The Foundations of Esotericism
GA 93a
18 October 1905, Berlin
Lecture XX
Yesterday we considered the forms in the astral world brought about by the influence of man himself. Today we are coming to those beings in astral space who are more or less its permanent inhabitants.
To understand what part man takes in astral happenings, we must consider the nature of the sleeping human being. Man consists, as we know, of four members: physical body, etheric body, astral body and ego. When he sleeps, the astral body with the ego is outside the human sheath. Such a person wanders about in astral space. As a rule he does not move far away from the physical and etheric bodies which remain lying in the bed. The two other members, the astral body and the ego, are then in astral space.
Now when the physical and etheric bodies remain on the physical plane we must certainly not imagine that because of this only physical forces have an influence on them and only physical beings have access to them. Everything that exists as thoughts and mental images has an influence on the etheric body. When someone sleeps the etheric body remains on the physical plane. If, in the vicinity of a sleeping person, we think about something, we exercise an influence on his etheric body; only nothing of this will be experienced by the sleeper. When awake, the human being is so taken up with the outer world that he represses all the thoughts which penetrate into the etheric body. But in the night the etheric, body is alone, without the ego, and is exposed to all the thoughts flying hither and thither around him, without the sleeper knowing anything about it. During waking life also he knows nothing of this, because the astral body, which dwells in the etheric body, is engaged with the outer world. When man is in a sleeping condition, any being having the power to send out thoughts, can gain an influence over him. He can therefore be influenced by higher individualities, such as those we call Masters. They can send thoughts into the etheric body of the sleeper. Someone can therefore receive into his etheric body pure and lofty thoughts when the Masters consciously wish to make this their concern. But in the night thoughts that flit into it from the outer world also enter into the etheric body. These man finds when in the morning he slips again into his etheric body. There are two kinds of dreams. The one kind arises directly from the experiences of the astral world: from echoes of day experiences and certain things from the astral world. As a rule the ego at night in astral space experiences little else than things connected with daily life. When the ego returns, it may or may not bring with it into waking life the experiences of the astral world. Certain things are however already present in the etheric body. What is found there is taken up by the astral body and then manifests itself to us as dreams. What however has taken place during the night in regard to the etheric body is another kind of experience. Thus in the morning there are to be found in the etheric body, firstly thoughts which have approached it from the environment and secondly thoughts also which the Masters or other individualities have implanted into it. The introduction of these latter is made possible by the person in question meditating. In that someone occupies himself during the daytime with pure, noble thoughts dealing with eternal things, he brings into his astral body the disposition for such thoughts. Should he not have this disposition, it would be useless were a Master to wish to work upon his etheric body. If one reads ‘Light on the Path’55Light on the Path by Mabel Collins. and meditates upon it, one prepares the astral body in such a way that when the Master imbues the etheric body with lofty thoughts the astral body can actually contact them. This is called the relationship of man to his higher self. Such is the true nature of this process. The higher self of man does not live within us, but around us. The more highly developed individualities are the higher self. Man must be clear that the higher self is outside him. Were he to seek for it within himself, he would never find it. He must seek it with those who have already trodden the path that we wish to tread. Within us is nothing except our karma, what we have already experienced in earlier incarnations. Everything else is outside us. The higher self is around us. If, in preparation for the future, we wish to approach it more closely, we must seek it above all in the company of those individualities who can work during the night on our etheric body. The higher self is in the universe; therefore the Vedantist says: ‘Tat twam asi’—That art thou. If through appropriate writings, such as Light on the Path or the Gospel of St. John, we incline the astral body to take in lofty spiritual nourishment and thus to understand the Masters, we are thereby working in a good way towards what will lead to the higher self.
In the night therefore we find in astral space the sleeping bodies, or the pupils with their Masters, in so far as someone who has formed a tie which unites him with the Master, through an appropriate meditation, is led towards him. This is what can happen during the night. It is possible for everyone by immersing himself in inspired writings to reach the point of taking part in such intercourse and through this to attain to the development of his higher self. What in the course of some thousands of years will become our self is now the higher self. In order however really to get to know the higher self we must seek for it where it already is today, with the higher individualities. This is the communication of the pupils with the Masters.
Something else that we can meet with in astral space is the black magician with his pupils. In order to train himself to become a black magician, the pupil has to go through a special schooling. The training in black magic consists in a person becoming accustomed, under methodical instruction, to torture, to cut, to kill animals. This is the ABC. When the human being consciously tortures living creatures it has a definite result. The pain caused in this way, when it is brought about intentionally, produces a quite definite effect on the human astral body. When a person cuts consciously into a particular organ this induces in him an increase in power.
Now the basic principle of all white magic is that no power can be gained without selfless devotion. When through such devotion power is gained, it flows from the common life force of the universe. If however we take its life-energy from some particular being, we steal this life-energy. Because it belonged to a separate being it densifies and strengthens the element of separateness in the person who has appropriated it, and this intensification of separateness makes him suited to becoming the pupil of those who are engaged in conflict with the good powers.
For our earth is a battlefield; it is the scene of two opposing powers: right and left. The one, the white power on the right, after the earth has reached a certain degree of material, physical density, strives to spiritualise it once again. The other power, the left or black power, strives to make the earth ever denser and denser, like the moon. Thus, after a period of time, the earth could become the physical expression for the good powers, or the physical expression for the evil. It becomes the physical expression for the good powers through man uniting himself with the spirits working for unification, in that he seeks the ego in the community. It belongs to the function of the earth to differentiate itself physically to an ever greater degree. Now it is possible for the separate parts to go their own way, for each part to form an ego. This is the black path. The white path is the one which strives for what is common, which forms an ego in community. Were we to burrow more and more deeply into ourselves, to sink ourselves into our own ego organisation, to desire always more and more for ourselves, the final result would be that we should strive to separate ourselves from one another. If on the other hand we draw closer, so that a common spirit inspires us, so that a centre is formed between us, in our midst, then we are drawn together, then we are united. To be a black magician means to develop more and more the spirit of separateness. There are black adepts who are on the way to acquire certain forces of the earth for themselves. Were the circle of their pupils to become so strong that this should prove possible, then the earth would be on the path leading to destruction.
Man is called upon to enter into the atmosphere of the good Masters to an ever greater degree. Near the adept with his pupils, there is also on the astral plane the black magician with his pupils. One also finds there human beings who have died some time previously and they are there for the purpose of gradually getting rid of the connections they have had with the earth. The satisfaction of desires must be put aside. Such desires are a process in the astral body, but the astral body cannot satisfy them. As long as one lives on the physical plane one can satisfy the desires of the astral body through the instrument of the physical body. After death the desire for enjoyment is still there, but the means for its satisfaction are not to be found. Everything that can only be satisfied through the physical body must be relinquished. This takes place in Kamaloka. When man has put aside all such desires, Kamaloka is at an end and is followed by the time in Devachan.
When Kamaloka time comes to an end something can occur which is not quite normal in human development. In the normal way the following happens: the person has freed himself from desires, wishes, instincts, passions and so on. Now everything which is of a higher nature lifts itself out of the astral body. Then a sort of shell remains behind, the residue of what man made use of in order to enjoy the pleasures of the senses. And when someone has left the Kamaloka plane, these astral human shells float around there. They gradually dissolve, and when the person returns most of them have usually disappeared. It may well happen that strongly somnambulistic or mediumistic natures can be troubled by these astral shells. This shows itself in the case of weak mediumistic people in a way that makes a very unpleasant impression on them. It can come about that in his ego someone may have such a strong inclination for the astral body, in spite of the fact that on the other hand he is already so far developed as to be comparatively soon ready for devachan, that parts of his already developed Manas remain united with this shell. It is not so bad if someone develops lower desires when he is still a simple person, but it is a bad thing if someone uses his highly evolved intellect to gratify those desires. Then part of his manasic nature unites with these lower desires. In the materialistic age this is extremely frequent. With such people part of Manas remains united with the shell, and then this shell has automatic intellect. These shells are called shades. These shades endowed with automatic intellect are very frequently what manifest through mediums. Through this, one can be exposed to the illusion that what is merely the shell of a person is his real individuality. Very often what is made known after the death of a person proceeds from such a shell that has nothing whatever to do with the ego which is developing further. But with the dissolving of the shades, karma is not absolved.
We take with us the cause of every counter-image that we have brought about in astral space. Our works follow us. Just as a monogram is imprinted into a seal, so it is with what we imprint into astral space and it can bring about devastating effects. What corresponds to the seal we take with us. What remains behind however in astral space we should not disregard. Let us imagine that in this life someone were to evolve beyond a certain clearly defined stage of development. At the earlier stage he held opinions which those he held later contradicted. When he ascends into devachan the old opinions, with which he had not come to satisfactory terms, remain behind in the shell. Now if a medium comes into contact with this shell, it can be that opinions are found in it which are in contradiction with the later life of this person. This was actually the case when the attempt was made to get into touch with Helena Petrovna Blavatsky on the astral plane. At one time her attitude had been that there was no such thing as reincarnation. The medium in question56refers to a booklet by Georg von Langsdorff, Freiburg i. Br. known as a translator and publiciser of spiritualistic material. Rudolf Steiner also refers to the matter in the lecture 24.8.1906 in At the Gates of Spiritual Science. had obtained this opinion from the shell that Blavatsky had left behind, an opinion which however in her later teachings she declared was erroneous.
Innumerable errors can assail anyone who enters astral space. Besides everything else, there is on the astral plane an imprint of the Akasha-Chronicle. If someone has the faculty of reading, on the astral plane, the Akasha-Chronicle, which is there reflected in its single parts, he will be able to see his earlier incarnations. The Akasha-Chronicle does not consist of printed letters, but one reads there what has actually taken place. Even after one thousand five hundred years, an Akasha-picture gives the impression of the earlier personality. Thus on the astral plane there are also to be found all the Akasha-pictures from earlier times. So one can easily fall into the error of believing that one is speaking to Dante, whereas today Dante might actually be reincarnated as a living personality. It is also possible for the Akasha-picture to give sensible answers, even to go beyond itself. It can therefore come about that we get verses from Dante's Akasha picture which do not proceed from the progressed individuality but must be looked upon as a continuation of verses coming from the previous personality of Dante. The Akasha picture is something living, by no means a rigid automaton.
In order to be able to find one's way on the astral plane a severe and systematic schooling is necessary, because there is always the possibility of deception. And it is especially important to refrain from forming judgements as long as possible.
Let us now turn our minds to the process of dying, in order to understand the technique of reincarnation. The moment of death consists in the separation of the etheric and physical bodies. The difference between falling asleep and dying is that when one falls asleep, the etheric body remains connected with the physical body. All one's thoughts and experiences are imprinted into the etheric body. They are deeply embedded in it. Man would be able to remember much more of his experiences if it were not that they are continually obliterated by the outer world. He is not always aware of his thoughts and impressions because his attention is directed outwards. If he ceases to do this, he perceives what is stored up in his etheric body. In the main, he directs his attention outwards and absorbs the impressions into his etheric body. These however he partially forgets. When at the moment of death the physical body is laid aside, he perceives what is stored up in his etheric body. This is what happens after his ego has separated from the physical body together with the astral and etheric bodies. Immediately after death therefore opportunity is given for complete recollection of the past life.
Now we must try to understand another and similar moment, namely the moment of birth, when the human being enters into a new incarnation. Here something different occurs. He brings with him all that he has worked over on the Devachan plane. Like bells, the astral bodies, desirous of incarnation, whirl towards the life-ether and now form a new etheric body. When the human being has united himself with his future etheric body, a momentary vision arises just as previously, at death, he looked back on his past life. This however expresses itself in quite another way, as a gazing into the future, a fore-knowledge. In the case of children with somewhat psychic tendencies, one can sometimes hear them tell of such things, in their earliest years, so long as the materialistic culture has not yet affected them. This is prevision of the coming existence.
These are two vital moments, for they show us what the human being brings with him when he descends in order to incarnate. When he has died, the essential thing is memory. When he reincarnates what is essential is a vision of the future. These two are related to one another as cause and effect. Everything that man experiences in the last moment of dying is the gathering together of all previous lives. In Devachan this is transformed from what is connected with the past into what is connected with the future. These two moments can form an important signpost pointing to quite definite connections in two or more succeeding incarnations.
XX
Wir haben gestern zunächst die Gebilde in der astralen Welt betrachtet, die unter dem Einfluß des Menschen selbst auftreten. Heute kommen wir zu den Wesen des Astralraumes, die dort mehr oder weniger ständige Bewohner sind.
Um zu verstehen, welchen Anteil der Mensch an den astralen Geschehnissen hat, müssen wir uns die Natur des schlafenden Menschen vor Augen halten. Der Mensch besteht, wie wir wissen, aus vier Gliedern: dem physischen Leib, dem Ätherleib, dem Astralleib und dem Ich. Wenn der Mensch schläft, so ist der Astralleib mit dem Ich aus der menschlichen Hülle heraus. Ein solcher Mensch wandelt sozusagen im Astralraume herum. In der Regel entfernt er sich nicht sehr weit von dem physischen und dem Ätherleib, die im Bette liegen bleiben. Die zwei anderen Glieder der menschlichen Wesenheit, der Astralleib und das Ich, sind nun im Astralraum.
Wenn nun auch der physische Leib und der Ätherleib hier auf dem physischen Plan bleiben, so dürfen wir durchaus nicht glauben, daß deshalb auf den physischen Leib mit dem Ätherleib nur physische Kräfte Einfluß hätten und nur physische Wesen zu ihnen Zutritt hätten. Alles was als Gedanken und Vorstellungen lebt, gewinnt auf den Ätherleib einen Einfluß. Wenn ein Mensch schläft, so ist der Ätherleib hier auf dem physischen Plan. Wenn wir in der Umgebung des schlafenden Menschen etwas denken, so werden wir auf seinen Ätherleib einen Einfluß ausüben; nur würde der Schlafende darüber nichts erfahren. Im Wachen ist der Mensch so mit der Außenwelt beschäftigt, daß er alle Gedanken, die auf den Ätherleib eindringen, zurückdrängt. Aber in der Nacht ist der Ätherleib allein, ohne das Ich, und ist ausgesetzt all den herumschwirrenden Gedanken, ohne daß der schlafende Mensch etwas davon weiß. Auch während des Wachens weiß er nichts davon, weil der Astralleib, der im Ätherleib wohnt, mit der Außenwelt beschäftigt ist. Wenn der Mensch in einem schlafenden Zustande ist, so kann auf ihn eine jede Wesenheit, die die Kraft hat, Gedanken auszusenden, einen Einfluß gewinnen. So können einen Einfluß auf ihn gewinnen höhere Individualitäten, solche die wir Meister nennen. Sie können dem Schlafenden Gedanken in den Ätherleib senden. So kann der Mensch also hohe, reine Gedanken der Meister in den Ätherleib aufnehmen, wenn die Meister sich bewußt damit beschäftigen wollen. Zunächst kommen aber auch nachts die Gedanken in den Ätherleib hinein, die aus der Umwelt hineinschwirren. Die findet der Mensch dann morgens vor, wenn er wieder in den Ätherleib hineinkriecht. Es gibt zweierlei Arten von Träumen. Eine entsteht direkt durch die Erlebnisse in der astralen Welt: durch den Widerhall der Tageserlebnisse und einige Dinge von der astralen Welt. Das Ich erlebt nachts im Astralraum in der Regel nicht viel anderes als Dinge, die an das tägliche Leben anknüpfen. Kehrt es nun zurück, so bringt es die Erfahrungen der Astralwelt in das wache Leben mit oder nicht mit. Es findet aber auch im Ätherleib einen Tatbestand vor. Was da vorgefunden wird, wird auch vom Astralleib aufgenommen und erscheint uns dann auch als Träume. Aber was in der Nacht mit dem Ätherleib geschehen ist, ist eine andere Art von Erlebnissen. So werden also morgens im Ätherleib vorgefunden erstens Gedanken, die aus der Umgebung an ihn herangetreten sind, und zweitens auch die Gedanken, die in bewußter Weise die Meister oder andere Individualitäten in ihn versenkt haben. Dies letztere kann dadurch herbeigeführt werden, daß der Mensch meditiert. Dadurch daß der Mensch sich mit reinen, edlen Ewigkeitsgedanken beschäftigt während des Tages, bringt er in seinen Astralleib Neigungen für diese Gedanken hinein. Würde ein Mensch Neigungen für solche Gedanken nicht haben, dann würde es nutzlos sein, wenn ein Meister sich mit seinem Ätherleib befassen wollte. Wenn man «Licht auf den Weg» liest und darüber meditiert, so präpariert man den Astralleib so, daß wenn der Meister den Ätherleib mit erhabenen Gedanken angefüllt hat, der Astralleib diese Gedanken wirklich antreffen kann. Diese Beziehung nennt man das Verhältnis des Menschen zu seinem höheren Selbst. Der innere wirkliche Vorgang ist ein solcher. Das höhere Selbst des Menschen ist nichts, was in uns lebt, sondern um uns herum. Das höhere Selbst sind die höherentwikkelten Individualitäten. Der Mensch muß sich klar darüber sein, daß das höhere Selbst außer ihm ist. Wenn er es in sich suchte, würde er es nie finden. Er muß es bei denjenigen suchen, die den Weg schon gegangen sind, den wir gehen wollen. In uns ist nichts als unser Karma, das, was wir schon erlebt haben in früheren Inkarnationen. Alles andere ist außer uns. Das höhere Selbst ist um uns herum. Wenn wir uns ihm nähern wollen für die Zukunft, so ist es vor allen Dingen zu suchen bei denjenigen Individualitäten, die nächtlicherweile auf unseren Ätherkörper wirken können. Es ist im Universum; deshalb sagt der Vedantist: «Tat tvam asi» = Das bist du! - Wenn man durch geeignete Schriften, wie « Licht auf den Weg» oder das Johannes-Evangelium, den Astralleib geneigt macht, hohe Ingredienzien aufzunehmen und dann die Meister zu verstehen, so wirkt man damit zugunsten der Entwickelung zum höheren Selbst.
Wir finden also in der Nacht im Astralraum die schlafenden Leiber oder die Schüler mit ihren Meistern insofern, als derjenige, welcher ein verbindendes Band mit dem Meister hergestellt hat, durch eine geeignete Meditation die Verbindung hat, die ihn zu dem Meister hinzieht. Das ist der Vorgang, der nächtlicherweile sich abspielen kann. Jeder Mensch kann durch Versenkung in inspirierte Schriften zur Teilnahme an solchem Verkehr kommen und dadurch zur Entwickelung des höheren Selbst. Das was in einigen tausend Jahren unser Selbst sein wird, das ist jetzt unser höheres Selbst. Um aber wirklich Bekanntschaft mit dem höheren Selbst zu machen, müssen wir es da suchen, wo es heute schon ist, bei den höheren Individualitäten. Das ist der Verkehr der Schüler mit den Meistern.
Etwas anderes, was wir auch im Astralraum treffen können, ist der schwarze Magier mit seinen Schülern. Um sich zum schwarzen Magier auszubilden, macht der Schüler eine besondere Schulung durch. Der Unterricht in schwarzer Magie besteht darin, daß der Mensch unter bestimmter Anleitung gewöhnt wird, Tiere zu quälen, zu schneiden, zu töten. Das ist das Abc. Wenn der Mensch mit Bewußtsein Lebendiges quält, hat dies eine bestimmte Folge. Der dadurch verursachte Schmerz übt auf den menschlichen Astralleib eine ganz besondere Wirkung aus, wenn er den Schmerz bewußt verursacht hat. Wenn man bewußt in ein ganz bestimmtes Organ schneidet, so wächst dem Menschen eine Macht zu.
Nun ist es der Grundsatz aller weißen Magie, daß keine Macht errungen werden darf ohne Hingabe. Wenn durch Hingabe eine Macht errungen wird, so fließt sie aus dem allgemeinen Lebensquell des Universums. Wenn wir aber von einem einzelnen, bestimmten Wesen Lebensenergie nehmen, dann stehlen wir ihm die Lebensenergie. Weil sie einem Sonderwesen gehörte, verdichtet und erhöht sie das Sonderdasein in dem Menschen, der sie sich aneignet. Und diese Verdichtung des Sonderdaseins macht ihn geeignet, Schüler derjenigen zu werden, welche mit den guten Meistern in einem Kampfe begriffen sind.
Denn unsere Erde ist ein Kampfplatz; sie ist der Schauplatz zweier einander widerstrebender Mächte: rechts und links. Die eine, die weiße Macht, die rechte, strebt danach, die Erde, nachdem sie bei einem bestimmten Grade der materiellen physischen Dichtigkeit angelangt ist, wieder zu vergeistigen. Die andere Macht, die linke oder schwarze, strebt danach, die Erde immer dichter und dichter zu machen, wie den Mond. So könnte unsere Erde nach einiger Zeit der physische Ausdruck für die guten oder der physische Ausdruck für die bösen Mächte sein. Der physische Ausdruck für die guten Mächte wird sie dadurch, daß der Mensch sich mit den zusammenfassenden Geistern verbindet, indem er das Ich in der Gemeinschaft sucht. Die Erde ist dazu berufen, sich physisch immer noch mehr zu differenzieren. Nun ist es möglich, daß die einzelnen Teile eigene Wege gehen, daß jeder Teil sich ein Ich bildet. Das ist der schwarze Pfad. Der weiße Pfad ist der, daß ein Gemeinsames angestrebt wird, daß sich ein allgemeines Ich bildet.
Würden wir uns immer mehr in uns selbst hineinbohren, uns in unseren eigenen Ich-Organismus vertiefen, immer mehr wollen für uns, dann würden wir schließlich alle auseinanderstreben. Schließen wir uns dagegen zusammen, so daß ein gemeinsamer Geist uns belebt, daß ein Zentrum sich zwischen uns, in unserer Mitte bildet, dann fassen wir uns zusammen, dann vereinigen wir uns. Schwarzer Magier sein heißt, den Geist des Sonderseins immer mehr ausbilden. Gewisse schwarze Adepten sind auch auf dem Wege, gewisse Kräfte der Erde an sich zu bringen. Würde ihre Schülerschaft so stark werden, daß das möglich würde, dann würde die Erde dem Verderben entgegengehen.
Der Mensch ist berufen, sich nach und nach immer mehr in die Atmosphäre der guten Meister zu bringen. Neben dem Adepten und seinen Schülern findet man also auch noch den schwarzen Magier mit seinen Schülern auf dem Astralplan. Dann findet man dort allerdings auch die Menschen, die vor einiger Zeit gestorben sind, und zwar sind sie dort zu dem Zwecke, daß sie die Beziehungen, die sie zu der Erde gehabt haben, nach und nach abstreifen. Die Begierde nach Genuß muß abgestreift werden. Der Genuß ist ein Vorgang im Astralkörper, aber er kann nicht vom Astralkörper befriedigt werden. Solange man auf dem physischen Plane lebt, kann man die Gier des Astralkörpers durch die Werkzeuge des physischen Körpers befriedigen. Nach dem Tode ist die Sucht nach Genuß auch noch da, aber die Werkzeuge zur Befriedigung sind nicht mehr da. Alles das, was nur durch den physischen Körper befriedigt werden kann, alles das muß abgewöhnt werden. Das geschieht im Kamaloka. Wenn der Mensch sich alle derartigen Begierden abgewöhnt hat, dann ist die Kamalokazeit zu Ende und es kommt die Zeit des Devachan.
Wenn die Kamalokazeit zu Ende geht, dann kann etwas eintreten, was nicht ganz normal ist in der menschlichen Entwickelung. In der normalen menschlichen Entwickelung geschieht folgendes: Der Mensch hat sich abgewöhnt die Begierden, Wünsche, Triebe, Leidenschaften und so weiter. Nun hebt sich aus dem Astralleibe alles dasjenige, was höhere Natur ist, heraus. Dann bleibt als eine Art Schale das zurück, wodurch der Mensch nach sinnlichem Genuß gestrebt hat. Und wenn der Mensch den Kamalokaplan verlassen hat, schwimmen diese astralen Menschenschalen auf dem Astralplane herum. Sie lösen sich nach und nach auf, und wenn der Mensch zurückkommt, dann sind die meisten Schalen ganz aufgelöst. Es ist sehr leicht möglich, daß stark somnambule Naturen, mediumistische Naturen von diesen astralen Schalen gequält werden können. Dies drückt sich auch schon bei schwach mediumistischen Menschen in einer Weise aus, die ihnen einen sehr unangenehmen Eindruck macht. Es kann vorkommen, daß der Mensch selbst in dem Ich eine so starke Neigung hat zu dem Astralkörper, trotzdem er auf der anderen Seite wiederum schon so weit vorgeschritten ist, daß er verhältnismäßig rasch reif wird für das Devachan, so daß mit dieser Schale Teile seines schon entwickelten Manas verbunden bleiben. Nicht so schlimm ist es, wenn der Mensch niedere Begierden entwickelt, solange er noch ein einfacher Mensch ist, aber schlimm ist es, wenn er den hohen Verstand gebraucht, um den niederen Begierden zu frönen. Dann verbindet sich mit den niederen Begierden ein Teil seiner manasischen Natur. Im materialistischen Zeitalter ist das in außerordentlichem Maße der Fall. Bei solchen Menschen bleibt mit der Schale ein Teil des Manas verbunden, und die Schale hat dann automatischen Verstand. Diese Schalen nennt man Schatten. Die mit automatischem Verstand begabten Schatten sind sehr häufig solche, die durch Medien sich äußern. Man kann dadurch der Täuschung ausgesetzt sein, etwas, was bloß Schale von einem Menschen ist, für seine wirkliche Individualität zu halten. Sehr oft ist das, was sich ankündigt nach dem Tode des Menschen, eine solche Schale, die gar nichts mehr mit dem sich fortentwickelnden Ich zu tun hat. Aber mit dem aufgelösten Schatten ist dann noch nicht das Karma ausgelöscht.
Die Ursache eines jeden Gegenbildes, das wir im Astralraume bewirkt haben, nehmen wir mit. Unsere Werke folgen uns nach. Wie ein Namenszug in einem Petschaft eingegraben ist, so ist das, was wir im Astralraume einprägen. Es bleibt im Astralraume wie ein Siegelabdruck und richtet dort seine Verheerungen an. Was dem Petschaft entspricht, das nehmen wir mit. Was aber in dem Astralraume zurückbleibt, das braucht auch nicht von uns verachtet zu werden. Man denke sich, irgend jemand würde sich in diesem Leben über eine scharf ausgesprochene Entwickelungsstufe hinausentwickeln, eine Stufe, der er eine Zeitlang angehört hat. Er hätte auf der früheren Entwickelungsstufe Meinungen gehabt, die seinen späteren Meinungen widersprechen. Wenn er dann ins Devachan aufsteigt, bleiben die alten Meinungen in der Schale zurück, mit denen der Mensch sich nicht harmonisch auseinandergesetzt hat. Setzt sich nun ein Medium mit dieser Schale in Verbindung, so kann es in derselben Widersprüche mit dem späteren Leben finden. Das ist wohl der Fall gewesen, als man versucht hat, sich mit Helena Petrowna Blavatsky auf dem Astralplane in Verbindung zu setzen. Sie hatte früher auf dem Standpunkt gestanden, daß es mit der Reinkarnation nichts sei. Das betreffende Medium hat nun der Schale, die Blavatsky zurückgelassen hat, diese Ansicht entnommen, die sie jedoch in ihrer späteren Lehre einen Irrtum nannte.
Einer Unsumme von Irrtümern kann derjenige ausgesetzt sein, der den Astralraum betritt. Außer allem anderen ist auf dem Astralplan ein Abdruck der Akasha-Chronik. Wenn jemand die Fähigkeit hat, auf dem Astralplane in der Akasha-Chronik zu lesen, die sich dort in ihren einzelnen Teilen spiegelt, so wird er seine früheren Inkarnationen sehen können. Die Akasha-Chronik ist nicht mit Buchstaben gedruckt, sondern man liest da ab, was sich wirklich vollzogen hat. Ein Akasha-Bild gibt auch noch nach eintausendfünfhundert Jahren den Eindruck der früheren Persönlichkeit. Also sind auf dem Astralplane auch alle Akasha-Bilder aus früheren Zeiten zu finden. So kann man also dem Irrtum unterliegen, mit Dante zu reden, während in der Tat Dante heute wieder als lebende Persönlichkeit da sein könnte. Es ist auch möglich, daß das Akasha-Bild vernünftige Antworten gibt, daß es über sich selbst noch hinausgeht. So kann man von Dantes Akasha-Bild wirklich Verse bekommen, die aber nicht von der fortgeschrittenen Individualität herrühren, sondern die als in Fortsetzung der damaligen Dante-Persönlichkeit hervorgebrachte Verse anzusehen sind. Das Akasha-Bild ist tatsächlich etwas Belebtes, kein steifer Automat.
Damit man sich auf dem Astralplan auskennen kann, ist eine starke, eindringliche Schulung erforderlich, weil dort immer Täuschungen möglich sind. Und besonders notwendig ist es, daß man lernt, sich möglichst lange jeglichen Urteils zu enthalten.
Wir wollen nun den Vorgang des Sterbens ins Auge fassen, um die Technik der Reinkarnation zu verstehen. Der Moment des Sterbens besteht darin, daß der Ätherkörper und der physische Körper zunächst voneinandergerissen werden. Das ist der Unterschied zwischen dem Einschlafenden und dem Sterbenden, daß bei dem Einschlafenden der Ätherkörper mit dem physischen Körper verbunden bleibt. Im Ätherkörper sind eingeprägt alle Gedanken und Erlebnisse des Menschen. Die sind in ihm eingegraben. Der Mensch würde sich viel mehr an seine Erlebnisse gedächtnismäßig erinnern können, wenn nicht die Außenwelt fortwährend seine Erlebnisse auslöschte. Der Mensch hat seine Vorstellungen nur nicht immer vor sich, weil er seine Aufmerksamkeit nach außen richtet. Wo er aufhört, das zu tun, nimmt er wahr, was in seinem Ätherkörper aufgespeichert ist. Alles was der Mensch von der Außenwelt aufgenommen hat, das ist in seinem Ätherleib eingegraben. Er richtet zunächst seine Aufmerksamkeit nach außen und nimmt die Eindrücke in seinen Ätherleib auf. Das vergißt er aber zum Teil wieder. Wenn nun im Tode der physische Leib abgelegt wird, nimmt er in dem Augenblicke alles das wahr, was in seinem Ätherleib aufgespeichert ist. Das ist der Fall, nachdem sein Ich mit dem Astralleib und dem Ätherleib sich vom physischen Leib getrennt hat. Gleich nach dem Tode also ist Gelegenheit geboten zur vollkommenen Erinnerung an das vergangene Leben.
Nun müssen wir noch einen ähnlichen Moment zu verstehen suchen, nämlich den Moment der Geburt, wo der Mensch in eine neue Inkarnation hineinkommt. Da tritt etwas anderes ein. Da bringt er alles dasjenige mit, was er auf dem Devachanplan sich erarbeitet hat. Wie Glocken schwirren die sich verkörpernwollenden Astralleiber an den Lebensäther heran und bilden nun einen neuen Ätherleib. Wenn nun der Mensch mit seinem zukünftigen Ätherleib sich verbindet, dann tritt ein Moment der Schau ein, geradeso wie er vorher beim Tode auf sein vergangenes Leben zurückschaute. Das drückt sich aber nun ganz anders aus, nämlich als ein Vorausschauen in die Zukunft, ein Vorauswissen. Bei etwas psychisch veranlagten Kindern kann man manchmal in der frühesten Zeit solche Erzählungen hören, solange noch nicht die materialistische Kultur auf die Kinder gewirkt hat. Ein Vorausschauen des Daseins ist das.
Das sind zwei wichtige, wesentliche Momente, denn sie zeigen uns, was der Mensch, wenn er herunterkommt, um sich zu inkarnieren, mit sich bringt. Wenn er gestorben ist, ist das Wesentliche eine Erinnerung. Wenn er sich reinkarniert, ist das Wesentliche eine Zukunftsvision. Diese beiden verhalten sich zueinander wie Ursache und Wirkung. Alles was der Mensch im letzten Moment des Todes erlebt, ist die Zusammenfassung aller vorhergehenden Leben. Diese werden im Devachan aus einer Vergangenheitssache in eine Zukunftssache umgearbeitet. Diese beiden Momente können einen wichtigen Fingerzeig geben für ganz bestimmte Zusammenhänge in zwei oder mehreren aufeinanderfolgenden Inkarnationen.
XX
Yesterday, we first looked at the structures in the astral world that arise under the influence of human beings themselves. Today, we come to the beings of the astral realm who are more or less permanent inhabitants there.
In order to understand the part that human beings play in astral events, we must bear in mind the nature of sleeping human beings. As we know, human beings consist of four members: the physical body, the etheric body, the astral body, and the ego. When human beings sleep, the astral body and the ego leave the human shell. Such a person wanders around in astral space, so to speak. As a rule, they do not stray very far from the physical and etheric bodies, which remain in bed. The other two members of the human being, the astral body and the ego, are now in astral space.
Even though the physical body and the etheric body remain here on the physical plane, we must not believe that only physical forces influence the physical body and etheric body and that only physical beings have access to them. Everything that lives as thoughts and ideas has an influence on the etheric body. When a person sleeps, the etheric body remains here on the physical plane. If we think something in the vicinity of the sleeping person, we will exert an influence on their etheric body; only the sleeper would not be aware of it. When awake, the human being is so occupied with the outside world that he or she represses all thoughts that penetrate the etheric body. But at night, the etheric body is alone, without the ego, and is exposed to all the thoughts swirling around, without the sleeping person knowing anything about it. Even while awake, they are unaware of this because the astral body, which dwells in the etheric body, is occupied with the outside world. When a person is asleep, any being that has the power to send out thoughts can exert an influence on them. Higher individualities, such as those we call Masters, can exert an influence on them. They can send thoughts into the etheric body of the sleeping person. In this way, the human being can absorb the high, pure thoughts of the Masters into the etheric body if the Masters consciously choose to do so. However, at night, thoughts from the environment also enter the etheric body. The human being then finds these thoughts in the morning when they crawl back into the etheric body. There are two kinds of dreams. One arises directly from experiences in the astral world: from the echo of the day's experiences and some things from the astral world. At night, the ego usually experiences little else in the astral space than things that are connected to daily life. When it returns, it may or may not bring the experiences of the astral world into waking life. However, it also finds a state of affairs in the etheric body. What is found there is also absorbed by the astral body and then appears to us as dreams. But what happens to the etheric body at night is a different kind of experience. So in the morning, the etheric body finds, first, thoughts that have come to it from the environment, and second, thoughts that the Masters or other individualities have consciously imprinted on it. The latter can be brought about by the person meditating. By occupying themselves with pure, noble thoughts of eternity during the day, people bring inclinations for these thoughts into their astral body. If a person did not have inclinations for such thoughts, it would be useless for a Master to concern themselves with their etheric body. When one reads “Light on the Path” and meditates on it, one prepares the astral body so that when the master has filled the etheric body with sublime thoughts, the astral body can truly encounter these thoughts. This relationship is called the relationship of the human being to his higher self. The inner reality is as follows. The higher self of man is not something that lives within us, but around us. The higher self is the higher developed individualities. Man must be clear that the higher self is outside of him. If he sought it within himself, he would never find it. He must seek it in those who have already walked the path we want to walk. Within us there is nothing but our karma, that which we have already experienced in previous incarnations. Everything else is outside of us. The higher self is around us. If we want to approach it for the future, we must seek it above all in those individualities that can act on our etheric body at night. It is in the universe; therefore, the Vedantist says: “Tat tvam asi” = That is you! - If, through suitable writings such as “Light on the Path” or the Gospel of John, one inclines the astral body to absorb high ingredients and then to understand the masters, one thereby works in favor of the development of the higher self.
So at night in the astral space we find the sleeping bodies or the disciples with their masters, insofar as those who have established a connecting bond with the master have, through appropriate meditation, the connection that draws them to the master. This is the process that can take place at night. Every human being can participate in such communication by immersing themselves in inspired writings and thereby develop their higher self. What will be our self in a few thousand years is now our higher self. But in order to really get to know the higher self, we must seek it where it already is today, among the higher individualities. This is the communication between the disciples and the masters.
Something else we may encounter in the astral realm is the black magician with his disciples. In order to train as a black magician, the disciple undergoes special training. The teaching of black magic consists of accustoming the person, under specific guidance, to torturing, cutting, and killing animals. That is the ABC. When a person consciously tortures living beings, this has a certain consequence. The pain caused by this has a very special effect on the human astral body if the pain has been caused consciously. If one consciously cuts into a specific organ, the person gains a certain power.
Now, it is the principle of all white magic that no power can be gained without devotion. When power is gained through devotion, it flows from the general source of life in the universe. But when we take life energy from a single, specific being, we steal its life energy. Because it belonged to a special being, it condenses and enhances the special existence in the person who appropriates it. And this condensation of the special existence makes him suitable to become a disciple of those who are engaged in a struggle with the good masters.
For our Earth is a battlefield; it is the scene of two opposing powers: right and left. One, the white power, the right, strives to spiritualize the Earth again after it has reached a certain degree of material physical density. The other power, the left or black power, strives to make the earth denser and denser, like the moon. Thus, after some time, our earth could be the physical expression of the good powers or the physical expression of the evil powers. It becomes the physical expression of the good powers when human beings connect with the unifying spirits by seeking the I in community. The earth is called upon to become ever more differentiated physically. Now it is possible for the individual parts to go their own ways, for each part to form its own ego. That is the black path. The white path is to strive for something common, for a general ego to form.
If we were to delve deeper and deeper into ourselves, immerse ourselves in our own ego organism, want more and more for ourselves, then we would eventually all drift apart. If, on the other hand, we join together so that a common spirit enlivens us, so that a center is formed between us, in our midst, then we gather ourselves together, then we unite. To be a black magician means to develop more and more the spirit of being special. Certain black adepts are also on the path to acquiring certain powers of the earth. If their discipleship became so strong that this became possible, then the earth would be headed for destruction.
Human beings are called upon to gradually bring themselves more and more into the atmosphere of the good masters. In addition to the adept and his disciples, one also finds the black magician with his disciples on the astral plane. However, one also finds there people who died some time ago, and they are there for the purpose of gradually shedding the relationships they had with the earth. The desire for pleasure must be shed. Pleasure is a process in the astral body, but it cannot be satisfied by the astral body. As long as one lives on the physical plane, one can satisfy the greed of the astral body through the tools of the physical body. After death, the craving for pleasure is still there, but the tools for satisfaction are no longer available. Everything that can only be satisfied by the physical body must be renounced. This happens in Kamaloka. When the human being has renounced all such desires, the Kamaloka period comes to an end and the time of Devachan begins.
When the Kamaloka period comes to an end, something may occur that is not entirely normal in human development. In normal human development, the following happens: the human being has weaned himself from desires, wishes, drives, passions, and so on. Now everything that is of a higher nature rises out of the astral body. What remains is a kind of shell, through which the human being has striven for sensual pleasure. And when the human being has left the Kamaloka plane, these astral human shells float around on the astral plane. They gradually dissolve, and when the human being returns, most of the shells have completely dissolved. It is very possible that strongly somnambulistic natures, mediumistic natures, can be tormented by these astral shells. This is also expressed in weakly mediumistic people in a way that makes a very unpleasant impression on them. It can happen that the person himself has such a strong inclination toward the astral body in his ego, even though he has already progressed so far on the other side that he is maturing relatively quickly for devachan, so that parts of his already developed manas remain connected to this shell. It is not so bad if a person develops lower desires while still a simple human being, but it is bad if they use their higher intellect to indulge in lower desires. Then a part of their manasic nature becomes connected with the lower desires. In the materialistic age, this is the case to an extraordinary degree. In such people, a part of the manas remains connected to the shell, and the shell then has an automatic mind. These shells are called shadows. The shadows endowed with an automatic mind are very often those that express themselves through mediums. This can lead to the deception of mistaking something that is merely the shell of a human being for their real individuality. Very often, what manifests itself after a person's death is such a shell, which no longer has anything to do with the evolving ego. But the karma is not yet extinguished with the dissolved shadow.
We take with us the cause of every counter-image we have created in the astral realm. Our works follow us. Just as a signature is engraved in a seal, so is what we imprint in the astral realm. It remains in the astral realm like a seal impression and wreaks havoc there. We take with us what corresponds to the seal. But what remains in the astral realm does not need to be despised by us. Imagine that someone in this life were to develop beyond a sharply defined stage of development, a stage to which he belonged for a time. At the earlier stage of development, he would have had opinions that contradict his later opinions. When they then ascend to Devachan, the old opinions remain behind in the shell, with which the person has not dealt harmoniously. If a medium now connects with this shell, they may find contradictions with the later life in it. This was probably the case when attempts were made to connect with Helena Petrovna Blavatsky on the astral plane. She had previously taken the position that reincarnation was nonsense. The medium in question then took this view from the shell that Blavatsky had left behind, although she later called it an error in her teachings.
Those who enter the astral space may be exposed to a vast number of errors. Among other things, the astral plane contains an imprint of the Akashic Records. If someone has the ability to read the Akashic Records on the astral plane, which are reflected there in their individual parts, they will be able to see their previous incarnations. The Akashic Records are not printed in letters, but rather one reads what has actually happened. Even after fifteen hundred years, an Akashic image still gives an impression of the former personality. So all Akashic images from earlier times can also be found on the astral plane. Thus, one may be under the misconception of talking to Dante, when in fact Dante could be there again today as a living personality. It is also possible that the Akashic image gives reasonable answers, that it goes beyond itself. Thus, one can really receive verses from Dante's Akashic image, but these do not originate from the advanced individuality, but are to be regarded as verses produced in continuation of the Dante personality of that time. The Akashic image is actually something animated, not a rigid automaton.
In order to be able to navigate the astral plane, strong, intensive training is necessary, because deception is always possible there. And it is particularly necessary to learn to refrain from making any judgments for as long as possible.
Let us now consider the process of dying in order to understand the technique of reincarnation. The moment of death consists of the etheric body and the physical body first being torn apart from each other. This is the difference between falling asleep and dying: when falling asleep, the etheric body remains connected to the physical body. All of a person's thoughts and experiences are imprinted in the etheric body. They are engraved in it. Human beings would be able to remember their experiences much better if the outside world did not constantly erase them. Human beings do not always have their ideas in front of them because they direct their attention outward. When they stop doing this, they perceive what is stored in their etheric body. Everything that human beings have absorbed from the outside world is engraved in their etheric body. They first direct their attention outward and absorb the impressions into their etheric body. However, they forget some of this again. When the physical body is discarded at death, they perceive everything that is stored in their etheric body at that moment. This happens after their ego, together with their astral body and etheric body, has separated from their physical body. Immediately after death, therefore, there is an opportunity to remember their past life completely.
Now we must try to understand a similar moment, namely the moment of birth, when a person enters a new incarnation. Something else happens then. They bring with them everything they have worked out on the devachanic plane. Like bells, the astral bodies that want to incarnate buzz around the life ether and now form a new etheric body. When the human being connects with their future etheric body, a moment of vision occurs, just as they looked back on their past life at the moment of death. But this is now expressed quite differently, namely as a foresight into the future, a foreknowledge. In some psychically gifted children, one can sometimes hear such stories in their earliest years, as long as materialistic culture has not yet had an effect on them. This is a foresight into existence.
These are two important, essential moments, because they show us what a person brings with them when they come down to incarnate. When they die, the essential thing is a memory. When they reincarnate, the essential thing is a vision of the future. These two relate to each other like cause and effect. Everything that a person experiences in the last moment of death is the summary of all previous lives. In the Devachan, these are reworked from a past matter into a future matter. These two moments can provide an important clue to very specific connections in two or more successive incarnations.