The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Theosophy Based on the Gospel of John II

[ 1 ] Yesterday we saw that the Gospel of John contains something that can only be experienced at higher levels of consciousness. Before a person can experience such things, they must first develop to a higher level.

[ 2 ] Human beings are, after all, beings in the process of evolution. We can trace their development from lower to ever higher states. This is already evident in the difference between a savage and a civilized European, or between an ordinary person and a genius such as Schiller, Goethe, or Francis of Assisi. Every human being has unlimited potential for development. To understand this, let us build on yesterday’s lecture and use a diagram to clarify the basic theosophical teachings on the development of the human faculties:

[ 3 ] During the following explanation, the diagram below will be drawn on the board, starting from the bottom left.

	IV. I
IIIa. Sensitive Soul	IIIb. Intellectual Soul	IIIc. Soul of Consciousness
III. Astral Body, Body of Sensation		V. Manas, Spiritual Self
II. Etheric Body, Life Body		VI. Life Spirit, Budhi
I. Physical Body		VII. Spiritual Human, Atman

[ 4 ] We have thus seen that human beings share their physical body with all inanimate beings, their etheric body with all plant life in our physical world, and their astral body with all animal beings in their environment. We have also seen that, in terms of his evolution, human beings differ from all other beings in that they can say “I” to themselves.

[ 5 ] The “I” is by no means a simple entity. Viewed more closely, it is itself a structured entity. Animals feel, have desires, and experience passion, whereas plants do not; animals do so precisely because they already possess an astral body. It is within this astral body that the “I” develops in human beings. However, this “I” had already been at work for a long time before human beings became clearly aware of it. A closer look at human evolution provides us with more detailed insight into this.

[ 6 ] The Earth was not always as it is today. Its surface has been repeatedly reshaped; the continents we know today were not always there. During the penultimate geological period, where the Atlantic Ocean now surges, there was a continent called Atlantis. Traces of this—and the account of its downfall—have been preserved in ancient legends. In the Bible, this is referred to as the Flood. The primordial ancestors of a different kind, of whom we ourselves are the descendants, experienced this. In this ancient Atlantis, the atmospheric and aquatic conditions were entirely different from what they are today. The whole land was shrouded in a dense fog. We still have an echo of this in the words “Nebelheim” and “Niflheim.” There was neither rain nor sunshine; instead of rain, only currents of fog; instead of the sun, only a diffuse glow. Only after long periods of time did the fog condense into water. The sun penetrated only a little, like a faint glimmer, through the constant fog. In such an environment, human beings also lived a spiritual and mental life quite different from that of today. It was not until toward the end of the Atlantean period, roughly in the region of present-day Ireland, that human beings first developed a sense of the “I”; only then were they able to think clearly and logically. In the fog, there had been no possibility of distinguishing objects from one another as we do today. Human beings only learn to develop a consciousness like the one we have today through their surroundings. To the same extent that objects emerged from the mist, the physical eye learned to see; to the same extent, the soul of consciousness also developed, and within it, the “I” that is aware of itself. Human beings were already capable of speech back then.

[ 7 ] If we go even further back to the earliest days of Atlantis, we find that human beings looked quite different. They did not rely on external sight at that time, but rather on a different mode of perception—through images. To understand this state of consciousness, imagine a very vivid dream that reflects something of your surroundings. The following “dream” may serve as an example. A student dreams that he is standing at the door of the lecture hall; another student deliberately bumps into him, which is a serious offense that can only be atoned for by a duel. He challenges him; they drive into the forest; the duel begins; the first shot rings out. Then our student wakes up—he has knocked over the chair next to his bed. Had he been awake, he would have noticed that a chair had fallen over. But because his conscious soul had receded into the background during sleep, he perceived things with a deeper, less developed soul force. The dramatic action of the dream is a pictorial transformation of an external event.

[ 8 ] The processes of consciousness among the ancient Atlanteans followed a similar pattern. Although their mental images were more structured and orderly, they lacked a clear perception of their surroundings. Their sensory life was expressed quite characteristically through subtle tactile and color perceptions. If an early Atlantean perceived a warm current of mist—which was symbolized to him as a red color—he knew that something sympathetic was near him. Or if he encountered another person whom he found unsympathetic, this was also revealed to him through a very specific sensation that took the form of an image—an ugly hue. Yet warmth, for example, was symbolized to him by a beautiful red cloud. This occurred in manifold degrees and variations. The early Atlantean thus had visual perceptions. We now experience such perceptions only in the form of pain, which is obviously only within us, no matter how much it is caused by the outside world and may manifest outwardly. Our pain, too, is experienced inwardly and emotionally, and is therefore, as such, truer than external facts.

[ 9 ] The Atlanteans, however, had already developed organized concepts. This was not the case with the Lemurians. The Lemurian period, in fact, preceded the Atlantean period. Human beings were not yet able to express language; they were merely capable of internalizing more deeply what animals also experience. Thus, what we call the feeling soul developed within them. We must imagine the continent of Lemuria, which was destroyed by the forces of fire, as lying between Africa, Australia, and Asia.

[ 10 ] But now back to our schema: IIIa, the Sensitive Soul; IIIb, the Intellectual Soul; and IIIc, the Conscious Soul—all three are transformations, refined metamorphoses of the astral body. It is not until the end of the Atlantean era that human beings become capable of consciously working on themselves. What does he do now?

[ 11 ] Up to now, the cosmic forces have elevated human beings in their development. Now human beings are beginning to consciously take their development into their own hands, to work on themselves, and to educate themselves. With which body do they now begin their work? It is important to pay strict attention to the sequence here. First, human beings were—and still are—capable of working on and within their astral body. And, by and large, people today still remain at this level of ability. In general, we can say of people today that they use their experiences to transform their astral body. Later we will see that a higher stage of development consists of working into the lower bodies. For now, let us stick to the first: the ability to transform the astral body.

[ 12 ] To this end, let us compare the civilized person with the savage. The savage initially follows his instincts, desires, and passions—every whim—without restraint. But he can then begin to work on himself. To certain instincts he says, “Stay”; to others, “Be gone.” Thus, for example, the cannibal gives up his habit of eating his own kind; in doing so, he leaves a certain stage of culture behind and becomes a different person. Or he learns to act logically—he learns, for instance, to plow. As a result, his astral body becomes increasingly structured. Previously, external forces determined human behavior; now he does so himself. The astral body of a Hottentot swirls in wild, dark-red vortices; in a person like Schiller, in bright green and yellow; and in Francis of Assisi, in a wondrous blue. This is how the astral body is shaped. Now, what is consciously worked into the astral body by the “I” is called the spiritual self or Manas. With the conscious incorporation of the “I,” something quite peculiar begins. Before this, however, before one arrives at the formation of this Manas, that part of the astral body which even animals possess remains entirely unchanged. “Despite an increase in intellect, the astral body can remain essentially unchanged, still full of animal desires.” There are, however, influences that do transform the sensory body: conscious religiosity and art. From these we draw the strength for self-overcoming and self-refinement; this is a much stronger force than mere morality. A person possesses as much of Manas, or the spiritual self, as they have worked into their astral body. This is not something external; it is a product of the transformation of what was formerly the soul of feeling.

[ 13 ] As long as I work solely on my sensory body, I use my achievements to reshape this astral body of mine. All the morality in the world—and all intellectuality—cannot accomplish more than that. But when true religiosity is at work within me, this stronger force expresses itself through the astral body and extends its influence into the next lower body, the etheric body. This is, of course, a much greater achievement than when the “I” merely transforms astral matter, for the raw material of the etheric body is much coarser and more resistant than that of the finer astral body. We call the result of this transformation the life spirit or buddhi. The life spirit is thus the spiritualized life body. One who had attained the highest level in this regard was called a Buddha in the East. This immense moral power emanates from consciousness when the three souls are governed by a strong ego. For humanity in general, these are preparatory stages. Only the chela works fully and consciously into his etheric body. The chela strives to spiritualize everything, right down into his etheric body. The chela stage is complete when he has allowed budhi to flow fully into his life body, so that the life body, which he refines from the “I,” has become the life spirit.

[ 14 ] On the third level, the human being attains the highest principle currently within our reach. He is able to exert influence all the way down into his physical body. In doing so, he transcends the level of the chela and becomes a “Master.” When, on the second stage, buddhi ignites the etheric body, the human being gains control not only over moral principles but also over his character. He can change his temperament, his memory, and his habits. People today master all of this only very imperfectly. To understand the task of the chela, compare yourself as you are now with yourself as you were when you were ten years old. How much knowledge have you acquired since then, and how little has your character changed! The content of the soul has changed quite thoroughly, but habits and inclinations have changed only very little. Anyone who as a child was quick-tempered, forgetful, envious, or inattentive is often still that way as an adult. How much our ideas and thoughts have changed, and how little our habits have changed! This gives you a point of reference for assessing how much more tenacious, solid, and less malleable the etheric body is compared to the astral body. Conversely, how much more fruitful and far-reaching is an improvement achieved in the etheric body!

[ 15 ] The following sentence serves as an example of the different paces at which change is possible: What you have learned and experienced has changed like the minute hand of a clock; your habits, like the hour hand. Learning is easy; breaking habits is hard. You can still be recognized by your handwriting from back then, for that, too, is part of your habits. It is easy to change views and insights, but difficult to change habits. Gradually changing this tenacious thing—habit—is the task of the chela. This means becoming a different person by creating a different etheric body—that is, transforming the life body into life spirit. In this way, one takes control of the forces of growth. Habits are among the manifest forces of growth. If I destroy them, the force of growth—vis vitalis—becomes freely available to me, to be directed by my consciousness. Christ says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”—Christ is the personification of the force that transforms the life body.

[ 16 ] Now for the third stage. There is something even more difficult to bring under the control of free will than our habits or the stirrings of the soul: the physical body in its animal, vegetative, mechanical, or reflexive dependence. There is a stage of human development in which no nerve functions, no blood cell circulates, without the conscious will of the human being. This self-transformation extends into conditions and states that were established long, long before Atlantis and Lemuria—and are therefore the most deeply ingrained and the most difficult to reverse: into primordial cosmic states. In this work, human beings develop the Atman, the spiritual human. The potential for this exists within every person today. This entire cycle depends on the attainment of fully clear “I”-consciousness.

[ 17 ] The strongest and most powerful laws are those of the breathing process. The entire spiritual human being depends on pulmonary respiration, for it is the outward expression of the gradual emergence of the “I.” In the ancient Atlantean era, this capacity then manifested itself through the act of saying “I.” In Lemuria, humans did not breathe through lungs, but through gill-like organs. Nor did they walk as they do today, but rather floated or swam in a more fluid element, where water and air were still undivided. To maintain balance, they had an organ analogous to a fish’s swim bladder. The more the air gradually separated, the more this swim bladder transformed into our present-day lungs. The development of self-consciousness proceeds in parallel with the development of the lungs. This is still reflected in the words: “And God breathed His breath into man, and he became a living soul.” Atman means nothing other than “breath.” The regulation of the breath is therefore one of the most powerful tools in yoga practice, which teaches us to master all bodily functions. With this, we look toward a future in which people will have transformed themselves from within.

[ 18 ] Conscious work in the etheric body is therefore discipleship.

[ 19 ] Conscious Work in the Physical Body: Mastery.

[ 20 ] Human beings experience this ascent through these two stages as the opening up of new worlds, new environments—comparable only to the sensations of a child as it emerges at birth from the dark, warm womb into the cold, bright world. The moment of the generation of Budhi is called in all mysteries the second birth, rebirth, or awakening. Just as human beings once left a world of the inner self—of which only echoes remain in dreams—so do they, as awakened beings, enter a new world: the same world on a higher plane. In those ancient times, human beings perceived the world with the help of their own inner images. On the future stage of higher clairvoyance, human beings step outside themselves and see beyond the essence of things; they see their souls. It is a form of clairvoyance directed outward that reveals the “essence” of things. The seer, for example, penetrates beyond the surface of a plant or a stone. This outward-directed clairvoyance, when accompanied by full intellectual alertness, illuminates not only the source of his own soul but also that of the beings and things outside himself. This is how the development proceeds.

[ 21 ] People today live in the manasic state; that is to say, they are able to make significant changes to their astral body, but not yet to their etheric body, and least of all to their physical body. People therefore absorb from others only as much as corresponds to their stage of development. “You resemble the spirit you comprehend, not me!” This saying applies here as well.

[ 22 ] According to Christian terminology, the following terms correspond to one another:

Father	Son-Word	Spirit, Holy Spirit
Atman	Budhi	Manas

[ 23 ] Why is Budhi called the “Word”? This brings us to the threshold of one of the great mysteries, and we shall see what profound significance lies in the term “Word.”

[ 24 ] We have seen that human beings spiritualize their life body through budhi. What does the life body accomplish in human beings? Growth and reproduction—everything that distinguishes a living being from a mineral. What is the highest expression of the life body? Reproduction—growth beyond oneself. What, then, becomes of this ultimate expression of the life body when a human being consciously retraces the path back to spiritualization? Into what does this reproductive force transform; what becomes of it when it is purified and spiritualized? — In the human larynx lies the purification, the transformation of the reproductive force, and in the articulated vowel sound, in the human word, lies the transformed reproductive capacity. Analogous to the law “As above, so below,” we find the corresponding process in the physical realm as well: the breaking of the voice, the mutation at the time of sexual maturity. Everything that becomes spirit originates from the word or from the content of the word. This is the very first shining forth of Budhi when the first articulated sound emerges from the human soul. A mantra is therefore so significant because it is a spiritually articulated word. A mantra is therefore, for the chela, the means to work down into the depths of his soul.

[ 25 ] Thus, in the physical realm, we have the power of procreation, through which life is created and passed on beyond one’s own body, becoming something enduring. And just as the physical reproductive organs transmit physical life, so do the organs that produce speech—the tongue, larynx, and breath—transmit spiritual life, like ignition mechanisms. In physiology, the close connection between the voice and procreation is evident. It is revealed to us in the song of the nightingale, in courtship, voice change, vocal enchantment, in singing, cooing, crowing, and bellowing. We can indeed call the larynx the higher sexual organ. The word is the generative power for new human spirits; through the word, the human being attains a spiritualized creative power. Today, the human being masters the air with the word by shaping, stirring, and enlivening it rhythmically and organically. At a higher level, he is able to do this in the liquid and, ultimately, in the solid element. Then you have transformed the word into the creative word. Humanity will attain this in its development, for it was originally there in this form. The life body, flowing forth from the Word of the Primordial Spirit—this is to be taken literally. That is why Budhi is called the “Word,” which means nothing other than: “I am.”

God	Life	Light	corresponds to the three realms
physical body	Word	Astral Body
	Etheric Body	Sensitive Body
	Life Body

[ 26 ] Thus we see with geometric clarity the miraculous words of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (the Creator). In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” The astral body, which shines like the stars, becomes the light of the Word; the Primordial God, life, and light—these are the three fundamental concepts of the Gospel of John. John had to evolve all the way up to Budhi in order to comprehend what was revealed in Christ Jesus. The other three evangelists were not as highly developed. John “gives the highest”; he was one who had been awakened. All who have been awakened are called John. This is a generic name, and the raising of Lazarus in the Gospel of John is nothing other than the description of this awakening. The author of the Gospel of John—we will learn his name later—never refers to himself as anything other than “the disciple whom the Lord loved.” This is the term for the closest disciples, for those in whom the Teacher and Master succeeded in awakening the disciple. The author of the Gospel of John provides a description of such an awakening in the raising of Lazarus: “the Lord loved him”; he was able to awaken him.

[ 27 ] Only when we approach religious texts such as the Gospel of John with the deepest humility may we hope to arrive at a literal understanding and to grasp, at least in part, its sacred content.