The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Questions And Answers II

[ 1 ] About reincarnation.

[ 2 ] In truth, the doctrine of reincarnation is an ancient teaching in the secret schools. It was only relatively late that it found its way into the written texts. It is one of the most fundamental teachings in the world. The processes of reincarnation themselves are not so simple. (See Rudolf Steiner’s remarks on the etheric bodies of the Rishis and so on.)

[ 3 ] The reappearance of the I was carefully guarded as a secret. In the early years of the Theosophical Movement, one could hear strange things about reincarnation; it even happened that reincarnations of Emperor Joseph, Seneca, and so on were sitting at a table in a coffeehouse! These things are very confusing. One should cultivate the following attitude toward them: “I receive many ideas, but I cannot delve deeply enough to understand them. I actually don’t understand anything yet!” The best impulse is to be wary of forming a definitive judgment.

[ 4 ] On the terms: death and dying.

[ 5 ] In the Book of Job, Job’s wife advises him not to remain righteous. A phrase appears there: “Curse God and die.” These words contain a world within them. We can only understand them if we know what was meant by “union with God.” It is the possibility of a life that cannot be extinguished by death once that union has been attained.

[ 6 ] “Death” here does not refer to a physical process; one must approach this word with a different emotional nuance. Paul once said: “Then the law came, and I died.”—We must understand what the concept of ‘law’ means here. “Death” is understood to mean separation from that which is immortal.

[ 7 ] In certain periods, this was understood to mean the soul’s descent into a lower state of consciousness: when the soul enters into incarnation, it descends into a state of obscured consciousness.

[ 8 ] The soul can lead a life such that it never again has to enter into obscurity. Obscurity is the death that befalls it at the birth of the body. Souls that do nothing for themselves enter into this “second death,” that is, reincarnation.

[ 9 ] It is the will of the Masters to sharply point out how flawed and inflexible modern thinking is, and how infinitely far removed it is from the true state of affairs.

[ 10 ] Christian love is not only that which helps those who have fallen into error, but there is also an active Christian love that protects others from misunderstandings. Oriental wisdom contains such a profound theory of knowledge that our Kantian materialism cannot even begin to grasp it. When we penetrate to the pure theory of knowledge, we must say: Without an eye, there is no light—thus the world is our conception. But without light, there is no eye either! It is no coincidence that the eye perceives light, for light is the creator of the eye: the eye is born of light. The objectification of light is the sun. Occultly, in the macrocosm, the sun corresponds to the eye in the microcosm. Likewise, voice (microcosmic) and fire (macrocosmic) correspond to one another. The emergence of formed matter can rightly be compared to the shaping of sound or tonal figures. These are imitative processes of the primordial processes. Form is sound that has become rigid in matter. The clay first had to pass through the primal fire. The mineral and animal worlds—in short, everything—is clay (that has passed through the fire). In the microcosm, the fire pulsates in the warmth of the blood. As the fire finds its expression in the blood, the sound resounds microcosmically from within (the voice) and corresponds to the matter forming out of the Logos.

[ 11 ] Primordial wisdom is wiser than the thinking that has developed over the course of the world. The wisdom that exists in the things around us was imprinted upon them on the Moon. The Earth’s task is the development of love. On Jupiter, love will emanate from everything around us. Earth’s development is necessary in order to find love from within on Jupiter. On the Moon, we have as poles: wisdom—error; on Earth: love—egoism.

[ 12 ] Saturn — Fire; Sun — Air (Gas); Moon — Water; Earth — Earth (Solid).

[ 13 ] Water and air came into an independent relationship with one another during the Earth's development. Everything is condensed from the four elements. Evaporated water is intimately related to plants. Today we can only use inorganic forces (such as coal and so on), whereas the Atlanteans worked with plant forces. They knew how to draw the forces out of the seed and used them to power their vehicles. The forces of the plant seed are born of air and water. However, it depends on human morality how these forces are utilized. Wind and weather were closely connected to this. If the forces were used well, then wind and weather were also favorable. When the Atlanteans turned to evil, they themselves brought about the catastrophe of the Flood.

[ 14 ] Similarly, fire and earth were connected for a certain period of time (Lemuria). These elements can intertwine in a variety of ways.

[ 15 ] One can form a conception of three-dimensional space. An important tenet of the Platonic school is: God geometers. Basic geometric concepts awaken clairvoyant abilities. In the geometry of position, it is proven that the same point exists everywhere within the circumference: The infinitely distant point on the right is the same as the starting point on the left. This means that, ultimately, the world is a sphere; one returns to the starting point. When I take geometric theorems, they transition into limit concepts. Three-dimensional space returns to its point. Therefore, in the astral, point a acts upon point b without a connection.

[ 16 ] Materialism is introduced into theosophy when, in an attempt to reach the spiritual realm, one assumes that matter becomes thinner and thinner. This does not lead to the spiritual realm. Rather, through concepts such as “point a = point b,” one arrives at concepts of the fourth dimension.

[ 17 ] As an example, imagine the wasp with the narrow waist 0-0, if the connection in the middle weren't there and the two parts moved together, connected only by the effect. Expand on this concept: Many areas of influence goJo in multidimensional space.

[ 18 ] On the number 40. “One from the egg”—what does that mean? It is written this way: 10. The exotericist reads it as ten; the esotericist reads it as “one from the egg.”

[ 19 ] Imagine any evolutionary cycle coming to an end; for example, Saturn, the Sun, and the Moon would be complete, and we would be at the point where Earth’s evolution begins. What humanity has from Saturn has become 0, from the Sun likewise: 0 0, and from the Moon as well: 0 0 0. After three completed cycles, a new one now begins: 1 0 0 0. This cycle goes through subcycles

[ 20 ] Cycle 6.5.4.3.2.1.

[ 21 ] We can also write 4321000 in occult script. When occult script refers to 1,000 years, it means that 3 cycles have hatched from the egg.

[ 22 ] This is an occult numerology that reflects cosmic realities. Everything in the cosmos is mirrored in the physical and spiritual life of the Earth. In our current cycle, humanity is transitioning to a perception of the outer world, to a reversal of all perception. Where Maya appears to consciousness, there is the 4th cycle. Therefore, 4 is the number of Maya and of the cosmos.

[ 23 ] In all instances where the number 4 appears in the Bible, it signifies the overcoming of something: fasting for 40 days or wandering for 40 days represents a certain kind of overcoming. 40 = 4 hatching from an egg. Anyone who fasts for 40 days must have gone through an occult cycle. The more primitive the states of consciousness are, the less one can speak of boredom. This fades the further back we go in the states of consciousness.

[ 24 ] Development does not presuppose a beginning or an end. Development proceeds in cycles without repetition; something new is always introduced in this cyclical progression. A finite beginning or end is a false conclusion, abstracted from sensory processes.

The development of the part = the creature,
The development of the whole = God,
is a false premise. Example: Father — Son.

[ 25 ] The planets Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars remained behind before the Sun split off. Mercury and Venus separated from the Sun after Earth’s separation in order to create dwelling places for higher beings.

[ 26 ] We can explain the Martian canals through Germanic mythology: Germanic mythology reflects earlier states of the Earth. In the earlier, more ethereal state of matter, regular processes took place that have now become irregular: for example, the twelve streams, the sparks of fire, and so on; these were developmental processes on Earth. The same is true on Mars: the formation of the canals is a state that has been preserved and fixed, one that our Earth also underwent.

[ 27 ] Human beings are given the task of attaining freedom; they can draw strength from all hierarchies, for example from the angels of Manas, from the archangels of Budhi, and so on. Through their development, it becomes possible for higher hierarchies to influence them; it is precisely through this that they continue to develop. Human beings contain all hierarchies within themselves as a microcosm.

[ 28 ] Everything repeats itself in the Earth's evolution. The Earth was in the lunar stage of development where Mars is today. On Earth, this repeats: the passage of Mars.