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Esoteric Development
GA 54

7 December 1905, Berlin

Translated by Gertrude Teutsch

Esoteric Development

The concepts concerning the super-sensible world and its relationship with the world of the senses have been discussed here in a long series of lectures. It is only natural that, again and again, the question should arise, “What is the origin of knowledge concerning the super-sensible world?” With this question or, in other words, with the question of the inner development of man, we wish to occupy ourselves today.

The phrase “inner development of man” here refers to the ascent of the human being to capacities which must be acquired if he wishes to make super-sensible insights his own. Now do not misunderstand the intent of this lecture. This lecture will by no means postulate rules or laws concerning general human morality, nor will it challenge the general religion of the age. I must stress this because when occultism is discussed the misunderstanding often arises that some sort of general demands or fundamental moral laws, valid without variation, are being established. This is not the case. This point requires particular clarification in our age of standardization, when differences between human beings are not at all acknowledged. Neither should today's lecture be mistaken for a lecture concerning the general fundamentals of the anthroposophic movement. Occultism is not the same as anthroposophy. The Anthroposophical Society is not alone in cultivating occultism, nor is this its only task. It could even be possible for a person to join the Anthroposophical Society and to avoid occultism altogether.

Among the inquiries which are pursued within the Anthroposophical Society, in addition to the field of general ethics, is also this field of occultism, which includes those laws of existence which are hidden from the usual sense observation in everyday human experience. By no means, however, are these laws unrelated to everyday experience. “Occult” means “hidden,” or “mysterious.” But it must be stressed over and over that occultism is a matter in which certain preconditions are truly necessary. Just as higher mathematics would be incomprehensible to the simple peasant who had never before encountered it, so is occultism incomprehensible to many people today. Occultism ceases to be “occult,” however, when one has mastered it. In this way, I have strictly defined the boundaries of today's lecture. Therefore, no one can object—this must be stressed in the light of the most manifold endeavors and of the experience of millennia—that the demands of occultism cannot be fulfilled, and that they contradict the general culture. No one is expected to fulfill these demands. But if someone requests that he be given convictions provided by occultism and yet refuses to occupy himself with it, he is like a schoolboy who wishes to create electricity in a glass rod, yet refuses to rub it. Without friction, it will not become charged. This is similar to the objection raised against the practice of occultism.

No one is exhorted to become an occultist; one must come to occultism of one's own volition. Whoever says that we do not need occultism will not need to occupy himself with it. At this time, occultism does not appeal to mankind in general. In fact, it is extremely difficult in the present culture to submit to those rules of conduct which will open the spiritual world.

Two prerequisites are totally lacking in our culture. One is isolation, what spiritual science calls “higher human solitude.” The other is overcoming the egotism which, though largely unconscious, has become a dominant characteristic of our time.

The absence of these two prerequisites renders the path of inner development simply unattainable. Isolation, or spiritual solitude, is very difficult to achieve because life conditions tend to distract and disperse, in brief to demand sense-involvement in the external. There has been no previous culture in which people have lived with such an involvement in the external. I beg you not to take what I am saying as criticism, but simply as an objective characterization.

Of course, he who speaks as I do knows that this situation cannot be different, and that it forms the basis for the greatest advantages and greatest achievements of our time. But this is the reason that our time is so devoid of super-sensible insight and that our culture is so devoid of super-sensible influence. In other cultures—and they do exist—the human being is in a position to cultivate the inner life more and to withdraw from the influences of external life. Such cultures offer a soil where inner life in the higher sense can thrive. In the Oriental culture there exists what is called Yoga. Those who live according to the rules of this teaching are called yogis. A yogi is one who strives for higher spiritual knowledge, but only after he has sought for himself a master of the super-sensible. No one is able to proceed without the guidance of a master, or guru. When the yogi has found such a guru, he must spend a considerable part of the day, regularly, not irregularly, living totally within his soul. All the forces that the yogi needs to develop are already within his soul. They exist there as truly as electricity exists in the glass rod before it is brought forth through friction. In order to call forth the forces of the soul, methods of spiritual science must be used which are the results of observations made over millennia. This is very difficult in our time, which demands a certain splintering of each individual struggling for existence. One cannot arrive at a total inward composure; one cannot even arrive at the concept of such composure. People are not sufficiently aware of the deep solitude the yogi must seek. One must repeat the same matter rhythmically with immense regularity, if only for a brief time each day, in total separation from all usual concerns. It is indispensable that all life usually surrounding the yogi cease to exist and that his senses become unreceptive to all impressions of the world around him. He must be able to make himself deaf and dumb to his surroundings during the time which he prescribes for himself. He must be able to concentrate to such a degree—and he must acquire practice in this concentration—that a cannon could be fired next to him without disturbing his attention to his inner life. He must also become free of all memory impressions, particularly those of everyday life.

Just think how exceedingly difficult it is to bring about these conditions in our culture, how even the concept of such isolation is lacking. This spiritual solitude must be reached in such a way that the harmony, the total equilibrium with the surrounding world, is never lost. But this harmony can be lost exceedingly easily during such deep immersion in one's inner life. Whoever goes more and more deeply inward must at the same time be able to establish harmony with the external world all the more clearly.

No hint of estrangement, of distancing from external practical life, may arise in him lest he stray from the right course. To a degree, then, it might be impossible to distinguish his higher life from insanity. It truly is a kind of insanity when the inner life loses its proper relationship to the outer. Just imagine, for example, that you were knowledgeable concerning our conditions on earth and that you had all the experience and wisdom which may be gathered here. You fall asleep in the evening, and in the morning you do not wake up on Earth but on Mars. The conditions on Mars are totally different from those on Earth; the knowledge that you have gathered on Earth is of no use to you whatsoever. There is no longer harmony between life within you and external life. You probably would find yourself in a Martian insane asylum within an hour. A similar situation might easily arise if the development of the internal life severs one's connection with the external world. One must take strict care that this does not happen. These are great difficulties in our culture.

Egotism in relation to inward soul properties is the first obstacle. Present humanity usually takes no account of this. This egotism is closely connected with the spiritual development of man. An important prerequisite for spiritual development is not to seek it out of egotism. Whoever is motivated by egotism cannot get very far. But egotism in our time reaches deep into the innermost soul. Again and again the objection is heard, “What use are all the teachings of occultism, if I cannot experience them myself?” Whoever starts from this presumption and cannot change has little chance of arriving at higher development. One aspect of higher development is a most intimate awareness of human community, so that it is immaterial whether it is I or someone else having the experience. Hence I must meet one who has a higher development than I with unlimited love and trust. First, I must acquire this consciousness, the consciousness of infinite trust toward my fellow man when he says that he has experienced one thing or the other. Such trust is a precondition for working together. Wherever occult capacities are strongly brought into play, there exists unlimited trust; there exists the awareness that a human being is a personality in which a higher individuality lives. The first basis, therefore, is trust and faith, because we do not seek the higher self only in ourselves but also in our fellow men. Everyone living around one exists in undivided unity in the inner kernel of one's being.

On the basis of my lower self I am separated from other humans. But as far as my higher self is concerned—and that alone can ascend to the spiritual world—I am no longer separated from my fellow men; I am united with my fellow men; the one speaking to me out of higher truths is actually my own self. I must get away completely from the notion of difference between him and me. I must overcome totally the feeling that he has an advantage over me. Try to live your way into this feeling until it penetrates the most intimate fiber of your soul and causes every vestige of egotism to disappear. Do this so that the one further along the path than you truly stands before you like your own self; then you have attained one of the prerequisites for awakening higher spiritual life.

In situations where one receives guidance for the occult life, sometimes quite erroneously and confusedly, one may often hear that the higher self lives in the human being, that he need only allow his inner man to speak and the highest truth will thereby become manifest. Nothing is more correct and, at the same time, less productive than this assertion. Just try to let your inner self speak, and you will see that, as a rule, no matter how much you fancy that your higher self is making an appearance, it is the lower self that speaks. The higher self is not found within us for the time being. We must seek it outside of ourselves. We can learn a good deal from the person who is further along than we are, since there the higher self is visible. One's higher self can gain nothing from one's own egotistic “I.” There where he now stands who is further along than I am, there will I stand sometime in the future. I am truly constituted to carry within myself the seed for what he already is. But the paths to Olympus must first be illuminated before one can follow them.

A feeling which may seem unbelievable is the fundamental condition for all occult development. It is mentioned in the various religions, and every practical occultist with experience will confirm it. The Christian religion describes it with the well-known sentence, , which an occultist must understand completely, “Except ye become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” This sentence can be understood only by he who has learned to revere in the highest sense. Suppose that in your earliest youth you had heard about a venerable person, an individual of whom you held the highest opinion, and now you are offered the opportunity to meet this person. A sense of awe prevails in you when the moment approaches that you will see this person for the first time. There, standing at the gateway of this personality, you might feel hesitant to touch the door handle and open it. When you look up in this way to such a venerable personality, then you have begun to grasp the feeling that Christianity intends by the statement that one should become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Whether or not the subject of this veneration is truly worthy of it is not really important. What matters is the capacity to look up to something with a veneration that comes from the innermost heart.

This feeling of veneration is the elevating force, raising us to higher spheres of super-sensible life. Everyone seeking the higher life must write into his soul with golden letters this law of the occult world. Development must start from this basic soul-mood; without this feeling, nothing can be achieved. Next, a person seeking inner development must understand clearly that he is doing something of immense importance to the human being. What he seeks is no more nor less than a new birth, and that needs to be taken in a literal sense. The higher soul of man is to be born. Just as man in his first birth was born out of the deep inner foundations of existence, and as he emerged into the light of the sun, so does he who seeks inner development step forth from the physical light of the sun into a higher spiritual light. Something is being born in him which rests as deeply in most human beings as the unborn child rests in the mother.

Without being aware of the full significance of this fact, one cannot understand what occult development means. The higher soul, resting deep within human nature and interwoven with it, is brought forth. As man stands before us in everyday life, his higher and lower natures are intermingled, and that is fortunate for everyday life. Many persons among us would exhibit evil, negative qualities except that there lives along with the lower nature a higher one which exerts a balancing influence. This intermingling can be compared with mixing a yellow with a blue liquid in a glass. The result is a green liquid in which blue and yellow can no longer be distinguished. So also is the lower nature in man mingled with the higher, and the two cannot be distinguished. Just as you might extract the blue liquid from the green by a chemical process, so that only the yellow remains and the unified green is separated into a complete duality, so the lower and higher natures separate in occult development. One draws the lower nature out of the body like a sword from the scabbard, which then remains alone. The lower nature comes forth appearing almost gruesome. When it was still mingled with the higher nature, nothing was noticeable. But once separated, all evil, negative properties come into view. People who previously appeared benevolent often become argumentative and jealous. This characteristic had existed earlier in the lower nature, but was guided by the higher. You can observe this in many who have been guided along an abnormal path. A person may readily become a liar when he is introduced into the spiritual world, because the capacity to distinguish between the true and the false is lost especially easily. Therefore, strictest training of the personal character is a necessary parallel to occult training. What history tells us about the saints and their temptations is not legend but literal truth.

He who wants to develop towards the higher world on any path is readily prone to such temptations unless he can subdue everything that meets him with a powerful strength of character and the highest morality. Not only do lust and passions grow—that is not even the case so much—but opportunities also increase. This seems miraculous. As through a miracle, the person ascending into the higher worlds finds previously hidden opportunities for evil lurking around him. In every aspect of life a demon lies in wait for him, ready to lead him astray. He now sees what he has not seen before. As through a spell, the division within his own being charms forth such opportunities from the hidden areas of life. Therefore, a very determined shaping of the character is an indispensable foundation for the so-called white magic, the school of occult development which leads man into the higher worlds in a good, true, and genuine way. Every practical occultist will tell you that no one should dare to step through the narrow portal, as the entrance to occult development is called, without practicing these properties again and again. They build the necessary foundation for occult life.

First man must develop the ability to distinguish in every situation throughout his life what is unimportant from what is important, that is, what is perishable from the imperishable. This requirement is easy to indicate but difficult to carry out. As Goethe says, it is easy, but what is easy is hard. Look, for instance, at a plant or an object. You will learn to understand that everything has an important and an unimportant side, and that man usually takes interest in the unimportant, in the relationship of the matter to himself, or in some other subordinate aspect. He who wishes to become an occultist must gradually develop the habit of seeing and seeking in each thing its essence. For instance, when he sees a clock he must have an interest in its laws. He must be able to take it apart into its smallest detail and to develop a feeling for the laws of the clock. A mineralogist will arrive at considerable knowledge about a quartz-crystal simply by looking at it. The occultist, however, must be able to take the stone in his hand and to feel in a living way something akin to the following monologue: “In a certain sense you, the crystal, are beneath humanity, but in a certain sense you are far above humanity. You are beneath humanity because you cannot make for yourself a picture of man by means of concepts, and because you do not feel. You cannot explain or think, you do not live, but you have an advantage over mankind. You are pure within yourself, have no desire, no wishes, no lust. Every human, every living being has wishes, desires, lusts. You do not have them. You are complete and without wishes, satisfied with what has come to you, an example for man, with which he will have to unite his other qualities.”

If the occultist can feel this in all its depth, then he has grasped what the stone can tell him. In this way man can draw out of everything something full of meaning. When this has become a habit for him, when he separates the important from the unimportant, he has acquired another feeling essential to the occultist. Then he must connect his own life with that which is important. In this people err particularly easily in our time. They believe that their place in life is not proper for them. How often people are inclined to say, “My lot has put me in the wrong place. I am,” let us say, “a postal clerk. If I were put in a different place, I could give people high ideas, great teaching,” and so on. The mistake which these people make is that they do not enter into the significant aspect of their occupation. If you see in me something of importance because I can talk to the people here, then you do not see the importance of your own life and work. If the mail-carriers did not carry the mail, the whole postal traffic would stop, and much work already achieved by others would be in vain.

Hence everyone in his place is of exceeding importance for the whole, and none is higher than the other. Christ has attempted to demonstrate this most beautifully in the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of John, with the words, “The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.” These words were spoken after the Master had washed the feet of the Apostles. He wanted to say, “What would I be without my Apostles? They must be there so that I can be there in the world, and I must pay them tribute by lowering myself before them and washing their feet.” This is one of the most significant allusions to the feeling that the occultist must have for what is important. What is important in the inward sense must not be confused with the externally important. This must be strictly observed.

In addition, we must develop a series of qualities.1For another description of these exercises, see Occult Science, an Outline (Anthroposophic Press, Spring Valley, New York, 1972) Chapter 5, p. 283. To begin with, we must become masters over our thoughts, and particularly our train of thought. This is called control of thoughts. Just think how thoughts whirl about in the soul of man, how they flit about like will-o'-the wisps. Here one impression arises, there another, and each one changes one's thoughts. It is not true that we govern our thoughts; rather our thoughts govern us totally. We must advance to the ability of steeping ourselves in one specific thought at a certain time of the day and not allow any other thought to enter and disturb our soul. In this way we ourselves hold the reins of thought life for a time.

The second quality is to find a similar relationship to our actions, that is, to exercise control over our actions. Here it is necessary to undertake actions, at least occasionally, which are not initiated by anything external. That which is initiated by our station in life, our profession, or our situation does not lead us more deeply into higher life. Higher life depends on personal matters, such as resolving to do something springing totally from one's own initiative even if it is an absolutely insignificant matter. All other actions contribute nothing to the higher life.

The third quality to be striven for is even-temperedness. People fluctuate back and forth between joy and sorrow. One moment they are beside themselves with joy, the next they are unbearably sad. Thus, people allow themselves to be rocked on the waves of life, on joy or sorrow. But they must reach equanimity and steadiness. Neither the greatest sorrow nor the greatest joy must unsettle their composure. They must become steadfast and even-tempered.

Fourth is the understanding for every being. Nothing expresses more beautifully what it means to understand every being than the legend which is handed down to us, not by the Gospel, but by a Persian story. Jesus was walking across a field with his disciples, and on the way they found a decaying dog. The animal looked horrible. Jesus stopped and cast an admiring look upon it, saying, “What beautiful teeth the animal has!” Jesus found within the ugly the one beautiful aspect. Strive at all times to approach what is wonderful in every object of outer reality, and you will see that everything contains an aspect that can be affirmed. Do as Christ did when he admired the beautiful teeth on the dead dog. This course will lead you to the great ability to tolerate, and to an understanding of every thing and of every being.

The fifth quality is complete openness towards everything new that meets us. Most people judge new things which meet them by the old which they already know. If anyone comes to tell them something new, they immediately respond with an opposing opinion. But we must not confront a new communication immediately with our own opinion. We must rather be on the alert for possibilities of learning something new. And learn we can, even from a small child. Even if one were the wisest person, one must be willing to hold back one's own judgment, and to listen to others. We must develop this ability to listen, for it will enable us to meet matters with the greatest possible openness. In occultism, this is called faith. It is the power not to weaken through opposition the impression made by the new.

The sixth quality is that which everyone receives once he has developed the first five. It is inner harmony. The person who has the other qualities also has inner harmony. In addition, it is necessary for a person seeking occult development to develop his feeling for freedom to the highest degree. That feeling for freedom enables him to seek within himself the center of his own being, to stand on his own two feet, so that he will not have to ask everyone what he should do and so that he can stand upright and act freely. This also is a quality which one needs to acquire.

If man has developed these qualities within himself, then he stands above all the dangers arising from the division within his nature. Then the properties of his lower nature can no longer affect him; he can no longer stray from the path. Therefore, these qualities must be formed with the greatest precision. Then comes the occult life, whose expression depends on a steady rhythm being carried into life.

The phrase “carrying rhythm into life” expresses the unfolding of this faculty. If you observe nature, you will find in it a certain rhythm. You will, of course, expect that the violet blooms every year at the same time in spring, that the crops in the field and the grapes on the vine will ripen at the same time each year. This rhythmical sequence of phenomena exists everywhere in nature. Everywhere there is rhythm, everywhere repetition in regular sequence. As you ascend from the plant to beings with higher development, you see the rhythmic sequence decreasing. Yet even in the higher stages of animal development one sees how all functions are ordered rhythmically. At a certain time of the year, animals acquire certain functions and capabilities. The higher a being evolves, the more life is given over into the hands of the being itself, and the more these rhythms cease. You must know that the human body is only one member of man's being. There is also the etheric body, then the astral body, and, finally, the higher members which form the basis for the others.

The physical body is highly subject to the same rhythm that governs outer nature. Just as plant and animal life, in its external form, takes its course rhythmically, so does the life of the physical body. The heart beats rhythmically, the lungs breathe rhythmically, and so forth. All this proceeds so rhythmically because it is set in order by higher powers, by the wisdom of the world, by that which the scriptures call the Holy Spirit. The higher bodies, particularly the astral body, have been, I would like to say, abandoned by these higher spiritual forces, and have lost their rhythm. Can you deny that your activity relating to wishes, desires, and passions is irregular, that it can in no way compare with the regularity ruling the physical body? He who learns to know the rhythm inherent in physical nature increasingly finds in it an example for spirituality. If you consider the heart, this wonderful organ with the regular beat and innate wisdom, and you compare it with the desires and passions of the astral body which unleash all sorts of actions against the heart, you will recognize how its regular course is influenced detrimentally by passion. However, the functions of the astral body must become as rhythmical as those of the physical body.

I want to mention something here which will seem grotesque to most people. This is the matter of fasting. Awareness of the significance of fasting has been totally lost. Fasting is enormously significant, however, for creating rhythm in our astral body. What does it mean to fast? It means to restrain the desire to eat and to block the astral body in relation to this desire. He who fasts blocks the astral body and develops no desire to eat. This is like blocking a force in a machine. The astral body becomes inactive then, and the whole rhythm of the physical body with its innate wisdom works upward into the astral body to rhythmicize it. Like the imprint of a seal, the harmony of the physical body impresses itself upon the astral body. It would transfer much more permanently if the astral body were not continuously being made irregular by desires, passions, and wishes, including spiritual desires and wishes.

It is more necessary for the man of today to carry rhythm into all spheres of higher life than it was in earlier times. Just as rhythm is implanted in the physical body by God, so man must make his astral body rhythmical. Man must order his day for himself. He must arrange it for his astral body as the spirit of nature arranges it for the lower realms. In the morning, at a definite time, one must undertake one spiritual action; a different one must be undertaken at another time, again to be adhered to regularly, and yet another one in the evening. These spiritual exercises must not be chosen arbitrarily, but must be suitable for the development of the higher life. This is one method for taking life in hand and for keeping it in hand. So set a time for yourself in the morning when you concentrate. You must adhere to this hour. You must establish a kind of calm so that the occult master in you may awaken. You must meditate about a great thought content that has nothing to do with the external world, and let this thought content come to life completely. A short time is enough, perhaps a quarter of an hour. Even five minutes are sufficient if more time is not available. But it is worthless to do these exercises irregularly. Do them regularly so that the activity of the astral body becomes as regular as a clock. Only then do they have value. The astral body will appear completely different if you do these exercises regularly. Sit down in the morning and do these exercises, and the forces I described will develop. But, as I said, it must be done regularly, for the astral body expects that the same process will take place at the same time each day, and it falls into disorder if this does not happen. At least the intent towards order must exist. If you rhythmicize your life in this manner, you will see success in not too long a time; that is, the spiritual life hidden from man for the time being will become manifest to a certain degree.

As a rule, human life alternates among four states. The first state is the perception of the external world. You look around with your senses and perceive the external world. The second is what we may call imagination or the life of mental images which is related to, or even part of, dream life. There man does not have his roots in his surroundings, but is separated from them. There he has no realities within himself, but at the most reminiscences. The third state is dreamless sleep, in which man has no consciousness of his ego at all. In the fourth state he lives in memory. This is different from perception. It is already something remote, spiritual. If man had no memory, he could uphold no spiritual development.

The inner life begins to develop by means of inner contemplation and meditation. Thus, the human being sooner or later perceives that he no longer dreams in a chaotic manner; he begins to dream in the most significant way, and remarkable things reveal themselves in his dreams, which he gradually begins to recognize as manifestations of spiritual beings. Naturally the trivial objection might easily be raised that this is nothing but a dream and therefore of no consequence. However, should someone discover the dirigible in his dream and then proceed to build it, the dream would simply have shown the truth. Thus an idea can be grasped in an other-than-usual manner. Its truthfulness must then be judged by the fact that it can be realized. We must become convinced of its inner truth from outside.

The next step in spiritual life is to comprehend truth by means of our own qualities and of guiding our dreams consciously. When we begin to guide our dreams in a regular manner, then we are at the stage where truth becomes transparent for us. The first stage is called “material cognition.” For this, the object must lie before us. The next stage is “imaginative cognition.” It is developed through meditation, that is through shaping life rhythmically. Achieving this is laborious. But once it is achieved, the time arrives when there is no longer a difference between perception in the usual life and perception in the super-sensible. When we are among the things of our usual life, that is, in the sense world, and we change our spiritual state, then we experience continuously the spiritual, the super-sensible world, but only if we have sufficiently trained ourselves. This happens as soon as we are able to be deaf and dumb to the sense world, to remember nothing of the everyday world, and still to retain a spiritual life within us. Then our dream-life begins to take on a conscious form. If we are able to pour some of this into our everyday life, then the next capacity arises, rendering the soul-qualities of the beings around us perceptible. Then we see not only the external aspect of things, but also the inner, hidden essential kernel of things, of plants, of animals, and of man. I know that most people will say that these are actually different things. True, these are always different things from those a person sees who does not have such senses. The third stage is that in which a consciousness, which is as a rule completely empty, begins to be enlivened by continuity of consciousness. The continuity appears on its own. The person is then no longer unconscious during sleep. During the time in which he used to sleep, he now experiences the spiritual world.

Of what does sleep usually consist? The physical body lies in bed, and the astral body lives in the super-sensible world. In this super-sensible world, you are taking a walk. As a rule, a person with the type of disposition which is typical today cannot withdraw very far from his body. If one applies the rules of spiritual science, organs can be developed in the astral body as it wanders during sleep—just as the physical body has organs—which allow one to become conscious during sleep. The physical body would be blind and deaf if it had no eyes or ears, and the astral body walking at night is blind and deaf for the same reason, because it does not yet have eyes and ears. But these organs are developed through meditation which provides the means for training these organs. This meditation must then be guided in a regular way. It is being led so that the human body is the mother and the spirit of man is the father. The physical human body, as we see it before us, is a mystery in every one of its parts and, in fact, each member is related in a definite but mysterious way to a part of the astral body. These are matters which the occultist knows. For instance, the point in the physical body lying between the eyebrows belongs to a certain organ in the astral organism. When the occultist indicates how one must direct thoughts, feelings, and sensations to this point between the eyebrows through connecting something formed in the physical body with the corresponding part of the astral body, the result will be a certain sensation in the astral body. But this must be practiced regularly, and one must know how to do it. Then the astral body begins to form its members. From a lump, it grows to be an organism in which organs are formed. I have described the astral sense organs in the periodical, Lucifer Gnosis. They are also called Lotus flowers. By means of special word sequences, these Lotus flowers are cultivated. Once this has occurred, the human being is able to perceive the spiritual world. This is the same world he enters when passing through the portal of death, a final contradiction to Hamlet's “The undiscover'd country from whose bourn no traveler returns.”

So it is possible to go, or rather to slip, from the sense world into the super-sensible world and to live there as well as here. That does not mean life in never-never land, but life in a realm that clarifies and explains life in our realm. Just as the usual person who has not studied electricity would not understand all the wonderful workings in a factory powered by electricity, so the average person does not understand the occurrences in the spiritual world. The visitor at the factory will lack understanding as long as he remains ignorant of the laws of electricity. So also will man lack understanding in the realm of the spirit as long as he does not know the laws of the spiritual. There is nothing in our world that is not dependent on the spiritual world at every moment. Everything surrounding us is the external expression of the spiritual world. There is no materiality. Everything material is condensed spirit. For the person looking into the spiritual world, the whole material, sense-perceptible world, the world in general, becomes spiritualized. As ice melts into water through the effect of the sun, so everything sense-perceptible melts into something spiritual within the soul which looks into the spiritual world. Thus, the fundament of the world gradually manifests before the spiritual eye and the spiritual ear.

The life that man learns to know in this manner is actually the spiritual life he carries within himself all along. But he knows nothing of it because he does not know himself before developing organs for the higher world. Imagine possessing the characteristics you have at this time, yet being without sense-organs. You would know nothing of the world around you, would have no understanding of the physical body, and yet you would belong to the physical world. So the soul of man belongs to the spiritual world, but does not know it because it does not hear or see. Just as our body is drawn out of the forces and materials of the physical world, so is our soul drawn out of the forces and materials of the spiritual world. We do not recognize ourselves within ourselves, but only within our surroundings. As we cannot perceive a heart or a brain—even by means of X-ray—without seeing it in other people through our sense organs (it is only the eyes that can see the heart), so we truly cannot see or hear our own soul without perceiving it with spiritual organs in the surrounding world. You can recognize yourself only by means of your surroundings. In truth there exists no inner knowledge, no self-examination; there is only one knowledge, one revelation of the life around us through the organs of the physical as well as the spiritual. We are a part of the worlds around us, of the physical, the soul, and the spiritual worlds. We learn from the physical if we have physical organs, from the spiritual world and from all souls if we have spiritual and soul organs. There is no knowledge but knowledge of the world.

It is vain and empty idleness for man to “brood” within himself, believing that it is possible to progress simply by looking into himself. Man will find the God in himself if he awakens the divine organs within himself and finds his higher divine self in his surroundings, just as he finds his lower self solely by means of using his eyes and ears. We perceive ourselves clearly as physical beings by means of intercourse with the sense world, and we perceive ourselves clearly in relation to the spiritual world by developing spiritual senses. Development of the inner man means opening oneself to the divine life around us.

Now you will understand that it is essential that he who ascends to the higher world undergoes, to begin with, an immense strengthening of his character. Man can experience on his own the characteristics of the sense world because his senses are already opened. This is possible because a benevolent divine spirit, who has seen and heard in the physical world, stood by man in the most ancient times, before man could see and hear, and opened man's eyes and ears. It is from just such beings that man must learn at this time to see spiritually, from beings already able to do what he still has to learn. We must have a guru who can tell us how we should develop our organs, who will tell us what he has done in order to develop these organs. He who wishes to guide must have acquired one fundamental quality. This is unconditional truthfulness. This same quality is also a main requirement for the student. No one may train to become an occultist unless this fundamental quality of unconditional truthfulness has been previously cultivated.

When facing sense experience, one can test what is being said. When I tell you something about the spiritual world, however, you must have trust because you are not far enough to be able to confirm the information. He who wishes to be a guru must have become so truthful that it is impossible for him to take lightly such statements concerning the spiritual world or the spiritual life. The sense world corrects errors immediately by its own nature, but in the spiritual world we must have these guidelines within ourselves. We must be strictly trained, so that we are not forced to use the outer world for controls, but only our inner self. We are only able to gain this control by acquiring already in this world the strictest truthfulness. Therefore, when the Anthroposophical Society began to present some of the basic teachings of occultism to the world, it had to adopt the principle: there is no law higher than truth. Very few people understand this principle. Most are satisfied if they can say they have the conviction that something is true, and then if it is wrong, they will simply say that they were mistaken. The occultist cannot rely on his subjective honesty. There he is on the wrong track. He must always be in consonance with the facts of the external world, and any experience that contradicts these facts must be seen as an error or a mistake. The question of who is at fault for the error ceases to be important to the occultist. He must be in absolute harmony with the facts in life. He must begin to feel responsible in the strictest sense for every one of his assertions. Thus he trains himself in the unconditional certainty that he must have for himself and for others if he wishes to be a spiritual guide.

So you see that I needed to indicate to you today a series of qualities and methods. We will have to speak about these again in order to add the higher concepts. It may seem to you that these things are too intimate to discuss with others, that each soul has to come to grips with them on its own terms, and that they are possibly unsuitable for reaching the great destination which should be reached, namely the entrance into the spiritual world. This entrance will definitely be achieved by those who tread the path I have characterized.

When? One of the most outstanding participants in the theosophical movement, Subba Row, who died some time ago, has spoken fittingly about this. Replying to the question of how long it would take, he said, “Seven years, perhaps also seven times seven years, perhaps even seven incarnations, perhaps only seven hours.” It all depends on what the human being brings with himself into life. We may meet a person who seems to be very stupid, but who has brought with himself a concealed higher life that needs only to be brought out. Most human beings these days are much further than it seems, and more people would know about this if the materialism of our conditions and of our time would not drive them back into the inner life of the soul. A large percentage of today's human beings was previously much further advanced. Whether that which is within them will come forth depends on many factors. But it is possible to give some help. Suppose you have before you a person who was highly developed in his earlier incarnation, but now has an undeveloped brain. An undeveloped brain may at times conceal great spiritual faculties. But if he can be taught the usual everyday abilities, it may happen that the inner spirituality also comes forth.

Another important factor is the environment in which a person lives. The human being is a mirror-image of his surroundings in a most significant way. Suppose that a person is a highly developed personality, but lives in surroundings that awaken and develop certain prejudices with such a strong effect that the higher talents cannot come forth. Unless such a person finds someone who can draw out these abilities, they will remain hidden.

I have been able to give only a few indications to you about this matter. After Christmas, however, we will speak again about further and deeper things. I especially wanted to awaken in you this one understanding, that the higher life is not schooled in a tumultuous way, but rather quite intimately, in the deepest soul, and that the great day when the soul awakens and enters into the higher life actually arrives like the thief in the night. The development towards the higher life leads man into a new world, and when he has entered this new world, then he sees the other side of existence, so to speak; then what has previously been hidden for him reveals itself. Maybe not everyone can do this; maybe only a few can do it, one might say to oneself. But that must not keep one from at least starting on the way that is open to everyone, namely to hear about the higher worlds. The human being is called to live in community, and he who secludes himself cannot arrive at a spiritual life. But it is a seclusion in a stronger sense if he says, “I do not believe this, this does not relate to me; this may be valid for the after-life.” For the occultist this has no validity. It is an important principle for the occultist to consider other human beings as true manifestations of his own higher self, because he knows then that he must find the others in himself. There is a delicate distinction between these two sentences: “To find the others in oneself,” and “To find oneself in the others.” In the higher sense it means, “This is you.” And in the highest sense it means to recognize oneself in the world and to understand that saying of the poet which I cited some weeks ago in a different connection: “One was successful. He lifted the veil of the goddess at Sais. But what did he see? Miracle of miracles! He saw himself.” To find oneself—not in egotistical inwardness, but selflessly in the world without—that is true recognition of the self.

Innere Entwickelung

In einer großen Reihe von Vorträgen ist hier von den Vorstellungen über die Welt des Übersinnlichen und ihren Zusammenhang mit der Welt des Sinnlichen gesprochen worden. Es ist nur natürlich, daß immer wieder und wieder die Frage auftaucht: Woher stammen die Erkenntnisse von der übersinnlichen Welt? Mit dieser Frage, oder mit andern Worten, mit der Frage nach der inneren Entwickelung des Menschen wollen wir uns heute beschäftigen.

Innere Entwickelung des Menschen ist hier in dem Sinne gemeint, daß sie das Hinaufsteigen des Menschen zu Fähigkeiten bedeutet, die er sich erwerben muß, wenn er jene übersinnlichen Erkenntnisse zu den seinen machen will. Nun mißverstehen Sie nicht dasjenige, was dieser Vortrag will. Dieser Vortrag ist weit davon entfernt, Regeln oder Gesetze aufzustellen, die etwas mit allgemeiner menschlicher Sittlichkeit oder mit Forderungen, die der allgemeinen Zeitreligion angehören, zu tun haben. Ich muß das ausdrücklich aus dem Grunde bemerken, weil ja immer wieder und wieder in unserer Zeit des Nivellements, wo man so gar keinen Unterschied gelten lassen will zwischen Mensch und Mensch, das Mißverständnis auftaucht, als ob derjenige, der von Okkultismus spricht, irgendwelche allgemeine menschliche Forderungen, sittliche Grundsätze oder dergleichen, die für jeden ohne Unterschied gelten, aufstellte. Das ist nicht der Fall. Auch ist der Vortrag, um den es sich heute handelt, keineswegs ein solcher, den man verwechseln darf mit einem Vortrag über allgemeine Grundsätze der theosophischen Bewegung. Der Okkultismus ist nicht dasselbe wie Theosophie. Die Theosophische Gesellschaft hat nicht allein und gewiß nicht ausschließlich die Aufgabe, den Okkultismus zu pflegen. Es könnte sogar möglich sein, daß derjenige, der sich dieser Theosophischen Gesellschaft anschließt, den Okkultismus ganz und gar verpönt.

Unter denjenigen Dingen, die in der Theosophischen Gesellschaft gepflegt werden, zu denen auch eine allgemeine Ethik gehört, ist eben auch der Okkultismus, welcher die Kenntnis derjenigen Gesetze unseres Daseins in sich schließt, die sich der gewöhnlichen Sinnesbeobachtung im alltäglichen menschlichen Erfahrungsbereiche entziehen. Keineswegs sind aber die Gesetze solche, die nichts zu tun haben mit dieser alltäglichen Erfahrung. Okkult heißt: verborgen, geheimnisvoll.Es muß aber wieder und wieder betont werden, daß der Okkultismus etwas ist, wozu gewisse Vorbedingungen wirklich nötig sind. Genau so unverständlich wie die höhere Mathematik für den gewöhnlichen Bauern ist, der noch nie etwas davon gehört hat, ist es der Okkultismus für viele Leute unserer Zeit.

Der Okkultismus hört aber auf, okkult zu sein, wenn man sich seiner bemächtigt hat. Ich habe also damit das Feld des heutigen Vortrags streng begrenzt. Niemand kann also einwenden — und das muß nach den jahrtausendalten Erfahrungen und vielfach gepflogenen Versuchen ausdrücklich betont werden —, die Forderungen, die der Okkultismus aufstellt, können nicht erfüllt werden, sie widersprechen einer allgemeinen Menschenkultur. Von niemandem wird die Erfüllung derselben verlangt. Wenn aber jemand zu mir kommt und die Überzeugungen, die der Okkultismus verschafft, vermittelt haben will, sich aber weigert, sich mit dem Okkultismus zu befassen, so befindet er sich in genau derselben Lage wie der Schulknabe, der eine Glasstange elektrisch machen will, sich aber weigert, sie zu reiben. Sie wird eben ohne Reibung nicht elektrisch werden. So ungefähr ist es auch mit dem, der gegen die Praktiken des Okkultismus etwas einzuwenden hätte.

Niemand wird aufgefordert, Okkultist zu werden, jeder muß freiwillig zum Okkultismus kommen. Derjenige, welcher den Einwand macht, daß wir den Okkultismus nicht brauchen, der braucht sich nicht mit ihm zu befassen. Es ist kein Appell an die allgemeine Menschheit, den der Okkultismus in jetziger Zeit stellt. In unserer gegenwärtigen Kultur ist es außerdem außerordentlich schwierig, sich den Forderungen eines Lebens zu unterwerfen, das die übersinnliche Welt erschließt.

Zwei Vorbedingungen fehlen in unserer Kultur ganz und gar. Die erste Forderung ist die Isolation, das, was man in der Geheimwissenschaft die höhere menschliche Einsamkeit nennt, die zweite ist die Überwindung eines in unserer Zeit in bezug auf die innersten seelischen Eigenschaften aufs höchste gestiegenen, der Menschheit zum großen Teil unbewußten Egoismus.

Der Mangel an diesen beiden Vorbedingungen macht den Entwickelungsgang des inneren Lebens geradezu zu einer Unmöglichkeit. Isolation oder geistige Einsamkeit ist heute deshalb so schwer möglich, weil das Leben immer mehr und mehr zerstreut, zersplittert, kurz, äußere Sinnlichkeit fordert. In keiner Kultur haben die Menschen jemals so im Außerlichen gelebt wie gerade in unserer. Und nun bitte ich, wieder alles, was ich sage, nicht als Kritik zu nehmen, sondern lediglich als Charakteristik.

Selbstverständlich weiß derjenige, der so spricht, wie ich heute spreche, ganz genau, daß das nicht anders sein kann, daß gerade die großen Vorzüge und bedeutenden Errungenschaften unserer Zeit auf diesen Eigenschaften beruhen. Aber deshalb ist unsere Zeit so bar jeder übersinnlichen Erkenntnis und bar jedes Einflusses übersinnlicher Erkenntnisse auf unsere Kultur. In andern Kulturen — und es gibt solche — ist der Mensch in der Lage, sein inneres Leben mehr zu pflegen und sich von Einwirkungen des äußeren Lebens zurückzuziehen. Innerhalb solcher Kulturen gedeiht dann das, was man im höheren Sinne inneres Leben nennt. In den morgenländischen Kulturen gibt es das, was man Joga nennt, und diejenigen, welche nach den Regeln dieser Lehre leben, heißt man Jogi. Ein Jogi ist demnach derjenige, welcher die höhere geistige Wissenschaft anstrebt, aber erst, nachdem er sich einen Meister des Übersinnlichen gesucht hat. Keiner wird sie anders suchen als unter der Anleitung eines Meisters, eines Guru. Wenn er diesen gefunden hat, so muß er einen großen Teil des Tages regelmäßig, nicht unregelmäßig, dazu verwenden, ganz und gar in seiner Seele zu leben. Alle Kräfte, die der Jogi zu entwickeln hat, liegen schon in seiner Seele, sie liegen so sicher, so wahr darin wie die Elektrizität in der Glasstange, aus der sie durch Reiben hervorgelockt wird. Wahr ist es, daß kein Mensch aus sich selbst weiß, wie man diese Kräfte hervorruft, wie ja auch kein Mensch von selbst darauf kommt, daß man die Glasstange durch Reiben elektrisch machen kann. Man muß die durch Jahrtausende hindurch gemachten Beobachtungen und die dadurch herausgebildeten geheimwissenschaftlichen Methoden benützen, um die Kräfte der Seele hervorzurufen. Und das ist sehr schwer in unserer Zeit, die von jedem Menschen durch den Daseinskampf fordert, daß er sich zersplittert. Er kommt nicht zu der großen inneren Sammlung, nicht einmal zu einem Begriff von der Sammlung, den man da im Joga hatte. Kein Bewußtsein ist da von der tiefen Einsamkeit, die der Jogi suchen muß. Er muß, wenn auch nur für kurze Zeit, so doch mit ungeheurer Regelmäßigkeit jeden Tag dieselbe Sache rhythmisch wiederholen, mit völliger Abgeschiedenheit von alledem, worin man sonst lebt. Es ist notwendig und absolut unerläßlich, daß alles Leben, das uns sonst umgibt, vor dem Jogi erstirbt, daß seine Sinne unempfänglich werden gegenüber allen Eindrücken der Außenwelt. Blind und taub muß sich der Jogi machen können gegenüber der Umwelt für die Zeit, die er sich selbst vorschreibt. So in sich gesammelt muß er sein können — und er muß sich die Praxis in dieser Sammlung erwerben —, daß man eine Kanone neben ihm abschießen könnte, ohne daß er darin, seine Aufmerksamkeit auf das innere Leben zu richten, gestört werden würde. Frei muß er auch werden von allen Gedächtniseindrücken, von allen Erinnerungen an das Alltagsleben.

Nun bedenken Sie, wie außerordentlich schwer diese Vorbedingungen in unserer Kultur herzustellen sind, wie wenig man einen Begriff von solcher Isolation, von solcher geistigen Einsamkeit hat. Dies alles muß man nämlich unter einer Voraussetzung erreichen, nämlich unter der, nie in irgendeiner Weise die Harmonie, das völlige Gleichgewicht gegenüber der Außenwelt zu verlieren. Und das ist außerordentJich leicht möglich bei einer so tiefen Versenkung in sein Inneres. Derjenige, der sich tiefer und tiefer in sein Inneres einlebt, muß gleichzeitig die Harmonie mit der Außenwelt um so klarer herstellen. Nichts, was an Entfremdung, an Entfernung vom äußeren praktischen Leben anklingt, darf bei ihm auftreten, sonst gerät er auf eine schiefe Bahn, sonst wird man vielleicht sein höheres Leben bis zu einem gewissen Grade nicht von Wahnsinn unterscheiden können. Es ist wirklich eine Art Wahnsinn, wenn das innere Leben seine Beziehungen zum äußeren verliert. Denken Sie sich einmal — um Ihnen das an einem Beispiel klarzumachen —, Sie wären klug in bezug auf unsere irdischen Verhältnisse, Sie hätten alle Erfahrung und Weisheit, die auf Erden gesammelt werden kann. Sie schlafen abends ein, wachen aber morgens nicht auf der Erde, sondern auf dem Mars auf. Auf dem Mars sind nun aber ganz andere Verhältnisse als auf der Erde, Alle Wissenschaft, die Sie auf der Erde gesammelt haben, nützt Ihnen da ganz und gar nichts. Keine Harmonie ist mehr da zwischen dem, was in Ihrem Inneren lebt und dem, was außer Ihnen vorgeht. Daher würden Sie wahrscheinlich in einer Stunde schon, weil Sie sich in den neuen Verhältnissen nicht zurechtfinden können, in ein MarsIrrenhaus gesteckt werden. Auf eine solche Bahn kann derjenige leicht gelenkt werden, der in der Entwickelung seines Innenlebens den Zusammenhang mit der Außenwelt verliert. Daß dies nicht geschieht, darauf hat man streng zu achten. Alles das sind große Schwierigkeiten in unserer Kultur.

Das andere Hindernis ist eine Art Egoismus in bezug auf innere seelische Eigenschaften, von denen sich die gegenwärtige Menschheit gewöhnlich keine Rechenschaft gibt. Das hängt eng mit der geistigen Entwickelung des Menschen zusammen, Es gehört nämlich zu den Vorbedingungen der geistigen Entwickelung, daß man sie nicht aus Egoismus sucht. Wer sie aus Egoismus sucht, kann nicht weit kommen. Nun ist aber unsere Zeit bis ins Innere der Menschenseele hinein egoistisch. Man erlebt immer wieder und wieder, daß man zu hören bekommt: Ja, was helfen mir alle Lehren, die im Okkultismus verbreitet werden, wenn ich sie nicht selbst erleben kann? — Wer von dieser Voraussetzung ausgeht und auch nicht von ihr abkommt, kann schwerlich zu einer wirklich höheren Entwickelung kommen, denn zur höheren Entwickelung gehört das intimste Bewußtsein menschlicher Gemeinschaft, so daß es gleichgültig ist, ob ich selbst oder ein anderer diese oder jene Erfahrung mache. Ich muß daher dem, der höhereEntwickelung hat als ich, unbegrenzteLiebe und volles Vertrauen entgegenbringen. Erst muß ich mich zu diesem Bewußtsein durchringen, zu dem Bewußtsein unendlichen Vertrauens gegenüber meinem Mitmenschen, wenn er sagt, das und das habe ich erlebt. Solches Vertrauen muß Bedingung des Gemeinschaftslebens sein, und wo auch immer solche okkulten Fähigkeiten in ausgedehnterem Maße herangezogen werden, da ist dieses Vertrauen in grenzenloser Weise vorhanden, da hat man das Bewußtsein, daß der Mensch eine Persönlichkeit ist, in der eine höhere Individualität lebt., Die Grundlage für mich ist also zunächst das Vertrauen und der Glaube, weil wir nicht bloß immer in uns unser höheres Selbst suchen, sondern auch in unseren Mitmenschen. Jeder, der um uns herum lebt, ist seinem innern Wesenskern nach in voller ungeteilter Einheit mit uns.

Solange es auf mein niederes Selbst ankommt, so lange bin ich von andern Menschen getrennt. Dann aber, wenn es sich um mein höheres Selbst handelt — und nur dieses kann in die übersinnliche Welt hinaufsteigen —, dann bin ich nicht mehr von den Mitmenschen getrennt, dann bin ich ein einheitliches Wesen mit meinen Mitmenschen, dann ist derjenige, der zu mir von den höheren Wahrheiten spricht: ich selbst. Ich muß diesen Unterschied zwischen ihm und mir ganz fallenlassen, ich muß das Gefühl ganz überwinden, daß er etwas vor mir voraus hat. Versuchen Sie sich in dieses Gefühl ganz und gar hineinzuleben, so daß es bis in die intimsten Fäserchen der menschlichen Seele dringt und jeder Egoismus schwindet, und der andere, der weiter ist als Sie, wirklich so vor Ihnen steht wie Ihr eigenes Selbst, dann haben Sie eine der Vorbedingungen begriffen, die dazu gehören, höheres geistiges Leben zu erwecken.

Sie können es gerade da, wo Anleitung zum okkulten Leben — oftmals sehr verkehrt und irrtümlich — gegeben wird, hören: Das höhere Selbst lebt im Menschen, er braucht nur sein Inneres sprechen zu lassen und es wird sich die höchste Wahrheit offenbaren. — Nichts ist einerseits richtiger und andererseits unfruchtbarer, als was da behauptet wird. Der Mensch versuche einmal, seinen inneren Menschen sprechen zu lassen, und er wird sehen, daß in der Regel, auch wenn er sich noch so sehr einbildet, daß sein höheres Selbst zum Vorschein kommt, sein niederes Selbst spricht. Das höhere Selbst finden wir zunächst nicht in uns. Wir müssen es zuerst außer uns suchen. Bei dem, der weiter ist, können wir ein Stück lernen, da wir es da gleichsam anschaulich haben. Niemals können wir von unserem eigenen egoistischen Ich etwas für unser höheres Selbst profitieren. Wo der steht, der weiter ist als ich, da werde ich einst in Zukunft stehen. Der Anlage nach trage ich wirklich den Samen für das, was er ist, in mir. Aber erst müssen sie erhellt sein, die Wege zum Olymp hinauf, damit ich ihnen nachwandeln kann.

Ein Gefühl, Sie mögen es glauben oder nicht — jeder praktische Okkultist, der Erfahrung hat, wird es Ihnen bestätigen —, ein Gefühl ist die Grundbedingung für alle okkulte Entwickelung, welches in den verschiedenen Religionen erwähnt wird. Die christliche Religion bezeichnet es mit dem bekannten Satze, den man als Okkultist ganz und gar verstehen muß: «Wenn ihr nicht werdet wie die Kindlein, so könnt ihr nicht in das Reich der Himmel kommen.» Derjenige versteht den Satz allein, der im höchsten Sinne des Wortes verehren gelernt hat. Nehmen Sie einmal an, Sie hätten in frühester Jugend eine verehrungswürdige Person schildern gehört, eine Persönlichkeit, von der in Ihnen die höchste Vorstellung in einer Richtung erweckt worden ist, und es soll Ihnen die Gelegenheit geboten werden, diese Persönlichkeit näher kennenzulernen. Eine heilige Scheu vor dieser Persönlichkeit lebt in Ihnen an dem Tage, der Ihnen den Augenblick bringen soll, wo Sie dieselbe zum ersten Male leibhaftig sehen. Da können Sie, vor der Türe dieser Persönlichkeit stehend, das Gefühl haben, sich zu scheuen, die Klinke zu berühren und die Tür aufzumachen. Wenn Sie so hinaufschauen zu solch verehrungswürdiger PersönJichkeit, dann haben Sie ungefähr das Gefühl begriffen, das auch das Christentum meint, wenn es sagt, daß man werden soll wie die Kindlein, um teilzunehmen am Reiche der Himmel. Es kommt wirklich nicht so sehr darauf an, ob derjenige, an welchen das Gefühl gerichtet ist, es auch in vollem Maße verdient, sondern es kommt darauf an, daß wir die Fähigkeit haben, so recht tief aus unserem Inneren heraus verehrungsvoll zu etwas aufzuschauen. Das ist das Bedeutungsvolle bei der Verehrung, daß man selbst zu dem hinaufgezogen wird, zu dem man aufblickt.

Das Gefühl der Verehrung ist die erhebende Kraft, die magnetische Kraft, die uns zu den höheren Sphären des übersinnlichen Lebens hinaufzieht. Das ist das Gesetz der okkulten Welt, das sich jeder, der höheres Leben sucht, wie mit goldenen Lettern in seine Seele hineinschreiben muß. Von dieser Grundstimmung des Gemütes aus muß die Entwickelung beginnen. Ohne dieses Gefühl ist überhaupt nichts zu erreichen. Sodann muß derjenige, der innere Entwickelung sucht, sich darüber klar sein, daß er Ungeheueres in bezug auf den Menschen tut. Was er sucht, ist nichts mehr und nichts weniger als eine Neugeburt, und zwar in buchstäblichem Sinne. Die höhere Seele des Menschen soll geboren werden. Und so wie der Mensch bei seiner ersten Geburt geboren worden ist aus den tiefen inneren Gründen des Daseins, wie er hervorgetreten ist zum Lichte der Sonne, so tritt derjenige, der innere Entwickelung sucht, von dem Lichte der Sonne, von dem, was er in der Sinnenwelt erleben kann, zu einem höheren geistigen Licht heraus. Es wird in ihm etwas geboren, das in dem gewöhnlichen Menschen, der dabei die Mutter darstellt, ebenso tief ruht wie das Kind in der Mutter, bevor es geboren wird.

Wer sich der vollen Tragweite dieser Tatsache nicht bewußt ist, der weiß nicht, was okkulte Entwickelung heißt. Die höhere Seele, die zunächst tief, tief in der ganzen Menschennatur steckt und mit ihr verwoben ist, wird herausgeholt. Wenn der Mensch im alltäglichen Leben vor uns steht, sind niedere und höhere Natur miteinander verquickt, und das ist ein Glück für das alltägliche Leben.

Mancher, der unter uns lebt, würde, wenn er seiner niederen Natur folgte, vielleicht bösartige, schlimme Eigenschaften zutage fördern, aber in ihm lebt, vermischt mit dieser niederen Natur, die höhere, welche jene im Zaume hält. Die Vermischung ist vergleichsweise so, wie wenn wir in einem Glase eine gelbe und eine blaue Flüssigkeit mengen, was eine grüne Flüssigkeit gibt, in der wir Gelb und Blau nicht mehr unterscheiden können. So ist auch im Menschen die niedere Natur mit der höheren vermischt und beide sind nicht mehr voneinander zu unterscheiden. Wie Sie dann aus der grünen Flüssigkeit die blaue durch chemische Mittel herausziehen können, so daß nur das Gelbe zurückbleibt und das einheitliche Grün in eine vollständige Zweiheit, in Blau und Gelb getrennt wird, so trennen Sie bei der okkulten Entwickelung die niedere von der höheren Natur.Sie ziehen die niedere Natur aus dem Körper heraus wie den Degen aus der Scheide, die dann für sich allein bleibt. Diese niedere Natur kommt so heraus, daß sie fast schauerlich erscheint. Als sie noch vermischt war mit der höheren Natur, war davon nichts zu bemerken. Jetzt aber, wo sie getrennt ist, treten alle bösartigen, schlimmen Eigenschaften hervor. Menschen, die vorher als wohlwollend erschienen waren, werden oft zanksüchtig und neidisch. Diese Eigenschaften saßen früher schon in ihrer niederen Natur, wurden aber von der höheren beherrscht. Das können Sie bei vielen Leuten beobachten, die auf abnormen Wegen geführt werden. Ganz besonders leicht wird der Mensch zum Lügner, wenn er in die übersinnliche Welt eingeführt wird. Er verliert leicht die Fähigkeit, Wahres von Falschem zu unterscheiden. Es gehört notwendig zur okkulten Schulung, daß parallel mit derselben die strengste Schulung des Charakters einhergeht. Das, was die Geschichte der Heiligen als deren Versuchungen erzählt, ist nicht Legende, sondern buchstäbliche Wahrheit.

Derjenige, welcher sich auf irgendeinem Wege in die höhere Welt hinaufentwickeln will, ist dieser Versuchung leicht ausgesetzt, wenn er nicht die Kraft und die Gewalt der Charakterstärke und eine höchste Moralität in sich entwickelt hat, um alles, was an ihn herantritt, niederhalten zu können. Nicht allein, daß Begierde und Leidenschaften wachsen, das ist nicht einmal so sehr der Fall, sondern — und das erscheint zunächst wunderbar — auch die Gelegenheiten nehmen zu. Wie durch ein Wunder wird derjenige, der in die höhere Welt hinaufsteigt, von Gelegenheiten zum Schlimmen und Bösen umlauert, die ihm vorher verborgen gewesen sind. In jeder Tatsache des Lebens lauert ihm ein Dämon auf, der ihn auf Abwege zu führen sucht. Was er früher nicht gesehen hat, sieht er jetzt. Es zaubert ihm gleichsam die Spaltung seiner Natur überall aus den geheimen Stätten des Lebens solche Gelegenheiten vor. Deshalb wird von der sogenannten weißen Magie, von derjenigen Schule okkulter Entwickelung, die den Menschen in die höheren Welten führt auf gute, echte und wahre Weise, eine ganz bestimmte Charakterbildung als unerläßlich gefordert. Jeder praktische Okkultist wird Ihnen sagen, daß niemand durch diejenige engePforte zu schreiten wagen sollte — so nennt man den Eingang zur okkulten EntwickeJlung —, ohne diese Eigenschaften fort und fort zu üben. Sie sind eine notwendige Vorschule zum okkulten Leben.

Das erste, was der Mensch entwickeln muß, ist, auf allen seinen Wegen durch das Leben das Unbedeutende von dem Bedeutenden, das Vergängliche von dem Unvergänglichen zu trennen. Diese Forderung ist leicht zu stellen, aber oft schwer durchzuführen. Es ist, wie Goethe sagt, zwar leicht, doch ist das Leichte schwer. Sehen Sie sich zum Beispiel eine Pflanze oder ein Ding an. Sie lernen erkennen, daß jedes Ding eine bedeutende und eine unbedeutende Seite hat und der Mensch meistens an dem Unbedeutenden sein Interesse findet, an der Beziehung der Sache zu ihm oder an einer untergeordneten Eigenschaft. Derjenige, der Okkultist werden will, muß sich allmählich angewöhnen, in jedem Ding eine Wesenheit zu sehen und zu suchen. Er muß, wenn er zum Beispiel eine Uhr sieht, ein Interesse daran haben, welches die Gesetze der Uhr sind. Er muß sie bis ins kleinste hinein zergliedern können und ein Gefühl dafür entwickeln, welches die Gesetze der Uhr sind. Nehmen Sie ferner an, ein Mineraloge betrachtet einen Bergkristall. Er wird schon durch eine äußere Betrachtung zu einer bedeutenden Kenntnis des Kristalls kommen. Der Okkultist aber muß einen Stein in die Hand nehmen und lebendig fühlen können, was etwa in dem folgenden Monolog angedeutet ist: In gewisser Beziehung stehst du unterhalb der Menschheit, aber in gewisser Beziehung stehst du, der Bergkristall, weit über der Menschheit. Unter der Menschheit stehst du, weil du dir von den Menschen keine Bilder durch Vorstellung machen kannst, weil du nicht empfindest. Du kannst nicht vorstellen, nicht denken und lebst nicht, aber etwas hast du vor der Menschheit voraus, du bist in dir selbst keusch, hast kein Verlangen, keine Wünsche und Begierden. Jeder Mensch, jedes lebendige Wesen hat Wünsche, Verlangen, Begierden; du hast sie nicht. Du bist vollkommen und wunschlos, zufrieden mit dem, was dir geworden ist, ein Vorbild für den Menschen, mit dem er dann noch seine andern Eigenschaften verbinden muß.

Kann der Okkultist das recht tief fühlen, so hat er das Bedeutende ergriffen, das ihm der Stein sagen kann. So kann der Mensch aus jedem Ding etwas Bedeutungsvolles schöpfen. Wenn ihm das dann zur Gewohnheit geworden ist, daß er das Bedeutende von dem Unbedeutenden sondert, dann hat er sich ein weiteres der Gefühle angeeignet, die der Okkultist haben muß. Sodann muß er sein eigenes Leben mit dem Bedeutenden verbinden. Darin irren die Menschen besonders in unserer Zeit sehr leicht. Die Menschen glauben sehr leicht, daß der Platz, an dem sie stehen, ihnen nicht gebühre. Wie häufig sind Menschen geneigt zu sagen: Mein Los hat mich an einen Platz gestellt, an den ich nicht passe. Ich bin, sagen wir zum Beispiel Postbeamter. Wenn ich an einen andern Platz gestellt wäre, so könnte ich den Leuten hohe Ideen vermitteln, große Lehren geben und so weiter. — Der Fehler bei diesen Menschen ist der, daß sie ihr Leben nicht an das Bedeutende ihres Berufes anknüpfen. Sehen Sie in mir etwas Bedeutendes, weil ich zu den Menschen hier reden kann, so sehen Sie das Bedeutende in Ihrem eigenen Leben und Beruf nicht. Wenn die Postbriefträger die Briefe nicht wegtrügen, so würde der ganze Briefverkehr stocken, viele Arbeit, die von andern bereits geleistet ist, wäre umsonst.

Daher ist jeder an seinem Posten von außerordentlicher Wichtigkeit für das Ganze, und keiner ist höher als der andere. Christus hat das am schönsten in geradezu herrlicher Weise anzudeuten versucht im dreizehnten Kapitel des Evangeliums Johanni in den Worten: «Der Knecht ist nicht größer denn sein Herr, noch der Apostel größer denn der, der ihn gesandt hat.» Diese Worte wurden gesprochen, nachdem der Meister den Aposteln die Füße gewaschen hatte. Damit wollte er sagen: Was wäre ich ohne meine Apostel? Sie müssen da sein, damit ich da sein kann in der Welt, und ich habe ihnen den Tribut zu bringen, daß ich mich vor ihnen erniedrige und ihnen die Füße wasche. — Da ist einer der bedeutendsten Hinweise für das Gefühl, das der Okkultist für das Bedeutende haben muß. Nicht darf man das äußerlich Bedeutende mit dem innerlich Bedeutenden verwechseln, darauf ist streng zu achten.

Dann müssen wir eine Reihe von Eigenschaften entwickeln. Dazu gehört in erster Linie, daß wir Herr unserer Gedanken werden, namentlich der Gedankenfolge. Man nennt das Kontrolle der Gedanken. Überlegen Sie sich einmal, wie in der Seele des Menschen die Gedanken hin- und herschwirren, wie sie drinnen herumirrlichtelieren: da tritt ein Eindruck auf, dort ein anderer, und jeder einzelne verändert den Gedanken. Es ist nicht wahr, daß wir den Gedanken in der Hand haben, vielmehr beherrschen uns die Gedanken ganz und gar. Wir müssen aber so weit kommen, daß wir während einer gewissen Zeit des Tages uns in einen bestimmten Gedanken versenken und uns sagen: Kein anderer Gedanke darf in unsere Seele einziehen und uns beherrschen. — Damit führen wir selbst die Zügel des Gedankenlebens für einige Zeit.

Das zweite ist, daß wir uns in ähnlicher Weise zu unseren Handlungen verhalten, also Kontrolle der Handlungen üben. Dabei ist notwendig, daß wir wenigstens dazu gelangen, ab und zu solche Handlungen zu begehen, zu denen wir durch nichts, was von außen kommt, veranlaßt sind. Alles dasjenige, wozu wir durch unseren Stand, unseren Beruf, unsere Stellung veranlaßt sind, das führt uns nicht tiefer in das höhere Leben hinein. Das höhere Leben hängt von solchen Intimitäten ab, zum Beispiel daß wir den Entschluß fassen, ein Erstes zu tun, etwas, was unserer ureigensten Initiative entspringt, und wenn es auch nur eine ganz unbedeutende Tatsache wäre. Alle andern Handlungen tragen zum höheren Leben nichts bei.

Das Folgende, das dritte, was es zu erstreben gilt, ist die Ertragsamkeit. Die Menschen schwanken zwischen Freude und Schmerz hin und her, sind in diesem Zeitpunkte himmelhoch jauchzend, im andern zu Tode betrübt. So lassen sich die Menschen auf den Wellen des Lebens, der Freude und des Schmerzes schaukeln. Sie müssen aber den Gleichmut, die Gelassenheit erlangen. Das größte Leid, die größten Freuden dürfen sie nicht aus der Fassung bringen, sie müssen feststehen, ertragsam werden.

Das vierte ist das Verständnis für ein jegliches Wesen. Durch nichts wird schöner ausgedrückt, was es heißt, ein jegliches Wesen zu verstehen, als durch eine Legende, die uns über den Christus Jesus erhalten geblieben ist, nicht im Evangelium, sondern in einer persischen Erzählung. Jesus ging mit seinen Jüngern über Feld, und sie fanden auf dem Wege einen verwesenden Hund. Greulich war das Tier anzusehen. Jesus blieb stehen und warf bewundernde Blicke auf dasselbe, indem er sagte: «Wie schöne Zähne hat doch das Tier.» Jesus hat aus dem Scheußlichen das eine Schöne herausgefunden. Streben Sie, dem Herrlichen überall so beizukommen, an jedem Ding draußen in der Wirklichkeit, dann werden Sie sehen, daß jedes Ding etwas hat, zu dem man ja sagen kann. Machen Sie es wie Christus, der an dem toten Hunde die schönen Zähne bewunderte. Das ist die Richtung, die zur großen Toleranz und zum Verständnis für jegliches Ding und für jedes Wesen führt.

Die fünfte Eigenschaft ist die volle Unbefangenheit gegenüber allem Neuen, das uns entgegentritt. Die meisten Menschen beurteilen das Neue, das ihnen entgegentritt, nach dem Alten, was ihnen schon bekannt ist. Wenn jemand kommt, um ihnen etwas zu sagen, so erwidern sie gleich: Darüber bin ich anderer Meinung. — Wir dürfen aber einer Mitteilung, die uns zukommt, nicht gleich unsere Meinung gegenüberstellen, wir müssen vielmehr auf dem Ausguck stehen, um herauszufinden, wo wir etwas Neues lernen können. Und lernen können wir selbst von einem kleinen Kinde. Selbst wenn einer der weiseste Mensch wäre, so muß er geneigt sein, mit seinem Urteil zurückzuhalten und andern zuzuhören. Dieses Zuhörenkönnen müssen wir entwickeln, denn es befähigt uns, den Dingen die größtmöglichste Unbefangenheit entgegenzubringen. Im Okkultismus nennt man dies «Glaube», und das ist die Kraft, die Eindrücke, die das Neue auf uns macht, nicht durch das, was wir demselben entgegenhalten, abzuschwächen.

Die sechste Eigenschaft ist das, was jeder von selbst erhält, wenn er die angeführten Eigenschaften entwickelt hat. Das ist die innere Harmonie. Die innere Harmonie hat der Mensch, der die andern Eigenschaften hat. Dann ist es auch notwendig, daß der Mensch, der die okkulte Entwickelung sucht, das Freiheitsgefühl im höchsten Maße ausgebildet hat, das Freiheitsgefühl, durch das er in sich selbst das Zentrum seines Wesens suchen und auf eigenen Füßen stehen kann, daß er nicht jeden zu fragen braucht, was er zu tun hat, sondern daß er aufrecht steht und frei handelt. Das ist auch etwas, was man sich aneignen muß.

Hat der Mensch diese Eigenschaften in sich entwickelt, dann ist er über alle Gefahr erhaben, die die Spaltung seiner Natur in ihm bewirken könnte, dann können die Eigenschaften seiner niederen Natur nicht mehr auf ihn wirken, dann kann er vom Wege nicht mehr abirren. Daher müssen diese Eigenschaften mit großer Genauigkeit herausgebildet werden. Dann kommt das okkulte Leben, dessen Ausdruck eine gewisse Rhythmisierung des Lebens bedingt.

Der Ausdruck: Rhythmisierung des Lebens drückt die dazu entwickelte Fähigkeit aus. Wenn Sie die Natur betrachten, so finden Sie in ihr einen gewissen Rhythmus. Sie werden es für selbstverständlich halten, daß das Veilchen alljährlich zur selben Zeit im Frühling blüht, daß die Saat auf dem Felde, die Traube zur selben Zeit am Weinstock reif wird. Diese rhythmische Aufeinanderfolge der Erscheinungen findet sich überall draußen in der Natur. Überall ist Rhythmus, überall Wiederholung in regelmäßiger Folge. Wenn Sie hinaufgehen zu den Wesen, die höher entwickelt sind, sehen Sie immer mehr und mehr diese rhythmische Folge abnehmen. Sie sehen auch beim Tier, noch in höherem Grade, alle Eigenschaften rhythmisch geordnet. Zu bestimmter Zeit des Jahres bekommt das Tier ganz bestimmte Funktionen und Fähigkeiten. Je höher sich das Wesen entwickelt, je mehr das Leben in die eigenen Hände des Wesens gegeben wird, desto mehr hört dieser Rhythmus auf. Sie müssen wissen, daß des Menschen Leib nur eines der Glieder seiner Wesenheit ist. Dann kommt der Ätherleib, dann der Astralleib und endlich die höheren Glieder, die jenen zugrunde liegen.

Der physische Leib ist in hohem Maße dem Rhythmus unterworfen, dem die ganze äußere Natur unterworfen ist. Wie das Pflanzen- und Tierleben in seiner äußeren Form rhythmisch abläuft, so verläuft auch das Leben des physischen Körpers. Das Herz schlägt rhythmisch, die Lunge atmet rhythmisch und so weiter. Alles dies verläuft so rhythmisch, weil es geordnet ist von höheren Gewalten, von der Weisheit der Welt, von dem, was die Schriften den Heiligen Geist nennen. Die höheren Leiber, und namentlich der Astralleib, sind, ich möchte sagen, in gewisser Weise von diesen höheren geistigen Mächten verlassen und haben ihren Rhythmus verloren. Oder können Sie es leugnen, daß Ihre Betätigung in bezug auf Wünsche, Begierden und Leidenschaften unregelmäßig ist, daß sie gar keinen Vergleich aushält mit der Regelmäßigkeit, die im physischen Leibe waltet? Wer den Rhythmus lernt, der in der physischen Natur liegt, der findet darin immer mehr das Vorbild für die Geistigkeit. Wenn Sie das Herz betrachten, dieses wunderbare Organ mit dem regelmäßigen Schlag und seiner eingepflanzten Weisheit, und vergleichen es mit den Begierden und Leidenschaften des Astralleibes, die alle möglichen Aktionen gegen das Herz loslassen, dann werden Sie erkennen, wie nachteilig die Leidenschaft auf den regelmäßigen Gang desselben wirkt. Ebenso rhythmisch aber, wie die Verrichtungen des physischen Leibes sind, müssen die Funktionen des Astralleibes werden.

Ich will hier etwas anführen, was den meisten der heutigen Menschen grotesk erscheinen wird, und zwar in bezug auf das Fasten. Das Bewußtsein von der Bedeutung des Fastens ist uns ganz und gar verlorengegangen. Von dem Gesichtspunkt der Rhythmisierung unseres Astralleibes ist das Fasten aber etwas außerordentlich Sinnvolles. Was heißt Fasten? Es heißt, die Eßbegierde zügeln und den Astralleib in bezug auf die Eßbegierde ausschalten. Der, welcher fastet, schaltet den Astralleib aus und entwickelt keine Eßlust. Das ist so, wie wenn Sie eine Kraft ausschalten in einer Maschine. Der Astralleib ist dann untätig, und die ganze Rhythmik des physischen Leibes und die ihm eingepflanzte Weisheit wirken hinauf in den Astralleib und rhythmisieren denselben. Wie das Siegel von einem Petschaft, so drückt sich die Harmonie des physischen Leibes dem Astralleibe ein und sie würde sich viel nachhaltiger übertragen, wenn er nicht immer unregelmäßig gemacht würde durch die Begierden, Leidenschaften und Wünsche, auch durch geistige Begierden und Wünsche.

Was dem heutigen Menschen notwendiger ist, als das in früherer Zeit der Fall war, das ist, Rhythmus in sein ganzes höheres Leben hineinzubringen. Ebenso wie dem physischen Leibe Rhythmus von Gott eingepflanzt ist, so muß der Mensch seinen Astralkörper rhythmisch machen. Der Mensch muß sich seinen Tag vorschreiben, ihn für den Astralleib so einteilen, wie der Geist der Natur ihn für die niederen Reiche einteilt. Morgens früh, zu ganz bestimmter Zeit, muß man eine geistige Verrichtung machen, zu einer andern Zeit, die wieder streng festgehalten werden muß, eine andere, am Abend wieder eine andere. Diese geistigen Übungen dürfen nicht willkürlich gewählt werden, sondern müssen zur Weiterbildung des höheren Lebens geeignet sein. Das ist eine Art, das Leben in die Hand zu nehmen und in der Hand zu behalten. Setze dir also für morgens eine Stunde fest, wo du dich konzentrierst. Diese Stunde mußt du einhalten. Da mußt du eine Art Windstille herstellen, damit der große okkulte Meister in dir aufwachen kann. Da mußt du meditieren über einen großen Gedankeninhalt, der nichts mit der Außenwelt zu tun hat, und diesen Gedankeninhalt ganz in dir aufleben lassen. Es genügt eine kurze Zeit, vielleicht eine Viertelstunde, es genügen selbst fünf Minuten, wenn man nicht mehr Zeit hat. Es ist aber wert- und zwecklos, wenn man diese Übungen unregelmäßig macht. Macht man sie regelmäßig, so daß die Tätigkeit des Astralleibes regelmäßig wie eine Uhr wird, dann haben sie Wert. Der Astralleib bekommt ein ganz anderes Aussehen, wenn Sie diese Übungen regelmäßig machen. Setzen Sie sich also des Morgens hin und machen Sie diese Übungen, so werden sich die Kräfte, die ich Ihnen schilderte, entwickeln. Es muß aber, wie gesagt, regelmäßig geschehen, denn der Astralleib erwartet um dieselbe Zeit, daß dasselbe mit ihm vorgenommen wird, und er gerät in Unordnung, wenn es nicht geschieht. Es muß wenigstens die Gesinnung zur Ordnung vorhanden sein. Wenn Sie in dieser Weise Ihr Leben rhythmisieren, dann müssen Sie die Erfolge in nicht allzulanger Zeit gewahren, nämlich das geistige Leben, das zunächst vor dem Menschen verborgen ist, wird in gewissem Grade offenbar.

Das Menschenleben wechselt in der Regel zwischen vier Zuständen. Der erste Zustand ist die Wahrnehmung der Außenwelt. Sie schauen mit den Sinnen herum und nehmen die Außenwelt wahr. Der zweite Zustand ist derjenige, den wir Phantasie, Vorstellungsleben nennen können, der etwas Verwandtes mit dem Traumleben hat, sogar dazugehört. Da wurzelt der Mensch nicht in der Umgebung, sondern ist losgelöst von derselben, da hat er keine Wirklichkeiten vor sich, höchstens Reminiszenzen. Der dritte Zustand ist der traumlose Schlaf. Da hat der Mensch gar kein Bewußtsein von dem Ich, und der vierte Zustand ist derjenige, in welchem der Mensch in der Erinnerung lebt. Das ist etwas anderes als Wahrnehmung, das ist schon Abgezogenes, Geistiges. Hätte der Mensch keine Erinnerung, so könnte er überhaupt keine geistige Entwickelung erhalten.

Inneres Leben fängt an sich zu entwickeln durch innere Beschaulichkeit und Meditation. Da macht der Mensch dann über kurz oder lang die Wahrnehmung, daß er nicht mehr in chaotischer Weise träumt, sondern daß er in höchst bedeutsamer Weise träumt, und daß sich ihm im Traume merkwürdige Dinge enthüllen, die er nach und nach anfängt als Offenbarung geistiger Wahrheiten zu erkennen. Es kann natürlich leicht der triviale Einwand erhoben werden: Das ist eben alles geträumt, was geht uns das an? — Wenn aber jemand im Traume den lenkbaren Luftballon entdeckte und ihn dann ausführte, dann hätte dieser Traum eben die Wahrheit enthüllt. So kann also eine Idee noch in anderer als der gewöhnlichen Weise erfaßt werden, und die Wahrheit derselben muß sich dann in der Verwirklichung finden. Wir müssen also von deren innerer Wahrheit von außen her überzeugt werden.

Die nächste Stufe im geistigen Leben ist die, wo wir die Wahrheit durch unsere eigenen Eigenschaften erfassen und unsere Träume mit Bewußtsein lenken. Wenn wir anfangen, den Traum in regelmäßiger Weise zu lenken, so sind wir auf den Stufen, wo uns die Wahrheit durchsichtig wird. Man nennt die erste Stufe die materielle Erkenntnis, wozu der Gegenstand daliegen muß. Die andere Stufe ist die imaginative Erkenntnis. Diese entwickelt man durch Meditation, durch Gestaltung des Lebens in rhythmischer Weise, Mühsam ist es, sie zu erringen. Ist sie aber erreicht, dann kommt auch die Zeit, wo kein Unterschied mehr ist zwischen Wahrnehmung im gewöhnlichen Leben und Wahrnehmung im Übersinnlichen. Wenn wir zwischen Dingen des gewöhnlichen Lebens sind, also in der sinnlichen Welt, und ändern unseren geistigen Zustand, so erleben wir dann fortwährend die geistige, die übersinnliche Welt, wenn wir uns genügend in dieser Weise trainiert haben. Das ist der Fall, sobald wir imstande sind, wirklich blind und taub zu werden gegenüber der Sinnenwelt, uns an nichts zu erinnern aus dem Alltagsleben und dennoch ein geistiges Leben in uns haben. Dann beginnt unser Traumleben eine bewußte Form anzunehmen. Und wenn wir imstande sind, von diesem etwas hineinzugießen in unser Alltagsleben, dann kommt auch das, was uns die seelischen Eigenschaften der um uns herum sich befindenden Wesen wahrnehmbar macht. Wir sehen dann nicht mehr das Außere der Dinge allein, sondern wir sehen dann auch das Innere, den verborgenen Wesenskern der Dinge, der Pflanzen, der Tiere und der Menschen. Ich weiß, daß die meisten sagen werden: Das sind im Grunde genommen andere Dinge. — Das ist ganz richtig; es sind immer ganz andere Dinge als die, welche der Mensch sieht, der solche Sinne nicht hat. Das dritte ist der Zustand, der sonst ganz leer ist, der aber anfängt belebt zu werden, wenn die Kontinuität des Bewußtseins eintritt. Die Kontinuität kommt ganz von selbst, der Mensch schläft dann nicht mehr bewußtlos. Während der Zeit, wo er sonst schläft, erlebt er dann die übersinnliche Welt.

Worin besteht sonst der Schlaf? Der physische Leib liegt im Bette und der Astralleib lebt in der übersinnlichen Welt. In dieser übersinnlichen Welt gehen Sie spazieren. In der Regel kann der Mensch mit heutiger Disposition sich nicht weit vom Körper entfernen. Wenn man nun durch Regeln, die die Geisteswissenschaft gibt, für diesen während des Schlafes herumziehenden Astralleib Organe entwickelt hat, wie der physische Leib Organe hat, so fängt er an, während des Schlafes sich bewußt zu werden. Der physische Leib wäre blind und taub, wenn er keine Augen und Ohren hätte, und der Astralleib, der in der Nacht spazierengeht, ist aus demselben Grunde blind und taub, weil er noch keine Augen und Ohren hat. Diese werden ihm aber entwickelt durch die Meditation, sie ist das Mittel zur Heranbildung der Organe. Diese Meditation muß dann in regelmäßiger Weise geleitet werden. Sie wird so geleitet, daß der Leib des Menschen die Mutter und der Geist des Menschen der Vater ist. Der Leib des Menschen, wie er physisch vor uns steht, ist in jedem Glied, das er uns darbietet, ein Geheimnis, und zwar so, daß jedes Glied in bestimmter, aber verborgener Weise zu einer Partie des Astralleibes gehört. Das sind die Dinge, die der Okkultist kennt. Er weiß zum Beispiel, wozu der Punkt zwischen den Augenbrauen gehört im physischen Leibe. Er gehört zu einem bestimmten Organe im astralen Organismus, und indem Ihnen der Geheimwissenschafter angibt, in welcher Weise Sie Gedanken, Gefühle und Empfindungen hinlenken müssen zu dem Punkte zwischen den Augenbrauen, dadurch daß Sic irgend etwas, was im physischen Leibe ausgebildet ist, in Zusammenhang bringen mit dem Entsprechenden im Astralleibe, bekommen Sie eine gewisse Empfindung im Astralleibe. Es muß aber regelmäßig geschehen, und man muß wissen, wie. Dann fängt der Astralleib an, sich zu gliedern. Aus einem Klumpen wird er zum Organismus, in dem sich die Organe ausbilden. Die astralen Sinnesorgane habe ich in der Zeitschrift «Lucifer-Gnosis» beschrieben. Man nennt sie auch Lotusblumen. Durch bestimmte Formeln werden diese Lotusblumen ausgebildet. Wenn sie ausgebildet sind, dann ist der Mensch fähig, die geistige Welt wahrzunehmen. Dies ist dann dieselbe Welt, welche er betritt, wenn er durch die Pforte des Todes schreitet. Zuschanden gemacht ist dann der Ausspruch Hamlets, daß von jenem unbekannten Land noch kein Wanderer zurückgekommen ist.

Sie können also von der sinnlichen Welt in die übersinnliche Welt hineingehen, besser gesagt, hineinschlüpfen, und sowohl da als dort leben. Das ist kein Leben in einem Wolkenkuckucksheim, sondern ein Leben in demjenigen Gebiet, welches uns erst das Leben in unserem Gebiete erklärlich und verständlich macht. So wie ein gewöhnlicher Mensch, der die Gesetze der Elektrizität nicht studiert hat, in eine elektrisch betriebene Fabrik hineingeht, das wunderbare Getriebe sieht und es nicht versteht, so versteht auch der gewöhnliche Mensch nicht das Getriebe der geistigen Welt. Der Unverstand des Fabrikbesuchers besteht so lange, als er die Gesetze der Elektrizität nicht kennt. So ist der Mensch auch im Gebiete des Geistigen unverständig, solange er nicht die Gesetze des Geistigen kennt. Es gibt nichts in unserer Welt, das nicht auf Schritt und Tritt von der geistigen Welt abhängig wäre. Alles, was uns hier umgibt, ist äußerer Ausdruck der geistigen Welt. Es gibt keinen Stoff. Jeder Stoff ist verdichteter Geist, und wer in die geistige Welt hineinsieht, dem vergeistigt sich die ganze stofflich sinnliche Welt, die Welt überhaupt. Wie das Eis vor der Sonne zu Wasser schmilzt, so schmilzt vor der Seele, die in die geistige Welt hineinsieht, alles Sinnliche zu einem Geistigen, so offenbart sich allmählich der Urgrund der Welt vor dem geistigen Auge und dem geistigen Ohre.

In Wahrheit ist das Leben, das der Mensch auf diese Art kennenlernt, das geistige Leben, das der Mensch im Inneren schon fortwährend führt, von dem er aber nichts weiß, weil er sich selbst nicht kennt, bevor er die Organe für die höhere Welt sich entwickelt hat. Denken Sie sich einmal, Sie wären Mensch mit den Eigenschaften, die Sie jetzt haben, hätten aber keine Sinnesorgane. Sie wüßten nichts von der Welt um Sie herum, Sie hätten kein Verständnis für den physischen Leib, und doch gehörten Sie der physischen Welt an. So gehört die Seele des Menschen der geistigen Welt an, weiß es aber nicht, weil sie nicht hört und nicht sieht. Wie unser Körper aus den Kräften und Stoffen der physischen Welt genommen ist, so ist unsere Seele aus den Kräften und Stoffen der geistigen Welt genommen. Wir erkennen uns nicht in uns, sondern erst in unserer Umgebung. So wahr Sie nicht Herz und Gehirn sehen können, ohne daß Sie es durch Ihre Sinnesorgane an andern wahrnehmen — selbst mit Hilfe der Röntgenstrahlen können nur Ihre Augen das Herz sehen —, so wahr ist es, daß Sie Ihre eigene Seele nicht sehen oder hören können, ohne daß Sie sie durch geistige Sinnesorgane in der Umwelt erkennen. Sie können sich nur durch Ihre Umwelt erkennen. Es gibt in Wahrheit keine Innenerkenntnis, keine Selbstbeschauung, es gibt nur eine Erkenntnis, eine Offenbarung durch Organe sowohl des physischen als des geistigen Lebens um uns herum. Wir gehören den Welten um uns her an, der physischen, der seelischen und der geistigen Welt. Wir lernen aus der physischen, wenn wir physische Organe haben und aus der geistigen Welt, aus allen Seelen, wenn wir geistige, seelische Organe haben. Es gibt keine andere Erkenntnis als Welterkenntnis.

Müßig ist es und leere Beschaulichkeit, wenn der Mensch in sich brütet und glaubt, durch bloße Selbstschau irgend etwas erreichen zu können. Den Gott in sich findet der Mensch, wenn er die göttlichen Organe in sich erweckt und dann in seiner Umwelt sein höheres, göttliches Selbst findet, wie er sein niederes Selbst auch nur durch seine Augen und Ohren in der Umwelt finden kann. Wir selbst werden uns klar als physische Wesen durch den Umgang mit der Sinnenwelt, und wir werden uns klar in geistiger Beziehung dadurch, daß wir geistige Sinne in uns entwickeln. Entwickelung des Inneren heißt, sich erschließen für das göttliche Leben in der Außenwelt um uns herum.

Jetzt werden Sie verstehen, warum es notwendig ist, daß zunächst derjenige, der so, wie ich es beschrieben habe, in die höhere Welt aufsteigt, eine unendliche Festigung seines Charakters zuerst erfährt. Wie die Sinnenwelt ist, kann der Mensch zunächst durch sich selbst erfahren, weil seine Sinne schon erschlossen sind, weil ein gütiger göttlicher Geist, der gesehen und gehört hat in der physischen Welt, in grauester Vorzeit neben dem Menschen gestanden hat, bevor er gesehen und gehört hat und ihm die Augen und Ohren erschlossen hat. Von eben solchen Wesen muß der Mensch heute lernen, geistig zu sehen, von Wesen, die schon können, was er lernen muß. Wir müssen einen Guru haben, der uns sagt, wie wir unsere Organe entwickeln sollen, der uns sagt, was er gemacht hat, daß die Organe sich entwickelt haben. Der, welcher anleiten will, muß sich eine Grundeigenschaft angeeignet haben: die unbedingte Wahrhaftigkeit, und dies ist auch eine Hauptforderung, die an den Schüler gestellt werden muß. Niemand darf zum Okkultisten ausgebildet werden, es sei denn, daß er zu dieser Grundeigenschaft der unbedingten Wahrhaftigkeit vorher ausgebildet wird.

Gegenüber den sinnlichen Erfahrungen kann man prüfen, was gesagt wird. Wenn ich Ihnen aber aus der geistigen Welt etwas erzähle, so müssen Sie Vertrauen haben, weil Sie noch nicht so weit sind, daß Sie es prüfen können. Der, welcher Guru sein will, muß so wahrhaftig geworden sein, daß es ihm unmöglich ist, es leichtzunehmen mit solchen Behauptungen bezüglich der geistigen Welt und des geistigen Lebens. Die Sinnenwelt korrigiert sofort die Irrtümer, welche wir in bezug auf diese Sinnenwelt machen, in der geistigen Welt aber müssen wir jene Richtschnur in uns selbst haben, wir müssen streng trainiert sein, so daß wir nicht gezwungen sind, die Kontrolle durch die Außenwelt zu machen, sondern sie in uns selbst haben. Diese Kontrolle können wir uns nur erwerben, indem wir die strengste Wahrhaftigkeit schon hier in der Welt uns aneignen. Deshalb hatte auch die Theosophische Gesellschaft, als sie begann, einige elementare Lehren des Okkultismus vor die Welt hinauszutragen, den Grundsatz anzunehmen: Kein Gesetz über der Wahrheit. — Wenige verstehen diesen Grundsatz. Die meisten sind damit zufrieden, wenn sie sich sagen können, ich habe das Bewußtsein, daß es wahr ist, und wenn es falsch ist, so sagen sie, ich habe mich geirrt. Der Okkultist darf nicht auf seine subjektive Ehrlichkeit pochen. Da ist er auf falscher Fährte. Er muß immer mit den Tatsachen in der Außenwelt übereinstimmen und eine Erfahrung, die dagegen spricht, muß er als Irrtum, als Fehler ansehen. Dafür-Können und Nichts-dafür-Können hört für den Okkultisten auf. Er muß mit den Tatsachen des Lebens in absolutem Einklang stehen. Man muß anfangen, sich im strengsten Sinne für jede Behauptung, die man aufstellt, verantwortlich zu fühlen. Dann erzieht man sich zu der unbedingten Sicherheit, die derjenige für sich und andere haben muß, der ein geistiger Führer sein will.

So sehen Sie, daß ich Ihnen heute — wir werden über dieses Thema noch einmal sprechen müssen, um die höheren Partien noch hinzuzufügen — eine Reihe Eigenschaften und Verfahrungsarten angeben mußte, die Ihnen zu intim erscheinen werden, um mit andern darüber zu sprechen, die jede Seele mit sich selbst abmachen muß, die Ihnen vielleicht ungeeignet erscheinen, das gewaltige Ziel zu erreichen, das erreicht werden soll, nämlich das Eintreten in die übersinnliche Welt. Diesen Eintritt wird derjenige unbedingt erreichen, welcher den Weg beschreitet, den ich charakterisiert habe.

Wann? Darüber hat einer der vorzüglichsten Teilnehmer in der theosophischen Bewegung, unser längstverstorbenes Mitglied Subba Row, sich zutreffend ausgesprochen. Er antwortete auf die Frage, wie lange es dauert: Sieben Jahre, vielleicht auch siebenmal sieben Jahre, vielleicht auch sieben Inkarnationen, vielleicht auch bloß sieben Stunden. — Es hängt ganz von dem ab, was der Mensch ins Leben mitbringt. Es kann ein Mensch vor uns stehen, der scheinbar ganz dumm ist, der aber ein jetzt verborgenes höheres Leben mitgebracht hat, das nur herausgeholt werden muß. Heute sind die meisten Menschen in okkulter Beziehung weiter, als es scheint, und es würde dies vielen auch bekannt sein, wenn unsere materiellen Verhältnisse und unsere materielle Zeit sie nicht so sehr in das innere Leben der Seele zurückschlüge. Ein großer Prozentsatz der Menschen von heute war früher schon weiter. Es hängt von verschiedenen Dingen ab, ob das, was im Menschen ist, herauskommt. Man kann aber einigen Hilfe geben. Denken Sie sich, ein Mensch steht vor mir. In seiner früheren Inkarnation war er eine hochentwickelte Individualität, hat aber jetzt ein unentwickeltes Gehirn. Ein unentwickeltes Gehirn kann manchmal große geistige Fähigkeiten verdecken. Wenn man ihm aber die gewöhnlichen profanen Fähigkeiten beibringt, so ist es möglich, daß auch das innere Geistige herauskommt. Nun hängt es aber nicht bloß hiervon ab, sondern auch von der Umgebung, in welcher der Mensch lebt.

In ganz bedeutsamer Weise ist der Mensch ein Spiegelbild seiner Umgebung. Nehmen Sie an, ein Mensch ist eine hochentwickelte Persönlichkeit, lebt aber in einer Umgebung, die nur gewisse Vorurteile in ihm erweckt und ausbildet, die dann so energisch wirken, daß die höhere Veranlagung nicht aus ihm herauskommen kann. Wenn ein solcher Mensch nicht jemanden findet, der sie aus ihm herausholt, dann bleibt sie eben in ihm verborgen.

Nur wenige Andeutungen konnte ich Ihnen hierüber machen; wir werden aber nach Weihnachten nochmals über die weiteren und tieferen Dinge sprechen. Die eine Vorstellung, die ich erwecken wollte, ist die, daß das höhere Leben nicht tumultuarisch ausgebildet wird, sondern ganz intim, in tiefster Seele, und daß der große Tag, an dem die Seele erwacht und in das höhere Leben eintritt, tatsächlich kommt wie der Dieb in der Nacht. Die Entwickelung zum höheren Leben führt den Menschen in eine neue Welt hinein, und wenn er eingetreten ist in diese neue Welt, dann sieht er sozusagen die andere Seite des Daseins, dann eröffnet sich ihm das, was vorher für ihn verborgen war. Vielleicht kann es nicht jeder, vielleicht können es nur wenige, so soll sich jeder sagen. Aber das soll ihn nicht abhalten, zunächst wenigstens denjenigen Weg zu betreten, der jedem offensteht, nämlich von den höheren Welten zu hören. In Gemeinschaft zu leben, ist der Mensch berufen, und wer sich absondert, kann zu keinem geistigen Leben kommen. Eine Absonderung im höheren Sinne aber ist es, wenn ich sage: Das glaube ich nicht, das hat keinen Bezug auf mich, das mag für das andere Leben Geltung haben; für den Okkultisten gilt das nicht. Ein Grundsatz ist es für den Okkultisten, die andern Menschen in Wirklichkeit als die Offenbarung seines eigenen höheren Selbstes anzusehen, weil man dann weiß, daß man die andern in sich finden muß.

Ein feiner Unterschied besteht zwischen den beiden Sätzen «die andern in sich finden» und «sich in den andern zu finden». Das heißt aber im höheren Sinne: Das bist du. — Und im höchsten Sinne heißt es: In der Welt sich selbst erkennen und verstehen das Wort des Dichters, welches ich vor einigen Wochen in anderem Zusammenhange anführen durfte: «Einem gelang es, er hob den Schleier der Göttin zu Sais. — Aber was sah er? Er sah — Wunder des Wunders — sich selbst.» Nicht im egoistischen Innern, sondern selbstlos in der Welt sich finden, ist wahre Selbsterkenntnis.

Inner Development

In a long series of lectures, we have discussed mental images about the supersensible world and its connection to the sensible world. It is only natural that the question arises again and again: Where do our insights into the supersensible world come from? Today we will deal with this question, or in other words, with the question of the inner development of the human being.

Inner development of the human being is meant here in the sense that it signifies the ascent of the human being to abilities that he must acquire if he wants to make those supersensible insights his own. Now, please do not misunderstand the purpose of this lecture. This lecture is far from establishing rules or laws that have anything to do with general human morality or with the demands of the general religion of the time. I must expressly point this out because, in our age of leveling, where no difference between human beings is allowed, the misunderstanding arises again and again that those who speak of occultism are establishing general human demands, moral principles, or the like, which apply to everyone without distinction. That is not the case. Nor is today's lecture one that should be confused with a lecture on the general principles of the theosophical movement. Occultism is not the same as theosophy. The Theosophical Society does not have the sole and certainly not the exclusive task of cultivating occultism. It could even be possible that those who join this Theosophical Society completely disapprove of occultism.

Among the things cultivated in the Theosophical Society, which also includes a general ethic, is occultism, which encompasses knowledge of those laws of our existence that elude ordinary sensory observation in the everyday realm of human experience. However, these laws are by no means unrelated to everyday experience. Occult means hidden, mysterious. However, it must be emphasized again and again that occultism is something for which certain preconditions are really necessary. Just as higher mathematics is incomprehensible to the ordinary farmer who has never heard of it, so occultism is incomprehensible to many people of our time.

However, occultism ceases to be occult once one has mastered it. I have therefore strictly limited the scope of today's lecture. No one can object — and this must be expressly emphasized after thousands of years of experience and numerous attempts — that the demands made by occultism cannot be fulfilled, that they contradict general human culture. No one is required to fulfill them. But if someone comes to me and wants to have the convictions that occultism provides, but refuses to deal with occultism, then he is in exactly the same situation as the schoolboy who wants to make a glass rod electrically charged but refuses to rub it. Without friction, it will not become electrically charged. It is much the same with those who object to the practices of occultism.

No one is required to become an occultist; everyone must come to occultism voluntarily. Those who object that we do not need occultism need not concern themselves with it. Occultism does not appeal to humanity in general at the present time. In our current culture, it is also extremely difficult to submit to the demands of a life that opens up the supersensible world.

Two prerequisites are completely lacking in our culture. The first requirement is isolation, what is called in the secret science the higher human solitude; the second is the overcoming of egoism, which in our time has risen to its highest level in relation to the innermost soul qualities and is largely unconscious to humanity.

The lack of these two prerequisites makes the development of inner life virtually impossible. Isolation or spiritual solitude is so difficult to achieve today because life is becoming increasingly scattered, fragmented, and, in short, demanding of external sensuality. In no other culture have people ever lived so much in the external world as in ours. And now I ask you again not to take anything I say as criticism, but merely as a characteristic description.

Of course, anyone who speaks as I am speaking today knows very well that it cannot be otherwise, that the great advantages and significant achievements of our time are based precisely on these characteristics. But that is why our time is so devoid of supersensible knowledge and of any influence of supersensible knowledge on our culture. In other cultures — and there are such cultures — people are able to cultivate their inner life more and withdraw from the influences of outer life. Within such cultures, what is called inner life in the higher sense then flourishes. In Eastern cultures there is what is called yoga, and those who live according to the rules of this teaching are called yogis. A yogi is therefore someone who strives for higher spiritual knowledge, but only after seeking out a master of the supernatural. No one will seek it other than under the guidance of a master, a guru. Once they have found one, they must devote a large part of their day, regularly and not irregularly, to living entirely in their soul. All the powers that the yogi has to develop are already in his soul, they are as certain and true in it as the electricity in the glass rod from which it is elicited by rubbing. It is true that no human being knows from within himself how to evoke these powers, just as no human being can figure out on his own that the glass rod can be made electric by rubbing. One must use the observations made over thousands of years and the secret scientific methods developed as a result to evoke the powers of the soul. And that is very difficult in our time, which demands that every person fragment themselves in the struggle for existence. They do not achieve the great inner concentration, not even a concept of the concentration that one had in yoga. There is no awareness of the deep solitude that the yogi must seek. He must, even if only for a short time, repeat the same thing rhythmically every day with tremendous regularity, in complete seclusion from everything else in which one otherwise lives. It is necessary and absolutely essential that all the life that otherwise surrounds us dies before the yogi, that his senses become impervious to all impressions from the outside world. The yogi must be able to make himself blind and deaf to his surroundings for the time he prescribes for himself. He must be able to be so collected within himself—and he must acquire the practice of this collection—that a cannon could be fired next to him without disturbing his focus on his inner life. He must also become free from all memory impressions, from all memories of everyday life.

Now consider how extraordinarily difficult these preconditions are to achieve in our culture, how little we have any concept of such isolation, of such spiritual solitude. All this must be achieved under one condition, namely that of never in any way losing harmony, complete balance with the outside world. And that is extraordinarily easy to do when one is so deeply immersed in one's inner self. Those who delve deeper and deeper into their inner selves must at the same time establish harmony with the outside world all the more clearly. Nothing that smacks of alienation, of distance from practical external life, must occur in them, otherwise they will go astray, otherwise their higher life may to a certain extent become indistinguishable from madness. It is truly a kind of madness when the inner life loses its connection to the outer world. To illustrate this with an example, imagine that you are knowledgeable about our earthly circumstances and have all the experience and wisdom that can be gathered on Earth. You fall asleep at night, but when you wake up in the morning, you are not on Earth, but on Mars. But conditions on Mars are completely different from those on Earth. All the knowledge you have gathered on Earth is of no use to you there. There is no longer any harmony between what lives within you and what is happening outside you. Therefore, because you cannot cope with the new conditions, you would probably be put in a Mars madhouse within an hour. Anyone who loses touch with the outside world in the development of their inner life can easily be led down such a path. We must take great care to ensure that this does not happen. These are all great difficulties in our culture.

The other obstacle is a kind of egoism in relation to inner spiritual qualities, of which the present human race is usually unaware. This is closely related to the spiritual development of human beings. One of the prerequisites for spiritual development is that it should not be sought out of egoism. Those who seek it out of egoism cannot get very far. But our age is egoistic, even in the depths of the human soul. Time and again we hear people say: Yes, what good are all the teachings spread in occultism to me if I cannot experience them myself? — Anyone who starts from this premise and does not deviate from it can hardly achieve a truly higher development, for higher development requires the most intimate consciousness of human community, so that it is indifferent whether I myself or someone else has this or that experience. I must therefore show unlimited love and complete trust to those who are more highly developed than I am. First I must bring myself to this consciousness, to the consciousness of infinite trust in my fellow human beings when they say, “I have experienced this and that.” Such trust must be a condition of community life, and wherever such occult abilities are used to a greater extent, this trust is present in a boundless way, because there is the awareness that the human being is a personality in which a higher individuality lives. The basis for me is therefore first and foremost trust and faith, because we do not only seek our higher self within ourselves, but also in our fellow human beings. Everyone who lives around us is, in their innermost being, in complete and undivided unity with us.

As long as it is my lower self that matters, I am separated from other people. But when it comes to my higher self—and only this can ascend to the supersensible world—then I am no longer separated from my fellow human beings, then I am one with my fellow human beings, then the one who speaks to me of the higher truths is myself. I must completely let go of this difference between him and me; I must completely overcome the feeling that he is ahead of me. Try to live yourself completely into this feeling, so that it penetrates into the most intimate fibers of the human soul and all egoism disappears, and the other, who is further than you, really stands before you as your own self, then you have understood one of the preconditions that belong to awakening higher spiritual life.

You can hear it precisely where guidance to occult life is given—often very wrongly and mistakenly: The higher self lives in man; he only needs to let his inner self speak, and the highest truth will reveal itself. Nothing is more correct on the one hand and more fruitless on the other than what is claimed here. Let people try to let their inner being speak, and they will see that, as a rule, even if they imagine that their higher self is coming to the fore, it is their lower self that is speaking. We do not find the higher self within ourselves at first. We must first seek it outside ourselves. We can learn something from those who are further along, because we can see it there, as it were. We can never benefit our higher self from our own selfish ego. Where those who are further along than I am stand, I will stand in the future. By nature, I truly carry the seeds of what they are within me. But first, the paths up to Olympus must be illuminated so that I can follow them.

A feeling, believe it or not — any experienced practical occultist will confirm this — a feeling is the basic condition for all occult development, which is mentioned in the various religions. The Christian religion describes it with the well-known phrase, which as an occultist you must understand completely: “Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” Only those who have learned to worship in the highest sense of the word understand this phrase. Suppose you had heard a description of a venerable person in your early youth, a personality who awakened in you the highest mental image in a certain direction, and you are now offered the opportunity to get to know this personality better. A holy awe of this personality lives in you on the day that is to bring you the moment when you see him or her in person for the first time. Standing at the door of this person, you may feel afraid to touch the handle and open the door. When you look up to such a revered personality, you have understood something of the feeling that Christianity means when it says that one must become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. It really does not matter so much whether the person to whom the feeling is directed fully deserves it, but rather that we have the ability to look up to something with reverence from deep within ourselves. That is the significance of reverence, that one is drawn up to the one one looks up to. The feeling of reverence is the uplifting force, the magnetic force that draws us up to the higher spheres of supersensible life. This is the law of the occult world, which everyone who seeks a higher life must inscribe in their soul as if in letters of gold. Development must begin from this basic mood of the mind. Without this feeling, nothing at all can be achieved. Then, those who seek inner development must be clear that they are doing something tremendous in relation to human beings. What they are seeking is nothing more and nothing less than a new birth, in the literal sense. The higher soul of the human being is to be born. And just as the human being was born at his first birth from the deep inner depths of existence, just as he emerged into the light of the sun, so the person seeking inner development emerges from the light of the sun, from what he can experience in the sensory world, into a higher spiritual light. Something is born within them that rests as deeply in the ordinary human being, who represents the mother, as the child rests in the mother before it is born.

Those who are not aware of the full significance of this fact do not know what occult development means. The higher soul, which is initially deeply, deeply embedded in the whole of human nature and interwoven with it, is brought out. When human beings stand before us in everyday life, lower and higher natures are intertwined, and that is a blessing for everyday life.

Some who live among us, if they followed their lower nature, might reveal malicious, evil characteristics, but within them, mixed with this lower nature, lives the higher nature that keeps the lower in check. The mixture is comparable to when we mix a yellow and a blue liquid in a glass, which produces a green liquid in which we can no longer distinguish between yellow and blue. In the same way, in human beings, the lower nature is mixed with the higher, and the two can no longer be distinguished from each other. Just as you can extract the blue from the green liquid by chemical means, so that only the yellow remains and the uniform green is separated into a complete duality, into blue and yellow, so in occult development you separate the lower nature from the higher nature. You draw the lower nature out of the body like a sword from its sheath, which then remains on its own. This lower nature emerges in such a way that it appears almost gruesome. When it was still mixed with the higher nature, nothing of this was noticeable. But now that it is separated, all the malicious, evil characteristics come to the fore. People who previously appeared benevolent often become quarrelsome and envious. These characteristics were already present in their lower nature, but were dominated by the higher nature. You can observe this in many people who are led down abnormal paths. People become liars very easily when they are introduced to the supernatural world. They easily lose the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood. It is essential that occult training be accompanied by the strictest training of character. What history tells us about the temptations of the saints is not legend, but literal truth.

Anyone who wants to ascend to the higher world in any way is easily exposed to this temptation if they have not developed the strength and power of character and the highest morality within themselves to be able to suppress everything that comes their way. Not only do desires and passions grow, which is not even so much the case, but — and this seems wonderful at first — opportunities also increase. As if by magic, those who ascend to the higher world are beset by opportunities for evil and wickedness that were previously hidden from them. In every fact of life, a demon lies in wait to lead him astray. What he did not see before, he now sees. It conjures up such opportunities for them everywhere from the secret places of life, as it were, dividing their nature. That is why the so-called white magic, the school of occult development that leads people into the higher worlds in a good, genuine, and true way, requires a very specific character formation as indispensable. Every practical occultist will tell you that no one should dare to pass through that narrow gate—as the entrance to occult development is called—without practicing these qualities continuously. They are a necessary preliminary to occult life.

The first thing a person must develop is the ability to separate the insignificant from the significant, the transitory from the imperishable, in all their ways through life. This requirement is easy to make, but often difficult to carry out. As Goethe says, it is easy, but the easy is difficult. Take a plant or an object, for example. You learn to recognize that every object has a significant and an insignificant side, and that people are usually interested in the insignificant, in the relationship of the object to themselves or in a subordinate characteristic. Those who want to become occultists must gradually accustom themselves to seeing and seeking an essence in every object. When they see a watch, for example, they must be interested in the laws of the watch. They must be able to dissect it down to the smallest detail and develop a feeling for the laws of the watch. Suppose a mineralogist is looking at a rock crystal. Even by looking at it from the outside, they will gain significant knowledge about the crystal. The occultist, however, must take a stone in his hand and be able to feel alive what is suggested in the following monologue: In a certain respect, you are below humanity, but in a certain respect, you, the rock crystal, are far above humanity. You are below humanity because you cannot form mental images of humans in your imagination, because you do not feel. You cannot form a mental image of it, cannot think, and do not live, but you have something that humanity does not have: you are chaste within yourself, you have no desires, no wishes, and no cravings. Every human being, every living creature has wishes, desires, and cravings; you do not. You are perfect and without desires, content with what you have become, a model for humans, to which they must then add their other qualities.

If the occultist can feel this deeply, he has grasped the meaning that the stone can tell him. In this way, man can draw something meaningful from every thing. When it has become a habit for him to separate the meaningful from the meaningless, he has acquired another of the feelings that the occultist must have. Then he must connect his own life with what is significant. People err very easily in this, especially in our time. People very easily believe that the place where they stand does not belong to them. How often are people inclined to say: My fate has placed me in a place where I do not fit in. I am, for example, a postal worker. If I were placed in another position, I could convey lofty ideas to people, impart great teachings, and so on. The mistake these people make is that they do not connect their lives to the significance of their profession. If you see something significant in me because I can speak to the people here, then you do not see the significance in your own life and profession. If the mail carriers did not deliver the letters, all correspondence would come to a standstill, and much of the work already done by others would be in vain.

Therefore, everyone in their position is of extraordinary importance to the whole, and no one is higher than the other. Christ tried to express this most beautifully in the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of John with the words: “The servant is not greater than his master, nor the apostle greater than the one who sent him.” These words were spoken after the Master had washed the apostles' feet. By this he meant to say: What would I be without my apostles? They must be there so that I can be there in the world, and I must pay them tribute by humbling myself before them and washing their feet. — This is one of the most important indications of the feeling that the occultist must have for what is significant. One must not confuse what is significant externally with what is significant internally; strict attention must be paid to this.

Then we must develop a number of qualities. First and foremost among these is becoming master of our thoughts, namely the sequence of thoughts. This is called control of the thoughts. Consider how thoughts flit back and forth in the human soul, how they flit about inside: one impression arises, then another, and each one changes the thought. It is not true that we control our thoughts; rather, our thoughts control us completely. But we must reach the point where, during a certain time of the day, we immerse ourselves in a particular thought and say to ourselves: No other thought may enter our soul and control us. In this way, we ourselves take the reins of our thought life for a time.

The second thing is that we behave in a similar way toward our actions, that is, we exercise control over our actions. In doing so, it is necessary that we at least manage to perform actions from time to time that are not prompted by anything external. Everything that we are prompted to do by our status, our profession, our position does not lead us deeper into the higher life. The higher life depends on such intimacies, for example, that we make the decision to do something for the first time, something that springs from our own initiative, even if it is only a very insignificant fact. All other actions contribute nothing to the higher life.

The third thing to strive for is productivity. People fluctuate between joy and pain, at one moment elated, the next deeply saddened. Thus, people are rocked by the waves of life, joy, and pain. But they must attain equanimity and serenity. They must not be upset by the greatest suffering or the greatest joys; they must stand firm and become productive.

The fourth is understanding for every being. Nothing expresses what it means to understand every being more beautifully than a legend that has been preserved for us about Christ Jesus, not in the Gospel, but in a Persian story. Jesus was walking across a field with his disciples, and they found a decaying dog on the way. The animal was gruesome to look at. Jesus stopped and gazed at it admiringly, saying, “What beautiful teeth this animal has.” Jesus found beauty in the hideous. Strive to find the glorious in everything, in every thing out there in reality, and you will see that every thing has something to be said for it. Do as Christ did, who admired the beautiful teeth of the dead dog. This is the path that leads to great tolerance and understanding for every thing and every being.

The fifth characteristic is complete impartiality toward everything new that comes our way. Most people judge the new things they encounter based on the old things they already know. When someone comes to tell them something, they immediately reply, “I disagree.” But we must not immediately oppose a message we receive with our own opinion; rather, we must stand on the lookout to find out where we can learn something new. And we can learn even from a small child. Even if someone were the wisest person, they must be inclined to hold back their judgment and listen to others. We must develop this ability to listen, because it enables us to approach things with the greatest possible impartiality. In occultism, this is called “faith,” and it is the power not to weaken the impressions that the new makes on us by opposing it with our own ideas.

The sixth quality is what everyone receives automatically when they have developed the qualities mentioned above. That is inner harmony. The person who has the other qualities has inner harmony. Then it is also necessary that the person who seeks occult development has developed the feeling of freedom to the highest degree, the feeling of freedom through which he can seek the center of his being within himself and stand on his own two feet, so that he does not need to ask everyone what he has to do, but stands upright and acts freely. This is also something that must be acquired.

Once a person has developed these qualities within themselves, they are above all danger that the division of their nature could cause within them; the qualities of their lower nature can no longer affect them, and they can no longer stray from the path. Therefore, these qualities must be developed with great precision. Then comes the occult life, the expression of which requires a certain rhythmization of life.

The expression “rhythmization of life” expresses the ability developed for this purpose. If you observe nature, you will find a certain rhythm in it. You will take it for granted that the violet blooms at the same time every year in spring, that the seed in the field and the grape on the vine ripen at the same time. This rhythmic succession of phenomena can be found everywhere in nature. Everywhere there is rhythm, everywhere repetition in regular succession. When you go up to beings that are more highly developed, you see this rhythmic sequence diminish more and more. You also see in animals, to an even greater degree, all characteristics arranged rhythmically. At certain times of the year, animals acquire very specific functions and abilities. The more highly developed a being is, the more life is placed in its own hands, and the more this rhythm ceases. You must know that the human body is only one of the members of its being. Then comes the etheric body, then the astral body, and finally the higher members that underlie them.

The physical body is highly subject to the rhythm to which all of external nature is subject. Just as plant and animal life proceeds rhythmically in its external form, so does the life of the physical body. The heart beats rhythmically, the lungs breathe rhythmically, and so on. All this proceeds so rhythmically because it is ordered by higher powers, by the wisdom of the world, by what the Scriptures call the Holy Spirit. The higher bodies, and especially the astral body, are, I might say, in a certain sense abandoned by these higher spiritual powers and have lost their rhythm. Or can you deny that your activity in relation to desires, cravings, and passions is irregular, that it bears no comparison to the regularity that prevails in the physical body? Those who learn the rhythm that lies in physical nature will find in it more and more the model for spirituality. If you consider the heart, this wonderful organ with its regular beat and its inherent wisdom, and compare it with the desires and passions of the astral body, which unleash all kinds of actions against the heart, you will realize how detrimental passion is to its regular functioning. But just as the functions of the physical body are rhythmic, so must the functions of the astral body become.

I want to mention something here that will seem grotesque to most people today, namely in relation to fasting. We have completely lost sight of the significance of fasting. From the point of view of the rhythmization of our astral body, however, fasting is something extremely meaningful. What does fasting mean? It means curbing the desire to eat and switching off the astral body in relation to the desire to eat. Those who fast switch off the astral body and do not develop any appetite. It is like switching off a power source in a machine. The astral body is then inactive, and the entire rhythm of the physical body and the wisdom implanted in it work up into the astral body and give it rhythm. Like the seal of a stamp, the harmony of the physical body is imprinted on the astral body, and it would be transmitted much more sustainably if it were not constantly disrupted by cravings, passions, and desires, including spiritual cravings and desires. What is more necessary for people today than it was in earlier times is to bring rhythm into their entire higher life. Just as rhythm is implanted in the physical body by God, so must people make their astral body rhythmic. Human beings must prescribe their day for themselves, dividing it for the astral body in the same way that the spirit of nature divides it for the lower realms. Early in the morning, at a specific time, one must perform a spiritual task; at another time, which must again be strictly adhered to, another task; and in the evening, yet another. These spiritual exercises must not be chosen arbitrarily, but must be suitable for the further development of higher life. This is one way of taking life into one's own hands and keeping it there. So set yourself an hour in the morning when you concentrate. You must stick to this hour. You must create a kind of calm so that the great occult master within you can awaken. You must meditate on a great thought that has nothing to do with the outside world and let this thought come alive within you. A short time is sufficient, perhaps a quarter of an hour, even five minutes is enough if you don't have more time. However, it is worthless and pointless if you do these exercises irregularly. If you do them regularly, so that the activity of the astral body becomes as regular as a clock, then they have value. The astral body takes on a completely different appearance when you do these exercises regularly. So sit down in the morning and do these exercises, and the powers I have described to you will develop. But, as I said, it must be done regularly, because the astral body expects the same thing to be done with it at the same time, and it becomes disordered if it is not done. At least the disposition for order must be present. If you rhythmize your life in this way, you will soon notice the results, namely that the spiritual life, which is initially hidden from human beings, will become apparent to a certain degree.

Human life generally alternates between four states. The first state is the perception of the outside world. You look around with your senses and perceive the outside world. The second state is what we might call imagination, the life of the imagination, which is related to the life of dreams, and even belongs to it. In this state, the human being is not rooted in their surroundings, but is detached from them; they have no realities before them, at most reminiscences. The third state is dreamless sleep. Here, the human being has no consciousness of the ego at all, and the fourth state is that in which the human being lives in memory. This is something different from perception; it is already abstract, spiritual. If the human being had no memory, he could not undergo any spiritual development at all.

Inner life begins to develop through inner contemplation and meditation. Sooner or later, the person then realizes that they are no longer dreaming in a chaotic way, but that they are dreaming in a highly meaningful way, and that strange things are revealed to them in their dreams, which they gradually begin to recognize as revelations of spiritual truths. Of course, the trivial objection can easily be raised: It's all just a dream, what does it matter to us? — But if someone discovered the steerable balloon in a dream and then carried it out, then this dream would have revealed the truth. So an idea can be grasped in a way other than the usual way, and the truth of it must then be found in its realization. We must therefore be convinced of its inner truth from the outside.

The next stage in spiritual life is where we grasp the truth through our own qualities and consciously control our dreams. When we begin to control our dreams in a regular manner, we are at the stage where the truth becomes transparent to us. The first stage is called material knowledge, for which the object must be present. The other stage is imaginative knowledge. This is developed through meditation, through shaping life in a rhythmic way. It is difficult to achieve. But once it is achieved, the time comes when there is no longer any difference between perception in ordinary life and perception in the supersensible. When we are among the things of ordinary life, that is, in the sensory world, and change our mental state, we then experience the spiritual, supersensible world continuously, if we have trained ourselves sufficiently in this way. This is the case as soon as we are able to become truly blind and deaf to the sensory world, to remember nothing from everyday life, and yet still have a spiritual life within us. Then our dream life begins to take on a conscious form. And when we are able to pour some of this into our everyday life, then we also become aware of the soul qualities of the beings around us. We then no longer see only the outer appearance of things, but we also see the inner, the hidden essence of things, of plants, animals, and human beings. I know that most people will say: These are basically different things. — That is quite right; they are always completely different things from those seen by people who do not have such senses. The third is the state that is otherwise completely empty, but which begins to be enlivened when the continuity of consciousness occurs. Continuity comes all by itself; the person then no longer sleeps unconscious. During the time when they would otherwise be asleep, they then experience the supersensible world.

What else does sleep consist of? The physical body lies in bed and the astral body lives in the supersensible world. In this supersensible world, you go for a walk. As a rule, people with today's disposition cannot stray far from their bodies. If, through rules provided by Spiritual Science, one has developed organs for this astral body that wanders around during sleep, just as the physical body has organs, then one begins to become conscious during sleep. The physical body would be blind and deaf if it had no eyes and ears, and the astral body, which walks around at night, is blind and deaf for the same reason, because it does not yet have eyes and ears. However, these are developed through meditation, which is the means of forming the organs. This meditation must then be guided in a regular manner. It is guided in such a way that the human body is the mother and the human spirit is the father. The human body, as it stands before us physically, is a mystery in every limb it presents to us, in such a way that each limb belongs in a specific but hidden way to a part of the astral body. These are the things that the occultist knows. He knows, for example, what the point between the eyebrows belongs to in the physical body. It belongs to a specific organ in the astral organism, and when the occult scientist tells you how to direct your thoughts, feelings, and sensations to the point between the eyebrows, by connecting something that is formed in the physical body with its counterpart in the astral body, you get a certain sensation in the astral body. But this must be done regularly, and one must know how. Then the astral body begins to organize itself. From a lump, it becomes an organism in which the organs develop. I have described the astral sense organs in the magazine “Lucifer-Gnosis.” They are also called lotus flowers. These lotus flowers are formed through certain formulas. Once they are formed, the human being is able to perceive the spiritual world. This is the same world that he enters when he passes through the gate of death. Hamlet's statement that no traveler has yet returned from that unknown land is then put to shame.

So you can enter, or rather slip into, the supersensible world from the sensory world and live in both worlds. This is not a life in a cloud cuckoo land, but a life in the realm that makes life in our realm explainable and understandable to us. Just as an ordinary person who has not studied the laws of electricity enters an electrically powered factory, sees the wonderful machinery and does not understand it, so too does the ordinary person not understand the machinery of the spiritual world. The factory visitor's lack of understanding persists as long as he does not know the laws of electricity. In the same way, human beings are also ignorant in the spiritual realm as long as they do not know the laws of the spiritual. There is nothing in our world that is not dependent on the spiritual world at every turn. Everything that surrounds us here is an outward expression of the spiritual world. There is no such thing as matter. All matter is condensed spirit, and those who look into the spiritual world see the entire material, sensual world, the world itself, become spiritualized. Just as ice melts into water in the sun, so everything sensual melts into the spiritual before the soul that looks into the spiritual world, and gradually the origin of the world is revealed to the spiritual eye and the spiritual ear.

In truth, the life that human beings come to know in this way is the spiritual life that they already lead continuously within themselves, but of which they know nothing because they do not know themselves before they have developed the organs for the higher world. Imagine that you were a human being with the characteristics you have now, but had no sensory organs. You would know nothing of the world around you, you would have no understanding of the physical body, and yet you would belong to the physical world. In the same way, the human soul belongs to the spiritual world, but does not know it because it cannot hear or see. Just as our body is taken from the forces and substances of the physical world, so our soul is taken from the forces and substances of the spiritual world. We do not recognize ourselves within ourselves, but only in our surroundings. Just as you cannot see your heart and brain without perceiving them in others through your sensory organs — even with the help of X-rays, only your eyes can see your heart — so it is true that you cannot see or hear your own soul without recognizing it in your surroundings through spiritual sensory organs. You can only recognize yourself through your surroundings. In truth, there is no inner knowledge, no self-contemplation; there is only knowledge, a revelation through the organs of both physical and spiritual life around us. We belong to the worlds around us, the physical, the soul, and the spiritual worlds. We learn from the physical world when we have physical organs, and from the spiritual world, from all souls, when we have spiritual, soul organs. There is no other knowledge than knowledge of the world.

It is futile and empty contemplation when a person broods within themselves and believes that they can achieve something through mere self-contemplation. Man finds God within himself when he awakens the divine organs within himself and then finds his higher, divine self in his environment, just as he can find his lower self in his environment through his eyes and ears alone. We become clear to ourselves as physical beings through our interaction with the sensory world, and we become clear in a spiritual relationship by developing spiritual senses within ourselves. Developing the inner self means opening oneself to the divine life in the outer world around us.

Now you will understand why it is necessary that those who ascend to the higher world as I have described first experience an infinite strengthening of their character. Human beings can initially experience the sensory world for themselves because their senses are already open, because a benevolent divine spirit, who has seen and heard in the physical world, stood beside human beings in the most distant past, before they could see and hear, and opened their eyes and ears. It is from such beings that human beings must learn to see spiritually today, from beings who already know what they must learn. We must have a guru who tells us how to develop our organs, who tells us what he has done to develop his organs. Those who wish to teach must have acquired one fundamental quality: unconditional truthfulness, and this is also a key requirement that must be demanded of the student. No one may be trained as an occultist unless they have first been trained in this fundamental quality of unconditional truthfulness.

In contrast to sensory experiences, one can verify what is said. But when I tell you something from the spiritual world, you must have faith, because you are not yet at the stage where you can verify it. Anyone who wants to be a guru must have become so truthful that it is impossible for them to take such claims about the spiritual world and spiritual life lightly. The sensory world immediately corrects the errors we make in relation to this sensory world, but in the spiritual world we must have that guideline within ourselves; we must be strictly trained so that we are not forced to exercise control through the outside world, but have it within ourselves. We can only acquire this control by acquiring the strictest truthfulness here in the world. That is why, when it began to bring some elementary teachings of occultism to the world, the Theosophical Society had to adopt the principle: No law above truth. Few understand this principle. Most are satisfied when they can say to themselves, I am aware that it is true, and if it is false, they say, I was mistaken. The occultist must not insist on his subjective honesty. That is the wrong approach. He must always be in agreement with the facts of the external world, and any experience that contradicts this must be regarded as an error, as a mistake. For the occultist, “I can” and “I cannot” cease to exist. He must be in absolute harmony with the facts of life. One must begin to feel responsible in the strictest sense for every assertion one makes. Then one educates oneself to the unconditional certainty that one must have for oneself and others if one wants to be a spiritual leader.

So you see that today I have had to give you — we will have to talk about this subject again to add the higher parts — a series of qualities and methods that will seem too intimate to discuss with others, that every soul must work out for itself, that may seem unsuitable to you for achieving the tremendous goal that is to be achieved, namely, entry into the supersensible world. Those who follow the path I have described will undoubtedly achieve this entry.

When? One of the most distinguished participants in the theosophical movement, our long-deceased member Subba Row, spoke accurately about this. He answered the question of how long it takes: Seven years, perhaps seven times seven years, perhaps seven incarnations, perhaps only seven hours. — It depends entirely on what a person brings with them into life. A person may stand before us who appears to be completely stupid, but who has brought with them a higher life that is now hidden and only needs to be brought out. Today, most people are further along in occult matters than it appears, and many would be aware of this if our material circumstances and our material times did not push them so far back into the inner life of the soul. A large percentage of people today were further along in the past. Whether what is within a person comes out depends on various things. But some help can be given. Imagine a person standing before me. In his previous incarnation, he was a highly developed individuality, but now he has an undeveloped brain. An undeveloped brain can sometimes conceal great spiritual abilities. But if you teach them ordinary profane skills, it is possible that their inner spirituality will also come out. However, this does not depend solely on this, but also on the environment in which the person lives.

In a very significant way, people are a reflection of their environment. Suppose a person is a highly developed personality, but lives in an environment that only awakens and develops certain prejudices in him, which then have such an energetic effect that his higher disposition cannot emerge. If such a person does not find someone who can bring it out of him, then it remains hidden within him.

I have only been able to give you a few hints about this, but after Christmas we will talk again about the further and deeper things. The one mental image I wanted to convey is that the higher life is not developed in a tumultuous way, but quite intimately, in the deepest soul, and that the great day when the soul awakens and enters into the higher life actually comes like a thief in the night. The development toward higher life leads people into a new world, and when they have entered this new world, they see, so to speak, the other side of existence; then what was previously hidden from them is revealed. Perhaps not everyone can do this, perhaps only a few can, so everyone should say to themselves. But that should not prevent them from at least initially embarking on the path that is open to everyone, namely hearing about the higher worlds. Human beings are called to live in community, and those who isolate themselves cannot attain a spiritual life. But it is a separation in the higher sense when I say: I do not believe that, it has no bearing on me, it may be valid for the other life; it does not apply to the occultist. It is a principle for the occultist to regard other people in reality as the revelation of his own higher self, because then one knows that one must find others within oneself. There is a subtle difference between the two phrases “finding others within oneself” and “finding oneself in others.” But in a higher sense, this means: That is you. — And in the highest sense, it means recognizing and understanding oneself in the world, as expressed in the words of the poet, which I was able to quote a few weeks ago in another context: “One succeeded, he lifted the veil of the goddess at Sais. — But what did he see? He saw — wonder of wonders — himself.” Finding oneself not in the egoistic inner self, but selflessly in the world, is true self-knowledge.