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The Rudolf Steiner Archive

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Search results 2621 through 2630 of 6185

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An Esoteric Cosmology: Foreword
Translated by René M. Querido

Edouard Schuré
I myself had never seen him and did not then even know of his existence, but I had entered into correspondence on the subject of one of my dramas (Les Enfants de Lucifer) with his friend Mademoiselle von Sivers, who later on became his wife and his most understanding colleague. It was she who brought her teacher to my house one happy morning. I shall never forget the extraordinary impression made upon me by this man when he entered the room.
In spite of many gaps and ultimate digressions, this theoretical system of oriental thought which originated in India and derived its name Theosophy from Alexandrian tradition, served to recall to the uninitiated West, the two fundamental tenets of all esoteric tradition: (1) The plurality of the progressive lives of the human soul under the law of karma, and (2) The ascending evolution of man under the influence of spiritual Powers.
Rudolf Steiner sees the constitution of the Earth in the form of nine layers—or rather nine layers embedded one within the other. The eight interior layers under the crust of the Earth represent, as it were, the physiological organs of our planet from which its life emanates and upon which this life depends.
An Esoteric Cosmology: Preafce
Translated by René M. Querido

René M. Querido
1 In 1907 Schuré's Sacred Drama of Eleusis was produced under the direction of Rudolf Steiner at the great Munich Congress of the Theosophical Society. It was on this occasion that Rudolf Steiner said that from this time on, art and occultism should always remain connected.
94. Popular Occultism: Twelfth Lecture 09 Jul 1906, Leipzig

Rudolf Steiner
Every person must be absolutely free to begin the occult development of the soul's powers. But anyone who wants to undergo higher spiritual development must also observe the necessary conditions and submit to them. Sleep is the starting point for the consideration of the development of the spiritual senses.
94. Popular Occultism: Thirteenth Lecture 10 Jul 1906, Leipzig

Rudolf Steiner
When a person has come so far as to create an inner calm within himself, then by delving into such sentences new forces come to life in him. But he must not merely understand these sentences, a love for them must awaken in him. The same applies to magical figures such as pentagrams and so on.
The oriental secret disciple must unconditionally submit to the strict discipline of the guru if he wants to undergo the secret training. He must organize his life accordingly and do many things that he only learns to understand later.
94. Popular Occultism: Fourteenth Lecture 11 Jul 1906, Leipzig

Rudolf Steiner
It should be borne in mind that Christian initiation was undergone by all those who were to teach Christianity from an occult depth, for example, by the priests of the first Christian centuries. These initiations have been preserved for a long time, but they have gradually been somewhat modified, and only in certain narrow circles were these strict exercises still undergone. One should not think that the severity of these exercises can be expected of everyone, but those who submit to them will also attain a high level of knowledge by the Christian path.
It is precisely through Christian initiation that one can gain a true understanding of the earth's inner states. From the occult point of view, there is a connection between human life, layers of the earth, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and so on.
94. Theosophy Based on the Gospel of John: First Lecture 27 Oct 1906, Berlin

Rudolf Steiner
What is really understandable to people today is sensory and intellectual knowledge. In the past, however, people still knew that there is another kind of knowledge.
The Bible believer and the natural scientist do not understand each other at all. They have sought a kind of compromise, trying to understand the whole story of creation allegorically, saying that it is only meant symbolically.
For John, the Christ hidden in Jesus is an outstandingly high personality that can only be understood by soaring to a higher level of knowledge. To understand what is alive in the Gospel of John, it is necessary to recognize the deepest secrets of existence.
94. Theosophy Based on the Gospel of John: Second Lecture 28 Oct 1906, Berlin

Rudolf Steiner
He had no external vision at that time, but a different way of perceiving, in images. To understand this state of consciousness, imagine a very vivid dream that reflects something of your surroundings.
Today's human being has only a very imperfect command of all these. To understand the task of the chela, compare yourself as you are now with yourself when you were ten years old.
There is something that is even more difficult to bring under the control of free will than our habits and emotional stirrings: the physical body in its animal and vegetative, mechanical or reflexive dependency.
94. Theosophy Based on the Gospel of John: Third Lecture 31 Oct 1906, Berlin

Rudolf Steiner
Once we have learned the meaning of human development, we will better understand the main idea of John's gospel. This developmental process of humanity is the theme of the opening chapters. It wants to say, firstly, that it is this Christ Jesus that I want to make you understand. Secondly, the developmental process of all humanity is influenced by this Christ in a very specific way.
At that time, it was of a different nature and served clairvoyance. Under the influence of the sentient soul, the spinal cord was incorporated, which then became the brain under the influence of the mind soul, with the two cords of the spinal cord puffing up and widening at their ends, as it were.
94. Theosophy Based on the Gospel of John: Fourth Lecture 02 Nov 1906, Berlin

Rudolf Steiner
It is only through self-awareness that he rises above the other three realms. Without a thorough understanding of this development, and without understanding what an initiation or awakening is, we cannot penetrate the depths of the Gospel of John.
Jesus answered and said to him: Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. Being under the tree is the occult expression for initiation, the secret of multiplying and expanding consciousness.
The image that this level of initiation expresses is sitting under the tree. You will find this expression everywhere in the occult language. For example, Buddha sits under the Bodhi tree.
94. Theosophy Based on the Gospel of John: Fifth Lecture 03 Nov 1906, Berlin

Rudolf Steiner
But God, who is formless, wanted to be the formless God for them. If we want to understand this process even more precisely, we must now point out another. The I has a long history of development in humanity.
The task of the Jewish people was to carry pure manas into the future. To understand this better, we must step to the edge of a mystery, the fourth of the seven unspeakable mysteries.
When Manas has absorbed the blood and so has Budhi, then we understand the passage in the Gospel of John: “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”

Results 2621 through 2630 of 6185

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