Knowledge of Higher Worlds and its Attainment
GA 10
Preface to the Sixth Edition
[ 1 ] In preparing this new edition of Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and Its Attainment I have gone over every detail of the subject as I had presented it over ten years ago. The urge to make such a review is natural in the case of disclosures concerning soul experiences and paths such as are indicated in this book. There can be no portion of what is imparted which does not remain intimately a part of the one who communicates it, or which does not contain something that perpetually works upon his soul. And it is inevitable that this work of the soul should be joined by an endeavor to enhance the clarity and lucidity of the presentation as given years before. This engendered what I have endeavored to accomplish in this new edition. All the essential elements of the expositions, all the principal points, have remained as they were; yet important changes have been made. In many passages I have been able to increase the accuracy of characterization in detail, and this seemed to me important. If anyone wishes to apply what is imparted in this book to his own spiritual life, it is important that he should be able to contemplate the paths in question by means of a characterization as exact as possible. Misconceptions can arise in far greater measure in connection with the description of inner spiritual processes than with that of facts in the physical world. The mobility of the soul life, the danger of losing sight of how different it is from all life in the physical world—this and much else renders such misunderstandings possible. In preparing this new edition I have directed my attention to finding passages in which misconceptions might arise, and I have endeavored to forestall them.
[ 2 ] At the time I wrote the essays that constitute this book, much had to be discussed in a different way from today, because at that time I had to allude in a different manner to the substance of what had been published since then concerning facts of cognition of the spiritual worlds. In my Occult Science, in The Spiritual Guidance of Mankind, in A Road to Self-Knowledge and the Threshold of the Spiritual World, as well as in other writings, spiritual processes are described whose existence, to be sure, was already inevitably indicated in this book ten years ago, but in words differing from those that seem right today. In connection with a great deal not described in this book I had to explain at that time that it could be learned by oral communication. Much of what this referred to has since been published. But these allusions perhaps did not wholly exclude the possibility of erroneous ideas in the reader's mind. It might be possible, for instance, to imagine that something much more vital in the personal relations between the seeker for spiritual schooling and this or that teacher than is intended. I trust I have here succeeded, by presenting details in a certain way, in emphasizing more strongly that for one seeking spiritual schooling in accord with present spiritual conditions an absolutely direct relation to the objective spiritual world is of far greater importance than a relation to the personality of a teacher. The latter will gradually become merely the helper; he will assume the same position in spiritual schooling as a teacher occupies, in conformity with modern views, in any other field of knowledge. I believe I have sufficiently stressed the fact that the teacher's authority and the pupil's faith in him should play no greater part in spiritual schooling than in any other branch of knowledge or life. A great deal depends, its seems to me, upon an increasingly true estimate of this relation between the one who carries on spiritual research and those who develop an interest in the results of his research. Thus I believe I have improved the book wherever I was in a position, after ten years, to find what needs improving.
[ 3 ] A second part is to be added to this first part, bringing further explanations of the frame of mind that can lead a man to the experience of the higher worlds.
[ 4 ] The new edition of the book, the printing completed, lay before me when the great war now being experienced by mankind broke out. I must write these prefatory remarks while my soul is deeply moved by the destiny-laden event.
Berlin, September 7, 1914.
Rudolf Steiner
Vorrede zur fünften Auflage
[ 1 ] Für diese Neuauflage von «Wie erlangt man Erkenntnisse der höheren Welten?» ist die vor mehr als zehn Jahren niedergeschriebene Darstellung in allen Einzelheiten wieder durchgearbeitet worden. Das Bedürfnis nach solcher Durcharbeitung entsteht naturgemäß bei Mitteilungen über Seelenerlebnisse und Seelenwege von der Art, wie sie in diesem Buche gegeben sind. Es kann ja keinen Teil innerhalb des Mitgeteilten geben, mit dem die Seele des Mitteilers nicht innig verbunden bliebe und der nicht etwas enthielte, das an dieser Seele fortdauernd arbeitet. Es ist wohl auch kaum anders möglich, als daß mit diesem seelischen Arbeiten sich ein Streben nach erhöhter Klarheit und Deutlichkeit der vor Jahren gegebenen Darstellung verbindet. Diesem Streben ist entsprungen, was ich für das Buch bei dieser Neuauflage zu tun bemüht war. Zwar sind alle wesentlichen Glieder der Auseinandersetzungen, alle Hauptsachen so geblieben, wie sie waren; und doch sind wichtige Änderungen vollzogen worden. Ich konnte für eine genauere Charakterisierung im einzelnen an vielen Stellen manches tun. Und dies schien mir wichtig. Will jemand das in dem Buche Mitgeteilte in dem eigenen Geistesleben anwenden, so ist es von Bedeutung, daß er die Seelenwege, von denen die Rede ist, in möglichst genauer Charakterisierung ins Auge zu fassen vermag. In einem viel höheren Maße als an die Schilderung der Tatsachen der physischen Welt können sich an diejenige innerer geistiger Vorgänge Mißverständnisse knüpfen. Das Bewegliche des Seelenlebens, die Notwendigkeit, diesem Leben gegenüber nie aus dem Bewußtsein zu verlieren, wie verschieden es ist von allem Leben in der physischen Welt, und vieles andere, machen solche Mißverständnisse möglich. Ich habe bei dieser Neuauflage die Aufmerksamkeit darauf gerichtet, die Stellen des Buches aufzufinden, wo solche Mißverständnisse entstehen können; und ich habe mich bemüht, bei der Abfassung ihrem Entstehen entgegenzuarbeiten.
[ 2 ] Als ich die Aufsätze schrieb, aus welchen das Buch zusammengesetzt ist, mußte über manches auch aus dem Grunde anders gesprochen werden als gegenwärtig, weil ich auf den Inhalt dessen, was ich in den letzten zehn Jahren über Tatsachen der Erkenntnis geistiger Welten veröffentlicht habe, damals anders hinzudeuten hatte, als es jetzt, nach der Veröffentlichung, zu geschehen hat. In meiner «Geheimwissenschaft», in der «Führung des Menschen und der Menschheit», in «Ein Weg zur Selbsterkenntnis» und besonders in «Die Schwelle der geistigen Welt», auch in anderen meiner Schriften sind geistige Vorgänge geschildert, auf deren Vorhandensein dieses Buch vor mehr als zehn Jahren zwar schon hindeuten mußte, dies aber doch mit anderen Worten, als es gegenwärtig richtig scheint. Ich mußte damals von vielem, das in dem Buche noch nicht geschildert wurde, sagen, es könne durch «mündliche Mitteilung» erfahren werden. Gegenwärtig ist nun vieles von dem veröffentlicht, was mit solchen Hinweisen gemeint war. Es waren aber diese Hinweise, die irrtümliche Meinungen bei den Lesern vielleicht nicht völlig ausschlossen. Man könnte etwa in dem persönlichen Verhältnis zu diesem oder jenem Lehrer bei dem nach Geistesschulung Strebenden etwas viel Wesentlicheres sehen, als gesehen werden soll. Ich hoffe, daß es mir gelungen ist, in dieser neuen Auflage durch die Art der Darstellung mancher Einzelheiten schärfer zu betonen, wie es bei dem, der Geistesschulung sucht im Sinne der gegenwärtigen geistigen Bedingungen, viel mehr auf ein völlig unmittelbares Verhältnis zur objektiven Geisteswelt als auf ein Verhältnis zur Persönlichkeit eines Lehrers ankommt. Dieser wird auch in der Geistesschulung immer mehr die Stellung nur eines solchen Helfers annehmen, die der Lehrende, gemäß den neueren Anschauungen, in irgendeinem anderen Wissenszweige innehat. Ich glaube genügend darauf hingewiesen zu haben, daß des Lehrers Autorität und der Glaube an ihn in der Geistesschulung keine andere Rolle spielen sollten, als dies der Fall ist auf irgendeinem anderen Gebiete des Wissens und Lebens. Mir scheint viel darauf anzukommen, daß immer richtiger beurteilt werde gerade dieses Verhältnis des Geistesforschers zu Menschen, die Interesse entwickeln für die Ergebnisse seines Forschens. So glaube ich das Buch verbessert zu haben, wo ich das Verbesserungsbedürftige nach zehn Jahren zu finden in der Lage war.
[ 3 ] An diesen ersten Teil soll sich ein zweiter anschließen. Dieser soll weitere Ausführungen über die Seelenverfassung bringen, welche den Menschen zum Erleben der höheren Welten führt.
[ 4 ] Die Neuauflage des Buches lag fertig gedruckt vor, als der große Krieg begann, den die Menschheit gegenwärtig erlebt. Diese Vorbemerkungen habe ich zu schreiben, während meine Seele tief bewegt ist von dem schicksaltragenden Ereignisse.
Berlin, 7. September 1914
Rudolf Steiner
Preface to the Fifth Edition
[ 1 ] For this new edition of "Wie erlangt man Erkenntnisse der höheren Welten?" ("How does one gain knowledge of the higher worlds?"), the account written down more than ten years ago has been worked through again in every detail. The need for such a reworking naturally arises with messages about soul experiences and soul paths of the kind given in this book. There can be no part of what is communicated with which the soul of the communicator does not remain intimately connected and which does not contain something that continues to work on this soul. It can hardly be otherwise than that this work of the soul is connected with a striving for increased clarity and distinctness of the representation given years ago. What I have endeavored to do for the book in this new edition has arisen from this striving. Although all the essential elements of the arguments, all the main points, have remained as they were, important changes have been made. I was able to do a lot for a more precise characterization in detail in many places. And this seemed important to me. If someone wants to apply what is communicated in the book to his own spiritual life, it is important that he is able to grasp the paths of the soul that are discussed in as precise a characterization as possible. Misunderstandings can attach themselves to the description of inner spiritual processes to a much greater extent than to the description of the facts of the physical world. The mobility of the life of the soul, the necessity of never losing sight of how different it is from all life in the physical world, and many other things, make such misunderstandings possible. In this new edition, I have paid attention to finding the places in the book where such misunderstandings can arise; and I have endeavored to work against their emergence in the drafting.
[ 2 ] When I wrote the essays of which the book is composed, many things had to be spoken about differently than at present because I had to point out the content of what I have published in the last ten years about facts of the knowledge of spiritual worlds differently then than I have to do now, after publication. In my "Secret Science", in "The Guidance of Man and Mankind", in "A Path to Self-Knowledge" and especially in "The Threshold of the Spiritual World", as well as in other of my writings, spiritual processes are described, the existence of which this book must have already indicated more than ten years ago, but in different words than seems correct at present. At that time I had to say of much that was not yet described in the book that it could be learned through "oral communication". At present, much of what was meant by such references has been published. However, it was these references that perhaps did not completely rule out erroneous opinions among readers. One could see something much more essential in the personal relationship to this or that teacher in those striving for spiritual training than should be seen. I hope that in this new edition I have succeeded in emphasizing more clearly, through the way in which some details are presented, how, for those who seek spiritual training in the sense of the present spiritual conditions, it depends much more on a completely immediate relationship to the objective spiritual world than on a relationship to the personality of a teacher. In the training of the spirit, too, the teacher will more and more assume the position of merely such an assistant as the teacher, according to the newer views, holds in some other branch of knowledge. I believe I have sufficiently pointed out that the teacher's authority and faith in him should play no other part in the training of the mind than is the case in any other branch of knowledge and life. It seems to me that it is very important that this relationship of the spiritual researcher to people who develop an interest in the results of his research should be judged more and more correctly. In this way, I believe I have improved the book where I was able to find the need for improvement after ten years.
[ 3 ] This first part will be followed by a second. This will contain further explanations about the constitution of the soul, which leads people to experience the higher worlds.
[ 4 ] The new edition of the book was ready in print when the great war that humanity is currently experiencing began. I have to write these preliminary remarks while my soul is deeply moved by the fateful events.
Berlin, September 7, 1914
Rudolf Steiner