The Rudolf Steiner Archive

40. Transformations of the Horizon of Consciousness

[ 1 ] Dr. Steiner begins the lecture by speaking about the founding of the lodge in Bologna by Miss von Sivers, who drew upon the experiences gained there when she founded the first German lodge in Berlin shortly thereafter. He then speaks of the spread of Theosophy throughout all countries and of the growing desire to expand our knowledge beyond the limits of the senses. Our normal organization does not allow us to see beyond the physical, and we must develop spiritual faculties to perceive the spiritual reality that lies behind all that is physical. We can gaze into the light for as long and as often as we like without perceiving what manifests itself in the light; but if we contemplate the light in such a way that, for example, we immerse ourselves again and again in [the sentence] “In the pure rays of light the divinity of the world shines forth,” then we combine physical contemplation with spiritual contemplation, which, through constant repetition, will exert certain effects on our spiritual body.

[ 2 ] Just as a steady drip hollows out a stone, so does constantly repeated meditation imprint a form upon the etheric body. It is like the impression of a seal in sealing wax. In this analogy, the seal corresponds to the astral body shaped by the spiritual exercises, and the sealing wax to the etheric body. The imprinting takes place when, in the morning, the astral body reconnects with the etheric and physical bodies. (The following is transcribed verbatim):

[ 3 ] One of the first experiences resulting from the exercises is the perception of the astral body immersing itself into the physical body. It is felt as a flow of energy penetrating the individual physical organs; a sense of life, pulsation, and circulation descends into the body. With continuous repetition of the exercises, one then has the experience one day of seeing the spiritual world emerge from behind the veil of the physical world. This seeing with the spiritual eyes that are opening, however, is not the same as our ordinary seeing, in which we perceive physical forms before us and around us. We see the spiritual world reflected within us, as if we were perceiving objects here by looking into a mirror. In spiritual vision, we use the etheric body as a mirror in which we see the reflection of the macrocosm.

[ 4 ] We then see the entire spiritual world, with its higher beings and spiritual realities, reflected in our etheric body. However, we must not imagine that the full truth suddenly becomes clear to the one who has become clairvoyant: Only a pure, clear mirror gives us a true image—and so does the etheric body. The degree of its purity determines the accuracy of spiritual vision. What veils the mirror within us are the habits and feelings that we ingrain within ourselves in every earthly life. We must therefore first free ourselves from them. And the occult exercises make this possible for us. We learn to detach ourselves from the physical world and to isolate ourselves from the influences of physical life. Only then does awareness of the spiritual world awaken in all its fullness.

[ 5 ] The first experience upon entering the new world is fear of the unknown; a fear that is of a different nature than the fear we feel on the physical plane, for sensations are transformed in the spirit, and his fear is akin to a numbness in the face of the immense, alien world that surrounds him.

[ 6 ] This highly significant experience on the path of initiation is called, in occult terminology, “the encounter with the Great Keeper of the Threshold.” In this encounter, the student suddenly becomes aware of what he could be but is not, and he is, so to speak, shattered by this awareness of his smallness and imperfection in the face of the incomprehensible greatness and perfection of the One revealing Himself to him. This encounter poses serious dangers for the unprepared. To avoid them, we must develop two things within ourselves: humility and knowledge.

[ 7 ] Ignorance—and especially overconfidence—have a devastating effect on perception. If we are full of ourselves and believe ourselves to be great and highly developed, we may indeed experience an encounter with the Guardian, but we will suddenly find ourselves facing a monstrous world full of distorted, twisted forms. Our egotistical feelings will cloud our vision, and this clouding can only be described as terrible. A world of horrific caricatures surrounds those who are preoccupied with themselves. Everything appears ugly and gruesome to them. They see the angels and other higher beings as hideous grimaces and animal forms.

[ 8 ] It is therefore necessary that we learn to distinguish between what is true and what is false, between the true essence and the false form that our clouded vision imposes upon it. Even Jesus of Nazareth, in whose life we can trace, step by step, the development that lies ahead for humanity, had to go through the experience of clouded vision and then later transition to the unclouded vision of truth in its purest form. Through his incarnation, he was surrounded by human qualities connected to the physical body. In the Gospel of Mark, we find a passage that describes the process just discussed in a form readily understandable to the occultist: Christ, it says, went into the wilderness and was among the animals. And immediately afterward it is written: “And the angels served him.”—The animals are nothing other than the images of the pure angelic forms, clouded and distorted by human qualities.

[ 9 ] We have thus discussed one consequence: the transformation of sensations and perception in the unprepared and immature person. However, there is another consequence for him: without gaining the ability to see, he can be cast back deeply into his old humanity, into old habits and faults. The craving for pleasures, passions, pride, and whatever other spiritual imperfections he may have then manifest in him more strongly than before. Egoism, self-aggrandizement, and arrogance rise up like walls around him; he is truly imprisoned within his old, evil traits. In occult terminology, this state is called “the occult prison.” The fallen being then perceives a false world—that is, his own—around him and projects it out into the macrocosm. If this fall occurs at a lower level, it is not as disastrous as when it befalls a person who is already at an advanced stage. This is why we find such varied descriptions of the other worlds, written by occultists who see nothing but their own world—the truth remains hidden from them behind the false forms they themselves have created; their imperfection causes them to see only the subjective and to mistake it for the objective.

[ 10 ] This circumstance might intimidate the blind person, and he might ask: Whom should I believe, since I cannot verify things for myself and am unable to distinguish truth from falsehood? This danger of falling into heresy does not even exist for the layperson, provided he approaches the matter with unbiased logic. The logic inherent in every normal and sound mind is perfectly sufficient to distinguish falsehood from truth. What is dangerous in occultism is blind faith. Nowhere is it more disastrous than in this very field.

[ 11 ] Just as easily as the gullible accept everything, humanity often fails to recognize geniuses. Therefore, we should examine things carefully and accept only what our logic leads us to recognize as true and good.

[ 12 ] The Gospel also gives us an example of what has just been described. It is the process of baptism, when Christ enters into Jesus of Nazareth and becomes immersed in his humanity. He, who is God, buries himself in a physical body, permeating every one of its atoms. There He sees the human being around Him and that person’s world. This is how it is for us when we look around at ourselves and believe we are seeing the macrocosm in all its glory! We must first be shattered by the world that opens up before us in order to recognize that our own world, the one we see, is false, and that stones are not bread. The Gospel of Matthew describes how Christ perceives and overcomes this illusory world in his encounter with the demon. He does not allow himself to be deceived and rejects the illusions. If we do not wish to err, we must transform our morality, and this transformation must extend to our inner intellectual world.

[ 13 ] What has been said so far shows us one way in which we can attain knowledge. We must overcome many difficulties, and we must never neglect strict self-discipline! Yet whoever strives forward with patience, perseverance, and a firm will will reach the goal. And when we do this, we are doing nothing other than our duty, for as images of God, we have the duty of knowledge in order to one day become true images of God! — We have only two choices: to become an image of God or a caricature of God. Our path, however, is that of perfection.

[ 14 ] Humanity is already beginning to recognize this sacred duty. Above all, the urge for greater knowledge is becoming palpable. Therefore, those who truly understand Theosophy say: Theosophy should not merely be, but must be carried out into the wider world, for it corresponds to all that humanity needs, and only it is capable of expanding the realm of knowledge, bringing people to their true humanity, and bringing [people] closer to one another in their innermost essence.

[ 15 ] The whole world will embrace Theosophy (though not always under that name, for the name is not what matters), and [Theosophy] will warm humanity like a stove, for it is like firewood that generates heat—the warmth of the soul, that is, love. That is the task of Theosophy: it is not meant to satisfy curiosity, but rather to be spread in such a way that it awakens love. It is therefore our duty to act in this spirit.