The Gospel of St. John
GA 94
26 February 1906, Berlin
Lecture II
Last time I spoke about the first twelve chapters of the Gospel of St. John. We saw that the Lazarus miracle represents the initiation of a man into the spiritual world. Every sentence of the John Gospel directs one to the higher world. When we make it alive in us, we come to know the Christian initiation. Those who know other forms of occult training and are aware that there are other paths of initiation, also know that he who seeks the path today will be led along different ways. These are known to most of you. Those who have already some contact with spiritual life know that there is an esoteric side to our spiritual scientific strivings. The Christian initiation has similarities with other ways of initiation, but today this path can no longer be followed. He who would tread it must be led by the hand of an experienced teacher, but in view of our modern normal mode of life, it is questionable whether this path is still open. Let us again call to mind the Lazarus miracle in connection with the Christian initiation.
We will start from the normal state of sleep. What happens when a person sleeps? In man we have the physical body, etheric body, astral body and ego. What happens occultly, when a person sleeps? The physical and etheric bodies remain in bed. The astral body, together with the ego, rises out and floats over them in the form of a ring, in the case of an undeveloped personality, and later, in the form of the physical body. The astral body is not inactive. It has something to do. When the person is awake, the astral body penetrates and interweaves the physical body. When it is outside, it works on the physical body, protecting and caring for it. The relation of the astral body to the physical body, is like that of a workman to his machine, but with the difference that in this case the workman is in the machine, he ensouls the various parts, and makes them move. This resemblance of worker to machine applies even better when the person lies asleep. The astral body then works from outside. What does it do? It makes good the damage suffered by the physical body during the day. So one can see the disadvantages for people who sleep badly. Beings belonging to the third elemental kingdom have an influence on the astral body. Beings belonging to the second elemental kingdom get at the etheric body and those belonging to the first elemental kingdom get access to the physical body to destroy it. Only when the astral body works on the physical body during sleep are these destructive processes made good.
Just to know this does not have any influence. When however, a person begins to work on his spiritual development, he must also create the necessary conditions for the astral body to work upon the physical. Meditation influences the work of the astral body upon the physical and etheric bodies during the night. Only beneficent beings must be allowed access to the human being ... He who seeks initiation must achieve the utmost calm. This includes the avoidance of all stimulants, especially alcohol. Other requirements for any higher striving are control of thought, a morally blameless life, the effort not to be swayed to and fro by every feeling, be it pain or joy, but to maintain balance in the soul. This makes it possible for good beings to be active when the astral body works on the physical and etheric bodies during sleep.
In the initiation described in the John Gospel, the astral body, together with the etheric body, leaves the physical body. This latter remains as though dead. This is what is meant when it is said that Lazarus lay three days in the grave. The Lazarus miracle is thus the scene of an initiation. The astral and etheric bodies need to be led back into the physical body. This the master brings to pass. The disciple is now an ‘arisen one’ who can remember the experiences in the higher worlds. This is possible for everyone. However what, in the old days, was a process lasting three and a half days takes place in a different manner today. The experience is the same, but it is achieved by different methods.
The pupil of the Christian initiation has to undergo seven trials. They were not only physical but spiritual experiences.
Those who had undergone them knew that real experiences are possible outside of the body. At the first stage the pupil experiences how man has become what he is. This was achieved through a train of thought as follows: The plant must have a mineral soil. Minerals are of lower rank than plants. But the plant must bow down and say, “To thee oh stone, though thou art lower than me, I owe my existence, my life”. The animal is of higher rank than the plant. It breathes oxygen and exhales carbon dioxide. The plant exhales the oxygen. The animal must say to the plant, “To thee oh plant, I humbly bow, for without thee I could not live.” The same relation exists between the higher ranking human being and the lower kingdoms. He too must say to them, “If you were not there, I should not be.” One must completely fill oneself with this feeling and bow oneself in all humility. Out of deeply felt experience of gratitude, one must be able to bow down before what is lower than oneself. This is the washing of feet, the first stage of a Christian initiation. Christ bows down before the disciples and washes their feet. What is here experienced, represents a symbol of the higher world. He who is able to live spiritually in the higher world, who has achieved this deep feeling that Lazarus had, he experiences the washing of feet in the higher world. He who experiences humiliation in the physical world, goes through the washing of feet in a higher world. This is the sign that he has reached the first stage on the way to initiation. In his body, this is expressed by the feeling that all his muscles are newly strengthened. When the muscles become steeled after the feeling of humiliation, this signifies the first stage of initiation.
The second stage of the Christian initiation is the scourging and smiting. One must learn to bear calmly what formerly hurt one—to take upon oneself the suffering of the world. This too finds expression in the higher world. The strength acquired by the soul is symbolised as scourging and real blows. Then one day one feels a sort of prickling or stinging all over the body—a sign that one has stood the test. This is a real experience that a person goes through when he follows this path. The great mystics experienced it. Such a person has reached the second stage.
The third stage is the crowning with thorns. At this stage one does not only bear pain but also contempt from one's fellow men. One has to win the fortitude to bear the feeling of obliteration, when there is no one there to give one courage and strength except oneself—when one is considered entirely worthless, and yet one remains inwardly upright. Thus must it be experienced. This is felt in the spiritual world as the crowning with thorns. One sees oneself with the crown of thorns. Pains in the head will be felt in the physical body. Changes take place in the brain, something that later also becomes noticable in the waking state.
The fourth stage is the crucifixion. Through this a person learns to feel his own body as a foreign object, something like a piece of wood. He no longer connects his ego with his body. In the spiritual world he sees himself with the cross on his back. With this the fourth stage is reached. Physically the stigmata appear. In the case of certain saints this is no myth. It indicates that they have reached the fourth stage. Such saints are bearers of the cross.
If a person has got as far as this he comes to the fifth stage. This is the mystical death. The whole world appears as if covered with a veil. Everything around has lost its old value. While a person feels himself thus lost in darkness, suddenly the veil is rent and he begins to see the ultimate spiritual and original aim. He gazes into a quite new, world. At the same time he learns to recognise what lies at the bottom of the human soul. He becomes a second person by the side of himself and looks down on his lower self, which is separated from him. His body is the mother that he sees standing below him and the transformed lower self is the disciple who bears witness that Christ lives. Now the higher self can say to the lower self, “Behold thy mother!” (John, ch. 19, v. 27)
When a person has gone through this fifth station he can progress to the sixth stage, the burial and resurrection. Everything pertaining to this planet becomes the body of the Christian mystic. He feels as though the whole earth was part of him. He has ceased to be a separate being. He is one with the whole life of the earth. Through burial he is inwardly bound with it. The grave becomes the source of his experience—man and animal, plant and rock around him become transparent. He has lost his own separate life, the higher life of the whole Earth ...
The seventh stage is known as the ascension into heaven. It signifies that he is completely taken up into the spiritual world.
The John Gospel is a description of this Christian path of initiation. He who takes it as an account of an external happening does not understand it. It can only be comprehended if one has lived through it inwardly. This is what Angelus Silesius means, when he says:
When thou dost rise above thyself
and let God hold his sway:
Then present in thy spirit is the ascension,
for ever and for aye.Angelus Silesius, “The Cherubinic Wanderer”
As no creature can see the sunlight unless its eyes are opened so no one can understand the mystery of Golgotha, if they have not inwardly experienced it. Once one has come to such an inner experience, one can appreciate why the reckoning of time is divided into before and after Christ.
Christianity attains its real meaning when it is followed as an inner path. The John gospel is a document which can be lived sentence by sentence. If one has lived it, one knows that external criticism does not apply. All criticism vanishes, and every doubt disappears, if one knows that what is written is to be lived through and through. Every line can be lived inwardly. The Christian spirit has to be experienced in the depth of the soul. He who saw for himself how everything took place knows that he speaks the truth and says so. For he is the risen Lazarus.
Zweiter Vortrag
Das letzte Mal habe ich über die ersten zwölf Kapitel des JohannesEvangeliums gesprochen. Wir haben gesehen, daß das Lazaruswunder die Einweihung eines Menschen in die geistige Welt darstellt. Das Johannes-Evangelium ist so aufzufassen, daß jeder Satz in die höhere Welt weist. Wenn wir es in uns lebendig machen, lernen wir die christliche Einweihung kennen. Wer andere Formen der Schülerschaft kennt, wer weiß, daß es auch solche andere Einweihungswege gibt, der weiß auch, daß derjenige, der heute die Schülerschaft anstrebt, durch andere Methoden heraufgeleitet wird, wie sie ja auch den meisten von Ihnen bekannt sind. Diejenigen, die schon dem geistigen Leben nähergetreten sind, wissen, daß es noch eine esoterische Seite unserer geisteswissenschaftlichen Bestrebungen gibt. Die christliche Einweihung besitzt Ähnlichkeit mit anderen Einweihungswegen, aber heute kann man diesen Weg nicht nachvollziehen. Wer ihn beschreiten will, muß dies an der Hand eines kundigen Lehrers tun, aber angesichts unserer heutigen normalen Lebensbedingungen fragt es sich, ob dieser Weg überhaupt noch möglich ist. Lassen Sie uns das Lazaruswunder noch einmal ins Gedächtnis rufen, und zwar nur in bezug auf die christliche Einweihung.
Gehen wir vom gewöhnlichen Schlafzustand aus. Was geschieht mit dem Menschen, der schläft? - Wir haben es beim Menschen zu tun mit dem physischen Leib, dem Ätherleib, dem Astralleib und dem Ich. Was geschieht nun im okkulten Sinne mit dem Menschen im Schlaf? - Da bleibt im Bette der physische und der Ätherleib, und der Astralleib hebt sich mit dem Ich heraus und schwebt beim unvollkommenen Menschen in der Form eines Ringes, später in der Form des physischen Leibes über diesen. Der Astralleib ist nicht untätig, er hat etwas zu tun. Wenn der Mensch wach ist, durchwebt das Astralische den physischen Körper. Wenn es herausgetreten ist, dann arbeitet es am physischen Leibe, es hegt und pflegt ihn. Der Astralleib verhält sich zum physischen Leib so wie der Arbeiter zur Maschine, aber mit dem Unterschiede, daß der Arbeiter hier in der Maschine darin ist, er durchseelt die verschiedenen Teile, die er in Bewegung bringt. Aber dieses Gleichnis vom Arbeiter an der Maschine trifft besser zu, wenn der Mensch im Schlafe liegt: Es wirkt der Astralleib von außen. Und was tut er? Er gleicht durch seine Arbeit am physischen Leibe die Schäden aus, welche dieser während des Tages erleidet. Man ersieht daraus, welchen Nachteilen Menschen ausgesetzt sind, die einen schlechten Schlaf haben. Auf den Astralleib selbst haben Wesenheiten Einfluß, die dem dritten Elementarreich angehören. Wesenheiten aus dem zweiten Elementarreich machen sich über den Ätherleib des Menschen her, und solche, die dem ersten Elementarreich angehören, verschaffen sich Zugang zum physischen Leib, um ihn zu zerstören. Nur wenn der Astralleib während des Schlafes am physischen Körper arbeitet, werden die Zerstörungsvorgänge ausgeglichen.
Die bloße physische Erkenntnis ist hier ohne Einfluß. Wenn der Mensch aber anfängt, an sich geistig zu arbeiten, dann muß er auch für die Tätigkeit des Astralen am Physischen die nötigen Vorbedingungen schaffen. Die Meditation wirkt sich auf die Arbeit des astralichen Leibes am physischen und Ätherleib in der Nacht aus. Es dürfen nur gute Wesen Zugang zum Menschen finden. Wer die Einweihung sucht, muß sich die größtmögliche Ruhe verschaffen. Dazu gehört, daß er alle Aufregungsmittel, namentlich Alkohol meidet. Zu den Voraussetzungen eines jeden höheren Strebens zählt die Gedankenkontrolle, ein sittlich einwandfreies Leben und eben das Bestreben, sich nicht jeder Gemütsbewegung, weder dem Schmerz noch der Freude, hinzugeben, sondern ein seelisches Gleichgewicht zu bewahren. Damit wird auch die Möglichkeit herbeigeführt, daß gute Wesen tätig sind, wenn der Astralleib während des Schlafes am physischen und Ätherleib arbeitet.
Bei der Einweihung, wie sie im Johannes-Evangelium beschrieben ist, geht der Astralleib zusammen mit dem Ätherleib aus dem physischen Leib heraus. Dieser bleibt dann wie im Tode zurück. Das liegt zugrunde, wenn geschildert wird, daß Lazarus drei Tage im Grabe lag. Das Lazaruswunder ist also das Bild einer Einweihung. Es handelt sich darum, den Astral- und Ätherleib wieder in den physischen Leib zurückzuführen. Das vollbringt der Meister. Der Mensch ist jetzt ein Auferweckter, der sich an die Erlebnisse in den höheren Welten erinnern kann. Das ist bei jedem Menschen möglich. Was aber in alten Zeiten eine Prozedur von dreieinhalb Tagen war, vollzieht sich heute auf andere Weise. Das Ergebnis ist das gleiche, doch wird es mit anderen Methoden erreicht.
Der Schüler des christlichen Einweihungsweges hatte sieben Prüfungen durchzumachen. Das waren nicht nur physische, sondern geistige Erlebnisse. Wer sie durchgemacht hatte, wußte, daß außerhalb des Leibes reale Erfahrungen möglich sind. Auf der ersten Stufe erfährt der Schüler, wie der Mensch das geworden ist, was er heute ist. Das wurde durch das folgende Gleichnis bewirkt: Die Pflanze muß einen mineralischen Boden haben. Das Mineralische steht zwar tiefer als die Pflanze, aber die Pflanze muß sich niedersenken und sagen: Dir, Stein, der du zwar niedriger bist als ich, verdanke ich mein Dasein, mein Leben. — Höher als die Pflanze steht das Tier. Es atmet Sauerstoff ein und Kohlenstoff aus, sonst kann es nicht leben. Die Pflanze atmet den Sauerstoff aus. Das Tier muß zur Pflanze sagen: Zu dir, Pflanze, neige ich mich in Demut, denn ohne dich könnte ich nicht sein. -— Und so verhält sich der höher stehende Mensch zum niedriger stehenden. Auch er muß zu diesem sagen: Ohne daß du da bist, bin ich nicht. — Mit diesem Gefühl muß man sich ganz durchdringen und sich in Demut neigen. Aus seinem tiefsten Erleben heraus muß der Mensch sich beugen können vor denen, die niedriger sind als er. Das ist die Fußwaschung, die erste Stufe der christlichen Einweihung: Christus neigt sich vor den Jüngern und wäscht ihnen die Füße. Was hier durchlebt wird, stellt ein Symbol der höheren Welt dar. Wer geistig in dieser höheren Welt leben kann, wer das geschilderte Gefühl ausgebildet hat wie Lazarus, der erlebt die Fußwaschung in der höheren Welt. Wer die Erniedrigung in der physischen Welt erlebt, der erlebt in einer höheren Welt die Fußwaschung. Dieses Erlebnis zeigt ihm an, daß er die erste Stufe auf dem Wege zur Einweihung erreicht hat. Auch im Körperlichen drückt sich das aus: er hat ein Gefühl, als wenn ihm alle Muskeln neu gestärkt würden. Stählen der Muskeln nach dem Gefühl der Erniedrigung, das entspricht der ersten Stufe.
Die zweite Stufe der christlichen Einweihung sind Geißelung und Backenstreiche. Der Mensch muß lernen, das, was ihm früher weh getan hat, ruhig zu ertragen, die Schmerzen der Welt auf sich zu nehmen. Das drückt sich ebenfalls in der höheren Welt aus: diese Seelenstärke symbolisiert sich als Geißelung und wie wirkliche Schläge. Dann fühlt der Schüler eines Tages eine Art Stechen am ganzen Leibe, ein Zeichen, daß er bestanden hat. Das ist ein reales Erlebnis, das der Mensch durchmacht, der aus eigener Erfahrung den Weg geht. Die hohen Mystiker haben das erfahren. Ein solcher Mensch hat also die zweite Stufe erreicht.
Die dritte Stufe ist die Dornenkrönung. Sie ist damit verbunden, daß man nicht nur Schmerzen, sondern sogar Verachtung von seinen Mitmenschen erträgt. Man muß Festigkeit erringen, um die Auslöschung zu ertragen, wenn niemand mehr da ist, der einem Mut und Stärke geben kann, als man selbst, wenn einem gar kein Wert mehr beigemessen wird und man doch innerlich aufrecht bleibt. So muß das erlebt werden. Das lebt sich aus in der geistigen Welt wie die Dornenkrönung: der Mensch sieht sich selbst mit der Dornenkrone. Am physischen Leib werden Schmerzen am Kopf empfunden. Das Gehirn macht Veränderungen durch, ein Vorgang, der auch später während des Wachzustandes bemerkbar wird.
Der vierte Grad ist die Kreuzigung. Das wird dadurch erlebt, daß der Mensch lernt, seinen eigenen Leib wie einen fremden Gegenstand zu empfinden, etwa wie ein Stück Holz. Er verbindet sein Ich nicht mehr mit seinem Leibe. In der geistigen Welt sieht er sich mit dem Kreuz auf dem Rücken. Damit ist die vierte Stufe erreicht. Physisch drückt sich dies als Stigmatisierung aus: die Wundmale treten auf. Bei gewissen Heiligen ist das keine Sage, sondern es bezeichnet, daß sie diese vierte Stufe erreicht haben. Solche Heiligen sind Kreuzträger.
Ist der Mensch so weit gediehen, so gelangt er zur fünften Stufe. Das ist der mystische Tod. Dem Schüler scheint die ganze Welt wie mit einem Schleier verdeckt zu sein. Alles um ihn her hat seinen alten Wert verloren. Während er sich so in der Finsternis fühlt, zerreißt plötzlich der Vorhang, und der Mensch beginnt, die geistigen Urziele zu schauen. Er blickt in eine ganz neue Welt hinein. Zugleich lernt er erkennen, was auf dem Grunde der menschlichen Seele liegt. Er wird ein Zweiter neben sich und sieht auf sein niederes Ich herab, das er getrennt von sich erschaut. Sein Leib ist die Mutter, die er unter sich stehen sieht, und das verwandelte niedere Ich ist der Jünger, der Zeugnis davon ablegt, daß der Christus lebt. Nun kann das höhere Ich zu dem niederen Ich sagen: «Siehe, das ist deine Mutter!»
Wenn der Mensch diese fünfte Station durchgemacht hat, kann er zur sechsten, der Grablegung und Auferstehung, fortschreiten. Alles, was zum Planeten gehört, wird zum Leib des christlichen Mystikers. Er fühlt auf dieser Stufe, als ob die ganze Erde zu ihm gehört. Der Mensch hat aufgehört, ein Sonderwesen zu sein, er ist eins mit dem ganzen Erdenleben. Mit ihm ist er innerlich durch die Grablegung verbunden. Das Grab wird zur Quelle seiner Erfahrung: Mensch und Tier, Pflanze und Stein um ihn umher werden durchsichtig. Er hat sein Sondersein verloren, aber er hat das Leben der ganzen Erde, ihr höheres Leben, in sich aufgenommen. Die siebente Stufe wird die Himmelfahrt genannt. Sie bedeutet die völlige Aufnahme in die geistige Welt.
Das Johannes-Evangelium ist eine Schilderung dieses christlichen Einweihungsweges. Wer es als einen äußeren Bericht nimmt, versteht es nicht. Es ist erst zu verstehen, wenn der Mensch es innerlich durchlebt. In diesem Sinne sagt Angelus Silesius:
Wenn du dich über dich erhebst und läßt Gott walten
So wird in deinem Geist die Himmelfahrt gehalten.
Wie kein Wesen das äußere Sonnenlicht sehen kann, wenn ihm nicht die Augen aufgeschlossen sind, so kann niemand das Geheimnis von Golgatha verstehen, wenn er es nicht innerlich erlebt. Erst wenn der Mensch zu einem solchen inneren Erleben gelangt, wird er einsehen, warum die Zeitrechnung in zwei Teile, vor und nach Christus, zerfällt.
Das Christentum erlangt erst seine wahre Bedeutung, wenn es als innerer Weg durchgemacht wird. Das Johannes-Evangelium ist eine Schrift, die Satz für Satz erlebt werden kann. Und wer es erlebt hat, weiß, daß äußere Kritik gar keine Bedeutung hat. In dem Augenblick verschwindet jede Kritik, jeder Zweifel schwindet, wenn der Mensch weiß: du sollst das, was geschrieben steht, durch und durch erleben. Jede Zeile kann innerlich durchlebt werden.
Second Lecture
Last time I spoke about the first twelve chapters of the Gospel of John. We saw that the miracle of Lazarus represents the initiation of a human being into the spiritual world. The Gospel of John is to be understood in such a way that every sentence points to the higher world. When we bring it to life within ourselves, we learn about Christian initiation. Those who are familiar with other forms of discipleship, who know that there are other paths of initiation, also know that those who aspire to discipleship today are guided by other methods, as most of you are aware. Those who have already come closer to spiritual life know that there is also an esoteric side to our spiritual scientific endeavors. Christian initiation bears similarities to other paths of initiation, but today it is not possible to follow this path. Anyone who wants to walk this path must do so under the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher, but given our normal living conditions today, it is questionable whether this path is still possible at all. Let us recall the miracle of Lazarus once more, but only in relation to Christian initiation.
Let us start from the ordinary state of sleep. What happens to a person who is asleep? In human beings, we are dealing with the physical body, the etheric body, the astral body, and the ego. What happens to the human being in sleep in the occult sense? The physical and etheric bodies remain in bed, and the astral body lifts itself out with the ego and hovers above the imperfect human being in the form of a ring, later in the form of the physical body. The astral body is not idle; it has something to do. When the human being is awake, the astral body interweaves with the physical body. When it has stepped out, it works on the physical body, nurturing and caring for it. The astral body relates to the physical body as a worker relates to a machine, but with the difference that the worker is inside the machine, animating the various parts that he sets in motion. But this parable of the worker at the machine is more apt when the person is asleep: the astral body works from outside. And what does it do? Through its work on the physical body, it compensates for the damage it suffers during the day. From this we can see the disadvantages to which people who sleep poorly are exposed. The astral body itself is influenced by beings belonging to the third elemental realm. Beings from the second elemental realm attack the etheric body of the human being, and those belonging to the first elemental realm gain access to the physical body in order to destroy it. Only when the astral body works on the physical body during sleep are the destructive processes balanced.
Mere physical knowledge has no influence here. But when a person begins to work spiritually on themselves, they must also create the necessary conditions for the astral to act on the physical. Meditation has an effect on the work of the astral body on the physical and etheric bodies during the night. Only good beings should be allowed access to the human being. Those who seek initiation must achieve the greatest possible peace of mind. This includes avoiding all stimulants, especially alcohol. The prerequisites for any higher striving include control of the mind, a morally impeccable life, and the endeavor not to give in to every emotion, neither pain nor joy, but to maintain a spiritual balance. This also brings about the possibility that good beings will be active when the astral body works on the physical and etheric bodies during sleep.
In the initiation described in the Gospel of John, the astral body leaves the physical body together with the etheric body. The physical body then remains behind as if in death. This is the basis for the description of Lazarus lying in the tomb for three days. The miracle of Lazarus is thus the image of an initiation. The task is to bring the astral and etheric bodies back into the physical body. This is accomplished by the Master. The person is now a resurrected being who can remember the experiences in the higher worlds. This is possible for every human being. But what in ancient times was a procedure lasting three and a half days is accomplished in a different way today. The result is the same, but it is achieved by other methods.
The student on the Christian path of initiation had to undergo seven trials. These were not only physical but also spiritual experiences. Those who had undergone them knew that real experiences were possible outside the body. At the first stage, the student learns how human beings became what they are today. This was achieved through the following parable: The plant must have mineral soil. The mineral is deeper than the plant, but the plant must bow down and say: To you, stone, who are lower than me, I owe my existence, my life. — Higher than the plant stands the animal. It breathes in oxygen and breathes out carbon, otherwise it cannot live. The plant exhales oxygen. The animal must say to the plant: I bow to you in humility, plant, for without you I could not exist. — And so the higher human being behaves toward the lower. He too must say to the lower: Without you, I am not. — One must be completely imbued with this feeling and bow in humility. From his deepest experience, man must be able to bow before those who are lower than himself. This is the washing of feet, the first stage of Christian initiation: Christ bows before his disciples and washes their feet. What is experienced here is a symbol of the higher world. Those who can live spiritually in this higher world, those who have developed the feeling described, like Lazarus, experience the washing of feet in the higher world. Those who experience humiliation in the physical world experience the washing of feet in a higher world. This experience shows them that they have reached the first stage on the path to initiation. This is also expressed physically: they have a feeling as if all their muscles were newly strengthened. The strengthening of the muscles after the feeling of humiliation corresponds to the first stage.
The second stage of Christian initiation is scourging and slapping. The person must learn to calmly endure what previously hurt him, to take on the pains of the world. This is also expressed in the higher world: this strength of soul is symbolized as scourging and as real blows. Then one day the student feels a kind of stinging all over his body, a sign that he has passed. This is a real experience that people go through when they walk the path from their own experience. The great mystics have experienced this. Such a person has thus reached the second stage.
The third stage is the crowning with thorns. It is connected with enduring not only pain, but even contempt from one's fellow human beings. One must gain strength to endure annihilation when there is no one left to give one courage and strength except oneself, when one is no longer valued at all and yet remains upright inwardly. This is how it must be experienced. It is lived out in the spiritual world like the crowning with thorns: the person sees himself with the crown of thorns. Pain is felt in the head of the physical body. The brain undergoes changes, a process that also becomes noticeable later during the waking state.
The fourth degree is crucifixion. This is experienced when the person learns to perceive their own body as a foreign object, like a piece of wood. They no longer connect their ego with their body. In the spiritual world, they see themselves with the cross on their back. This marks the attainment of the fourth stage. Physically, this is expressed as stigmatization: the stigmata appear. In the case of certain saints, this is not a legend, but indicates that they have attained this fourth stage. Such saints are cross-bearers.
Once a person has progressed this far, they reach the fifth stage. This is mystical death. The whole world seems to be covered with a veil to the student. Everything around them has lost its old value. While they feel themselves in darkness, the curtain suddenly tears, and the person begins to see the original spiritual goals. They look into a whole new world. At the same time, he learns to recognize what lies at the bottom of the human soul. He becomes a second self beside himself and looks down on his lower self, which he sees as separate from himself. His body is the mother, whom he sees standing beneath him, and the transformed lower self is the disciple who bears witness that Christ lives. Now the higher self can say to the lower self: “Behold, this is your mother!”
Once a person has passed through this fifth stage, they can proceed to the sixth, the burial and resurrection. Everything that belongs to the planet becomes the body of the Christian mystic. At this stage, they feel as if the whole earth belongs to them. The human being has ceased to be a separate being; he is one with all life on earth. He is inwardly connected with it through the burial. The grave becomes the source of his experience: human beings and animals, plants and stones around him become transparent. He has lost his separateness, but he has taken in the life of the whole earth, its higher life. The seventh stage is called the Ascension. It signifies complete absorption into the spiritual world.
The Gospel of John is a description of this Christian path of initiation. Those who take it as an external account do not understand it. It can only be understood when one experiences it inwardly. In this sense, Angelus Silesius says:
If you rise above yourself and let God reign
Then the Ascension will be held in your spirit.
Just as no being can see the external sunlight unless its eyes are open, so no one can understand the mystery of Golgotha unless they experience it inwardly. Only when a person reaches such an inner experience will they understand why time is divided into two parts, before and after Christ.
Christianity only attains its true meaning when it is lived as an inner path. The Gospel of John is a text that can be experienced sentence by sentence. And those who have experienced it know that external criticism is completely meaningless. The moment a person knows that they must experience what is written through and through, all criticism disappears and all doubt vanishes. Every line can be experienced inwardly.