LECTURE
THREE
FORM
AND SUBSTANTIALITY OF THE MINERAL KINGDOM IN RELATION TO THE
LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN MAN
THE
NATURE AND
METALLITY* OF
THE
MINERAL
CRYSTALS
[* Metallität
is a coined word not in usage. The Romanic suffix
— ität (Latin: — itatem; French: — ite) is
common to abstract nouns. The approximate meaning is metallic
quality, metal-ness. (Note by translator.)]
Blackboard Drawing 3, August 13, 1924 Blackboard Drawing 4, August 13, 1924
Yesterday I
attempted to give some idea of the inner experiences of the soul
when, through spiritual training and meditation, man develops higher
levels of consciousness. At the same time I indicated that the
chaotic, uncoordinated experiences of dream life during sleep,
typical of normal consciousness, can be transformed into the fully
conscious, concrete experiences of waking life. We can thus attain a
level of consciousness which, to some extent, is sequential to normal
consciousness. We then perceive, for example, the animal kingdom in
its totality which is in touch with a higher world of soul, the
astral plane. Then I tried to show how the plant-cover appears in its
totality when, in full waking consciousness that is divested of
sensory impressions, we attain to the world of stars with this second
level of consciousness and there for the first time learn the truth
about the plant-cover of the Earth. We then realize that the plants
we see growing out of the Earth are a reflected image of that majesty
and grandeur which sparkle out amongst the world of stars like the
dewdrops upon the plants. Indeed, the firmament and all that therein
is, takes on substantial reality, form, colour and even resonance
when we apprehend it with this higher consciousness that is
divested of sensory impressions. Then we can look back upon the Earth
and perceive that the world of plants in reality is a reflected image
of cosmic beings, of cosmic deeds.
I should
like to draw your attention to a peculiar phenomenon when we
observe the world of stars on the one hand and the world of plants on
the other. I should like to describe these things entirely from
the point of view of inner experience, exactly as they occur, as they
are revealed to direct spiritual experience and investigation. My
description will not be supported by any tradition, literary or
otherwise. But first of all I should like to point out a peculiarity
that is familiar to anyone who explores the spiritual in the way I
have described.
Let us
visualize the following picture: above us is the world of stars,
below is the Earth. The point from which we start our enquiry we call
our point of observation. At the second level of consciousness, a
consciousness that sees the world of the stars and of plants in the
manner already described, we are able to confirm that the
archetypal forms are present in the Cosmos, that they are mirrored in
the Earth, not as reflected images but in the form of living plants.
These plants do not appear as lifeless, unreal, nebulous images, but
as concrete reflections created by the Earth. One feels that the
Earth must be there to act as a mirror, so that the plant-beings in
the Cosmos can spring up out of this terrestrial mirror.
Without the
solid Earth there could be no plants. And just as a mirror intercepts
the light and acts as resistance — for otherwise it could
not reflect — so the Earth must act as a reflecting medium in
order that the plants may come into being.
We can now
pursue the matter further. Having developed this second level of
consciousness, a waking consciousness independent of sensory
impressions, we can take the next step towards the development of an
inner strength of soul, of the spirit of love towards all created
things and all living beings. The acquisition of these new powers is
seldom recognized as a positive force for knowledge. If, after
entering into this realm that is so differently constituted, where
the Cosmos no longer appears bright with stars but is the abode of
spiritual beings, this power of love fills our heart and soul, if,
after embarking, so to speak, on the spiritual ocean of the universe,
we can preserve our spiritual, psychic and physical identity and
extend the infinite power of love and devotion to all beings, then we
progressively perfect our insight and understanding. We then develop
the capacity to perceive clairvoyantly not only the animal and plant
kingdoms, but also the mineral kingdom and especially that part of
the mineral kingdom which is crystalline in structure. For those who
wish to investigate the higher worlds, mineral crystals offer an
excellent field for observation and study.
When we are
fully acquainted with the animal and plant kingdoms we are then in a
position to investigate the mineral-crystal world. As on the
previous occasion, we feel impelled to turn our attention from the
mineral kingdom on Earth to the contemplation of the Cosmos. And
again we find there a living reality, the archetypes akin to those of
the plant kingdom. But the picture now presented to us is totally
different. We become aware of a living reality in the Cosmos; the
mineral-crystal world that we see on Earth is the creation of an
active, spiritual principle in the Cosmos. In its progressive descent
to the Earth, it is not reflected in the Earth or by means of the
Earth. That is the crucial point. When we raise our consciousness
from contemplation of the mineral-crystal kingdom to the Cosmos and
look back to Earth again, the Earth no longer acts as a mirror; one
has the impression that the Earth has vanished from our sight. We
cannot, however, say, as we said of the plants, that the Earth below
us reflects the higher beings. On the contrary, the Earth does not
act as a reflecting medium; it has seemingly vanished. When we have
meditated upon the spiritual vista evoked by the mineral-crystal
kingdom, when we direct our spiritual eye from cosmic space to the
Earth, we appear to be suspended over a terrifying abyss, over a
void. We must remain in a waiting attitude. We must keep a firm hand
on ourselves, we must preserve our presence of mind. The period of
waiting should not be too prolonged, otherwise our fear is magnified;
we are terrified because there is no ground under our feet. This
sensation, which is wholly foreign to us, reduces us to a state of
panic if we do not preserve our self-control, the necessary presence
of mind which enables us to take active steps to see beyond this
void. For this reason we must look beyond the Earth which is no
longer present to our spiritual vision. Then we are obliged to
contemplate, not only that aspect of the mineral kingdom which is
associated with the Cosmos, but also its relationship to the total
environment. The Earth ceases to exist for us. We must see the
mineral kingdom as a total whole.
We then
experience a current of cosmic energy from below, in contrast to the
cosmic energy of the plants which streams down from above. We see
everywhere currents and counter-currents, converging currents of
cosmic energy from all directions. In the case of the plants this
stream of cosmic energy flows down from above, the Earth offers
resistance and the plants grow up out of the Earth. In the case of
the mineral kingdom we are aware that through the free
interplay of these currents from the cosmic All, the mineral
kingdom is created. In the case of the mineral-crystal kingdom
nothing is reflected back from the Earth. Everything is
mirrored in its own element.
If you
discover a quartz crystal in the mountains, it is usually found in a
vertical position. Its base is embedded in the rock. This is
accounted for by the intervention of terrestrial, Ahrimanic
forces which act as a disruptive factor. In reality, the quartz is
formed by the pressure of a spiritual element from all sides; there
is an interplay of reflecting facets and you see the crystal free in
cosmic space. Each single crystal whose every facet is perfectly
fashioned, is a little world unto itself.
Now there
are many types of crystal formation — cubes, octahedrons,
tetrahedrons, rhomboids, dodekahedrons, monoklinics, triklinics,
every conceivable kind of structure in fact. When we examine them, we
note how the currents of cosmic energy converge and interact to form
the quartz crystal, a hexagonal prism terminating in a hexagonal
pyramid, or a salt crystal possibly in the shape of a cube, or a
pyrites crystal in the shape of a dodekahedron. Each of these
crystals is formed in the way I have described. And there are as many
different cosmic forces, indeed, as many worlds in cosmic space as
there are crystals in the Earth. We begin to have insight into an
infinitude of worlds.
As we look
at the salt crystal, we realize that a spiritual principle is active
in the universe. The salt crystal is a manifestation of that
spiritual reality which permeates the whole universe; it is a world
unto itself. Then, from an examination of the dodekahedron, we
discover that there exists in the universe something that permeates
the world of space; the crystal is the impress, the manifestation of
a whole world. We are gazing on countless beings, each of which is a
world unto itself. As human beings here on Earth, we conclude
that the Earth-sphere is the focal point of the activities of many
worlds. In all that we think and do here on Earth are reflected the
thoughts and deeds of a wide diversity of beings. The infinite
variety of crystal forms reveals the multitude of beings whose
activities find consummation in the mathematical-spatial forms of the
crystals. In the crystals we recognize the presence of the Gods. As
an expression of reverence, of adoration even towards the universe,
it is far more important to allow the sublime secrets of this
universe to possess our souls than to gather theoretical knowledge on
a purely intellectual basis.
Anthroposophy
should lead to this feeling of at-one-ment with the
universe. Through Anthroposophy man shall be able to perceive in
every crystal the weaving and working of a divine Being. Then cosmic
knowledge and understanding begins to flood man's whole soul. The
task of Anthroposophy is not to appeal to the intellectual
faculty alone, but to enlighten the whole man and show his total
involvement in the universe and to inspire him with reverence and
devotion towards it. Every object and every event in the world
shall be invested with a spirit of selfless service proceeding from
the heart and soul of man. And this selfless service will be rewarded
by knowledge and understanding.
When we are
in contact with the cosmic All and see the emergence of the crystals
out of the manifestations of the crystal-mineral kingdom, we feel a
sense of satisfaction. But very soon that state of anxiety and fear
which I have already mentioned, returns again. Before discovering the
divinely ordered world of crystals, we had been filled with fear.
When we are aware of that divinely inspired world, this feeling of
uncertainty vanishes; but after a time a strange sensation overtakes
us and the fear returns, the feeling that the whole process of
crystal formation is unsubstantial and provides only partial
support.
Let us take
the example of the two kinds of crystal already mentioned, a salt
crystal and a pyrite, a metal crystal. The pyrites gives the
impression that it can provide us with solid support, that it is firm
and durable. The salt crystal, on the other hand, appears to offer no
support; it seems unsubstantial and we feel as if we might fall
through it.
In brief
then: in relation to certain forms, the fear that once possessed us,
the fear that we are suspended over an abyss because the Earth has
become a void, has not finally been overcome. This sensation of fear
has definite moral implications. When we feel a recurrence of this
fear, then, at that moment, we become aware, not only of all our past
sins, but of those of which we are potentially capable.
All this
acts upon us like a leaden weight that drags us down and threatens to
plunge us into the abyss which the mineral crystals open up before us
and which is ready to engulf us. At this point we must be prepared
for an additional experience. We realize that the sum of our
experiences demands of us courage and we confidently proclaim:
I am firmly anchored, I cannot drift from my moorings; the centre of
gravity of my own being now lies within myself.
Never in the
whole course of life do we need more confidence, more moral
courage than at the moment when, confronted with the crystal world,
the leaden weight of egotism — and egotism is always a
sin — weighs upon the soul. That transparent void over which we
are suspended now holds a terrible warning for us. If we stand firm
and remain self-reliant, we can say: a spark of the divine is within
me; I cannot perish, for I partake of the divine essence. If this
becomes a concrete experience and not mere theoretical belief, then
we have the courage to be self-sufficient, to stand on our own feet.
We are now ready and determined to press on further.
We now learn
something further about the mineral kingdom. Hitherto we have
heard about the crystal being of the minerals. We have already
discussed their external form; now we become aware of their
composition and structure, their substantiality and metallity. And we
discover how certain basic metals in their different ways act
as a stabilizing factor. For the first time we begin to understand
how man is related to the Cosmos. We learn of the different
characteristics of the metals, of the substantiality of the
mineral being and we really begin to feel in ourselves that centre of
gravity which I have just mentioned.
In what I am
about to say I must perforce use a terminology that describes
the material world; it should not be accepted in its literal meaning
only. When we speak of the heart or head, the commonsense view
conjures up a picture of a physical heart or head. But they are, of
course, spiritual in origin. And so when we look at man in his
totality, as an entity consisting of body, soul and spirit, we have
the clear impression that his centre of gravity lies in the heart.
This centre guards him against extremes, prevents him from being the
plaything of external circumstances and lends him stability. If we
retain that courageous spirit which I have just mentioned, we shall
ultimately find ourselves firmly anchored in the universe.
When a
person loses consciousness he is not firmly anchored. If he suffers a
psychic shock — for under these conditions he is more
susceptible to pain than normally and after all, pain is an
intensification of inner feeling — then he is not in a normal
state of consciousness. Under conditions of pain normal consciousness
is expelled. Between birth and death man lives in a kind of
intermediate state of consciousness. This may well serve for
the normal purposes of daily life. But if this consciousness becomes
too weak, too tenuous, he loses consciousness. If it becomes too
dense, too concentrated, pain ensues. The loss of consciousness
in a state of swoon, and the state of tension under the influence of
pain, are polarities which illustrate the aberrations of
consciousness. This describes exactly our reactions to the
world of mineral crystals before we become aware of their
substantiality — on the one hand, the feeling that in a
state of swoon we might at any moment be dissolved in the universe,
and on the other hand that under the influence of pain we might
collapse.
Then we feel
that everything that provides stability is centred in the cardiac
region. And if we have developed our consciousness to the level
already indicated, we then perceive that everything that
sustains our ordinary waking consciousness, all that keeps it
‘normal,’ if I may use this somewhat crude expression, is
gold, aurum, which is finely distributed over the Earth and works
with greater immediacy upon the heart than upon any other
organ.
Previously
we became acquainted with the formation, the crystallization of
minerals. We now become aware of their substantiality, of their
metallity. We realize in what manner this metallic nature works upon
man himself.
Outwardly we
see the crystal formations of the metals in the mineral world. But we
know inwardly that the forces of gold which are finely distributed
over the Earth sustain our heart and maintain the normal
consciousness of our daily life. And so we can say, gold works upon
the heart centre of man. On the basis of this information we are now
in a position to start our investigations. If, taking the metal gold
as we know it, we concentrate upon its colour, its hardness and all
aspects of its composition and structure and then transform the
experience into inner reality, we find that gold is related to the
heart. By concentrating on other metals, on iron and its properties,
for example, we discover what effect iron has upon us. Gold has a
harmonizing influence, it resolves tension and conflict and man is
thereby restored to a state of inner equilibrium. If, after becoming
familiar with all its aspects, we concentrate intently on iron,
forgetting the entire universe and concentrating solely upon the
metal itself, so that we become, as it were, inwardly merged with
iron, become identified with iron, then we feel as if our
consciousness were rising up from the regions of the heart. We are
still fully conscious as we follow this consciousness as it
ascends from the heart to the larynx. If we have carried out our
spiritual exercises adequately, no harm can result; otherwise a
slight feeling of faintness overtakes us. As our consciousness
ascends we recognize this condition from the fact that we have
developed an intense inner activity, a heightened
consciousness. Then we gradually transpose ourselves into this
ascending consciousness and contact the world where we see the
group-soul of the animals. By concentrating on the metallity of iron
we have now entered the astral world.
When we
become acquainted with the form of the metals we reach the realm of
the higher spiritual beings; when we become acquainted with their
substantiality and metallity we enter the astral world, the world of
souls. We feel our consciousness rising upward to the larynx and we
emerge into a new sphere. We owe this shift of consciousness to our
concentration upon iron and we feel that we are no longer the same
person as before. If we attain this state in full, clear
consciousness, we are sensible of having transcended our former self;
we have entered into the etheric world. The Earth has vanished, it no
longer holds any interest for us. We have ascended into the planetary
spheres which, as it were, have become our abode. Thus we gradually
withdraw from the body and become integrated into the universe. The
path from gold to iron is the path leading into the
universe.
After gold
and iron we next concentrate upon tin, upon its metallity, its colour
and substantiality, with the result that our consciousness becomes
wholly identified with tin. We feel that our consciousness is now
rising to still higher levels. But if we undertake this step without
adequate preparation, we suffer a near total swoon, scarcely
any sign of consciousness remains. If we have prepared ourselves in
advance, we can hold ourselves in this state of diminished
consciousness; but we feel that our consciousness is
withdrawing still further from the body and ultimately reaches
the region between the eyes. Though the vast expanse of the universe
encompasses us, we are still within the realm of stars. The Earth,
however, begins to appear as a distant star. And we conclude that we
have left our body on Earth, that we have ascended into the Cosmos
and share the life of the stars.
All this is
by no means as simple as it sounds. What I have described to you,
what we experience when we follow the path of Initiation, namely,
that consciousness is situated in the larynx, the base of the skull
or the forehead, is an indication that all these various states of
consciousness are permanently present in man. All of you sitting here
have within you these states of consciousness, but you are not aware
of it. Why is this so? Now man is a complex being. If, at the moment
when you were conscious of the whole laryngeal organization, you
could dispense with your brain and sense organs, you would never be
free of this slight subconscious feeling of faintness. And in
effect this is so; it is simply overlaid by the ordinary heart
consciousness, the gold consciousness. It is common to all of
you, it is part of your human make-up. A part of you that shares this
consciousness is situated in the stars and does not exist on
Earth at all.
The tin
consciousness lies further out in the Cosmos. It would be untrue to
state that the Earth is your sole habitat. It is the heart that
anchors your consciousness to the Earth. That which has its centre in
the larynx is out in the Cosmos and, situated still further out, is
that which has its centre in the forehead (tin). The iron
consciousness embraces the Mars sphere, tin the Jupiter sphere. Only
in the gold consciousness do you belong to the Earth. You are
always interwoven with the universe, but the heart consciousness
conceals this from you.
If you
meditate on lead or some similar metal and again concentrate on its
substantiality and metallity, you relinquish the body
completely. You are left in no doubt that your physical body and
etheric body are left behind on Earth. They appear strange and
remote. They concern you as little as the stone concerns the rock on
which it rests. Consciousness has left the body through the crown
(the sagittal suture) of the head. Wherever we turn, a minute
quantity, a tincture of lead is always to be found in the universe.
This form of consciousness reaches far out into space; with the
consciousness that is centred in the cranium man always remains in a
state of complete insensibility.
Picture to
yourselves the state of illusion in which man habitually lives. When
he is sitting at his desk making up his accounts or writing articles
he fondly imagines that he is thinking with his head. That is not the
reality. It is not the head as such, but its physical aspect, that
belongs to the Earth. The head consciousness extends from the larynx
upwards far out into the universe. The universe reveals itself solely
in the head centre. What determines your human condition between
birth and death is the heart centre. Whether you write good or
bad articles, whether your accounts may or may not be to your
neighbour's disadvantage — this is determined by the heart
centre. It is pure illusion to imagine that man's head consciousness
is confined to the Earth alone, for, in effect, it is in a permanent
state of insensibility. And that is why it is also peculiarly subject
to pain from which other organs are free. Let me take this point a
little further. When, in our present state, we try to find the
reasons for this situation we are continually threatened from
the spirit with the annihilation of our intellectual consciousness,
with a breakdown of the whole consciousness and a collapse into total
insensibility.
Our picture
of man is then as follows: in the larynx (iron) man develops the
consciousness that reaches to the archetypes of the animal kingdom.
It is the consciousness that belongs to the stars, but we are unaware
of it in ordinary life. Higher still, in the region of the eyes
(tin) is the consciousness of the archetypes of the plant kingdom and
below are their reflected images. Crowning all is the centre of the
lead consciousness which reaches to the Saturn sphere; our head
centre is oblivious of the articles we write, they are the product of
the heart centre. But the head is fully aware of the happenings in
cosmic space. Our description of terrestrial events and
activities proceeds from the heart; the head, meanwhile, can
concentrate on the manner in which a divine being manifests himself
in a pyrites, in a crystal of salt or of quartz.
When
Initiate consciousness surveys the audience present here, it is
evident that you are listening to what I am saying with your hearts,
whilst your three higher levels of consciousness are out in the
Cosmos. The Cosmos is the scene of activities of an order wholly
different from those known to ordinary earthly consciousness. In the
Cosmos, especially in what is enacted there and radiates far and
wide, is woven for all of us the web of our destiny, our
karma.
Thus we have
gradually come to understand man through his relationship with the
universe — how fundamentally he is associated with the external
world, is continually under the threat of annihilation from without,
of reduction to insensibility and is ultimately sustained by
the heart.
When we
meditate on other kinds of metals our spiritual approach is
different. We can follow the same procedure with copper as we have
done with iron, tin and lead. When we meditate on the metallic nature
of copper, we become, as it were, merged with, one with copper; our
whole soul is permeated with copper, with its colour and consistency,
its curiously ribbed surface. In brief, we become wholly
identified with our psychic response to the metallity of
copper. Then we do not experience a gradual transition towards
insensibility, but rather the reverse. We have the sensation that
something floods our whole inner being; our response grows more
sensitive. We have a definite impression that when we meditate on
copper it pervades our whole being. It radiates from the centre below
the heart and is diffused over the whole body.
It is as
though we had a second body, a second man within us. We have a
sensation of inner pressure. This sets up a slight pain that
gradually increases. Everything seems to be in a state of inner
tension.
When we
invest this condition with Initiate consciousness we feel the
presence of a second man within us. And this experience has important
implications, for we can say to ourselves: the normal self, the
legacy of birth and education the instrument through which we
apprehend the world, accompanies us through life; but, through
training and meditation, we awaken in this second man who now takes
over his potentiality for perception. This second man is indeed a
remarkable being. He does not possess separate eyes and ears, but is
at one and the same time eyes and ears together. He resembles a sense
organ with delicate powers of perception; he perceives things that we
do not normally perceive. Our world becomes suddenly
enriched.
Just as a
snake can slough its skin, so it is possible for a short time —
and much can be experienced in the course of a few seconds —
for this second man, the “copper” man, to withdraw from
the body and move about freely in the spiritual world. He can
be separated from the body, though at the cost of increasing pain.
When we are dissociated from the body we have a wider range of
experiences. When we have reached the point when we can relinquish
the body, we are then able to follow a person who has passed through
the gate of death.
In that case
all our terrestrial associations with the deceased are now ended. He
has been buried or cremated, he has severed his connection with the
Earth. When we relinquish the body with the second man, that is with
clairvoyant perception, we are able to follow the journey of
the soul after death. And then we learn that the soul in the first
years or decades after death relives in reverse order its life on
Earth. This is a fact that can be observed since we accompany the
soul through the gate of death. The time taken to recapitulate our
life experiences is a third of our life span. A man who dies at sixty
will recapitulate his life experiences over twenty years
approximately. We can follow his soul throughout this period. We can
now learn much about man's experiences after death. In recapitulating
his life the experiences are of a different order. Forgive me if I
give a somewhat crude example. Let us assume that three years before
your death you gave someone a box on the ear. You were annoyed with
him and you exploded with anger; you caused him physical and moral
pain. You derived a certain satisfaction from punishing him for
having offended you. Now, when you recapitulate your life in reverse
order and come upon this episode after a year, you do not
experience your original outburst of anger, but the physical
and moral pain of your victim. You live right into his feelings and
experience psychically the box on the ear; you re-experience
the pain you have inflicted. And the same applies to all actions. You
experience them exactly as others who were involved experienced them.
It is possible to follow man's soul after death through all such
experiences.
The ancient
Chaldeans who owed their cultural impulses to the Mystery teachings
had deeper insight into these matters than the men of today.
The remarkable fact is that in those days these ancient Chaldeans
actually lived in the larynx consciousness, whereas we today live in
the heart consciousness. The consciousness natural to them was a kind
of iron consciousness; their experience was associated with the
universe; for them the Earth did not have the solid consistency it
holds for us. When, under particularly favourable conditions
they lived, for example, in communion with the beings of Mars, there
came a moment of time when beings came over from the Moon and brought
with them other beings such as those we perceive with the
consciousness of the second man. And thus indirectly the
Chaldeans learned of sublime truths relating to life after death.
They received their instruction in these truths from the universe
without.
This is no
longer necessary for us today when we can follow the dead without
intermediary help. We can follow them as they live through their
experiences in reverse sequence and each experience in reverse. And
the strange thing is that when we are identified with this second man
we find ourselves in a world that is infinitely more real than the
phenomenal world. This present world and the sum of our experiences
there appear unsubstantial in comparison with the solid, exacting
world ~of reality which we have now entered.
In
accompanying the dead in the way described we experience everything
on a magnified scale; everything appears to be more intensely real.
By comparison, the phenomenal world leaves a nebulous impression. To
anyone who is associated with the world of the dead through
Initiate consciousness, the physical world appears like a
painted masquerade and an Initiate who, through meditation, has
been closely associated with the dead in this way would say: You are
all painted masks. There is no reality about you; you are simply
painted masks sitting on your chairs.
True reality
is only found beyond the realm of physical existence and this reality
can be experienced here and now. Perhaps some of you can recall the
figure of Strader in my Mystery Plays. This character is drawn from
life. Strader is a poetic, non-realistic portrait of a personality
who lived in the last third of the nineteenth century and on into the
twentieth century. In real life he was a man who interested me
deeply. He began life as a Capuchin novice, abandoned his vocation in
favour of philosophy and stayed for a time in the monastery at
Dornach. I recast him as Strader in the Mystery Plays. It was not a
faithful portrait, but bore a certain likeness to him. In the fourth
Mystery Play, you will remember, Strader dies. I had to let him die
as I had exhausted all possibilities of developing his character
further. Had I attempted to do so I could not have put pen to
paper. He could not possibly have appeared again in the fifth Mystery
Play. What is the reason for this?
In the
meantime the real person who had changed his rôle from monk to
philosopher had died. And because I was deeply interested in him I
was able to follow his journey through the spiritual world. There the
impression created by his personality was far more real. His life and
activities on Earth ceased to evoke the same interest now that one
could share his experiences in the life after death.
Then a
strange thing happened. A few anthroposophists tumbled to the state
of affairs. They discovered — the ingenuity of man knows
no bounds — that Strader was to some extent a portrait of the
historical person. In the course of their investigations they
discovered his unpublished manuscripts and all sorts of
interesting documents which he had left behind. They brought them to
me expecting that I would be overjoyed at the discovery. I had not
the slightest interest in them. What did interest me, on the other
hand, was what he was doing after his death. This was far more real.
In comparison with this, everything related to the external world
which he had left behind, was of no significance.
People were
surprised that I showed so little interest after they had been at
such pains to gather information. I had no use for it then, nor do I
need it now. The fact is that the reality of this world is illusory
in comparison with that sublime reality which is revealed to us when
we follow a soul beyond the gate of death. There the soul endures in
a world that we can experience ourselves when we are identified with
the second man who can relinquish the physical body, if only for a
short time. But in that short space of time much can be
experienced.
The
existence of this world whose frontiers border directly on those of
the phenomenal world is never in doubt. It is a world in which the
deceased are living more abundantly. We apprehend them through this
second man who relinquishes the physical body. We have suffered
no loss of consciousness, rather is our consciousness more
deeply interfused.
If we rise
above the heart centre, our consciousness becomes more dimmed, we are
near to a state of unconsciousness. If we descend below the
heart centre our consciousness is intensified. We enter a world
of reality, but we must learn to bear the pain and suffering this
entails. But if we breach the walls surrounding this world with
courage and determination our entry is assured.
We have now
arrived at an understanding of the ordinary day consciousness, of a
second consciousness in the larynx, a third in the region of the
eyes, a fourth, that reaches out into the universe, at the crown of
the head, and a fifth that is unrelated to the worlds of space and
leads us back into the world of time. We travel through time; when we
attain this fifth level of consciousness we share the same time-scale
in reverse as the deceased. We have stepped out of space into
time.
Everything
therefore depends upon our ability to transpose ourselves into
different states of consciousness which open up to us new worlds. On
Earth man is the prisoner of a single, insulated world because he
knows only one state of consciousness; in all other states of
consciousness he is asleep. If we awaken them and develop them, we
can experience the other worlds.
The secret
of spiritual investigation is that through transmutation of his
consciousness man transforms himself. We cannot penetrate into other
worlds by adopting the orthodox methods of research and
investigation; we must undergo metamorphosis, transform our
consciousness into new and different forms.
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