. /e must pass through a host of tempters of his soul. They would allharden his ego and imprison it within itself. /e should rather open it wide to all the world. )t isnecessary that he should see" en'oyment$ for only through en'oyment can the outer world reachhim. )f he lunts himself to en'oyment he is li"e a plant which cannot any longer drawnourishment from its environment. 6et if he stops short at the en'oyment he shuts himself up

within himself. /e will only e something to himself and nothing to the world. /owever much hemay live within himself$ however intensely he may cultivate his ego & the world will re'ect him. To

the world he is dead. The student of higher "nowledge considers en'oyment only as a means ofennoling himself for the world. 8n'oyment is to him li"e a scout informing him aout the world0

ut once instructed y en'oyment$ he passes on to wor". /e does not learn in order to accumulatelearning as his own treasure$ ut in order that he may devote his learning to the service of the

world.

)n all spiritual science there is a fundamental principle which cannot e transgressed withoutsacrificing success$ and it should e impressed on the student in every form of esoteric training. )truns as follows:All knowledge pursued merely for the enrichment of personal learning and the


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accumulation of personal treasure leads you away from the path; but all knowledge pursued forgrowth to ripeness within the process of human ennoblement and cosmic development bringsyou a step forward.This law must e strictly oserved$ and no student is genuine until he hasadopted it as a guide for his whole life. This truth can e expressed in the following short sentence:

Every idea which does not become your ideal slays a force in your soul; every idea which

becomes your ideal creates within you life-forces.

Inner Tranquility

(t the very eginning of his course$ the student is directed to the path of veneration and thedevelopment of the inner life. +piritual science now also gives him practical rules y oserving

which he may tread that path and develop that inner life. These practical rules have no aritraryorigin. They rest upon ancient experience and ancient wisdom$ and are given out in the samemanner$ wheresoever the ways to higher "nowledge are indicated. (ll true teachers of the spirituallife are in agreement as to the sustance of these rules$ even though they do not always clothethem in the same words. This difference$ which is of a minor character and is more apparent thanreal$ is due to circumstances which need not e dwelt upon here.

o teacher of the spiritual life wishes to estalish a mastery over other persons y means of suchrules. /e would not tamper with anyone2s independence. )ndeed$ none respect and cherish humanindependence more than the spiritually experienced. )t was stated in the preceding pages that the

ond of union emracing all initiates is spiritual$ and that two laws form$ as it were$ clasps ywhich the component parts of this ond are held together. henever the initiate leaves hisenclosed spiritual sphere and steps forth efore the world$ he must immediately ta"e a third lawinto account. )t is this: (dapt each one of your actions$ and frame each one of your words in such a

way that you infringe upon no one2s freewill.

The recognition that all true teachers of the spiritual life are permeated through and through withthis principle will convince all who follow the practical rules proffered to them that they needsacrifice none of their independence.

5ne of the first of these rules can e expressed somewhat in the following words of our language:Provide for yourself moments of inner tranuility! and in these moments learn to distinguishbetween the essential and the non-essential. )t is said advisedly: ;expressed in the words of ourlanguage.< 5riginally all rules and teachings of spiritual science were expressed in a symolicalsignlanguage$ some understanding of which must e ac!uired efore its whole meaning andscope can e reali3ed. This understanding is dependent on the first steps toward higher"nowledge$ and these steps result from the exact oservation of such rules as are here given. *orall who earnestly will$ the path stands open to tread.

+imple$ in truth$ is the aove rule concerning moments of inner tran!uility0 e!ually simple is itsoservation. ut it only achieves its purpose when it is oserved in as earnest and strict a manneras it is$ in itself$ simple. /ow this rule is to e oserved will$ therefore$ e explained withoutdigression.

The student must set aside a small part of his daily life in which to concern himself with something!uite different from the o'ects of his daily occupation. The way$ also$ in which he occupieshimself at such a time must differ entirely from the way in which he performs the rest of his dailyduties. ut this does not mean that what he does in the time thus set apart has no connection withhis daily wor". 5n the contrary$ he will soon find that 'ust these secluded moments$ when soughtin the right way$ give him full power to perform his daily tas"AsB. or must it e supposed that theoservance of this rule will really encroach upon the time needed for the performance of hisduties. +hould anyone really have no more time at his disposal$ five minutes a day will suffice. )t


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all depends on the manner in which these five minutes are spent.

?uring these periods the student should wrest himself entirely free from his wor"aday life. /isthoughts and feelings should ta"e on a different coloring. /is 'oys and sorrows$ his cares$experiences and actions must pass in review efore his soul0 and he must adopt such a position

that he may regard all his sundry experiences from a higher point of view.

e need only ear in mind how$ in ordinary life$ we regard the experiences and actions of others!uite differently from our own. This cannot e otherwise$ for we are interwoven with our ownactions and experiences$ whereas those of others we only contemplate. 5ur aim in these momentsof seclusion must e so to contemplate and 'udge our own actions and experiences as though theyapplied not to ourselves ut to some other person. +uppose$ for example$ a heavy misfortune

efalls us. /ow different would e our attitude toward a similar misfortune had it efallen ourneighor. This attitude cannot e lamed as un'ustifiale0 it is part of human nature$ and appliese!ually to exceptional circumstances and to the daily affairs of life. The student must see" thepower of confronting himself$ at certain times$ as a stranger. /e must stand efore himself withthe inner tran!uility of a 'udge. hen this is attained$ our own experiences present themselves ina new light. (s long as we are interwoven with them and stand$ as it were$ within them$ we cling to

the nonessential 'ust as much as to the essential. )f we attain the calm inner survey$ the essentialis severed from the nonessential. +orrow and 'oy$ every thought$ every resolve$ appear differentwhen we confront ourselves in this way. )t is as though we had spent the whole day in a placewhere we eheld the smallest o'ects at the same close range as the largest$ and in the eveningclimed a neighoring hill and surveyed the whole scene at a glance. Then the various partsappear related to each other in different proportions from those they ore when seen from within.This exercise will not and need not succeed with present occurrences of destiny$ ut it should eattempted y the student in connection with the events of destiny already experienced in the past.The value of such inner tran!uil selfcontemplation depends far less on what is actuallycontemplated than on our finding within ourselves the power which such inner tran!uilitydevelops.

*or every human eing ears a higher man within himself esides what we may call the wor"a

day man. This higher man remains hidden until he is awa"ened. (nd each human eing canhimself alone awa"en this higher eing within himself. (s long as this higher eing is notawa"ened$ the higher faculties slumering in every human eing$ and leading to supersensile"nowledge$ will remain concealed. The student must resolve to persevere in the strict and earnestoservation of the rule here given$ so long as he does not feel within himself the fruits of this innertran!uility. To all who thus persevere the day will come when spiritual light will envelop them$and a new world will e revealed to an organ of sight of whose presence within them they werenever aware.

(nd no change need ta"e place in the outward life of the student in conse!uence of this new rule./e performs his duties and$ at first$ feels the same 'oys$ sorrows$ and experiences as efore. )n no

way can it estrange him from life0 he can rather devote himself the more thoroughly to this life forthe remainder of the day$ having gained a higher life in the moments set apart. @ittle y little thishigher life will ma"e its influence felt on his ordinary life. The tran!uility of the moments set apart

will also affect everyday existence. )n his whole eing he will grow calmer0 he will attain firmassurance in all his actions$ and cease to e put out of countenance y all manner of incidents. ythus advancing he will gradually ecome more and more his own guide$ and allow himself less andless to e led y circumstances and external influences. /e will soon discover how great a sourceof strength is availale to him in these moments thus set apart. /e will egin no longer to getangry at things which formerly annoyed him0 countless things he formerly feared cease to alarmhim. /e ac!uires a new outloo" on life. *ormerly he may have approached some occupation in afainthearted way. /e would say: ;5h$ ) lac" the power to do this as well as ) could wish.< ow thisthought does not occur to him$ ut rather a !uite different thought. /enceforth he says to himself:


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;) will summon all my strength to do my wor" as well as ) possily can.< (nd he suppresses thethought which ma"es him fainthearted0 for he "nows that this very thought might e the cause ofa worse performance on his part$ and that in any case it cannot contriute to the improvement ofhis wor". (nd thus thought after thought$ each fraught with advantage to his whole life$ flows intothe student2s outloo". They ta"e the place of those that had a hampering$ wea"ening effect. /e

egins to steer his own ship on a secure course through the waves of life$ whereas it was formerlyattered to and fro y these waves.

This calm and serenity react on the whole eing. They assist the growth of the inner man$ and$with the inner man$ those faculties also grow which lead to higher "nowledge. *or it is y hisprogress in this direction that the student gradually reaches the point where he himselfdetermines the manner in which the impressions of the outer world shall affect him. Thus he mayhear a word spo"en with the o'ect of wounding or vexing him. *ormerly it would indeed have

wounded or vexed him$ ut now that he treads the path to higher "nowledge$ he is ale & eforethe word has found its way to his inner self & to ta"e from it the sting which gives it the power to

wound or vex. Ta"e another example. e easily ecome impatient when we are "ept waiting$ ut& if we tread the path to higher "nowledge & we so steep ourselves in our moments of calm withthe feeling of the uselessness of impatience that henceforth$ on every occasion of impatience$ this

feeling is immediately present within us. The impatience that was aout to ma"e itself feltvanishes$ and an interval which would otherwise have een wasted in expressions of impatiencewill e filled y useful oservations$ which can e made while waiting.

ow$ the scope and significance of these facts must e reali3ed. e must ear in mind that thehigher man within us is in constant development. ut only the state of calm and serenity heredescried renders an orderly development possile. The waves of outward life constrain the innerman from all sides if$ instead of mastering this outward life$ it masters him. +uch a man is li"e aplant which tries to expand in a cleft in the roc" and is stunted in growth until new space is givenit. o outward forces can supply space to the inner man. )t can only e supplied y the inner calm

which man himself gives to his soul. 5utward circumstances can only alter the course of hisoutward life0 they can never awa"en the inner spiritual man. The student must himself give irthto a new and higher man within himself.

This higher man now ecomes the inner ruler who directs the circumstances of the outer man withsure guidance. (s long as the outer man has the upper hand and control$ this inner man is hisslave and therefore cannot unfold his powers. )f it depends on something other than myself

whether ) should get angry or not$ ) am not master of myself$ or$ to put it etter$ ) have not yetfound the ruler within myself. ) must develop the faculty of letting the impressions of the outer

world approach me only in the way in which ) myself determine0 then only do ) ecome in the realsense a student. (nd only in as far as the student earnestly see"s this power can he reach the goal.)t is of no importance how far anyone can go in a given time0 the point is that he should earnestlysee". #any have striven for years without noticing any appreciale progress0 ut many of those

who did not despair$ ut remained unsha"en$ have then !uite suddenly achieved the inner victory.

o dout a great effort is re!uired in many stations of life to provide these moments of inner calm0ut the greater the effort needed$ the more important is the achievement. )n spiritual scienceeverything depends upon energy$ inward truthfulness$ and uncompromising sincerity with which

we confront our own selves$ with all our deeds and actions$ as a complete stranger.

ut only one side of the student2s inner activity is characteri3ed y this irth of his own highereing. +omething else is needed in addition. 8ven if he confronts himself as a stranger it is onlyhimself that he contemplates0 he loo"s on those experiences and actions with which he isconnected through his particular station of life. /e must now disengage himself from it and rise

eyond to a purely human level$ which no longer has anything to do with his own special situation./e must pass on to the contemplation of those things which would concern him as a human eing$


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even if he lived under !uite different circumstances and in !uite a different situation. )n this waysomething egins to live within him which ranges aove the purely personal. /is ga3e is directedto worlds higher than those with which everyday life connects him. (nd thus he egins to feel andreali3e$ as an inner experience$ that he elongs to those higher worlds. These are worldsconcerning which his senses and his daily occupation can tell him nothing. Thus he now shifts the

central point of his eing to the inner part of his nature. /e listens to the voices within him whichspea" to him in his moments of tran!uility0 he cultivates an intercourse with the spiritual world./e is removed from the everyday world. )ts noise is silenced. (ll around him there is silence. /eputs away everything that reminds him of such impressions from without. Calm inwardcontemplation and converse with the purely spiritual world fill his soul. & +uch tran!uilcontemplation must ecome a natural necessity in the life of the student. /e is now plunged in a

world of thought. /e must develop a living feeling for this silent thoughtactivity. /e must learn tolove what the spirit pours into him. /e will soon cease to feel that this thoughtworld is less realthan the everyday things which surround him. /e egins to deal with his thoughts as with thingsin space$ and the moment approaches when he egins to feel that which reveals itself in the silentinward thoughtwor" to e much higher$ much more real$ than the things in space. /e discoversthat something living expresses itself in this thoughtworld. /e sees that his thoughts do notmerely haror shadowpictures$ ut that through them hidden eings spea" to him. 5ut of thesilence$ speech ecomes audile to him. *ormerly sound only reached him through his ear0 now itresounds through his soul. (n inner language$ an inner word is revealed to him. This moment$

when first experienced$ is one of greatest rapture for the student. (n inner light is shed over thewhole external world$ and a second life egins for him. Through his eing there pours a divinestream from a world of divine rapture.

This life of the soul in thought$ which gradually widens into a life in spiritual eing$ is called y%nosis$ and y +piritual +cience$ "editation ,contemplative reflection-. This meditation is themeans to supersensile "nowledge. ut the student in such moments must not merely indulge infeelings0 he must not have indefinite sensations in his soul. That would only hinder him fromreaching true spiritual "nowledge. /is thoughts must e clear$ sharp and definite$ and he will ehelped in this if he does not cling lindly to the thoughts that rise within him. ather must hepermeate himself with the lofty thoughts y which men already advanced and possessed of thespirit were inspired at such moments. /e should start with the writings which themselves had

their origin in 'ust such revelation during meditation. )n the mystic$ gnostic and spiritual scientificliterature of today the student will find such writings$ and in them the material for his meditation.The see"ers of the spirit have themselves set down in such writings the thoughts of the divinescience which the +pirit has directed his messengers to proclaim to the world.

Through such meditation a complete transformation ta"es place in the student. /e egins to form!uite new conceptions of reality. (ll things ac!uire a fresh value for him. )t cannot e repeated toooften that this transformation does not alienate him from the world. /e will in no way eestranged from his daily tas"s and duties$ for he comes to reali3e that the most insignificant actionhe has to accomplish$ the most insignificant experience which offers itself to him$ stands inconnection with cosmic eings and cosmic events. hen once this connection is revealed to him inhis moments of contemplation$ he comes to his daily activities with a new$ fuller power. *or nowhe "nows that his laor and his suffering are given and endured for the sa"e of a great$ spiritual$

cosmic whole. ot weariness$ ut strength to live springs from meditation.

ith firm step the student passes through life. o matter what it may ring him$ he goes forwarderect. )n the past he "new not why he laored and suffered$ ut now he "nows. )t is ovious thatsuch meditation leads more surely to the goal if conducted under the direction of experiencedpersons who "now of themselves how everything may est e done0 and their advice and guidanceshould e sought. Truly$ no one loses his freedom therey. hat would otherwise e mereuncertain groping in the dar" ecomes under this direction purposeful wor". (ll who apply tothose possessing "nowledge and experience in these matters will never apply in vain$ only they


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must reali3e that what they see" is the advice of a friend$ not the domination of a woulde ruler.)t will always e found that they who really "now are the most modest of men$ and that nothing isfurther from their nature than what is called the lust for power.

hen$ y means of meditation$ a man rises to union with the spirit$ he rings to life the eternal in

him$ which is limited y neither irth nor death. The existence of this eternal eing can only edouted y those who have not themselves experienced it. Thus meditation is the way which alsoleads man to the "nowledge$ to the contemplation of his eternal$ indestructile$ essential eing0and it is only through meditation that man can attain to such "nowledge. %nosis and +piritual+cience tell of the eternal nature of this eing and of its reincarnation. The !uestion is often as"ed:

hy does a man "now nothing of his experiences eyond the orders of life and death ot thusshould we as"$ ut rather: /ow can we attain such "nowledge )n right meditation the path isopened. This alone can revive the memory of experiences eyond the order of life and death.8veryone can attain this "nowledge0 in each one of us lies the faculty of recogni3ing andcontemplating for ourselves what genuine #ysticism$ +piritual +cience$ (nthroposophy$ and%nosis teach. 5nly the right means must e chosen. 5nly a eing with ears and eyes canapprehend sounds and colors0 nor can the eye perceive if the light which ma"es things visile is

wanting. +piritual +cience gives the means of developing the spiritual ears and eyes$ and of

"indling the spiritual light0 and this method of spiritual training: ,1- Preparation0 this developsthe spiritual senses. ,- Enlightenment0 this "indles the spiritual light. ,D- #nitiation0 thisestalishes intercourse with the higher spiritual eings.


II

The Stages of Initiation

The information given in the following chapters constitutes steps in an esoteric training$ the nameand character of which will e understood y all who apply this information in the right way. )t refersto the three stages through which the training of the spiritual life leads to a certain degree ofinitiation. ut only so much will here e explained as can e pulicly imparted. These are merelyindications extracted from a still deeper and more intimate doctrine. )n esoteric training itself a !uitedefinite course of instruction is followed. Certain exercises enale the soul to attain to a consciousintercourse with the spiritual world. These exercises ear aout the same relation to what will eimparted in the following pages$ as the instruction given in a higher strictly disciplined school earsto the incidental training. ut impatient daling$ devoid of earnest perseverance$ can lead to


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nothing at all. The study of +piritual +cience can only e successful if the student retain what hasalready een indicated in the preceding chapter$ and on the asis of this proceed further.

The three stages which the aovementioned tradition specifies$ are as follows: ,1- preparation0 ,-enlightenment0 ,D$ initiation. )t is not altogether necessary that the first of these three stages should

e completed efore the second can e egun$ nor that the second$ in turn$ e completed efore thethird e started. )n certain respects it is possile to parta"e of enlightenment$ and even of initiation$and in other respects still e in the preparatory stage. 6et it will e necessary to spend a certain timein the stage of preparation efore any enlightenment can egin0 and$ at least in some respects$enlightenment must e completed efore it is even possile to enter upon the stage of initiation. utin descriing them it is necessary$ for the sa"e of clarity$ that the three stages e made to follow inorder.

Preparation

Ereparation consists in a strict and definite cultivation of the life of thought and feeling$ throughwhich the psychospiritual ody ecomes e!uipped with higher senses and organs of activity in thesame way that natural forces have fitted the physical ody with organs uilt out of indeterminate

living matter.

To egin with$ the attention of the soul is directed to certain events in the world that surrounds us.+uch events are$ on the one hand$ life that is udding$ growing$ and flourishing$ and on the otherhand$ all phenomena connected with fading$ decaying$ and withering. The student can oserve theseevents simultaneously$ wherever he turns his eyes and on every occasion they naturally evo"e in himfeelings and thoughts0 ut in ordinary circumstances he does not devote himself sufficiently to them./e hurries on too !uic"ly from impression to impression. )t is necessary$ therefore$ that he should fixhis attention intently and consciously upon these phenomena. herever he oserves a definite "indof looming and flourishing$ he must anish everything else from his soul$ and entirely surrenderhimself$ for a short time$ to this one impression. /e will soon convince himself that a feeling whichheretofore in a similar case$ would merely have flitted through his soul$ now swells out and assumes apowerful and energetic form. /e must now allow this feeling to revererate !uietly within himself

while "eeping inwardly !uite still. /e must cut himself off from the outer world$ and simply andsolely follow what his soul tells him of this lossoming and flourishing.

6et it must not e thought that much progress can e made if the senses are lunted to the world.*irst loo" at the things as "eenly and as intently as you possily can0 then only let the feeling whichexpands to life$ and the thought which arises in the soul$ ta"e possession of you. The point is that theattention should e directed with perfect inner alance upon oth phenomena. )f the necessarytran!uility e attained and you surrender yourself to the feeling which expands to life in the soul$then$ in due time$ the following experience will ensue. Thoughts and feelings of a new "ind andun"nown efore will e noticed uprising in the soul. )ndeed$ the more often the attention e fixedalternately upon something growing$ lossoming and flourishing$ and upon something else that isfading and decaying$ the more vivid will these feelings ecome. (nd 'ust as the eyes and ears of thephysical ody are uilt y natural forces out of living matter$ so will the organs of clairvoyance uild

themselves out of the feelings and thoughts thus evo"ed. ( !uite definite form of feeling is connectedwith growth and expansion$ and another e!ually definite with all that is fading and decaying. ut thisis only the case if the effort e made to cultivate these feelings in the way indicated. )t is possile todescrie approximately what these feelings are li"e. ( full conception of them is within the reach ofall who undergo these inner experiences.

)f the attention e fre!uently fixed on the phenomena of growing$ looming and flourishing$ a feelingremotely allied to the sensation of a sunrise will ensue$ while the phenomena of fading and decaying

will produce an experience comparale$ in the same way$ to the slow rising of the moon on thehori3on. oth these feelings are forces which$ when duly cultivated and developed to ever increasing


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intensity$ lead to the most significant spiritual results. ( new world is opened to the student if hesystematically and delierately surrenders himself to such feelings. The soulworld$ the socalledastral plane$ egins to dawn upon him. %rowth and decay are no longer facts which ma"e indefiniteimpressions on him as of old$ ut rather they form themselves into spiritual lines and figures of

which he had previously suspected nothing. (nd these lines and figures have$ for the different

phenomena$ different forms. ( looming flower$ an animal in the process of growth$ a tree that isdecaying$ evo"e in his soul different lines. The soul world ,astral plane- roadens out slowly eforehim. These lines and figures are in no sense aritrary. Two students who have reached thecorresponding stage of development will always see the same lines and figures under the sameconditions. =ust as a round tale will e seen as round y two normal persons$ and not as round yone and s!uare y the other$ so too$ at the sight of a flower$ the same spiritual figure is presented tothe soul. (nd 'ust as the forms of animals and plants are descried in ordinary natural history$ so too$the spiritual scientist descries or draws the spiritual forms of the process of growth and decay$according to species and "ind.

)f the student has progressed so far that he can perceive the spiritual forms of those phenomenawhich are physically visile to his external sight$ he is then not far from the stage where he willehold things which have no physical existence$ and which therefore remain entirely hidden ,occult-

from those who have not received suitale instruction and training.

)t should e emphasi3ed that the student must never lose himself in speculations on the meaning ofone thing or another. +uch intellectuali3ing will only draw him away from the right road. /e shouldloo" out on the world with "een$ healthy senses and !uic"ened power of oservation$ and then givehimself up to the feeling that arises within him. /e should not try to ma"e out$ through intellectualspeculation$ the meaning of things$ ut rather allow the things to disclose themselves. )t should eremar"ed that artistic feeling$ when coupled with a !uiet introspective nature$ forms the estpreliminary condition for the development of spiritual faculties. This feeling pierces through thesuperficial aspect of things$ and in so doing touches their secrets.

( further point of importance is what spiritual science calls orientation in the higher worlds. This isattained when the student is permeated$ through and through$ with the conscious reali3ation that

feelings and thoughts are 'ust as much veritale realities as are tales and chairs in the world of thephysical senses. )n the soul and thought world$ feelings and thoughts react upon each other 'ust as dophysical o'ects in the physical world. (s long as the student is not vividly permeated with thisconsciousness$ he will not elieve that a wrong thought in his mind may have as devastating an effectupon other thoughts that spread life in the thought world as the effect wrought y a ullet fired atrandom upon the physical o'ects it hits. /e will perhaps never allow himself to perform a physically

visile action which he considers to e wrong$ though he will not shrin" from haroring wrongthoughts and feelings$ for these appear harmless to the rest of the world. There can e no progress$however$ on the path to higher "nowledge unless we guard our thoughts and feelings in 'ust the same

way we guard out steps in the physical world. )f we see a wall efore us$ we do not attempt to dashright through it$ ut turn aside. )n other words$ we guide ourselves y the laws of the physical world.There are such laws$ too$ for the soul and thought world$ only they cannot impose themselves on usfrom without. They must flow out of the life of the soul itself. This can e attained if we foridourselves to haror wrong thoughts and feelings. (ll aritrary flitting to and fro in thought$ all

accidental eing and flowing of emotion must e foridden in the same way. )n so doing we do notecome deficient in feeling. 5n the contrary$ if we regulate our inner life in this way$ we shall soonfind ourselves ecoming rich in feelings and creative with genuine imagination. )n the place of pettyemotionalism and capricious flights of thought$ there appear significant emotions and thoughts thatare fruitful. *eelings and thoughts of this "ind lead the student to orientation in the spiritual world./e gains a right position in relation to the things of the spiritual world0 a distinct and definite resultcomes into effect in his favor. =ust as he$ as a physical man$ finds his way among physical things$ so$too$ his path now leads him etween growth and decay$ which he has already come to "now in the

way descried aove. 5n the one hand$ he follows all processes of growing and flourishing and$ on


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the other$ of withering and decaying in a way that is necessary for his own and the world2sadvancement.

The student has also to estow a further care on the world of sound. /e must discriminate etweensounds that are produced y the socalled inert ,lifeless- odies$ for instance$ a ell$ or a musical

instrument$ or a falling mass$ and those which proceed from a living creature ,an animal or a humaneing.- hen a ell is struc"$ we hear the sound and connect a pleasant feeling with it0 ut when wehear the cry of an animal$ we can$ esides our own feeling$ detect through it the manifestation of aninward experience of the animal$ whether of pleasure or pain. )t is with the latter "ind of sound thatthe student sets to wor". /e must concentrate his whole attention on the fact that the sound tells himof something that lies outside his own soul. /e must immerse himself in this foreign thing. /e mustclosely unite his own feeling with the pleasure or pain of which the sound tells him. /e must get

eyond the point of caring whether$ for him$ the sound is pleasant or unpleasant$ agreeale ordisagreeale$ and his soul must e filled with whatever is occurring in the eing from which thesound proceeds. Through such exercises$ if systematically and delierately performed$ the student

will develop within himself the faculty of intermingling$ as it were$ with the eing from which thesound proceeds. ( person sensitive to music will find it easier than one who is unmusical to cultivatehis inner life in this way0 ut no one should suppose that a mere sense for music can ta"e the place of

this inner activity. The student must learn to feel in this way in the face of the whole of nature. Thisimplants a new faculty in his world of thought and feeling. Through her resounding tones$ the wholeof nature egins to whisper her secrets to the student. hat was hitherto merely incomprehensilenoise to his soul ecomes y this means a coherent language of nature. (nd whereas hitherto he onlyheard sound from the socalled inanimate o'ects$ he now is aware of a new language of the soul.+hould he advance further in this inner culture$ he will soon learn that he can hear what hitherto hedid not even surmise. /e egins to hear with the soul.

To this$ one thing more must e added efore the highest point in this region can e attained. 5f verygreat importance for the development of the student is the way in which he listens to others whenthey spea". /e must accustom himself to do this in such a way that$ while listening$ his inner self isasolutely silent. )f someone expresses an opinion and another listens$ assent or dissent will$generally spea"ing$ stir in the inner self of the listener. #any people in such cases feel themselvesimpelled to an expression of their assent$ or more especially$ of their dissent. )n the student$ all suchassent or dissent must e silenced. )t is not imperative that he should suddenly alter his way of living

y trying to attain at all times to this complete inner silence. /e will have to egin y doing so inspecial cases$ delierately selected y himself. Then !uite slowly and y degrees$ this new way oflistening will creep into his haits$ as of itself. )n spiritual research this is systematically practiced.The student feels it his duty to listen$ y way of practice$ at certain times to the most contradictory

views and$ at the same time$ ring entirely to silence all assent$ and more especially$ all adversecriticism. The point is that in so doing$ not only all purely intellectual 'udgment e silenced$ ut alsoall feelings of displeasure$ denial$ or even assent. The student must at all times e particularly

watchful lest such feelings$ even when not on the surface$ should still lur" in the innermost recess ofthe soul. /e must listen$ for example$ to the statements of people who are$ in some respects$ far

eneath him$ and yet while doing so suppress every feeling of greater "nowledge or superiority. )t isuseful for everyone to listen in this way to children$ for even the wisest can learn incalculaly muchfrom children. The student can thus train himself to listen to the words of others !uite selflessly$

completely shutting down his own person and his opinions and way of feeling. hen he practiceslistening without criticism$ even when a completely contradictory opinion is advanced$ when themost hopeless mista"e is committed efore him$ he then learns$ little y little$ to lend himself withthe eing of another and ecome identified with it. Then he hears through the words into the soul ofthe other. Through continued exercise of this "ind$ sound ecomes the right medium for theperception of soul and spirit. 5f course it implies the very strictest selfdiscipline$ ut the latter leadsto a high goal. hen these exercises are practiced in connection with the other already given$ dealing

with the sounds of nature$ the soul develops a new sense of hearing. +he is now ale to perceivemanifestations from the spiritual world which do not find their expression in sounds perceptile tothe physical ear. The perception of the ;inner word< awa"ens. %radually truths reveal themselves to


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the student from the spiritual world. /e hears speech uttered to him in a spiritual way. 5nly to thosewho$ y selfless listening$ train themselves to e really receptive from within$ in stillness$ unmoved ypersonal opinion or feeling only to such can the higher eings spea" of whom spiritual science tells.

(s long as one hurls any personal opinion or feeling against the spea"er to whom one must listen$ theeings of the spiritual world remain silent.

(ll higher truths are attained through such inwardly instilled speech$ and what we hear from the lipsof a true spiritual teacher has een experienced y him in this manner. ut this does not mean that itis unimportant for us to ac!uaint ourselves with the writings of spiritual science efore we canourselves hear such inwardly instilled speech. 5n the contrary$ the reading of such writings and thelistening to the teachings of spiritual science are themselves means of attaining personal "nowledge.8very sentence of spiritual science we hear is of a nature to direct the mind to the point which must

e reached efore the soul can experience real progress. To the practice of all that has here eenindicated must e added the ardent study of what the spiritual researchers impart to the world. )n allesoteric training such study elongs to the preparatory period$ and all other methods will proveineffective if due receptivity for the teachings of the spiritual researcher is lac"ing. *or since theseinstructions are culled from the living inner word$ from the living inwardly instilled speech$ they arethemselves gifted with spiritual life. They are not mere words0 they are living powers. (nd while you

follow the words of one who "nows$ while you read a oo" that springs from real inner experience$powers are at wor" in your soul which ma"e you clairvoyant$ 'ust as natural forces have created out ofliving matter your eyes and your ears.

Enlightenment

8nlightenment proceeds from very simple processes. /ere$ too$ it is a matter of developing certainfeelings and thoughts which slumer in every human eing and must e awa"ened. )t is only whenthese simple processes are carried out with unfailing patience$ continuously and conscientiously$ thatthey can lead to the perception of the inner lightforms. The first step is ta"en y oserving differentnatural o'ects in a particular way0 for instance$ a transparent and eautifully formed stone ,acrystal-$ a plant$ and an animal. The student should endeavor$ at first$ to direct his whole attention toa comparison of the stone with the animal in the following manner. The thoughts here mentioned

should pass through his soul accompanied y vivid feelings$ and no other thought$ no other feeling$must mingle with them and distur what should e an intensely attentive oservation. The studentsays to himself: ;The stone has a form0 the animal also has a form. The stone remains motionless inits place. The animal changes its place. )t is instinct ,desire- which causes the animal to change itsplace. )nstincts$ too$ are served y the form of the animal. )ts organs and lims are fashioned inaccordance with these instincts. The form of the stone is not fashioned in accordance with desires$

ut in accordance with desireless force.< ,The fact here mentioned$ in its earing on thecontemplation of crystals$ is in many ways distorted y those who have only heard of it in anoutward$ exoteric manner$ and in this way such practices as crystalga3ing have their origin +uchmanipulations are ased on a misunderstanding. They have een descried in many oo"s$ ut theynever form the su'ect of genuine esoteric teaching.-

y sin"ing deeply into such thoughts$ and while doing so$ oserving the stone and the animal withrapt attention$ there arise in the soul two !uite separate "inds of feelings. *rom the stone there flowsinto the soul the one "ind of feeling$ and from the animal the other "ind. The attempt will proalynot succeed at first$ ut little y little$ with genuine and patient practice$ these feelings ensue. 5nly$this exercise must e practiced over and over again. (t first the feelings are only present as long asthe oservation lasts. @ater on they continue$ and then they grow to something which remains livingin the soul. The student has then ut to reflect$ and oth feelings will always arise$ even without thecontemplation of an external o'ect. 5ut of these feelings and the thoughts that are ound up withthem$ the organs of clairvoyance are formed. )f the plant should then e included in this oservation$it will e noticed that the feeling flowing from it lies etween the feelings derived from the stone andthe animal$ in oth !uality and degree. The organs thus formed are spiritual eyes. The students


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gradually learns$ y their means$ to see something li"e soul and spirit colors. The spiritual world withits lines and figures remains dar" as long as he has only attained what has een descried aspreparation0 through enlightenment this world ecomes light. /ere it must also e noted that the

words ;dar"< and ;light$< as well as the other expressions used$ only approximately descrie what ismeant. This cannot e otherwise if ordinary language is used$ for this language was created to suit

physical conditions. +piritual science descries that which$ for clairvoyant organs$ flows from thestone$ as lue$ or luered0 and that which is felt as coming from the animal as red or redyellow. )nreality$ colors of a spiritual "ind are seen. The color proceeding the plant is green which little y littleturns into a light ethereal pin". The plant is actually that product of nature which in higher worldsresemles$ in certain respects$ its constitution in the physical world. The same does not apply to thestone and the animal. )t must now e clearly understood that the aovementioned colors onlyrepresent the principal shades in the stone$ plant and animal "ingdom. )n reality$ all possileintermediate shades are present. 8very stone$ every plant$ every animal has its own particular shadeof color. )n addition to these there are also the eings of the higher worlds who never incarnatephysically$ ut who have their colors$ often wonderful$ often horrile. )ndeed$ the wealth of color inthese higher worlds is immeasuraly greater than in the physical world.

5nce the faculty of seeing with spiritual eyes has een ac!uired$ one then encounters sooner or later

the eings here mentioned$ some of them higher$ some lower than man himselfeings that neverenter physical reality.

)f this point has een reached$ the way to a great deal lies open. ut it is inadvisale to proceedfurther without paying careful heed to what is said or otherwise imparted y the spiritual researcher.

(nd for that$ too$ which has een descried$ attention paid to such experienced guidance is the veryest thing. #oreover$ if a man has the strength and the endurance to travel so far that he fulfills theelementary conditions of enlightenment$ he will assuredly see" and find the right guidance.

ut in any circumstances$ one precaution is necessary$ failing which it were etter to leave untroddenall steps on the path to higher "nowledge. )t is necessary that the student should lose none of his!ualities as a good and nole man$ or his receptivity for all physical reality. )ndeed$ throughout histraining he must continually increase his moral strength$ his inner purity$ and his power of

oservation. To give an example: during the elementary exercises on enlightenment$ the studentmust ta"e care always to enlarge his sympathy for the animal and the human worlds$ and his sensefor the eauty of nature. *ailing this care$ such exercises would continually lunt that feeling and thatsense0 the heart would ecome hardened$ and the senses lunted$ and that could only lead to perilousresults.

/ow enlightenment proceeds if the student rises$ in the sense of the foregoing exercises$ from thestone$ the plant$ and the animal$ up to man$ and how$ after enlightenment$ under all circumstancesthe union of the soul with the spiritual world is effected$ leading to initiationwith these things thefollowing chapters will deal$ in as far as they can and may do so.

)n our time the path to spiritual science is sought y many. )t is sought in many ways$ and manydangerous and even despicale practices are attempted. )t is for this reason that they who claim to

"now something of the truth in these matters place efore others the possiility of learningsomething of esoteric training. 5nly so much is here imparted as accords with this possiility. )t isnecessary that something of the truth should ecome "nown$ in order to prevent error causing greatharm. o harm can come to anyone following the way here descried$ so long as he does not forcematters. 5nly$ one thing should e noted: no student should spend more time and strength uponthese exercises than he can spare with due regard to his station in life and to his duties0 nor should hechange anything$ for the time eing$ in the external conditions of his life through ta"ing this path.

ithout patience no genuine results can e attained. (fter doing an exercise for a few minutes$ thestudent must e ale to stop and continue !uietly his daily wor"$ and no thought of these exercisesshould mingle with the day2s wor". 5 one is of use as an esoteric student or will ever attain results


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of real value who has not learned to wait in the highest and est sense of the word.

The %ontrol of Thoughts and &eelings

hen the student see"s the path leading to higher "nowledge in the way descried in the preceding

chapter$ he should not omit to fortify himself0 throughout his wor"$ with one ever present thought./e must never cease repeating to himself that he may have made !uite considerale progress after acertain interval of time$ though it may not e apparent to him in the way he perhaps expected0otherwise he can easily lose heart and aandon all attempts after a short time. The powers andfaculties to e developed are of a most sutle "ind$ and differ entirely in their nature from theconceptions previously formed y the student. /e had een accustomed to occupy himself exclusively

with the physical world0 the world of spirit and soul had een concealed from his vision and concepts.)t is therefore not surprising if he does not immediately notice the powers of soul and spirit nowdeveloping in him. )n this respect there is a possiility of discouragement for those setting out on thepath to higher "nowledge$ if they ignore the experience gathered y responsile investigators. Theteacher is aware of the progress made y his pupil long efore the latter is conscious of it /e "nowshow the delicate spiritual eyes egin to form themselves long efore the pupil is aware of this$ and agreat part of what he has to say is couched in such terms as to prevent the pupil from losing patience

and perseverance efore he can himself gain "nowledge of his own progress. The teacher$ as we"now$ can confer upon the pupil no powers which are not already latent within him$ and his solefunction is to assist in the awa"ening of slumering faculties. ut what he imparts out of his ownexperience is a pillar of strength for the one wishing to penetrate through dar"ness to light. #anyaandon the path to higher "nowledge soon after having set foot upon it$ ecause their progress isnot immediately apparent to them. (nd even when the first experiences egin to dawn upon thepupil$ he is apt to regard them as illusions$ ecause he had formed !uite different conceptions of whathe was going to experience. /e loses courage$ either ecause he regards these first experiences as

eing of no value$ or ecause they appear to him to e so insignificant that he cannot elieve they willlead him to any appreciale results within a measurale time. Courage and selfconfidence are two

eacons which must never e extinguished on the path to higher "nowledge. o one will ever travelfar who cannot ring himself to repeat$ over and over again$ an exercise which has failed$ apparently$for a countless numer of times.

@ong efore any distinct perception of progress$ there rises in the student$ from the hidden depths ofthe soul$ a feeling that he is on the right path. This feeling should e cherished and fostered$ for it candevelop into a trustworthy guide. (ove all$ it is imperative to extirpate the idea that any fantastic$mysterious practices are re!uired for the attainment of higher "nowledge. )t must e clearly reali3edthat a start has to e made with the thoughts and feelings with which we continually live$ and thatthese feelings and thoughts must merely e given a new direction. 8veryone must say to himself: ;#nmy own world of thought and feeling the deepest mysteries lie hidden! only hitherto # have beenunable to perceive them.< )n the end it all resolves itself into the fact that man ordinarily carries

ody$ soul and spirit aout with him$ and yet is conscious in a true sense only of his ody$ and not ofhis soul and spirit. The student ecomes conscious of soul and spirit$ 'ust as the ordinary person isconscious of his ody. /ence it is highly important to give the proper direction to thoughts andfeelings$ for then only can the perception e developed of all that is invisile in ordinary life. 5ne ofthe ways y which this development may e carried out will now e indicated. (gain$ li"e almost

everything else so far explained$ it is !uite a simple matter. 6et its results are of the greatestconse!uence$ if the necessary devotion and sympathy e applied.

@et the student place efore himself the small seed of a plant$ and while contemplating thisinsignificant o'ect$ form with intensity the right "ind of thoughts$ and through these thoughtsdevelop certain feelings. )n the first place let him clearly grasp what he really sees with his eyes. @ethim descrie to himself the shape$ color and all other !ualities of the seed. Then let his mind dwellupon the following train of thought: ;5ut of the seed$ if planted in the soil$ a plant of complexstructure will grow.< @et him uild up this plant in his imagination$ and reflect as follows: ;'hat #


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am now picturing to myself in my imagination will later on be enticed from the seed by the forcesof earth and light. #f # had before me an artificial ob(ect which imitated the seed to such a deceptivedegree that my eyes could not distinguish it from a real seed! no forces of earth or light could availto produce from it a plant.< )f the student thoroughly grasps this thought so that it ecomes aninward experience$ he will also e ale to form the following thought and couple it with the right

feeling: ;All that will ultimately grow out of the seed is now secretly enfolded within it as the forceof the whole plant. #n the artificial imitation of the seed there is no such force present. And yet bothappear alike to my eyes. The real seed! therefore! contains something invisible which is not presentin the imitation.< )t is on this invisile something that thought and feeling are to e concentrated.,(nyone o'ecting that a microscopical examination would reveal the difference etween the realseed and the imitation would only show that he had failed to grasp the point. The intention is not toinvestigate the physical nature of the o'ect$ ut to use it for the development of psychospiritualforces.-

@et the student fully reali3e that this invisile something will transmute itself later on into a visileplant$ which he will have efore him in its shape and color. @et him ponder on the thought: ;Theinvisible will become visible. #f # could not think! then that which will only become visible later oncould not already make its presence felt to me.)Earticular stress must e laid on the following point:

what the student thin"s he must also feel with intensity. )n inner tran!uility$ the thought mentionedaove must ecome a conscious inner experience$ to the exclusion of all other thoughts anddisturances. (nd sufficient time must e ta"en to allow the thought and the feeling which is coupled

with it to ore themselves into the soul$ as it were. )f this e accomplished in the right way$ then aftera time & possily not until after numerous attempts & an inner force will ma"e itself felt. This force

will create new powers of perception. The grain of seed will appear as if enveloped in a smallluminous cloud. )n a sensilesupersensile way$ it will e felt as a "ind of flame. The center of thisflame evo"es the same feeling that one has when under the impression of the color lilac$ and theedges as when under the impression of a luish tone. hat was formerly invisile now ecomes

visile$ for it is created y the power of the thoughts and feelings we have stirred to life withinourselves. The plant itself will not ecome visile until later$ so that the physically invisile nowreveals itself in a spiritually visile way.

)t is not surprising that all this appears to many as illusion. ;hat is the use of such visions$< theyas"$ ;and such hallucinations< (nd many will thus fall away and aandon the path. ut this isprecisely the important point: not to confuse spiritual reality with imagination at this difficult stageof human evolution$ and furthermore$ to have the courage to press onward and not ecometimorous and fainthearted. 5n the other hand$ however$ the necessity must e emphasi3ed ofmaintaining unimpaired and of perpetually cultivating that healthy sound sense which distinguishestruth from illusion. *ully conscious selfcontrol must never e lost during all these exercises$ and theymust e accompanied y the same sane$ sound thin"ing which is applied to the details of everydaylife. To lapse into reveries would e fatal. The intellectual clarity$ not to say the soriety of thought$must never for a moment e dulled. The greatest mista"e would e made if the student2s mental

alance were distured through such exercises$ if he were hampered in 'udging the matters of hisdaily life as sanely and as soundly as efore. /e should examine himself again and again to find out ifhe has remained unaltered in relation to the circumstances among which he lives$ or whether he mayperhaps have ecome unalanced. (ove all$ strict care must e ta"en not to drift at random into

vague reveries$ or to experiment with all "inds of exercises. The trains of thought here indicated haveeen tested and practiced in esoteric training since the earliest times$ and only such are given in thesepages. (nyone attempting to use others devised y himself$ or of which he may have heard or read atone place or another$ will inevitaly go astray and find himself on the path of oundless chimera.

(s a further exercise to succeed the one 'ust descried$ the following may e ta"en: @et the studentplace efore him a plant which has attained the stage of full development. ow let him fill his mind

with the thought that the time will come when this plant will wither and die. ;*othing will be left ofwhat # now see before me. +ut this plant will have developed seeds which! in their turn! will develop


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to new plants. # again become aware that in what # see! something lies hidden which # cannot see. #fill my mind entirely with the thought, this plant with its form and colors! will in time be no more.+ut the reflection that it produces seeds teaches me that it will not disappear into nothing. # cannotat present see with my eyes that which guards it from disappearance! any more than # previouslycould discern the plant in the grain of seed. Thus there is something in the plant which my eyes

cannot see. #f # let this thought live within me! and if the corresponding feeling be coupled with it!then! in due time! there will again develop in my soul a force which will ripen into a newperception.< 5ut of the plant there again grows a "ind of spiritual flameform$ which is$ of course$correspondingly larger than the one previously descried. The flame can e felt as eing greenish

lue in the center$ and yellowishred at the outer edge.

)t must e explicitly emphasi3ed that the colors here descried are not seen as the physical eyes seecolors$ ut that through spiritual perception the same feeling is experienced as in the case of aphysical colorimpression. To apprehend lue spiritually means to have a sensation similar to the oneexperienced when the physical eye rests on the color lue. This fact must e noted y all who intendto rise to spiritual perception. 5therwise they will expect a mere repetition of the physical in thespiritual. This could only lead to the itterest deception.

(nyone having reached this point of spiritual vision is the richer y a great deal$ for he can perceivethings not only in their present state of eing ut also in their process of growth and decay. /e eginsto see in all things the spirit$ of which physical eyes can "now nothing. (nd therewith he has ta"enthe first step toward the gradual solution$ through personal vision$ of the secret of irth and death.*or the outer senses a eing comes into existence through irth$ and passes away through death.This$ however$ is only ecause these senses cannot perceive the concealed spirit of the eing. *or thespirit$ irth and death are merely a transformation$ 'ust as the unfolding of the flower from the ud isa transformation enacted efore our physical eyes. ut if we desire to learn this through personal

vision we must first awa"en the re!uisite spiritual sense in the way here indicated.

)n order to meet another o'ection$ which may e raised y certain people who have some psychicexperience$ let it at once e admitted that there are shorter and simpler ways$ and that there arepersons who have ac!uired "nowledge of the phenomena of irth and death through personal vision$

without first going through all that has here een descried. There are$ in fact$ people withconsiderale psychic gifts who need ut a slight impulse in order to find themselves alreadydeveloped. ut they are the exceptions$ and the methods descried aove are safer and apply e!uallyto all. )t is possile to ac!uire some "nowledge of chemistry in an exceptional way$ ut if you wish to

ecome a chemist you must follow the recogni3ed and reliale course.

(n error fraught with serious conse!uences would ensue if it were assumed that the desired resultcould e reached more easily if the grain of seed or the plant mentioned aove were merely imagined$

were merely pictured in the imagination. This might lead to results$ ut not so surely as the methodhere. The vision thus attained would$ in most cases$ e a mere fragment of the imagination$ thetransformation of which into genuine spiritual vision would still remain to e accomplished. )t is notintended aritrarily to create visions$ ut to allow reality to create them within oneself. The truthmust well up from the depths of our own soul0 it must not e con'ured forth y our ordinary ego$ ut

y the eings themselves whose spiritual truth we are to contemplate.

5nce the student has found the eginnings of spiritual vision y means of such exercises$ he mayproceed to the contemplation of man himself. +imple phenomena of human life must first e chosen.ut efore ma"ing any attempt in this direction it is imperative for the student to strive for theasolute purity of his moral character. /e must anish all through of ever using "nowledge gained inthis way for his own personal enefit. /e must e convinced that he would never$ under anycircumstances$ avail himself in an evil sense of any power he may gain over his fellowcreatures. *orthis reason$ all who see" to discover through personal vision the secrets in human nature must followthe golden rule of true spiritual science. This golden rule is as follows: &or every one step that you


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take in the pursuit of higher knowledge! take three steps in the perfection of your own character. )fthis rule is oserved$ such exercise as the following may e attempted:

ecall to mind some person whom you may have observed when he was filled with desire for someob(ect. irect your attention to this desire. #t is best to recall to memory that moment when the

desire was at its height! and it was still uncertain whether the ob(ect of the desire would beattained. And now fill your mind with this recollection! and reflect on what you can thus observe.

"aintain the utmost inner tranuility. "ake the greatest possible effort to be blind and deaf toeverything that may be going on around you! and take special heed that through the conceptionthus evoked a feeling should awaken in your soul. Allow this feeling to rise in your soul like a cloudon the cloudless hori/on. (s a rule$ of course$ your reflection will e interrupted$ ecause the person

whom it concerns was not oserved in this particular state of soul for a sufficient length of time. Theattempt will most li"ely fail hundreds and hundreds of times. )t is 'ust a !uestion of not losingpatience. (fter many attempts you will succeed in experiencing a feeling )n your soul correspondingto the state of soul of the person oserved$ and you will egin to notice that through this feeling apower grows in your soul that leads to spiritual insight into the state of soul of the other. ( pictureexperienced as luminous appears in your field of vision. This spiritually luminous picture is the socalled astral emodiment of the desire oserved in that soul. (gain the impression of this picture may

e descried as flameli"e$ yellowishred in the center$ and reddishlue or lilac at the edges. #uchdepends on treating such spiritual experiences with great delicacy. The est thing is not to spea" toanyone aout them except to your teacher$ if you have one. (ttempted descriptions of suchexperiences in inappropriate words usually only lead to gross selfdeception. 5rdinary terms areemployed which are not intended for such things$ and are therefore too gross and clumsy. Theconse!uence is that in the attempt to clothe the experience in words we are misled into lending theactual experience with all "inds of fantastic delusions. /ere again is another important rule for thestudent: know how to observe silence concerning your spiritual e0periences. 6es$ oserve silenceeven toward yourself. ?o not attempt to clothe in words what you contemplate in the spirit$ or to poreover it with clumsy intellect. @end yourself freely and without reservation to these spiritualimpressions$ and do not distur them y reflecting and pondering over them too much. *or you mustrememer that your reasoning faculties are$ to egin with$ y no means e!ual to your new experience.

6ou have ac!uired these reasoning faculties in a life hitherto confined to the physical world of thesenses0 the faculties you are not ac!uiring transcend this world. ?o not try$ therefore$ to apply to the

new and higher perceptions the standard of the old. 5nly he who has gained some certainty andsteadiness in the oservation of inner experiences can spea" aout them$ and therey stimulate hisfellowmen.

The exercise 'ust descried may e supplemented y the following:irect your attention in the sameway upon a person to whom the fulfillment of some wish! the gratification of some desire! has beengranted.)f the same rules and precautions e adopted as in the previous instance$ spiritual insight

will once more e attained. ( spiritual insight will once more e attained. ( spiritual flameform wille distinguished$ creating an impression of yellow in the center and green at the edges.

y such oservation of his fellowcreatures$ the student may easily lapse into a moral fault. /e mayecome coldhearted. 8very conceivale effort must e made to prevent this. +uch oservationshould only e practiced y one who has already risen to the level on which complete certainty is

found that thoughts are real things. /e will then no longer allow himself to thin" of his fellowmen ina way that is incompatile with the highest reverence for human dignity and human lierty. Thethought that a human eing could e merely an o'ect of oservation must never for a moment eentertained. +elfeducation must see to it that this insight into human nature should go hand in hand

with an unlimited respect for the personal privilege of each individual$ and with the recognition ofthe sacred and inviolale nature of that which dwells in each human eing. ( feeling of reverentialawe must fill us$ even in our recollections.

*or the present$ only these two examples can e given to show how enlightened insight into human


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nature may e achieved0 they will at least serve to point out the way to e ta"en. y gaining the innertran!uility and repose indispensale for such oservation$ the student will have undergone a greatinner transformation. /e will then soon reach the point where this enrichment of his inner self willlend confidence and composure to his outward demeanor. (nd this transformation of his outwarddemeanor will again react favoraly on his soul. Thus he will e ale to help himself further along the

road. /e will find ways and means of penetrating more and more into the secrets of human naturewhich are hidden from our external senses$ and he will then also ecome ripe for a deeper insightinto the mysterious connections etween human nature and all else that exists in the universe. yfollowing this path the student approaches closer and closer to the moment when he can effectivelyta"e the first steps of initiation. ut efore these can e ta"en$ one thing more is necessary$ though atfirst its need will e least of all apparent0 later on$ however$ the student will e convinced of it.

The woulde initiate must ring with him a certain measure of courage and fearlessness. /e mustpositively go out of his way to find opportunities for developing these virtues. /is training shouldprovide for their systematic cultivation. )n this respect$ life itself is a good school & possily the estschool. The student must learn to loo" danger calmly in the face and try to overcome difficultiesunswervingly. *or instance$ when in the presence of some peril$ he must swiftly come to theconviction that fear is of no possile use0 ) must not feel afraid0 ) must only thin" of what is to e

done. (nd he must improve to the extent of feeling$ upon occasions which formerly inspired him withfear$ that to e frightened$ to e disheartened$ are things that are out of the !uestion as far as his owninmost self is concerned. y selfdiscipline in this direction$ !uite definite !ualities are develop whichare necessary for initiation into the higher mysteries. =ust as man re!uires nervous force in hisphysical eing in order to use his physical sense$ so also he re!uires in his soul nature the force whichis only developed in the courageous and the fearless. *or in penetrating to the higher mysteries he

will see things which are concealed from ordinary humanity y the illusion of the senses. )f thephysical senses do not allow us to perceive the higher truth$ they are for this very reason our

enefactors. Things are therey hidden from us which$ if reali3ed without due preparation$ wouldthrow us into unutterale consternation$ and the sight of which would e unendurale. The studentmust e fit to endure this sight. /e loses certain supports in the outer world which he owes to the

very illusion surrounding him. )t is truly and literally as if the attention of someone were called to adanger which had threatened him for a long time$ ut of which he "new nothing. /itherto he felt nofear$ ut now that he "nows$ he is overcome y fear$ though the danger has not een rendered greater

y his "nowing it.

The forces at wor" in the world are oth destructive and constructive0 the destiny of manifestedeings is irth and death. The seer is to ehold the wor"ing of these forces and the march of destiny.The veil enshrouding the spiritual eyes in ordinary life is to e removed. ut man is interwoven withthese forces and with this destiny. /is own nature harors destructive and constructive forces. /isown soul reveals itself to the seer as undisguised as the other o'ects. /e must not lose strength in theface of this self"nowledge0 ut strength will fail him unless he rings a surplus on which to draw. *orthis purpose he must learn to maintain inner calm and steadiness in the face of difficultcircumstances0 he must cultivate a strong trust in the eneficent powers of existence. /e must eprepared to find that many motives which had actuated him hitherto will do so no longer. /e willhave to recogni3e that previously he thought and acted in a certain way only ecause he was still inthe throes of ignorance. easons that influenced him formerly will now disappear. /e often acted out

of vanity0 he will now see how utterly futile all vanity is for the seer. /e often acted out of greed0 h

august, knowledge of the higher worlds, whole book

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