When the higher principles of man are observed with clairvoyant vision,
the mode of perception is never precisely the same as that which comes
from the outer senses. If we touch an object, and experience a sensation
of warmth, we must distinguish between that which comes from the object,
that which, as it were, streams out from it, and our own psychic
experience. The inner psychic experience of perceiving warmth is something
distinct from the heat which streams from the object. Now let us imagine
this psychic experience quite by itself without the outer object. Let us
call up the experience of a sensation of heat in our soul, without the
presence of any external physical object to cause it. If such a sensation
simply existed _without_ cause, it would be mere fancy. The student of
occult science experiences such inner perceptions without any physical
cause. But at a certain stage of development they present themselves in
such a manner that he knows (it has been shown that by the very nature of
the experience he can know) that the inner perception is not fancy, but is
caused by a psycho-spiritual being belonging to a supersensible world,
just as the ordinary sensation of heat, for example, is caused by an
external physical-sense object.
It is the same with the perception of colour in the supersensible world.
Here we must distinguish between the colour associated with the outer
object, and the inner colour-sensation in the soul. Let us call up the
soul’s inner sensation when it perceives a _red_ object in the physical,
outer world of the senses. Let us imagine that we retain a very vivid
recollection of the impression, but that we are looking away from the
object. Let us imagine what we still retain as a memory-picture of the
colour, to be an inner experience. We shall then distinguish between that
which is an inner experience of the colour, and the external colour
itself. These inner experiences differ entirely in their content from
impressions of the outer senses. They bear much more the impress of what
is felt as joy and sorrow than that of normal physical sensation. Now let
us imagine an inner experience of this kind arising in the soul, without
any suggestion from an outer sense object. A clairvoyant may have an
experience of this kind, and may know too, in that case, that it is no
fancy, but the expression of a psycho-spiritual being. Now if this
psycho-spiritual being excites the same impression as does a red object of
the physical-sense world, then that being is red. There will, however,
always be the external impression first, and then the inner experience of
colour, in the case of the physical-sense object; in that of the genuine
clairvoyance of a man of to-day, it _must_ be the contrary,—first the
inner experience, shadowy, like a mere recollection of colour, and then a
picture, growing more and more vivid. The less heed we pay to this
necessary sequence of events the less we are able to distinguish between
actual, spiritual perception and the delusions of fancy (illusion,
hallucination, etc.).
The vividness of the picture in a psycho-spiritual perception of this
kind, whether it remains quite shadowy, like a dim concept, or whether it
impresses us as intensively as an outer object, depends altogether upon
the clairvoyant’s stage of development. Now, the general impression
obtained by the clairvoyant of the etheric body, may be thus described.
When the clairvoyant has strengthened his will power to such a degree
that, in spite of the fact that an individual stands before him in a
physical body, he can abstract his attention from what the physical eye
sees,—he is then able to see clairvoyantly into the space occupied by the
man’s physical body. Of course, a great increase of will power is
necessary, in order to withdraw the attention not only from something in
the mind, but from something standing before one, in such a way that the
physical impression is quite extinguished. But this increase of will is
possible, and is brought about by exercises for the attainment of
supersensible cognition. The clairvoyant can then first have a general
impression of the etheric body. Within his soul there arises the same
inner sensation which he has, let us say, at the sight of a peach blossom;
then this becomes vivid, so that he is able to say that the etheric body
has the colour of peach blossoms. He next perceives the separate organs
and currents of the etheric body. A further description of the etheric
body may be given by relating the psychic experiences which correspond to
sensations of heat or of sound-impressions, etc., for this etheric body is
not merely a colour phenomenon. The astral body and the other principles
of the human being, may also be described in like manner. He who takes
this into consideration will understand just how descriptions should be
taken which are given by occult science.
The Astral World
As long as we observe the physical world only, the earth, as man’s
dwelling place, appears like a separate cosmic body. But when
supersensible cognition rises to higher spheres, this separation ceases.
Thus one can say that the imagination, when beholding the earth, at the
same time also perceives the Moon condition as it has developed up to the
present time.
Now that world which is entered in this way is one to which not only the
supersensible part of the Earth belongs, but is one in which also other
cosmic bodies are imbedded, which in a physical sense are entirely
separate from the earth. Therefore, the observer of supersensible worlds
thus beholds not only the supersensible part of the earth, but also the
supersensible part of other cosmic beings. If one should be impelled to
ask why clairvoyants do not describe the appearance of Mars, etc., he
should bear in mind that it is primarily a question of observing
supersensible conditions of other planetary bodies, whereas the questioner
is thinking of physical sense conditions. Therefore in this work it was
possible to speak of certain relations of the earth’s evolution to the
simultaneous evolution on Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, etc. Now when the human
astral body has been drawn away by sleep, it belongs not only to the
earth, but to worlds of which still other regions of the universe (stellar
worlds) are a part. Indeed, these worlds extend their influence to man’s
astral body even when he is awake. For this reason the name “astral body”
appears to be justified.
Of Man’s Life After Death
Mention has been made, in the course of this book, of the time during
which the astral body still remains joined to the etheric body of man
after death. During this time there exists a slowly paleing recollection
of the whole earth life just ended. The duration of this time varies in
different individuals. It depends upon the strength with which the astral
body clings to the etheric body, on the power which the former has over
the latter. Supersensible cognition can gain an idea of this power by
observing a person who, judging from his degree of fatigue, must of
necessity fall asleep, but, by sheer inner force, keeps awake. It then
appears that different people can keep awake for different lengths of time
without being overpowered by sleep. The memory of the past life, in other
words the connection with the etheric body, lasts about as long after
death as the length of time a man can keep awake when, in the most extreme
case, he is compelled to.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
When the etheric body is detached from the individual after death,
something of it nevertheless remains for man’s whole subsequent
development; this may be described as an extract, or the essence of it.
This extract contains the result of the past life, and is the vehicle of
all that which, during man’s spiritual development between death and a new
birth, unfolds like a germ for the following life.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
The duration of time between death and a new birth is determined by the
fact that the ego, as a rule, returns to the physical sense-world only
when that world has been so transformed that the ego can experience
something new. During its sojourn in spiritual regions, its dwelling place
on earth undergoes a change. But this change is connected with the great
changes in the universe, with changes in the constellation of the earth,
sun and so forth. These are changes in which certain repetitions take
place, in connection with new conditions. They find an external expression
in the fact, for example, that the point in the vault of heaven at which
the sun rises at the beginning of spring makes a complete circuit in the
course of about twenty-six thousand years. Hence this vernal point, in the
course of the period mentioned, moves from one region of the heavens to
another. In the course of the twelfth part of that time, that is to say,
in about twenty-one hundred years, conditions on the earth have changed
sufficiently for the human soul to experience something new upon it since
its previous incarnation. However, since the experiences of an individual
vary according to whether he is incarnated as a woman or as a man, there
are, as a rule, two incarnations within the time stated, one as a man and
one as a woman. But these things are also dependent upon the nature of the
forces which man carries with him from his earthly existence through
death. Therefore all the statements given here are to be taken only in a
general sense, but can be subject to the greatest variations in special
cases.
The Course Of Human Life
Man’s life, as it manifests itself in the sequence of events between birth
and death, can be fully understood only by taking into account both the
physical body with its senses and the changes undergone by man’s
supersensible principles. Occult science views those changes in the
following manner. Physical birth is seen to be the detachment of the human
being from its maternal covering. Forces which before birth the embryo
shared in common with its mother’s body, are present independently in the
child after birth. But in later life supersensible events, similar to
those of the sense-world at physical birth, become perceptible to
supersensible observation. That is, the etheric body of the human being up
to the change of teeth (the sixth or seventh year) is still enveloped in
an etheric sheath. The etheric sheath falls away at that period, and then
the “birth” of the etheric body occurs. But man is still surrounded by an
astral sheath, which falls away between its twelfth and sixteenth year (at
the time of puberty). This is the “birth” of the astral body; and at a
still later period the real ego is born.(33)
Now after the birth of the ego, man lives in such a way that he adapts
himself to the conditions of the world and of life, and occupies himself
within them, in accordance with the principles active through his ego,—the
sentient,- the intellectual- and the consciousness-soul. Then there comes
a time in which the etheric body retraces the process of its development
from the seventh year onward, in reverse order. At first the astral body
has so developed itself that it unfolds that which was present within it
at birth as a germ. After the birth of the ego, this astral body enriches
itself by experiencing the outer world. Finally, at a definite time, it
begins to nourish itself spiritually by consuming its own etheric body; it
actually lives upon the etheric body. The decay of the physical body in
old age is a consequence of this.
The course of human life therefore falls into three divisions: a time of
unfoldment for the physical and etheric bodies, then one in which the
astral body and the ego develop, and lastly that in which the etheric and
physical bodies are changed back again. But the astral body plays a part
in all the events that take place between birth and death. Since it is
really born in a spiritual sense only between the twelfth and sixteenth
years and must, during man’s declining years, draw upon the forces of the
etheric and physical bodies, that which it is able to perform by its own
powers will develop more slowly than if it were not within a physical and
an etheric body. After death, when the physical and etheric bodies have
fallen away, evolution, during the time of purification, proceeds in such
a manner that it occupies about one-third of the duration of life between
birth and death.
The Higher Regions Of The Spiritual World
By imagination, inspiration, and intuition, supersensible cognition
gradually ascends into those regions of the spiritual world within which
it can reach the beings who have to do with human and cosmic evolution.
And thus it also becomes possible to trace human evolution between death
and a new birth in such a way that it becomes comprehensible. Now there
are still higher regions of existence, which can only be briefly indicated
here. When supersensible cognition has risen to intuition, it lives in a
world of spiritual beings. These too, are evolving. That which concerns
humanity of the present day extends upward, in a certain sense, as far as
the world of intuition. True, man receives impulses from yet higher worlds
in the course of his evolution between death and re-birth. But he does not
experience these impulses directly; they are brought to him by beings
belonging to the spiritual world. And if these are considered, everything
that happens reveals itself to man. But the special conditions of these
beings, that which they themselves require in order to guide human
evolution, can only be observed by means of a cognition that transcends
intuition. We thus have a glimpse of worlds which we must so picture that
within them the most highly spiritual features of the earth are there
among the lowest. Logical decisions, for example, count among the highest
things within the earthly sphere; while the activities of the mineral
kingdom are among the lowest. Now in those higher spheres, logical
decisions correspond to about what the mineral activities are on earth.
Above the domain of intuition, lies the region in which the cosmic plan is
woven out of spiritual causes.
The Principles Of Man
When it is said that the ego works on the human principles, on the
physical, etheric, and astral bodies, and transforms them in reverse order
into Spirit-Self, Life-Spirit, and Spirit-Man, this statement relates to
the work of the ego on the human being by means of the highest faculties,
the development of which was begun only under earthly conditions. But this
transformation is preceded at a lower level by another change, giving rise
to the sentient-, the intellectual- or rational-, and the
consciousness-soul. For while, in the course of human evolution, the
sentient-soul is being formed, changes are taking place in the astral
body; the growth of the intellectual-soul expresses itself in
transformations in the etheric body; and that of the consciousness-soul in
similar transformations in the physical body. Fuller information on this
subject has been given in this book in the accounts of the evolution of
the earth. Thus in a certain sense we may say that the sentient-soul
itself is the result of a transformed astral body, the intellectual- or
rational-soul of a transformed etheric body, and the consciousness-soul of
a transformed physical body. But we may also say that these three
divisions of the soul are parts of the astral body; for example, the
consciousness-soul is only possible because it is an astral entity
existing in a physical body suited to it. It lives an astral life within a
physical body fashioned to be its dwelling place.
The Dream State
A description of the dream state has been given in another chapter of this
book. On the one hand it is to be regarded as a relic of the old
picture-consciousness peculiar to man during the Moon evolution, and also
during a great part of the evolution of the Earth. Evolution goes forward
in such a way that earlier conditions resolve themselves into later ones.
And so, in the dream state, there now appears in man a relic of what was
once his normal condition. But at the same time this condition from
another aspect is different from the old picture-consciousness. For since
its development, the ego also has taken part in those activities of the
astral body which are carried on during sleep in the dream life. Thus
through the presence of the ego there arises in dreams a transformed
picture-consciousness. But since the ego does not consciously exercise its
authority over the astral body during dream life, nothing belonging to the
sphere of that life can be regarded as being really able to lead to a
knowledge of higher worlds in an occult sense. Something similar holds
good with regard to what is often called vision, premonition, or “second
sight.” These arise through silencing the ego and the consequent
appearance of remnants of the old condition of consciousness. In spiritual
science these are of no value. What may be observed in them cannot in any
real sense be regarded as a result of it.
The Attainment Of Supersensible Knowledge
The path to the attainment of knowledge of the higher worlds, which has
been more fully described in this book, may also be called the “direct
path of knowledge.” In addition to this path there is another, which we
may designate as the “path of feeling.” It would be quite a mistake,
however, to believe that the former had nothing to do with the development
of feeling. On the contrary, it leads to the greatest possible deepening
of the life of feeling. But the “path of feeling” addresses itself
directly and solely to the feelings, and seeks from this point to rise to
knowledge. It rests on the fact that when the soul entirely surrenders
itself to a feeling for a certain length of time, the latter is
transformed into knowledge, into imaginative perception. When, for
example, the soul is filled for weeks or months, or even longer, with the
feeling of humility, the content of the feeling becomes transformed into a
perception. Now a path leading to supersensible regions may be found by
devoting oneself to such feelings one by one; but for the man of today,
bound by the ordinary circumstances of life, this is not easily carried
out. Solitude, retirement from the life of the present day, is almost
indispensable. For the impressions of everyday life disturb the soul
especially at the beginning of development, through absorption in certain
feelings. On the other hand, the path of knowledge described in this book
can be pursued in every situation of present-day life.
Observation Of Special Events And Beings In The Spiritual World
The question may be asked whether inner concentration and the other means
described for the attainment of supersensible cognition permit us to
observe only in a general way what happens between death and a new birth
or other spiritual events; or whether they furnish the possibility of
observing quite definite events and beings, as, for example, any given
deceased person. To this we must answer that one who has acquired the
ability to see in the spiritual world by the methods explained, can also
perceive particular events which occur there; he acquires the power of
putting himself in communication with individuals living in the spiritual
world between death and a new birth. It must be observed, however, that in
an occult sense this ought to take place only after the proper training
required for supersensible cognition has been undergone. For not until
then is it possible to distinguish between illusion and reality, in regard
to certain events and beings. A man who tries to observe particular cases
without due instruction, may fall a victim to innumerable deceptions. The
training which leads to the observation in higher worlds of what has been
described in this book, also leads to the ability to trace the post-mortem
life of any special individual, and no less does it lead to the
observation and comprehension of all psycho-spiritual beings who, from the
hidden worlds, work upon the visible ones. Correct observation of
individual cases is only possible, however, on the basis of a knowledge of
the universal great facts of the spiritual world,—facts regarding the
world and humanity which concern every human being. The desire for the one
without the other, leads one into error.
FOOTNOTES
1 We may also say, it could only live the life of a plant in the
physical body.
2 Explanations such as those given in this book regarding the faculty
of memory may very easily be misunderstood. For one who observes
external events only would not at first sight notice the difference
between what happens in the animal, or even in the plant, when
something appears in them resembling memory, and what is here
characterized as actual recollection in man. Of course, when an
animal has performed an action for a third or fourth time it may
perform it in such a way that the outer process gives the impression
that memory and the training associated with it are present. Nay, we
may even extend our conception of memory or of recollection as far
as some naturalists and their disciples, when they point out that
the chicken begins to pick up grain as soon as it comes out of the
shell; that it even knows the proper movements of head and body for
gaining its end. It could not have learned this in the eggshell;
hence it must have done so through the thousands and thousands of
creatures from which it is descended (so says Hering, for example).
We may call the phenomenon before us something resembling memory,
but we shall never arrive at a real comprehension of human nature if
we do not take into account that every distinctive element which
shows itself in the human being as an inner process, as an actual
perception of earlier experiences at a later date, is not merely the
working of earlier conditions in later ones. In this book it is this
perception of what is past that is called memory, not alone the
reappearance (even though transformed) of what once existed, in a
later form. Were we to use the word memory for the corresponding
processes in the vegetable and animal kingdoms, we should be
required to use a different word in speaking of man. In the
description given here the important thing is not the particular
word used, but rather that in attempting to understand human beings
this distinction should be recognized. Just as little do the
apparently very intelligent actions of animals have any relation to
what is _here_ called memory.
3 The term “Verstandesseele” is sometimes translated by “rational
soul.” From a certain point of view one might prefer the term
“intellectual soul,” because it expresses better the activity of the
soul than does “rational soul.” In the latter one thinks of the
knowledge about a perception; in intellectuality, one thinks of the
actual possibility of forming this knowledge through inward
activity. In German the expression “emotional soul” only coincides
as it should with the second member of the soul when the inward
activity is kept in view.
4 No hard and fast line can be drawn between the changes which are
accomplished in the astral body through the activity of the ego and
those taking place in the etheric body. The one merges into the
other. When a man learns something, and thereby gains a certain
capacity for judgment, a change takes place in his astral body; but
when this judgment changes his natural disposition, so that he
habituates himself to _feel_ differently, in consequence of his
learning, from what he did before, this means a change in his
etheric body. Everything that becomes so much a man’s own that he
can always recall it, is based on the transformation of the etheric
body. That which little by little becomes an abiding possession of
the memory has its foundation in the transmission to the etheric
body of the work of the astral body.
5 As a matter of fact, it is always very profitable for any one who is
taking up the study of occult science to acquaint himself with the
statements of those who regard this science as merely fanciful. Such
statements cannot be so easily branded as due to partiality on the
part of the observer. Let occultists learn as much as possible from
those who regard their efforts as nonsense. They need not be
disturbed if in this respect their love is not reciprocated. Occult
observation assuredly does not require such things for the
verification of its results, nor are these allusions intended as
proofs but as illustrations.
6 In current theosophical literature, the condition of the ego from
death to the end of purification is called “Kamaloca.”
7 The assertion that a man’s personal talents, if governed purely by
the law of “heredity,” must show themselves at the beginning of a
line of descent, not at its end, might of course easily be
misunderstood. It might be said, indeed, that they could not show
themselves then, for they must first be developed. But this is no
objection; for if we wish to prove that something has been inherited
from an ancestor, we must show how that which was there formerly is
repeated in a descendant. Now if it were demonstrated that something
existed at the beginning of a genealogical line which reappeared in
its further course, we might speak of heredity. We cannot do so when
something appears at the end of it which was not there before. The
reversal of the above proposition is only to show that the belief in
heredity is impossible.
8 In different chapters of this book it has been shown how the world
of humanity, and man himself, pass, in their progressive evolution,
through conditions which have been named Saturn, Sun, Moon, Earth,
Jupiter, Venus, and Vulcan. The relationship has also been indicated
in which human evolution stands with regard to the celestial bodies
which exist besides the earth and which are called saturn, jupiter,
mars, and so on. These latter planets are also passing through their
evolution in the natural way. At the present period they have
reached such a stage that their physical portions are seen as those
bodies which physical astronomy calls saturn, jupiter, mars, and so
forth. Now when the saturn of the present day is observed by
occultism it is seen to be, in a certain sense, a reincarnation of
the old Saturn. It has come into existence because of the presence
of certain beings, who before the separation of the sun from the
earth were unable, like the others, to leave with the sun. The
reason of this was that they had gained so many qualities which are
suitable for a saturn existence, that their place could not be where
the qualities of the sun were specially unfolded. The present
jupiter, however, arose in consequence of the presence of beings
possessed of qualities which can only be matured on the future
jupiter of the whole evolution. A dwelling place appeared for them
on which they can already begin in anticipation of this later
evolution.
In the same way mars is a planetary body on which dwell beings whose
lunar evolution was such that further progress on the earth could
bring them nothing. Mars is a reincarnation of the old Moon at a
higher stage. The present mercury is the dwelling place of beings
who are beyond the evolution of the earth; but this is just because
they have developed certain qualities in a higher way than is
possible on the earth itself. The present venus is a prophetic
anticipation of the future Venus condition of a similar kind. It is
consequently justifiable to give to the conditions preceding and
following the Earth the names of their corresponding representatives
in the universe.
9 Therefore it is perhaps scarcely necessary to remark that what has
been described above could never actually happen. A contemporary
man, as he is, could not have approached ancient Saturn as a
spectator. The account was given merely for the sake of
illustration.
10 In Christian spiritual science they bear the name of “Kyriotetes,”
that is, “Dominions.”
11 In Christian esoteric science they are called “Thrones.”
12 The Christian “Dynamis,” or “Powers.”
13 The Christian “Exusiai,” or “Authorities.”
14 The Christian “Archai,” or “Principalities.”
15 The Christian “Archangeloi,” or “Archangels.”
16 The Christian “Seraphim.”
17 The Christian “Angeloi,” or “Angels.”
18 The Christian “Cherubim.”
19 The gas appears to clairvoyant consciousness through the effect of
light which emanates from it. We might therefore speak also of light
forms, which are apparent to spiritual vision.
20 In current theosophical literature they are called "rounds." Yet, if
we bear in mind the more graphic description already given, we shall
guard against a too schematic concept of such matters.
21 In the next few pages, Sun and Moon are printed with capital letters
when the _old_ evolutions are referred to, but are printed “sun” and
“moon” when the Earth period is indicated.—_Translator_.
22 Further particulars on this subject will be found in my book,
_Atlantis and Lemuria_, which deals with man’s ancestors.
23 More detailed information about these Mysteries of antiquity is to
be found in my book, “Christianity as Mystical Fact.” More
particulars will be given in the last chapter of the present work.
24 What is to be said further on this subject will be given in a later
chapter dealing with supersensible knowledge.
25 All sagas concerning the twilight of the gods, and similar
traditions, had their origin in this knowledge of the Mysteries in
Europe.
26 It is a matter of no moment whatever whether the above thoughts are
warranted or not by any of the views held by natural science. For
the object is to develop such thoughts about the plant and man as
may—irrespective of all theories—be gained by means of simple and
direct contemplation. Such thoughts are of importance side by side
with no less significant theoretical presentments of things in the
external world; and here the thoughts are not adduced in order to
prove a fact scientifically, but to construct a symbol that shall
prove effective, irrespective of whatever objections may be raised
by this or that person against its construction.
27 In my explanations of “How to attain Knowledge of the Higher
Worlds,” translated under the title of _The Way of Initiation_ and
beginning at Chapter II, several other examples of methods of
meditation are given, and especially efficacious will be found one
which deals with the coming into being and fading away of a plant;
also another may be particularly recommended, based on the dormant
formative power dwelling in the seed of a plant, and others on the
form and structure of crystals, and other substances. But the
purpose in this book was only to show in one instance, the nature of
meditation.
28 Special exercises going into greater detail on this subject may be
found in my book entitled _The Way of Initiation_.
29 It must of course be clearly understood that such an appellation as
“lotus flower” has no more bearing on the matter than has the
expression “wing,” if applied to the lobe of a lung.
30 In my books, entitled “_The Way of Initiation_” and “_Initiation and
Its Results_,” some of these methods of meditation and exercises for
acting upon these different organs are set forth.
31 The appellation “two-petalled” or “sixteen-petalled,” and so on, is
used because the organs in question may be likened to flowers having
a corresponding number of petals.
32 Intuition is in everyday life a much-abused word, which is made to
stand for a vague and uncertain view of a matter; for some sort of
“notion,” which, while it may possibly “hit” the truth, can
nevertheless give no immediate proof of it. It is needless to say
that this kind of intuition is not meant here. Intuition, in this
case, stands for knowledge of the highest and most luminous
clearness, of the justification of which the possessor is, in the
fullest sense, conscious.
33 The suggestive points of view for the conduct of education resulting
from a knowledge of these supersensible facts are presented in my
little book, _The Education of Children from the Standpoint of
Spiritual Science_, in which will be found fuller details of what
can here only be hinted at.