The Rudolf Steiner Archive

28. Introduction to Theosophy III

[ 1 ] We have followed human beings to the point where they enter the spiritual world. Let us take a look at this world. It is not so simple or easy, because conditions in the spiritual world are fundamentally different from those in the physical world, and we have no words to describe such things. Every language is shaped by the physical world, and since we are speaking of supersensible worlds, we cannot use our usual language but must resort to imagery. Nevertheless, the spiritual world can be compared to the physical world. Everything that the latter contains—land, seas, air—has its counterpart in the spiritual world. What the “Earth” is in the spiritual world contains the same elements as the physical world—that is, humans, animals, plants, and minerals—but as if in a negative image. For example, a crystal [on Earth] has a specific form of physical matter filling it. In the spiritual world, however, this matter does not exist. In its place there is a void, and what the clairvoyant sees as an aura around the [earthly] crystal is all that is present from the crystal in the spiritual world. It is the astral light, whose rays penetrate into the space corresponding to the physical part of the crystal.

[ 2 ] When we observe a plant in the spiritual world, we do not see its roots, but only the part of the plant that rises above the ground—especially the leaves and flowers. A rose, for example, has reddish, luminous leaves; the flower is transparent and has a greenish-yellow color. As for animals, one sees only their nervous system, which looks like a tree. These animal figures in Devachan are truly fantastic when one traces them back to the archetype [...] of a future stage of the present animal kingdom. A horse, for example, appears to the clairvoyant eye as a colossal mass above its head. The elephant has an even larger head—as big as a house—and its physical body disappears entirely from the clairvoyant’s view. The same applies, relatively speaking, to humans. Together, all these forms constitute what might be called the solid earth of Devachan, upon which their human inhabitants walk.

[ 3 ] In Devachan there is also something comparable to our oceans and rivers, which also flow in a regular pattern. There, too, there is a unifying element comparable to the water here on Earth: the unifying life force that, just as on Earth, animates all people, animals, and plants there. But there, on the spiritual Earth, it functions as a spiritualized element. The rivers can be compared to the regular flow of blood, and the seas to reservoirs of blood [...].

[ 4 ] There is also a spiritual atmosphere composed of the same ever-changing substance that gives rise to our sensations, feelings, and passions here on Earth. Just as our atmosphere has storms and thunderstorms, so does that one. The storms there are the passions that have materialized here on Earth. So, for example: When intense passions here on Earth drive people to fight one another, the clairvoyant sees the battle of the passions above in the spiritual world, while the physical battle takes place on the physical plane. This is the origin of the legend of the battles in the air, as they were seen after Attila’s defeat. Just as we have the four elements in the physical world, so in occultism we have earth, water, air, and fire, and in Devachan there are just as many realms. The realm that would correspond to fire is formed by what we create that is original and unique. And alongside this, we also see the archetypes of what exists on Earth. In reality, human beings bring with them something original of their own that they do not receive from the external world.

[ 5 ] Let us consider, in the history of human development, the moment when the first fire was kindled by rubbing two pieces of wood together, and then let us look at all the passions that arose from this discovery. Progress is due precisely to this inventive activity of humankind. The archetypes of these human thoughts are the fourth element, which pervades the entire Devachan as “heat.” There are also other realms, but they have no counterparts here on Earth, so it is unnecessary to name them. Thus, the human being enters the Devachan with his “I,” his purified astral being, and the essence of the life body. What then becomes of him? He is then like a plant seed, radiating light. Everything that surrounds him affects him just as the earth’s sap and light affect the plant seed. And just as the plant develops here on Earth, so does the human being in Devachan, gradually transforming into a different being.

[ 6 ] What are the first perceptions in Devachan? [The deceased] sees various forms. First, that of their own body, which is very different from our physical body. Furthermore, while on the physical plane we identify with our physical vehicle, in Devachan we clearly perceive the difference between our Self and its vehicle. We see the form of the latter as if it were a drawing and realize that we have left it behind, risen above it, and left it behind to form part of the earthly element of Devachan. The fundamental sensation is therefore this: “I am I” and “You are you,” whereas previously we also referred to our body as “I.”

[ 7 ] All around us, we perceive pink-colored currents of spiritual fluid, and we recognize that a unified life stirs within them all. This life gives us a more powerful conviction of the unity of all life than even the greatest religious devotion can provide, and fills us with joy.

[ 8 ] Then we become aware of the air: Everything that is love, hate, joy, and pain is visible there in its true form. One sees everything that lives hidden within the souls here on Earth. What is down here is all concealed [down here] behind a mask; seen from there, everything is visible, and every soul is unveiled. A sensation resembling warmth or cold is produced in Devachan through the perception of the true form of the world of thought. Here on Earth, thought is not a reality, especially not for the materialist. Only the spiritualist has a glimpse of its reality. What we understand here as “thoughts,” therefore, is merely a shadow in relation to the true nature of thoughts, which are genuine entities. There, we move among real figures that are interwoven with the substance of our thoughts. We have already said that the human being there is like a seed; this develops just as a plant does on Earth and acquires limbs and organs. — What kind of organs? Spiritual organs, that is, spiritual eyes and ears. The first sense to awaken is sight. This is followed by hearing. Once this sense is developed, the human being—who was previously in absolute silence—will begin to perceive the harmonies of the spheres of which Pythagoras speaks: music, the spiritual word, or, as the Church calls them, the choirs of angels.

[ 9 ] Just as a plant bears fruit when its cycle is complete, so too does a human being reach a point of maturity in Devachan. On the whole, the stay in Devachan lasts quite a long time. Once the human being has reached the point of maturity, he returns to Earth with what he had brought with him in his astral and etheric bodies as the result of his own experiences.

[ 10 ] The doctrine of reincarnation is found in all religions; nevertheless, it has received little attention in Christianity for two thousand years. Yet Christ spoke about it with his apostles. He took three of them up the mountain and granted them clairvoyance for that moment. The past appeared to them as the present, and they saw Jesus standing between Moses and Elijah. Then they said, “How is it [possible] that Elijah is here, when he is yet to come?” But Christ replied: “Elijah has already come, but you did not recognize him; John the Baptist was Elijah, but do not tell anyone until the Christ has been lifted up by the people.”—We will see later why they were to keep this a secret.

[ 11 ] If we trace human development from birth onward, we see that the physical body is formed from the physical world and changes with each incarnation, while the true core of the human being remains constant throughout all incarnations, including the life in heaven between two incarnations. What, then, happens to the bonds we form during this life, which is so brief compared to the one we spend in the spiritual world? Will we be reunited with our loved ones in Devachan? Spiritual science answers this with a resounding “Yes!”

[ 12 ] Yes, we do find them again, and in a much more intimate way, because the physical barriers have been removed. Take, for example, a mother and her child: in the beginning, the relationship was purely physical; later, it becomes increasingly spiritual, and it is this spiritual and emotional bond that endures. Nothing that has been bound spiritually is lost, and we find the beloved being again, even in the most recent incarnations. The incomprehensible affinities between people, the strangest encounters, point to previous connections.

[ 13 ] Let us now return to what we have called the history of the soul’s states after death. We have already mentioned the Mystery of Golgotha and its true and profound significance, even in the realm of the dead. Before the appearance of Christ on Earth, the soul passed through the purifying fire of Kamaloka after death, and when it reached the threshold of the spiritual world, a guide came to meet it. In times long past, this guide was one of its ancestors, followed by an even older one, and so on, until the very oldest was reached—the progenitor of the race or people. This fact explains the expression in the Old Testament: “to be united in Abraham.”

[ 14 ] Among the Egyptians, these guides were called the “Forty-Two Judges of the Dead” and were tasked with leading the dead to the gates of paradise. From that point on, the soul was mature enough to continue on its own. In every age and among every people, we find a particular type of such guide. In addition to the ancestors, the great teachers of humanity serve as guides—such as the Rishis, Krishna among the Indians, Zarathustra among the Persians, Hermes in the Egypt of Moses, Buddha, and Lao-Tzu among their respective peoples. They are the great initiates who shortened the path for humanity, so that people did not have to ascend step by step through the entire line of ancestors.

[ 15 ] Through Christ’s appearance, his light has become the guide of souls. He comes to meet them and accompanies them. Pre-Christian Eastern wisdom speaks of two paths. Those who were not ready for the teachings of Buddha, Lao-Tzu, and so on, had to follow the entire path of the ancestors, the so-called “Pitriyana.” The others, who had entered into a living connection with a “Master” during their lifetime, were guided by him along the path of the gods, the so-called “Devayana.” Christ, however, has given a single, common divine path for all those who enter into a living connection with him, and this path will one day unite them into a great brotherhood. All other paths will merge into this one Christian path through ever-increasing knowledge.

[ 16 ] Let us now compare the path of the Buddha with the Christian one. Above all else, the Buddha saw the suffering, misery, pain, and so on in life, and preached that one should quench the thirst for existence. Just six hundred years later, Jesus Christ came, and through the Christ impulse, humanity recognized its mission on Earth. The more the Christ principle penetrates within us, the more we realize that growing old means “growing,” and that illnesses are “tests.” The Christ principle even overcomes illnesses because it masters matter. People will increasingly recognize this quality, and they will be able to use it to eradicate illness. Death brings us closer to Christ, and through its pull, the Christ principle will grow ever more within us in subsequent incarnations, until we can see the mighty Christ of Revelation, who redeems all things.

[ 17 ] The Christ-power unites souls and dispels the notion that separation is suffering, because through it, separation is no longer possible. Even that which we did not love before, we will perceive as one with us, without the slightest hint of opposition or antipathy. Furthermore, there will be no cause for “desire,” not only because the Christ principle teaches renunciation, but also because, in the end, there is a sense of complete satisfaction that excludes all desire. Christ said, “I am the Way.”