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The Rudolf Steiner Archive

a project of Steiner Online Library, a public charity

Esoteric Lessons II
GA 266

Lesson 23

kÖLN, 1-31-'11

Meditation has a technical part and one that's carried over into life, that is, the way a man thinks, feels and acts change through correct meditation.

Meditation requires patience and conscientiousness. What does a man do when he meditates? He imitates what divine spiritual beings in the higher hierarchies did millions of years ago, giving rise to our present earth. Everything around us is condensed thoughts of the Gods. The divine spiritual beings thought, and namely they thought rhythmically in cycles according to the principle that steady dripping hollows the stone.

What they thought frequently with brief intervals between has become harder earth substance, such as diamonds. It has a creative effect to imagine things that don't exist in the physical world, but thinking about existing things doesn't.

I'm an egoist. I'm not a Christian. These are two very fruitful sentences for meditation. A man must become acquainted with the monster that he is.

The meeting with the guardian of the threshold is something that's terrible for everyone. One can say this to an esoteric. The seeing of beautiful things and figures is astral maya, is Lucifer. The hearing of masters and the like is etheric maya, is Ahriman. One must investigate what one sees and hears there; then one will see the true state of affairs.