The Gospel of Matthew
GA 123
8 September 1910, Bern
Lecture VIII
The bringing forth of the secrets of the Mysteries into the external world through the historic Christ-event. The Kingdom of Malchut and the Kingdoms of Heaven. The nature of the Ego in the Kingdom
The raising of the two sides of initiation to the heights of a world-historical transaction comprises what is most essential for us in the Christ Event.
In the form of initiation found more especially in the Mysteries and Sanctuaries of Egypt, a man experienced his daily awakening, that is, the descent into his physical and etheric sheaths, so that his perceptive organs were directed, not to his physical environment but to the occurrences within these bodies. Those who were initiated according to this ancient method, in which they received guidance and help to shield them from its inherent dangers, became in a certain sense, different men. They were able, during the act of initiation at least, to behold the spiritual world, to see in the first place those spiritual forces and beings which are associated with our physical and etheric bodies.
Were we to describe the initiation of the Essenes from this point of view, we should have to say that after passing through the forty-two stages, the Essene would arrive at a more intimate knowledge of his true inner being, his own ego-nature, and of everything that made him capable of spiritual perception through the external organs acquired by inheritance; he would be led beyond the forty-two stages to that divinely spiritual Being who, as Jahve or Jehovah, had brought about the formation of the special organ first possessed by Abraham, as I have already explained. In spirit he would recognize in this organ what was essential to the age in which he lived; he would look back to the composition of his inner being and see it as the product of Divinity; in this form of initiation his attention was, therefore, not 1This sentence is not negated in the original German. —SOL directed to knowledge concerning man's own inner nature.
The danger resulting from a man entering his inner being unprepared, was described in general terms in the last lecture. I showed how egoism was then aroused in him so that he said: ‘I will summon all my powers, all my egoistic passions and emotions, all that is antagonistic to spiritual knowledge; I will marshal these within me so as to become one with them; in this way I will act, perceive, and feel, only from out my own egoistic inner being.’ Descent into a man's own inner being brings with it the danger of excessive egoism. It is this which as a special kind of illusion again and again approaches those who seek entrance into their inner being by means of esoteric development. In such cases many forms of egoism become apparent in people which they do not as a rule recognize to be egoism. They believe it to be anything rather than egoism. There are many who would fain see into the higher worlds but they lack the will to endure the training. They find it most uncomfortable to watch the deeply-rooted characteristics of human nature rising within them. They would like to reach the spiritual world without this eruption of egoism. They fail to realize that the dissatisfaction felt towards an experience that is quite in order, is in itself evidence of the bitterest and most marked egoism. They ought rather to ask: Must not I too, since I am a man, call up all sorts of such powers? They find such phenomena extraordinary—in spite of innumerable explanations of their inevitability at a certain stage. It is easy to give examples of these illusions and deceptions to which people are liable. For instance, human beings to-day are in many respects very indolent—they prefer to tread the way of initiation with the accustomed ease of ordinary life; but this comfort cannot be experienced on the path leading to the spiritual world.
In ancient times the man who trod the inner path was led to the divine spiritual powers, because to them he owed the creation of his inner being. He could perceive them at work on his physical body and etheric body. Such a man could bear witness to the mysteries of the spiritual worlds, and could tell his fellow men what he passed through while being led in the Mysteries into his own inner being and hence into the spiritual world. Returning from the higher worlds he could say, ‘I have gazed into spiritual existence, but I was helped. Helpers of the Initiator in the Mysteries enabled me to outlast the time in which otherwise the demons of my own nature would have overwhelmed me.’ But because he was indebted to outside help for his view of the spiritual world, he remained all his life dependent upon the collegium and on those who had helped him. The powers who had aided him went out with him into the cosmos.
This had to be changed; this dependence had to be overcome. The seekers after initiation had to grow less and less dependent on their teachers and initiators—for something else of great importance was closely associated with that help.
At a certain moment in life, a distinct ego-feeling dawns in our everyday consciousness. This has often been described, and you find the moment described in my book, Theosophy. It is the moment when a human being first addresses himself as ‘I.’ This is something an animal cannot do. If an animal were to look into its own inner nature as a man does, it would find not an individual ego, but a group ego. In the old initiations this ego-feeling was, to a certain extent, suppressed. When a man ascended into the spiritual world his feeling of self was clouded. In the light of these lectures it can be seen that it was well this should be so, for egoism, passions, all that tends to separate man from man in the external world, are connected with the ego-feeling. To prevent these passions and emotions from reaching an excessive strength, suppression of the ego-feeling was necessary. During ancient initiation therefore, not exactly a dream-consciousness, but a suppressed condition of the ego-feeling occurred. More and more effort had to be directed towards making a man capable of initiation while maintaining full consciousness of the ego—the ego-consciousness he had in waking life. The ancient practices were to cease. This change could only be achieved in the course of time by slow and gradual stages, but already to-day in all rightly constituted initiations, the point has been reached where the ego-feeling to a high degree is not extinguished when a man rises up into higher worlds.
Let us now examine the pre-Christian initiation of the Essenes more closely. With this initiation was also associated a certain weakening of the ego-feeling. That which gives man his feeling of self in earthly existence, which enables him to confront external objects, had to be suppressed. A little reflection on even the most trivial side of waking life will suffice to make us realize that in another condition, that of sleep, when man is in the spiritual world, he has no consciousness of self. Ego-consciousness belongs to day-consciousness, when the attention is withdrawn from the spiritual world, and is directed to the world of the senses. Thus it is to-day, and so it was in the days when Christ was on earth. The man of to-day is for the most part, and in normal conditions, not awake to the spiritual world. Christian initiation really consists in the Ego remaining as wide-awake in the higher worlds as it is in the external world.
Let us consider quite clearly the moment of awakening. This moment confronts us as that in which man descends from higher worlds and plunges down into his physical and etheric bodies, the inner happenings of which, however, he fails to perceive, his attention being immediately attracted towards his environment. Everything upon which his glance falls at the moment of awakening, everything he perceives through eye or ear, everything he grasps with the understanding bound to the physical brain—everything in fact that exists in his physical environment, was included in the word ‘Malchut’ or ‘the Kingdom’ as employed in the mystery language of the ancient Hebrews. To the Hebrew, ‘Malchut’ stood for everything in which the human ego could consciously take part. ‘The Kingdom’ is primarily the sense-world, the world of waking man, man in the full possession of his ego.
Let us now follow the stages of initiation by which man descends into his own inner being. The first stage preceding the entrance into and the perception of the secrets of the etheric body is easy to surmise. The human outer sheaths consist, as we know, of the astral body, the etheric and the physical body. Into these man must enter. If he is to pass through this kind of initiation he must be able to perceive his astral body consciously from within. This he must experience first, if he wishes to enter the interior of his physical and etheric body. This is the door through which he must go. Here ever new experiences await him, and what he experiences is objective, as objective as the things he encounters in the world of the senses.
In perceiving the objects in our environment with our sense-perception, we distinguish three kingdoms, that of minerals, plants, and animals; but the ancient Hebrew did not make this distinction, he regarded them as one and summed them up in the one conception, that of the Kingdom. In the same way as our outer eye perceives animals, plants, and minerals when we direct our glance to the sense-world in which our ego is conscious, so the eye of those able to sink down into their inner nature can perceive everything that is to be perceived in the astral body. These things are not as yet beheld consciously by man through his ego, but the ego makes use of the instruments of the astral body in order to perceive them. What a man sees when he makes use of other powers of perception—that is, when his ego is active in a world with which he is connected through his astral organs—was always described in the ancient Hebrew language by three words. Just as we speak of an animal, plant, and mineral kingdom, they expressed this trinity of the astral body in the three words: Nezach, Jesod, and Hod. If these three expressions are to be made in some way conformable to our language we must enter more deeply into the old Hebrew feeling for language than is possible with the aid of an ordinary lexicon. We must call to our aid the sense for language that existed in pre-Christian times. For example, the combination of sounds in the word Hod sought to express the idea of something spiritual appearing outwardly. Try to picture this something spiritual that desires to make itself known outwardly, to express itself outwardly, but a spirituality that must be conceived of as astral in nature. This desire for outward expression is implied in a much stronger form in the word ‘Nezach.’ What is here striving to reveal itself might perhaps be rendered as ‘Something that appears to be impenetrable.’
In modern handbooks on Physics it is stated as an opinion—though it is really to be regarded as a definition, but it is not a matter of logic)—that the physical body is ‘impenetrable.’ A physical body should be defined as that of which it can be said, that when in one place, no other body can occupy the same place at the same time. This must be put down as a definition—instead of which we now have the dogma: the bodies of the physical world have the quality of impenetrability. Whereas it ought to be: two bodies cannot occupy the same place simultaneously. (This, however, is philosophy.) ‘Nezach’ expresses the self-manifestation of something in space to the exclusion of something else; it represents something a degree coarser than Hod. What lies between these two is the degree expressed in the word ‘Jesod.’
There are thus three degrees. In the first, ‘Hod’ we have the manifestation of any astral fact revealing itself outwardly. When conditions are coarsened to physical impenetrability it is called ‘Nezach’ in the Hebrew language; and the word ‘Jesod’ is used to define the intermediate conditions. These words express the three different characteristics peculiar to the beings of the astral world.
We can now enter further into man's inner nature with those who seek initiation by this method. Having overcome whatever has to be overcome in the astral body, the seeker enters into his etheric body. He then perceives something higher than is expressed by the three Hebrew words we have just considered. You may wonder why this should be higher. There is something strange here which must be noted if we are to arrive at any real knowledge of the nature of the universe. You Must realize that the highest spiritual forces are active in what are apparently the lowest manifestations of the external world. I have often drawn your attention to this and demonstrated it especially in reference to the nature of man.
Man is described as being composed of physical body, etheric body, astral body, and ego. From a certain point of view it is true that the ego is the highest of these, but at its present stage of development it is the baby among the four principles of human nature. Though it contains the seed of the highest to which man can attain, it is at present in itself the least advanced. The physical body, on the other hand, is in itself the most perfect of the human principles, no thanks to man, but because throughout the Saturn, Sun, and Moon Periods divine beings worked upon it. Even the astral body has become more perfect than the ego. The human ego is that which is so close to us that we identify ourselves with it; in fact anyone who does not wilfully close his eyes or is not too superficial to look within himself; has only to do so to find his ego there. In comparison, think how far removed man is from the comprehension of the mysteries of his own physical body. Spiritual beings have been working on the physical body of man not for millions, but for millions of millions of years, to bring it to its present perfection of structure. Between the physical body and the ego lie the astral and etheric bodies. Compared with the physical principle the astral is very imperfect: in it are the emotions, passions, and desires. Through the emotions of the astral body many things are enjoyed which have a detrimental effect on the wonderful organism of the physical body, even though the etheric acts as an impediment between the two. Allusion has often been made to the many enjoyments that are injurious to the heart, and how the astral body would undermine the health of the human heart were it not that it is so wonderful and perfect an organization that for many decades it can withstand the attacks of the astral body. But so it is. The deeper we descend, the higher are the spiritual forces at work on our different principles. One might say: It is the youngest gods, the more recent divinely spiritual forces who have given us our ego; and the older gods who have bestowed that perfection on the lower principles of our being which man has hardly even begun to comprehend, much less to imitate with the instruments at his disposal.
This perfection was perceived more especially by those who made a descent into their inner being by the methods of initiation practised among the Essenes. Such an Essene Initiate might say: ‘Only after I have passed the first fourteen stages shall I be able to enter my astral body there I encounter all the passions and emotions connected with this astral body, together with all the harm I have done to it during this incarnation. But I am not as yet in a position to do injury to my etheric body, for it is in fact purer and more divine; and will be seen by me when I have passed through the second fourteen stages.’ He felt that if he could but withstand the attacks of the astral body, the greatest difficulties of the first fourteen stages would be overcome, and he could then enter the light spheres of his etheric body on which he had not as yet been able to inflict so much injury.
What the seekers after initiation next beheld is described in the ancient Hebrew occult teaching by three expressions which are very difficult to translate; they are Gedulah, Tipheret, and Geburah. Let us try to form some idea of the realms described by these words.
When a man perceived that which united him with his etheric body, he felt affected by the first of these—by Gedulah. The effect of Gedulah was that the individual gained a conception of the majesty, the grandeur, and over-whelming power of the spiritual world. What, on the other hand, is expressed by Geburah, though connected with the first, has a quite different quality of greatness, a greatness that is, as it were, lessened through activity. Geburah is that degree of greatness, or of power, which reveals itself outwardly in order to defend itself and to make itself known as an independent being. Thus, while the word Gedulah implies activity through intrinsic worth, Geburah is activity manifesting outwards in what might be called an aggressive way. Tipheret is an expression for greatness at rest within itself; an inwardness certainly that manifests outwardly, but without aggression; a being that because it gives expression to spiritual greatness, is such as we can only express through a combination of the two ideas, ‘goodness’ and ‘beauty.’
A being expressing its inner nature in outward form appears beautiful to us. A being giving outward expression to its intrinsic worth appears good to us. These two conceptions were both inherent in the ancient Hebrew word ‘Tipheret.’
It was descent into the etheric body that brought man in touch with the beings revealing themselves through these three attributes.
The next step is the descent into the physical body. In his physical body man learns to know (if one can so express it) the most ancient of the divine spiritual Beings who have worked on him. In Occult Science and in communications From the Akashic Records it is explained how the physical body first came into being on ancient Saturn. Very exalted spiritual beings, the Thrones, offered up their own will-substance to provide the first germ of the human physical body; and in its further development throughout the Saturn, Sun, and Moon periods, exalted beings co-operated in the work on germinal humanity. In the Lectures given at Munich on Biblical Secrets of Creation I described how these exalted beings remained united with man throughout the Saturn, Sun, and Moon periods, organizing and developing ever more highly and widely the primal germ of the physical organization, so that it might become the marvel of construction we see to-day, and within which man dwells with his etheric body, astral body, and ego.
A man who is really able to descend into his own inner being perceives something that has qualities which, according to the ancient Hebrew mystical teaching, can only be imagined when concentrating on the most exalted wisdom to which the soul can attain. Such a man regards wisdom as an ideal, he feels his being exalted when he can fill it to some extent with wisdom. Those who at the time of the Essenes were able to plunge down into the physical body knew they approached beings whose whole substance consisted of what a man can attain, in small measure at least, when he strives for wisdom; a wisdom that is not won through ordinary external understanding but only through an understanding born of difficult soul experiences, and that cannot be acquired in one incarnation but in many, and only then in part—for only by acquiring every form of wisdom can man possess it completely. The beings perceived at this stage of initiation were beings of Wisdom—in them the peculiar qualities of pure unalloyed wisdom could be seen. The Hebrew word used to express the qualities of these beings, which to-day we somewhat vaguely call wisdom, was ‘Chokmah.’ A somewhat denser form of this quality of wisdom is that which is found in man, although in his individuality he can attain it only in small measure. On making the descent into his physical organism a man is again confronted with beings who possess in vast measure an attribute that is a denser form of wisdom, and which, in Hebrew terminology, was called ‘Binah.’ As beings they appeared completely illumined by this attribute. It is what is aroused in man when he is reminded of his reason, though he may indeed only achieve reason in a very restricted form. We have to imagine beings who are completely permeated by the effects of reason; it is these who are referred to when the word ‘Binah’ is used. It is a denser form of ‘Chokmah.’ In the secret doctrine of the ancient Hebrews, ‘Chokmah’ is the name for the original creative wisdom which brought forth from itself the Mysteries of the World. It was there compared to a spring of water, while ‘Binah’ was compared to the sea, thereby indicating its denser nature.
The most exalted state which could be gained through descending into the physical body was called ‘Keter.’ It is difficult to translate this word. It represents, though but faintly, the qualities of very exalted, divine spiritual beings, and can only be indicated symbolically by that which raises a man above himself, which stands for something more than he himself—hence we translate it with ‘crown.’
Binah | Chokmah | Keter |
Geburah | Tipheret | Gedulah |
Nezach | Jesod | Hod |
Malchut | The Kingdom | ‘I’ |
Here is the scale of qualities of those beings into whose realm man strives to evolve after having made the descent into his own inner nature. This must be regarded as a growing upwards.
An Essene initiation must be pictured as bringing entirely new experiences and new knowledge, and that it impressed on the pupil the reality of these qualities. It differed entirely from the initiation of neighbouring nations, which was still of the ancient form. This difference must be now explained.
All ancient initiations were especially directed towards the suppression of the feeling of self which a man has when looking upon Malchut, the Kingdom. This feeling had to be blotted out. On initiation a man cannot remain as he is in the physical world; he is certainly led into the spiritual world, but cannot remain such a man as he was when in the ‘Kingdom.’ A sharp distinction has to be made in ancient initiation between the experiences of an Initiate and how he felt when within his ego.
Were I to compress into one sentence how ancient initiation was carried out in the mystery schools of olden times, and how this life could be compared with life in the outer world I should say: ‘It must not be thought that the same feeling of self which a man experiences in the “kingdom” remains when he has developed the three times three attributes, described above, in their reality. He must withdraw from all such feelings of self. What is experienced as Nezach, Jesod, and Hod cannot be carried down into the Kingdom, or remain associated with the ordinary ego-feeling of a man.’ This was common knowledge. Whoever dared to contradict it would have been regarded as a fool, a liar, and a madman.
But the Essenes were the first to teach: ‘A time is coming when all that is above will be brought down, so that man will be able to experience it and yet maintain his ego feeling intact!’ This was what the Greeks called ‘Basileia.’ The Essenes were the first to teach of the coming of One ‘Who would bring down what is in the “Kingdoms of the Heavens” into “Malchut”, the kingdom in which the human ego dwells.’ This was first taught in mighty words by Jesus ben Pandira to his Essene followers and to certain others who were near him.
Jesus ben Pandira was the first to foretell this through the inspiration which he had received from the successor of Gautama Buddha (from the Bodhisattva who was destined to be the Maitreya Buddha); and he gave the following teaching to his pupil Mathai: ‘Hitherto the Kingdoms of Heaven could not be brought down into Malchut, the Kingdom to which the ego belongs; but when the three times fourteen generations shall be fulfilled, there will be born of the race of Abraham, in the house of Jesse (the Jessians or Essenes) One Who will bring the nine attributes of the Kingdoms of Heaven down into the Kingdom in which the ego is present.’
Such teaching was regarded as sacrilege; it was considered the vilest abuse of initiation by those who refused to recognize that what is right for one age is not necessarily right for another—bcause humanity is always advancing. Jesus ben Pandira, who taught this sacrilege, was therefore stoned to death.
Then came the time when what had been foretold was to be fulfilled, when the three times fourteen generations had been accomplished, and a physical body could arise from the blood of the race meet for Zarathustra—such a physical body as after Zarathustra had incarnated in it and brought it to fuller perfection, he could offer up to the Christ. The time had come of which the forerunner of the Christ declared: The time is at hand when ‘The Kingdoms of Heaven’ will approach the ego dwelling in the outer Kingdom—in Malchut.
We can now understand what the first self-imposed task of Christ was after he had passed through the Temptation. He had withstood temptation through the forces of His own inner being, through what, in men, we to-day call the ‘ego.’ He had succeeded in enduring and overcoming all the trials and temptations which assail a man who makes the descent into his astral, etheric, and physical bodies. This is clearly shown. All forms of egoism are represented, so that our attention is directed to them in their intensest form.
The greatest obstacle encountered by the esoteric student, as is only natural when sinking within his own inner being, is the unwise tendency to occupy himself more and more with his own much loved personality. Indeed, one never finds this more readily than in those who seek entrance into the spiritual world. They love to occupy themselves with their own personality, giving it the minutest attention. While formerly they had resolutely kept themselves away from this, as soon as they attempt development, or even as soon as they bcome Anthroposophists, they begin to occupy themselves very largely with their own ego; then all kinds of illusions arise that formerly the ordinary trend of life easily spared them. The reason for this is that such people are ignorant of how to act when everything arising from their own being becomes one with them, they are quite without experience as to what they should do. Formerly, such people were easily interested in external things; now they are more withdrawn, more interested in inner experiences. All kinds of emotions now emerge from their own nature. Why?
Such a person would like to become a complete ego, to be entirely independent of the outer world. Above all, he is now apt to fall into the error of preferring to be treated like a child who has to be told clearly what to do and to have everything explained to him. He would indeed prefer anything rather than to direct himself to the goal which esoteric life discloses. He is not yet able to give his mind to this; yet his dependence on the outer world disturbs him, especially when he wishes to be most detached from it and to interest himself in his own ego. But there is always one thing that prevents his detaching himself completely from the external world—trivial though it may be, this is the fact that he must eat! This fact shows how helpless man is without his environment; such dependence on the outer world may aptly be compared with the dependence of the finger on the hand; if severed the finger perishes. It needs but little insight to realize man's dependence on the outer world. Egoism stretched to its limits may even produce in a man the desire: If only I could become independent of my environment; if only I could create, magically within myself that which as ordinary man forces me to feel so bitterly my dependence on what is outside me
Such a wish may actually arise in the seeker after initiation. Similarly hatred may be roused by the feeling of dependence on the surrounding world and the impossibility of creating nourishment magically. It may seem extraordinary to say such things, because desires that are apparent in small things become absurd when carried to extremes. No-one really gives way to the illusion that he could create nourishment magically, and live without what comes from the ‘Kingdom,’ but carried to an extreme he might exclaim, ‘Could I but reach a stage of development where I live so truly in my astral body and ego that I no longer have need of the world about me!’ This form of temptation does arise; and it is described of One Who had experienced it most acutely, that the tempter who confronted Jesus Christ told Him to change stones into bread. Here we have temptation in its extremest form. It is in fact man's descent into his own being that is so wonderfully described in the story of the Temptation, as related in the Gospel of Matthew.
The second stage of temptation arises after the descent into the astral body has taken place, when the novice is confronted by those desires and emotions which so easily transform him into an extreme egoist. When a man feels himself confronted by these he might, instead of resisting and overcoming them, cast himself down into the etheric and physical body. This is a situation which might be described as hurling himself into the abyss. This is how it is described in the Gospel of Matthew: as a plunging down into the etheric body and physical body, into that which has so far remained almost unspoiled by man. But this cannot be until all desires and emotions have been overcome. The Christ knew this, and facing and subduing the tempter by His own power, He said, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Being to Whom thou must surrender thyself!’
Then comes the third stage, the descent into the physical body. When this descent appears as a temptation, it is described in a special way. It is an experience actually endured by everyone who reaches this stage on the path of initiation. Everything is then seen, as it were, from within, everything that is associated with the three highest principles. The seeker after initiation sees this as a world—but a world of his own illusions, a world in which it is impossible to recognize intrinsic truth without breaking through the shell of the physical body and rising to those Spiritual Beings, who have themselves left the physical body, who are no longer within it, but only work upon it. Unless we free ourselves from egoism, Lucifer or Diabolus, the tempter of the physical world continually rouses self-deception in us. He promises to give us all that we behold, but this is really Maya, the creation of our own illusion. So long as this Spirit of Egoism remains with us, we perceive a complete world—but a world of deception and lies; he promises to give us this world—but we must not think it is a world of reality. We have first to enter this world, but unless we escape from it again we remain in a world of Maya.
Christ Jesus lived through these three stages of temptation as a model and a pattern for man. Because they were once experienced outside the ancient Mysteries, experienced through the power of a Being Who Himself dwelt within the three human bodies, an impulse was given which enables man in the future course of evolution to experience the spiritual world in his own ego, even in that ego in which he dwells in Malchut. That was to be reached by what has held the two worlds apart coming to an end, so that man with his ego that lives in Malchut will be able to ascend into the spiritual world. This was the result gained for humanity in the overcoming of temptation as related in the Gospel of Matthew. It was attained through the fact that a Being living on the earth had now become a pattern for the passing over of the ego as it exists in the Kingdom, into higher kingdoms and higher worlds. What was found to result from Christ having experienced in outward historical form what had hitherto been confined to the Mysteries? What naturally followed from this? What followed was the preaching of the Kingdom.
The Gospel of Matthew therefore first describes the Temptation, and then in ordered sequence tells of the phases of the ascent of the ego, which is now able to experience the spiritual world within itself without the necessity of first going out of itself. The secret of this ego—which as it lives in the outer kingdom, ascends into the spiritual world—this secret was now to be revealed through the Christ to all the world during the time following on the story of the Temptation, as told in the Gospel of Matthew. Then come the chapters, beginning with the Sermon on the Mount, which show what Christ meant by ‘Malchut’—the Kingdom.
Profound indeed is the Gospel of Matthew. So profound that its sources must be sought in the secret teachings, not only of the Essenes, but of the ancient Hebrews, and the Greek world in general. Realization of this truth awakens in us a holy reverence and a profound respect for this document, a reverence which deepens when, furnished with the investigations of Spiritual Science, we meet with what the seers told us of old. When we hear that such things were related by the ancient seers, we feel as if we heard them speaking to us directly from far-off time. It is like the transmission of some spirit-language in which mighty individuals have conversed with one another throughout the centuries—so that those who have the will to hear can hear it. Those can hear at least who understand the words in the Gospel—‘He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!’
But just as at one time much had to happen before the physical ear could be formed, so much, very much is necessary in order that spiritual ears may be developed by which we shall be able to understand what is told us in these mighty original spiritual documents.
The purpose of our new Spiritual Science is to teach people to read these spiritual documents once more. Only when we are equipped with an understanding of the ego—an understanding of the nature of the ego in the Kingdom—will it be possible for us to understand the teaching that begins with the words, ‘Blessed are those who are beggars in regard to the spirit, for through themselves, through their own ego, they will find the Kingdoms of the Heavens!’
An Initiate of olden times would have said, ‘It would have been in vain for you to seek the Kingdoms of the Heavens in your own ego.’ But Christ Jesus said: ‘The time is now come when those who seek the Kingdoms of the Heavens can find the Spirit!’
The carrying into effect in the external world of the profound secrets of the Mysteries is the historical side of the Christ Event, and in this sense we propose to study this Event yet more closely. You will then understand what interpretation to put on the words, ‘Blessed are those,’ with which the Sermon on the Mount begins.
Achter Vortrag
In dem, was wir gestern angeführt haben über das Heraufheben der beiden Seiten der Initiation auf die Höhe welthistorischer Vorgänge in dem Christus-Ereignis, liegt zugleich angegeben, wenn man es ganz durchschaut, das uns Wesentliche dieses Christus-Ereignisses.
Eine Initiation oder Einweihung, die darin bestand, daß der Mensch gleichsam das tägliche Erlebnis des Aufwachens so durchmachte, daß beim Hinuntersteigen in den physischen Leib und Ätherleib nicht das Wahrnehmungsvermögen abgelenkt wird auf die äußere physische Umgebung, sondern erregt wird für die Vorgänge des Ätherleibes und physischen Leibes, eine solche Art der Einweihung hatten wir ja besonders in all den Mysterien und Einweihungsstätten gegeben, die sich auf die ägyptische heilige Kultur begründeten. Diejenigen, die eine solche Einweihung im alten Sinne suchten, das heißt in dem Sinne, daß sie dabei gelenkt und geleitet wurden, damit die bei einer solchen Einweihung auftretenden Gefahren vorübergehen konnten, sie wurden dadurch in gewisser Beziehung zu anderen Menschen, zu solchen Menschen, die während des Einweihungsaktes hineinschauen konnten in die geistige Welt, zunächst in jene geistigen Kräfte und Wesenheiten, die beteiligt sind an unserem physischen Leib und Ätherleib.
Wenn wir jetzt die Essäereinweihung von diesem Gesichtspunkte aus charakterisieren wollen, so können wir sagen: Wenn ein Essäer die charakterisierten zweiundvierzig Stufen durchmachte und dadurch zu einer genaueren Kenntnis seines wahren Inneren kam, seiner wahren Ich-Natur und alles dessen, was den Menschen befähigt, durch die äußeren durch die Vererbung dazu bestimmten Organe zu sehen, so wurde ein solcher Essäer über die zweiundvierzig Stufen hinausgeführt bis zu derjenigen geistig-göttlichen Wesenheit, welche als Jahve oder Jehova jenes Organ bewirkte, das ich Ihnen bei Abraham charakterisiert habe; das sah er dann im Geiste als dieses Organ, das wesentlich war für die damalige Zeit. Der Essäer sah also zurück auf das innere wesenhafte Gefüge der menschlichen Innenwesenheit, die ja ein Ergebnis war dieser göttlich-geistigen Wesenheit. Auf die Erkenntnis des menschlichen Inneren war es also bei einer solchen Einweihung abgesehen.
Was nun dem Menschen bevorsteht, wenn er unvorbereitet in sein Inneres hineindringen kann, das habe ich Ihnen im allgemeinen gestern charakterisiert. Ich habe gesagt, da erwachen in dem Menschen zunächst alle Egoismen, alles, was den Menschen dazu bringt, daß er sich sagt: Alle die Kräfte, die in mir sind, alle Leidenschaften und Emotionen, die mit meinem Ich zusammenhängen und die nichts wissen wollen von der geistigen Welt, ich will sie so in mir haben, daß ich mich mit ihnen verbinden kann und nur aus meinem eigenen egoistischen Inneren heraus handle, empfinde und fühle! - Also das ist die Gefahr, daß der Mensch bis zum höchsten Maße des Egoismus hinaufwächst durch solches Hineinsteigen in sein Inneres. Das ist es ja auch, was als eine bestimmte Art von Illusion immer wieder über diejenigen kommt, die auch heute durch eine esoterische Entwickelung dieses Hineinsteigen in das eigene Innere anstreben wollen. Bei solcher Gelegenheit machen sich mancherlei Egoismen beim Menschen geltend; und wenn sie dann da sind, glaubt der Mensch in der Regel gar nicht, daß es diese Egoismen sind. Er glaubt eigentlich alles eher, als daß es diese Egoismen sind. Der Weg in die höheren Welten wird ja genugsam als ein solcher geschildert, zu dem, selbst wenn er in unserer Zeit gesucht wird, Überwindungen notwendig sind. Und manche von denjenigen Menschen, die, auch in unserer Zeit, gern den Weg in die höheren Welten hinauf gehen wollen, aber keine solche Überwindungen haben wollen, die zwar gern schauen möchten in höheren Welten, aber nicht erleben wollen, was eigentlich dazu führen kann, solche Menschen finden es dann immer wieder unbequem, allerlei in sich auftauchen zu sehen, was nun einmal in der menschlichen Natur liegt. Sie möchten ohne dieses Auftauchen von allerlei Egoismen und dergleichen in die höheren Welten hinaufkommen. Sie merken nicht, daß oft gerade darin der herbste, der bedeutsamste Egoismus sich zeigt, daß sich die Unzufriedenheit geltend macht mit dem, was eigentlich als etwas ganz Reguläres eintritt, und von dem sie sich fragen sollten: Muß ich denn nicht, da ich ein Mensch bin, auch allerlei solche Gewalten aufrufen? Sie finden es merkwürdig, daß solche Dinge da sind, trotzdem es hundert- und hundertmal erklärt wird, daß sich so etwas in einer bestimmten Zeit einstellt. Ich will damit nur hinweisen auf die Illusionen und Täuschungen, denen sich gewisse Menschen hingeben. In unserer Zeit ist es ja noch zu berücksichtigen, daß die Menschheit in einer gewissen Weise bequem geworden ist und am liebsten mit der Bequemlichkeit, die man sonst im gewöhnlichen Leben liebt, den Weg in die höheren Welten hinauf gehen möchte. Aber solche Bequemlichkeiten, wie man sie auf den gewöhnlichen Gebieten des Daseins gern schafft, können nicht geschaffen werden auf dem Wege, der in die geistigen Welten führen soll.
Derjenige nun, der diesen Weg in die geistige Welt in den alten Zeiten dadurch gefunden hatte, daß er durch die Einweihung gegangen war, die in das menschliche Innere führt, der wurde, weil das menschliche Innere von göttlich-geistigen Mächten geschaffen ist, damit hineingeführt in die göttlich-geistigen Kräfte. Man sieht dann am physischen Leibe und Ätherleibe die göttlich-geistigen Kräfte arbeiten. Ein solcher Mensch wurde geeignet, ein Zeuge, ein Künder zu sein von den Geheimnissen der geistigen Welt. Er konnte seinen Mitmenschen erzählen, was er durchgemacht hatte, während er in den Mysterien hineingeführt wurde in sein eigenes Inneres und dadurch in die geistige Welt. Was aber war damit verbunden? Wenn ein solcher Eingeweihter herauskam aus den geistigen Welten, konnte er sagen: Da habe ich hineingeblickt in das geistige Dasein; aber mir wurde geholfen! Die Gehilfen des Initiators haben es mir möglich gemacht, daß ich überdauert habe die Zeit, in der sonst die Dämonen aus meiner eigenen Natur mich niedergedrückt haben würden. - Dadurch aber, daß er in dieser Art den äußeren Hilfen sein Hineinschauen in die geistige Welt verdankte, blieb er auch zeitlebens von diesem Einweihungskollegium abhängig, von denjenigen, die ihm geholfen hatten. Die Kräfte, die ihm geholfen hatten, gingen mit ihm hinaus in die Welt.
Das sollte anders werden. Das sollte überwunden werden. Diejenigen, die initiiert werden sollten, sollten immer weniger abhängig bleiben von denen, die ihre Lehrer und Initiatoren sind. Denn mit dieser Hilfe war ein Anderes, Wesentliches verbunden. Wir haben in unserem alltäglichen Bewußtsein ein ganz deutliches Ich-Gefühl, das in einer bestimmten Stunde unseres Daseins erwacht. Darüber wurde schon öfter gesprochen, und Sie finden auch in meiner «Theosophie» den Zeitpunkt charakterisiert, wo der Mensch dazu kommt, sich als ein Ich anzusprechen. Das ist etwas, was das Tier nicht kann. Wenn das Tier in sein Inneres schauen würde wie der Mensch, so würde es nicht ein individuelles Ich, sondern ein Gattungs-Ich, ein GruppenIch finden: es würde sich zugehörig fühlen zu einer ganzen Gruppe. Dieses Ich-Gefühl erlosch in einer gewissen Weise bei den alten Einweihungen. Während der Mensch also in die geistigen Welten hineinstieg, trübte sich sein Ich-Gefühl, und wenn Sie alles zusammennehmen, was ich gesagt habe, werden Sie es begreiflich finden, daß es gut war. Denn das Ich-Gefühl ist es ja, mit dem sich alle die Egoismen, Leidenschaften und so weiter verbinden, die den Menschen absondern wollen von der äußeren Welt. Wollte man nicht die Leidenschaften, die Emotionen bis zu einer gewissen Stärke treiben, so mußte das Ich-Gefühl unterdrückt werden. Es war daher zwar nicht ein Traumbewußtsein, aber doch ein Zustand herabgedrückten Ich-Gefühls bei den Einweihungen in den alten Mysterien vorhanden. Immer mehr und mehr sollte aber darnach gestrebt werden, daß der Mensch fähig werde, die Initiation durchzumachen unter völliger Aufrechterhaltung seines Ich, desjenigen Ich, das der Mensch im Wachbewußtsein vom Aufwachen bis zum Einschlafen mit sich trägt. Jene Trübung des Ich, wie sie in den alten Mysterien immer mit der Initiation verbunden war, sollte aufhören. Das ist etwas, was ja überhaupt im Laufe der Zeit nur langsam und allmählich erreicht werden kann, was aber heute schon in einem wesentlich höheren Grade in allen zu Recht bestehenden Initiationen erreicht wird: daß das Ich-Gefühl bis zu einem hohen Grade nicht erlischt, wenn der Mensch sich hinauflebt in die höheren Welten.
Nun belauschen wir einmal noch genauer eine solche alte Initiation, zum Beispiel eine Essäerinitiation der vorchristlichen Zeit. Verbunden war auch diese Essäerinitiation in einer gewissen Weise damit, daß das Ich-Gefühl herabgestimmt war. Dasjenige also, was dem Menschen in unserem Erdensein sein Ich-Gefühl gibt, was herausblickt auf die äußeren Wahrnehmungen, das mußte damals auch unterdrückt werden. Sie brauchen ja nur auf das Trivialste im Alltagsleben zu sehen, so werden Sie sich sagen: In jenem andersgearteten Zustand, wo der Mensch während des Schlafbewußtseins in der geistigen Welt ist, hat er sein Ich-Gefühl nicht; er hat es nur im Tagesbewußtsein, wenn er abgelenkt wird von der geistigen Welt und sein Blick hinausgeht in die physisch-sinnliche Welt. So ist es beim jetzigen Erdenmenschen, und auch bei dem Erdenmenschen, für den der Christus auf der Erde gewirkt hat. Für die andere Welt ist beim Menschen der gegenwärtigen Erdenzeit überhaupt das Ich für die normalen Zustände nicht geweckt. Nun soll eine Christus-Initiation eben darinnen bestehen, daß das Ich in den höheren Welten so erwacht bleibt, wie es erwacht ist in der äußeren Welt.
Betrachten Sie nun einmal - nur damit wir etwas damit charakterisieren können - den Moment des Aufwachens ganz genau. Dieser Moment stellt sich uns so dar, daß also der Mensch aus einer höheren Welt herauskommt und untertaucht in seinen physischen Leib und Ätherleib. In diesem Moment des Untertauchens sieht er aber nicht die Innenvorgänge des physischen Leibes und Ätherleibes, sondern es wird gleichsam sein Wahrnehmungsvermögen abgelenkt auf die Umgebung. Alles nun, wohin der Blick des Menschen im Moment des Aufwachens fällt, was der Mensch überschaut, ob nun mit dem physischen Wahrnehmen der Augen oder mit dem physischen Wahrnehmen der Ohren, oder ober es überdenkt mit dem an das physische Organ des Gehirns gebundenen Verstand, alles, was er in der physischen Umgebung wahrnimmt, das bezeichnete man in dem Sprachgebrauch der althebräischen Geheimlehre als «das Reich», Malchuth. So könnten wir fragen: Was war also im althebräischen Sprachgebrauch verbunden mit dem Ausdruck «das Reich»? Alles das war damit verbunden, in dem sich bewußt aufhalten konnte das menschliche Ich. Das ist auch die genaueste Definition für das, was man im hebräischen Altertum mit dem Ausdruck «das Reich» verband: das, wobei das menschliche Ich anwesend sein kann. Wenn wir einmal diesen Ausdruck festhalten, so müssen wir sagen: Es ist mit dem, was «das Reich» ist, im althebräischen Sprachgebrauch zunächst bezeichnet die Sinnenwelt, die Welt, in der der Mensch ist im Wachzustande bei völliger Aufrechterhaltung seines Ich.
Nehmen wir jetzt die Stufen der Initiation beim Hinuntergehen in das eigene Innere. Die erste Stufe, bevor der Mensch in seinen Ätherleib hineindringen und dessen Geheimnisse wahrnehmen kann, ist etwas, was man leicht erraten kann. Die äußere Hülle des Menschen besteht ja, wie wir wissen, aus dem Astralleib, Ätherleib und physischen Leib. Das ist nun auch noch etwas, wo der Mensch hindurchgehen muß: er muß seinen astralischen Leib sozusagen bewußt von innen durchschauen, wenn er diese Art von Initiation erleben will. Zunächst muß er das Innere seines astralischen Leibes erleben, wenn er in das Innere seines physischen Leibes und Ätherleibes hineinsteigen will. Das ist die Pforte, durch die er durchgehen muß. Das sind immer aber neue Erlebnisse, durch die er gehen muß. Der Mensch erlebt da auch etwas, was objektiv ist, wie die Gegenstände der äußeren Welt objektiv sind.
Wenn wir die Gegenstände der Sinnenwelt um uns herum, die wir vermöge der gegenwärtigen menschlichen Organisation erleben, als «das Reich» bezeichnen, so könnten wir nach unserem Sprachgebrauch - der althebräische Sprachgebrauch hat das noch nicht so genau unterschieden — dabei wieder unterscheiden drei Reiche, das Mineralreich, das Pflanzenteich und das Tierreich. Das alles ist im althebräischen Sprachgebrauch en Reich und faßt sich zusammen unter dem einen Begriff des Reiches überhaupt als die Gesamtheit der drei Reiche.
Geradeso wie wir die Tiere, Pflanzen und Mineralien überblicken, wenn wir den Blick hinausrichten in die Sinnenwelt, wo unser Ich dabei sein kann, so fällt für denjenigen, der hinuntertaucht in sein eigenes Innere, der Blick auf alles, was er wahrnehmen kann im astralischen Leibe. Das sieht der Mensch jetzt nicht durch sein Ich, sondern das Ich bedient sich dabei der Werkzeuge des astralischen Leibes. Und was der Mensch sieht, wenn er also ein anderes Wahrnehmungsvermögen hat, wo er mit seinem Ich anwesend ist in derjenigen Welt, mit der er verbunden wird durch die astralischen Organe, das bezeichnet allerdings schon der althebräische Sprachgebrauch mit drei Ausdrükken. Wie wir ein tierisches, ein pflanzliches und ein mineralisches Reich haben, so bezeichnet der althebräische Sprachgebrauch die Dreiheit, die man überblickt durch das Anwesendsein in seinem astralischen Leibe, mit Nezach, Jesod und Hod.
Wenn man diese drei Ausdrücke einigermaßen konform in unsere Sprache übersetzen wollte, müßte man wieder tief hineingreifen in das althebräische Sprachgefühl; denn die gewöhnlichen lexikalen Übersetzungen mit dem Wörterbuche helfen da gar nicht. Wenn man verstehen wollte, worauf es jetzt ankommt, müßte man recht sehr zu Hilfe nehmen das Sprachgefühl der vorchristlichen Zeit. Da müßte man zum Beispiel vor allem in Betracht ziehen, daß dasjenige, was wir mit dem Lautgefüge Hod bezeichnen können, ausdrücken würde «Geistiges nach außen erscheinend». Also beachten Sie wohl: dieses Wort würde bedeuten ein Geistiges, das nach außen sich kundgibt, ein nach außen strebendes Geistiges, aber ein Geistiges, das als Astralisches aufzufassen ist. Dagegen würde das Wort Nezach um eine starke Nuance gröber dieses Nach-außen-sich-offenbaren-Wollen ausdrücken. Was sich da kundgibt, das ist etwas, auf das wir vielleicht das Wort anwenden können, daß es sich als «undurchdringlich» erweist.
Wenn Sie heute Lehrbücher der Physik in die Hand nehmen, werden Sie etwas finden, was als ein Urteil angegeben ist, was aber eigentlich eine Definition sein sollte - aber auf Logik kommt es ja dabei nicht an -, nämlich die Definition, daß man die physischen Körper als undurchdringlich bezeichnet. Es müßte eigentlich als Definition stehen: Man nennt einen physischen Körper einen solchen, von dem das gilt, daß an der Stelle, wo er ist, nicht zu gleicher Zeit ein anderer sein kann. Also als Definition müßte es gegeben werden. Statt dessen stellt man ein Dogma auf und sagt: Die Körper der physischen Welt haben die Eigentümlichkeit, daß sie undurchdringlich sind. - während es heißen müßte, daß an einer Stelle nicht gleichzeitig zwei Körper sein können. Das ist aber etwas, was eigentlich in die Philosophie hineingehört. Das Sich-Kundgeben im Raume, so daß Ausschließungen eines anderen stattfinden — was die stark vergröberte Nuance des Hod sein würde -, das ist mit dem Worte Nezach gegeben. Und was dazwischen steht, ist im Jesod gegeben.
So haben Sie drei verschiedene Nuancen. Erst die Manifestation irgendeiner astralischen Tatsache, die sich nach außen hin kundgibt, im Hod. Wo die Sache dann schon so vergröbert ist, daß die Dinge in physischer Undurchdringlichkeit an uns herantreten, da würde nach dem althebräischen Sprachgebrauche Nezach stehen. Und für die Zwischennuance müßte Jesod genommen werden. So können wir sagen, daß die drei verschiedenen Eigentümlichkeiten, mit denen in der Tat die Wesenheiten der astralischen Welt behaftet sind, mit diesen drei Worten bezeichnet werden.
Nun können wir sozusagen etwas weiter hineinsteigen mit dem zu Initiierenden in das menschliche Innere. Wenn er überschritten hat, was zunächst in seinem Astralleib zu überschreiten ist, dann kommt er hinein in seinen ätherischen Leib. Da nimmt der Mensch schon Höheres wahr als das, was mit diesen drei Worten zu bezeichnen ist. Sie können fragen, warum denn Höheres? Das hängt mit etwas Besonderem zusammen, und darauf müssen Sie achten, wenn Sie das eigentliche innere Gefüge der Welt verstehen wollen. Sie müssen darauf achten, daß so, wie uns die äußere Welt entgegentritt, an demjenigen, was uns als die niedersten Offenbarungen der Außenwelt erscheint, die höchsten geistigen Kräfte gearbeitet haben. Ich habe Sie schon öfter auf das aufmerksam gemacht, was hier in Betracht kommt, und zwar bei Besprechung der menschlichen Natur selbst.
Der Mensch besteht, wenn wir ihn beschreiben, aus physischem Leib, Ätherleib, Astralleib und Ich. Gewiß ist das Ich des Menschen in gewisser Beziehung das höchste seiner Glieder; aber so wie es heute ist, ist es das Baby unter den vier Gliedern der menschlichen Natur. Es ist das, was die Anlage enthält im Menschen zum Höchsten, was er werden kann, aber es ist jetzt in seiner Art auf der niedersten Stufe. Dafür ist der physische Leib in seiner Art das vollkommenste Glied, allerdings nicht durch das Verdienst des Menschen selber, sondern dadurch, daß durch Saturn-, Sonnen- und Mondenzeit hindurch göttlich-geistige Wesenheiten am Menschen gearbeitet haben. Und auch der Astralleib ist bereits vollkommener geworden als das Ich des Menschen. Wenn wir also zunächst auf das menschliche Ich blicken, ist es dasjenige, was uns naheliegt, mit dem wir uns identifizieren. Und man darf sagen: Wer nicht gar zu trivial ist und sich nicht den Blick verschließen will, der braucht nur in sein Inneres zu schauen, und er findet dort sein Ich. Dagegen denken Sie daran: Wie weit ist der Mensch entfernt von den Geheimnissen des menschlichen physischen Leibes! Der physische Leib ist etwas, woran nicht nur durch Jahrmillionen, sondern Jahrmillionen mal Millionen göttlich-geistige Wesenheiten gearbeitet haben, um ihn zu seinem heutigen Gefüge zu bringen. Dazwischen liegen nun astralischer Leib- und Ätherleib. Derastralische Leib ist auch gegenüber dem physischen Leibe ein unvollkommenes Glied der Menschennatur; in ihm sind Emotionen, Leidenschaften, Begierden und so weiter. Und der Mensch genießt durch die Emotionen des astralischen Leibes, trotzdem der Ätherleib als Hemmnis dazwischen steht, viele Dinge, die direkt der wunderbaren Organisation des menschlichen physischen Leibes entgegenarbeiten. Ich habe darauf aufmerksam gemacht, wie viele Herzgifte zum Beispiel der Mensch genießt, wie er, wenn es auf seinen astralischen Leib ankäme, sehr bald seine Gesundheit untergraben würde, und wie er seine Gesundheit nur dem Umstande verdankt, daß das menschliche Herz in seiner Organisation so wunderbar und vollkommen eingerichtet ist, daß es durch viele Jahrzehnte hindurch den Attacken des Astralleibes standhält. So ist es. Je tiefer wir hinuntersteigen, desto höhere geistige Kräfte finden wir, die an den einzelnen Gliedern mitgearbeitet haben. Man könnte sagen: Die jüngsten Götter, die jüngsten göttlich-geistigen Kräfte sind es, die uns unser Ich gegeben haben; und viel ältere Götter sind es, die an unseren niederen Gliedern jene Vollkommenheit bewirkt haben, die der Mensch heute kaum anfängt zu durchschauen, geschweige denn, daß er geeignet wäre, mit seinen Werkzeugen das nachzumachen, was in diesem Wunderbau die göttlich-geistigen Kräfte und Wesenheiten für den Menschen aufgeführt haben.
Diese Vollkommenheit sahen aber besonders diejenigen, welche zum Beispiel durch eine Essäereinweihung eintauchten in das menschliche Innere. Ein solcher Essäer sagte sich: Wenn ich die ersten vierzehn Stufen durchmache, komme ich zuerst in meinen astralischen Leib hinein. Da treten mir entgegen alle die Leidenschaften und Emotionen, die mit meinem astralischen Leibe zusammenhängen, alles, was ich selbst in meiner Inkarnation schlecht gemacht habe an meinem astralischen Leibe. Aber ich bin noch nicht imstande gewesen, an meinem Ätherleibe so viel zu verderben wie an dem Astralleibe. Mein Ätherleib ist im Grunde genommen noch viel göttlicher, noch viel reiner; er zeigt sich mir, wenn ich die zweiten vierzehn Stufen durchmache. - Und er hatte das Gefühl: wenn er den Anfechtungen des astralischen Leibes standgehalten, hat er das Schwerste nach den ersten vierzehn Stufen überwunden und tritt jetzt ein in die lichten Sphären seines Ätherleibes, an dessen Kräften er noch nicht so viel verderben konnte.
Was der Mensch nun da sah, das bezeichnete man in der althebräischen Geheimlehre wieder mit drei Ausdrücken, die wieder außerordentlich schwer in unseren heutigen Sprachen wiedergegeben werden können; man bezeichnete sie mit Gedulah, Tiphereth und Geburah. Versuchen wir uns eine Vorstellung von den drei Gebieten zu machen, die mit diesen drei Ausdrücken bezeichnet wurden.
Wenn der Mensch das wahrnahm, womit er sich in seinem Ätherleibe verbindet, dann können wir etwa sagen: Das erste Wort, Gedulah, wirkte etwa so, daß man eine Vorstellung bekam von alledem, was im geistigen Reiche, in der geistigen Welt majestätisch, groß erscheint, was den Eindruck des Überwältigenden macht. Dagegen hatte das, was mit Geburah zu bezeichnen ist, obwohl es mit dem ersten Worte verwandt ist, eine ganz andere Nuance der Größe, es hatte die Nuance der durch die Wirkung wieder herabgeminderten Größe. Es ist Geburah die Nuance der Größe, der Kraft, die sich schon nach außen kundgibt, um sich zu wehren, um sich als selbständige Wesenheit nach außen kundzugeben. Während also mit dem Ausdruck Gedulah verbunden ist das Wirken durch die innere Gediegenheit, durch die innere Wesenheit, ist mit dem Ausdruck Geburah ein solches Wirken verbunden, von dem man sagen kann, daß es aggressiv ist, sich nach außen hin durch aggressives Vorgehen kundgibt. Das nun Insich-Ruhen der Größe, der Innerlichkeit, die sich zwar nach außen kundgibt, aber nicht durch aggressives Wesen, sondern dadurch, daß es in sich zum Ausdruck bringt die geistige Größe, das wurde mit Tiphereth bezeichnet, das wir nur wiedergeben könnten, wenn wir kombinierten unsere beiden Begriffe von Güte und Schönheit. Ein Wesen, das seine Innerlichkeit so zum Ausdruck bringt, daß sich seine Innerlichkeit in der äußeren Form ausprägt, das erscheint uns als schön. Und ein Wesen, das seine eigene innere Gediegenheit nach außen zum Ausdruck bringt, erscheint uns als gut. Aber diese beiden Begriffe gehören für die althebräische Geheimlehre zusammen in Tiphereth. Also die Wesenheiten, die sich durch diese drei Eigenschaften kundgeben, waren es, zu denen man eine Beziehung erlangte beim Hinuntersteigen in den Ätherleib.
Dann kam das Hinabsteigen in den physischen Leib. In dem physischen Leibe wurde der Mensch sozusagen bekannt mit den ältesten göttlich-geistigen Wesenheiten, die an ihm gearbeitet haben. Erinnern Sie sich, wie in den Berichten «Aus der Akasha-Chronik» und in der «Geheimwissenschaft im Umriß» dargestellt ist, wie die erste Anlage zum physischen Leibe auf dem alten Saturn zustande gekommen ist. Hohe, erhabene geistige Wesenheiten sind es, die Throne, die ihre eigene Willenssubstanz hingeopfert haben, damit die erste Anlage zum menschlichen physischen Leibe zustande kommen konnte. Hohe geistige Wesenheiten sind es, die in der weiteren Entwickelung durch Saturn, Sonne und Mond hindurch an dieser ersten Anlage mitwirken. Und bei den Vorträgen in München über das «Sechstagewerk» habe ich erwähnt, wie diese erhabenen geistigen Wesenheiten verbunden blieben mit dem Menschen durch die Saturn-, Sonnen- und Mondenzeit hindurch, immer weiter und höher diese erste Anlage des physischen Menschenleibes organisierten, so daß der heutige Wunderbau des physischen Leibes zustande gekommen ist, den der Mensch heute mit den anderen drei Wesensgliedern, Ätherleib, Astralleib und Ich, bewohnen kann.
Wenn so der Mensch wirklich in sein Inneres hineinsteigen konnte, nahm er wahr, was in der althebräischen Geheimlehre so bezeichnet wurde, daß es Eigenschaften hat, die im Menschen nur vorgestellt werden können, wenn der Mensch an das denkt, was zum Beispiel das Höchste ist, das er in seiner Seele erreichen kann an Weisheit. Der Mensch blickt sozusagen zur Weisheit auf als zu einem Ideal. Er fühlt sein Wesen gehoben, wenn er es zum Teil erfüllen kann mit Weisheit. Da wußten diejenigen, die in den physischen Leib untertauchten, daß sie an Wesen herankamen, die in ihrer ganzen Substantialität das waren, wovon der Mensch sich nur ein Kleines, ein Geringes aneignen kann, wenn er nach der Weisheit strebt, nach der Weisheit, die man nicht in dem gewöhnlichen äußeren Wissen erlangt, sondern in demjenigen Wissen, das in schweren Erlebnissen der Seele erreicht ist, und das man nicht während einer Inkarnation, sondern durch viele Inkarnationen, und auch da nur zum Teil, sich aneignet. Denn nur ein SichUmtun in allen Weisheitsmöglichkeiten könnte einen Vollbesitz der Weisheit geben. Wesenheiten, welche sich als Weisheitswesen kundgaben, bei denen gewaltig hervortretende, lautere Weisheit die besonders sich kundgebende Eigenschaft war, sie nahm der Mensch wahr. Und die Eigenschaft solcher Weisheitswesenheiten bezeichnete man in der althebräischen Geheimlehre als Chochmah, was man heute nicht ganz unzutreffend mit Weisheit bezeichnet.
Eine besondere Nuance dieser Weisheitseigenschaft ist wieder eine gewisse Vergröberung. Das ist das, was auch im Menschen eine Vergröberung der Weisheit ist. Nur erlangt es der Mensch auch nur in einem gewissen geringen Grade in seiner Individualität. Hier aber, beim Hinuntersteigen in den physischen Leib, findet der Mensch wieder Wesenheiten, welche diese Eigenschaft, die gegenüber der Weisheit eine vergröberte Eigenschaft ist und in der althebräischen Geheimlehre mit Binah bezeichnet wurde, sogar in ganz hervortretendem Maße haben, so daß sie als Wesenheiten erscheinen, die ganz und gar leuchten durch diese Eigenschaft. Das ist das, was man beim Menschen hervorbringen kann, wenn man ihn an seinen Verstand erinnert. Verstand erringt ja der Mensch wirklich nur bis zu einem gewissen gesingen Grade. Aber an Wesenheiten, die ganz durchdrungen sind von dem, was der Verstand erringt, daran müssen wir denken, wenn das in Betracht kommt, was mit Binah gemeint ist. Das ist aber eine vergröberte Nuance von Chochmah. Daher sagt die althebräische Geheimlehre, wenn sie von der eigentlichen, schöpferisch produktiven Weisheit sprach, die in sich selber hervorbringt die Geheimnisse der Welt, wenn sie Chochmah meint, daß sie zu vergleichen wäre mit einem Wasserstrahl, während Binah zu vergleichen sei mit einem Meer. Dadurch sollte die Vergröberung ausgedrückt werden.
Und das Höchste, zu dem man sich aufschwingen konnte, wenn man hinunterstieg in den physischen Leib, wurde als Kether bezeichnet. Man kann kaum einen Ausdruck finden, um dieses Wort wiederzugeben. Man kann nur symbolisch hinweisen auf jene Eigenschaft, die sich wie eine Ahnung an die Eigenschaften hoher, erhabener, geistig-göttlicher Wesenheiten kundgibt. Man bezeichnet daher diese Eigenschaft auch durch ein Symbol, durch das der Mensch über sich selbst erhöht wird und mehr bedeutet, als er eigentlich bedeuten kann, um die Höhe dieser Eigenschaft auszudrücken: mit Krone. Übersetzen wir es daher in dieser Weise.
Binah | Hokhmah | Keter |
Geburah | Tipheret | Gedulah |
Netzah | Yesod | Hod |
Malkhut, das Reich, Ich |
So hätten wir damit eine Staffel der Eigenschaften jener Wesenheiten aufgeführt, in deren Region der Mensch hinaufwächst, wenn er hinuntersteigt in sein eigenes Inneres. Es ist ein Hinaufwachsen. Und eine Essäereinweihung können Sie sich so vorstellen, daß der Mensch ganz neue Erfahrungen machte, ganz neue Erlebnisse hatte, daß er bekannt wurde mit dem, was real als solche Eigenschaften bezeichnet ist.
Was aber mußte man von einem Essäereingeweihten und von der Art der Essäereinweihung ganz besonders sagen im Gegensatz zu der Einweihung bei den umliegenden Völkerschaften? Was kam da besonders in Betracht?
Alle alten Einweihungen waren darauf berechnet, daß gerade das unterdrückt werden mußte, was der Mensch als sein Ich-Gefühl hat beim Überschauen von Malchuth, dem Reich. Das mußte ausgelöscht werden. Daher kann man sagen: So Mensch sein, wie man außen in der physischen Welt Mensch ist, konnte man nicht in der Initiation. Man wurde zwar in die geistige Welt hinaufgeführt, aber man konnte nicht so Mensch sein wie außen im Reiche. Es müßte also gerade für die alten Einweihungen ein dicker Strich gemacht werden zwischen dem, was der Initiierte erlebt, und der Art, wie er sich in seinem Ich fühlte.
Und wollte man in einen Satz kleiden, was für die alte Einweihung vertreten wurde in den alten Geheimschulen, wie es gegenüber der Öffentlichkeit gelten konnte, so müßte man sagen: Es darf keiner glauben, daß er dasselbe Ich-Gefühl behalten darf, welches er im Reich, in Malchuth hat, wenn er ein Eingeweihter werden will. Er erlebt ungeheuer großartig, indem er hinaufwächst, die drei mal drei Eigenschaften in ihrer Wahrheit; aber er muß sich dessen entäußern, was sein Ich-Gefühl ist, was erlebt wird in der äußeren Welt. Was erlebt wird als Nezach, Jesod, Hod und so weiter, das kann nicht hinuntergetragen werden in das Reich, das kann nicht verbunden bleiben mit dem gewöhnlichen Ich-Gefühl des Menschen. - Das war allgemeine Gesinnung. Und man hätte den für einen Toren, für einen Irrsinnigen und Lügner ansehen müssen, der dieser Behauptung in den alten Zeiten widersprochen hätte.
Es waren aber die Essäer, welche zuerst lehrten: Es wird kommen die Zeit, wo alles, was da oben ist, herabgetragen werden kann, so daß es der Mensch erleben kann trotz der Aufrechterhaltung des Ich-Gefühles. Das ist das, was die Griechen dann genannt haben Βασιλεια τωυ ομραυωυ. Das war zuerst Lehre der Essäer, daß einer kommen werde, der dasjenige, was da oben, was in den «Reichen der Himmel» ist, heruntertragen werde für das Ich, das in Malchuth, im Reiche lebt. Und das war es auch, was zuerst mit gewaltigen Worten seinen Essäern und einigen seiner Umwelt gelehrt hat jener Jeshu ben Pandira. Wenn wir seine Lehre mit ein paar markanten Worten zusammenfassen wollten, wie sie durch seinen Schüler Mathai für die nächste Zeit weitergetragen worden ist, so könnte es etwa in folgender Weise geschehen.
Jeshu ben Pandira sagte zuerst aus seiner Inspiration heraus, die ihm herkam von dem Nachfolger des Gautama Buddha, von dem Bodhisattva, der einst der Maitreya Buddha werden wird: Bisher war es so, daß nicht hinuntergetragen werden konnten die Reiche der Himmel in das Reich Malchuth, dem das Ich angehört. Aber wenn erfüllt sein wird die Zeit, wo die drei mal vierzehn Generationen abgelaufen sein werden, dann wird herausgeboren werden aus dem Stamme Abrahams, aus dem Stamme Davids, den wir erleben wollen als den Stamm Jesse - Jessäer oder Essäer -, einer, der hinuntertragen wird die neun Eigenschaften der Reiche der Himmel in das Reich, in dem das Ich anwesend ist. - Und was so gelehrt worden ist, hat herbeigeführt, daß man den Jeshu ben Pandira als Gotteslästerer gesteinigt hat, weil eine solche Lehre als die ärgste Lästerung der Einweihung galt bei denen, die nicht aufkommen lassen wollten und nicht einsehen wollten, daß etwas, was einmal für eine Periode richtig ist, nicht mehr für eine andere richtig zu sein braucht, weil die Menschheit vorwättsschreitet.
Dann kam die Zeit, wo erfüllt wurde, was vorher gesagt worden ist, wo wirklich die drei mal vierzehn Generationen voll waren, wo wirklich herausentstehen konnte aus dem Blut des Volkes jene Leiblichkeit, in die sich Zarathustra inkarnieren konnte, damit er sie, nachdem er sie noch ausgebildet hatte mit den Werkzeugen, die im Leibe des nathanischen Jesusknaben waren, hinopfern konnte dem Christus. Da war die Zeit gekommen, von welcher der Vorläufer des Christus sagen konnte, jetzt komme die Zeit, wo die «Reiche der Himmel» herankommen werden an das Ich, das im äußeren Reiche, in Malchuth lebt.
Und jetzt werden wir begreifen, was der Christus, nachdem er die Versuchung durchgemacht hatte, sich zunächst als Aufgabe zu stellen hatte. Er hatte die Versuchung durchgemacht durch die Kraft des eigenen Innenwesens, durch das, was wir heute beim Menschen sein Ich nennen. Er hatte erreicht, daß er alle Anfechtungen und Versuchungen überwunden hatte, die dem Menschen entgegenkommen, wenn er hinuntersteigt in den astralischen Leib, Ätherleib und physischen Leib. Das ist auch deutlich dargestellt. Alle Egoismen sind dargestellt, und zwar so, daß wir überall auf den höchsten Grad bei ihnen aufmerksam gemacht werden.
Was dem Menschen, der eine esoterische Entwickelung anstrebt, als ein schweres Hindernis entgegentritt, das ist, daß — wie es ganz natürlich ist beim Hinuntertauchen in das eigene Innere - in seiner Wesenheit die Unart auftaucht, sich nur immer so recht mit seiner eigenen lieben Persönlichkeit zu beschäftigen. In der Tat trifft man das niemals häufiger als gerade bei denen, die in die geistige Welt hineinsteigen wollen, daß sie am allerliebsten von ihrer eigenen lieben Persönlichkeit reden, die ihnen das Allerliebste ist, worauf sie fortwährend, in jeder Stunde und Minute achtgeben und alles minuziös beobachten. Während sonst die Menschen resolut darauflosleben, beginnen sie, wenn sie anfangen, nicht nur eine Entwickelung anzustreben, sondern wenn sie auch nur Anthroposophen werden, ungeheuer stark sich mit ihrem eigenen Ich zu beschäftigen; dann tauchen überall Illusionen auf, über welche die Resolutheit des Lebens die Menschen vorher leicht hinweggeführt hat.
Warum geschieht das? Weil der Mensch nicht so recht etwas mit sich anzufangen weiß, wenn alles, was da aus seinem eigenen Inneren aufsteigt, sich mit seinem Wesen verbindet. Er weiß damit nichts anzufangen, wird recht unerfahren über sich selbst. Früher war er aufmerksam und ließ sich leicht anziehen durch das Äußere. Jetzt wird er mehr abgelenkt, mehr in sein Inneres gelenkt, und jetzt steigt auf allerlei an Gefühlen, die in ihm selbst saßen. Warum taucht das auf? Was er jetzt möchte, das ist, so recht «Ich» sein, so recht unabhängig sein von der Außenwelt. Allerdings verfällt er dann oft in den Fehler, daß erim Anfang am liebsten oft wie ein Kind behandelt sein möchte, dem man alles klar sagt, was es tun soll. Er möchte alles sein — nur nicht ein Mensch, der sich selbst Richtung und Ziel gibt aus dem, was er aus dem esoterischen Leben bekommt. Das ist er noch nicht gewohnt zu bedenken. Aber er hat das Gefühl, daß ihn störe die Abhängigkeit von der Außenwelt. Und am höchsten treten die Störungen gerade auf, wenn man so recht unabhängig sein will, wenn man auf seine Egoität so recht achtgeben muß. Aber wenn man der Egoität so recht nachgehen will, dann ist es höchst trivial, daß man dann von der Umwelt leiblich durch eines nicht loskommen kann, nämlich durch den Umstand, daß die Menschen essen müssen! Das ist zwar höchst trivial, aber es ist doch für viele ein fataler Umstand. Man kann daran lernen, wie wenig wir sind ohne unsere Umwelt. Und es ist ein schr berechtigtes Beispiel dafür, daß wir abhängig sind von unserer Umwelt, ohne die wir nicht leben können, und so recht sind wie der Finger an der Hand: wenn wir ihn abschneiden, da verdorrt er auch. Also eine ganz triviale Anschauung kann uns zeigen, wie wir abhängig sind von der Umwelt.
Wenn diese Egoität aufs höchste gespannt wird, kann sie sich umwandeln in den Wunsch: Wenn ich doch nur unabhängig werden könnte von der Umwelt und fähig würde, dasjenige, was mich so sehr meine Abhängigkeit von der Umwelt fühlen läßt, was ich als gewöhnlicher Mensch im physischen Leben nötig habe, mir selber herzuzaubern! Das ist tatsächlich ein Wunsch, der bei denen auftreten kann, welche die Einweihung suchen. Geradezu ein Haß kann auftreten, daß man abhängig ist von der Umgebung und sich nicht zaubern kann die Nahrungsmittel, daß man nicht einfach schaffen kann, daß sie da sind. Es sieht so sonderbar aus, wenn man es sagt, weil paradox gerade diejenigen Wünsche beim Menschen ausschauen, die im kleinen wirklich bald auftreten, wenn er eine Entwickelung sucht, die aber so absurd sind, wenn man sie im Extrem darstellt. Der Mensch weiß gar nicht, daß er sie im kleinen hat. So stark hat sie freilich kein Mensch - weil er zu sehr an äußeren Gewohnheiten hängt -, daß er sich der Illusion hingibt zu sagen, er könnte sich Lebensmittel durch Zauberei schaffen, er könnte leben durch etwas, was nicht aus dem äußeren Reiche, aus Malchuth genommen ist. Aber ins Extrem getrieben, würde es so sein, daß der Mensch glauben könnte: Wenn ich es nur einmal so weit gebracht hätte, in meinem astralischen Leibe und Ich so recht zu leben, daß ich auf meinen eigenen Wünschen stünde, dann brauchte ich die ganze Umwelt nicht mehr!
Diese Versuchung tritt auf. Und bei demjenigen, der sie am höchsten durchzumachen hatte, wird sie so charakterisiert, daß der Versucher, der dem Christus Jesus entgegentritt, ihm sagt, er solle die Steine zu Brot machen. Da haben Sie den höchsten Grad der Versuchung. Es ist in der Tat das Hinuntersteigen in das eigene Innere in der Versuchungsgeschichte in wunderbarer Weise im Matthäus-Evangelium geschildert (Matth. 4, 1-11).
Nun, der zweite Grad tritt auf, nachdem man in seinen astralischen Leib schon eingetaucht ist und sich wirklich gegenübergestellt sieht all diesen Emotionen und Leidenschaften, die einen so recht zu einem paradoxen Egoisten machen könnten. Wenn man sich dem gegenübergestellt fühlt, so möchte man doch - ohne daß man es überwindet, ohne daß man sich dagegen feit - sich hinunterstürzen in den Ätherleib und physischen Leib. Das ist in der Tat eine Situation, die als ein Hinunterstürzen in den Abgrund geschildert werden kann. So ist sie auch im Matthäus-Evangelium geschildert: wie ein Hinunterstürzen in das, woran man bis jetzt nicht viel hat verderben können, in den Ätherleib und physischen Leib. Aber man sollte es nicht vor dem Überwinden der Leidenschaften und Emotionen haben. Die Christus-Wesenheit weiß das, und sie entgegnet dem Versucher, indem sie das sich Entgegenstellende durch die eigene Kraft überwindet: «Du sollst die Wesenheit, der du dich übergeben sollst, nicht selbst versuchen!» (Matth. 4, 7).
Und die dritte Stufe beim Hinuntersteigen in den physischen Leib ist folgende. Wenn dieses Hinuntersteigen auftritt als Versuchung, dann charakterisiert es sich in besonderer Weise. Es ist ein Erlebnis, das in der Tat der Mensch haben kann bei der Einweihung, ein Erlebnis, das jeder haben muß, wenn er die Stufe erreicht beim Hinuntersteigen in den physischen Leib und Ätherleib, daß er sich sozusagen von innen sieht. Da sieht er alles, was in den drei höchsten Eigenschaften ist. Das ist ihm wie eine Welt. Aber zunächst ist es eine Welt, die nur in seiner eigenen Illusion ist, eine Welt, die er nicht als innere Wahrheit sehen kann, wenn er nicht die Hülle des physischen Leibes durchdringt und zu den geistigen Wesenheiten selber aufsteigt, die nicht mehr selbst im physischen Leibe sind, sondern die nur in ihm arbeiten. Wenn wir nicht loskommen von der Egoität, dann ist es noch immer der Versucher der physischen Welt, Luzifer oder Diabolus, der uns über uns selbst täuschen will. Dann verspricht er uns alles, was uns entgegentritt, was aber nichts anderes ist als das Geschöpf unserer eigenen Maja, unserer eigenen Illusion. Wenn uns dieser Geist der Egoität nicht entläßt, dann sehen wir eine ganze Welt, aber eine Welt der Täuschung und Lüge; und er verspricht uns diese Welt. Aber wir dürfen nicht glauben, daß es eine Welt der Wahrheit ist. Wir kommen zunächst in diese Welt; aber wir bleiben in Maja, wenn wir nicht wieder von dieser Welt loskommen.
Diese drei Stufen der Versuchung lebt wie in einem Modell, wie in einem Muster, die Christus-Wesenheit der Menschheit vor. Und indem es einmal erlebt wird außerhalb der alten Mysterienstätten, erlebt wird durch die Kraft einer Wesenheit, die in den drei menschlichen Leibern selber lebt, wird der Impuls gegeben, damit die Menschheit in der Zukunft selber im Fortlauf der Entwickelung so etwas erreichen kann: daß der Mensch mit dem Ich, mit dem er in Malchuth, in dem Reiche sein kann, auch in die geistige Welt hinaufsteigen kann. Das sollte erteicht werden, daß das, was die zwei Welten trennt, nicht mehr besteht, und daß der Mensch mit dem Ich, das in Malchuth lebt, in die geistigen Welten hinaufsteigen kann. Das war für die Menschheit erreicht durch die Überwindung der Versuchung, wie sie im Matthäus-Evangelium geschildert wird. Das war erreicht, daß nun in einer Wesenheit, die auf der Erde lebte, das Musterbild da war von dem Hinauftragen des Ich für das Reich in die höheren Reiche und höheren Welten.
Was mußte also die Errungenschaft dessen sein, was die ChristusWesenheit sozusagen vorgelebt hat in einer äußeren historischen Form, was sich sonst nur hinter dem Schleier der Mysterien abgespielt hat? Das mußte sein die Predigt von dem Reiche. Und wenn das MatthäusEvangelium sachgemäß zunächst die Versuchung schildert, wird es nach der Versuchung schildern die Phase von dem Hinauftragen des Ich, das in sich selbst die geistige Welt erleben kann und nicht erst dazu aus sich herauszuschreiten braucht. Das Geheimnis von diesem Ich, das nach dem Muster, wie man lebt im äußeren Reich, hinaufsteigt in die geistige Welt, dieses Geheimnis sollte nun in der äußeren Welt durch die Christus-Wesenheit in denjenigen Zeiten enthüllt werden, die uns charakterisiert werden, nachdem uns die Versuchungsgeschichte im Matthäus-Evangelium gezeigt worden ist. Da setzen jene Kapitel ein, die mit der Bergpredigt beginnen und damit die Darstellung dessen, was der Christus gab als die Anschauung von dem Reich, von Malchuth (Matth. 5-7).
So tief ist dasjenige, was Sie im Matthäus-Evangelium suchen müssen. Sie müssen tatsächlich die Quellen und Elemente für das MatthäusEvangelium suchen in der Geheimlehre nicht nur der Essäer, sondern überhaupt in der ganzen althebräischen und griechischen Welt. Dann bekommen wir auch für eine solche Urkunde jene heilige Ehrfurcht, jenen heiligen Respekt, von dem schon in München gesprochen worden ist, daß man sie bekommt, wenn man, ausgerüstet mit den Forschungsergebnissen der Geisteswissenschaft, herantritt an diese Urkunden, welche die Seher uns gegeben haben. Wenn wir hören, daß so etwas gesagt wird von den alten Sehern, dann fühlen wir, wie sie herübersprechen zu uns aus den alten Zeiten. Und es ist wie ein Herüberdringen einer Geistessprache, welche die großen Individualitäten durch die Jahrhunderte miteinander führen, so daß die Menschen zuhören können, die zuhören wollen. Allerdings nur jene Menschen, welche das - auch evangelische - Wort verstehen: «Wer Ohren hat zu hören, der höre!» (Matth. 11, 15). Aber wie einst vieles dazu gehört hat, daß die physischen Ohren in uns entstanden sind, so gehört manches dazu, daß die geistigen Ohren entstehen, durch die wir verstehen, was in jenen großen, gewaltigen geistigen Urkunden gesagt wird.
Dazu soll ja unsere neuere Geisteswissenschaft da sein, daß wir wieder lesen lernen die geistigen Urkunden. Und erst wenn wir so ausgerüstet sind mit dem Verständnis für das Ich, für das Wesen des Ich im Reiche, dann werden wir verstehen können jenes Kapitel, das im Matthäus-Evangelium beginnt mit den Worten: «Selig sind die, die da Bettler sind um Geist; denn sie werden durch sich selbst, durch ihr eigenes Ich, finden die Reiche der Himmel!» (Matth. 5, 3). Ein alter Eingeweihter hätte gesagt: Vergeblich hättet ihr im eigenen Ich gesucht die Reiche der Himmel! - Der Christus Jesus aber sagte: Die Zeit ist gekommen, daß die Menschen im eigenen Ich den Geist finden werden, wenn sie suchen werden die Reiche der Himmel!
Die Herausführung tiefer Mysteriengeheimnisse in die äußere Welt, das ist das historische Christus-Ereignis. Und in diesem Sinne werden wir das historische Christus-Ereignis noch näher zu betrachten haben. Sie werden dann sehen, wie die Worte zu deuten sind, die in der Bergpredigt mit «Selig sind ...» beginnen.
Eighth Lecture
In what we said yesterday about raising the two sides of initiation to the level of world-historical events in the Christ event, the essence of this Christ event is also indicated, if one sees it through completely.
An initiation or initiation that consisted in the fact that the human being, as it were, went through the daily experience of waking up in such a way in which, when descending into the physical body and etheric body, the faculty of perception is not distracted by the external physical environment, but is aroused for the processes of the etheric body and physical body. We had given this kind of initiation especially in all the mysteries and initiation centers based on the sacred culture of Egypt. Those who sought such an initiation in the old sense, that is, in the sense that they were guided and directed so that the dangers arising from such an initiation could pass, were thereby brought into a certain relationship with other people, with those who, during the act of initiation, could look into the spiritual world, first into those spiritual forces and beings that are involved in our physical body and etheric body.
If we now want to characterize the Essene initiation from this point of view, we can say: When an Essene went through the forty-two stages described above and thereby gained a more precise knowledge of his true inner being, his true ego nature and everything that enables human beings to see through the external organs determined by heredity, then such an Essene was led beyond the forty-two stages to the spiritual-divine entity which, as Yahweh or Jehovah, brought about that organ which I have described to you in connection with Abraham; he then saw this in the spirit as the organ that was essential for that time. The Essene thus looked back upon the inner essential structure of the human inner being, which was indeed a result of this divine-spiritual entity. The aim of such an initiation was therefore to attain knowledge of the human inner being.
What now lies ahead for man when he is able to penetrate into his inner being unprepared, I characterized for you in general terms yesterday. I said that all egoism awakens in the human being, everything that causes the human being to say to himself: All the forces that are within me, all the passions and emotions that are connected with my ego and that want nothing to do with the spiritual world, I want to have them within me so that I can connect with them and act, feel, and sense only from my own egoistic inner being! So that is the danger that human beings will grow to the highest degree of egoism by entering into their inner being in this way. This is also what comes again and again as a certain kind of illusion over those who, even today, want to strive for this entering into their own inner being through esoteric development. On such occasions, various forms of egoism assert themselves in human beings; and when they are there, people generally do not believe that they are egoisms. They believe anything rather than that they are egoisms. The path to the higher worlds is sufficiently described as one that requires overcoming obstacles, even if it is sought in our time. And some of those people who, even in our time, would like to ascend to the higher worlds but do not want to overcome such obstacles, who would like to look into higher worlds but do not want to experience what actually leads to this, find it uncomfortable time and again to see all kinds of things emerging within themselves that are simply part of human nature. They want to ascend to the higher worlds without this emergence of all kinds of egoism and the like. They do not realize that it is often precisely here that the harshest, most significant egoism reveals itself, that dissatisfaction asserts itself with what actually occurs as something quite normal, and they should ask themselves: Since I am a human being, must I not also call upon all kinds of such forces? You find it strange that such things exist, even though it has been explained hundreds and hundreds of times that such things occur at a certain time. I only want to point out the illusions and delusions to which certain people give themselves over. In our time, it must also be taken into account that humanity has become comfortable in a certain way and would prefer to ascend to the higher worlds with the comforts that are otherwise loved in ordinary life. But such comforts, as are readily created in the ordinary spheres of existence, cannot be created on the path that leads to the spiritual worlds.
Those who found this path to the spiritual world in ancient times by undergoing the initiation that leads into the human inner being were led into the divine-spiritual forces because the human inner being is created by divine-spiritual forces. One then sees the divine-spiritual forces at work in the physical body and the etheric body. Such a person became qualified to be a witness, a herald of the secrets of the spiritual world. He could tell his fellow human beings what he had gone through while being led into his own inner being and thereby into the spiritual world. But what was connected with this? When such an initiate emerged from the spiritual worlds, he could say: I have looked into spiritual existence, but I was helped! The initiator's helpers made it possible for me to survive the time when the demons of my own nature would otherwise have oppressed me. But because he owed his insight into the spiritual world to this kind of external help, he remained dependent throughout his life on the initiation college, on those who had helped him. The forces that had helped him went out into the world with him.
This had to change. This had to be overcome. Those who were to be initiated should become less and less dependent on those who were their teachers and initiators. For something else, something essential, was connected with this help. In our everyday consciousness, we have a very clear sense of self that awakens at a certain moment in our existence. This has been discussed many times, and you will also find in my book Theosophy a description of the moment when human beings come to address themselves as an I. This is something that animals cannot do. If animals could look into their inner selves as humans do, they would not find an individual self, but a species self, a group self: they would feel that they belonged to an entire group. This sense of self disappeared in a certain way during the ancient initiations. So as human beings entered the spiritual worlds, their sense of self became clouded, and if you take everything I have said together, you will find it understandable that this was a good thing. For it is the sense of self that connects all the egoisms, passions, and so on that want to separate human beings from the outer world. If one did not want to drive the passions and emotions to a certain intensity, the sense of self had to be suppressed. Therefore, although it was not a dream consciousness, there was nevertheless a state of suppressed sense of self during the initiations into the ancient mysteries. However, the aim was to strive more and more toward enabling human beings to undergo initiation while completely maintaining their ego, the ego that human beings carry with them in their waking consciousness from the moment they wake up until they fall asleep. The clouding of the ego, which was always associated with initiation in the ancient mysteries, was to cease. This is something that can only be achieved slowly and gradually over time, but which is already achieved today to a much higher degree in all legitimate initiations: that the sense of self does not disappear to a large extent when the human being lives his way up into the higher worlds.
Now let us listen more closely to such an ancient initiation, for example, an Essene initiation from pre-Christian times. This Essene initiation was also connected in a certain way with the lowering of the sense of self. That which gives human beings their sense of self in our earthly existence, that which looks out toward external perceptions, had to be suppressed at that time. You need only look at the most trivial things in everyday life to see that in that different state, where human beings are in the spiritual world during sleep consciousness, they do not have their sense of self; they only have it in daytime consciousness, when they are distracted from the spiritual world and their gaze turns to the physical-sensory world. This is the case with present-day human beings on earth, and also with the human beings on earth for whom Christ worked on earth. For the other world, the ego is not awakened at all in human beings of the present earth time for normal states. Now, a Christ initiation is supposed to consist precisely in the ego remaining awakened in the higher worlds as it is awakened in the outer world.
Let us now consider—just so that we can characterize it a little—the moment of awakening very precisely. This moment presents itself to us in such a way that the human being emerges from a higher world and submerges into his physical body and etheric body. At this moment of immersion, however, he does not see the inner processes of the physical body and etheric body, but his power of perception is, as it were, diverted to his surroundings. Everything that the human being sees at the moment of awakening, everything that he surveys, whether with the physical perception of his eyes or with the physical perception of his ears, or whether he contemplates it with the mind connected to the physical organ of the brain, everything he perceives in the physical environment was referred to in the language of the ancient Hebrew secret teaching as “the kingdom,” Malchuth. So we might ask: What was associated with the expression “the kingdom” in ancient Hebrew usage? Everything that was connected with it, in which the human ego could consciously dwell. This is also the most precise definition of what was associated with the expression “the kingdom” in ancient Hebrew: that in which the human ego can be present. If we hold on to this expression, we must say that what “the kingdom” is in ancient Hebrew usage initially refers to the sensory world, the world in which human beings are in the waking state with their ego completely intact.
Let us now take the stages of initiation as we descend into our own inner being. The first stage, before the human being can penetrate into his etheric body and perceive its secrets, is something that is easy to guess. As we know, the outer shell of the human being consists of the astral body, the etheric body, and the physical body. This is also something that the human being must pass through: he must consciously see through his astral body from within, so to speak, if he wants to experience this kind of initiation. First, they must experience the interior of their astral body if they want to enter the interior of their physical body and etheric body. This is the gate through which they must pass. However, these are always new experiences that they must go through. Human beings also experience something that is objective, just as the objects of the outer world are objective.
If we call the objects of the sensory world around us, which we experience through our present human organization, “the kingdom,” then according to our usage — ancient Hebrew usage did not yet distinguish so precisely — we could again distinguish three kingdoms: the mineral kingdom, the plant kingdom, and the animal kingdom. In ancient Hebrew usage, all of this is one realm and is summarized under the single concept of the realm as the totality of the three realms.
Just as we survey animals, plants, and minerals when we look out into the sensory world where our ego can be present, so too does the gaze of those who dive down into their own inner being fall upon everything they can perceive in the astral body. Human beings do not see this through their ego, but rather the ego makes use of the tools of the astral body. And what human beings see when they have this other faculty of perception, when they are present with their ego in the world with which they are connected through the astral organs, is already described in ancient Hebrew usage with three expressions. Just as we have an animal, a plant, and a mineral kingdom, ancient Hebrew usage refers to the trinity that can be perceived through presence in the astral body as Nezach, Yesod, and Hod.
If one wanted to translate these three expressions into our language in a reasonably consistent manner, one would have to delve deeply into the ancient Hebrew sense of language, because the usual lexical translations found in dictionaries are of no help here. If one wanted to understand what is important here, one would have to draw heavily on the sense of language of pre-Christian times. For example, one would have to take into account that what we can describe with the sound structure Hod would express “spiritual appearing outwardly.” So please note: this word would mean a spiritual that manifests itself outwardly, a spiritual striving outward, but a spiritual that is to be understood as astral. In contrast, the word Nezach would express a stronger nuance of this desire to reveal itself outwardly. What manifests itself here is something to which we might perhaps apply the word “impenetrable.”
If you pick up a physics textbook today, you will find something that is presented as a judgment but should actually be a definition — but logic is not important here — namely, the definition that physical bodies are described as impenetrable. It should actually be defined as follows: A physical body is one of which it is true that another cannot be in the same place at the same time. This should be given as a definition. Instead, a dogma is established and it is said: The bodies of the physical world have the property of being impenetrable. - whereas it should be said that two bodies cannot be in the same place at the same time. But this is something that actually belongs in philosophy. The manifestation in space, so that exclusions of another take place — which would be the greatly coarsened nuance of Hod — is given by the word Nezach. And what stands between them is given in Yesod.
So you have three different nuances. First, the manifestation of some astral fact that reveals itself outwardly, in Hod. Where the matter is already so coarse that things approach us in physical impenetrability, Nezach would be used according to ancient Hebrew usage. And for the intermediate nuance, Yesod would have to be taken. So we can say that the three different characteristics with which the beings of the astral world are indeed endowed are designated by these three words.
Now we can go a little further, so to speak, with the initiate into the human interior. When he has passed through what must first be passed through in his astral body, he enters his etheric body. There, the human being already perceives something higher than what can be described with these three words. You may ask, why higher? This has to do with something special, and you must pay attention to this if you want to understand the actual inner structure of the world. You must pay attention to the fact that, just as the outer world appears to us, the highest spiritual forces have worked on what appears to us as the lowest manifestations of the outer world. I have already drawn your attention to what is relevant here on several occasions, namely when discussing human nature itself.
When we describe the human being, we say that he consists of a physical body, an etheric body, an astral body, and the I. Certainly, in a certain sense, the I is the highest of these members; but as it is today, it is the baby among the four members of human nature. It is what contains the potential in human beings for the highest they can become, but it is now at the lowest stage of its kind. In contrast, the physical body is the most perfect member of its kind, not through the merit of human beings themselves, but because divine spiritual beings have worked on human beings throughout the Saturn, Sun, and Moon epochs. And the astral body has also already become more perfect than the human ego. So when we first look at the human ego, it is what is closest to us, what we identify with. And one may say: anyone who is not too trivial and does not want to close their eyes to reality need only look within themselves to find their ego. But remember: how far is the human being from the mysteries of the human physical body! The physical body is something that divine spiritual beings have worked on not only for millions of years, but for millions of millions of years to bring it to its present form. In between lie the astral body and the etheric body. The astral body is also an imperfect member of human nature in relation to the physical body; it contains emotions, passions, desires, and so on. And through the emotions of the astral body, despite the etheric body standing as a barrier between them, human beings enjoy many things that directly counteract the wonderful organization of the human physical body. I have pointed out how many poisons for the heart humans enjoy, for example, how, if it were up to their astral body, they would very soon undermine their health, and how they owe their health only to the fact that the human heart is so wonderfully and perfectly organized that it can withstand the attacks of the astral body for many decades. That is how it is. The deeper we descend, the higher spiritual forces we find that have worked on the individual limbs. One could say that it is the youngest gods, the youngest divine spiritual forces, who have given us our ego; and it is much older gods who have brought about in our lower limbs that perfection which man today is hardly beginning to understand, let alone be able to imitate with his tools what the divine spiritual forces and beings have accomplished for human beings in this marvelous structure.
This perfection was seen especially by those who, for example, through an Essene initiation, immersed themselves in the human interior. One such Essene said to himself: When I go through the first fourteen stages, I first enter my astral body. There I am confronted by all the passions and emotions connected with my astral body, everything I myself have done wrong in my incarnation to my astral body. But I have not yet been able to corrupt my etheric body as much as my astral body. My etheric body is basically much more divine, much purer; it reveals itself to me when I go through the second fourteen steps. And he had the feeling that if he withstood the temptations of the astral body, he would have overcome the most difficult part after the first fourteen steps and would now enter the light spheres of his etheric body, whose powers he had not yet been able to corrupt so much.
What the human being now saw there was again described in the ancient Hebrew secret teaching with three expressions that are again extremely difficult to render in our modern languages; they were called Gedulah, Tiphereth, and Geburah. Let us try to form an idea of the three regions that were designated by these three expressions.
When man perceived that with which he was connected in his etheric body, we can say that the first word, Gedulah, had an effect that gave one an idea of everything that appears majestic and great in the spiritual realm, in the spiritual world, everything that makes an overwhelming impression. In contrast, what is described by Geburah, although related to the first word, had a completely different nuance of greatness; it had the nuance of greatness reduced by its effect. Geburah is the nuance of greatness, of power that already manifests itself outwardly in order to defend itself, to manifest itself outwardly as an independent entity. So while the expression Gedulah is associated with action through inner solidity, through inner essence, the expression Geburah is associated with action that can be described as aggressive, manifesting itself outwardly through aggressive behavior. The inner peace of greatness, of inwardness, which manifests itself outwardly, but not through an aggressive nature, but through the expression of spiritual greatness, was designated by Tiphereth, which we could only reproduce by combining our two concepts of goodness and beauty. A being that expresses its inner nature in such a way that its inner nature is manifested in its outer form appears beautiful to us. And a being that expresses its own inner integrity outwardly appears good to us. But these two concepts belong together in Tiphereth in the ancient Hebrew secret teaching. So it was the beings that revealed themselves through these three qualities that one came into relationship with when descending into the etheric body.
Then came the descent into the physical body. In the physical body, the human being became acquainted, so to speak, with the oldest divine-spiritual beings who had worked on him. Remember how the reports in “From the Akashic Records” and in “An Outline of Secret Science” describe how the first rudiments of the physical body came into being on ancient Saturn. It is high, sublime spiritual beings, the Thrones, who sacrificed their own will substance so that the first rudiments of the human physical body could come into being. It is high spiritual beings who, in the further development through Saturn, Sun, and Moon, continue to work on these first rudiments. And in the lectures in Munich on the Six Days of Creation I mentioned how these sublime spiritual beings remained connected with human beings throughout the Saturn, Sun, and Moon periods, organizing this first foundation of the physical human body further and further, so that the present-day marvel of the physical body came into being, which human beings today can inhabit with the other three members of their being, the etheric body, the astral body, and the I.
When human beings were able to truly descend into their inner being, they perceived what was described in the ancient Hebrew secret teachings as having qualities that can only be imagined in human beings when they think of what is, for example, the highest wisdom they can attain in their souls. Human beings look up to wisdom, as it were, as an ideal. They feel their being elevated when they can fill it in part with wisdom. Those who immersed themselves in the physical body knew that they were approaching beings who were, in their entire substantiality, what human beings can only acquire in a small, insignificant measure when they strive for wisdom the wisdom that is not attained through ordinary external knowledge, but through knowledge gained in difficult experiences of the soul, and which is not acquired during one incarnation, but through many incarnations, and even then only partially. For only by exploring all possibilities of wisdom could one attain complete possession of wisdom. Beings who revealed themselves as beings of wisdom, whose most prominent and pure characteristic was wisdom, were perceived by humans. And the characteristic of such beings of wisdom was referred to in ancient Hebrew secret teachings as Chochmah, which today is not entirely inaccurately referred to as wisdom.
A special nuance of this characteristic of wisdom is again a certain coarsening. This is what also coarsens wisdom in human beings. However, human beings attain it only to a limited degree in their individuality. Here, however, when descending into the physical body, human beings encounter beings that possess this quality, which is a coarsened quality in relation to wisdom and was referred to in ancient Hebrew esoteric teachings as Binah, to such a prominent degree that they appear as beings that shine entirely through this quality. This is what can be brought forth in humans when they are reminded of their intellect. Humans only really attain intellect to a certain limited degree. But we must think of beings that are completely permeated by what the intellect attains when considering what is meant by Binah. However, this is a coarser nuance of Chochmah. That is why the ancient Hebrew secret teaching, when speaking of the actual, creatively productive wisdom that brings forth the secrets of the world within itself, when referring to Chochmah, says that it can be compared to a jet of water, while Binah can be compared to an ocean. This was meant to express the coarseness.
And the highest level to which one could rise when descending into the physical body was called Kether. It is difficult to find an expression to convey this word. One can only symbolically point to that quality which reveals itself as an inkling of the qualities of high, exalted, spiritual-divine beings. This quality is therefore also designated by a symbol through which human beings are elevated above themselves and mean more than they can actually mean, in order to express the height of this quality: with a crown. Let us therefore translate it in this way.
Binah | Hokhmah | Keter |
Geburah | Tipheret | Gedulah |
Netzah | Yesod | Hod |
Malkhut, The Kingdom, I |
We have thus listed a series of qualities of those beings in whose realm man grows upward when he descends into his own inner being. It is a process of growing upward. And you can imagine an Essene initiation as a process in which man had completely new experiences, became acquainted with what is really called these qualities.
But what in particular must be said about an Essene initiate and the nature of Essene initiation in contrast to the initiation of the surrounding peoples? What was particularly noteworthy?
All ancient initiations were designed to suppress precisely what human beings experience as their sense of self when they look out over Malchuth, the realm. This had to be eradicated. Therefore, one can say that one could not be human in the initiation in the same way as one is human in the physical world. Although one was led up into the spiritual world, one could not be human in the same way as one was outside in the realm. So, especially for the ancient initiations, a clear distinction had to be made between what the initiate experienced and the way he felt in his ego.
And if one wanted to sum up in one sentence what was represented in the ancient initiations in the old secret schools, as it could be accepted by the public, one would have to say: No one should believe that they can retain the same sense of self that they have in the realm of Malchuth if they want to become an initiate. He experiences something tremendously magnificent as he grows upward, the three times three attributes in their truth; but he must renounce what is his sense of self, what is experienced in the outer world. What is experienced as Netzach, Yesod, Hod, and so on, cannot be carried down into the realm; it cannot remain connected with the ordinary sense of self of human beings. That was the general attitude. And anyone who contradicted this assertion in ancient times would have been regarded as a fool, a madman, or a liar.
But it was the Essenes who first taught that a time would come when everything above could be brought down so that human beings could experience it despite the maintenance of the sense of self. This is what the Greeks then called Βασιλεια τωυ ομραυωυ. It was first the teaching of the Essenes that one would come who would bring down that which is above, that which is in the “realms of heaven,” for the ego that lives in Malchuth, in the realm. And that was also what Jeshu ben Pandira first taught in powerful words to his Essenes and some of those around him. If we wanted to summarize his teaching in a few striking words, as it was passed on by his disciple Mathai for the next period of time, we could do so in the following way.
Jeshu ben Pandira first said, inspired by the successor of Gautama Buddha, the Bodhisattva who will one day become Maitreya Buddha: Until now, it has not been possible to bring the realms of heaven down into the realm of Malchuth, to which the ego belongs. But when the time is fulfilled, when the three times fourteen generations have passed, then there will be born of the tribe of Abraham, of the tribe of David, whom we wish to experience as the tribe of Jesse — Jessaer or Esser — one who will carry down the nine attributes of the realms of heaven into the realm where the I is present. And what had been taught in this way led to Jeshu ben Pandira being stoned as a blasphemer, because such a teaching was considered the worst blasphemy of the initiation by those who did not want to let it come to light and did not want to understand that something that is right for one period does not have to be right for another, because humanity is progressing.
Then came the time when what had been said before was fulfilled, when the three times fourteen generations were truly complete, when that physical body could truly emerge from the blood of the people into which Zarathustra could incarnate, so that, after he had trained them with the tools that were in the body of the Nathanic Jesus boy, he could sacrifice them to Christ. The time had come when the forerunner of Christ could say, now comes the time when the “kingdoms of heaven” will approach the I that lives in the outer kingdom, in Malchuth.
And now we will understand what Christ had to set himself as his first task after he had undergone the temptation. He had undergone the temptation through the power of his own inner being, through what we today call the human ego. He had achieved the overcoming of all the trials and temptations that confront human beings when they descend into the astral body, the etheric body, and the physical body. This is also clearly depicted. All forms of egoism are depicted in such a way that we are made aware of them everywhere to the highest degree.
What stands as a serious obstacle to the person striving for esoteric development is that — as is quite natural when descending into one's own inner being — the bad habit arises in their nature of always being preoccupied with their own dear personality. In fact, one never encounters this more frequently than among those who want to enter the spiritual world, that they love nothing more than to talk about their own dear personality, which is the dearest thing to them, to which they pay attention constantly, every hour and every minute, observing everything meticulously. Whereas otherwise people live their lives resolutely, when they begin to strive for development, or even when they become anthroposophists, they begin to concern themselves enormously with their own ego; then illusions arise everywhere, over which the resoluteness of life had previously easily carried people away.
Why does this happen? Because human beings do not really know what to do with themselves when everything that rises up from within them connects with their being. They do not know what to do with it and become quite inexperienced about themselves. Previously, they were attentive and easily attracted by external things. Now they are more distracted, more directed inward, and now all kinds of feelings that were within them arise. Why does this happen? What they now want is to be truly “I,” to be truly independent of the outside world. However, they often fall into the mistake of wanting to be treated like a child at first, who is told everything they should do. He wants to be everything — just not a person who gives himself direction and goals based on what he gets from esoteric life. He is not yet accustomed to thinking about this. But he has the feeling that his dependence on the outside world disturbs him. And these disturbances are most pronounced when one wants to be truly independent, when one has to pay close attention to one's ego. But if you really want to pursue your ego, then it is highly trivial that you cannot physically escape your environment, namely through the fact that people have to eat! This is highly trivial, but for many it is a fatal circumstance. We can learn from this how little we are without our environment. And it is a very justified example of how we are dependent on our environment, without which we cannot live, and are as necessary as the finger on the hand: if we cut it off, it withers away. So a very trivial observation can show us how dependent we are on the environment.
When this egoism is stretched to the utmost, it can transform into the desire: If only I could become independent of the environment and be able to conjure up for myself what makes me feel so dependent on the environment, what I as an ordinary human being need in physical life! This is indeed a desire that can arise in those who seek initiation. Downright hatred can arise because one is dependent on one's surroundings and cannot conjure up the food one needs, cannot simply make it appear. It seems so strange when one says it, because paradoxically it is precisely those desires that appear in people on a small scale when they are seeking development, but which are so absurd when presented in the extreme. Human beings are not even aware that they have these desires in small ways. Of course, no one has them so strongly — because they are too attached to external habits — that they give themselves over to the illusion of saying they could create food by magic, that they could live by something that is not taken from the external realm, from Malchuth. But taken to the extreme, it would be possible for human beings to believe: If only I could get to the point where I could live in my astral body and ego in such a way that I would be guided by my own desires, then I would no longer need the whole environment!
This temptation arises. And in the case of the one who had to go through it most intensely, it is characterized in such a way that the tempter who confronts Christ Jesus tells him to turn stones into bread. There you have the highest degree of temptation. It is indeed the descent into one's own inner being in the story of temptation that is wonderfully described in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 4:1-11).
Now, the second degree occurs after one has already immersed oneself in one's astral body and finds oneself truly confronted with all these emotions and passions that could really turn one into a paradoxical egoist. When one feels confronted with this, one wants – without overcoming it, without fighting against it – to plunge down into the etheric body and physical body. This is indeed a situation that can be described as plunging into the abyss. This is also how it is described in the Gospel of Matthew: as a plunge into that which has not yet been spoiled, into the etheric body and physical body. But one should not have this before overcoming one's passions and emotions. The Christ Being knows this, and responds to the tempter by overcoming the opposing force through its own power: “You shall not tempt the Being to whom you are to surrender yourself!” (Matthew 4:7).
And the third stage in the descent into the physical body is as follows. When this descent occurs as a temptation, it is characterized in a special way. It is an experience that human beings can indeed have during initiation, an experience that everyone must have when they reach the stage of descent into the physical body and etheric body, when they see themselves, so to speak, from within. There he sees everything that is in the three highest qualities. It is like a world to him. But at first it is a world that is only in his own illusion, a world that he cannot see as inner truth unless he penetrates the shell of the physical body and ascends to the spiritual beings themselves, who are no longer in the physical body but only work within it. If we cannot free ourselves from egoism, then it is still the tempter of the physical world, Lucifer or Diabolus, who wants to deceive us about ourselves. Then he promises us everything that comes our way, but this is nothing other than the creature of our own Maya, our own illusion. If this spirit of egoism does not release us, then we see a whole world, but a world of deception and lies; and he promises us this world. But we must not believe that it is a world of truth. We come into this world at first; but we remain in Maya if we do not break free from this world again.
These three stages of temptation are lived out as in a model, as in a pattern, by the Christ being of humanity. And once this is experienced outside the old mystery centers, experienced through the power of a being that lives in the three human bodies themselves, the impulse is given so that humanity itself can achieve something like this in the future, in the course of its development: that the human being, with the I with which he can be in Malchuth, in the realm, can also ascend into the spiritual world. The goal was to achieve that what separates the two worlds no longer exists, and that human beings can ascend into the spiritual worlds with the I that lives in Malchuth. This was achieved for humanity through the overcoming of temptation, as described in the Gospel of Matthew. What was achieved was that now, in a being who lived on earth, there was a model of the ascent of the self for the kingdom into the higher realms and higher worlds.
What, then, had to be the achievement of what the Christ being had, so to speak, exemplified in an outer historical form, which otherwise had only taken place behind the veil of mysteries? It had to be the preaching of the kingdom. And when the Gospel of Matthew first describes the temptation in an appropriate manner, it will then describe the phase of the ascent of the ego, which can experience the spiritual world within itself and does not first need to step out of itself to do so. The mystery of this I, which ascends into the spiritual world according to the pattern of how one lives in the outer realm, this mystery was now to be revealed in the outer world through the Christ Being in those times that characterize us after the story of the temptation has been shown to us in the Gospel of Matthew. This is where the chapters begin that start with the Sermon on the Mount and thus the presentation of what Christ gave as the view of the kingdom, of Malchuth (Matthew 5-7).
This is how deep you must search in the Gospel of Matthew. You must actually seek the sources and elements for the Gospel of Matthew in the secret teachings not only of the Essenes, but in the entire ancient Hebrew and Greek world. Then we will also gain for such a document that holy reverence, that holy respect of which we spoke in Munich, which one gains when, equipped with the research results of spiritual science, one approaches these documents which the seers have given us. When we hear such things said by the ancient seers, we feel them speaking to us from ancient times. And it is like a spiritual language passing over to us, a language spoken by great individuals throughout the centuries, so that those who want to listen can hear. However, only those people who understand the words, even in the Protestant sense: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 11:15). But just as much was necessary in the past for our physical ears to develop, so too is much necessary for the development of the spiritual ears through which we understand what is said in those great, powerful spiritual documents.
This is what our newer spiritual science is supposed to be for, so that we may learn to read the spiritual documents again. And only when we are thus equipped with an understanding of the I, of the nature of the I in the kingdom, will we be able to understand that chapter in the Gospel of Matthew which begins with the words: “Blessed are those who hunger for spirit, for they shall find the kingdoms of heaven through themselves, through their own I!” (Matthew 5:3). An ancient initiate would have said: In vain have you sought the kingdoms of heaven in your own ego! But Christ Jesus said: The time has come when people will find the spirit in their own ego when they seek the kingdoms of heaven!
The bringing forth of deep mysteries into the outer world is the historical event of Christ. And in this sense we will have to look more closely at the historical event of Christ. You will then see how to interpret the words that begin with “Blessed are...” in the Sermon on the Mount.