Recently I have endeavored to sketch the being of man and the three
worlds surrounding him, namely, the actual physical world, the soul
world and the spirit world. Later on, I plan to speak about the main
anthroposophical concepts regarding the origin of man, the earth and
the heavenly bodies in general. Thus, the overall outlook on the
theory of life as developed by anthroposophy will have been outlined.
Today however, I would like to present a few suggestions on how man's
inner development must progress if he desires to reach conclusions of
his own concerning the statements proclaimed by an anthroposophical
world outlook. It must be kept in mind that there is a great
difference between arriving at an understanding of the concepts
presented by a spiritual scientist as truth gained through his
cognition and experience, and the inner development of the human soul
and spirit that enables a person to attain to such cognition and
perceptions on his own. One has to distinguish between an elementary
level of development leading to comprehension of an experienced
spiritual teacher's statements, following them as it were in thought
and feeling and acknowledging them as truth within certain limits, and
an advanced level on which one attains the personal experiences in
soul and spirit realm. This elementary level shall be the subject
here. The advanced level concerns actual clairvoyance and to the
extent that indications pertaining to such actual clairvoyance can be
given at all in public, they will form the topic of a later
presentation. The problem of how one may gain personal comprehension
of anthroposophical truths shall occupy us today.
Only a few mere hints can be given here since the training that the
human soul and spirit must undergo for attainment of the understanding
mentioned above is an extensive one. It requires a long period of
inner study and the many necessary details involved in such training
can certainly not be elaborated upon in the course of a brief lecture.
The information that can be related here is but a scant outline of
what would be conveyed in personal instructions. Thus it must initially
be noted that most people require the aid of a personal teacher in
this field. Some might be of the opinion that a person can develop in
himself inner abilities, soul forces and spiritual perception by his
own attempts, and it might seem unfortunate that in this vital area of
life personal guidance is supposedly necessary. The nature of such
guidance, however, gives sufficient guaranty that no person comes by
any means under any sort of dependence upon another. Nobody evaluates
and honors the dignity of man and the respect for the individual more
highly than the occult teacher. The instructor of mystical and
anthroposophical development never gives anything but advice. Indeed,
the greatest teachers in this field never did more than advise and
suggest. It is left entirely to the judgment of the individual to what
extent, if at all, he intends to follow such advice. It is left up to
the individual what task he sets before his soul and spirit; the
consideration of human freedom is too pronounced on the part of the
teacher to do more than advise and guide. Everything that can be
conveyed in any manner in this area must be understood with this
reservation
(see Note 1).
Another important point is that the main part of this schooling does
not express itself in any particular external formalities, nor does it
require any definite external measures. This schooling is, rather, a
completely intimate development of the human soul, and all the
significant degrees of development one must undergo take place in the
innermost depth of being. Precisely here a transformation takes place
in a person, but nobody, not even his closest friend, need notice
anything different. Thus, in privacy, tranquility and seclusion the
mystic trains himself to acquire understanding of soul and spirit
worlds. It cannot be emphasized enough that nobody devoting himself to
inner spiritual development needs to change his everyday occupation in
any respect whatever, nor neglect his daily duties in any sense, nor
take time away from them. On the contrary, he who is of the opinion
that a special amount of time must be spent on his inner training and
consequently neglects his ordinary duties and, by his attempts at
insight into spiritual worlds, becomes an anti-social, inferior member
of human society, will soon discover that by these means least is
achieved.
This inner training quietly progresses without undue haste in complete
inner tranquility. I must stress at this point that no extra-special
rules or directions are being given here but rather the descriptions
of such a path of inner development. The directions when followed do
require one thing of the aspirant without which no higher personal
experience can ever be attained. That is endurance. He who has no
patience and endurance, who cannot persevere over and over again and
follow with complete calm the inner rules that are applicable here,
will generally achieve nothing at all. There is one rare exception
that allows for success without compliance to these rules. This is the
case in which an individual is far advanced on his path of evolution
as a human being. The course that the inner training takes is quite
different and much shorter in the case of an individual who in a
former incarnation had already attained to a certain level of
clairvoyance. He who gives the corresponding rules for inner
development will soon be aware of this fact and his task will then be
only one of eliminating the obstacles blocking the path to
enlightenment.
Since the directions for the road to enlightenment vary with each
individual, it is as a rule not advisable to seek mystic development
without personal guidance. He who sets forth the guide-lines must be
closely acquainted with his pupil, not in the ordinary sense of the
word but in a spiritual sense. While the occult teacher need not know
anything about his pupil's profession, manner of living, family
members or experiences, he does need to acquire an intimate knowledge
of his soul and spirit conditions and their level of development. It
would lead too far today to disclose the ways and means by which the
occult teacher acquires this knowledge. They will be discussed in
future lectures on clairvoyance.
Inner development is connected with certain definite consequences for
those who set out on this path and they must realize that,
resultingly, certain definite qualities will appear in their
personality. These qualities are symptoms and direct results of the
level of inner development and require careful observation. The occult
teacher must know how to interpret these symptoms so as to assure the
proper manner of progress of this inner development.
The development of the inner man is birth on a higher level. It is the
birth of soul and spirit, not in a figurative, allegorical sense, but
as a fact in the literal sense of the word. Even in this area a birth
is not without consequences and the occult teacher must know how to
deal with them. All this had to be mentioned in advance.
After initial acquaintance with some of the basic teachings of
anthroposophy such as reincarnation and karma the teaching that the
human soul has in the past been incarnated repeatedly in a physical
body and will continue to return in future incarnations, and the
teaching of karma, of compensatory justice most people will ask how
one can comprehend these teachings and how one can acquire an
understanding of these on one's own. This is the big question that now
confronts each person. There is one golden rule that must be followed
that will eventually lead anybody to the desired comprehension This
has been the common experience of all who have earnestly subjected
themselves to the exercises in question. There is nobody who cannot in
the easiest manner possible acquire this comprehension of
reincarnation and karma. One is inclined, however, to say with
Goethe,
Though it is easy, the easy is hard. This is so because few are
those who resolve to call forth the will-power, endurance and patience
necessary for achieving certain definite conditions of soul and spirit
essential for this comprehension. The golden rule is this, Live your
life as if reincarnation and karma were truths and they will become
truths for you. It appears as if this is to be achieved by a form of
self-suggestion but this is not the case. The mystic symbol of the
snake that bites its own tail is a familiar one. This symbol has
several profound meanings but among the many interpretations it
contains is the one expressed here in the golden rule.
It is evident that the supposition inherent in this golden rule
negates itself in a sense in like manner as the snake that curls up
around itself. How are we to understand this? If reincarnation is a
fact, then certain efforts made by man that have an effect on his soul
cannot be made in vain, but should become the soul's nature later on.
One of the great laws of man that must be intimately tried out on his
own self, is expressed in an ancient Indian text, What you think
today you will be tomorrow. He who believes in reincarnation must
realize that a quality that he develops within himself, a thought that
he imprints in himself by constantly holding it in his mind, becomes
something permanent in his soul that will emerge ever again.
Therefore, a person seeking mystical development must first of all
make the attempt to give up certain formerly held inclinations. Then,
new inclinations must be acquired by constantly holding the thought of
such inclinations, virtues or characteristics in one's mind. They must
be so incorporated into one's being that a person becomes enabled to
alter his soul by his own will-power. This must be tried as
objectively as a chemical might be tested in an experiment. A person
who has never endeavored to change his soul, who has never made the
initial decision to develop the qualities of endurance, steadfastness
and calm logical thinking, or a person who has such decisions but has
given up because he did not succeed in a week, a month, a year or a
decade, will never determine anything within himself about these
truths.
Such is the intimate path the soul must tread. It must be able to
acquire new characteristics, thoughts and inclinations. A person must
have the ability to emerge in due time with brand new habits acquired
through sheer force of will. A formerly careless person must get
accustomed to being neat and exacting and this he must accomplish not
through any external pressure but by steadfast resolve of will. It is
particularly effective in the case of insignificant characteristics
and small matters. The clearer the issues that a person perceives
concerning himself, the better his comprehension in the area of truth.
If, for example, a person is able to objectively observe a gesture, a
facial expression or some other insignificant habit, if he becomes
aware of it as if observing another person, and then by sheer
will-power puts in the place of the habit or gesture something of his
own choosing, incorporating it into himself, such a person is well on
the way to comprehending the great law of reincarnation on his own. A
chemist can give descriptions of processes taking place in a
laboratory. Similarly, a person can establish directions to be tried
on himself. Through insignificant alterations the loftiest heights are
indeed reached.
Regarding karma, the great law of just compensation, perception and
understanding of it can be gained if one lives one's life as if karma
was a fact. If a disaster or a sorrow befall you, try keeping in mind
the thought that this sorrow or accident has not occurred by some
miraculous chance but that there must be a cause, a reason for it. You
need not probe for the cause. Only he who clairvoyantly can command a
view of karma would be able to actually perceive the cause of a joyful
event, a sorrow or some mishap. You do need a mood, a certain feeling
to which you can surrender yourself so that you can sense how a given
sorrow or joy must have a cause and, in turn, can cause future events.
He who permeates himself with this mood and looks at his life and all
that happens to him as if karma was a fact, will find that his
existence becomes increasingly comprehensible to him. He who
suppresses his anger when something annoying happens to him and thinks
instead that just as a stone rolls if pushed so the annoying matter
must have come about due to some inevitable set of laws of the
universe, attains to comprehension of karma. As certain as it is that
you will wake up tomorrow morning, provided circumstances and your
health remain unchanged, so it is equally certain that you will
comprehend the laws of karma if you view life in this manner.
These are the two prerequisites for a person desirous of spiritual
schooling; the aspirant must view life in these ways. He does not,
however, have to give himself up to these thought attitudes as if they
were the gospel truth. On the contrary, he must leave it open as to
whether or not they are really true. He must have neither doubt nor
superstition because these two are the worst obstacles. Only a person
who views life thus with an open mind is prepared to receive mystical
instruction.
Still a third aspect must be considered. No occult teacher will ever
instruct a person who is filled with superstition or common prejudice,
or one who is prone to senseless judgment or apt to fall prey to any
illusion. The golden rule applying here is that, before even taking
the first step in the direction of higher learning, a person must free
himself from any flighty thinking or possibility to mistake illusion
for reality. Above all an aspirant for spiritual enlightenment must be
a person of common sense wire only devotes himself to disciplined
thinking and observations. If a person leans toward prejudice and
superstition in the world of sense reality, it soon tends to be
corrected by sense reality itself. If, however, a person does not
think logically but indulges in fantasies, correction is not so
simple. It is essential, therefore, that one have one's thought-life
completely in hand and be able to exercise strict control over one's
thoughts before ever venturing into soul and spirit worlds. One who
easily leans to fantasies, superstitions and illusions is unfit to
enter into the schooling prerequisite for spiritual teaching. It would
be simple to reiterate that one were free of fantasies, illusion and
superstition. But it is easy to deceive oneself here. Freedom from
fantasies, illusions, prejudices and superstitions is gained by stern
self-discipline. Such freedom is not easily attained by anyone. It
must be remembered to what extent most people tend to sloppy, careless
thinking and are unable to control their thought-life through their own
will-power.
In pondering the demands everyday life makes it becomes clear that it
is an impossibility to completely free one's mind from outside
impressions. To do so, it becomes necessary, therefore, to set aside a
short period of time every day. This short time, which is needed and
which must not conflict with one's obligations, is sufficient. Even
five minutes or, indeed, even less is enough. For this brief period, a
person must be able to tear himself away from all sense impressions,
from what flows into him through his eyes, ears and his sense of touch.
For this brief duration of time he must become blind and deaf to his
outer surroundings. Everything that crowds into us from the outside
world unites us with sensuality and the ordinary everyday world. All
this must be silenced and total inner calm must take its place. When
this inner silence, this shedding of all sense impressions has
occurred, all memory of past sense impressions must in addition be
extinguished. It suffices to ponder for a moment how completely we are
tied up with matters of time and space, with all that is temporal and
mortal. Check the thought that passed through your head a moment ago
and see if it is not associated with something of a transitory nature.
Such thoughts have no value for inner development.
So all thoughts that connect us with finiteness and transitory matters
must be silenced. Then, when such silence has been produced in the
soul and for awhile all our surroundings, be they of the era, the
nation, the race or the century we live in, are subdued and
eliminated, the soul will begin to speak of its own accord. This will
not happen immediately. First, the soul must be prepared for this
point and there are means and directions that will call forth this
inner sounding. Man must give himself up to thoughts, concepts and
sentiments that originate not in the temporal but in the eternal.
Their content must be true not only for today, yesterday, a century or
tomorrow but forever. Such thoughts are found in the various religious
books of all people. They are found as an example in the Bhagavad
Gita, the hymn of human perfection. Too, they are found in the Old
and New Testaments, particularly in the Gospel of St. John beginning
with the thirteenth chapter. Again, effective thoughts are to be found
in the first four sentences of the book,
Light on the Path,
by Mabel Collins, familiar to members of the Theosophical and
Anthroposophical Movements
(see Note 2).
These four sentences, which are carved into the inner walls of every
temple of initiation, are not dependent on time and space. They belong
not to one man, one family. They are not part of one generation or one
century, but they extend over the whole of evolution. They were true
thousands of years ago and will be true thousands of years hence. They
awaken the slumbering soul faculties; let them arise out of the inner
realm. Certainly this has to be correctly understood. It is not
sufficient to assume that one comprehends the meaning of these
sentences. One must allow such sentences to quicken and come to life
in one's inner self. One must permit the whole significance of such
sentences to radiate in one's inner being, must surrender oneself to
it completely. One must learn to love such sentences. If a person
believes that he comprehends them, then only has the right moment
arrived to let the sentences rise resplendent again and again in
himself. The intellectual comprehension is not important; the love for
such a spiritual truth is. The more the love for such inner truths
streams through us, the more the power of inner sight grows in us.
Such sentences must not occupy us one or two days, but weeks, months
and years until finally such powers of soul awaken in us. Then at last
comes a certain definite moment when still another illumination takes
place.
He who proclaims spiritual truths by his own experiences is familiar
with this contemplative inner life. The great spiritual truths that he
proclaims day by day are part of a vast spiritual world panorama that
he can view with the inner power of his soul and spirit. He turns his
gaze into soul and spirit realms. He turns his sight away from earth
to the solar systems to explore them. This inner power would, however,
soon be extinguished if he did not give it new nourishment every new
day. This is the secret of the spiritual investigator that the immense
panorama of universe and humanity, which he has let pass through his
soul hundreds and hundreds of times, must pass through his soul anew
every morning. Again, it is not important here that he comprehends it
all but that he learns to love it more and more. Thus he performs a
divine worship every morning during which he gazes up in reverence to
the great Spirits. He has learned to survey the whole panoramic
picture in a few minutes. Thankfulness for what it has given his soul
permeates him. Without treading this path of reverence one does not
arrive at clarity. It is essential that the spiritual investigator's
utterances are formed out of this clarity. Only if this has become the
case is he truly appointed to speak about the truths of mysticism, the
truths of anthroposophy and spiritual science. In this way does the
spiritual investigator function and thus must everybody begin, that
is, in the simplest, most elementary manner until he comes to
comprehension of these teachings.
Human individuality and that of cosmic beings is profound,
unfathomingly profound. One cannot achieve anything in this area save
by patience, perseverance and loving devotion toward the cosmic
powers. These are forces which, like electricity in the external
world, are powerful in the internal world. They are not only moral
forces but forces of cognition. When the aspirant for enlightenment
has become proficient in allowing such truths to dwell within his
being for some time, if he has accepted them in thankfulness toward
those who revealed them to him, then he will at last reach a special
point, which sooner or later becomes available to everybody who has
allowed tranquility and silence to come to fruition in his soul. This
is the moment when his soul begins to speak, when his own inner being
begins to perceive the great, eternal truths. Then, suddenly the world
around him lights up in colors never seen before. Something becomes
audible that he had never heard before. The world will radiate in a
new light. New sounds and words will become audible. This new light
and radiance ray toward him from the soul realm and the new sounds he
hears come to him from the spirit realm. It is characteristic of the
soul world that one sees it. It is equally characteristic of the
spirit world that one hears it.
If self-development is sought for in this area, then part of it comes
about through obedience to and observation of a great sum of rules and
directions. Here I could only sketch in sweeping lines how something
like this comes about and is experienced. These individual rules must
be followed diligently, just like the chemist must weigh and measure
with the most delicate instruments the minutest substances needed for
a chemical compound. A description of the rules that can be made
public will be found in my book, Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and
Its Attainment. These rules offer specific instructions for treading
this path. They, too, require most diligent patience and perseverance.
The rules presented in this book were never made public in former
times when, it must be understood, occult instruction was only taught
in occult schools. Such instruction is still being given out in occult
schools today because it is an intimate teaching process that takes
place between two persons. It does no good to seek instruction on
one's own initiative by hearing or reading special rules in
fragmentary form in one place or another. All the instruction that one
can receive from various places, and there are indeed shops
advertising such instructions, are no more than tiny fragments torn
from the great book of occult schooling. A person who makes use of
them must realize that he is leaving himself open to certain dangers.
It is not expedient to be introduced to matters that refer to an
actual alteration of the soul, that relate to the most profoundly
important aspects of soul life, through commercial channels. Occult
training methods that are advertised for monetary gain are not only
worthless but can be dangerous under certain circumstances. This had
to be said because in this present age so much of this sort of thing
confronts man. Precisely because so many so-called occult methods
crowd the scene today, it has become necessary to present a picture of
the truth.
The rules that are put down in the book, Knowledge of the Higher
Worlds and its Attainment, stem from ancient traditions. Because it is
essential that the truth become known, the guiding spirits of
evolution have given permission for the publication of these rules.
Still, it is only possible to publish a certain amount. The rest had
to be excluded because the most important rules can only be disclosed
by word of mouth.
What is found in Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and Its Attainment is
apart from other books of instruction in that it is harmless. Only
those guide lines are disclosed that cannot do damage to a person,
even if they are not followed with patience and perseverance. They can
do no harm even if a person practices them improperly. This had to be
mentioned because the question has arisen as to why and by what
authority a set of esoteric rules was published.
Another point of consideration is that in order to awaken in the soul
world, one must have sense organs for this soul world just as one has
sense organs for the material world. Like the body, which possesses
eyes and ears, the soul and the spirit must possess organs to perceive
the radiance of the soul realm and the soundings of the world of
spirit. A person with experience in this field, who is clairvoyant,
can actually perceive the process of development of such soul organs
in a person engaged in inner training. They are perceived in his aura
enveloped in a cloud of light. The aura of a spiritually undeveloped
person is seen like a nebulous cloud formation. When a person sleeps,
the aura hovers above the physical body because the astral body
(see Note 3)
separates in sleep from it. The aura's appearance is that of two
entwined spirals like rings of mist. They wind around one another and
disappear in continuous spirals into indefinable realms. When a person
undertakes occult training, his aura becomes increasingly definable.
The indefinable ends of the spirals disappear and the two entwined
spiral formations become clearly organized. They become increasingly
defined, compact structures. Certain organs appear in the aura that
are called chakrams in esoteric language. These are the sense organs
of the soul. Their structure is delicate and in order to come into
bloom they must be cared for and guarded. Under no other circumstances
can they develop. He who rails in this will never enjoy true spiritual
perception. A person must suppress all negative sensations and
feelings within himself in order to nurture these soul eyes. The
chakrams cannot emerge if a person becomes angry at every opportunity.
Equanimity must be preserved, patience must be practiced. Anger and
fury prohibit the soul eye's appearance; nervousness and haste will
not permit its development.
Furthermore, it is necessary that man rid himself of something that is
difficult to cast aside in our civilization, namely, the urge to learn
what is new. This has tremendous influence on the soul-organ. If one
cannot get hold of a newspaper fast enough and tell the news to
somebody else, if a person also cannot keep what he has seen and heard
to himself and cannot suppress the desire to pass it on, his soul will
never achieve any degree of development. It is also necessary that one
acquire a certain definite manner of judging one's fellowmen. It is
difficult to attain an uncritical attitude, but understanding must
take the place of criticism. It suppresses the advancement of the soul
if you confront your fellowman immediately with your own opinion. We
must hear the other out first, and this listening is an
extraordinarily effective means for the development of the soul eyes.
Anybody who reaches a higher level in this direction owes it to having
learned to abstain from criticizing and judging everybody and
everything. How can we look understandingly into somebody's being? We
should not condemn but understand the criminal's personality,
understand the criminal and the saint equally well. Empathy for each
and everyone is required and this is what is meant with higher, occult
listening. Thus, if a person brings himself with strict self-control
to the point of not evaluating his fellowman, or the rest of the world
for that matter, according to his personal judgment, opinion and
prejudice and instead lets both work on him in silence, he has the
chance to gain occult powers. Every moment during which a person
becomes determined to refrain from thinking an evil thought about his
fellowman is a moment gained.
A wise man can learn from a child. A simple-minded person can consider
a wise man's utterances in like manner as a child's babblings,
convinced that he is superior to a child and unaware of the
practicality of wisdom. Only when he has learned to listen to the
stammering of a babe as if it were a revelation, has he created within
him power that wells forth from his soul.
Finally, one cannot expect the soul eyes to open immediately. A person
who combats rage, anger, curiosity and other negative qualities, is
first of all removing hindrances that walled up his soul. Ever and
again must this effort be repeated. A clairvoyant person can evaluate
to what extent the delicate soul organs are emerging. When human
utterances have lost their edge and have become kind and filled with
understanding for fellowmen, the spiritual organ located in the
vicinity of the larynx is awakened. It takes long practice, however,
before a person becomes aware of this himself. It took millions of
years for the physical eye to develop in man, from tiny pin-points to
early beginnings of a lens to the complicated structure of the eye.
The soul eye does not take as long. It requires several months in one,
longer in another person. One must have patience. The moment when
these delicate soul structures first begin to perceive comes to
everybody sooner or later. That is, if a person continues the
exercises and particularly if he develops certain virtues, which
sometimes the hardships of life itself can develop. There are three
virtues in particular that must be developed that nearly turn man into
a clairvoyant. Only they must he practiced with the necessary
intensity and emphasis. They are: Self-confidence paired with
humility, self-control paired with gentleness, and presence of mind
coupled with perseverance. There are the great levers of spiritual
development.. The three first-mentioned virtues, however, will lead to
dreadful vices if they are not each coupled with the three other
virtues, humility, gentleness and perseverance.
All this must be taken in the sense of broad outlines. They are
examples of the directions that the spiritual pupil must follow on the
three levels toward spiritual awakening. The three stages of occult
schooling are called preparation or catharsis, enlightenment and
initiation. During the first stage or level, man's being is prepared
in such a manner as to allow the delicate structures of the soul to
emerge. On the level of enlightenment man gains the means of
perceiving in the soul realm, and through initiation he attains the
faculty of expressing himself in the spirit realm. What I have had to
say today might be considered as difficult to understand by some, and
though it is really easy, it does hold true here that the easy is
difficult.
Everybody can tread the occult path; it is not closed to anybody. The
secrets lie in each person's own inner being. Only earnest inner
endeavor is required and man must make the attempt to free himself
from all the fetters obstructing this inner life. We must realize that
the loftiest and grandest truths come to us in the most intimate way.
The greatest sages of mankind did not discover the great truths by any
other than the path described above. They found these truths because
they found the path leading into their inner being and because they
knew that patience and perseverance were required in practicing the
various exercises.
Thus, when a person reaches down to the depth of his being, when he
turns away from the thoughts that assail him from outside and instead
arises to the thoughts belonging to eternity, he kindles the flame
within himself that will light up the soul worlds for him. When a
person develops within himself the qualities of equanimity, inner calm
and peace, as well as the other virtues mentioned above, he nourishes
this flame with the right sustenance. If a person is able to keep
silent and utter only significant, lofty thoughts, if he lives a
love-filled existence and his life becomes one of divine worship, all
the world around him will begin to sound. This is what Pythagoras
called, Music of the spheres. This is by no means meant
symbolically, it is a reality.
Only mere hints could be given here that point the direction to the
path leading to a narrow gate. Everybody can reach this narrow gate
and to him who is not afraid of trials and hardships, the gate will be
opened. Then he will find what all the great religious and
philosophical ideologies have proclaimed: The Eternal One Truth and
the Way of Life!
- Note 1:
- In a foreword to the 1918 edition of
Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and its Attainment,
Rudolf Steiner wrote in regard to the matter of personal
instruction: “The statement that the student
needs personal instruction should be understood in the sense that
this book, itself, is personal instruction. In earlier times, there
were reasons for reserving such personal instruction for oral
teaching; today we have reached a stage in evolution of humanity in
which spiritual scientific knowledge must become far more widely
disseminated than formerly. It must be placed within reach of
everyone to a quite different extent from what was the case in
older times. Hence, the book replaces the former oral
instruction ...”
- Note 2:
- The first four sentences of
Light on the Path
are: "Before the eyes can see, they must be incapable of tears.
Before the ear can hear, it must have lost its sensitiveness.
Before the voice can speak in the presence of the Masters it
must have lost the power to wound. Before the soul can stand in
the presence of the Masters its feet must be washed in the blood
of the heart."
- Note 3:
- See
Theosophy: an Introduction to the Super-sensible Knowledge of the World and the Destination of Man
for a clarification of this, and other, anthroposophical terminology.
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