At the Gates of Spiritual Science

REFERENCES

Note on the text. An authentic transcript of this lecture-course (Cycle 1) is not available. For this printing we have followed essentially the transcript made by a member of the audience.

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9 Jean Jacques Rousseau, 1712–1778, philosopher, critic of society.

9 Jacob Boehme, 1575–1624, mystic.

10 Johannes Trithem, Abbot of Sponheim, near Kreuznach, 1462–1516.

14 Jean Paul Friedrich Richter, 1763–1825, poet.

15 Chela (Tschela) Sanskrit. The pupil of a teacher of occult knowledge.

17 Helen Keller, 1880–1968, American writer. At the age of nineteen months she became blind and deaf.

17 “a teacher of genius”: Miss Anne Mansfield Sullivan (Mrs Macy).

17 “Optimism”, an essay by Helen Keller, 1903.

18 Subba Row (Rao), 1856–1890, a learned Indian. He wrote articles for the journal, The Theosophist, which were later collected and published under the title, Esoteric Writings, second edition, 1931, Adyar, Madras.

20 Arthur Schopenhauer, 1788–1860, philosopher. The quoted sentence is the motto affixed to his “Prize Essay on the Foundation of Morality”, 30 January, 1840. His essay, “On the Will in Nature”, 1836, contains the sentence: “The upshot is easy, but to provide a foundation for morality is difficult.”

22 Tat tvam asi. Sanskrit, from the Vedas.

22 Pythagoras, Greek philosopher, sixth century B.C.

22 Johann Wolfgang Goethe, 1749–1832.

25 Julius Caesar, 100–44 B.C.

33 Theophrastus Paracelsus von Hohenheim, 1493–1541.

34 Francis of Assisi, I 181–1226.

34 Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, 1831–1891, known in theosophical circles as H.P.B. See the section, “Reincarnation” in Isis Unveiled, Chapter X.

40 “Goethe says ...” Literally, “And so the eye is formed by the light for the light.”

40 Johannes Kepler, 1571–1630, astronomer and mathematician. Established the three laws concerning the movements of the planets.

40 Galileo Galilei, 1564–1642. Laid the foundations of mechanics, discovered the laws of free fall, of the pendulum, of ballistics.

42 Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1475–1564. His “Moses”, intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II, is in the church of S. Pietro in Vincoli, Rome.

49 Lipikas, Maharajas. High spiritual Beings concerned with birth and destiny.

52 Aristotle, 384–322 B.C. The sentence cited here is from the treatise, “On the Poetic Art”, Chapter 4.

55 “A book will be published”: “The Education of the Child from the Standpoint of Spiritual Science”, given as a lecture in various places in Germany; first published, made into an article, in Rudolf Steiner's periodical, Lucifer-Gnosis, 1907, and in the same year as a pamphlet. An English translation is available, entitled, The Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy.

67 Bach. Among the children of Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685–1750, were three sons, all well-known musicians: Friedemann Bach, 1710–1784; Philip Emanuel Bach, 1714–1788; Johann Christian Bach, 1735–1782.

67 Bernoulli, a family of mathematicians, Basle. Jacob Bernoulli, 16J4–1705; Nicholas Bernoulli, 16871759; Daniel Bernoulli, 1700–1782.

69 Charles Darwin, 1809–1882.

71 Antoine Fabre d'Olivet, 1768–1825, author of La Langue hebraique restituee, 1816.

72 Lorenz Oken, 1779–1851, natural scientist and philosopher.

75 Immanuel Kant, 1724–1804.

82 Arupa: Sanskrit, “without form”, indicating the highest realm of Devachan. Rupa: Sanskrit, “form”. The Rupa planes are the lower spheres of Devachan.

82 “In the ‘Secret Doctrine’”. H. P. Blavatsky's The Secret Doctrine.

83 Plato, 427–347 B.C. “... as Plato puts it.” In the dialogue, Timaeus.

93 Manasaputras. Described in Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine as “Sons of Wisdom, who at the creation endowed mankind with Manas.”

103 Nicholas Copernicus, 1473–1543, originator of the modern astronomical world-picture.

103 Ptolemy, 87–165, geographer and astronomer. For him the Earth was stationary at the centre of the Universe.

109 Thomas Alva Edison, 1847–1931.

110 “Everything that has been recounted from the Akasha Chronicle”. The reference is to the communications “From the Akasha Chronicle” published by Rudolf Steiner in his journal, Lucifer-Gnosis, from July 1904 to May 1908. Collected edition, Dornach, 1964. English translation published in America with the title: Cosmic Memory: Prehistory of Earth and Man.

112 “at one moment up in the skies and at the next down in the dumps”. From Klärchen's song in Goethe's Egmont, 3, 2.

113 “a Persian legend.” See Goethe: Notes and comments for a better understanding of the West-Östlichen Divan, “Allgemeines”.

114 Guru. In oriental Initiation, he who guides the pupil's occult development; leader on the path of knowledge.

117 “The form of instruction in oriental schooling.” From the old Indian classic, The Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali.

124 Light on the Path, written by Mabel Collins.

133 “... with the six qualities already mentioned.” See Lecture Twelve.

134. “All things transient are but a parable”. Goethe's Faust, Part II, Act V, Chorus Mysticus.

134. Knowledge of the Higher Worlds. How is it achieved? Appeared as articles in Lucifer-Gnosis, June 1904 to September 1905; first published in book form,. 1909. Collected Edition, Dornach, 1961. Sixth English edition, 1969. Revised by C.D. and D.S.O.

137 “Certainly it is easy, but the easy is difficult.” Spoken by Mephistopheles in Faust, Part II, Act I, The Emperor's Palace.

139 Dante Alighieri, 1265–1321. The Divine Comedy, Inferno, Canto 32.