The Rudolf Steiner Archive

How to Gain Knowledge of the Higher Worlds

Conditions

[ 1 ] Within every human being lie dormant abilities through which they can gain insights into higher worlds. Mystics, Gnostics, and theosophists have always spoken of a world of the soul and a world of the spirit, which exist for them just as surely as the world that can be seen with physical eyes and touched with physical hands. The listener may say to himself at any moment: I, too, can experience what this person is speaking of if I develop certain powers within myself that still lie dormant there today. The only question is how to begin developing such abilities within oneself. Guidance in this can be provided only by those who already possess such powers within themselves. Ever since the human race has existed, there has always been a form of training through which those who possessed higher abilities provided guidance to those who sought such abilities. Such training is called “secret training”; and the instruction received there is called esoteric or occult instruction. Such a designation naturally gives rise to misunderstanding. Anyone who hears it can easily be led to believe that those involved in such training seek to present themselves as a particularly privileged class of people who arbitrarily withhold their knowledge from their fellow human beings. Indeed, one might even think that there is perhaps nothing of substance behind such knowledge at all. For, if it were true knowledge—one is tempted to think—there would be no need to keep it secret: it could be shared publicly, making its benefits accessible to all people.

[ 2 ] Those who are initiated into the nature of secret knowledge are not in the least surprised that the uninitiated think this way. Only those who have themselves experienced, to a certain degree, this initiation into the higher mysteries of existence can understand what the secret of initiation consists of. Now one might ask: how is the uninitiated supposed to develop any human interest in so-called esoteric knowledge under such circumstances? How and why should they seek something about whose nature they can have absolutely no conception? But even such a question is based on a completely erroneous conception of the nature of esoteric knowledge. In truth, secret knowledge is no different from all other human knowledge and skill. For the average person, this secret knowledge is no more a secret than writing is a secret to someone who has not learned it. And just as anyone who chooses the right path can learn to write, so too can anyone who seeks the appropriate path become a secret student—or even a secret teacher. There is only one respect in which the circumstances here differ from those of external knowledge and skill. While poverty or the cultural conditions into which one is born may deprive someone of the opportunity to master the art of writing, there is no obstacle to acquiring knowledge and skill in the higher worlds for those who earnestly seek them.

[ 3 ] Many believe that one must seek out the masters of higher knowledge here and there in order to receive insights from them. But two things are true. First, anyone who earnestly seeks higher knowledge will spare no effort and overcome any obstacle to find an initiate who can introduce him to the higher mysteries of the world. On the other hand, however, everyone can be certain that initiation will find him under any circumstances, provided there is a serious and worthy striving for knowledge. For there is a natural law for all initiates that compels them not to withhold knowledge due to any seeker. But there is an equally natural law which states that no one may be entrusted with any of the secret knowledge for which they are not called. And the more strictly an initiate observes these two laws, the more perfect he is. The spiritual bond that unites all initiates is not an external one, but the two laws mentioned form firm ties that hold the components of this bond together. You may live in close friendship with an initiate: yet you remain separated from his essence until you yourself have become an initiate. You may enjoy the heart and love of an initiate in the fullest sense: he will not entrust his secret to you until you are ready for it. You may flatter him; you may torment him: nothing can compel him to reveal to you anything that he knows must not be revealed to you, because at your present stage of development you do not yet know how to prepare the proper receptivity in your soul for the secret.

[ 4 ] The paths that prepare human beings to receive a mystery are precisely defined. Their course is marked out with indelible, eternal letters in the spiritual realms, where the initiates guard the higher mysteries. In ancient times, which lie before our “history,” the temples of the spirit were also visible externally; today, when our lives have become so unspiritual, they do not exist in the world visible to the physical eye. But they are spiritually present everywhere; and anyone who seeks them can find them.

[ 5 ] Only within his own soul can a person find the means that will open the mouths of the initiates to him. He must develop certain qualities within himself to a certain high degree; only then can the highest spiritual treasures be bestowed upon him.

[ 6 ] A certain fundamental disposition of the soul must serve as the starting point. The esoteric researcher calls this fundamental disposition the Path of Reverence, that is, devotion to truth and knowledge. Only those who possess this fundamental disposition can become initiates. Anyone who has had experiences in this realm knows what inclinations can already be observed in childhood in those who will later become initiates. There are children who look up with sacred awe to certain individuals they revere. They have a reverence for them that, in the depths of their hearts, forbids them from entertaining any thought of criticism or opposition. Such children grow into young men and women who find comfort in looking up to something worthy of reverence. Many secret disciples emerge from among these human beings. If you have ever stood before the door of a revered man and, on that first visit, felt a sacred awe at the thought of turning the doorknob to enter the room that is a “sanctuary” to you, then a feeling has manifested within you that may be the seed of your future initiation as a secret disciple. It is a blessing for every young person to carry such feelings within them as innate dispositions. One must not, however, believe that such dispositions form the seed of subservience and slavery. Later on, what begins as childlike reverence for human beings will transform into reverence for truth and knowledge. Experience teaches us that those who have learned to show reverence where it is due are also the ones best able to hold their heads high. And it is due wherever it springs from the depths of the heart.

[ 7 ] Unless we develop within ourselves a profound sense that there is something higher than ourselves, we will not find within ourselves the strength to evolve toward that which is higher. The initiate has attained the strength to raise his head toward the heights of knowledge only by leading his heart into the depths of reverence and devotion. The heights of the spirit can be scaled only by passing through the gate of humility. You can attain true knowledge only when you have learned to respect that knowledge. Human beings certainly have the right to turn their eyes toward the light; but they must earn this right. In spiritual life, there are laws just as there are in the material world. Rub a glass rod with a suitable substance, and it becomes electrified—that is, it gains the power to attract small objects. This corresponds to a law of nature. Anyone who has studied a little physics knows this. And just as surely, if one is familiar with the fundamentals of esoteric science, one knows that every feeling of true devotion developed in the soul generates a force that, sooner or later, can lead to further insight.

[ 8 ] Those who possess devotional feelings by nature, or who are fortunate enough to have them instilled through an appropriate upbringing, have a great deal to draw upon when they seek access to higher insights later in life. Those who lack such preparation will encounter difficulties even at the very first stage of the path to knowledge, unless they make a concerted effort through self-education to cultivate a devotional disposition within themselves. In our time, it is particularly important that full attention be given to this point. Our civilization tends more toward criticism, judgment, and condemnation, and less toward devotion and devoted reverence. Our children already criticize far more than they worship devoutly. But every criticism, every judgment, drives the soul’s powers away from higher knowledge just as much as every act of devout reverence fosters them. This is not meant to be a criticism of our civilization. The point here is not at all to criticize our civilization. It is precisely to criticism—to self-aware human judgment, to the principle of “Test everything and keep what is best”—that we owe the greatness of our culture. Humanity would never have attained the science, industry, transportation, and legal systems of our time if it had not exercised criticism everywhere and applied the yardstick of its judgment to everything. But what we have gained in outward culture through this, we have had to pay for with a corresponding loss of higher knowledge and spiritual life. It must be emphasized that higher knowledge is not about the veneration of human beings, but rather about such veneration toward truth and knowledge.

[ 9 ] There is, of course, one thing everyone must realize: that anyone who is completely immersed in the materialistic civilization of our day finds it very difficult to gain insight into the higher worlds. They can do so only if they work energetically on themselves. In a time when the conditions of material life were simple, spiritual uplift was also easier to achieve. That which was worthy of veneration and reverence stood out more clearly from the rest of worldly conditions. In a critical age, ideals are brought down to earth. Other feelings take the place of veneration, reverence, adoration, and admiration. Our age is increasingly pushing these feelings into the background, so that everyday life exposes people to them only to a very limited extent. Anyone seeking higher knowledge must generate it within themselves. They must instill it in their own soul. This cannot be achieved through study alone; it can only be achieved through life itself. Anyone who wishes to become a secret disciple must therefore vigorously train themselves to cultivate a devotional disposition. They must seek out, in their surroundings and in their experiences, whatever can inspire in them admiration and reverence. If I encounter a person and criticize their weaknesses, I rob myself of the power of higher knowledge; if I lovingly immerse myself in their virtues, I gather that power. The secret disciple must be constantly mindful of following this guidance. Experienced seekers of the secret teachings know what strength they owe to the fact that they consistently look for the good in all things and refrain from passing judgment. But this must not remain merely an external rule of life; rather, it must take hold of the very core of our soul. It is within a person’s power to perfect themselves, to transform themselves completely over time. But this transformation must take place in their innermost being, in their life of thought. It is not enough for me to show respect toward another being outwardly in my behavior. I must hold this respect in my thoughts. The occult student must begin by incorporating devotion into his life of thought. He must be mindful of thoughts of disrespect and disparaging criticism in his consciousness. And he must actively seek to cultivate thoughts of devotion within himself.

[ 10 ] Every moment when we sit down to become aware, within our consciousness, of the disparaging, judgmental, and critical opinions we harbor about the world and life—every such moment brings us closer to a higher understanding. And we rise rapidly when, in such moments, we fill our consciousness only with thoughts that fill us with admiration, respect, and reverence for the world and life. Anyone with experience in these matters knows that in every such moment, powers are awakened within a person that would otherwise remain dormant. Through this, a person’s spiritual eyes are opened. As a result, he begins to see things around him that he could not see before. He begins to realize that previously he had seen only a part of the world surrounding him. The person standing before him now appears in a completely different light than before. Admittedly, this rule of life will not yet enable him to see, for example, what is described as the human aura. For that, an even higher level of training is necessary. But it is precisely to this higher level of training that he can ascend if he has first undergone an energetic training in devotion. ^{1The “Path of Knowledge” is clearly outlined in the final section of my “Theosophy: An Introduction to a Supersensible Worldview and the Human Destiny.” Practical considerations will be detailed here.}

[ 11 ] Silently and unnoticed by the outside world, the secret student embarks on the “path of knowledge.” No one needs to perceive any change in him. He performs his duties as before; he goes about his business as he did before. The transformation takes place solely within the innermost depths of the soul, hidden from the outer eye. At first, the person’s entire emotional life is suffused with a fundamental mood of devotion toward all that is truly venerable. In this single fundamental feeling, his entire soul life finds its center. Just as the sun enlivens all living things through its rays, so too does reverence enliven all the soul’s feelings in the initiate.

[ 12 ] At first, it is not easy for a person to believe that feelings such as reverence, respect, and so on have anything to do with their cognition. This stems from the tendency to regard cognition as a separate faculty that has no connection whatsoever with what else is going on in the soul. But people fail to consider that it is the soul that cognizes. And for the soul, feelings are what substances are for the body—they constitute its nourishment. If one feeds the body stones instead of bread, its activity ceases. It is similar with the soul. For the soul, reverence, respect, and devotion are nourishing substances that make it healthy, and strong—above all, strong for the activity of cognition. Disregard, antipathy, and underestimation of what is worthy of recognition cause paralysis and the withering away of cognitive activity. – For the spiritual researcher, this fact is evident in the aura. A soul that cultivates feelings of reverence and devotion brings about a change in its aura. Certain spiritual hues—which might be described as yellow-red or brown-red—disappear and are replaced by blue-red tones. This, in turn, opens up the capacity for cognition; it receives information about facts in its surroundings of which it previously had no inkling. Reverence awakens a sympathetic force within the soul, and through this force, we are drawn to qualities in the beings around us that would otherwise remain hidden.

[ 13 ] What can be achieved through devotion becomes even more effective when another kind of feeling is added. This consists in a person learning to surrender less and less to the impressions of the external world and, in return, developing a lively inner life. A person who rushes from one impression of the external world to the next, who is constantly seeking “distraction,” will not find the path to esoteric science. The esoteric student should not become numb to the external world; but his rich inner life should guide him in the direction in which he surrenders to its impressions. When a person who is emotionally rich and deeply sensitive walks through a beautiful mountain landscape, they experience something different from someone who is emotionally shallow. Only what we experience within ourselves gives us the key to the beauties of the external world. One person sails across the sea, and only a few inner experiences stir their soul; another, however, perceives the eternal language of the World Spirit; to them, the secret mysteries of creation are revealed. One must have learned to deal with one’s own feelings and ideas if one wishes to develop a meaningful relationship with the outside world. The outside world, in all its manifestations, is filled with divine glory; but one must first have experienced the divine within one’s own soul if one is to find it in one’s surroundings. – The initiate is advised to create moments in his life during which he can immerse himself quietly and alone in his inner world. Yet in such moments he should not give himself over to the concerns of his own ego. That would achieve the opposite of what is intended. Rather, in such moments he should allow what he has experienced—what the outer world has told him—to resonate within him in complete silence. Every flower, every animal, every action will reveal unexpected secrets to him in such quiet moments. And through this, he will be prepared to view new impressions from the outside world with eyes entirely different from before. Whoever merely wishes to enjoy one impression after another dulls his capacity for understanding. Whoever, after the enjoyment, allows something to be revealed to him through that enjoyment, nurtures and cultivates his capacity for understanding. He need only accustom himself not merely to let the pleasure linger, but—with renunciation of further pleasure—to process what has been enjoyed through inner activity. Here lies a very great pitfall that brings danger. Instead of working inwardly, one can easily fall into the opposite extreme and seek only to fully exhaust the pleasure in retrospect. One should not underestimate the fact that incalculable sources of error open up here for the initiate. After all, he must make his way through a host of tempters of his soul. They all want to harden his “I,” to shut it off within itself. He, however, is to open it up to the world. He must indeed seek pleasure; for only through it does the outer world reach him. If he hardens himself against pleasure, he becomes like a plant that can no longer draw nourishment from its surroundings. But if he stops at pleasure, he closes himself off within himself. He will mean only something for himself, nothing for the world. No matter how deeply he may then live within himself, no matter how strongly he may nurture his “I”: the world excludes him. To the world, he is dead. The secret student regards pleasure merely as a means to ennoble himself for the world. Pleasure is a scout for him, teaching him about the world; but after learning through pleasure, he moves forward to work. He does not learn in order to hoard what he has learned as his treasures of knowledge, but to put what he has learned in the service of the world.

[ 14 ] There is a fundamental principle in all esoteric science that must not be violated if any goal is to be achieved. Every esoteric training program must instill this principle in the student. It states: Any knowledge you seek merely to enrich your understanding, merely to amass treasures within yourself, leads you astray from your path; but any knowledge you seek to become more mature on the path of human refinement and world evolution brings you one step forward. This law demands unwavering adherence. And one is not a secret student until one has made this law the guiding principle of one’s life. This truth of spiritual training can be summarized in the following brief sentence: Every idea that does not become an ideal for you kills a force within your soul; but every idea that becomes an ideal creates life forces within you.

Inner Peace

[ 15 ] At the beginning of his journey, the initiate is guided onto the path of worship and toward the development of inner life. Spiritual science now also provides practical rules through the observance of which the path can be entered upon and the inner life developed. These practical rules do not arise from arbitrariness. They are based on ancient experience and ancient knowledge. They are given in the same way everywhere where the paths to higher knowledge are pointed out. All true teachers of the spiritual life agree on the content of these rules, even if they do not always express them in the same words. The minor—and, in truth, only apparent—differences stem from facts that need not be discussed here.

[ 16 ] No teacher of spiritual life seeks to exercise dominion over others through such rules. He does not wish to infringe upon anyone’s independence. For there are no better guardians and preservers of human independence than the initiates. It was stated (in the previous chapter) that the bond uniting all initiates is a spiritual one, and that two natural laws form the clamps that hold the components of this bond together. When the initiate steps out of his enclosed spiritual realm and into the public sphere, a third law immediately comes into play for him. It is this: Direct each of your deeds and each of your words in such a way that you do not interfere with any person’s free will.

[ 17 ] Anyone who has come to realize that a true teacher of spiritual life is completely imbued with this mindset can also know that he loses nothing of his independence when he follows the practical rules that are set forth for him.

[ 18 ] One of the first of these rules can be expressed in the following words: “Create moments of inner peace for yourself, and in those moments learn to distinguish the essential from the non-essential.” – It is stated here that this practical rule is “expressed in the language” in this way. Originally, all the rules and teachings of spiritual science are given in a symbolic language of signs. And anyone who wishes to understand their full meaning and significance must first come to understand this symbolic language. This understanding depends on the individual having already taken the first steps in the esoteric science. However, they can take these steps through the careful observation of rules such as those given here. The path is open to everyone who has a sincere will.

[ 19 ] The rule above regarding moments of inner peace is simple. And following it is simple, too. But it leads to the goal only if it is approached with as much seriousness and strictness as it is simple. – Therefore, let us state here without further ado how this rule is to be followed.

[ 20 ] The secret student must set himself apart from his daily life for a short time in order to devote himself during this period to something entirely different from the subjects of his daily activities. And the nature of his activity must also be entirely different from that with which he fills the rest of the day. However, this should not be understood to mean that what he accomplishes during this set-aside time has nothing to do with the content of his daily work. On the contrary: the person who seeks such moments of seclusion in the right way will soon realize that it is through them that he gains the full strength to carry out his daily tasks. Nor should it be believed that observing this rule could actually take time away from one’s duties. If someone truly has no more time available, then five minutes each day are sufficient. What matters is how those five minutes are used.

[ 21 ] During this time, a person should completely detach themselves from their everyday life. Their thoughts and emotions should take on a different hue than they usually do. They should let their joys, their sorrows, their worries, their experiences, and their actions pass before their soul. And in doing so, one should position oneself in such a way as to view everything one otherwise experiences from a higher perspective. Just think for a moment how, in ordinary life, one views something that another person has experienced or done quite differently than what one has experienced or done oneself. It cannot be otherwise. For one is intimately connected to what one experiences or does oneself; one merely observes the experience or deed of another. What one must strive for in these set-aside moments is to view and judge one’s own experiences and deeds as if they had not been experienced or done by oneself, but by another. Just imagine: someone has suffered a severe blow of fate. How differently does he view it compared to an identical blow of fate befalling a fellow human being? No one can consider this unjustified. It lies in human nature. And just as in such extraordinary cases, so it is in the everyday affairs of life. The secret student must find the strength to face himself as a stranger at certain times. He must confront himself with the inner calm of the observer. Once this is achieved, one’s own experiences appear in a new light. As long as one is entangled in them, as long as one is immersed in them, one is bound just as much to the unessential as to the essential. When one attains the inner calm of the bird’s-eye view, the essential separates itself from the inessential. Sorrow and joy, every thought, every decision appear differently when one faces oneself in this way. It is as if one had spent the entire day in a certain place, observing the smallest details just as closely as the largest; then, in the evening, one climbs a neighboring hill and surveys the entire place at a glance. There, the parts of this place appear in different relationships to one another than when one is actually within it. This does not—and need not—succeed with the twists of fate currently being experienced; with those from the distant past, it must be striven for by the student of spiritual life. – The value of such inner, tranquil self-reflection depends far less on what one perceives in the process than on finding within oneself the strength that develops such inner peace.

[ 22 ] For every person carries within themselves, alongside their—let us call it—“everyday self,” a “higher self”. This higher self remains hidden until it is awakened. And each person can awaken this higher self only by themselves. But as long as this higher self remains unawakened, the higher abilities slumbering within every person—which lead to supersensory knowledge—also remain hidden.

[ 23 ] As long as a person does not feel the fruit of inner peace, he must simply tell himself that he must continue to follow the rule mentioned above with serious and strict devotion. For anyone who proceeds in this way, the day will come when spiritual light will dawn around them, when a whole new world will open up to an eye they had not known existed within themselves until then.

[ 24 ] And nothing in the outer life of the initiate needs to change simply because he begins to follow this rule. He carries out his duties as before; at first, he endures the same sufferings and experiences the same joys as before. In no way can this alienate him from “life.” Indeed, he can pursue this “life” all the more fully throughout the rest of the day because, in his moments of seclusion, he appropriates a “higher life.” Little by little, this “higher life” will begin to exert its influence on the ordinary. The tranquility of those moments of seclusion will also have an effect on everyday life. The whole person will become calmer, will gain confidence in his actions, and will no longer be thrown off balance by all manner of incidents. Gradually, such a budding secret student will, so to speak, guide himself more and more and allow himself to be guided less by circumstances and external influences. Such a person will soon realize what a source of strength these set-aside periods of time are for him. He will begin to stop getting annoyed by things that used to bother him; countless things he once feared will cease to cause him anxiety. He will adopt an entirely new outlook on life. Before, he might have approached this or that task hesitantly. He would tell himself: Oh, I don’t have enough strength to do this the way I would have liked to. Now this thought no longer occurs to him; instead, a completely different one does. For now he tells himself: I will muster all my strength to do my task as well as I possibly can. And he suppresses any thought that might make him hesitant. For he knows that it is precisely this hesitation that could lead him to perform poorly, and that, in any case, this hesitation can contribute nothing to improving what he is tasked with. And so, thought after thought, ideas that are fruitful and beneficial to his life find their way into the secret student’s outlook on life. They take the place of those that were hindering and weakening him. He begins to steer the ship of his life on a safe, steady course through the waves of life, whereas before it had been tossed back and forth by those waves.

[ 25 ] And such peace and security also have a reciprocal effect on the entire human being. The inner self grows as a result. And along with it grow those inner abilities that lead to higher insights. For through the progress he makes in this direction, the initiate gradually reaches the point where he himself determines how impressions from the outer world may affect him. For example, he hears a word with which another person intends to hurt or annoy him. Before becoming a secret student, he would have been hurt or annoyed by it. Now that he has embarked on the path of the secret student, he is able to remove the hurtful or annoying sting from the word before it has found its way into his inner being. Or take another example. A person easily becomes impatient when asked to wait. He steps onto the path of the inner disciple. In his moments of stillness, he imbues himself so deeply with the feeling that much impatience is futile that from then on, whenever he impatience, he immediately recalls this feeling. The impatience that was already beginning to set in disappears, and time that would otherwise have been wasted on thoughts of impatience may instead be filled with a useful observation that can be made while waiting.

[ 26 ] Now one need only consider the implications of all this. Bear in mind that the “higher self” within a person is in a state of constant development. However, it is only through the peace and security described above that this higher self is able to develop in accordance with natural laws. The turmoil of external life constricts the inner human being from all sides when a person does not master this life but is instead mastered by it. Such a person is like a plant that is supposed to grow in a crevice in the rock. It withers away until space is made for it. No external forces can create space for the inner human being. Only the inner peace that he creates within his soul can do this. External circumstances can only change his external circumstances; they can never, ever awaken the “spiritual human being” within him. – Within himself, the secret student must give birth to a new, higher human being.

[ 27 ] This “higher self” then becomes the “inner ruler,” who guides the affairs of the outer self with a steady hand. As long as the outer self has the upper hand and is in control, this “inner self” is its slave and therefore cannot unfold its powers. If whether or not I get angry depends on something other than myself, then I am not my own master—or, to put it even better: I have not yet found the “ruler within me.” I must develop within myself the ability to allow impressions from the outside world to reach me only in a way that I myself determine; only then can I become a student of the mysteries. And only to the extent that the student of the mysteries earnestly seeks this power can he reach his goal. It does not matter how far one progresses within a given time; what matters is solely that one earnestly seeks. There have been many who have striven for years without noticing any noticeable progress in themselves; but many of those who did not despair but remained steadfast have then quite suddenly achieved the “inner victory.”

[ 28 ] In many situations in life, it certainly takes great strength to create moments of inner peace. But the greater the strength required, the more significant is what is achieved. With regard to the Secret School, everything depends on one’s ability to face oneself—with all one’s actions and deeds—as a complete stranger, with energy, inner truth, and unreserved sincerity.

[ 29 ] But only one aspect of the inner activity of the initiate is characterized by this birth of the own higher self. Something else must be added to this. For even when a person faces himself as a stranger, he still regards only himself; he looks upon those experiences and actions with which he has become intertwined through his particular life circumstances. He must transcend this. He must rise to a purely human level that no longer has anything to do with his particular circumstances. He must turn his attention to those things that concern him as a human being, even if he lived under entirely different circumstances, in an entirely different situation. Through this, something awakens within him that transcends the personal. He thereby directs his gaze toward higher worlds than those with which everyday life brings him into contact. And thus the person begins to feel, to experience, that he belongs to such higher worlds. These are worlds about which his senses and his everyday activities can tell him nothing. Only then does he shift the center of his being inward. He listens to the voices within him that speak to him in moments of stillness; he cultivates an inner connection with the spiritual world. He is transported away from everyday life. The clamor of everyday life has fallen silent for him. It has become quiet all around him. He rejects everything that reminds him of such external impressions. The quiet contemplation within, the dialogue with the purely spiritual world, fills his entire soul. – Such quiet contemplation must become a natural necessity of life for the secret student. At first, he is completely immersed in a world of thought. He must develop a vibrant feeling for this quiet mental activity. He must learn to love what the spirit pours into him there. Soon he will also cease to perceive this world of thought as something more unreal than the everyday things that surround him. He begins to handle his thoughts as he would the objects in space. And then the moment approaches for him when he begins to feel that what is revealed to him in the silence of inner thought work is far higher and more real than the objects in space. He experiences that life expresses itself in this world of thought. He realizes that it is not merely shadows that play out in thoughts, but that through them, hidden essences speak to him. It begins to speak to him from the silence. Before, it had spoken to him only through his ear; now it speaks through his soul. An inner language—an inner word—has opened up to him. The initiate feels blissful to the highest degree when he experiences this moment for the first time. An inner light pours over his entire outer world. A second life begins for him. The stream of a divine, God-blissful world pours through him.

[ 30 ] Gnosis, the science of the spirit, refers to this inner life of the soul in thought—which increasingly expands into a life of spiritual being—as meditation (contemplative reflection). This meditation is the means to supersensory knowledge. – But the initiate must not indulge in emotions during such moments. He must not harbor vague sensations in his soul. That would only prevent him from attaining true spiritual knowledge. His thoughts should take shape clearly, sharply, and decisively. He will find guidance in this if he does not blindly cling to the thoughts that arise within him. Rather, he should imbue himself with the lofty thoughts that advanced individuals—already gripped by the Spirit—have conceived in such moments. He should take as his starting point the writings that themselves sprang from such revelation in meditation. The secret student finds such writings in today’s mystical, Gnostic, and spiritual-scientific literature. There he finds the material for his meditation. The seekers of the Spirit have themselves set down the thoughts of divine science in such writings; the Spirit has had them proclaimed to the world through its messengers.

[ 31 ] Through such meditation, a complete transformation takes place within the initiate. He begins to form entirely new conceptions of reality. Everything takes on a different value for him. It must be said again and again: the initiate does not become detached from the world through such a transformation. He is by no means estranged from his daily duties. For he learns to see that the smallest action he has to perform, the slightest experience that presents itself to him, is connected to the great world beings and world events. Once this connection becomes clear to him through his moments of contemplation, he returns to his daily sphere of activity with renewed and fuller strength. For now he knows: whatever he works at, whatever he endures, he does so for the sake of a great, spiritual cosmic context. Strength for life, not indifference, springs from meditation.

[ 32 ] The secret student walks through life with a confident stride. Whatever life may bring, he continues to walk upright. Before, he did not know why he worked or why he suffered; now he knows. It is clear that such meditative practice leads more effectively to its goal when it takes place under the guidance of experienced individuals—those who instinctively know how best to do everything. One should therefore heed the advice and instructions of such people. One truly does not lose one’s freedom by doing so. What might otherwise be nothing more than uncertain groping becomes, through such guidance, purposeful and focused work. Whoever seeks out those who possess knowledge and experience in this area will never knock in vain. One need only be aware that one seeks nothing other than the advice of a friend, not the dominance of someone who seeks to rule. One will always find that those who truly know are the most humble of people, and that nothing is further from them than what people call the lust for power.

[ 33 ] Whoever, through meditation, rises to that which connects human beings with the Spirit begins to awaken within themselves that which is eternal, that which is not limited by birth and death. Only those who have not experienced such Eternity for themselves can doubt its existence. Thus, meditation is the path that also leads a person to the realization and direct perception of their eternal, indestructible core of being. And only through it can a person attain such direct perception. Gnosis and spiritual science speak of the eternity of this core of being and of its reincarnation. People often ask, “Why does a person know nothing of their experiences that lie beyond birth and death?” But the question should not be phrased that way. Rather, it should be: How does one attain such knowledge? Through proper meditation, the path opens up. Through it, the memory of experiences that lie beyond birth and death is revived. Everyone can acquire this knowledge; within everyone lie the abilities to recognize for themselves, to see for themselves what genuine mysticism, spiritual science, anthroposophy, and gnosis teach. One need only choose the right means. Only a being with ears and eyes can perceive sounds and colors. And even the eye cannot perceive anything if the light that makes things visible is absent. Esoteric science provides the means to develop the spiritual ears and eyes and to kindle the spiritual light. The means of spiritual training can be described as three stages: 1. Preparation. It develops the spiritual senses. 2. Enlightenment. It kindles the spiritual light. 3. Initiation. It opens the communication with the Higher Beings of the Spirit.