,an ,outline of ,occult ,science ,by ,rudolf ,steiner1 ,ph4,d4 ,authorized ,translation from the ,fourth ,edition 7,newly ,revised7 ,anthropo,sophic ,press ,new ,york #aibb ,,contents ,preface to the ,fourth ,edition4 ,author's ,remarks ,to ,first ,edition ,chapter ,i4 ,the ,character of ,occult ,science ,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,nature of ,man ,chapter ,,iii4 ,sleep and ,death ,chapter ,,iv4 ,the ,evolution of the ,world and ,man ,chapter ,v4 ,knowledge of the ,higher ,worlds ,chapter ,,vi4 ,the ,present and ,future ,evolution of the ,world and of ,humanity ,chapter ,,vii4 ,details from the ,domain of ,occult ,science ,man's ,etheric ,body ,footnotes ,,preface ,,to ,,the ,,fourth ,,edition4 ,one who undertakes to represent certain results of scientific spiritual research of the kind recorded in this book1 must above all things be prepared to find that this kind of investigation is at the present time almost universally regarded as impossible4 ,for things are related in the following pages about which those who are today esteemed exact thinkers1 assert that they will probably remain altogether indeterminable by human intelligence4 ,one who knows and can respect the reasons which prompt many a serious person to assert this impossibility1 would fain make the attempt again and again to show what misunderstandings are really at the bottom of the belief that it is not given to human knowledge to penetrate into the superphysical worlds4 ,for two things present themselves for consideration4 ,first1 no human being will1 on deeper reflection1 be able in the long run to shut his eyes to the fact that his most important questions as to the meaning and significance of life must remain unanswered1 if there be no access to higher worlds4 ,theoretically we may delude ourselves concerning this fact and so get away from it2 the depths of our soul-life1 however1 will not tolerate such self-delusion4 ,the person who will not listen to what comes from these depths of the soul will naturally reject any account of supersensible worlds4 ,there are however people--and their number is not small--who find it impossible to remain deaf to the demands coming from the depths of the soul4 ,they must always be knocking at the gates which1 in the opinion of others1 bar the way to what is 8incomprehensible40 ,secondly1 the statements of 8exact thinkers0 are on no account to be despised4 ,where they have to be taken seriously1 one who occupies himself with them will thoroughly feel and appreciate this seriousness4 ,the writer of this book would not like to be taken for one who lightly disregards the enormous thought-labour which has been expended in determining the limits of the human intellect4 ,this thought-labour cannot be put aside with a few phrases about 8academic wisdom0 and the like4 ,in many cases it has its source in true striving after knowledge and in genuine discernment4 ,indeed1 even more than this must be admitted2 reasons have been brought forward to show that that knowledge which is to-day regarded as scientific cannot penetrate into supersensible worlds1 and these reasons are in a certain sense irrefutable4 ,now it may appear strange to many people that the writer of this book admits this freely1 and yet undertakes to make statements about supersensible worlds4 ,it seems indeed almost impossible that a person should admit in a certain sense the reasons why knowledge of superphysical worlds is unattainable1 and should yet speak about those worlds4 ,yet it is possible to take this attitude1 and at the same time to understand that it impresses others as being inconsistent4 ,it is not given to every one to enter into the experiences we pass through when we approach supersensible realms with the human intellect4 ,then it turns out that intellectual proofs may certainly be irrefutable1 and that notwithstanding this1 they need not be decisive with regard to reality4 ,instead of all sorts of theoretical explanations1 let us now try to make this comprehensible by a comparison4 ,that comparisons are not in themselves proofs is readily admitted1 but this does not prevent their often making intelligible what has to be expressed4 ,human understanding1 as it works in everyday life and in ordinary science1 is actually so constituted that it cannot penetrate into superphysical worlds4 ,this may be proven beyond the possibility of denial4 ,but this proof can have no more value for a certain kind of soul-life than the proof one would use in showing that man's natural eye cannot1 with its visual faculty1 penetrate to the smallest cells of a living being1 or to the constitution of far-off celestial bodies4 ,just as the assertion is true and demonstrable that the ordinary power of seeing does not penetrate as far as the cells1 so also is the other assertion which maintains that ordinary knowledge cannot penetrate into supersensible worlds4 ,and yet the proof that the ordinary power of vision has to stop short of the cells in no way excludes the investigation of cells4 ,why should the proof that the ordinary power of cognition has to stop short of supersensible worlds1 decide anything against the possibility of investigating those worlds8 ,one can well sense the feeling which this comparison may evoke in many people4 ,one can even understand that he who doubts and holds the above comparison against this labor of thought1 does not even faintly sense the whole seriousness of that mental effort4 ,and yet the present writer is not only fully convinced of that seriousness1 but is of opinion that that work of thought may be numbered among the noblest achievements of humanity4 ,to show that the human power of vision cannot perceive the cellular structure without the help of instruments1 would surely be a useless undertaking2 but in exact thinking1 to become conscious of the nature of that thought is a necessary work of the mind4 ,it is only natural that one who devotes himself to such work1 should not notice that reality may refute him4 ,the preface to this book can be no place for entering into many 8refutations0 of former editions1 put forth by those who are entirely devoid of appreciation of that for which it strives1 or who direct their unfounded attacks against the personality of the author2 but it must1 none the less1 be emphasized that belittling of serious scientific thought in this book can only be imputed to the author by one who wishes to shut himself off from the spirit of what is expressed in it4 ,man's power of cognition may be augmented and made more powerful1 just as the eye's power of vision may be augmented4 ,only the means for strengthening the capacity of cognition are entirely of a spiritual nature2 they are inner processes1 belonging purely to the soul4 ,they consist of what is described in this book as meditation and concentration 7contemplation74 ,ordinary soul-life is bound up with the bodily instrument2 the strengthened soul-life liberates itself from it4 ,there are schools of thought at the present time to which this assertion must appear quite senseless1 to which it must seem based only upon self-delusion4 ,those who think in this way will find it easy1 from their point of view1 to prove that 8all soul-life0 is bound up with the nervous system4 ,one who holds the standpoint from which this book has been written1 can thoroughly understand such proofs4 ,he understands people who say that only superficiality can assert that there may be some kind of soul-life independent of the body1 and who are quite convinced that in such experiences of the soul there exists a connection with the life of the nervous system1 which the 8dilettantism of occult science0 merely fails to detect4 ,here certain quite comprehensible habits of thought are in such sharp contradiction to what has been described in this book1 that there is as yet no prospect of coming to an understanding with many people4 ,it is here that we come to the point where the desire must arise that it should no longer be a characteristic of our present day culture to at once decry as fanciful or visionary a method of research which differs from its own4 ,but on the other hand it is also a fact at the present time that a number of people can appreciate the supersensible method of research1 as it is presented in this book1 people who understand that the meaning of life is not revealed in general phrases about the soul1 self1 and so on1 but can only result from really entering into the facts of superphysical research4 ,not from lack of modesty1 but with a sense of joyful satisfaction1 does the author of this book feel profoundly the necessity for this fourth edition after a comparatively short time4 ,the author is not prompted to this statement by lack of modesty1 for he is entirely too conscious of how little even this new edition approaches that 8outline of a supersensuous world concept0 which it is meant to be4 ,the whole book has once more been revised for the new edition1 much supplementary matter has been inserted at important points1 and elucidations have been attempted4 ,but in numerous passages the author has realized how poor the means of presentation accessible to him prove to be in comparison with what superphysical research discovers4 ,thus it was scarcely possible to do more than point out the way in which to reach conceptions of the events described in this book as the ,saturn1 ,sun1 and ,moon evolutions4 ,an important aspect of this subject has been briefly remodelled in this edition4 ,but experiences in relation to such things diverge so widely from all experiences in the realm of the senses1 that their presentation necessitates a continual striving after expressions which may be1 at least in some measure1 adequate4 ,one who is willing to enter into the attempted presentation which has here been made1 will perhaps notice that in the case of many things which cannot possibly be expressed by mere words1 the endeavour has been made to convey them by the manner of the description4 ,this manner is1 for instance1 different in the account of the ,saturn evolution from that used for the ,sun evolution1 and so on4 ,much complementary and additional matter has been inserted in this edition in the part dealing with 8,perception of the ,higher ,worlds40 ,the endeavour has been made to represent in a graphic way the kind of inner soul-processes by which the power of cognition liberates itself from the limits which confine it in the world of sense and thereby becomes qualified for experiencing the supersensible world4 ,the attempt has been made to show that these experiences1 even though gained by entirely inner ways and methods1 still do not have a merely subjective significance for the particular individual who gains them4 ,the description attempts to show that within the soul stripped of its individuality and personal peculiarities1 an experience takes place which every human being may have in the same way1 if he will only work at his development from out his subjective experiences4 ,it is only when 8knowledge of supersensible worlds0 is thought of as bearing this character that it may be differentiated from old experiences of merely subjective mysticism4 ,of this mysticism it may be said that it is after all more or less a subjective concern of the mystic4 ,the scientific spiritual training of the soul1 however1 as it is described here1 strives for objective experiences1 the truth of which1 although recognized in an entirely inner way1 may yet1 for that very reason1 be found to be universally valid4 ,this again is a point on which it is very difficult to come to an understanding concerning many of the habits of thought of our time4 ,in conclusion1 the author would like to observe that it would be well if even the sympathetic reader of the book would take its statements exactly as they stand4 ,at the present time there is a very prevalent tendency to give this or that spiritual movement an historical name1 and to many it is only such a name that seems to make it valuable4 ,but1 it may be asked1 what would the statements in this book gain by being designated 8,rosicrucian10 or anything else of the kind8 ,what is of importance is that in this book a glimpse into supersensible worlds is attempted with the means which in our present period of evolution are possible and suitable for the human soul2 and that from this point of view the problems of human destiny and human existence are considered beyond the limits of birth and death4 ,it is not a question of an endeavor which shall bear this or that old name1 but of a striving after truth4 ,on the other hand1 expressions have also been used1 with hostile intention1 for the conception of the universe presented in this book4 ,leaving out of account that those which were intended to strike and discredit the author most heavily are absurd and objectively untrue1 these expressions are stamped as unworthy by the fact that they disparage a fully independent search for truth2 because the aggressors do not judge it on its own merits1 but try to impose on others1 as a judgment of these investigations1 erroneous ideas about their dependence upon this or that tradition1--ideas which they have invented1 or adopted from others without reason4 ,however necessary these words are in face of the many attacks on the author1 it is yet repugnant to him in this place to enter further into the matter4 ,,rudolf ,,steiner ,june1 #aiac4 ,,author',s ,,remarks ,,to ,,first ,,edition ,in placing a book such as this in the hands of the public1 the writer must calmly anticipate every kind of criticism regarding his work which is likely to arise in the present day4 ,a reader1 for instance1 whose opinions are based upon the results of scientific research1 after noting certain statements made here touching these things1 may pronounce the following judgment3 8,it is astounding that such statements should be possible in our time4 ,the most elementary conceptions of natural science are distorted in such a manner as to denote positively inconceivable ignorance of even the rudiments of science4 ,the author uses such terms1 for instance1 as #8heat' in a way that would lead one to infer that he had let the entire wave of modern thought on the subject of physics sweep past him unperceived4 ,any one familiar with the mere elements of this science would show him that not even the merest dilettante could have made these statements1 and they can only be dismissed as the outcome of rank ignorance40 ,this and many a similar verdict might be pronounced1 and we can picture our reader1 after the perusal of a page or two1 laying the book aside1--smiling or indignant1 according to his temperament1--and reflecting on the singular growths which a perverse tendency of thought may put forth in our time4 ,so thinking1 he will lay this volume aside1 with his collection of similar freaks of the brain4 ,what1 however1 would the author say should such opinions come to his knowledge8 ,would he not1 from his point of view1 also set the critic down as incapable of judgment or1 at least1 as one who has not chosen to bring his good will to bear in forming an intelligent opinion8 ,to this the answer is most emphatically--,no6 ,in no sense whatever does the author feel this1 for he can easily conceive of his critic as being not only a highly intelligent man1 but also a trained scientist1 and one whose opinions are the result of conscientious thought4 ,the author of this book is able to enter into the feelings of such a person and to understand the reasons which have led him to form these conclusions4 ,now1 in order to comprehend what the author really means1 it is necessary to do here what generally seems to him to be out of place1 but for which there is urgent cause in the case of this book1 namely1 to introduce certain personal data4 ,of course1 nothing will be said in this connection but what bears upon the author's decision to write this book4 ,what is said in it could not be justified if it bore merely a personal character4 ,a book of this kind is bound to proffer views to which any person may attain1 and these views must be presented in such a way as to suggest no shade of the personal element1 that is1 as far as such a thing is possible4 ,it is therefore not in this sense that the personal note is sounded4 ,it is only intended to explain how it was possible for the author to understand the above characterized opinions concerning his presentations1 and yet was able to write this book4 ,it is true there is one method which would have made the introduction of the personal element unnecessary--this would have been to specify in detail all those particulars which would show that the statements here made are in agreement with the progress of modern science4 ,this course would1 however1 have necessitated the writing of many volumes1 and as such a task is at present out of the question1 the writer feels it necessary to state the personal reasons which he believes justify him in thinking such an agreement thoroughly possible and satisfactory4 ,were he not in a position to make the following explanations1 he would most certainly never have gone so far as to publish such statements as those referring to heat processes4 ,some thirty years ago the author had the opportunity of studying physics in its various branches4 ,at that time the central point of interest in the sphere of heat phenomena was the promulgation of the so-called 8,mechanical ,theory of ,heat10 and it happened that this theory so particularly engrossed his attention that the historical development of the various interpretations associated with the names of ,julius ,robert ,mayer1 ,helmholtz1 ,joule1 ,clausius1 and others1 formed the subject of his continuous study4 ,during that period of concentrated work he laid those foundations which have enabled him to follow all the actual advances since made with regard to the theory of physical heat1 without experiencing any difficulty in penetrating into what science is achieving in this department4 ,had he been obliged to confess himself unable to do this1 the writer would have had good reason for leaving unsaid and unwritten much that has been brought forward in this book4 ,he has made it a matter of conscience1 when writing or speaking on occult science1 to deal only with matters on which he could also report1 in what seemed an adequate manner1 the views held by modern science4 ,with this1 however1 he does not wish in the least to give the impression that this is always a necessary prerequisite4 ,any one may feel a call to communicate or to publish whatever his judgment1 his sense of truth1 and his feelings may prompt him to1 even if he is ignorant of the attitude taken by contemporary science in the matter4 ,the writer wishes to indicate merely that he holds to the pronouncements he has made4 ,for instance1 he would never have written those few sentences on the human glandular system1 nor those regarding man's nervous system1 contained in this volume1 were he not in a position to discuss both subjects in the terms used by the modern scientist1 when speaking of the glandular and nervous systems from the standpoint of science4 ,in spite of the fact that it may be said that he who speaks concerning 8heat10 as is done here1 knows nothing of the elements of modern physics1 yet the author feels himself quite justified1 because he believes that he knows present day research along those lines1 and because if it were unknown to him1 he would have left the subject alone4 ,he knows that such utterances may be ascribed to lack of modesty1 but it is necessary to declare his true motives1 lest they should be confounded with others of a very different nature1 a result infinitely worse than a verdict of mere vanity4 ,he who reads this book as a philosopher1 may well ask himself1 8,has this author been asleep to present day research in the field of the theory of cognition8 ,had he never heard of the existence of a man called ,kant80 this philosopher might ask1 8and did he not know that according to this man it was simply inadmissible1 from a philosophic point of view1 to put forward such statements80 and so on1 while in conclusion he might remark that stuff of so uncritical1 childish1 and unprofessional a nature should not be tolerated among philosophers1 and that any further investigation would be waste of time4 ,however1 here again1 for reasons already advanced and at the risk of being again misinterpreted1 the writer would fain introduce certain personal experiences4 ,his studies of ,kant date from his sixteenth year1 and he really believes he is now capable of criticizing quite objectively1 from the ,kantian point of view1 everything that has been put forward in this book4 ,on this account1 too1 he might have left this book unwritten were he not fully aware of what moves a philosopher to pass the verdict of 8childishness0 whenever the critical standard of the day is applied4 ,yet one may actually know that in the ,kantian sense the limits of possible knowledge are here exceeded3 one may know in what way ,herbart 7who never arrived at an 8arrangement of ideas07 would discover his 8naive realism40 ,one may even know the degree to which the modern pragmatism of ,james and ,schiller and others would find the bounds of 8true presentments0 transgressed--those presentments which we are able to make our own1 to vindicate1 enforce1 and to verify4 ,we may know all these things and yet1 for this very reason1 feel justified in holding the views here presented4 ,the writer has dealt with the tendencies of philosophic thought in his works3 8,the ,theory of ,cognition of ,goethe's ,world-,concept02 8,truth and ,science02 8,philosophy of ,freedom02 8,goethe's ,world ,concept0 and 8,views of the ,world and ,life in the ,nineteenth ,century40 ,many other criticisms might be suggested4 ,any one who had read some of the writer's earlier works3 8,views of the ,world and ,life in the ,nineteenth ,century10 for instance1 or a smaller work on ,haeckel and his ,opponents1 might think it incredible that one and the same man could have written those books as well as the present work and also his already published 8,theosophy40 8,how10 he might ask1 8can a man throw himself into the breach for ,haeckel1 and then1 turn around and discredit every sound theory concerning monism that is the outcome of ,haeckel's researches80 ,he might understand the author of this book attacking ,haeckel 8with fire and sword02 but it passes the limits of comprehension that1 besides defending him1 he should actually have dedicated 8,views of the ,world and ,life in the ,nineteenth ,century0 to him4 ,haeckel1 it might be thought1 would have emphatically declined the dedication had he known that the author was shortly to produce such stuff as ,an ,outline of ,occult ,science1 with all its unwieldy dualism4 ,the writer of this book is of the opinion that one may very well understand ,haeckel without being bound to consider everything else as nonsense which does not flow directly from ,haeckel's own presentments and premises4 ,the author is further of the opinion that ,haeckel cannot be understood by attacking him with 8fire and sword10 but by trying to grasp what he has done for science4 ,least of all does he hold those opponents of ,haeckel to be in the right1 against whom he has in his book1 ,haeckel and his ,opponents1 sought to defend the great naturalist2 for surely1 the fact of his having gone beyond ,haeckel's premises by placing the spiritual conception of the world side by side with the merely natural one conceived by ,haeckel1 need be no reason for assuming that he was of one mind with the latter's opponents4 ,any one taking the trouble to look at the matter in the right light must see that the writer's recent books are in perfect accord with those of an earlier date4 ,but the author can also conceive of a critic who in general and offhand looks upon the presentations of this book as the out-pourings of a fantasy run wild or as dreamy thought-pictures4 ,yet all that can be said in this respect is contained in the book itself1 and it is explicitly shown that sane and earnest thought not only can but must be the touch-stone of all the facts presented4 ,only one who submits what is here advanced to logical and adequate examination1 such as is applied to the facts of natural science1 will be in a position to decide for himself how much reason has to say in the matter4 ,after saying this much about those who may at first be inclined to take exception to this work1 we may perhaps be permitted to address a few words to those on whose sympathetic attention we can rely4 ,these will find all broad essentials contained in the first chapter1 8,concerning the ,nature of ,occult ,science40 ,a word1 however1 must here be added4 ,although this book deals with investigations carried beyond the confines of intellect limited to the world of the senses1 yet nothing has been asserted except what can be grasped by any person possessed of unprejudiced reasoning powers backed by a healthy sense of truth1 and who is at the same time willing to turn these gifts to the best account2 and the writer emphatically wishes it to be understood that he hopes to appeal to readers who will not be content with merely accepting on 8blind faith0 the matters presented1 but who will take the trouble to test them by the light of their own understanding and by the experiences of their own lives4 ,above all1 he desires cautious readers1 who will allow themselves to be convinced only by what can be logically justified4 ,the writer is well aware that his work would be worth nothing were its value to rest on blind belief2 it is valuable only in the degree to which it can be justified by unbiased reason4 ,it is an easy thing for 8blind faith0 to confound folly and superstition with truth1 and doubtless many1 who have been content to accept the supersensible on mere faith1 will be inclined to think that this book makes too great demands upon their powers of thought4 ,it is not a question of merely making certain communications1 but rather of presenting them in a manner consistent with a conscientious view of the corresponding plane of life2 for this is the plane upon which the loftiest matters are often handled with unscrupulous charlatanism1 and where knowledge and superstition come into such close contact as to be liable to be confused one with the other4 ,any one acquainted with supersensual research will1 on reading this book1 be able to see that the author has sought to define the boundary line sharply between what can be communicated now from the sphere of supersensible cognition1 and that which will be given out1 at a later time1 or at least1 in a different form4 ,,rudolf ,,steiner ,december1 #aiji4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,character ,,of ,,occult ,,science ,at the present time the words 8occult science0 are apt to arouse the most varied feelings4 ,upon some people they work like a magic charm1 like the announcement of something to which they feel attracted by the innermost powers of their soul2 to others there is in the words something repellent1 calling forth contempt1 derision1 or a compassionate smile4 ,by many1 occult science is looked upon as a lofty goal of human effort1 the crown of all other knowledge and cognition2 others1 who are devoting themselves with the greatest earnestness and noble love of truth to that which appears to them true science1 deem occult science mere idle dreaming and fantasy1 in the same category with what is called superstition4 ,to some1 occult science is like a light without which life would be valueless2 to others1 it represents a spiritual danger1 calculated to lead astray immature minds and weak souls1 while between these two extremes is to be found every possible intermediate shade of opinion4 ,strange feelings are awakened in one who has attained a certain impartiality of judgment in regard to occult science1 its adherents and its opponents1 when one sees how people1 undoubtedly possessed of a genuine feeling for freedom in many matters1 become intolerant when they meet with this particular line of thought4 ,and an unprejudiced observer will scarcely fail in this case to admit that what attracts many adherents of occult science--or occultism--is nothing but the fatal craving for what is unknown and mysterious1 or even vague4 ,and he will also be ready to own that there is much cogency in the reasons put forward against what is fantastic and visionary by serious opponents of the cause in question4 ,in fact1 one who studies occult science will do well not to lose sight of the fact that the impulse toward the mysterious leads many people on a vain chase after worthless and dangerous will-o'-the-wisps4 ,even though the occult scientist keeps a watchful eye on all errors and vagaries on the part of adherents of his views1 and on all justifiable antagonism1 yet there are reasons which hold him back from the immediate defence of his own efforts and aspirations4 ,these reasons will become apparent to any one entering more deeply into occult science4 ,it would therefore be superfluous to discuss them here4 ,if they were cited before the threshold of this science had been crossed1 they would not suffice to convince one who1 held back by irresistible repugnance1 refuses to cross that threshold4 ,but to one who effects an entry1 the reasons will soon manifest themselves1 with unmistakable clearness from within4 ,this much1 however1 implies that the reasons in question point to a certain attitude as the only right one for an occult scientist4 ,he avoids1 as much as he possibly can1 any kind of outer defence or conflict1 and lets the cause speak for itself4 ,he simply puts forward occult science2 and in what it has to say about various matters1 he shows how his knowledge is related to other departments of life and science1 what antagonism it may encounter1 and in what way reality stands witness to the truth of his cognitions4 ,he knows that an attempted vindication would1--not merely on account of current defective thinking but by virtue of a certain inner necessity1--lead into the domain of artful persuasion2 and he desires nothing else than to let occult science work its own way quite independently4 ,the first point in occult science is by no means the advancing of assertions or opinions which are to be proven1 but the communication1 in a purely narrative form1 of experiences which are to be met with in a world other than the one that is to be seen with physical eyes and touched with physical hands4 ,and further1 it is an important point that through this science the methods are described by which man may verify for himself the truth of such communications4 ,for one who makes a serious study of genuine occult science will soon find that thereby much becomes changed in the conceptions and ideas which are formed--and rightly formed--in other spheres of life4 ,a wholly new conception necessarily arises also about what has hitherto been called a 8proof40 ,we come to see that in certain domains such a word loses its usual meaning1 and that there are other grounds for insight and understanding than 8proofs0 of this kind4 ,all occult science is born from two thoughts1 which may take root in any human being4 ,to the occult scientist these thoughts express facts which may be experienced if the right methods for the purpose are used4 ,but to many people these same thoughts represent highly disputable assertions1 which may arouse fierce contention1 even if they are not regarded as something which may be 8proven0 impossible4 ,these two thoughts are1 first1 that behind the visible world there is another1 the world invisible1 which is hidden from the senses and also from thought that is fettered by these senses2 and secondly1 that it is possible for man to penetrate into that unseen world by developing certain faculties dormant within him4 ,some will say that there is no such hidden world4 ,the world perceived by man through his senses is the only one4 ,its enigmas can be solved out of itself4 ,even if man is still very far from being able to answer all the questions of existence1 the time will certainly come when sense-experience and the science based upon it will be able to give the answers to all such questions4 ,others say that it cannot be asserted that there is no unseen world behind the visible one1 but that human powers of perception are not able to penetrate into that world4 ,those powers have bounds which they cannot pass4 ,faith1 with its urgent cravings1 may take refuge in such a world2 but true science1 based on ascertained facts1 can have nothing to do with it4 ,a third class looks upon it as a kind of presumption for man to attempt to penetrate1 by his own efforts of cognition1 into a domain with regard to which he should give up all claim to knowledge and be content with faith4 ,the adherents of this view feel it to be wrong for weak human beings to wish to force their way into a world which should belong to religious life4 ,it is also alleged that a common knowledge of the facts of the sense-world is possible for mankind1 but that in regard to supersensible things it can be merely a question of the individual's personal opinion1 and that in these matters there can be no possibility of a certainty universally recognized4 ,and many other assertions are made on the subject4 ,the occult scientist has convinced himself that a consideration of the visible world propounds enigmas to man which can never be solved out of the facts of that world itself4 ,their solution in this way will never be possible1 however far advanced a knowledge of those facts may be4 ,for visible facts plainly point1 through their own inner nature1 to the existence of a hidden world4 ,one who does not see this closes his eyes to the problems which obviously spring up everywhere out of the facts of the sense-world4 ,he refuses to recognize certain questions and problems1 and therefore thinks that all questions can be answered through facts within reach of sense perception4 ,the questions which he is willing to ask are all capable of being answered by the facts which he is convinced will be discovered in the course of time4 ,every genuine occultist admits this4 ,but why should one1 when he asks no questions1 expect answers on certain subjects8 ,the occult scientist says that to him such questioning is natural1 and must be regarded as a wholly justifiable expression of the human soul4 ,science is surely not to be confined within limits which prohibit impartial inquiry4 ,the opinion that there are bounds to human knowledge which it is impossible to pass1 compelling man to stop short of the invisible world1 is thus met by the occult scientist3 he says that there can exist no doubt concerning the impossibility of penetrating into the unseen world by means of the kind of cognition here meant4 ,one who considers it the only kind can come to no other opinion than that man is not permitted to penetrate into a possibly existing higher world4 ,but the occult scientist goes on to say that it is possible to develop a different sort of cognition1 and that this leads into the unseen world4 ,if this kind of cognition is held to be impossible1 we arrive at a point of view from which any mention of an invisible world appears as sheer nonsense4 ,but to an unbiased judgment there can be no basis for such an opinion as this1 except that its adherent is a stranger to that other kind of cognition4 ,but how can a person form an opinion about a subject of which he declares himself ignorant8 ,occult science must in this case maintain the principle that people should speak only of what they know1 and should not make assertions about anything of which they are ignorant4 ,it can only recognize every man's right to communicate his own experiences1 not every man's right to declare the impossibility of what he does not1 or will not1 know4 ,the occult scientist disputes no one's right to ignore the invisible world2 but there can be no real reason why a person should declare himself an authority1 not only on what he may know1 but also on things considered unknowable4 ,to those who say that it is presumption to penetrate into unseen regions1 the occult scientist would merely point out that this can be done1 and that it is sinning against the faculties with which man has been endowed if he allows them to waste instead of developing and using them4 ,but he who thinks that views about the unseen world are necessarily wholly dependent on personal opinion and feeling is denying the common essence of all human beings4 ,even though it is true that every one must find light on these things within himself1 it is also a fact that all those1 who go far enough1 arrive at the same1 not at different conclusions regarding them4 ,differences exist only as long as people will not approach the highest truths by the well-tested path of occult science1 but attempt ways of their own choosing4 ,genuine occult science will certainly fully admit that only one who has followed1 or at any rate has begun to follow the path of occult science1 is in a position to recognize it as the right one4 ,but all those who follow that path will recognize its genuineness1 and have always done so4 ,the path to occult knowledge will be found1 at the fitting moment1 by every human being who discerns in what is visible the presence of something invisible1 or who even but dimly surmises or divines it1 and who1 from his consciousness that powers of cognition are capable of development1 is driven to the feeling that what is hidden may be unveiled to him4 ,one who is drawn to occult science by such experiences of the soul will find opening up before him1 not only the prospect of finding the answers to certain questions which press upon him1 but the further prospect of overcoming everything which hampers and enfeebles his life4 ,and in a certain higher sense it implies a weakening of life1 in fact a death of the soul1 when a person is compelled to turn away from1 or to deny1 the unseen4 ,indeed1 under certain circumstances despair is the result of a man's losing all hope of having the invisible revealed to him4 ,this death and despair1 in their manifold forms1 are at the same time inner spiritual foes of occult science4 ,they make their appearance when a person's inner force is dwindling away4 ,in that case1 if he is to possess any vital force it must be supplied to him from without4 ,he perceives the things1 beings1 and events which approach his organs of sense1 and analyzes them with his intellect4 ,they afford him pleasure and pain1 and impel him to the actions of which he is capable4 ,for a while he may go on in this way3 but at length he must reach a point at which he inwardly dies4 ,for that which may thus be extracted for man from the outer world1 becomes exhausted4 ,this is not a statement arising from the personal experience of one individual1 but something resulting from an impartial survey of the whole of human life4 ,that which secures life from exhaustion lies in the unseen world1 deep at the roots of things4 ,if a person loses the power of descending into those depths so that he cannot be perpetually drawing fresh vitality from them1 then in the end the outer world of things also ceases to yield him anything of a vivifying nature4 ,it is by no means the case that only the individual and his personal weal and woe are concerned4 ,through occult science man gains the conviction that from a higher standpoint the weal and woe of the individual are intimately bound up with the weal and woe of the whole world4 ,this is a means by which man comes to see that he is inflicting an injury on the entire world and every being within it1 if he does not develop his own powers in the right way4 ,if a man makes his life desolate by losing touch with the unseen1 he not only destroys in his inner self something1 the decay of which may eventually drive him to despair1 but through his weakness he constitutes a hindrance to the evolution of the whole world in which he lives4 ,now man may delude himself4 ,he may yield to the belief that there is nothing invisible1 and that that which is manifest to his senses and intellect contains everything which can possibly exist4 ,but such an illusion is only possible on the surface of consciousness and not in its depths4 ,feeling and desire do not yield to this delusive belief4 ,they will be perpetually craving1 in one way or another1 for that which is invisible4 ,and if this is withheld1 they drive man to doubt1 to uncertainty about life1 or even to despair4 ,occult science1 by making manifest what is unseen1 is calculated to overcome all hopelessness1 uncertainty1 and despair1--everything1 in short1 which weakens life and makes it unfit for its necessary service in the universe4 ,the beneficent effect of occult science is that it not only satisfies thirst for knowledge but gives strength and stability to life4 ,the source whence the occult scientist draws his power for work and his confidence in life is inexhaustible4 ,any one who has once had recourse to that fount will always1 on revisiting it1 go forth with renewed vigour4 ,there are people who will not hear anything about occult science1 because they think they discern something unhealthy in what has just been said4 ,these people are quite right as regards the surface and outer aspect of life4 ,they do not desire that to be stunted1 which life1 in its so-called reality1 offers4 ,they see weakness in man's turning away from reality and seeking his welfare in an unseen world which to them is synonymous with what is chimerical and visionary4 ,if as occult scientists we do not desire to fall into morbid dreaming and weakness1 we must admit that such objections are partially justified4 ,for they are founded upon sound judgment1 which leads to a half truth instead of a whole truth merely because it does not penetrate to the roots of things1 but remains on the surface4 ,if occult science were calculated to weaken life and estrange man from true reality1 such objections would certainly be strong enough to cut the ground from under the feet of those who follow this spiritual line of life4 ,but even in regard to such opinions as these1 occult science would not be taking the right course in defending itself in the ordinary sense of the word4 ,even in this case it can only speak by means of what it gives to those who really penetrate into its meaning1 that is1 by the real force and vitality which it bestows4 ,it does not weaken life1 but strengthens it1 because it equips man not only with the forces of the manifest world but with those of the invisible world of which the manifest is the effect4 ,thus it does not imply an impoverishment1 but an enrichment1 of life4 ,the true occult scientist does not stand aloof from the world1 but is a lover of reality1 because he does not desire to enjoy the unseen in a remote dream-world1 but finds his happiness in bringing to the world ever fresh supplies of force from the invisible sources from whence this very world is derived1 and from which it must be continually fructified4 ,some people find many obstacles when they enter upon the path of occult science4 ,one of these is expressed in the fact1 that a person1 attempting to take the first steps1 is sometimes discouraged because at the outset he is introduced to the details of the supersensible world1 in order that he may1 with entire patience and devotion1 become acquainted with them4 ,a series of communications is made to him concerning the invisible nature of man1 about certain definite occurrences in the kingdom of which death opens the portals1 and regarding the evolutions of man1 the earth1 and the entire solar system4 ,what he expected was to enter the supersensible world easily1 at a bound4 ,now he is heard to say3 8,everything which ,i am told to study is food for my mind1 but leaves my soul cold4 ,i am seeking the deepening of my soul-life4 ,i want to find myself within4 ,i am seeking something that will lift my soul into the sphere of the divine1 leading it to its true home2 ,i do not want information about the human being and world-processes40 ,people who talk in this way have no idea that by such feelings they are barring the door to what they are really seeking4 ,for it is just when1 and only when1 with a free and open mind1 in self-surrender and patience1 they assimilate what they call 8merely0 food for the intellect1 that they will find that for which their souls are athirst4 ,that road leads the soul to union with the divine1 which brings to the soul knowledge of the works of the divine4 ,the uplifting of the heart is the result of learning to know about the creations of the spirit4 ,on this account occult science must begin by imparting the information which throws light on the realms of the spiritual world4 ,so too1 in this book1 we shall begin with what can be unveiled concerning unseen worlds through the methods of occult research4 ,that which is mortal in man1 and that which is immortal1 will be described in their connection with the world1 of which he is a member4 ,then will follow a description of the methods by which man is able to develop those powers of cognition latent within him1 which will lead him into that world4 ,as much will be said about the methods as is at present possible in a work of this kind4 ,it seems natural to think that these methods should be dealt with first4 ,for it seems as though the main point would be to acquaint man with what may bring him1 by means of his own powers1 to the desired view of the higher world4 ,many may say1 8,of what use is it for me that others tell me what they know about higher worlds8 ,i wish to see them for myself40 ,the fact of the matter is that for really fruitful experience of the mysteries of the unseen world1 previous knowledge of certain facts belonging to that world is absolutely necessary4 ,why this is so1 will be sufficiently brought out from what follows4 ,it is a mistake to think that the truths of occult science which are imparted by those qualified to communicate them1 before mention is made of the means of penetrating into the spiritual world itself1 can be understood and grasped only by means of the higher vision which results from developing certain powers latent in man4 ,this is not the case4 ,for investigating and discovering the mysteries of a supersensible world1 that higher sight is essential4 ,no one is able to discover the facts of the unseen world without the clairvoyance which is synonymous with that higher vision4 ,when however1 the facts have been discovered and imparted1 every one who applies to them the full range of his ordinary intellect and unprejudiced powers of judgment1 will be able to understand them and to rise to a high degree of conviction concerning them4 ,one who maintains that the mysteries are incomprehensible to him1 does not do so because he is not yet clairvoyant1 but because he has not yet succeeded in bringing into activity those powers of cognition which may be possessed by every one1 even without clairvoyance4 ,a new method of putting forward these matters consists in so describing them1 after they have been clairvoyantly investigated1 that they are quite accessible to the faculty of judgment4 ,if only people do not shut themselves off by prejudice1 there is no obstacle to arriving at a conviction1 even without higher vision4 ,it is true that many will find that the new method of presentment1 as given in this book1 is far from corresponding to their customary ways of forming an opinion4 ,but any objection due to this will soon disappear if one takes the trouble to follow out these customary methods to their final consequences4 ,when1 by an extended application of ordinary thought1 a certain number of the higher mysteries have been assimilated and found intelligible by any one1 then the right moment has come for the methods of occult research to be applied to his individual personality3--these will give him access to the unseen world4 ,nor will any genuine scientist be able to find contradiction1 in spirit and in truth1 between his science1 which is built upon the facts of the sense-world1 and the way in which occult science carries on its researches4 ,the scientist uses certain instruments and methods4 ,he constructs his instruments by working upon what 8nature0 gives him4 ,occult science also uses an instrument1 but in this case the instrument is man himself4 ,and that instrument too must first be prepared for that higher research4 ,the faculties and powers given to man by nature at the outset without his co-operation1 must be transformed into higher ones4 ,in this way man is able to make himself into an instrument for the investigation of the unseen world4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,man ,with the consideration of man in the light of occult science1 what this signifies in general1 immediately becomes evident4 ,it rests upon the recognition of something hidden behind that which is revealed to the outer senses and to the intellect acquired through perception4 ,these senses and this intellect can apprehend only a part of all that which occult science unveils as the total human entity1 and this part is the physical body4 ,in order to throw light upon its conception of this physical body1 occult science at first directs attention to a phenomenon which confronts all observers of life like a great riddle1--the phenomenon of death1--and in connection with it1 points to so-called inanimate nature1 the mineral kingdom4 ,we are thus referred to facts1 which it devolves on occult science to explain1 and to which an important part of this work must be devoted4 ,but to begin with1 only a few points will be touched upon1 by way of orientation4 ,within manifested nature the physical body1 according to occult science1 is that part of man which is of the same nature as the mineral kingdom4 ,on the other hand1 that which distinguishes man from minerals is considered as not being part of the physical body4 ,from the occult point of view1 what is of supreme importance is the fact that death separates the human being from that which1 during life1 is of like nature with the mineral world4 ,occult science points to the dead body as that part of man which is to be found existing in the same way in the mineral kingdom4 ,it lays strong emphasis upon the fact that in this principle of the human being1 which it looks upon as the physical body1 and which death reduces to a corpse1 the same materials and forces are at work as in the mineral realm2 but no less emphasis is laid upon the fact that at death disintegration of the physical body sets in4 ,occult science therefore says3 8,it is true that the same materials and forces are at work in the physical body as in the mineral1 but during life their activity is placed at the disposal of something higher4 ,they are left to themselves only when death occurs4 ,then they act1 as they must in conformity with their own nature1 as decomposers of the physical body40 ,thus a sharp distinction must be drawn between the manifested and the hidden elements in man4 ,for during life1 that which is hidden from view has to wage perpetual war on the materials and forces of the mineral world4 ,this indicates the point at which occult science steps in4 ,it has to characterize that which wages the war alluded to1 as a principle which is hidden from sense-observation4 ,clairvoyant sight alone can reveal its workings4 ,how man arrives at awareness of this hidden element1 as plainly as his ordinary eyes see the phenomena of sense1 will be described in a later part of this book4 ,results of clairvoyant observation will be given now for the reason already pointed out in the preceding pages1 that is1 that communications about the way in which the higher sight is obtained can only be of value to the student when he has first become acquainted1 in the form of a narrative1 with the results of clairvoyant research4 ,for in this sphere it is quite possible to understand things which one is not yet able to observe4 ,indeed1 the right path to higher vision starts with understanding4 ,now1 although the hidden something which wages war on the disintegration of the physical body can be observed only by the higher sight1 it is plainly visible in its effects to the human faculty of judgment which is limited to the manifested world2 and these effects are expressed in the form or shape in which mineral materials and forces are combined during life4 ,when death has intervened1 the form disappears little by little1 and the physical body becomes part of the rest of the mineral world4 ,but the clairvoyant is able to observe this hidden something as an independent member of the human organism1 which during life prevents the physical materials and forces from taking their natural course1 which would lead to the dissolution of the physical body4 ,this independent principle is called the etheric or vital body4 ,if misunderstandings are not to arise at the outset1 two things must be borne in mind in connection with this account of a second principle of human nature4 ,the word 8etheric0 is used here in a different sense from that of modern physics1 which designates as 8ether0 the medium by which light is transmitted4 ,in occult science the use of the word is limited to the sense given above4 ,it denotes that which is accessible to higher sight1 and can be known to physical observation only by its effects1 that is1 by its power of giving a definite form or shape to the mineral materials and forces present in the physical body4 ,again1 the use of the word 8body0 must not be misunderstood4 ,it is necessary to use the words of every day language in describing things on a higher plane of existence1 and these terms1 when applied to sense-observation1 express only what is physical4 ,the etheric body has1 of course1 nothing of a bodily nature in the physical sense1 however ethereal we might imagine such a body to be4 ,as soon as the occultist mentions this etheric or vital body1 he reaches the point at which he is bound to encounter the opposition of many contemporary opinions4 ,the development of the human mind has been such that the mention of such a principle of human nature is necessarily looked upon as unscientific4 ,the materialistic way of thinking has arrived at the conclusion that there is nothing to be seen in a living body but a combination of physical substances and forces such as are also found in the so-called inanimate body of the mineral1 the only difference being that they are more complicated in the living than in the lifeless body4 ,yet it is not very long since other views were held1 even by official science4 ,it is evident to any one who studies the works of many earnest men of science1 produced during the first half of the nineteenth century1 that at that time many a genuine investigator of nature was conscious of some factor acting within the living body other than in the lifeless mineral4 ,it was termed 8vital force40 ,it is true this vital force is not represented as being what has been above characterized as the vital body1 but underlying the conception was a dim idea of the existence of such a body4 ,vital force was generally regarded as something which in a living body was united with physical matter and forces in the same way that the force of a magnet unites itself with iron4 ,then came the time when vital force was banished from the domain of science4 ,mere physical and chemical causes were accounted all sufficient4 ,at the present moment1 however1 there is a reaction in this respect in some scientific quarters4 ,it is sometimes conceded that the hypothesis of something of the nature of 8vital force0 is not pure nonsense4 ,yet even the scientist who concedes this much is not willing to make common cause with the occultist with regard to the vital body4 ,as a rule1 it serves no useful purpose to enter upon a discussion of such views from the standpoint of occult science4 ,it should be much more the concern of the occultist to recognize that the materialistic way of thinking is a necessary concomitant phenomenon of the great advance of natural science in our day4 ,this advance is due to the vast improvements in the instruments used in sense-observation4 ,and it is in the very nature of man to bring some of his faculties to a certain degree of perfection at the expense of others4 ,exact sense-observation1 which has been evolved to such an important extent by natural science1 was bound to leave in the background the cultivation of those human faculties which lead into the hidden worlds4 ,but the time has come when this cultivation is once more necessary2 and recognition of the invisible will not be won by combating opinions which are the logical outcome of a denial of its existence1 but rather by setting the invisible in the right light4 ,then it will be recognized by those for whom the 8time has come40 ,it was necessary to say this much1 in order that it may not be imagined that occult science is ignorant of the standpoint of natural science when mention is made of an 8etheric body10 which1 in many circles must necessarily be considered as purely imaginary4 ,thus the etheric body is the second principle of the human being4 ,for the clairvoyant1 it possesses a higher degree of reality than the physical body4 ,a description of how it is seen by the clairvoyant can be given only in later parts of this book1 when the sense in which such descriptions are to be taken will become manifest4 ,for the present it will be enough to say that the etheric body penetrates the physical body in all its parts1 and is to be regarded as a kind of architect of the latter4 ,all the physical organs are maintained in their form and shape by the currents and movements of the etheric body4 ,the physical heart is based upon an etheric heart1 the physical brain1 upon an etheric brain1 and the physical1 with this difference1 that in the etheric body the parts flow into one another in active motion1 whereas in the physical body they are separated from each other4 ,man has this etheric body in common with all plants1 just as he has the physical body in common with minerals4 ,everything living has its etheric body4 ,the study of occult science proceeds upwards from the etheric body to another principle of the human being4 ,to aid in the formation of an idea of this principle1 it draws attention to the phenomenon of sleep1 just as in connection with the etheric body attention was drawn to death4 ,all human work1 so far as the manifested world is concerned1 is dependent upon activity during waking life4 ,but that activity is possible only as long as man is able to recuperate his exhausted forces by sleep4 ,action and thought disappear1 pain and pleasure fade away during sleep1 and on re-awaking1 man's conscious powers ascend from the unconsciousness of sleep as though from hidden mysterious sources of energy4 ,it is the same consciousness which sinks down into dim depths on falling asleep and ascends from them again on re-awaking4 ,that which awakens life again out of this state of unconsciousness is1 according to occult science1 the third principle of the human being4 ,it is called the astral body4 ,just as the physical body cannot keep its form by means of the mineral substances and forces it contains1 but must1 in order to be kept together1 be interpenetrated by the etheric body1 so is it impossible for the forces of the etheric body to illuminate themselves with the light of consciousness4 ,an etheric body left to its own resources would be in a permanent state of sleep47#a7 ,an etheric body awake1 is illuminated by an astral body4 ,this astral body seems to sense-observation to disappear when man falls asleep2 to clairvoyant observation it is still present1 with the difference that it appears separated from or drawn out of the etheric body4 ,sense-observation has nothing to do with the astral body itself1 but only with its effects in the manifested world1 and these cease during sleep4 ,in the same sense in which man possesses his physical body in common with plants1 he resembles animals as regards his astral body4 ,plants are in a permanent state of sleep4 ,one who does not judge accurately in these matters may easily make the mistake of attributing to plants the same kind of consciousness as that of animals and human beings in the waking state2 but this assumption can only be due to an inaccurate conception of consciousness4 ,in that case it is said that1 if an external stimulus is applied to a plant1 it responds by certain movements1 as would an animal4 ,the sensitiveness of some plants is spoken of1--for example1 of those which contract their leaves when certain external things act upon them4 ,but the characteristic mark of consciousness is not that a being reacts in a certain way to an impression1 but that it experiences something in its inner nature which adds a new element to mere reaction4 ,otherwise we should be able to speak of the consciousness of a piece of iron when it expands under the influence of heat4 ,consciousness is present only when1 through the effect of heat1 the being feels pain or pleasure inwardly4 ,the fourth principle of being which occult science attributes to man is one which he does not share in common with the rest of the manifested world4 ,it is that which differentiates him from his fellow creatures and makes him the crown of creation4 ,occult science helps in forming a conception of this further principle of human nature by pointing out the existence of an essential difference between the kinds of experience in waking life4 ,on the one hand1 man is constantly subjected to experiences which must of necessity come and go2 on the other1 he has experiences with which this is not the case4 ,this fact comes out with special force if human experiences are compared with those of animals4 ,an animal experiences the influences of the outer world with great regularity2 under the influence of heat and cold it becomes conscious of pain or pleasure1 and during certain regularly recurring bodily processes it feels hunger and thirst4 ,the sum total of man's life is not exhausted by such experiences2 he is able to develop desires and wishes which go beyond these things4 ,in the case of an animal it would always be possible1 on going far enough into the matter1 to ascertain the cause--either within or without its body--which impelled it to any given act or feeling4 ,this is by no means the case with man4 ,he may engender wishes and desires for which no adequate cause exists either inside or outside of his body4 ,a particular source must be found for everything in this domain2 and according to occult science this source is to be found in the human 8,i0 or 8ego40 ,therefore the ego will be spoken of as the fourth principle of the human being4 ,were the astral body left to its own resources1 feelings of pleasure and pain1 and sensations of hunger and thirst1 would take place within it1 but there would be lacking the consciousness of something lasting in all these feelings4 ,it is not the permanent as such1 which is here designated the 8ego10 but rather that which experiences this permanent element4 ,in this domain1 conceptions must be very exactly expressed if misunderstandings are not to arise4 ,with the becoming aware of something permanent1 lasting1 within the changing inner experiences1 begins the dawn of 8ego consciousness40 ,the sensation of hunger1 for instance1 cannot give a creature the feeling of having an ego4 ,hunger sets in when the recurring causes make themselves felt in the being concerned1 which then devours its food just because these recurring conditions are present4 ,for the ego-consciousness to arise1 there must not only be these recurring conditions1 urging the being to take food1 but there must have been pleasure derived from previous satisfaction of hunger1 and the consciousness of the pleasure must have remained1 so that not only the present experience of hunger but the past experience of pleasure urges the being to take nourishment4 ,just as the physical body falls into decay if the etheric body does not keep it together1 and as the etheric body sinks into unconsciousness if not illuminated by the astral body1 so the astral body would necessarily allow the past to be lost in oblivion unless the ego rescued the past by carrying it over into the present4 ,what death is to the physical body and sleep to the etheric1 the power of forgetting is to the astral body4 ,we may put this in another way1 and say that life is the special characteristic of the etheric body1 consciousness that of the astral body1 and memory that of the ego4 ,it is still easier to make the mistake of attributing memory7#b7 to an animal than that of attributing consciousness to a plant4 ,it is so natural to think of memory when a dog recognizes its master1 whom perhaps it has not seen for some time2 yet in reality the recognition is not due to memory at all1 but to something quite different4 ,the dog feels a certain attraction toward its master which proceeds from the personality of the latter4 ,this gives the dog a sense of pleasure whenever its master is present1 and every time this happens it is a cause of the repetition of the pleasure4 ,but memory only exists in a being when he not only feels his present experiences1 but retains those of the past4 ,a person might admit this1 and yet fall into the error of thinking the dog has memory4 ,for it might be said that the dog pines when its master leaves it1 and therefore it retains a remembrance of him4 ,this too is an inaccurate opinion4 ,living with its master has made his presence a condition of well-being to the dog1 and it feels his absence much in the same way in which it feels hunger4 ,one who does not make these distinctions will not arrive at a clear understanding of the true conditions of life4 ,memory and forgetfulness have for the ego much the same significance that waking and sleeping have for the astral body4 ,just as sleep banishes into nothingness the cares and troubles of the day1 so does forgetfulness draw a veil over the sad experiences of life and efface part of the past4 ,and just as sleep is necessary for the recuperation of the exhausted vital forces1 so must a man blot out from his memory certain portions of his past life if he is to face his new experiences freely and without prejudice4 ,it is out of this very forgetfulness that strength arises for the perception of new facts4 ,let us take the case of learning to write4 ,all the details which a child has to go through in this process are forgotten4 ,what remains is the ability to write4 ,how would a person ever be able to write if each time he took up his pen all his experiences in learning to write rose up before his mind8 ,now there are many different degrees of memory4 ,its simplest form is manifest when a person perceives an object and1 after turning away from it1 retains its image in his mind4 ,he formed the image while looking at the object1 ,a process was then carried out between his astral body and his ego4 ,the astral body lifted into consciousness the outward impression of the object1 but knowledge of the object would last only as long as the thing itself was present1 unless the ego absorbed the knowledge into itself and made it its own4 ,it is at this point that occult science draws the dividing line between what belongs to the body and what belongs to the soul4 ,it speaks of the astral body as long as it is a question of the gaining of knowledge from an object which is present4 ,but what gives knowledge duration is known as soul4 ,from this it can at once be seen how close is the connection in man between the astral body and that part of the soul which gives a lasting quality to knowledge4 ,the two are1 to a certain extent1 united into one principle of human nature4 ,consequently1 this unity is often denoted the astral body4 ,when exact terms are desired1 the astral body is called the soul-body1 and the soul1 in so far as it is united with the latter1 is called the sentient soul4 ,the ego rises to a higher stage of its being when it centres its activity on what it has gained for itself out of its knowledge of objective things4 ,it is by means of this activity that the ego detaches itself more and more from the objects of perception1 in order to work within that which is its own possession4 ,the part of the soul on which this work devolves is called the rational- or intellectual-soul47#c7 ,it is the peculiarity of the sentient and intellectual souls that they work with that which they receive through sense-impressions of external objects of which they retain the memory4 ,the soul is then wholly surrendered to something which is really outside it4 ,even what it has made its own through memory1 it has actually received from without4 ,but it is able to go beyond all this1 and occult science can most easily give an idea of this by drawing attention to a simple fact1 which1 however1 is of the greatest importance4 ,it is1 that in the whole range of speech there is but one name which is distinguished by its very nature from all other names4 ,this is the name 8,i40 ,every other name can be applied by any one to the thing or being to which it belongs4 ,the word 8,i10 as the designation of a being1 has a meaning only when given to that being by himself4 ,never can any outside voice call us by the name of 8,i40 ,we can apply it only to ourselves4 ,i am only an 8,i0 to myself2 to every one else ,i am a 8you10 and every one else is a 8you0 to me4 ,this fact is the outward expression of a deeply significant truth4 ,the real essence of the ego is independent of everything outside of it1 and it is on this account that its name cannot be applied to it by any one else4 ,this is the reason why those religions confessions which have consciously maintained their connections with occult science1 speak the word 8,i0 as the 8unutterable name of ,god40 ,for the fact above mentioned is exactly what is referred to when this expression is used4 ,nothing outward has access to that part of the human soul of which we are now speaking4 ,it is the 8hidden sanctuary0 of the soul4 ,only a being of like nature with the soul can win entrance there4 8,the divinity dwelling in man speaks when the soul recognizes itself as an ego40 ,just as the sentient and intellectual souls live in the outer world1 so a third soul-principle is immersed in the divine when the soul becomes conscious of its own nature4 ,in this connection a misunderstanding may easily arise2 it may seem as though occult science interpreted the ego to be one with ,god4 ,but it by no means says that the ego is ,god1 only that it is of the same nature and essence as ,god4 ,does any one declare the drop of water taken from the ocean to be the ocean1 when he asserts that the drop and the ocean are the same in essence or substance8 ,if a comparison is needed1 we may say1 8,the ego is related to ,god as the drop of water is to the ocean40 ,man is able to find a divine element within himself1 because his original essence is derived directly from the ,divine4 ,thus man1 through the third principle of his soul1 attains an inner knowledge of himself1 just as through his astral body he gains knowledge of the outer world4 ,for this reason occult science calls the third soul-principle the consciousness-soul1 and it holds that the soul-part of man consists of three principles1 the sentient-1 intellectual-1 and consciousness-souls1 just as the bodily part has three principles1 the physical1 etheric1 and astral bodies4 ,the real nature of the ego is first revealed in the consciousness-soul4 ,through feeling and reason the soul loses itself in other things2 but as the consciousness-soul it lays hold of its own essence4 ,therefore this ego can only be perceived through the consciousness-soul by a certain inner activity4 ,the images of external objects are formed as those objects come and go1 and the images go on working in the intellect by virtue of their own force4 ,but if the ego is to perceive itself1 it cannot merely surrender itself2 it must first1 by inner activity1 draw up its own being out of its depths1 in order to become conscious of it4 ,a new activity of the ego begins with this self cognition1--with self-recollection4 ,owing to this activity1 the perception of the ego in the consciousness-soul possesses an entirely different meaning for man from that conveyed by the observation of all that reaches him through the three bodily principles and the two other soul-principles4 ,the power which reveals the ego in the consciousness-soul is in fact the same power which manifests everywhere else in the world2 only in the body and the lower soul-principles it does not come forth directly1 but is manifested little by little in its effects4 ,the lowest manifestation is through the physical body1 thence a gradual ascent is made to that which fills the intellectual soul4 ,indeed1 we may say that with each ascending step one of the veils falls away in which the hidden centre is wrapped4 ,in that which fills the consciousness-soul1 this hidden centre emerges unveiled into the temple of the soul4 ,yet it shows itself just here to be but a drop from the ocean of the all-pervading ,primordial ,essence2 and it is here that man first has to grasp it1--this ,primordial ,essence4 ,he must recognize it in himself before he is able to find it in its manifestations4 ,that which penetrates into the consciousness-soul like a drop from the ocean is called by occult science ,spirit4 ,in this way is the consciousness-soul united with the spirit1 which is the hidden principle in all manifested things4 ,if man wishes to lay hold of the spirit in all manifestation1 he must do it in the same way in which he lays hold of the ego in the consciousness-soul4 ,he must extend to the visible world the activity which has led him to the perception of his ego4 ,by this means he evolves to yet higher planes of his being4 ,he adds something new to the principles of his body and soul4 ,the first thing that happens is that he himself conquers what lies hidden in his lower soul-principles1 and this is effected through the work which the ego carries on within the soul4 ,how man is engaged in this work becomes evident if we compare a high-minded idealist with a person who is still given up to low desires and so-called sensual pleasures4 ,the latter becomes transmuted into the former if he withdraws from certain lower tendencies and turns to higher ones4 ,he thus works through his ego upon his soul thereby ennobling and spiritualizing it4 ,the ego has become the master of that man's soul-life4 ,this may be carried so far that no desire or wish can take root in the soul unless the ego permits its entrance4 ,in this way the whole soul becomes a manifestation of the ego1 which previously only the consciousness-soul had been4 ,all civilized life and all spiritual effort really consist in the one work1 which has for its object to make the ego the master4 ,every one now living is engaged in this work whether he wishes it or not1 and whether or not he is conscious of the fact4 ,again1 by this work human nature is drawn upward to higher stages of being4 ,man develops new principles of his being4 ,these lie hidden from him behind what is manifest4 ,if man is able by working upon his soul1 to make his ego master of it1 so that the latter brings into manifestation what is hidden1 the work may extend yet farther and include the astral body4 ,in that case the ego takes possession of the astral body by uniting itself with the hidden wisdom of this astral principle4 ,in occult science the astral body which is thus conquered and transformed by the ego is called the ,spirit-,self4 7,this is the same as what is known as 8,manas0 in theosophical literature1 a term borrowed from the wisdom of the ,east47 ,in the ,spirit-,self a higher principle is added to human nature1 one which is present as though in the germ1 and which in the course of the work of the human being on itself comes forth more and more4 ,man conquers his astral body by pushing through to the hidden forces lying behind it2 a similar thing happens1 at a later stage of development1 to the etheric body3 but the work on the latter is more arduous1 for what is hidden in the etheric body is enveloped in two veils1 but what is hidden in the astral body in only one47#d7 ,occult science gives an idea of the difference in the work on the two bodies by pointing out certain changes which may take place in man in the course of his development4 ,let us at first think of the way in which certain soul-qualities of man develop when the ego works upon the soul2 how pleasures and desires1 joys and sorrows1 may change4 ,we have only to look back to our childhood4 ,what gave us pleasure then1 what caused us pain8 ,what have we learned in addition to what we knew as children8 ,all this is but an expression of the way in which the ego has gained the mastery over the astral body1 for it is this principle which is the vehicle of pleasure and pain1 joy and sorrow4 ,compared with these things1 how little in the course of time do certain other human qualities change1 for example1 the temperament1 the deeper peculiarities of the character1 and like qualities4 ,a passionate child will often retain certain tendencies to sudden anger during its development in later life4 ,this is such a striking fact that there are thinkers who entirely deny the possibility of changing the fundamental character4 ,they assume that it is something permanent throughout life1 and that it is merely a question of its being manifested in one way or another4 ,but such an opinion is due to defective observation4 ,to one who is capable of seeing such things1 it is evident that even the character and temperament of a person may be transformed under the influence of his ego4 ,it is true that this change is slow in comparison with the change in the qualities before mentioned4 ,we may compare the relation to each other of the rates of change in the two bodies to the movements of the hour-hand and minute-hand of a clock4 ,now the forces which bring about a change of character or temperament belong to the hidden forces of the etheric body4 ,they are of the same nature as the forces which govern the kingdom of life1--the same1 therefore1 as the forces of growth1 nutrition1 and generation4 ,further explanations in this work will throw the right light on these things4 ,thus it is not when man simply gives himself up to pleasure and pain1 joy and sorrow1 that the ego is working on the astral body1 but when the peculiarities of these qualities of the soul are changed2 and the work is extended in the same way to the etheric body1 when the ego applies its energies to changing the character or temperament4 ,this change1 too1 is one in which every person living is engaged1 whether consciously or not4 ,the most powerful incitement to this kind of change in ordinary life is that given by religion4 ,if the ego allows the impulses which flow from religion to work upon it again and again1 they become a power within it which extends to the etheric body and changes it as lesser impulses in life effect the transformation of the astral body4 ,these lesser impulses1 which come to man through study1 reflection1 the ennobling of feeling1 and so on1 are subject to the manifold changes of existence2 but religious feelings impress a certain stamp of uniformity upon all thinking1 feeling1 and willing4 ,they diffuse an equal and single light over the whole life of the soul4 ,man thinks and feels one thing to-day1 another to-morrow1 the causes of which are of many different kinds2 but one who1 consistently holding to his religious convictions1 has a glimpse of something which persists through all changes1 will relate his thoughts and feelings of to-day1 as well as his experiences of to-morrow1 to that fundamental feeling he possesses4 ,thus religious belief has the power of permeating the whole of the soul-life4 ,its influences increase in strength as time goes on because they are constantly repeated4 ,hence they acquire the power of working upon the etheric body4 ,in a similar way the influences of true art work upon man4 ,if1--going beyond the outer form1 colour and tone of a work of art1--he penetrates to its spiritual foundations with his imagination and feeling1 then the impulses thus received by the ego actually reach the etheric body4 ,when this thought is followed out to its logical conclusion1 the immense significance of art in all human evolution may be estimated4 ,only a few instances are pointed out here of what induces the ego to work upon the etheric body4 ,there are many similar influences in human life which are not so apparent at the first glance4 ,but these instances are enough to show that there is yet another principle of man's nature hidden within him1 which the ego is making more and more manifest4 ,occult science denotes this second principle of the spirit the ,life-,spirit4 7,it is the same which in current theosophical literature is called ,budhi1 a term borrowed from ,eastern wisdom47 ,the expression 8,life-,spirit0 is appropriate1 because the same forces are at work within it as are active in the vital body1 with the difference that when they are manifesting in the latter the ego is not active4 ,when1 however1 these powers express themselves as the ,life-,spirit1 they are interpenetrated by the ego4 ,man's intellectual development1 the purification and ennobling of his feelings and of the manifestations of his will1 are the measure of the degree in which he has transformed the astral body into the ,spirit-,self4 ,his religious experiences1 as well as many others1 are stamped upon the etheric body1 making it into the ,life-,spirit4 ,in the ordinary course of life this happens more or less unconsciously2 so-called initiation1 on the contrary1 consists in man's being directed by occult science to the means through which he may quite consciously take in hand this work on the ,spirit-,self and ,life-,spirit4 ,these means will be dealt with in later parts of this book4 ,in the meantime it is important to show that1 besides the soul and the body1 the spirit also is working within man4 ,it will be seen later how this spirit belongs to the eternal part of man1 as contrasted with the perishable body4 ,but the work of the ego on the astral and etheric bodies does not exhaust its activity1 which is also extended to the physical body4 ,a slight effect of the influence of the ego on the physical body may be seen when certain experiences cause a person to blush or turn pale4 ,in this case the ego is actually the occasion of a process in the physical body4 ,now if through the activity of the ego in man1 changes occur influencing the physical body1 the ego is really united with the hidden forces of the physical body1 that is1 with the same forces which bring about its physical processes4 ,occult science says that during such activity the ego is working on the physical body4 ,this expression must not be misunderstood4 ,it must on no account be supposed that this work is of a grossly material nature4 ,what appears as gross material in the physical body is merely the manifested part of it2 behind this are the hidden forces of its being1 which are of a spiritual nature4 ,when the ego puts forth its energies in the manner described1 it unites itself1 not with the outer material manifestation of the physical body1 but with the invisible forces which bring that body into being and afterwards cause it to decay4 ,this work of the ego on the physical body can only very partially become clear to man's consciousness in ordinary life4 ,it can become fully clear only when1 under the influence of occult science1 man consciously takes the work into his own hands4 ,then he becomes aware that there is a third spiritual principle within him4 ,it is that which occult science calls the ,spirit-,man1 as contrasted with physical man4 7,in theosophical literature this 8,spirit-,man0 is known as ,atma47 ,again1 with regard to the ,spirit-,man1 it is easy to make a mistake4 ,in the physical body we see man's lowest principle1 and on this account find it hard to realize that the work on that body should be accomplished by the highest principle of the human entity4 ,but just because the spirit active within the physical body is hidden under three veils1 the highest kind of human effort is needed in order to make the ego one with that which is the hidden spiritual energy of the body4 ,occult science1 therefore1 represents man as a being composed of many principles4 ,those of a bodily nature are3 the physical body1 the etheric or vital body1 the astral body4 ,the soul-principles are3 the sentient-soul1 the intellectual- or rational-soul1 the consciousness-soul4 ,it is in the soul that the ego diffuses its light4 ,of a spiritual nature are3 the ,spirit-,self1 the ,life-,spirit1 the ,spirit-,man4 ,it follows from what was said above that the sentient-soul and the astral body are closely united and in a certain sense are one4 ,similarly1 the consciousness-soul and the ,spirit-,self form a whole1 for in the consciousness-soul the spirit shines forth1 and thence irradiates with its light the other principles of the human being4 ,hence occult science also speaks of man's organization as follows4 ,the intellectual-soul is simply called the ego1 because it partakes of the nature of the ego1 and in a certain sense is the ego1 not yet conscious of its spiritual nature4 ,we thus have seven divisions of man3 7#a7 physical body2 7#b7 etheric or vital body2 7#c7 astral body2 7#d7 ,ego2 7#e7 ,spirit-,self2 7#f7 ,life-,spirit2 7#g7 ,spirit-,man4 ,even one accustomed to materialistic habits of thought would not find in this sevenfold organization of man the 8fanciful magic0 often attributed to the number seven1 if one would only keep strictly to the meaning of the above explanations without himself injecting arbitrarily the idea of something magical into the matter4 ,occult science speaks of these seven principles of man in exactly the same way1 only from the standpoint of a higher form of observation of the world1 as allusion is commonly made to the seven colours that make up white light1 or to the seven notes of the scale 7the octave being regarded as a repetition of the keynote74 ,as light appears in seven colours1 and sound in seven tones1 so is the unity of man's nature manifested in the seven principles described4 ,no more superstition attaches to the number seven in the case of occult science than when associated with the spectrum or with the scale4 ,on one occasion when these facts were put forward verbally1 the objection was made that the statement about the number seven does not apply to colours1 since there are others beyond the red and violet rays1 invisible to the eye4 ,but even in this respect the comparison with colours holds good1 for1 in fact1 the human being expands beyond the physical body on the one side1 and beyond the ,spirit-,man on the other2 only to the methods of spiritual observation of which occult science here speaks1 are these extensions of the human being 8spiritually invisible10 just as the colours beyond red and violet are physically invisible4 ,this explanation becomes necessary1 because the opinion so easily arises that occult science does not seriously apply itself to scientific thinking1 but treats such matters unscientifically4 ,however1 one who carefully considers the meaning of the statements made by occult science will find that in reality it is never at variance with genuine science2 neither when it brings forward the facts of natural science as illustrations1 nor when its statements are directly connected with natural research4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,sleep ,,and ,,death ,the nature of waking consciousness cannot be fathomed without observing that condition which man experiences during sleep1 and the problem of life cannot be approached without studying death4 ,any one failing to perceive the importance of occult science may distrust the manner in which it studies sleep and death4 ,occult science is1 however1 capable of appreciating the motives from which such distrust arises4 ,for there is nothing incomprehensible in the assertion that man exists for an active1 purposeful life1 that his acts depend on his devotion thereto1 and that absorption in such conditions as sleep and death can result only from a taste for idle dreaming1 and can lead to nothing else than vain imaginings4 ,the refusal to accept anything of so fantastic a nature may readily be regarded as the expression of a sound mind1 while indulgence in such 8idle dreaming0 is accounted morbid1 and a pursuit fit only for people in whom the joy and ardour of life are lacking1 and who are incapable of 8real work40 ,it would be wrong to set this assertion aside at once as an injustice1 for it contains a certain grain of truth4 ,it is one quarter truth1 and must be completed by the remaining three quarters belonging to it4 ,now if we dispute the one quarter which is right1 with one who recognizes that one quarter quite distinctly but who does not dream of the other three quarters1 we only rouse his suspicions4 ,for it must be indeed granted absolutely that the study of that which lies hidden in sleep and death is morbid if it leads to weakness or to estrangement from real life4 ,no less must we admit that much of that which has always called itself occult science in the world1 and which is even now practised under that name1 bears the impression of what is unhealthy and hostile to life2 but this certainly does not spring from genuine occult science4 ,the real fact of the matter is this1 that just as a man cannot always be awake1 so neither is he sufficiently equipped for the actual conditions of life1 in its entire range1 without that which occult science has to offer him4 ,life continues during sleep1 and the forces which work and labour during the waking state draw their strength and refreshment from that which sleep gives them4 ,it is thus with the things under our observation in the manifested world4 ,the boundaries of the world are wider than the field of this observation2 and what man recognizes in the visible must be supplemented and fertilized by what he is able to know of the invisible world4 ,a man who did not continually renew his exhausted forces by sleep1 would bring his life to destruction2 and in the same way a view of the world which is not fertilized by a knowledge of the unseen1 must lead to a feeling of desolation4 ,it is similarly so with regard to death4 ,living creatures fall a prey to death in order that new life may arise4 ,it is occult science which throws light on ,goethe's beautiful phrase3 8,nature invented ,death in order to have much ,life40 ,just as in the ordinary sense there could be no life without death1 so can there be no real knowledge of the visible world without insight into the invisible4 ,all discernment of the visible must plunge again and again into the invisible in order to develop4 ,thus it is evident that occult science alone makes the life of revealed knowledge possible4 ,when it emerges in its true form it never enfeebles life1 but strengthens it and ever renews its freshness and health1 when1 left to its own resources1 it has become weak and diseased4 ,when a man sinks into sleep the connection between his principles changes1 as described earlier in this work4 ,the part of the sleeping man which lies upon his couch comprises the physical and etheric bodies1 but not the astral body and not the ego4 ,it is because the etheric body remains bound to the physical body in sleep that the life-activities continue4 ,for the moment the physical body is left to itself1 it must of necessity fall into decay4 ,the things that are extinguished in sleep are ideas1 pain1 pleasure1 joy1 grief1 the ability to express conscious will1 and similar facts of existence4 ,but the astral body is the vehicle of all these things4 ,that the astral body1 with all its joy and sorrow1 its realm of thought and will1 is annihilated in sleep is an opinion that cannot be entertained by an unbiased judgment2 it exists still1 but in another condition4 ,in order that the human ego and the astral body may not only be endowed with pleasure and pain and all the other things we have named1 but also have a conscious perception of them1 it is necessary that the astral body should be united with the physical and etheric bodies4 ,this is the case during waking life1 but not in sleep4 ,the astral body has withdrawn itself from the other bodies4 ,it has adopted another kind of existence than that which it possesses while united with the physical and etheric bodies4 ,now it is the task of occult science to study this other kind of existence in the astral body4 ,during sleep1 the astral body withdraws from the possibility of external observation and occult science must trace it in its hidden life1 until it again takes possession of its physical and etheric bodies on waking4 ,as in all cases when knowledge of the hidden things and events of life have to be dealt with1 clairvoyant observation is necessary for the discovery of the real facts of the sleep state in its true nature1 but if that which may be discovered by this means has once been made clear1 it is comprehensible to really unprejudiced thought without further demonstration4 ,for events in the unseen world show themselves by their effects in the manifested world4 ,if what is revealed by clairvoyant vision is an explanation of visible events1 such a confirmation by life itself is the proof which may rightly be demanded4 ,even one who will not use the means to be given later for the attainment of clairvoyant vision1 may have the following experience3 he may1 in the first place1 take the statements of the clairvoyant for granted1 and then apply them to the material events within his experience4 ,he will then find that life thereby becomes clear and comprehensible2 and the more exact and minute his observations of ordinary life1 the more readily will he come to this conclusion4 ,even though the astral body during sleep passes through no experiences1 though it is not conscious of pleasure1 pain1 and the like1 it does not remain inactive4 ,on the contrary1 it is a fact that active work is its function in the sleep state4 ,for it is the astral body which strengthens and recuperates man's forces1 exhausted during waking life4 ,as long as the astral body is united with the physical and etheric bodies it is related to the outer world through these two bodies4 ,they convey to it perceptions and representations4 ,through the impressions which they receive from their surroundings1 it experiences pleasure and pain4 ,now the physical body can be preserved in the form and shape suitable to the individual only by means of the human etheric body4 ,but this human form can be preserved only by an etheric body which on its part receives corresponding forces from the astral body4 ,the etheric body is the builder1 the architect1 of the physical body4 ,it can1 however1 construct in the true sense only when it receives from the astral body the impulse as to the manner in which it must build4 ,in this latter are contained the models1 according to which the etheric body gives the physical body its form4 ,during our waking hours these models for the physical body are not present in the astral body1 or1 at least1 only to a certain extent4 ,for in waking life the soul replaces these models with its own images4 ,when a person directs his senses upon his environment he thus creates in his ideas pictures which are copies of the world around him4 ,in fact these copies at first disturb the prototypes which give the etheric body the impulse to preserve the physical body4 ,such disturbance could not be present if a man1 by virtue of his own activity1 could convey to his astral body those pictures which would give the right impulse to the etheric body4 ,yet this very disturbance plays an important part in human life1 and is able to express itself because the models for the etheric body do not come into full play in the waking life4 ,this fact is revealed by 8fatigue40 ,now1 during sleep1 no external impressions disturb the force of the astral body4 ,therefore in this condition it can expel fatigue4 ,the work of the astral body during sleep consists in removing fatigue1 and it can accomplish this only by leaving the physical and etheric bodies4 ,during waking life the astral body does its work within the physical body2 during sleep it works on the latter from without4 ,for instance1 just as the physical body has need of the outer world1 which is of like substance with itself1 for its supply of food1 something of the same kind takes place in the case of the astral body4 ,let us imagine a physical human body removed from the surrounding world3 it would die4 ,that shows that physical life is an impossibility without the entire physical environment4 ,in fact1 the whole earth must be just as it is if physical human bodies are to exist upon it4 ,for1 in reality1 the whole human body is only a part of the earth1--indeed1 in a wider sense1 part of the whole physical universe4 ,in this respect it is related in the same sense as1 for example1 the finger of a hand to the entire human body4 ,separate the finger from the hand and it cannot remain a finger3 it withers away4 ,such would also be the fate of the human body were it removed from that body of which it is a member1--from the conditions of life with which the earth provides it4 ,let it be raised above the surface of the earth but a sufficient number of miles and it will perish as the finger perishes when cut off from the hand4 ,if this fact is less apparent in the case of a man's physical organism than in that of his finger and his body1 it is merely because the finger cannot walk about on the body as man is able to do on the earth1 and because on that account the dependence of the former is more obvious4 ,in the same way that the physical body is embedded in the physical world to which it belongs1 so does the astral body form a part of its own world1 only it is torn out of it in waking life4 ,we can form a clear idea of what happens by having recourse to an analogy4 ,imagine a vessel filled with water4 ,no one drop is a separate thing in itself within that entire mass of water4 ,but let us take a little sponge and with it suck up a single drop from the whole mass of water4 ,something of this kind happens to the human astral body on awaking4 ,during sleep it is in a world resembling its own nature4 ,in a certain sense it forms part of it4 ,on awaking1 the physical and etheric bodies suck it up3 they absorb it2 they contain the organs through which it perceives the outer world4 ,in order to achieve this perception it has to leave its own world1 for it is in that world alone that it can receive the models which it needs for the etheric body4 ,just as food is supplied to the physical body from its surroundings1 so are the pictures of the world surrounding the astral body presented to it during the state of sleep4 ,there1 indeed1 it lives in the universe1 beyond the physical and etheric bodies3 in that same universe out of which the whole man is born4 ,the source of the images by means of which man receives his form is in this universe4 ,he is linked in harmony with it2 and when he awakens he rises above the surface of this all-pervading harmony to attain external perception4 ,in sleep his astral body returns to the universal harmony4 ,he brings so much strength from it to his bodies on awaking that he can once more dispense for a time with sojourning in the realm of harmony4 ,the astral body returns during sleep to its home1 and1 on awaking1 brings back into life freshly invigorated forces4 ,that which the astral body thus gains1 and brings with it on waking1 finds its outer expression in the refreshment afforded by sound sleep4 ,further exposition of occult science will show that this home of the astral body is more extensive than that which belongs to the physical body in the narrower sense of the physical environment4 ,thus1 while man as a physical being is a member of this earth1 his astral body belongs to worlds in which other heavenly bodies besides our earth are included4 ,during sleep1 therefore1--7this can be made clear1 as we have said1 only by further explanations7--it enters a world to which other stars than the earth belong4 ,in recognition of the fact that man lives during sleep in a world of stars1 that is1 in an astral world1 occult science calls that principle of man which has its real home in that 8astral0 world and which1 every time it returns to the sleep state1 draws renewed force from that world1 the astral body4 ,it should be superfluous to point out that a misunderstanding might easily arise with regard to these facts2 in our time1 however1 when certain materialistic modes of representation exist1 it becomes quite necessary to draw attention to them4 ,in quarters where such representation prevails it may1 of course1 be said that such a thing as fatigue can be scientifically investigated only in accordance with physical conditions4 ,even if the learned are not yet unanimous with regard to the physical cause of fatigue1 one thing is quite firmly established2 we must accept certain physical processes which lie at the root of this phenomenon4 ,it would be well1 however1 if it were recognized that occult science does not in any way oppose this assertion4 ,it admits everything that is said in this connection1 just as it is admitted that for the physical erection of a house one brick must be laid upon another1 and that when the house is finished its form and construction can be explained by purely mechanical laws4 ,but the thought of the architect is necessary for the building of the house4 ,this cannot be discovered merely by examination of physical laws4 ,just as the thought of the creator of a house stands behind the physical laws which make it explicable1 so too1 behind what is affirmed1 with perfect accuracy by physical science1 stands that of which occult science treats4 ,this comparison is of course often put forward when the justification for a spiritual background to the world is in question2 and it may be considered a trivial one4 ,but what is important in such matters is not familiarity with certain conceptions1 but that the proper weight should be given them in establishing a fact4 ,one may be prevented from doing this simply because contrary ideas have so much power over the judgment that this weight is not felt4 ,dreaming is an intermediate state between sleeping and waking4 ,what dream experiences offer to thoughtful observation is the many-coloured interweaving of a picture-world1 which nevertheless conceals within itself some sort of law and order4 ,at first this world seems to have an ebb and flow1 often in confused succession4 ,man in his dream-life is set free from the laws of waking consciousness which bind him to sense-perception and the laws of reason4 ,and yet dreams have some sort of mysterious law1 attractive and fascinating to human speculation1 and this is the deeper reason why the beautiful play of imagination lying at the root of artistic feeling is always apt to be compared to dreaming4 ,we need only recall a few characteristic dreams to find this corroborated4 ,a man dreams1 for example1 that he is driving off a dog that is attacking him4 ,he wakes1 and finds himself in the act of unconsciously pushing off part of the bedclothes which had been lying on an unaccustomed part of his body and which had therefore become oppressive4 ,what is it that dream-life makes1 in this instance1 out of an incident perceptible to the senses8 ,in the first place1 it leaves in complete unconsciousness what the senses would perceive in the waking state4 ,but it holds fast to something essential--namely1 the fact that the man wishes to repel something2 and round about this it weaves a metaphorical occurrence4 ,the pictures1 as such1 are echoes of waking life4 ,there is something arbitrary in the way in which they are drawn from it4 ,every one feels that the same external cause may conjure up various dream-pictures4 ,but they give symbolic expression to the feeling that one has something to ward off4 ,the dream creates symbols2 it is a symbolist4 ,inner experiences can also be transformed into such dream-symbols4 ,a man dreams that a fire is crackling beside him2 he sees flames in his dream4 ,he wakes up feeling that he is too heavily covered and has become too warm4 ,the feeling of too great warmth expresses itself symbolically in the picture4 ,quite dramatic experiences may be enacted in a dream4 ,for example1 some one dreams that he is standing on the edge of a precipice4 ,he sees a child running toward it4 ,the dream makes him experience all the tortures of the thought--if only the child will not be heedless and fall over into the abyss6 ,he sees it fall1 and hears the dull thud of the body below4 ,he awakes1 and perceives that an object which had been hanging on the wall of the room has become unfastened1 and made a dull sound by its fall4 ,this simple event is expressed in dream-life by one which unravels itself in exciting pictures4 ,for the present it is not at all necessary to engage in reflection as to the reason why1 in the last example1 the moment of the falling of a heavy object expresses itself in a series of events which seem to spread themselves over a certain length of time2 it is only necessary to keep in view that the dream transforms into a picture that which would present itself to the waking sense-perception4 ,we see that the moment the senses cease their activity1 creative power asserts itself in man4 ,it is the same creative power which is present in absolutely dreamless sleep1 and at that time recuperates man's exhausted forces4 ,for this dreamless sleep to take place1 the astral body must be withdrawn from the etheric and physical bodies4 ,during the dream-state it is so far separated from the physical body as to have no further connection with the organs of sense2 but it still maintains a certain connection with the etheric body4 ,the capacity for perceiving the experiences of the astral body by means of pictures is due to this connection which it maintains with the etheric body4 ,the moment this connection also ceases1 the pictures sink into the obscurity of unconsciousness and dreamless sleep has set in4 ,the arbitrary and often nonsensical element in dream-pictures arises from the fact that the astral body cannot1 on account of its separation from the sense-organs of the physical body1 relate its pictures to the correct objects and events of the outer environment4 ,it is especially illuminating1 in this matter1 to examine a dream in which the ego is1 as it were1 split up2 as1 for example in the case of a person who dreams that he is a schoolboy and cannot answer the propounded question1 while immediately afterward as the teacher1 he himself answers it4 ,the dreamer1 being unable to make use of his physical organs of perception1 is not able to connect both occurrences with himself1 as the same individual4 ,therefore1 in order to recognize himself also as a permanent ego1 man must first be equipped with outer organs of perception4 ,only when he has acquired the faculty of self-consciousness without the aid of such organs will the permanent ego also become perceptible to him outside his physical body4 ,clairvoyant consciousness has to acquire this faculty1 and the method of doing so will be treated in detail later in this work4 ,even death takes place for no other cause than a change in the connection of the principles of man's being4 ,and what is visible to clairvoyant observation with regard to death may also be seen in its effects in the manifested world2 in this case also1 an unbiased judgment will find the teachings of occult science confirmed by observing external life4 ,the expression of the invisible in the visible is1 however1 less evident with regard to these facts1 and there is greater difficulty in feeling the full importance of that which in the events of outer life endorses the statements of occult science in this domain4 ,these statements may be supposed to be mere pictures of fancy1 even more readily than many other things that have been dealt with in this work1 if we shut ourselves off from the knowledge that everywhere in the visible is contained an unmistakable foreshadowing of the invisible4 ,on the approach of sleep1 only the astral body is released from its connection with the etheric and physical bodies1 which still remain united1 whereas at death the separation of the physical from the etheric body takes place4 ,the physical body is abandoned to its own forces1 and must therefore disintegrate as a corpse4 ,at death the etheric body finds itself in a condition in which it has never been before during the time between birth and death1--with the exception of certain abnormal conditions to be dealt with later4 ,that is to say1 it is now united with the astral body in the absence of the physical body2 for the etheric and astral bodies do not separate immediately after death3 they are held together for a time by the agency of a force the presence of which can be easily understood2 for were this force not present the etheric body could not detach itself from the physical body4 ,it would remain bound to the latter1 as is shown in the case of sleep1 when the astral body is not able to rend asunder these two principles of man's being4 ,this force comes into action at death4 ,it releases the etheric from the physical body1 so that the former remains united to the astral body4 ,clairvoyant observation shows that this connection varies with different people after death4 ,the time of its duration is measured by days4 ,for the present1 this period of time is mentioned only for the sake of information4 ,subsequently1 the astral body is also released from the etheric body and goes on its way alone4 ,during the union of the two bodies1 the individual is in a state which enables him to be aware of the experiences of his astral body4 ,as long as the physical body is there1 the work of reinforcing the wasted organs has to be begun from without1 as soon as the astral body is liberated from it4 ,when once the physical body is separated1 this work ceases4 ,nevertheless1 the force which was expended in this way while the man was asleep1 continues after death and can now be applied to some other end4 ,it is now used for making the astral body's own experiences perceptible4 ,during his connection with his physical body the outer world enters man's consciousness in images2 after the body has been laid aside1 that which is experienced by the astral body1 when it is no longer connected with sense organs1 with this outer physical world1 becomes perceptible4 ,at first it has no new experiences4 ,its connection with the etheric body prevents it from experiencing anything new4 ,what1 however1 it does possess1 is memory of its past life4 ,the etheric body still being present causes that past life to appear as a vivid and comprehensive panorama4 ,that is man's first experience after death4 ,he sees his life from birth to death spread out before him in a series of pictures4 ,memory is only present in the waking state1 when during life man is united with his physical body1 and it is present only to the extent allowed by that body4 ,nothing is lost to the soul that has made an impression on it during life4 ,were the physical body a perfect instrument for the purpose1 it would be possible1 at any moment during life1 to conjure up the whole of the past before the eyes of the soul4 ,at death there is no longer any obstacle to this4 ,as long as the etheric body remains1 there exists a certain degree of perfection of memory4 ,but this disappears according to the degree in which the etheric body loses the form which it possessed while united with the physical body1 and which resembles that body4 ,this is the very reason why the astral body separates1 after a time1 from the etheric body4 ,it can remain united with the latter only so long as the form of the etheric body corresponds with that of the physical body4 ,during the period of life between birth and death1 separation of the etheric body occurs only in exceptional cases1 and for no longer than a brief space of time4 ,if1 for example1 a man exposes one of his limbs to pressure1 part of his etheric body may become separated from the physical one4 ,we say on such occasion that the limb has 8gone to sleep10 and the peculiar sensation we feel results from the separation of the etheric body4 7,of course a materialistic manner of explanation may here again deny the invisible behind the visible and say3 all this arises merely from the physical disturbance caused by the pressure47 ,clairvoyant vision can see in such a case1 how the corresponding part of the etheric body extends beyond the physical limb4 ,now if a man experiences an unusual shock1 or something similar1 such a separation of the etheric body from a large part of the physical body may result1 for a short time4 ,that is the case when a man1 for some reason or other1 is suddenly brought face to face with death1--for example when drowning1 or threatened by a fatal accident when mountaineering4 ,what is related by people who have had such experiences comes1 in fact1 very near the truth1 and can be ratified by clairvoyant observation4 ,they declare that in such moments their whole lives pass before their minds as though in a huge memory-picture4 ,out of the many examples which might here be adduced1 allusion will be made to one only1 because it originates from a man whose mode of thought would make everything said here about such things seem pure fancy47#e7 ,moriz ,benedict1 the distinguished criminal anthropologist and eminent investigator in many other realms of natural science1 relates in his ,reminiscences an experience of his own1--to the effect that once1 when on the point of drowning in a bath he had seen his whole life pass before his memory as though in a single picture4 ,if other people describe differently the pictures seen by them under similar circumstances1 and even in such a way that they seem to have little to do with the events of their past life1 that does not contradict what has been said2 for the pictures which arise in the quiet abnormal condition during the separation from the physical body are sometimes at first sight1 unintelligible in their relation to life4 ,correct observation1 however1 would always recognize this relationship4 ,neither is it an objection if1 for example1 some one who was once on the point of drowning did not experience what has been described2 for it must be borne in mind that this can happen only when the etheric body is really separated from the physical body1--when1 moreover1 the former is still united with the astral body4 ,if1 through the fright1 a loosening of the etheric and astral bodies also takes place1 the experience is not forthcoming1 because then complete unconsciousness ensues1 as in dreamless sleep4 ,immediately after death the events of the past appear as though compressed by the memory into a picture4 ,after its separation from the etheric body1 the astral body pursues its further wanderings alone4 ,it is not difficult to realize that everything continues to exist which1 by means of its activity1 the astral body has made its own during its sojourn in the physical body4 ,the ego has to a certain extent elaborated the ,spirit-,self1 the ,life-,spirit1 and the ,spirit-,man4 ,as far as these are developed1 they do not owe their existence to the organs present in the different bodies1 but to the ego2 and it is precisely this ego which needs no outer organs for perception2 nor does it require any such organs in order to retain possession of what it has made one with itself4 ,it might be objected3 8,why then is there no perception during sleep of the developed ,spirit-,self1 ,life-,spirit1 and ,spirit-,man80 ,for this reason that the ego is chained to the physical body between birth and death4 ,even though1 during sleep1 it is out of the physical body with the astral body it nevertheless remains closely connected with the physical body2 for the activity of the astral body is directed toward the physical body4 ,on this account the ego is relegated to the outer world of sense for its observations1 and cannot receive spiritual revelations in their direct form4 ,not until death do these revelations come within reach of the ego1 because by means of death the ego is freed from its connection with the physical and etheric bodies4 ,another world may flash upon the consciousness the moment it is withdrawn from the physical world which during life monopolizes its activity4 ,now there are reasons why even at this juncture all connection with the outer physical world of sense does not cease for man4 ,that is to say1 certain desires remain which sustain the connection4 ,there are desires which man creates just because he is conscious of his ego as the fourth principle of his being4 ,these desires and wishes1 springing from the existence of his three lower bodies1 can operate only in the external world1 and cease to operate when these bodies are cast aside4 ,hunger is caused by the external body2 as soon as that external body is no longer connected with the ego1 hunger ceases4 ,now1 had the ego no further desires than those springing from its own spiritual nature1 it might at death draw full satisfaction from the spiritual world into which it is transplanted4 ,but life has given it other desires as well4 ,it has kindled in it a longing for pleasures only to be enjoyed by means of physical organs1 although these pleasures themselves do not originate in the nature of those organs4 ,it is not only the three bodies which demand gratification from the physical world1 but the ego itself finds pleasures in that world1 for the enjoyment of which there exist no means whatever1 in the spiritual world4 ,during life the ego has two kinds of desires3 those that spring from the bodies and must therefore be gratified within the bodies1 but which must also come to an end with their disintegration2 and those that arise from the spiritual nature of the ego4 ,as long as the ego lives in the bodies1 those cravings are satisfied by means of the bodily organs4 ,for in the manifestations of the bodily organs the hidden spiritual element is at work1 and the senses receive something spiritual as well1 in everything of which they are cognizant4 ,that spiritual element is also present after death1 although in a different form4 ,everything spiritual that the ego longs for while in the world of sense1 it still possesses when the senses are no longer there4 ,now if a third kind of wish were not added to these two1 death would mean only a transition from desires which may be satisfied through the senses to such as are fulfilled by the revelation of the spiritual world4 ,the third kind of desire is that which is created by the ego during life in the sense-world1 because it finds pleasure in that world1 even when no spiritual element is revealed in it4 ,the humblest pleasures may be manifestations of the spirit4 ,the satisfaction afforded a starving creature by taking food is a manifestation of the spirit1 for by taking food something is thereupon brought about without which1 in a certain sense1 the spiritual nature could not develop4 ,but the ego can go beyond the pleasure1 which in this case is the outcome of necessity4 ,it may even long for the delicious food quite apart from the service rendered to the spirit by taking nourishment4 ,it is the same with other things in the sense-world4 ,desires are created in this way which would never have appeared in the sense-world if the human ego had not been incorporated in it4 ,neither do such desires arise from the spiritual nature of the ego4 ,the ego must have pleasures of the senses as long as it lives in the body1 even though it be for the very reason that its own nature is spiritual4 ,for the spirit manifests in material things1 and the ego is enjoying nothing less than spirit when it surrenders itself to that element in the sense-world which is irradiated by the light of the spirit4 ,moreover1 it will continue to enjoy this light even when the senses are no longer the medium through which the spiritual rays pass4 ,but there is no fulfillment possible in the spiritual world for desires in which the spirit is not living even in the world of the senses4 ,when death takes place1 the possibility of gratifying desires of this description is cut off4 ,pleasure in good things to eat can be induced only by the presence of the physical organs required for their consumption1--the palate1 tongue1 and so forth2 but when man has laid aside his physical body he no longer possesses these organs4 ,if1 however1 the ego still craves that kind of pleasure the craving must remain unsatisfied4 ,as long as this pleasure corresponds to the spiritual need1 it is caused only by the presence of the physical organs2 but should it happen that the ego has created the desire without serving the spirit in so doing1 it retains it after death in the form of a craving which thirsts in vain for gratification4 ,we can form an idea of what man then experiences only by imagining some one suffering from burning thirst in a region where1 far and wide1 there is no water to be found4 ,this is the predicament of the ego after death1 as long as it retains ungratified desires for the pleasures of the outer world1 and has no organs by means of which to satisfy them4 ,of course the burning thirst1 serving as a comparison for the condition of the ego after death1 must be thought of as enormously increased1 and it must be imagined as extending to all desires still existing1 for which all possibility of gratification is lacking4 ,the next condition of the ego consists in freeing itself from this bond of attraction to the outer world4 ,with regard to this world1 it has to attain purification and liberation4 ,it must be cleansed of all wishes which it has created while in the body1 and which have no native rights in the spiritual world4 ,as an object is caught and burned up by fire1 so is the world of desire1 described above1 broken up and destroyed after death4 ,a vista is then opened into that world which occult science calls the 8consuming fire0 of the spirit4 ,this fire seizes upon desires of a sensual nature which however are not rooted in the spirit4 ,revelations of this kind which occult science is bound to make with regard to such events may appear hopeless and terrible4 ,it may seem a fearful thing that a hope for the realization of which sense-organs are required1 should after death be transformed into despair1 and that a wish that can be fulfilled only by the physical world should be changed into torturing deprivation4 ,yet we can hold such an opinion only as long as we fail to realize that the wishes and desires seized by the 8consuming fire0 after death do not1 in a higher sense1 represent forces beneficial to life but destructive to it4 ,by means of these forces the ego binds itself to the sense-world more closely than is necessary1 in order to draw from it all the experience it requires4 ,for the sense-world is a manifestation of the hidden and spiritual world which lies behind it2 and the ego could never attain spiritual happiness through the bodily senses1 which are the only form in which the spiritual can be manifested1 unless it utilized the senses to seek the spiritual element in sense-experience4 ,nevertheless1 the ego loses sight of the true spiritual reality in the physical world to such an extent that it experiences sensual desires irrespective of the needs of the spirit4 ,if sense pleasure1 as the expression of the spirit1 serves to raise and develop the ego1 any pleasure which is not an expression of the spirit warps and impoverishes it4 ,even though such a desire finds the means of its gratification in the sense-world1 still its destructive effect upon the ego is thereby in no way diminished2 but it is not until after death that its disastrous effects become apparent4 ,for this reason a man may1 by gratifying such desires1 create1 during his life1 new and similar desires1 wholly unaware that he is enveloping himself in a 8consuming fire40 ,what becomes visible to him after death is only what already surrounded him during his life1 and by thus becoming visible it at once appears in its salutary and beneficent effect4 ,a human being who loves another is certainly not attracted merely by that part of him which is perceptible to the physical senses--the only part which is cut off from observation after death--but after death1 just that part of the dear one then becomes visible for the perception of which the physical organs were only the means4 ,the one thing1 in fact1 which would prevent a man from beholding his friend clearly is the presence of desires which can be satisfied only by means of physical organs4 ,unless these desires are extinguished1 he can have no conscious perception of his friend after death4 ,when looked at in this light1 the terrible and hopeless character which after-death experiences might assume for man1 according to the descriptions given by occult science1 becomes changed into one which is thoroughly satisfying and consoling4 ,now the first after-death experiences differ entirely in yet another respect from those during life4 ,during the time of purification man lives1 as it were1 backwards4 ,he lives over again the whole span of his life since birth2 beginning with the events immediately preceding his death1 and reversing the order of his experiences1 he goes through them again until he reaches back to childhood4 ,in this process he sees with spiritually enlightened eyes all those things which were not inspired by the spiritual nature of the ego1 with the difference that he now experiences these things in reverse order4 ,for instance1 a man who died in his sixtieth year1 and who at the age of forty had1 in an outburst of anger1 caused some one either physical or mental pain1 will go through this experience again when1 on the return journey of existence after death1 he reaches that point in his fortieth year2 but now he does not experience the satisfaction which his attack had afforded him during life2 instead1 he experiences the pain which he inflicted upon the other man4 ,it may at once be seen1 however1 that whatever pain he feels in the after-death experience is caused by a desire of the ego arising only from the outer physical world2 in reality the ego does not only injure another by the indulgence of such a desire1 but it also injures itself2 although the injury to itself is not apparent during life4 ,after death1 however1 the whole of the harmful world of desires becomes visible to the ego1 which then feels attracted toward every being or object which had kindled the desire1 in order that this may be destroyed in the 8consuming fire0 by the same means that created it4 ,when man1 on his return journey1 reaches the moment of his birth1 then only have all such desires been purged in the purifying flames1 and henceforth nothing remains to hinder him from devoting himself entirely to the spiritual world4 ,he enters upon a new phase of existence4 ,in the same way that he laid aside his physical body at death and1 soon afterward1 his etheric body1 so does that part of his astral body dissolve which can only live in the consciousness of the outer physical world4 ,occult science1 therefore1 recognizes three corpses1--the physical1 etheric1 and astral4 ,the period at which the last is cast off by man is marked by the time of purification1 which amounts to about one third of the time elapsed between birth and death4 ,the reason why this is so can only be explained later1 when the course of human life is examined from the standpoint of occult science4 ,to clairvoyant observation1 astral corpses1 which have been cast off by human beings passing from the state of purification into a higher existence1 are constantly visible in the world surrounding man1 in exactly the same way that physical corpses1 in places inhabited by men1 are apparent to physical observation47#f7 ,after purification an entirely new state of consciousness begins for the ego4 ,whereas before death the outer perceptions must flow to the ego1 in order that upon these perceptions the light of consciousness might be able to fall1 so now in like manner from within1 streams a world which attains consciousness4 ,the ego is living in this world also between birth and death2 only then this world is clothed in the manifestations of the senses4 ,it is only when the ego1 freed from all the ties of sense1 turns inward to behold its own 8holy of holies10 that its true innermost nature1 which had hitherto been obscured by the senses1 is revealed to it4 ,in the same way that the ego is recognized inwardly before death1 so1 after death and purification1 is the spiritual life inwardly revealed to it in all its fulness4 ,this revelation really takes place immediately after the etheric body is laid aside2 but it is obscured by the dark cloud of desires turned toward the outer world4 ,it is as though a world of spiritual bliss were invaded by black demoniacal phantoms1 caused by those desires which are being destroyed by the 8consuming fire40 ,indeed1 these desires are not mere phantoms1 but real entities1 which become apparent immediately after the ego is deprived of physical organs1 and is thus able to discern those things which are of a spiritual nature4 ,these entities have the appearance of distorted caricatures of the objects with which the individual had formerly become acquainted through his senses4 ,clairvoyant observation shows that this place of purging fire is peopled by beings whose appearance may well seem horrifying and painful to spiritual vision1 whose pleasure seems to consist in destruction1 and whose passions impel them to evil-doing of such a description that the evil of the physical world seems insignificant in comparison4 ,whatever desires of the kind described above are brought into that world by man1 are looked upon by these beings as food1 by means of which their powers are continually strengthened and invigorated4 ,the picture thus sketched of a world imperceptible to the senses may seem less incredible if we look with an unprejudiced eye on part of the animal world4 ,what is a fierce1 devouring wolf1 from a spiritual point of view8 ,what does it reveal to us through that which our senses perceive8 ,nothing else than a soul that lives in desires1 and acts by desire4 ,the external form of the wolf may be called an embodiment of those desires2 and if man had no organs with which to perceive that form1 if its desires appeared invisibly in their effects1--if1 therefore1 a force invisible to the eye were prowling about1 and might be the cause of all that happened through the visible wolf1--he would still be forced to recognize the existence of a creature corresponding to it4 ,now the beings of the region of purifying fire are not visible to the physical eye1 but to clairvoyant sight only2 but their effects are clearly apparent4 ,they bring about the destruction of the ego when it gives them nourishment4 ,these effects are clearly visible if what began as a pleasure leads to excess and debauchery4 ,for even what is perceptible to the senses would attract the ego only in so far as the pleasure had its root in the ego's own nature4 ,the animal is prompted by desire for that in the outer world which its three bodies crave4 ,man has higher enjoyments1 because to the three principles of his bodily nature is added the fourth1 the ego4 ,but if the ego seeks a gratification which does not tend toward the maintenance and development of its nature but to its destruction1 then such a craving can be neither the effect of its three bodies1 nor that of its own nature1 but can only be caused by beings1 concealed from the senses in their true form1 but able furtively to approach that higher nature of the ego1 and excite in it desires which1 though it is cut off from the senses1 can still be satisfied only by means of sense-organs4 ,for there are beings which feed on passions and desires of a worse kind than those of an animal nature1 because they do not expend themselves on objects of the senses but seize upon the spiritual element and drag it down to a sensual level4 ,therefore the forms of such beings are more hideous1 more horrible1 to spiritual sight than are the forms of the fiercest animals1 in which after all only passions rooted in the senses are incarnated4 ,and the destructive forces of these beings immeasurably surpass any destructive rage existing in the animal world as perceived by the senses4 ,occult science must in this way enlarge man's view so as to include a world of beings standing1 in a certain respect1 lower than the visibly destructive animal world4 ,when man has passed through the world of purification after death1 he finds himself in a world the contents of which are spiritual1 and which also creates in him longings which can be satisfied only by spiritual things4 ,but even now man distinguishes between that which properly belongs to his ego and what forms the environment of that ego--one might say1 its spiritual outer world4 ,only that1 of which he becomes sensible in this environment1 pours in upon him in the same way that the perception of his own ego poured in upon him during his sojourn in the body4 ,whereas man's environment in the life between birth and death speaks to him through his bodily organs1 after death when all the bodies are laid aside the language of his new environment penetrates directly into the innermost sanctuary of the ego4 ,man's whole environment is now filled with beings of a like nature with his ego1 for only an ego has access to an ego4 ,just as minerals1 plants1 and animals surround man in the sense-world1 and compose it1 so1 after death1 is he surrounded by a world composed of beings of a spiritual nature4 ,yet he takes something with him into this world which is not part of his environment there2 it is what the ego has experienced in the world of the senses4 ,first of all1 the sum of these experiences appeared1 as a comprehensive memory-picture1 immediately after death1 while the etheric body was still united to the ego4 ,the etheric body itself is then1 indeed1 laid aside1 but something of the memory-picture remains with the ego as an everlasting possession4 ,just as though an extract or essence were made out of all the events and experiences which a man encounters between birth and death1 so might we describe that which is left behind4 ,it is the spiritual product of life1 its fruit4 ,this product is of a spiritual nature4 ,it contains everything spiritual which is revealed through the senses1 yet this spiritual treasure could not have been gathered save by life in the sense-world4 ,this spiritual fruit of the sense-world becomes after death the ego's own inner world4 ,with it the ego enters a world1 which consists of beings who reveal themselves in the same and only manner in which man in his innermost depths1 can become conscious of his own ego4 ,as a plant seed1 which is the essence of the whole plant1 grows only when buried in another world1 the earth1 so now that which the ego brings from the sense-world gradually unfolds itself as a seed under the influence of the spiritual environment in which it has been planted4 ,occult science can1 of course1 only portray in pictures what happens in this 8spirit-world20 still those pictures present themselves as absolute reality to the clairvoyant's sight1 when he investigates invisible happenings1 corresponding to those which are visible to the physical eye4 ,whatever of that world can be described1 may be visualized by comparison with the world of the senses for although it is of a purely spiritual nature1 it nevertheless resembles the physical world in certain respects4 ,just as1 for instance1 in the physical world1 a color appears when some object impresses the eye1 so in the spirit-world a color appears to the ego when a being acts upon it4 ,but this latter phenomenon is perceived in the same manner as the ego can be perceived inwardly between birth and death4 ,it is not as though the light outside fell within upon the man1 but as though another being directly affected the ego1 causing the latter to picture this influence in a colour-form4 ,thus do all things in the spiritual environment of the ego find expression in a world of coloured rays4 ,as their origin is of a different kind1 it goes without saying that these colours of the spiritual world are also of a somewhat different character from physical colours4 ,a similar thing is true of other impressions received by man in the world of sense4 ,but it is the sounds of the spiritual world that most nearly resemble the impressions of the sense-world2 and the more at home a man becomes in the spiritual world1 the more he realizes it as a life of self-determined motion1 which may be compared with the sounds1 and the harmony of sounds1 of the physical world4 ,only he does not feel the tones as something approaching an organ from outside1 but as a force streaming forth into the outer world through his ego4 ,he feels the sound just as in the sense-world he feels his own speech or song1 only he knows that in the spiritual world these sounds1 streaming out from him1 are at the same time the manifestations of other beings1 who are pouring themselves into the world through him4 ,a still higher manifestation takes place in the spirit-land when the sound becomes the 8spiritual word40 ,then there streams through the ego not only the pulsing life of another spiritual being1 but such a being itself communicates its own inner nature to the ego2 and then1 when the spiritual word streams through the ego1 two beings live in one another1 without that separating element which every companionship in the sense-world must carry with it4 ,and this is really the nature of the communion of the ego with other spiritual beings after death4 ,there are three regions in the spiritual world1 which may be compared to the three divisions of the physical sense-world4 ,the first region is in a certain respect the 8solid land0 of the spiritual world1 the second the 8sphere of ocean and river10 and the third the 8atmospheric region40 ,that which assumes physical form on earth1 so that it can be perceived by physical organs1 in accordance with its spiritual nature1 is to be seen in the first region of the spirit-world4 ,there1 for instance1 may be seen the force that fashions the form of a crystal4 ,only what is there revealed is the opposite of that which appears in the sense-world4 ,in that world the space which is filled by a mass of rock appears to spiritual sight as a kind of hollow space2 but round about this hollow is seen the force which fashions the form of the rock4 ,the colour of the rock in the sense-world appears in the spiritual world as its complementary colour2 thus a red stone is green when seen from the spirit-world1 a green stone is red1 and so on4 ,other qualities also appear in their opposites4 ,just as stone1 masses of earth1 and like materials make up the solid land--the continental region of the world of sense--so do the structures described above compose the solid land of the spiritual world4 ,all that is life in the sense-world belongs to the ocean-region of the spiritual world4 ,to the physical eye1 life appears in its effects in plants1 animals1 and men4 ,to spiritual vision1 life is a flowing substance1 like oceans and rivers1 diffused through the spirit-world4 ,a still better comparison is that of the circulation of the blood in the body2 for whereas seas and rivers are seen to be irregularly distributed in the physical world1 a certain regularity in distribution of the flowing life reigns in the spirit-world1 as in the circulation of the blood4 ,this 8flowing life0 is simultaneously heard as spiritual sound4 ,the third region of the spirit-world is its 8atmosphere40 ,what is known in the physical world as 8feeling0 is also present there1 permeating everything like the air on the earth4 ,we must imagine a rushing sea of feeling4 ,pain and sorrow1 joy and rapture1 flow through this region1 like wind and storms in the atmosphere of the physical world4 ,imagine a battle fought on earth4 ,there confront one another not merely human forms1 as seen by the physical eye1 but feelings opposed to feelings1 passions to passions2 pain fills the battlefield just as much as do the forms of men4 ,all that is seething there of passion1 pain1 and the joy of victory is not only perceptible in its effects as revealed to the physical senses2 it may be seen with the spiritual senses as an atmospheric process in the spirit-world4 ,such an event in the spiritual world is like a thunderstorm in the physical1 and the perception of these events may be compared to the hearing of words in the physical world4 ,for this reason it is said that as the air envelops and permeates earthly things1 so do 8interweaving spiritual words0 pervade the beings and events of the spirit-world4 ,and still further observations are possible in this spirit-world4 ,what may be compared to light and heat in the physical world is there too4 ,that which permeates everything in the spirit-world1 as earthly things and beings are permeated by heat1 is the world of thought itself4 ,there1 however1 thoughts must be regarded as living and independent beings4 ,what is understood by man in the manifested world as thought is but a shadow of what lives as a thought-being in the spirit-world4 ,imagine thought1 as it now exists in man1 raised out of him and as an active1 energetic being1 endowed with an inner life of its own1 and you have a feeble illustration of that which fills the fourth region of the spirit-world4 ,in the physical world between birth and death what man understands as thought is but the manifestation of the thought-world as it is able to mould itself by means of the instruments afforded by the bodies4 ,all such thoughts cherished by man1 that carry with them an enrichment of the physical world have their origin in this region4 ,by such thoughts are meant not only the ideas of great inventors and men of genius2 but those ideas found in every individual which he does not owe solely to the external world1 but through which he1 so to speak1 transforms that world4 ,in so far as feelings and passions are concerned1 the cause of which lies in the outer world1 these feelings are perceptible in the third region of the spirit-world2 but everything which so lives in a man's soul as to make him a creator1--influencing1 transforming and fertilizing his environment1--is manifest in its original and intrinsic form in the fourth division of the spirit-world4 ,that which exists in the fifth region may be compared to physical light4 ,in its archetypal form it is wisdom in manifestation4 ,beings who diffuse wisdom throughout their surroundings1 as the sun pours light on physical beings1 belong to this realm4 ,whatever is illuminated by their wisdom stands forth in its true meaning and significance for the spiritual world1 just as the colour of a physical object is seen when the light falls upon it4 ,there are still higher regions of the spirit-world1 which will be described later in this work4 ,into this world the ego is plunged after death1 together with the results it carries with it out of physical life4 ,and these results are still united with that part of the astral body which is not cast off at the end of the time of purification4 ,in fact1 only that part falls away which1 in its desires and wishes1 turned1 after death1 toward physical life4 ,the plunging of the ego into the spiritual world1 with what it has acquired in the physical world1 may be compared to the planting of a grain of seed in the soil in which it can mature4 ,as the grain of seed draws substances and forces from its surroundings in order that it may develop into a new plant1 so the condition of the ego1 when implanted in the spiritual world1 is one of development and growth4 ,hidden within that which is perceived by an organ1 there lies the force whereby that same organ was formed4 ,the eye perceives light2 but without light there would be no eye4 ,creatures spending their lives in darkness do not develop organs of sight4 ,thus the whole of man's physical body is created out of the hidden forces of that of which he becomes conscious through his bodily organs4 ,the physical body is built up by the forces of the physical world1 the etheric body by those of the life-world1 and the astral body is formed out of the astral world4 ,now when the ego is transferred to the spirit-world it is met by just those forces which remain hidden to physical perception4 ,what appear to man's view in the first region of the spirit-world are the spiritual beings that are always surrounding him1 and that have built up his physical body4 ,thus in the physical world man perceives nothing but the manifestations of those spiritual forces which have formed his own physical body4 ,after death he is in the very midst of these moulding forces1 which1 previously hidden1 now appear to him in their true forms4 ,in the same way1 in the second region1 he is in the midst of the forces by which his etheric body was organized1 and in the third region there pour in upon him the potencies out of which his astral body was formed4 ,the higher regions of the spirit-world also direct toward him those forces from which he was built in the life between birth and death4 ,these denizens of the spiritual world are at present working in co-operation with that which man has brought with him as the product of his last life1 which now becomes a germ2 and through this co-operation man is1 first of all1 built up anew as a spiritual being4 ,the physical and etheric bodies are still joined in sleep2 the astral body and the ego are1 it is true1 outside them1 but still connected with them4 ,whatever influences the astral body and the ego receive1 in such a state1 from the spiritual world1 can serve only to recuperate the forces exhausted during the waking state4 ,but when the physical and etheric bodies have been laid aside1 and1 after the time of purification1 also those parts of the astral body still bound by their desires to the physical world1 then everything pouring in upon the ego from the spiritual world is not only a reforming but a reorganizing force4 ,after a certain period1 to be dealt with in later chapters1 the ego again gathers round it an astral body which will be able to live in such an etheric and physical body as man possesses between birth and death4 ,a man can once more pass through birth and renew his earthly existence1 in which1 however1 will be incorporated the results of his former life4 ,until the rebuilding of his astral body1 man is a witness of his reconstruction4 ,as the powers of the spirit-world are not manifested to him through external organs1 but from within outward1 like his own ego in self-consciousness1 he is able to observe that manifestation as long as his attention is not turned to an outer world of perception4 ,but from the moment that the astral body is reconstituted1 his attention is turned outward2 the astral body once more craves an outer etheric and physical body4 ,it is thus turned away from the inner revelations4 ,for this reason there is now an intermediate state1 during which man is immersed in unconsciousness4 ,consciousness can emerge again in the physical world only when the necessary organs for physical perception are formed4 ,during this period1 in which consciousness illuminated by inner perception ceases1 the new etheric body begins to link itself to the astral and man can once again enter a physical body4 ,in the linking together of these two bodies only such an ego could consciously take part as had of itself created the ,life-,spirit and ,spirit-,man out of the creative forces1 hidden in the etheric and physical bodies4 ,until the individual has evolved as far as this1 beings further advanced than himself in evolution must guide this linking together4 ,the astral body is guided1 by such beings as these1 to parents through whom it may be endowed with the appropriate etheric and physical bodies4 ,before the attachment of the etheric body takes place1 something of very great importance happens to the man who is about to re-enter physical existence4 ,in his former life he created disturbing forces1 which were revealed to him on the journey retraced after death4 ,let us again take an example4 ,he caused some pain in an outburst of anger in the fortieth year of his former life4 ,after death1 the other's pain came before him as a force which had interfered with the evolution of his ego4 ,it is likewise with all such events of his former life4 ,on his re-entrance into physical life these hindrances to his evolution confront the ego anew4 ,as1 on the threshold of death1 a sort of memory-picture arose before the human ego1 so there now arises a vision of the life approaching4 ,again he sees a picture1 this time showing all the obstacles which he has to clear away1 if he is to advance in evolution4 ,and what he thus sees becomes the starting-point for forces which he must bring with him into his new life4 ,the picture of the pain he has caused the other man becomes a force which impels the ego1 on entering life again1 to make amends for this pain4 ,thus the previous life has a determining effect on the new one4 ,the deeds of the new life are in a certain way caused by those of the former life4 ,this connection1 following the law1 between an earlier and later existence is to be looked upon as the 8,law of ,destiny02 it has become usual to designate it 8,karma10 a term borrowed from oriental wisdom4 ,the building up of a new set of bodies1 however1 is not the only task incumbent upon man between death and a new birth4 ,while this building up is taking place1 man lives outside the physical world4 ,that world1 however1 continues to evolve during this time4 ,the surface of the earth changes in comparatively short periods of time4 ,what aspect did those regions which are now occupied by ,germany bear a few thousand years ago8 ,when man appears on earth in a new existence1 the earth rarely looks the same as it did at the time of his last incarnation4 ,during his absence from the earth all sorts of changes have occurred4 ,now hidden forces are also at work in this alteration of the face of the earth1 proceeding from that very world in which man finds himself after death2 and he himself must co-operate with these forces in the transformation of the earth4 ,he can do so only under the direction of ,higher ,beings until1 by the creation of his ,life-,spirit and ,spirit-,man1 he has acquired a clear perception of the connection between the spiritual and its expression in the physical4 ,but he takes part in the transformation of earthly conditions4 ,it may be said that during the period between death and a new birth1 man so transforms the earth that its conditions are in keeping with what he has evolved in himself4 ,if we look at a given place on the earth at a definite moment1 and see it again after a long lapse of time1 under entirely changed conditions1 the forces which have wrought the change have proceeded from those who are now dead4 ,and it is this kind of connection which exists between them and the earth until the time of rebirth4 ,clairvoyant observation sees in all physical existence the manifestation of a hidden spiritual element4 ,to physical observation it is the light of the sun1 climatic changes1 and so on1 that effect the transformation of the earth1 but to clairvoyance it is the force of the dead that acts in the rays of light which fall on the plant from the sun4 ,the clairvoyant sees how human souls hover about plants1 how they change the surface of the earth4 ,not alone upon himself nor upon the preparations for his own new earthly existence1 is man's attention bestowed after death4--,no1 he is called upon then to work upon the outer world1 just as he is in life between the time of his birth and death4 ,not only does the life of man affect the conditions of the physical world from the spirit-land2 but vice versa1 activity during physical existence has its effects in the spiritual world4 ,an example may explain what happens in this respect4 ,a bond of love exists between mother and child4 ,this love arises from a mutual attraction caused by the forces of the sense-world4 ,but in the course of time it changes4 ,a spiritual tie gradually grows out of the sense-bond1 and this spiritual tie is not created for the physical world only but for the spirit-world as well4 ,the same applies to other ties4 ,whatever is created in the physical world by spiritual entities continues to exist in the spiritual world4 ,friends who were closely united in life belong to each other in spirit-land also1 and when their bodies are laid aside they are in much more intimate communion than during physical life4 ,for as spirits they exist for each other in the same way as1 in the above description1 spiritual beings reveal themselves to others by inner manifestation2 and a tie created between two persons brings them together again in a new life4 ,thus in the truest sense of the word we may speak of finding one another again after death4 ,what has once happened to a man between birth and death and from then till a new birth1 repeats itself4 ,man returns to earth again and again when the fruit he has earned in a physical life has ripened in the spirit-world4 ,it is not1 however1 a case of repetition without beginning or end2 but man has emerged out of other forms of existence and passed into those which run their course in the manner just described1 and he will again in the future pass into other forms4 ,a viewpoint of these transition stages will be gained when the evolution of the universe in connection with man is subsequently considered from the standpoint of occult science4 ,the occurrences between death and a new birth are of course still more concealed from outer sense-observation than is the spiritual foundation underlying manifested life between birth and death4 ,this sense-observation can see only the effects of that portion of the hidden world where they impinge upon physical existence4 ,with regard to this the question must arise whether man1 on entering this life at birth1 brings with him any results from the events described by occult science as having taken place between his last death and re-birth4 ,if one finds the shell of a snail in which there is no trace of the animal he will1 in spite of that1 recognize that this snailshell was formed by the activity of an animal1 and he cannot believe that the shell constructed a form for itself1 by means of mere physical forces4 ,in the same way one who studies a man during life1 and finds something in him which cannot be due to this life1 might reasonably admit that it arises from what occult science describes1 if by doing so an explanatory light is thrown on what is otherwise inexplicable4 ,here1 too1 the unseen causes might appear intelligible to rational sense-observation from their visible effects1 and whoever observes life with absolute impartiality will find that1 with every fresh observation1 this appears to be more and more true4 ,the important question1 however1 is how to find the right point of view from which to observe their effects in life4 ,where1 for example1 are the effects of that to be found which occult science describes as incidents of the time of purification8 ,how are the effects of the experience which1 according to occult investigations1 man undergoes in purely spiritual regions1 manifested after this time of purification8 ,problems enough press upon every serious and profound student of life in this domain4 ,we see one man born in want and misery1 endowed only with inferior abilities1 so that on account of these facts1 which are incident to his birth1 he appears predestined to a miserable existence4 ,another1 from the first moment of his life1 is tended and cherished by loving hands and hearts2 brilliant talents are unfolded in him2 his gifts point to a successful and satisfactory career4 ,two opposite views may be taken when met by such questions as these4 ,the one will adhere to what the senses perceive and what the understanding1 relying on these senses1 is able to comprehend4 ,this view will admit no problem in the fact that one man is born fortunate and the other unfortunate4 ,even if the word 8chance0 is not used1 there will be no question of thinking that such things are brought about through any law of cause and effect4 ,and with regard to talents and abilities1 such a view will consider them as 8inherited0 from parents1 grandparents1 and other ancestors4 ,it refuses to seek the causes in spiritual events which the man himself met with before birth--regardless of heredity--and by means of which he shaped his talents and abilities4 ,another view would find no satisfaction in such an interpretation4 ,it would assert that even in the manifested world nothing happens in definite places or surroundings without our having to presuppose causes for the event in question4 ,even though in many cases such causes have not yet been investigated1 they are there4 ,an ,alpine flower does not grow in the lowlands4 ,its nature has something which associates it with ,alpine regions4 ,just so must there be something in a man which determines his birth in a certain environment4 ,causes belonging to the physical world alone are not sufficient to account for this4 ,to a more profound thinker such an explanation appears in somewhat the same light as when one has dealt another a blow1 the motive for which is not attributed to the feelings of the one but is to be explained by the physical mechanism of the hand4 ,any explanation of abilities and talents solely by 8heredity0 is to such a viewpoint equally unsatisfactory4 ,it is true one may say3 8,see how certain talents are inherited in families40 ,during two and a half centuries musical talents were inherited by members of the ,bach family4 ,eight mathematicians sprang from the ,bernoulli family1 to some of whom quite different occupations were assigned in their childhood2 but the inherited talents always drove them to the family vocation4 ,it may be further pointed out how1 by an exact investigation of the line of ancestry of a person in one way or another the gifts of this person have shown themselves in the forefathers1 and only represent the sum of inherited talents4 ,whoever holds the latter of the two views above indicated will be sure not to let such facts pass unnoticed1 but to him they cannot mean the same as they do to one who relies for his interpretation on the events of the world of sense alone4 ,the former will point out that inherited talents can no more of themselves1 combine into a complete personality than can the metal parts of a watch fit themselves together4 ,and if objection is made that the co-operation of the parents may possibly produce the combination of talents1--that this as it were1 takes the place of the watchmaker1--he will reply3 8,look impartially at what is new in every child-personality1 at that which is absolutely new2 that cannot come from the parents1 for the simple reason that it does not exist in them40 ,inaccurate thinking may create much confusion in this domain4 ,it is still worse when those who hold the second view are set down by the supporters of the first as opponents of what is1 after all1 borne out by 8ascertained facts40 ,but it may well be that the latter have not the slightest intention of denying the truth or value of those facts4 ,for instance1 they see that a definite mental aptitude or predisposition is 8inherited0 in a family1 and that certain gifts accumulated and combined in one descendant result in a remarkable personality4 ,they are perfectly willing to acquiesce when it is said that the most celebrated name seldom stands at the beginning but at the end of a line of descent4 ,but it should not be taken amiss if they are compelled to form very different opinions on the subject from those of people who are determined to accept nothing but material evidence4 ,to the latter it may be said that it is true a man shows the characteristics of his ancestors1 because the 8spirit-soul01 which enters upon physical existence at birth1 draws its bodily substance from that which heredity bestows on it4 ,but this says nothing more than that a being shows the peculiarities of the body into which it has descended4 ,it is no doubt a singular--a trivial--comparison1 but the unprejudiced person will not deny its justification1 when one says that a human being1 who shows the qualities of his forefathers1 proves the origin of the personal qualities of that human being as little as the fact that man is wet because he has fallen into the water1 proves something regarding his inner nature4 ,and it may further be said that if the most celebrated name stands at the end of a line of family descent1 it shows that the bearer of that name needed that particular ancestry to build the body necessary for the expression of his whole personality4 ,but it is no proof that his actual personal qualities were transmitted to him3 such a statement is1 on the contrary1 opposed to sound logic4 ,if personal gifts were inherited1 they would be found at the beginning of a line of descent17#g7 and starting from that point be transmitted to the descendants4 ,as1 however1 they stand at the end1 it is evident that they are not transmitted4 ,now it is not to be denied that those who speak of a spiritual causality in life have contributed no less to bringing about confusion of thought4 ,far too much generalizing and vague discussion comes from this quarter4 ,to say that a man's personality is a combination of inherited characteristics may certainly be compared with the assertion that the metal parts of a watch have fitted themselves together4 ,it must also be admitted that1 with regard to many assertions about a spiritual world1 it is as though some one said that the metal parts of a watch cannot put themselves together in such a way as to enable the hands to move forward2 some intelligence must therefore be present to effect this forward movement4 ,in face of such an assertion1 he certainly builds on a far better foundation who says3 8,oh6 ,i care nothing for your #8mystical' beings who move the hands forward4 ,what ,i want to know is the mechanical construction by means of which the forward movement of the hands is achieved40 ,it is by no means a question of merely knowing that behind a mechanism1 a watch for instance1 there is an intelligence 7the watchmaker72 it can only be of importance to know the ideas in the watchmaker's mind which preceded the construction of the watch4 ,these thoughts may be rediscovered in the mechanism4 ,mere dreaming and imagining about the supersensual only result in confusion1 for they are not calculated to satisfy opponents4 ,the latter are right in saying that such general allusions to super-physical beings are not at all conducive to an understanding of facts4 ,of course1 such opponents might also say the same of the exact statements of occult science4 ,but1 in that case1 it may be pointed out that the effects of hidden spiritual causes are seen in manifested life4 ,let us assume for the moment that what occult science asserts1 proven by observation1 is correct3--that a man has gone through a time of purification after death1 and that during this period he has experienced in his soul how a certain deed1 performed by him in a former life1 was a hindrance to his progressive evolution4 ,while he was undergoing this experience1 the impulse arose in him to make amends for that deed4 ,he brings this impulse with him into a new life and its presence produces a tendency in his nature which draws him into conditions rendering the amendment possible4--,taking into consideration a number of such impulses1 we have the cause for a man's being born into an environment corresponding to his destiny4 ,we may deal in the same way with another assumption4 ,let us again accept as correct the assertion of occult science that the fruits of a past life are incorporated in man's spiritual germ1 and that the spirit-land in which man finds himself1 between death and a new life1 is the region in which these fruits ripen1 and are transformed into talents and capabilities which will appear in a new life and will form the personality so that it appears as the effect of what was gained in a former life4 ,it will become evident to any one who accepts these hypotheses and1 bearing them in mind1 surveys life impartially1 that while1 by their means1 all material facts may be appreciated in their full truth and significance1 at the same time everything becomes intelligible which1 if only material facts were relied upon1 must forever remain incomprehensible to one whose attention is turned toward the spiritual world4 ,and more important still1 that illogical reasoning of the kind indicated above will disappear1 namely1--that because the most distinguished name in a line of descent stands at the end of it1 its bearer must have inherited his gifts4 ,life becomes logically comprehensible through the supersensual facts ascertained by occult science4 ,yet another weighty objection may be raised by the conscientious seeker after truth who desires to find his way to facts and has no experience of his own in the supersensual world4 ,it may be urged that it is inadmissible to accept the existence of facts1 of any kind1 simply because by means of them something may be explained which is otherwise unintelligible4 ,such an objection is meaningless to one who knows the corresponding facts from supersensual experience1 and in later chapters of this book the path will be indicated that may be followed in order to gain knowledge not only of the spiritual facts herein described1 but also of the law of spiritual causation as a personal experience4 ,any one1 however1 who is not willing to enter upon this path may find the above objection important2 and what can be said against it is also of value to one who is resolved to follow the path indicated4 ,for if it is received in the right spirit1 it is the very best preliminary step that can be taken on this path4 ,it is perfectly true that one ought not to accept a statement about which one is otherwise ignorant merely because1 by means of it1 something otherwise inexplicable can be explained1 but in the case of alleged spiritual facts the matter is different4 ,if such statements are accepted1 the intellectual consequence is not only that1 by their means1 life becomes intelligible1 but that through admitting these hypotheses into the thought-world1 experiences of quite a new kind are induced4 ,take the following case4 ,something befalls a man which causes him extremely painful sensations4 ,he may meet the situation in one of two ways4 ,he may submit to the occurrence as something affecting him painfully1 and abandon himself to the painful sensation1 even becoming absorbed in his grief2 or he may meet it in another way4 ,he may say3 8,it is really ,i myself who in a former life set the force in motion which has brought me into contact with this thing4 ,i have really brought it on myself40 ,he may then awaken in himself all the feelings which such a thought brings in its train4 ,it goes without saying that the thought must be entertained with perfect seriousness1 and with the utmost possible force1 if it is to have such consequences in the life of sensation and feeling4 ,one who succeeds in this will meet with an experience which may be best illustrated by a comparison4 ,let us suppose that two men have each a stick of sealing wax in his hand4 ,one begins reflecting upon its inner nature4 ,these reflections may perhaps be very wise1 but if the 8inner nature0 did not show itself in any way1 some one might easily retort3 8,that is all imagination40 ,the other1 however1 rubs the sealing wax with a woolen rag1 and then shows that it attracts small particles4 ,there is an important difference between the thoughts which have passed through the first man's head and his reflections1 and those of the second4 ,the thoughts of the first man had no actual result2 those of the second have called out a hidden force1 consequently something real4 ,the same thing happens with regard to the thoughts of a man in whose mind the idea arises that in a former life he has set going within himself the force which causes him to experience a certain event4 ,the mere conception of this stirs up strength within him which enables him to face the event in quite a different manner from that in which he would have met it without entertaining such an idea4 ,it dawns upon him that an event which he would otherwise have looked upon as an accident was really a necessity and he will immediately see that he had the right thought1 because this thought had the power to reveal the facts to him4 ,if such inner processes are repeated they will grow into a source of inner power and thus prove their truth by their fruitfulness2 and little by little1 this truth is found to be powerfully effective4 ,such processes have a salutary effect on body1 soul1 and spirit1--nay1 they help life forward in every way4 ,man becomes aware that in this manner he takes the right position with regard to life's continuity2 whereas1 by taking into consideration only the one life between birth and death1 he is the victim of a delusion4 ,such an entirely inner proof of spiritual causation can of course be acquired only by each one for himself1 in his own inner life4 ,but it is in every one's power to have it4 ,those who have not acquired it certainly cannot judge of its convincing force2 but those who have acquired it can scarcely entertain any further doubt in the matter4 ,and there is no reason for surprise that this should be so4 ,it is only natural that what is so wholly bound up with the constitution of man's inmost being and personality can be adequately proven only by inner experience4 ,on the other hand1 it cannot be alleged that because such a matter corresponds to inner experience it must therefore be settled by every one for himself1 and that it is no subject for occult science4 ,it is certain that every one must undergo the experience for himself1 just as each must see for himself the proof of a mathematical problem4 ,but the path by which such an experience may be gained is open to all1 just as the method of proving a mathematical problem is available to every one4 ,it ought not to be denied--apart from clairvoyant observation of course--that by means of the force producing power of the corresponding thoughts1 the just cited proof is the only one which stands firm before all unprejudiced logic4 ,all other considerations are no doubt very important1 but in all of them there will be something on which an opponent might seize as a point of attack4 ,surely one who has acquired a fairly impartial way of looking at things will find something in the possibility and actual fact of man's education1 which has the power of logical proof that a spiritual being is struggling for existence within the sheath of the body4 ,he will compare animals with man and say to himself that at the birth of the former there appears certain definite qualities and capacities as something1 decisive in itself1 which plainly shows how it has been designed by heredity and how it will unfold itself in the outer world4 ,we see how a young chicken carries out life's functions in the appointed way from its birth2 but by means of education something comes into touch with man's inner life which is independent of any connection with his heredity1 and he may be in a position to assimilate the effects of such external influences4 ,the educator knows that such influences are met by forces coming from man's inner nature4 ,if this is not the case1 all instruction and training are meaningless4 ,the unprejudiced educator finds the boundary line between inherited talents and those inner forces of the man himself which shine through them and originate in former lives1 to be very sharply marked4 ,it is true1 we cannot bring forward such weighty proofs for things of this kind as we can for certain physical facts1 by means of scales2 but then these are just the intimate things of life1 and one who has the power to appreciate such impalpable proofs will find them convincing--even more convincing than palpable reality4 ,that animals may be trained1 and thus1 to a certain extent1 acquire qualities and capacities by education1 is no objection to one who is able to see reality1 for apart from the fact that transitional stages are met with all over the world1 the results of training an animal by no means fade away with its individual existence1 as is the case with a man4 ,what is more1 the fact has been emphasized that faculties acquired by domestic animals through intercourse with man are transmitted1 that is to say1 continue in the species1 not in the individual4 ,darwin describes how dogs fetch and carry without having been taught to do so1 or without having seen it done4 ,who would make such an assertion with regard to human education8 ,now there are thinkers whose observations have led them beyond the opinion that a man is built by purely inherited forces from without4 ,they rise to the thought that a spiritual being1 an individuality1 exists before life in the body1 and fashions it2 but many of them find it impossible to conceive that there are repeated earthly lives1 and that the fruits of former lives are moulding forces during the intermediate state between two lives4 ,let us take one instance from among the ranks of these thinkers4 ,immanuel ,hermann ,fichte1 son of the great ,fichte1 in his ,anthropology 7p4 #ebh7 gives the observations which led him to the following conclusion3 8,parents are not generators in the full sense of the word4 ,they supply organic substance1 and not alone this1 but also that intermediate element of mental and sense nature which appears in temperament1 colouring of character1 definite tendencies1 and so on1 the common source of which proves to be #8imagination' in the wider sense indicated by us4 ,in all these elements of personality1 the mingling and particular combination of the souls of the parents is unmistakable2 it is therefore a perfectly well-grounded assertion that this combination is simply the result of procreation1 even if we regard procreation1 as we must do1 as really a soul-process4 ,but the real ultimate centre of the personality is just what is lacking here2 for a deeper and more searching observation reveals the fact that even those peculiarities of disposition are but a covering and an instrument for the containing of the individual's really spiritual and ideal capabilities1 and are qualified to aid these in their development or to hinder them1 but in no wise able to originate them40 ,it is further stated in the same work 7p4 #ecb73 8,every individual pre-exists as regards the fundamental form of his spirit1 for no individual1 from a spiritual point of view1 resembles another1 just as no species of animal resembles another species40 ,these thoughts reach only far enough to allow a spiritual being to come into the human body2 but as the forces shaping such a being are not derived from causes existing in former lives1 it would be necessary that1 each time a fresh personality appears1 a spiritual being should come forth from a ,divine ,first ,cause4 ,with this hypothesis there would be no possibility of explaining the relationship which certainly exists between the potentialities struggling out of man's innermost being1 and that which is forcing its way thither from his external earthly environment during life4 ,man's innermost being1 issuing in the case of each single person from a ,divine ,first ,cause1 would find what confronts him in earthly life quite strange and foreign4 ,only then would this not be the case--as1 in fact1 it is not--if there had already been a connection between the inner man and the outer world1 and if the inner man were not living in it for the first time4 ,the unprejudiced educator may undoubtedly observe clearly that he impresses the consciousness of his pupil with something taken from life's experiences which in itself is foreign to his merely inherited qualities1 but which1 however1 appears to him as if the work out of which these experiences arise1 had been done by him in the past4 ,only repeated lives on earth1 in conjunction with the facts set forth by occult science as taking place in spiritual regions between two earthly lives1--only this view can afford a satisfactory explanation of present human life looked at from every side4 ,i say expressly 8present0 human life1 for occult investigation shows that the cycle of earthly life certainly had a beginning1 and at that time man's spiritual being1 which later entered a bodily frame1 existed under different conditions4 ,in the following chapter we shall go back to this primeval condition of human existence4 ,when it has been shown1 from the reports of occult science how human beings received their present form in connection with the evolution of the earth1 it will also be possible to indicate more precisely how the spiritual germ of man's being descends from superphysical worlds into a bodily form1 and how the spiritual law of causation1 or 8human destiny10 is developed4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,evolution ,,of ,,the ,,world ,,and ,,man ,from the foregoing observations it will be seen that man's being is built up of four principles3 the physical body1 the etheric body1 the astral body1 and the vehicle of the ego4 ,the ego works within the three other principles1 and transforms them4 ,by means of this transformation1 are formed on a lower level1 the sentient-soul1 the rational- or intellectual-soul1 and the consciousness-soul3 on a higher level of human existence1 are formed the ,spirit-,self1 the ,life-,spirit1 and ,spirit-,man4 ,the relations existing between these human principles and the whole universe are of a most varied character and their evolution is related to that of the universe4 ,by studying this evolution an insight is obtained into the deeper mysteries of man's being4 ,it is clear that human life is related in the most varied ways to the environment or dwelling place in which it evolves4 ,physical science1 through the facts presented to it1 has already been driven to the opinion that the earth itself1 man's dwelling place in the broadest sense of the word1 has undergone evolution4 ,science points to former conditions of the earth when man1 in his present form1 did not yet exist on our planet and it shows how man has slowly and gradually evolved to his present condition from primitive states of civilization4 ,physical science1 therefore1 comes also to the conclusion that there is a connection between man's evolution and that of the heavenly body on which he lives--the earth4 ,occult science traces this connection by means of a knowledge which obtains its data from observation quickened by spiritual organs of perception4 ,it traces man backwards in his course of development1 and the fact becomes evident to occult science that the real inner spiritual being of man has progressed through a series of lives on this earth4 ,occult research arrives in this way at an epoch far back in the remote past1 when for the first time that inner being of man made its entry into 8external life0 as we understand it4 ,it was in this first earthly incarnation that the ego began to function in the three bodies--the astral body1 the etheric or vital body1 and the physical body2 and it then carried over the results of that activity into its next life4 ,if in our investigation we proceed backwards1 in the manner indicated1 as far as that epoch1 we discover that the ego finds an earth condition in which the three bodies1 physical1 etheric1 and astral1 are already developed and in which they bear a certain relation to each other4 ,the ego is1 for the first time1 united with the being composed of these three bodies2 and henceforth takes part in the further evolution of the three bodies4 ,hitherto1 up to the stage at which that ego came in touch with them1 they had evolved without a human ego4 ,occult science must now go back still farther in its researches if it is to answer the questions1 8,how did the three bodies reach that stage of evolution at which they were able to receive an ego within them80 and 8,how did that ego itself come into being and acquire the capacity for working within these bodies80 ,it is possible to answer these questions only when the gradual development of the earth-planet itself is studied from the occult point of view4 ,by such investigation we arrive at a beginning of the earth-planet4 ,that method of examination which is based only on the facts of the physical senses cannot arrive at conclusions concerning the beginning of the earth4 ,a certain point of view which avails itself of such conclusions arrives at the result that everything material on the earth was formed out of a primeval essence1 or vapour4 ,it is not the purpose of this work to enter more fully into such conceptions of our planet's origin2 for in occult science the important matter is not merely to inquire into the material processes of the earth's evolution1 but first and foremost to discover the spiritual causes lying behind what is material4 ,if we see before us a man raising his hand1 we may consider his action in two different ways3 we may examine the mechanism of the arm and the rest of the organism1 in order to describe the process as it takes place from the purely physical standpoint1 or we may direct the spiritual vision to what takes place in the man's soul and there discover what constitutes the inner motive for raising the hand4 ,in this way an investigator1 trained in occult research1 sees spiritual processes behind all the events of the physical sense-world4 ,in his eyes all transformations of the material part of the earth-planet are manifestations of spiritual forces lying behind what is material4 ,but if occult observation of this kind goes farther and farther back in the life of the earth it comes to that point in evolution at which material things first came into being4 ,the material element is evolved out of the spiritual4 ,up to this point the spiritual element was the only one existing4 ,by occult investigation the spiritual element is perceived1 and the observer can see how it becomes partly condensed1 as it were1 into matter4 ,we have before us a process which is taking place--on a higher level--much as though we were observing a lump of ice being formed by artificial means in a vessel of water4 ,just as we see the ice being condensed out of what was previously only water1 so may we1 by means of occult observation1 watch the condensation of what was previously entirely spiritual1 so to speak1 into material things1 processes1 and beings4 ,in this way the physical earth-planet was evolved out of a cosmic spiritual essence2 and everything that is combined materially with the earth-planet has been condensed out of what was previously united with it spiritually4 ,we must not1 however1 think that everything spiritual was at any one time changed into material form2 but1 in the latter we have before us merely the transformed portions of what was originally spiritual4 ,thus1 even during the period of material evolution1 it is always ,spirit that is really the guiding and ruling principle4 ,it is obvious that the mode of thought which restricts itself to the processes of physical sense--and to what reason is able to infer from them--is incapable of expressing an opinion about the spiritual element of which we are speaking4 ,let us assume that a being might exist to whose senses ice would be perceptible1 but not the finer condition of water1 from which ice is detached by refrigeration4 ,for such a being1 water would be non-existent1 and could become visible only when parts of it had been transformed into ice4 ,in the same way1 the spiritual element behind earthly processes remains hidden from one who only admits the existence of what is perceptible to his physical senses4 ,and if1 from the physical facts which he now perceives1 he draws correct conclusions about earlier conditions of the earth-planet1 he can penetrate only as far as that point in evolution at which the previous spiritual element was partially condensed into material substance4 ,such a method of observation no more discovers the spirit previously existing1 than it perceives the spirit which even now rules unseen behind the world of matter4 ,not until we come to the last chapters of this work can we deal with those methods by which man acquires the faculty of looking back1 by means of occult perception1 upon those earlier conditions of the earth which are now under discussion4 ,for the present we shall merely intimate that the facts concerning the primeval past have not passed beyond the reach of occult research4 ,if a being comes into corporeal existence his material part perishes after physical death4 ,but the spiritual forces1 which from out their own depth gave existence to the body1 do not 8disappear in this way40 ,they leave their traces1 their exact images behind them impressed upon the spiritual ground-work of the world4 ,any one who is able to raise his perceptive faculty through the visible to the invisible world1 attains at length a level on which he may see before him what may be compared to a vast spiritual panorama1 in which are recorded all the past events of the world's history4 ,these imperishable traces of everything immaterial are called in occult science the 8,akashic ,records40 ,here it must once more be repeated that investigations of the supersensible realms of existence can be carried on only with the aid of spiritual perception1 and consequently can be instituted in the sphere now under consideration1 only by reading the ,akashic ,records above-mentioned4 ,nevertheless1 what was said earlier in this book in a similar instance holds good here4 ,supersensible facts are only to be investigated by supersensible perceptions2 but once investigated and communicated by occult science1 they may be grasped by the ordinary powers of thought1 if these are honestly exercised without bias4 ,in the following pages the various conditions of the earth's evolution1 as given by occult science1 will be detailed4 ,the transformation of our planet will be traced down to the conditions of life in which we now find it4 ,any one who surveys what comes before him at the present time merely through the evidence of his senses1 and then lends an ear to what occult science has to say on the subject1 namely3--how that which now lies before him has been evolved from a far distant past1--will be able1 if his thought is genuinely unbiased1 to say to himself3 8,in the first place1 what occult science reports is quite logical2 in the second place1 ,i can1 if ,i assume the reports of occult investigation to be correct1 understand how things have become as they now appear40 ,by 8logical0 is not meant1 in this connection1 of course1 that errors might not be made from a logical standpoint in some description given by occult research4 ,we are here speaking of 8logic0 as it is understood in the ordinary life of the physical world4 ,just as a logical demonstration is accepted there as it is in physical research1 even though a single investigator1 in a certain domain of facts1 may make illogical statements1 so is it also with regard to occult science4 ,it may even happen that an investigator who possesses the power of vision in supersensible spheres may make mistakes in a logical presentment of them1 and may be corrected by another who has no supersensible perception1 but has1 none the less1 a capacity for sound thinking4 ,in reality1 nothing of any weight can be said against the logical deductions of occult science4 ,and it ought to be unnecessary to insist that nothing can be adduced1 on purely logical grounds1 against the facts themselves4 ,in the domain of the physical world it can never be proved by logic1 but only by ocular demonstration1 whether or no there is such an animal as a whale2 similarly1 supersensible facts can be known only through occult perception4 ,but it cannot be sufficiently emphasized that an obligation is laid upon the explorer of supersensible regions1 before he determines to approach the invisible worlds with his own power of perception1 to acquire first of all the aforementioned logical faculty1 and this is none the less essential if he recognizes that the world1 manifest to his senses1 will become comprehensible if he accepts the communications of occult science as correct4 ,all experiences in the supersensible world are nothing but an uncertain--nay1 a dangerous--groping in the dark if we despise the method of preparation which has been described4 ,therefore in this book the facts concerning the supersensible processes of the earth's evolution will first be given1 before the path leading to the attainment of supersensible knowledge is dealt with4 ,we have also1 it is true1 to take into account that the man who1 by sheer thinking1 comes to accept what supersensible research has to impart1 is by no means in the same position as one who listens to the account of a physical occurrence which he is unable to see4 ,for thinking is in itself a supersensible activity4 ,materialistic thinking cannot of itself lead to supersensible phenomena4 ,but if thought is directed to supersensible matters through the accounts given of them by occult science1 it grows by its own activity into the supersensible world4 ,what is more1 one of the very best ways of acquiring supersensible perception is to grow into the higher worlds by meditation upon what has been communicated by occult science4 ,for such a mode of entry insures great clearness of perception4 ,for this reason such thinking is regarded by a certain school of occult investigation as a most valuable first step to take in occult training4 ,it will be readily understood that it is impossible to mention in this book all the details of the earth's evolution1 as it has been spiritually perceived by occultists1 in order to illustrate the way in which the supersensible world is reflected in the manifested4 ,nor was this what was intended when it was said that the unseen may everywhere be demonstrated by its manifest effects4 ,it was meant rather that everything that man encounters may1 step by step1 become clear and comprehensible if he brings manifested events under the illumination of occult science4 ,only in a few characteristic instances will reference be made in the following pages to confirmations of the invisible by the manifest1 in order to show how this may be done everywhere in the course of practical life1 if desired4 ,pursuing the evolution of the earth backward according to the above method of scientific spiritual investigations we arrive at a spiritual condition of our planet4 ,but if we go farther back along this path of research we find that everything spiritual had previously passed through a kind of physical incarnation4 ,thus we come upon a bygone physical planetary condition1 which was afterwards spiritualized1 and subsequently transformed into our earth by repeated materialization4 ,our earth is therefore presented to us as the reincarnation of a very ancient planet4 ,but occult science can go back still farther2 and it then finds the whole process twice repeated4 ,thus1 our earth has passed through three previous planetary conditions separated by intermediate spiritual conditions of rest4 ,the physical substance1 however1 proves to be finer and finer the farther back we follow the incarnations4 ,now man1 in the form in which he is at present evolving1 makes his first appearance upon the fourth of the planetary incarnations which have been described1 the ,earth proper4 ,and the essential characteristic of his form is that it is composed of four principles1 the physical1 etheric1 and astral bodies and the ego4 ,but that form could not have appeared if it had not been prepared by the preceding events of evolution4 ,the method of preparation was that1 in the earlier planetary incarnation1 beings were evolved who already had three of the present four principles of man3 the physical1 etheric1 and astral bodies4 ,these beings who1 in a certain sense1 may be called man's ancestors1 had as yet no ego1 but they developed the three other principles and their mutual relationship to such a point that they became sufficiently mature to receive an ego4 ,thus man's ancestor attained to a certain degree of maturity of his three principles during the earlier planetary incarnation4 ,this condition became spiritualized2 and out of it a new planetary condition was formed in which man's matured ancestors were contained1 as it were1 in embryo4 ,because the whole planet had passed through a process of spiritualization and had appeared in a new form1 it offered those embryos1 with their physical1 etheric1 and astral bodies1 which were contained therein1 not only the opportunity of again evolving up to the level on which they had previously stood1 but the further possibility1 after having arrived at that level1 of reaching out beyond themselves through receiving the ego4 ,the evolution of the ,earth divides itself1 therefore1 into two parts4 ,during the first period the ,earth itself appears as a reincarnation of the previous planetary state4 ,but that recurring state is a higher one than that of the previous incarnation1 in consequence of the intervening period of spiritualization4 ,and the ,earth contains within itself the germs of man's ancestors belonging to the earlier planet4 ,these were first developed up to the level they had previously reached4 ,the attainment of this level marks the end of the first period4 ,but now1 owing to its own higher stage of evolution1 the ,earth is able to carry the germs still higher1 that is1 to qualify them for receiving the ego4 ,the second period of the ,earth's evolution is that of the development of the ego in the physical1 etheric1 and astral bodies4 ,in the same way that man had been thus carried a stage farther by the evolution of the ,earth1 so also had this been the case during the earlier planetary incarnations4 ,for man had in some measure existed as early as the first of these4 ,light is therefore thrown on the present constitution of man if his evolution is followed back to the far-remote past of the first of the planetary incarnations mentioned above4 ,in occult science the first of these is called ,saturn2 the second is termed ,sun2 the third1 ,moon2 and the fourth is the ,earth4 ,it must be distinctly understood that these occult terms are not to be in any way associated with the names used to designate the members of the present solar system47#h7 ,in occult science ,saturn1 ,sun1 and ,moon are merely names for bygone forms of evolution through which the ,earth has passed4 ,in the course of the following account it will be shown what relation these worlds of remote antiquity bear to the celestial bodies composing the present solar system4 ,the relationship of the four planetary incarnations previously mentioned1 can here be only briefly sketched2 for the events1 the beings and their destiny on ,saturn1 ,sun and ,moon were in truth1 just as varied as they are on the ,earth itself4 ,therefore only a few characteristics of these conditions can be chosen to illustrate just how these earth conditions have evolved out of earlier ones4 ,in this connection1 one should bear in mind that the further back we go the more dissimilar to the present ones do these conditions become4 ,and yet they can only be described by making use of ideas borrowed from existing conditions of the earth4 ,if1 for instance1 light1 heat1 etc41 are mentioned in connection with these earlier conditions1 it must not be overlooked that they are not exactly the same as that which we now term light and heat4 ,and yet such terminology is accurate1 for the clairvoyant observer of earlier stages of evolution perceives something that has developed into the light and heat of the present time4 ,and one who follows the descriptions thus given by occult science will1 from the inner relation of these things1 easily be able to form such perceptions as correspond to those events which have taken place in a primeval past4 ,of course there will be considerable difficulty in treating of those planetary conditions which preceded the ,moon incarnation4 ,for during the latter1 conditions prevailed which bore1 at least to a degree1 some resemblance still to earthly conditions4 ,when one attempts to describe these conditions one finds that such resemblances to the present time form a certain basis on which may be expressed in clear concepts the observations made through clairvoyance4 ,it is quite different when the ,saturn and ,sun evolutions are to be described4 ,in that case1 what lies before clairvoyant observation is utterly different from the objects and beings now belonging to the sphere of human life4 ,and this difference makes it exceedingly difficult to bring the corresponding facts of primeval times within the scope of clairvoyant consciousness at all4 ,since however the present constitution of man cannot be understood without going back to the ,saturn state1 the description therefore must be given4 ,and surely no one will misunderstand such a description who keeps in view the existence of the difficulty1 and the fact that owing to it much that is said must be in the nature of a suggestion or hint of the facts in question1 rather than an exact description of them4 ,the physical body is the oldest of the present four principles of man's being4 ,it is also the one1 which1 in its way1 has attained the greatest perfection4 ,occult research shows that this part of man already existed during the ,saturn evolution4 ,it will be shown in the following account that the form taken by the physical body on ,saturn was1 of course1 something quite different from the present physical body of man4 ,the earthly physical human body1 from its nature1 can only exist by being in connection with the etheric and astral bodies and the ego1 in the manner described earlier in this book4 ,such a condition did not as yet exist on ,saturn4 ,the physical body was then passing through the first stage of its evolution1 without having a human etheric body1 an astral body1 or an ego incorporated in it4 ,during the ,saturn evolution it was growing ripe for the reception of an etheric body4 ,for that purpose ,saturn had eventually to pass into a spiritual condition1 and then to be reincarnated as the ,sun4 ,during the ,sun incarnation the physical body developed again to the stage it had reached on ,saturn as from a germ brought over and only then could it be inter-penetrated by an etheric body4 ,by means of this incorporation of an etheric body1 a change took place in the nature of the physical body2 it was raised to a second stage of perfection4 ,a similar thing took place during the ,moon evolution4 ,man's ancestor1 as he had developed himself when passing from the ,sun to the ,moon1 incorporated in himself the astral body4 ,as a result1 the physical body was changed for the second time1 and thus raised to its third stage of perfection2 at the same time the etheric body was likewise changed1 and passed to its second stage of perfection4 ,on the earth the ego was incorporated in man's ancestor1 now composed of the physical1 etheric1 and astral bodies4 ,thereby the physical body reached its fourth stage of perfection1 the etheric body its third1 and the astral body its second stage2 the ego is only now at the first stage of its existence4 ,if we give ourselves up to an unprejudiced examination of man's nature1 there will be no difficulty in acquiring a correct idea of these different stages of perfection of his separate principles4 ,for this purpose we have merely to compare the physical with the astral body4 ,it is true1 the astral body1 as a psychic principle1 stands on a higher level of evolution than the physical body4 ,and in future ages1 when the former has been perfected1 it will be of very much more consequence to man's complete being than the present physical body4 ,yet1 in its own way1 the latter has reached a certain high degree of perfection4 ,consider the marvelous wisdom with which the structure of the heart is planned1 the amazing structure of the brain--nay1 even of part of a single bone1 such as the upper end of the thigh bone4 ,in the end of this bone we find a net-work or scaffolding1 wonderfully constructed and composed of delicate spicules and lamell4 ,the whole is so arranged that with the least expenditure of material the most effective action on the joint-surfaces is obtained--hence the most efficient distribution of friction and a proper freedom of movement4 ,thus wise arrangements are found in the parts of the physical body4 ,and if we go on to observe the harmonious co-operation of the part with the whole1 we shall find that it is certainly true that this principle of man's being is perfect and it does not affect the question that in certain parts something apparently useless appears1 or that disturbances of structure or functions may take place4 ,it will even be found that such disturbances are in a way only the necessary shadows of the wisdom-filled light which is poured out over the whole physical organism4 ,now compare with this the astral body as the medium or vehicle of pleasure and pain1 desires and passions4 ,what uncertainty rules in it with regard to pleasure and pain2 how the desires and passions1 of which it is the scene1 run counter to the higher goal of man2 how senseless they often are4 ,the astral body is only now on its way to attain the harmony and inner poise already possessed by the physical body4 ,similarly it might be shown that the etheric body is certainly more perfect in its own way than the astral but less perfect than the physical body4 ,and it will equally result from a corresponding study of the ego that this1 the real kernel of man's being1 is now only at the beginning of its evolution4 ,for how much has already been accomplished of its mission1 that of transforming the other principles of man's being in order that they may become a revelation of the ego's own nature8 ,the result of an outer examination of this kind is intensified for the occult student by something else4 ,it might be pointed out that the physical body is attacked by diseases4 ,now occult science is in a position to show that a large proportion of all diseases owe their origin to the fact that the perverse actions and mistakes of the astral body are transmitted to the etheric body1 and indirectly through the etheric1 destroy the perfect harmony of the physical body4 ,the deeper connection1 which can here be only hinted at1 and the true cause of many of the conditions of disease1 elude that kind of scientific observation which confines itself solely to the facts obtained by means of the physical senses4 ,the connection in most cases comes about in such a way that an injury to the astral body does not cause manifestations of disease in the physical body in the same incarnation in which the injury takes place1 but in a later one4 ,hence the laws now under consideration have a meaning only for one who is able to admit that human earth-life is repeated again and again4 ,but even if deeper knowledge of this kind is rejected1 ordinary observation of life makes it plain that human beings indulge in far too many pleasures and desires which undermine the harmony of the physical body4 ,and the seat of pleasure1 desire1 passion1 is not in the physical but in the astral body4 ,the latter is still so imperfect1 in many respects1 that it is able to destroy the harmony of the physical body4 ,it should also be mentioned here that such explanations as these are by no means intended as proofs of the assertions of occult science about the evolution of the four principles of man's being4 ,the proofs are drawn from spiritual research1 which shows that the physical body has behind it a transformation1 enacted four times1 into higher degrees of perfection1 and that man's other principles have been perfected to a lesser degree1 as has been described4 ,it is desired merely to indicate here that these communications made by spiritual research relate to facts which are visible in their effects even to ordinary observation1 in the degrees of perfection reached by the physical body1 etheric body1 and so forth4 ,if we wish to draw an approximately true picture of the conditions prevailing during the ,saturn evolution1 we must take into account the fact that while it lasted1 there were virtually1 as yet1 none of the things and creatures existing which now belong to the earth and are included in the mineral1 vegetable1 and animal kingdoms4 ,the beings of these three kingdoms were formed during later periods of evolution4 ,of all the earthly beings physically perceptible today1 man alone existed at that time and of him only the physical body existed as described4 ,but there are at present belonging to the earth not only the denizens of the mineral1 vegetable1 animal and human kingdoms1 but other beings as well1 not manifesting in a physical embodiment4 ,such entities were also present during the ,saturn evolution1 and their activity on the ,saturn scene of action brought about the subsequent evolution of man4 ,if the organs of spiritual perception are directed1 not to the beginning and end1 but to the middle period of evolution of this ,saturn incarnation1 we find there a condition which consists principally of heat4 ,nothing is to be found composed of gaseous1 fluid1 or even solid constituents4 ,all these states appear only in later incarnations4 ,let us assume that a human being1 with the present organs of sense1 were to approach the ,saturn condition as a spectator4 ,none of the sense-impressions possible to him would confront him there except the feeling of warmth1 or heat4 ,suppose such a being approached this ,saturn2 he would only sense1 upon entering the space occupied by it1 that it was in a different degree of heat from the rest of surrounding space4 ,but he would not find that portion of space by any means equally warm throughout1 for warmer and colder parts would alternate in the most complicated manner4 ,radiating heat would be felt along certain lines4 ,and not only straight lines1 but regular figures would be formed by the variation in heat4 ,something like a cosmic being1 organically constructed in itself would be discerned1 appearing in changing conditions1 and consisting only of heat4 ,it is difficult for a man of the present day to form an idea of anything consisting only of heat1 for he is not accustomed to think of heat as something self-existent1 but as a perceptible quality of warm or cold gaseous1 liquid1 or solid bodies4 ,to one who has adopted the physical conceptions of our time it will seem particularly absurd to speak of heat in the foregoing manner4 ,he will1 perhaps1 say3 8,there are solid1 liquid1 and gaseous bodies2 but heat only denotes a condition assumed by one of these three bodily forms4 ,if the smallest particles of gas are in motion1 the movement will be felt by heat4 ,where there is no gas1 there can be no movement1 consequently no heat40 ,to an occult investigator the fact appears differently4 ,to him heat is something of which he speaks in the same sense as he speaks of gases1 of liquids1 or of solid bodies4 ,to him it is simply a still finer substance than gas4 ,and gas to him is nothing but condensed heat1 in the same sense that liquid is condensed vapour1 or a solid body condensed liquid4 ,thus the occultist speaks of heat bodies just as he does of bodies formed of gas and vapour4 ,if we are to follow the spiritual investigator into this region1 it is however necessary to admit that there is such a thing as psychic perception4 ,in the world1 as it presents itself to the physical senses1 heat appears entirely as a condition of solid1 liquid1 or gaseous bodies2 but that condition is merely the outward appearance of heat1 or the effect of it4 ,physicists speak only of this effect of heat1 not of its inner nature4 ,just let us try then to leave entirely out of consideration any effect of heat received through external bodies1 and to realize merely the inner experience which comes from saying the words3 8,i feel warm10 8,i feel cold40 ,that inner experience is the only thing capable of giving an idea of what ,saturn was during its period of evolution described above4 ,it would have been possible to pass right through the portion of space it occupied2 no gas would have been there to exercise pressure1 no solid or liquid body from which light-impressions could have come2 but at every point of space occupied1 one would have felt inwardly1 without any external impression3 8,here there is such and such a degree of heat40 ,in a cosmic body of this character there are no conditions for the animal1 vegetable1 and mineral organisms of to-day47#i7 ,the beings whose sphere of action was this ,saturn1 were at quite a different stage of evolution from that of the present inhabitants of the earth who are perceptible to the senses4 ,in the first place there were beings there who had no physical body like that of contemporary man4 ,we must also guard against thinking of man's present physical embodiment1 when mention is made of a 8physical body0 in this connection4 ,we should instead carefully distinguish between the physical and the mineral body4 ,a physical body is one governed by the physical laws which are now observable in the mineral kingdom4 ,now man's present physical body is not only ruled by those physical laws1 but is also permeated with mineral matter4 ,there can be no question as yet on ,saturn of a physical-mineral body of this kind4 ,there is only a physical bodily form1 governed by physical laws2 but these laws are manifested only through the agency of heat4 ,therefore the physical body is a fine1 subtle1 ethereal heat body2 and the whole of ,saturn consists of such heat bodies4 ,they are the beginnings of the present physical-mineral human body4 ,the latter has been formed out of the former1 because there have become incorporated with the original body the more recently formed gaseous1 liquid1 and solid substances4 ,among the beings of which we are now speaking1 who1 besides man1 were inhabitants of ,saturn1 there were1 for instance1 some which did not need a physical body at all4 ,the lowest principle of their nature was an etheric or vital body4 ,on the other hand1 they had one principle higher than the human principles4 ,man's highest principle is the ,spirit-,man 7,atma72 these beings have one still higher4 ,and between the etheric body and the ,spirit-,man they have all the principles described in this treatise which are also found in man3 the astral body1 ego1 ,spirit-,self1 and ,life-,spirit4 ,just as our earth is surrounded by an atmosphere1 so too was ,saturn2 only in this case the 8atmosphere0 was of a spiritual nature4 ,it really consisted of the beings just named and some others4 ,now there was constant reciprocal action between the heat bodies of ,saturn and the beings we have described4 ,the latter projected the principles of their being down into the physical heat bodies of ,saturn4 ,and while there was no life in those heat bodies themselves1 the life of their neighbours was expressed in them4 ,they might be compared to mirrors2 only there were reflected in them1 not the images of the living beings mentioned above1 but their conditions of life4 ,therefore1 although nothing living could have been discovered in ,saturn itself1 yet it had a vivifying effect on its environment in celestial space1 because it reflected back into space1 like an echo1 the life which had been sent down into it4 ,the whole of ,saturn appeared as a mirror of celestial life4 ,the very high beings1 whose life was reflected by ,saturn1 are called in occult science 8,lords of ,wisdom407#aj7 ,their activity on ,saturn was not just beginning in the middle period of that evolution1 which has been described2 in a certain way it had even then already ceased4 ,before they could be in a position to rejoice in the reflection of their own life from ,saturn's heat bodies they had to make those bodies capable of producing such a reflection4 ,therefore their activity began soon after the beginning of the ,saturn evolution4 ,when this happened1 the body of ,saturn was still chaotic material1 which could not have reflected anything4 ,and in contemplating this chaotic matter1 one has transferred himself1 by spiritual observation1 to the beginning of the ,saturn evolution4 ,what is to be observed there does not as yet bear anything of the later character of heat4 ,if we wish to describe it1 we can only speak of a quality which may be compared with the human will4 ,from first to last it is nothing but 8,will40 ,therefore it is an entirely spiritual condition that meets us here4 ,if we ask whence came this 8,will10 we see it proceeding from the effluence of exalted beings1 who brought their evolution1 by steps only to be dimly conceived1 up to such a height that when the ,saturn evolution began they were able to pour forth 8,will0 from their own being4 ,when this effluence had lasted a certain time1 the activity of the ,lords of ,wisdom described above was combined with this ,will4 ,through this means the will1 which had hitherto had no attributes1 gradually received the quality of reflecting life back into celestial space4 ,in occult science the beings who found their happiness in pouring forth will1 at the beginning of the ,saturn evolution are called the 8,lords of ,will407#aa7 ,after a certain stage of the ,saturn evolution had been reached1 through the co-operation of will and life1 begins the influence of other beings1 who are also within ,saturn's environment4 ,these are the 8,lords of ,motion407#ab7 ,they have no physical or etheric body4 ,their lowest principle is the astral body4 ,when the ,saturn bodies have acquired the capacity for reflecting life1 the qualities which have their seat in the astral bodies of the ,lords of ,motion interpenetrate that reflected life4 ,in consequence of this1 it appears as though expressions of feelings1 emotions1 and similar psychic forces had been cast out of ,saturn into celestial space4 ,the whole of ,saturn appears like one animated being1 manifesting sympathies and antipathies4 ,these psychic manifestations1 however1 are by no means its own1 but merely the activity of the ,lords of ,motion reflected back4 ,this also having lasted for a certain period1 there begins the activity of yet other beings1 that is1 of the 8,lords of ,form407#ac7 ,their lowest principle1 too1 is an astral body2 but that body is at a different stage of evolution from that of the ,lords of ,motion2 whereas the latter communicate only general manifestations of feeling to the reflected life1 the astral body of the ,lords of ,form operates in such a way that the manifestations of feeling are flung out into cosmic space as if they came from individual beings4 ,it might be said that the ,lords of ,motion make the whole of ,saturn appear as an animated being4 ,the ,lords of ,form separate that life into individual living beings1 so that ,saturn now appears as a conglomerate of such psychic beings4 ,let us imagine1 for the sake of illustration1 a mulberry or blackberry1 made up1 as it is1 of small individual berries4 ,in a similar manner1 to clairvoyant vision1 ,saturn1 during the period of evolution now being described1 is made up of individual ,saturn beings1 which of course have neither life nor soul of their own1 but reflect the life and soul of its denizens4 ,into this condition of ,saturn now come beings whose astral body is also their lowest principle1 but who have brought it to such a high stage of development that it operates in the same way as the present human ego4 ,through these beings1 the ego in the environment of ,saturn looks down on that planet1 and imparts its nature to ,saturn's individual living beings4 ,thus something is sent out from ,saturn into cosmic space1 which has an effect similar to that of human personality in the present conditions of life4 ,the beings causing that effect are designated 8,sons of ,personality407#ad7 ,they confer on the ,saturn bodies the appearance of personality4 ,personality itself1 however1 is not present on ,saturn1 but only1 as it were1 its reflected image1 the shell or husk of personality4 ,the real personality of these spirits is in the environment of ,saturn4 ,as a result of these ,sons of ,personality letting their essence stream back from the ,saturn bodies in the manner described1 that fine substance is bestowed on those bodies which has previously been described as heat4 ,in the whole of ,saturn there is no subjectivity2 but the ,sons of ,personality recognize the image of their own subjectivity1 when it streams out to them from ,saturn as heat4 ,when all this is taking place1 the ,sons of ,personality are on the same level on which man now stands4 ,they are then passing through their 8human0 period4 ,in order to look at this fact with an unprejudiced eye1 we must imagine it possible for a being to be human without being in the exact form in which man now exists4 ,the ,sons of ,personality are 8human beings0 on ,saturn4 ,they have as their lowest principle not the physical body1 but the astral body with the ego4 ,hence they cannot express the experiences of their astral body in such physical and etheric bodies as those of contemporary man2 they not only have an ego1 however1 but are aware of the fact1 because the heat of ,saturn brings that ego streaming back into their consciousness4 ,in fact1 they are human beings under different circumstances from those of earth4 ,as the ,saturn evolution progressed1 facts follow of a different kind from those already related4 ,whereas everything hitherto was a reflection of outer life and feeling1 there now begins a kind of inner life4 ,in the ,saturn world a life of light begins flickering here and there1 and growing dim again4 ,a quivering glimmer is seen in some places1 something like flashes of lightning in others4 ,the ,saturn heat bodies begin to glimmer1 to sparkle1 and even to emit rays4 ,this stage of evolution having been reached1 there again arises the possibility for certain beings to develop their activity4 ,they are those known to occult science as 8,sons of ,fire407#ae7 ,although these beings have an astral body1 they are unable at his particular stage of their existence to stir their own astral bodies2 they would not be capable of any feeling or emotion unless they could act upon the ,saturn heat bodies which have attained the stage of evolution described4 ,that action affords them the possibility of recognizing their own existence from the effect which they produce4 ,they cannot say to themselves1 8,i am here02 but rather1 8,my environment causes me to be here40 ,they have perceptions1 and what they perceive is the light-effects in ,saturn which have been described4 ,these are1 in a certain manner1 their ego4 ,this gives them a peculiar kind of consciousness4 ,it is designated 8picture-consciousness40 ,it may be represented as having the nature of human dream-consciousness1 except that the degree of activity it enjoys must be imagined as being very much greater than it is in human dreams1 and also that it is not a question of shadowy dream-pictures floating hither and thither1 but of pictures that have a real connection with the play of light on ,saturn4 ,during this reciprocal action between the ,sons of ,fire and the ,saturn heat bodies1 the germs of the human sense organs begin their evolution4 ,the organs1 by means of which contemporary man becomes cognizant of the physical world1 begin to shine in their first delicate ethereal outlines4 ,human phantoms1 displaying as yet nothing but the primeval light pictures of the sense-organs1 become discernible within ,saturn to the clairvoyant faculty of perception4 ,thus these sense-organs are the result of the activity of the ,sons of ,fire2 but they are not the only spirits who shared in their creation4 ,other beings come upon the scene of ,saturn at the same time as these ,sons of ,fire1--beings so far advanced in their evolution that they are able to make use of the germs of the human sense-organs for beholding the cosmic events taking place in the ,saturn life4 ,they are the 8,lords of ,love407#af7 ,if they were not there1 the ,sons of ,fire could not have the consciousness described above4 ,they behold the events on ,saturn with a consciousness which makes it possible for them to convey these events as pictures to the ,sons of ,fire4 ,they themselves forego all the advantages which might accrue to them from contemplating events on ,saturn2 they renounce all joys and pleasures2 they give up all these in order that the ,sons of ,fire may come into possession of them4 ,a new period of ,saturn's existence succeeds these occurrences4 ,something else is added to the play of light4 ,if what here presents itself to clairvoyant perception be reported1 it may seem an absurdity to many4 ,within ,saturn1 intermingled sensations of taste seem to be surging4 ,sweet1 bitter1 sour1 etc41 are perceived throughout the interior of ,saturn2 while without1 in cosmic space1 all this expresses itself as tone1 as a kind of music4 ,in the course of these processes there are again certain beings who find it possible to develop activity on ,saturn4 ,these are the 8,sons of ,twilight1 or ,life407#ag7 ,they enter into reciprocal action with the forces of taste surging up and down within ,saturn4 ,by this means their etheric or vital body attains a state of such activity that it may be called a kind of metabolism4 ,they bring life into the interior of ,saturn4 ,hence processes of nutrition and excretion take place4 ,this inner life makes it possible for yet other beings to come into the planet1 the 8,lords of ,harmony407#ah7 ,they bestow a dim kind of consciousness on the ,sons of ,life1 which is even more vague and dim than the dream-consciousness of contemporary man4 ,it is of the kind that now comes to man in dreamless sleep1 and is1 indeed1 of such a low order that it does not1 so to speak1 8enter into his consciousness40 ,yet it is there4 ,it differs from waking consciousness in degree and also in its nature4 ,plants1 too1 have this dreamless-sleep consciousness at the present time4 ,even though it does not bring about any perceptions of an external world1 in the human sense of the word1 yet it regulates the life processes and brings them into harmony with the processes of the outer world4 ,this adjustment cannot be perceived by the ,sons of ,life at the stage of ,saturn's evolution now being described2 but the ,lords of ,harmony perceive it1 and therefore it is they who really do the adjusting4 ,all this life is enacted within the human phantoms already described4 ,to clairvoyant vision they consequently appear animated2 yet their life is only a semblance of life4 ,it is the life of the 8,sons of ,life10 who1 so to speak1 make use of the human phantoms in order to manifest themselves4 ,let us now turn our attention to the human phantoms with their semblance of life4 ,during the ,saturn period described1 their form is constantly changing4 ,sometimes they bear one aspect1 sometimes another4 ,in the further course of evolution1 their forms become more definite1 and occasionally permanent4 ,this is due to their becoming interpenetrated by the action of the ,spirits described at the beginning of the ,saturn evolution1--the ,lords of ,will 7the ,thrones74 ,the consequence is that the human phantom itself is endowed with the simplest1 dullest form of consciousness4 ,this must be thought of as still duller than the consciousness of dreamless sleep4 ,under present conditions1 minerals have that consciousness4 ,it brings the inner being into harmony with the outer physical world4 ,on ,saturn it is the ,lords of ,will who regulate that harmony4 ,and thus man appears as a copy of the ,saturn life itself4 ,that life which is on a large scale on ,saturn1 is at this stage on a small scale in man4 ,thus the first germ is prepared for that which is still only a germ in contemporary man the 8,spirit-,man0 7,atma74 ,this dull human will 7within ,saturn7 is manifested to clairvoyant faculty by effects which may be compared with odours4 ,outside in celestial space1 there is a manifestation like that of a personality1 which however is not directed by an inner ego but is regulated from without1 like a machine4 ,those who regulate it are the ,lords of ,will4 ,it will become evident1 from a survey of the foregoing1 that starting from the previously described middle period of the ,saturn evolution1 the following steps of that evolution can be characterized by comparing their effects with the sense-perceptions of the present time4 ,it might be said that the ,saturn evolution manifests as heat2 then a play of light is added2 then an appearance of taste and sound2 finally something emerges which manifests within the interior of ,saturn as sensations of smell1 and without1 as a human ego acting mechanically4 ,what have the ,saturn revelations to say about what preceded the heat condition8 ,now this is something that cannot be compared with anything accessible to outer sense-perception4 ,a state of things precedes the heat condition1 which contemporary man experiences only in his inner being4 ,when he gives himself up to ideas which he forms in his own soul1 without having any inducement brought to bear on him by an external impression1 then he has something within himself which cannot be perceived by any physical sense1 but is only accessible to the perception of the higher clairvoyant vision4 ,manifestations precede the heat condition of ,saturn1 which can only be perceived by a clairvoyant4 ,three such conditions may be mentioned3 pure psychic warmth1 not outwardly perceptible2 pure spiritual light1 which is outward darkness2 and lastly1 something of a spiritual essence which is complete in itself1 and needs no outer being in order to become self-conscious4 ,pure1 inner heat accompanies the appearance of the ,lords of ,motion2 pure1 spiritual light1 that of the ,lords of ,wisdom2 pure inner being is linked with the first emanation of the ,lords of ,will4 ,thus1 with the appearance of heat on ,saturn1 our evolution comes forth out of the inner life of pure spirituality into outwardly manifested existence4 ,it will be particularly difficult for present-day consciousness to accept this1 if it must be said in addition that at the same time1 with the advent of the ,saturn heat condition1 what we call 8,time0 also makes its first appearance4 ,that is to say1 the previous conditions have nothing to do with time4 ,they belong to that sphere which may be called1 in occult science1 8duration40 ,consequently1 everything that is said in this book about the conditions existing in the 8,sphere of ,duration0 must be understood in such a way that when expressions referring to time conditions are used1 they are only to be accepted for the sake of comparison and explanation4 ,that which1 in a certain sense1 precedes 8time10 can be expressed in human language only by terms which imply the idea of time4 ,even if we are aware that the first1 second1 and third ,saturn conditions were not enacted 8one after the other10 in the present sense of the word1 yet we cannot do otherwise than describe them one after the other4 ,indeed1 in spite of their duration or coexistence in time1 they are so dependent on one another that this very dependence may be compared with sequence1 in time4 ,this indication of the first conditions of evolution on ,saturn also throws light on any further questions that may be asked as to the origin of those conditions4 ,from the purely intellectual point of view1 it is1 of course1 quite possible1 when dealing with the source of anything1 to inquire after 8the source of the source40 ,but in the face of facts1 this is not possible4 ,a comparison1 however1 will help us to realize this4 ,if we find ruts on a road we may ask1 8,to what are they due80 ,and the reply may be1 8,to a carriage40 ,it may further be asked3 8,whence did the carriage come8 ,whither is it going80 ,an answer founded on fact is again possible4 ,we may then proceed to ask1 8,who occupied the carriage8 ,what purpose had the person in using it8 ,what was he1 or she1 doing80 ,at last1 however1 we shall reach a point at which inquiry by means of facts finds its natural limit2 and on inquiring further we get away from the original questions4 ,we only continue the inquiry mechanically1 as it were4 ,in such matters as the one brought forward as a comparison1 it is easy to see where facts demand the end of the inquiry4 ,it is not so evident when we are face to face with great cosmic questions4 ,but as the result of really exact observation1 it will nevertheless be seen that all inquiry as to origins must come to an end at the ,saturn condition portrayed above4 ,for we have reached a region in which beings and events are no longer justified by that from which they proceed1 but by themselves4 ,as a result of the ,saturn evolution it appears that the human germ developed up to a certain point4 ,it attained the low1 dim state of consciousness described above4 ,we must not imagine that its evolution does not begin until the last of the ,saturn stages4 ,the ,lords of ,will carry on their work through all conditions4 ,only the result is most striking to clairvoyant perception in the last period4 ,there is nothing like a fixed boundary between the activities of the several groups of beings4 ,if it is said that the ,lords of ,will work first1 then the ,lords of ,wisdom1 and so on1 it is not meant that they are working only at that time4 ,they are working all through the ,saturn evolution2 only their activity can best be observed during the periods specified4 ,the several groups have1 as it were1 the leadership at those times4 ,thus the whole ,saturn evolution appears as a working out of what streamed forth from the ,lords of ,will through the ,lords of ,wisdom1 ,motion1 ,form1 and the rest4 ,through this process those spiritual beings themselves experience evolution4 ,for instance1 after they have received their life reflected back from ,saturn1 the ,lords of ,wisdom stand on a different level than before4 ,the result of that activity exalts the faculties of their own being4 ,the consequence is that1 on the completion of such activity1 something similar to human sleep comes upon them4 ,to their periods of activity in connection with ,saturn succeed other periods1 during which they live1 as it were1 in other worlds4 ,at these times their activity is withdrawn from ,saturn4 ,on this account clairvoyant perception sees an ascent and a descent in the ,saturn evolution that has been described4 ,the ascent lasts until the formation of the heat condition4 ,then1 with the play of light1 the ebb-tide sets in4 ,when the human phantoms have assumed form through the ,lords of ,will1 the spiritual beings have also gradually withdrawn themselves4 ,the ,saturn evolution dies away2 as a phase of evolution1 it disappears4 ,a kind of resting pause occurs4 ,the human germ at the same time enters upon a state of dissolution2 not1 however1 a state in which it passes away1 but one like that of a plant seed1 resting in the earth in order that it may ripen into a new plant4 ,thus the human germ reposes1 until a new awakening1 in the depth of the cosmos4 ,and by the time the moment of awakening has arrived1 the spiritual beings described above have acquired1 under other conditions1 the faculties by means of which they can further advance the human germ4 ,the ,lords of ,wisdom have1 in their etheric body1 gained the faculty not only of enjoying the reflection of life as they did on ,saturn1 but of pouring life forth from themselves1 and endowing other beings with it4 ,the ,lords of ,motion are now as far advanced as were the ,lords of ,wisdom on ,saturn4 ,then the lowest principle of their being was the astral body2 they now possess an etheric1 or vital body2 and in a corresponding degree the other spiritual beings have reached a further stage of evolution4 ,all these spiritual beings are therefore able to work at the further evolution of the human germ in a different way than on ,saturn4 ,but the human germ was dissolved at the end of the ,saturn evolution4 ,in order that the more highly evolved spirit-beings might resume their work where they had left it off1 the human germ must once more briefly recapitulate the stages through which it had passed on ,saturn4 ,this1 in fact1 is what appears to clairvoyant faculties of perception4 ,the human germ comes forth out of its retirement and begins to develop by its own ability1 by means of the forces which had been implanted within it on ,saturn4 ,it comes forth out of the darkness as a 8being of ,will10 and assumes the appearance of life1 of soul qualities1 etc41 up to that mechanical manifestation of personality which it possessed at the end of the ,saturn evolution4 ,the second of the great periods of evolution that have been mentioned1 the 8,sun period10 effects the raising of man's being to a higher stage of consciousness than that which it had attained on ,saturn4 ,compared with man's present state of consciousness1 the ,sun condition might certainly be termed 8unconsciousness40 ,for it is approximately that condition which contemporary man experiences during absolutely dreamless sleep4 ,or it might be compared to the low degree of consciousness in which our vegetable world now slumbers4 ,for occult science there is no such thing as unconsciousness1 but only different degrees of consciousness4 ,everything in the world is conscious4 ,in the course of the ,sun evolution1 the human being attains a higher degree of consciousness through the incorporation within it of the etheric1 or vital body4 ,before this can take place the ,saturn conditions must be recapitulated in the manner described above4 ,this recapitulation has quite a definite meaning4 ,that is to say1 when the period of rest which was spoken of in the foregoing statement has come to an end1 that which was formerly ,saturn issues forth1 out of 8cosmic sleep10 as a new celestial body1 the ,sun4 ,but the conditions of evolution have meanwhile changed4 ,the spiritual beings1 whose activity on behalf of ,saturn we have portrayed1 have progressed onward into different conditions4 ,yet at first the human germ appears on the newly formed ,sun in the form it possessed on ,saturn4 ,it has first of all so to transform the various stages of evolution through which it has passed on ,saturn that they may suit the new conditions on the ,sun4 ,consequently1 the sun epoch begins with a recapitulation of the occurrences on ,saturn1 adjusted to the changed conditions of ,sun life4 ,now when the human being has advanced so far that the stage of evolution it reached on ,saturn has been adapted to the ,sun conditions1 the ,lords of ,wisdom already mentioned1 begin to let the etheric1 or vital body1 pour into the physical body4 ,the higher stage which man reaches on the ,sun may therefore be characterized in this way3 the physical body1 already formed in the germ-state on ,saturn1 is raised to a second stage of perfection by becoming the vehicle of an etheric or vital body4 ,this last-named etheric body attains its first degree of perfection on its own account during the ,sun evolution4 ,in order1 however1 that the second degree of perfection for the physical and the first for the etheric body may be reached1 the intervention of still other spirit-beings is necessary during the further course of the ,sun life1 in a similar manner to that which has been described as taking place during the ,saturn stage4 ,when the ,lords of ,wisdom begin to stream forth their etheric body1 the ,sun1 previously dark1 begins to shine4 ,at the same time the first appearances of inner activity are seen in the human germ2 life has begun4 ,what had to be described as a semblance of life on ,saturn now becomes actual life4 ,the influx lasts for a certain time1 at the end of which an important change for the human germ sets in--that is to say1 it organizes itself into two parts4 ,whereas up to this point the physical and etheric bodies formed an intimately connected whole1 the physical body now begins to detach itself as a separate part4 ,yet even that separated physical body is still pervaded by the etheric body4 ,therefore we have now to do with a human being composed of two principles4 ,one portion is a physical body permeated by an etheric body2 the other is an etheric body and nothing else4 ,this separation comes to pass1 however1 during a period of rest in the ,sun life4 ,during this pause the shining1 which had begun to appear1 dies away4 ,the separation takes place during a 8cosmic night10 as it were4 ,yet this interval of rest is much shorter than the one between the ,saturn and ,sun evolutions mentioned above4 ,at the expiration of the rest period the ,lords of ,wisdom work for a while on the two-fold being of man1 just as they had previously done on the undivided being4 ,then the ,lords of ,motion begin their activity4 ,they cause their own astral body to stream through the human etheric body4 ,by this means man acquires the capacity for executing certain inner movements in the physical body4 ,these movements may be compared with those of sap in a plant of our own time4 ,the ,saturn body consisted exclusively of heat substance4 ,during the ,sun evolution that heat substance is condensed into a state which may be compared with that of our present-day gas or steam4 ,in occult science 8air0 is the name ordinarily used for this condition4 ,the first beginnings of such a state are seen after the ,lords of ,motion have begun their activity4 ,the following spectacle is presented to clairvoyant consciousness4 ,within the heat substance there appears something like delicate formations which are set in rythmic motion by the forces of the etheric body4 ,these formations represent the human physical body at the stage of evolution now attained by it4 ,they are permeated through and through with heat1 and are also wrapped1 as it were1 in a heat envelope4 ,from a physical point of view1 man's nature may now be said to be composed of heat structures with air forms embedded in them--the latter in regular motion4 ,hence1 if we wish to retain the foregoing comparison with a plant of the present day1 we must remember that it is not a solid plant organism which we have to consider1 but an air or gas form17#ai7 the movements of which may be compared with the circulation of the sap in plants of to-day4 ,the evolution thus indicated continues4 ,after a certain time another interval of rest sets in2 after this the ,lords of ,motion go on working until their activity is supplemented by that of the ,lords of ,form4 ,the effect of the latter is that the gas structures1 which before were constantly changing1 now assume lasting form4 ,this1 too1 happens because the ,lords of ,form cause their forces to flow in and out of the human etheric body4 ,when the ,lords of ,motion alone were acting on the gaseous organisms1 these were in perpetual motion1 not keeping their form for an instant4 ,now1 however1 they temporarily assume distinguishable shapes4 ,again1 after a certain period1 there occurs a time of rest2 and then once more the ,lords of ,form continue their activity4 ,but the conditions within the ,sun evolution are now entirely changed4 ,for the point has been reached when the ,sun evolution has attained its zenith4 ,this is the time at which the ,lords of ,personality1 who attained their human stage on ,saturn1 ascend to a higher degree of perfection4 ,they advance beyond the human stage2 they attain a form of consciousness which contemporary man does not yet possess in his normal course of development on the earth4 ,he will acquire it when the earth--the fourth of the planetary stages of evolution--has reached its goal and has entered upon the next planetary period4 ,then man will not only perceive around him what his present physical senses enable him to apprehend1 but he will be able to see in images the inner psychic conditions of the beings surrounding him4 ,he will have a 7clairvoyant7 picture-consciousness1 although retaining complete self-consciousness4 ,there will be nothing dream-like or vague in his clairvoyance1 but he will perceive what is psychic1 in pictures certainly1 but in such a way that these images will be the expression of realities1 as physical colours and sounds are now4 ,man1 at present1 can attain to this degree of clairvoyance only through occult training1 which will be treated later in this book4 ,now this clairvoyance is attained by the ,sons of ,personality1 as a gift of their normal evolution1 midway in the ,sun period2 and it is just on this account that they become capable of acting on the newly formed etheric body of man during the ,sun evolution1 in a way similar to that in which they acted on the physical body on ,saturn4 ,just as there the heat reflected their own personality back to them1 so do the gaseous organisms now reflect back to them1 in gleams of light1 the images of their clairvoyant consciousness4 ,they clairvoyantly behold what is taking place on the ,sun4 ,and this vision is by no means mere observation2 it is as though something of the force which mortals call love made itself felt in the images which stream forth from the ,sun4 ,if a clairvoyant looks more closely1 he will find the cause of this phenomenon4 ,exalted beings have blended their activity with the light that is being radiated from the ,sun4 ,they are the ,lords of ,love 7the ,christian ,seraphim7 already mentioned4 ,henceforth they act1 together with the ,sons of ,personality1 on the human etheric1 or vital body4 ,by means of that activity the etheric body advances a step farther along its path of evolution4 ,it acquires the capacity not only of transforming the gaseous forms within it1 but of so elaborating them that the first indications of a propagation of living human beings appear4 ,emanations1 so to speak1 are driven out 7as though exuded7 from the gaseous organisms that take on shapes resembling their mother-forms4 ,in order to describe the further course of the ,sun evolution1 reference must be made to a fact in the formation of worlds which is of the greatest possible significance4 ,it is this1--that by no means every being attains the goal of its evolution in the course of one epoch2 there are some that fall short of that goal4 ,thus1 during the ,saturn evolution1 not all of the ,sons of ,personality actually reached the human stage for which1 as described above1 they were destined2 and just as little did all the physical human bodies1 developed on ,saturn1 attain the degree of maturity which qualifies them to become vehicles of an independent etheric body on the ,sun4 ,the consequence is that beings and organisms are present on the ,sun which are not in harmony with their environment4 ,these must now make up1 during the ,sun evolution1 for what they failed to attain on ,saturn4 ,the following may1 therefore1 be clairvoyantly observed during the ,sun period4 ,when the ,lords of ,wisdom begin their pouring in of the etheric body1 the ,sun body is to some extent darkened4 ,structures are mingled with it which1 properly speaking1 belong to ,saturn4 ,they are heat organisms which are not able to condense themselves into air in the proper manner4 ,these are the human beings left behind in the ,saturn stage4 ,they are not able to become vehicles of a normally developed etheric body4 ,now the heat substance of ,saturn1 which has thus been left behind1 splits into two parts on the ,sun4 ,one part is absorbed1 as it were1 by human bodies1 and henceforward forms a kind of lower nature within man's being4 ,thus something1 which really corresponds to the ,saturn stage1 is incorporated in the bodily part of man on the ,sun4 ,now just as the ,saturn body of man made it possible for the ,sons of ,personality to raise themselves to the human stage1 the ,saturn part of man performs the same office on the ,sun for the ,sons of ,fire4 ,they raise themselves to the human stage by letting their forces flow in and out of the ,saturn part of man1 as did the ,sons of ,personality on ,saturn4 ,this also happens during the middle period of the ,sun evolution4 ,the ,saturn part of the human being is then so far matured that with its help the ,sons of ,fire 7,archangeloi7 are able to pass through their human stage4 ,another part of the ,saturnian heat substance becomes detached and attains an independent existence alongside of and among the human beings on the ,sun4 ,this forms a second kingdom by the side of the human kingdom1 a kingdom which develops on the ,sun only a perfectly independent physical body1 like a heat body4 ,in consequence of this1 the fully evolved ,sons of ,personality are not able to direct their activity toward any independent etheric body in the manner before described4 ,but there were also certain ,sons of ,personality left behind at the ,saturn stage who fell short of the human stage4 ,a bond of attraction exists between them and the second ,sun kingdom which has become independent4 ,they must now act toward the backward kingdom on the ,sun as their advanced brethren did on ,saturn in regard to human beings4 ,the latter had only their physical body perfected here4 ,but there is no possibility on the ,sun for such a work on the part of the backward ,sons of ,personality4 ,they therefore separate themselves from the ,sun body1 and form an independent celestial body outside it4 ,this body1 accordingly1 withdraws from the ,sun1 and from it the backward ,sons of ,personality act on the beings of the second ,sun kingdom which have been described4 ,in this way two world-organisms have been formed out of the one which was previously ,saturn4 ,the ,sun has now in its environment a second celestial body1 one which exhibits a kind of re-birth of ,saturn1 a new ,saturn4 ,from this ,saturn the character of personality is conferred on the second ,sun kingdom4 ,therefore within this kingdom we have to do with beings which have no personality on the ,sun itself4 ,yet they reflect back to the ,sons of ,personality on the new ,saturn the special personality of those spirits4 ,clairvoyant consciousness is able to observe among the human beings on the ,sun1 heat forces which act upon the regular course of ,sun evolution1 and in which the sway of the spirits described as belonging to the new ,saturn is to be seen4 ,we notice the following facts about man's being during the middle period of the ,sun evolution4 ,it is divided into a physical body and an etheric body4 ,within these the activity of the advanced ,sons of ,personality plays1 conjointly with that of the ,lords of ,love4 ,now part of the backward ,saturn nature is mingled with the physical body4 ,in this plays the activity of the ,sons of ,fire4 ,we now see in everything which the ,sons of ,fire effect on the backward ,saturn nature1 the forerunners of the present human sense-organs4 ,it has been shown how these ,sons of ,fire were already at work on the elaboration of the sense-germs in the heat substance on ,saturn4 ,the first outline of the present human glands is to be recognized in what is accomplished by the ,sons of ,personality conjointly with the ,lords of ,love 7,seraphim74 ,but the above described is not the whole of the activity of the ,sons of ,personality dwelling on the new ,saturn4 ,they not only extend their activity to the second ,sun kingdom mentioned above1 but they also establish a kind of connection between that kingdom and the human senses4 ,the heat substances of this kingdom flow in and out of the germs of the human sense-organs4 ,by this means the human being on the ,sun acquires a kind of perception of the lower kingdom situated outside him4 ,that perception is naturally a dim one1 closely corresponding to the dull ,saturn-consciousness previously described4 ,and it consists essentially of varied heat effects4 ,everything here described as taking place in the middle of the ,sun evolution continues for a certain definite period4 ,then a time of rest again occurs4 ,after that1 things continue for a while in the same manner up to a certain point of evolution1 at which the human etheric body is so far matured that a united action of the ,sons of ,life 7,angeloi7 and the ,lords of ,harmony 7,cherubim7 can set in4 ,to clairvoyant consciousness1 certain manifestations now appear within man's being1 which may be compared with perceptions of taste1 and which are made known externally as sounds4 ,a similar thing has already been stated about the ,saturn evolution4 ,but here on the ,sun the processes relating to human beings are more from within and are full of more independent life4 ,the ,sons of ,life thereby acquire that dim picture-consciousness which the ,sons of ,fire had already attained on ,saturn4 ,in this the ,lords of ,harmony are their helpers4 ,they really behold clairvoyantly what is now being enacted within the ,sun evolution2 only they give up all the results of that contemplation1 and the enjoyment of those revelations of ,wisdom that arise from it1 and allow them to stream1 like splendid visions of enchantment1 into the dream-like consciousness of the ,sons of ,life4 ,the latter again work these pictures of their visions into the etheric body of man1 so that it attains higher and higher stages of development4 ,again an interval of rest ensues1 again everything is awakened from 8cosmic sleep02 and after further lapse of time the human being is sufficiently advanced to use its own forces4 ,these forces are the same that were poured forth into man's being by the 8,thrones0 during the latter part of the ,saturn period4 ,this human being now evolves an inner life1 which1 in its manifestation to clairvoyant consciousness1 may be compared with an inner perception of smell4 ,but outside1 in the direction of celestial space1 man's being is manifested as a personality1 though not one directed by an inner ego4 ,it appears more like a plant with the character of a personality4 ,it has been stated that at the end of the ,saturn evolution personality is manifested somewhat machine like4 ,and just as then1 the first germ was developed of that which still remains a germ in contemporary man1--the ,spirit-,man 7,atma71--so at this point there is formed a similar first germ of the ,life-,spirit 7,budhi74 ,when all this has continued for some time1 an interval of rest again occurs4 ,following this1 as in previous instances1 the activity of the human being is resumed for a while4 ,then conditions commence1 which mark a new intervention of the ,lords of ,wisdom4 ,by its means human nature becomes capable of feeling the first traces of sympathy and antipathy for its environment4 ,in all this there is still no real sensation but only a premonition of sensation4 ,for the inner life-activity1 which might be characterized in its manifestation as perception of smell1 is revealed externally as a kind of primitive language4 ,if the human being is inwardly conscious of a useful smell--or taste1 or glitter1--it is manifested outwardly by a sound2 and the same thing happens1 in a corresponding way1 with an inwardly uncongenial perception4 ,through all the events described1 the real meaning of the ,sun evolution for the human being is indicated4 ,the human being has reached a higher stage of consciousness than that of the ,saturn period4 ,it is the consciousness of sleep4 ,after a time1 the point of evolution is also reached at which the higher beings connected with the ,sun stage must pass into other spheres in order to work out that with which they have endowed themselves by their work on the human being4 ,a long period of rest sets in1 one similar to that between the ,saturn and ,sun evolutions4 ,everything that has been perfected on the ,sun passes into a condition which may be compared with that of a plant when its powers of growth are resting in the seed4 ,but just as those powers of growth appear again in a new plant1 so does everything that was living on the ,sun come forth again1 after the period of rest1 from the cosmic depths1 to begin a new planetary existence4 ,the meaning of such a term of rest1 or 8cosmic sleep10 will readily be understood if we will only direct our spiritual vision to one of the orders of beings already mentioned1 for instance1 to the ,lords of ,wisdom4 ,they were not far enough evolved on ,saturn to be able to ray forth an etheric body from themselves4 ,they were only prepared for this after they had gone through their experiences on ,saturn4 ,during the rest 7,pralaya7 they transform into actual capacity what has been previously only prepared within them4 ,thus on the ,sun they are evolved far enough to pour forth life from themselves1 and to endow the human being with an etheric body of its own4 ,after the interval of rest1 that which had previously been the ,sun comes forth again out of the 8cosmic sleep40 ,that is1 it again becomes perceptible to the clairvoyant faculties which had been able to observe it before1 but had lost sight of it during the resting period4 ,there are now two points to be observed with regard to the newly appearing planetary organism1 which may1 in occult science1 be denoted the 8,moon0 7and this must not be confused with that portion of it which is now the earth's moon74 ,in the first place1 that which had detached itself during the ,sun period as a 8new ,saturn0 is once more within the new planetary body4 ,this ,saturn has therefore been again united with the ,sun during the term of rest4 ,everything which was in the original ,saturn reappears at first as one world-organism4 ,secondly1 the human etheric bodies which had been formed on the ,sun have been absorbed1 during the resting period1 by that which constitutes the spiritual sheath of the planet4 ,at this point of time1 therefore1 they do not make their appearance united with the corresponding physical human bodies1 but these latter at first appear separately4 ,they contain everything which had been gained for them on ,saturn and the ,sun1 but they are without the etheric1 or vital body4 ,indeed1 they cannot incorporate that etheric body within themselves immediately1 for it has also been passing1 during the period of rest1 through an evolution with which they are not yet harmonized4 ,what occurs at the beginning of the ,moon evolution1 in order to bring about this adjustment1 is1 first of all1 another recapitulation of the ,saturnian events4 ,the physical part of man passes once more through the stages of the ,saturn evolution1 but under greatly altered circumstances4 ,on ,saturn there were only the forces of a heat body at work within him2 now there are also those of the gas body that has been elaborated4 ,these latter forces do not1 however1 appear quite at the beginning of the ,moon evolution4 ,then everything appears as though man's being were composed only of heat substance1 and as though the gas forces were lying dormant within that substance4 ,then comes a time when the first indications of these forces make their appearance2 and lastly1 in the latest period of the ,saturn recapitulation1 man's being has the same appearance as during the animated period of his ,sun existence4 ,yet1 all life still proves to be but a semblance of life4 ,next occurs a period of rest similar to the short periods of rest of the ,sun evolution4 ,then the pouring in of the etheric body1 for which the physical body has now become ripe1 begins anew4 ,as in the case of the recapitulation of ,saturn1 this influx takes place in three distinct periods4 ,during the second of these1 man's being is so far adjusted to the new ,moon conditions that the ,lords of ,motion are able to bring into play the faculty they have acquired4 ,this faculty consists in pouring the astral body out of their own being into man's being4 ,they prepared themselves for this work during the ,sun evolution1 and during the time of rest between the ,sun and ,moon they transformed what had been prepared into the faculty alluded to4 ,this influx lasts for a while1 then one of the shorter intervals of rest sets in4 ,after that the influx continues until the ,lords of ,form begin their activity4 ,in consequence of this pouring of the astral body into the human being by the ,lords of ,motion1 man acquires his first psychic qualities4 ,he begins to develop sensations in connection with the processes which take place within1 through the possession of an etheric body1 and which during the ,sun evolution were still of a plant-like nature2 these processes now give him sensations of pleasure and displeasure4 ,but it is nothing more than a constant inner ebb and flow of such pleasure and displeasure1 until the ,lords of ,form intervene4 ,then these changing feelings are so transformed that there appear in man's being what may be regarded as the first signs of wish or desire4 ,the human being strives after a repetition of what has once caused pleasure1 and tries to avoid what has been felt as antipathetic4 ,however1 since the ,lords of ,form do not give up their own nature to the human being1 but merely let their forces stream in and out1 desire is wanting in depth of feeling and independence4 ,it is directed by the ,lords of ,form1 and has an instinctive character4 ,the human physical body on ,saturn was a heat body2 on the ,sun a condensation into the gaseous state1 or into 8air10 has taken place4 ,now1 as during the ,moon evolution1 the astral element is rayed into the physical part1 which at a definite moment attains a further degree of condensation and arrives at a state which may be compared with that of a liquid substance of today4 ,in accordance with the usage of occult science this state may be called 8water40 ,by water1 is not meant only the water we now have1 but this term applies to every liquid form in existence4 ,the physical human body now gradually assumes a form composed of three kinds of material structures4 ,the densest is a 8water body02 through this flow air currents2 and all of this again is permeated by manifestations of warmth4 ,now all the organisms do not attain full1 adequate maturity during the ,sun stage4 ,therefore there are organisms to be found on the ,moon which are only at the ,saturn stage1 and others which have only reached the ,sun stage4 ,in this way two other kingdoms arise by the side of the normally evolved human kingdom4 ,one consists of beings which have stopped short at the ,saturn stage1 and therefore have only a physical body1 which even on the ,moon is not yet able to become the vehicle of an independent etheric body4 ,this is the lowest of the ,moon kingdoms4 ,a second consists of beings which have been left behind at the ,sun stage1 and which therefore do not mature sufficiently on the ,moon to take on an independent astral body4 ,these form a kingdom between the one just mentioned and the regularly developed human kingdom4 ,but there is still something else taking place3 ,the substances containing only heat forces and those containing only air forces1 permeate these human beings4 ,thus it happens that the latter have within them on the ,moon both a ,saturnian and a solar nature4 ,in this way a kind of cleavage has taken place in human nature2 and by means of this cleavage1 something very momentous is called forth within the ,moon evolution after the activity of the ,lords of ,form has begun4 ,the first evidences of a cleavage in the cosmic body of the ,moon becomes then apparent4 ,one part of its substances and beings separates from the other2 two heavenly bodies are formed out of one4 ,one of these becomes the abode of certain higher beings who were previously more closely connected with the undivided celestial body2 while the other is occupied by human beings1 the two lower kingdoms described above1 and certain higher beings who did not pass over to the first celestial body4 ,the first heavenly body1 with the higher beings1 appears like a reborn but refined ,sun2 the other is really the new formation1 the 8old ,moon40 ,the regenerated ,sun1 on going out1 takes with it only 8heat0 and 8air0 from the substances which have been formed on the ,moon2 on what is left as the ,moon there is the liquid condition as well as the other two substances4 ,as a result of this separation the beings which have withdrawn with the newborn ,sun are not1 in the first place1 hampered in their further evolution by the denser ,moon beings4 ,thus they are able to continue their own progress without hindrance4 ,but thus they attain just that much more power to act now upon the ,moon beings from their ,sun4 ,and they in turn also acquire thereby new possibilities of evolution4 ,most important of all1 the ,lords of ,form are still in union with them4 ,these accentuate the passions and the desire-nature1 and this expresses itself gradually also in a further condensation of the physical human body4 ,what was previously nothing but liquid in that body assumes a densely viscous form2 and the air-like and heat-like formations are correspondingly condensed4 ,similar processes take place in the two lower kingdoms4 ,the result of the separation of the ,moon-body from the ,sun-body is that the former bears the same relation to the latter as the ,saturn-body once did to the whole cosmic evolution surrounding it4 ,the ,saturn-sphere was formed out of the body of the 8,lords of ,will0 7the ,thrones74 ,from out its substance emanated back into cosmic space everything which the above-mentioned spiritual beings in the environment of ,saturn experienced4 ,and this radiation by degrees awakened independent life1 by means of the subsequent processes4 ,all evolution is due to the fact that independent beings differentiate themselves from their environment1 then this environment like a reflection stamps itself upon those differentiated beings who then evolve further independently4 ,the ,moon-body1 having likewise separated from the ,sun-body1 reflects at first the life of the latter4 ,if nothing further had then happened1 the following cosmic process would have taken place3 ,there would have been a ,sun-body in which spiritual beings adapted to that body would have lived through their experiences in the elements of heat and air4 ,set over against this ,sun-body would have been a ,moon-body1 in which other beings of like nature with the ,sun-beings would have undergone their experiences in the conditions of heat1 air1 and water4 ,the progress from the ,sun-incarnation to that of the ,moon would have consisted in the ,sun-beings seeing their own life1 as in a reflection of the events on the ,moon4 ,they would have thus been able to enjoy it1 something which they were still incapable of doing during the ,sun incarnation4 ,but evolution did not remain at this stage4 ,something occurred which was of the deepest significance for all future evolution4 ,certain beings adapted to the ,moon-body1 take possession of the element of will 7the heritage of the ,thrones7 which was at their disposal1 and by its means develop a life of their own1 which takes shape independently of the ,sun-life4 ,alongside of those ,moon experiences which are entirely under the influence of the ,sun1 there arise independent ,moon experiences1 and1 at the same time1 states of rebellion or mutiny against the ,sun-beings4 ,and the various kingdoms which had arisen on the ,sun and ,moon1 first and foremost of which was the kingdom of man's ancestors1 are drawn into these conditions4 ,in this way the ,moon-body contains within it1 spiritually and materially1 two kinds of life3 one that is in inner union with the ,sun-life1 and another which has 8fallen away0 from it and goes its own way independently4 ,this division into a twofold life appears in all subsequent events of the ,moon incarnation4 ,what presents itself to clairvoyant consciousness in this period of evolution may be realized from the following pictures4 ,the whole basic mass of the ,moon is formed of a semi-animated substance which at one time moves sluggishly1 at another quickly4 ,this is not yet a mineral mass like the rocks and constituents of the earth upon which present day humanity walks4 ,we might call it a kingdom of plant-minerals1 only we have to imagine that the main body of the ,moon consists wholly of this plant-mineral substance1 as the earth today consists of rock1 soil and other substances4 ,just as now we have towering masses of rock1 so there were then harder portions embedded in the ,moon's bulk2 these may be compared with hard wooden structures or formations of horn2 and as plants now arise out of mineral soil1 so the surface of the ,moon was covered and penetrated by the second kingdom1 consisting of a kind of plant-animal4 ,their substance was softer than the general mass of the ,moon1 and more mobile4 ,this kingdom extended over the other1 like a viscous sea4 ,man himself at that time may be called animal-man4 ,he had in his nature the component parts of the other two kingdoms2 but his being was thoroughly interpenetrated by an etheric and an astral body1 upon which the forces of higher beings worked1 issuing from the severed ,sun4 ,his form was thus brought to greater perfection4 ,while the ,lords of ,form were giving him a form which adapted him to ,moon life1 the ,sun-,spirits were giving him a nature which lifted him beyond that life4 ,he had the power of ennobling his own nature with the faculties given him by these ,spirits1--in fact1 of raising what was akin to the lower kingdoms to a higher level4 ,seen spiritually1 the events now under consideration may be described in the following way4 ,man's ancestor had been brought to greater perfection by beings who had fallen away from the ,sun kingdom4 ,this improvement extended especially to everything that could be experienced in the element of water4 ,over that element the ,sun-beings1 who were rulers in the elements of heat and air1 had less influence4 ,the consequence of this was that in the organism of man's ancestor two kinds of beings manifested themselves4 ,one part of the organism was wholly interpenetrated by the influences of the ,sun-beings4 ,in the other part1 the rebellious ,moon-beings were operative4 ,owing to this1 the latter part was more independent than the former4 ,in the former there could only arise states of consciousness in which the ,sun-beings lived2 in the latter there lived a kind of cosmic consciousness1 such as was typical on ,saturn1 only now upon a higher level4 ,man's ancestor consequently felt himself to be an 8image of the universe10 whereas his 8,sun-part0 felt itself to be only an 8image of the ,sun40 ,the two beings now came to a kind of conflict in man's nature4 ,a settlement of this conflict was brought about by the influence of the ,sun-beings1 through which the material organism which made the independent universal consciousness possible1 was rendered frail and perishable4 ,from time to time this part of the organism had to be thrown off4 ,during and also some time after the separation1 man's ancestor was a being wholly dependent on the ,sun influence4 ,his consciousness became less independent2 he lived within it1 entirely surrendered to ,sun-life4 ,then the independent portion of the ,moon was once more renewed4 ,after some time this process was repeated4 ,thus man's ancestor lived on the ,moon in alternating conditions of clearer and duller consciousness2 and the alternation was accompanied by a change of his being in a material respect4 ,from time to time he laid aside his ,moon-body and resumed it later4 ,seen physically1 great variety appears in the kingdoms of the ,moon above mentioned4 ,the mineral-plants1 plant-animals and animal-men are differentiated into groups4 ,this will be understood when it is borne in mind that as a result of certain organisms having been left behind at each of the earlier stages of evolution1 forms possessing most varied qualities took physical shape4 ,there are formations still retaining the qualities of the early ,saturn period1 others showing those of the middle period and again others of the closing period of ,saturn4 ,a similar statement is true of all the stages of the ,sun evolution4 ,as organisms belonging to the evolving planet are left behind1 so is it also with certain beings connected with that evolution4 ,through the progress of evolution up to the ,moon period1 different grades of such beings have already arisen4 ,there are the ,sons of ,personality who not even on the ,sun have attained their human stage2 but there are also others who then caught up with evolving humanity4 ,a number of the ,sons of ,fire1 who should have attained humanity on the ,sun1 fell behind4 ,now1 just as during the ,sun evolution certain of the ,sons of ,personality withdrew from the ,sun and caused the reappearance of ,saturn as a separate body1 so it also happens that in the course of the ,moon evolution the beings described above separate and form individual celestial bodies4 ,so far we have mentioned only the separation into ,sun and ,moon2 but for the reasons already given1 other world-organisms detached themselves from the ,moon-body1 which made its appearance after the great interval between the ,sun and ,moon4 ,after a certain time we have a system of cosmic bodies the most advanced of which1 as can easily be seen1 must be called the ,new ,sun4 ,and just such a bond of attraction as was described above for the evolution as existing between the backward ,saturn kingdom and the ,sons of ,personality on the new ,saturn1 is formed between each of these bodies and the corresponding ,moon-beings4 ,it would take us much too far to follow up in detail all the celestial bodies that come into existence4 ,it must suffice to have pointed out the reason why a succession of them arises by degrees from the undivided world-organism which appears as ,saturn at the beginning of human evolution4 ,after the intervention of the ,lords of ,form1 on the ,moon1 evolution proceeds for a while in the manner described4 ,at the end of this time there is again a pause4 ,while it lasts1 the coarser portions of the three ,moon kingdoms are in a sort of resting state1 but the finer parts1 in particular the human astral body1 extricate themselves from those coarser organisms4 ,they reach a condition in which the higher forces of exalted ,sun-beings are able to act upon them very powerfully4 ,after the interval of rest they again interpenetrate those parts of man's being which are composed of the coarser substances4 ,because they received such powerful forces during the pause--in a free state--they are able to make those coarser substances ripe for the influence1 after a certain time1 of the ,sons of ,personality and the ,sons of ,fire1 who have progressed normally4 ,in the meantime these ,sons of ,personality have raised themselves to a level upon which they possess the 8consciousness of inspiration40 ,here they are not only able--as was the case with clairvoyant picture-consciousness--to observe the inner state of other beings in images1 but to apprehend the inner nature itself of those beings1 as though in a spiritual tone-language4 ,but the ,sons of ,fire have risen to that height of consciousness possessed on the ,sun by the ,sons of ,personality4 ,thus both kinds of spirits are able to influence the now more developed life of the human being4 ,the ,sons of ,personality act on the astral body1 the ,sons of ,fire on the etheric body of this human being4 ,the astral body thereby acquires the character of personality4 ,it now not only experiences pleasure and pain1 but relates them to itself4 ,it has not arrived at a complete ego-consciousness1 that says to itself1 8,i am here02 but it feels itself upheld and protected by other beings in its environment4 ,when looking1 as it were1 up to these1 it is able to say1 8,this1 my environment1 keeps me alive40 ,the ,sons of ,fire now work upon the etheric body4 ,under their influence the movement of forces in that body becomes more and more an inner function of life4 ,what then results finds physical expression in a circulation of fluids and in phenomena of growth4 ,the gaseous substances have become condensed into liquid substances2 we may speak of a kind of nutritive process1 in the sense that what is received from without becomes transformed and elaborated within4 ,perhaps if we think of something intermediate between nutrition and respiration in the present meaning of the terms1 we may get an idea of what then happened in this respect4 ,the nutritive matter was drawn from the animal-plant kingdom by the human being4 ,we must think of those animal-plants as floating or swimming--or even lightly attached in an element surrounding them1 as the lower animals of the present time live in water1 or land animals in air4 ,yet the element is neither water nor air in the present sense1 but something midway between the two1 a kind of thick vapour in which most heterogeneous substances move hither and thither1 as though dissolved in currents flowing in all directions4 ,the animal-plants appear only as condensed regular forms of this element1 often differing little physically from their environment4 ,the process of respiration exists alongside of the process of nutrition4 ,it is not as it is upon the earth1 but like a drawing in and a streaming out of heat4 ,to clairvoyant observation it is as though during those processes1 organs opened and closed1 through which a warming current passed in and out1 and through which airy and watery substances were also carried in and out4 ,and since man's nature at this stage of evolution already possesses an astral body1 respiration and nutrition are accompanied by feelings1 so that a sort of pleasure ensues when materials which promote the upbuilding of man's nature are taken in from without4 ,aversion is caused if injurious substances flow in1 or even if they merely approach4 ,just as during the ,moon evolution the respiratory and the nutritive processes were closely connected1 as has been described1 so was the process of perception in close connection with reproduction4 ,no immediate effect was produced on any of the senses by the things and beings in the environment of ,moon humanity4 ,perception was1 on the contrary1 of such a nature that the presence of things and beings called up pictures in the dull1 dreamy consciousness4 ,these pictures were much more closely connected with the real nature of the environment than the present sense-perceptions1 which record in colour1 sounds1 smell etc41 so to speak1 only the outside of things and beings4 ,in order to get a clearer idea of the human consciousness on the ,moon1 let us imagine human beings immersed in the vaporous environment described above4 ,most varied processes take place in this vapour-element4 ,materials unite1 substances break asunder one from the other2 some parts become condensed1 others rarified4 ,all this happens in such a way that human beings do not see or hear anything of it directly1 but it calls up pictures in their consciousness4 ,these may be compared with the images of our present dream-consciousness1 as for instance when an object falls to the ground1 and a sleeping man does not discern what has really happened but perceives it in the form of a picture2 let us say he thinks that a shot has been fired4 ,however1 the pictures in the ,moon-consciousness are not arbitrary1 as is the case with such dream-pictures2 although they are symbols1 not representations1 yet they correspond with outer events4 ,a definite outer event can call up only one definite picture4 ,the ,moon-being is therefore in a position to regulate his conduct by means of these pictures1 as present-day man does by means of his perceptions4 ,we must nevertheless be careful to notice that conduct1 regulated by perception1 is governed by choice whereas action1 under the influence of the pictures we have described1 takes place as if prompted by some dim instinct4 ,it is by no means as though only outer physical processes become perceptible through this picture-consciousness1 but it is through the pictures that the spiritual beings1 who rule behind the physical facts together with their activities1 become likewise perceptible4 ,thus the ,lords of ,personality become visible1 so to speak1 in the phenomena of the animal-plant kingdom2 the ,sons of ,fire appear behind and in the mineral-plant beings2 and the ,sons of ,life appear as beings whom man is able to imagine unconnected with anything physical1--whom he sees1 as it were1 as etheric-psychic organisms4 ,though these pictures of the ,moon-consciousness were not representations1 only symbols of outer things1 they nevertheless had a much more important effect on the inner nature of man than the images now caused by perception4 ,they were able to set the whole inner being into motion and activity4 ,the inner processes were moulded in conformity with them4 ,they were genuine formative forces4 ,man's being became what those formative forces made it2 it became1 to a certain extent1 a representation of the events of its consciousness4 ,the further evolution progresses in this manner1 the more it results in a deeply incisive change in man's being4 ,the power issuing from the pictures in the consciousness gradually becomes unable to extend over the whole human bodily frame1 which divides into two parts1 or two natures4 ,members are formed subject to the shaping influence of the picture-consciousness1 and they become to a great extent a copy of that life of imagination in the way just described4 ,other organs escape such an influence4 ,they are1 as it were1 too dense1 too much determined by other laws1 to conform themselves to the picture-consciousness4 ,these organs withdraw from the human influence2 but they come under another1 that of the exalted ,sun-beings themselves4 ,a period of rest1 however1 is first seen to precede this stage of evolution4 ,during this pause1 the ,sun-,spirits are gathering force to influence the ,moon-beings under quite new circumstances4 ,after this term of rest1 man's being is distinctly divided into two natures4 ,one of these is withdrawn from the independent action of the picture-consciousness2 it assumes a more definite form1 and comes under the influence of forces which1 though issuing from the ,moon body1 are only called forth there through the influence of the ,sun-beings4 ,this part of the human being shares more and more in the life which is stimulated by the ,sun3 the other part rises1 like a kind of head1 out of the first one4 ,it is flexible1 can move itself1 and takes shape in conformity with the life of dull human consciousness4 ,yet the two parts are closely connected with each other2 they send one another their vital fluids1 and members extend from one into the other4 ,an important harmony is now attained by the working out1 during the time in which all this happened1 of such a relation between the ,sun and ,moon as is in keeping with the aim of this evolution4 ,it has already been intimated in a former passage how the advancing beings throughout their stages of evolution1 shape their celestial bodies from out the general cosmic mass4 ,they emanate1 as it were1 the forces which govern the aggregation of the substances4 ,the ,sun and ,moon have thus separated from each other1 as was necessary for the preparation of the right abodes for their respective beings4 ,but this regulation of material and its forces by the spirit is carried very much farther4 ,the beings themselves condition as well1 certain movements of the heavenly bodies1 and the definite revolutions of them around each other4 ,in consequence1 those bodies occupy changing positions with regard to each other4 ,and if the position or situation of one body relative to another is altered1 the effects of their respective inhabitants upon each other also change4 ,so it is with the ,sun and ,moon4 ,through the movement of the ,moon around the ,sun1 which by this time had come about1 the human beings come alternately at one time more into the sphere of the ,sun's influence1 at another they are turned away from it and are then thrown back more on their own resources4 ,the movement is a consequence of the 8fall0 of certain ,moon-beings1 as already described1 and of the settlement of the conflict which was thereby brought about4 ,it is the physical expression of the new relation of spiritual forces created by this falling away4 ,as a consequence of the rotation of the one sphere round the other the beings inhabiting these heavenly bodies experience the alternating conditions of consciousness above described4 ,we may put it thus1 that the ,moon alternately turns its life toward the ,sun and away from it4 ,there is a ,sun time and a planetary time and during this latter1 the ,moon-beings develop on the side of the ,moon which is turned away from the ,sun4 ,it is true however1 that so far as the ,moon is concerned1 in addition to the movement of the celestial bodies1 still something else must be considered4 ,that is to say1 clairvoyant consciousness1 on looking back1 can plainly see the ,moon-beings wandering around their own planet1 at quite regular periods of time4 ,thus at certain times they seek localities where they can give themselves up to the ,sun influence2 at other periods they wander to places where they are not subject to that influence1 and where they can1 as it were1 reflect upon their own being4 ,in order to complete the picture of these events1 we must further notice that the ,sons of ,life attain their human stage during this period4 ,man's senses1 the beginnings of which already existed on ,saturn1 cannot even yet1 on the ,moon1 be used for his own perception of external objects4 ,but at the ,moon stage those senses become the instruments of the ,sons of ,life1 who make use of them in order to perceive through them4 ,these senses1 belonging to the physical human body1 enter thereby into reciprocal relations with the ,sons of ,life1 by whom they are not only used but improved4 ,through the changing relations of the ,sun1 there appears now in the human being himself1 as has been already indicated1 a change in the conditions of life4 ,things so shape themselves that when the human being is dominated by the ,sun influence1 he devotes himself more to the ,sun life and its phenomena than to himself4 ,at such times he feels the greatness and glory of the universe2 he1 so to speak1 absorbs them4 ,those very exalted beings who dwell on the ,sun then influence the ,moon1 which again influences human beings4 ,this influence1 however1 does not extend to the whole of man1 but chiefly to those parts which have thrown off the influence of their own picture-consciousness4 ,it is then that especially the physical and the etheric bodies attain a definite size and form4 ,on the other hand1 the phenomena of consciousness retire into the background4 ,but when the human being is turned away from the ,sun1 it is occupied with its own nature2 an inner activity begins1 especially in the astral body while the outer form1 on the contrary1 becomes more insignificant1 and less perfect in form4 ,thus during the ,moon evolution there are two states of consciousness to be clearly distinguished1 alternating with each other2 duller during the ,sun period and clearer during the time when life is left more to its own resources4 ,the first state though duller1 is on the other hand more unselfish2 man then lives a life more devoted to the outer world1 to the universe4 ,it is an alternation of states of consciousness1 which on one hand may be compared with the alternation of sleeping and waking in present day humanity1 as well as with his life between birth and death1 on the other hand with the more spiritual existence between death and a new birth4 ,the awakening on the ,moon1 when the ,sun period gradually ceases1 might be described as something intermediate between the awakening of contemporary man each morning1 and his being born4 ,and in the same way the gradual dulling of consciousness at the approach of the ,sun period resembles a condition midway between falling asleep and dying4 ,for on the old ,moon there was not yet such a consciousness of birth and death as man now possesses4 ,man gave himself up to the enjoyment of the universe in a kind of ,sun life4 ,during this period he was carried beyond his own life2 he lived more spiritually4 ,we can only attempt an approximate description1 by way of comparison1 of what man experienced during such times4 ,he felt as though the forces of the universe were streaming into him1 pulsing through him4 ,he felt as though intoxicated with the harmonies of the universe which he thus experienced4 ,as such times his astral body was as though set free from the physical body2 also part of the etheric body went with it out of the physical body4 ,this organism1 consisting of the astral and etheric bodies1 was like a delicate1 wonderful musical instrument1 from the strings of which the mysteries of the universe reverberated4 ,and the members of that part of the human being on which consciousness had but slight influence were shaped in accordance with the harmonies of the universe4 ,for the ,sun-beings worked in those harmonies4 ,thus this part of man was given its form by the spiritual sounds of the universe2 and at the same time the alternation between the clearer state of consciousness during the ,sun period1 and the duller one1 was not so abrupt as was that between the waking state and that of absolutely dreamless sleep in contemporary man4 ,the picture-consciousness was not so clear as the present waking consciousness2 but on the other hand1 the other consciousness was not so dull as the dreamless sleep of the present day4 ,thus the human being had a conception1 even though dim1 of the play of the cosmic harmonies in his physical body and in that part of his etheric body which had remained united with the physical body4 ,during the time when1 so to speak1 the ,sun did not shine on humanity1 the picture-concepts replaced these harmonies in man's consciousness4 ,there was then a revival particularly of those parts of the physical and etheric bodies which were under the immediate power of consciousness4 ,on the other hand1 other parts of the human being1 now not exposed to the formative forces streaming from the ,sun1 underwent a kind of hardening and drying up process4 ,when the ,sun period again drew near1 the old bodies decayed2 they fell away from the human being1 and as though from the grave of his old bodily form1 the rejuvenated human being appeared1 who even in this new form1 was still uncomely4 ,a renewal of the life-process had taken place4 ,by the operation of the ,sun-beings and their harmonies1 the new-born body shaped itself again in its perfection1 and the process described above was repeated4 ,man felt that renewal as if it were the putting on of new garments4 ,the kernel of his being had not passed through an actual birth or death2 it had only passed from a spiritual tone-consciousness1 in which it was given over to the outer world1 to one of a more inner nature4 ,it had sloughed off its skin4 ,the old body had become useless2 it was thrown off and renewed4 ,this then more clearly describes what has been characterized above as a kind of reproduction1 and which as has been said1 is closely connected with perception4 ,man's being has brought forth his likeness with respect to certain parts of the physical and etheric bodies4 ,however a being totally different from the parent being does not come into existence1 but the kernel of the parent-being passes over into the offspring4 ,no new being arises1 but the same one in a new form4 ,thus the ,moon human being experiences a change of consciousness4 ,when the ,sun period draws near1 his pictured images become dimmer and dimmer1 and blissful devotion takes possession of him2 the harmonies of the universe resound in his peaceful inner being4 ,toward the end of this time the images of the astral body begin to be animated2 he begins to be more conscious of himself and able to experience sensation4 ,man experiences something like an awakening from the bliss and tranquility in which he was wrapped during the sun period4 ,at the same time another important experience begins4 ,with this new clearing up of the picture-consciousness the human being sees himself as though enveloped in a cloud1 which has descended upon him like a being from the cosmos4 ,and he feels that being as something belonging to him1 as a completion of his own nature2 he feels it as that which gives him existence1 as his 8ego40 ,that being is one of the ,sons of ,life4 ,man feels toward him somewhat like this3 8,i have lived in this being1 even when ,i was given up to the glory of the universe in the ,sun period1--only then he was not visible to me2 now he is40 ,and it is also this ,son of ,life from whom proceeds the force which1 during the ,sunless period1 acts upon the body of man4 ,then when the ,sun period again approaches1 man feels as though he himself became one with the ,son of ,life4 ,even if man does not see him1 he nevertheless feels closely united with him4 ,now the connection with the ,sons of ,life was such that not every individual human being had a ,son of ,life to himself1 but an entire group of people felt such a being belonging to them4 ,thus people on the ,moon lived segregated into groups1 and each group felt in one of the ,sons of ,life its common 8group-ego40 ,the etheric body of each particular group had a specific form1 in this way these groups differed from each other4 ,but as the physical bodies shaped themselves in conformity with the etheric bodies1 the differences of the latter were also stamped upon the former2 and the individual groups of human beings appeared as so many species of people4 ,as the ,sons of ,life looked down on the human groups belonging to them1 they saw themselves to a certain extent reproduced in manifold individual human beings4 ,and therein they felt their own egohood4 ,they1 so to speak1 mirrored themselves in man4 ,this was indeed the mission of the human senses at that time4 ,it has already been shown that the senses did not as yet transmit objective perceptions4 ,but they reflected the nature of the ,sons of ,life4 ,what those ,sons of ,life perceived through reflection1 gave them their 8ego-consciousness40 ,what was aroused in the human astral body by this reflection was the dull dim pictures of the ,moon-consciousness4 ,by thus acting conjointly and reciprocally with the ,sons of ,life1 the human beings laid the foundations of the nervous system within their physical bodies4 ,the nerves appear1 one might say1 as continuations of the senses1 directed inwardly into the human body4 ,it is evident1 from this description1 in what manner the three kinds of ,spirits1 those of ,personality1 of ,fire1 and of ,life1 act upon ,moon-humanity4 ,if we look back upon the most important1 namely the middle period of the ,moon evolution1 we may say that the ,sons of ,personality are at that time implanting in the human astral body independence and the character of personality4 ,it is owing to this fact that man can turn his attention inwards and work upon himself during those times when the ,sun is not shining upon him4 ,the ,sons of ,fire act upon the etheric body in so far as the independent formation of the human being becomes imprinted upon it4 ,through their means it comes to pass that human beings are again conscious of themselves1 as such1 every time the body is renewed4 ,thus a kind of memory is bestowed on the etheric body through the ,sons of ,fire4 ,the ,sons of ,life act on the physical body in such a way that it is able to become the expression of the astral body which has now become independent4 ,they thus make it possible for the physical body to become a physiognomic copy of its astral body4 ,on the other hand1 higher spiritual beings1 in particular the ,lords of ,form and of ,motion1 reach down into the physical and etheric bodies1 as far as these are developing during the ,sun periods1 regardless of the independent astral body4 ,their intervention comes from the ,sun1 in the manner described above4 ,under the influence of such facts1 the human being gradually matures to a point where it can develop within itself the germ of the ,spirit-,self just as during the second half of the ,saturn evolution it developed the germ of the ,spirit-,man and on the ,sun that of the ,life-,spirit4 ,thereby all the ,moon conditions are changed4 ,human beings have not only become more noble and refined through successive transformations and renewals1 but they have also gained in power4 ,for this reason the picture-consciousness was more and more maintained during the ,sun periods4 ,it also gained influence in the formation of the physical and etheric bodies1 which hitherto had been formed entirely by the action of the ,sun-beings4 ,what took place on the ,moon through human beings and the ,spirits connected with them became more and more like that which had formerly been effected by the ,sun with its higher beings4 ,the consequence was that those ,sun-beings were able more and more to concentrate their forces on their own evolution4 ,by this means the ,moon became1 after a time1 mature enough to be again re-united with the ,sun4 ,to spiritual vision1 these occurrences take place as follows3 ,the 8rebellious ,moon-beings0 had been gradually overcome by the ,sun-beings and compelled to submit to them in such a manner1 that their activities became a part of and subordinate to the activities of the ,sun-beings4 ,it is true that this happened only after the lapse of long ages during which the ,moon periods had become shorter and shorter1 and the ,sun periods longer and longer4 ,now there again comes an evolution during which the ,sun and ,moon form one world-organism4 ,by this time the physical human body has become quite etheric4 ,when it is said that the physical body has become etheric1 it must not be imagined that under such circumstances there is no existing physical body4 ,what was formed as a physical body during the ,saturn1 ,sun1 and ,moon periods1 still exists4 ,it is important to recognize the physical element even where it is not externally and physically manifested4 ,it may also be present in such a way that it shows outwardly an etheric or even an astral form4 ,we must distinguish between the outward appearance and the inner law4 ,what is physical may become etheric and astral1 at the same time retain in itself the physical law4 ,that is the case when the physical body of man has attained a certain degree of perfection on the ,moon4 ,it becomes etheric in form4 ,but when clairvoyant observation1 which can perceive such things1 is directed toward an etheric body of this kind1 that body is seen to be ruled by physical1 not etheric1 laws4 ,the physical element has in this case been taken into the etheric world1 there to rest and to be nurtured as though in a mother's tender care4 ,later it again emerges in a physical form1 but at a higher stage4 ,if ,moon-humanity had kept its physical body in its coarse physical form1 the ,moon would never have been able to unite itself with the ,sun4 ,by accepting the etheric form1 the physical body becomes more closely related to the etheric body1 and by this means can again be more closely interpenetrated with those parts of the etheric and astral bodies which had been forced to withdraw from it during the ,sun periods of the ,moon evolution4 ,man1 who appeared as a being with a two-fold nature during the separation of ,sun and ,moon1 again becomes an undivided being4 ,the physical becomes more psychic4 ,therefore the psychic also becomes more closely connected with the physical4 ,now the ,sun-,spirits1 into whose immediate sphere this undivided human being has entered1 are able to act upon it in quite a different manner from their previous influence from without on the ,moon4 ,man is now in a more psycho-spiritual environment4 ,owing to this1 the ,lords of ,wisdom are able to effect something momentous4 ,they imbue and inspire him with wisdom4 ,he thereby becomes in a certain sense an independent soul4 ,and to the influence of these beings is added that of the ,lords of ,motion4 ,they act principally on the astral body1 so that under their influence it produces psychic activity1 and an etheric body filled with wisdom4 ,the latter is the foundation of that which has been described above as the rational or intellectual soul in contemporary man1 whereas the astral body1 inspired by the ,lords of ,motion1 is the germ of the sentient soul4 ,and because all this is effected in man's being in his progressed condition of independence1 these germs of the rational and sentient soul appear as the expression of the ,spirit-,self4 ,in this connection the mistake must not be made of thinking that at this period of evolution the ,spirit-,self was something separate from the intellectual and sentient souls4 ,the latter are only the expression of the ,spirit-,self1 which signifies their higher unity and harmony4 ,it is especially significant that the ,lords of ,wisdom intervene at this period in the manner described4 ,for they do this not only with regard to humanity but also for the benefit of the other kingdoms which have been elaborated on the ,moon4 ,upon the reunion of ,sun and ,moon these lower kingdoms are drawn into the ,sun sphere4 ,everything in them which was physical becomes etheric4 ,there are1 therefore1 minela-plants and plant-animals now in the ,sun1 just as there is humanity there4 ,but those other creatures are still endowed with their own laws of being4 ,they therefore feel like strangers in their environment4 ,they came upon the scene with a nature but little in harmony with their surroundings4 ,but as they have become etheric1 the activity of the ,lords of ,wisdom may also extend to them4 ,everything which has come from the ,moon into the ,sun now becomes pervaded with the forces of the ,lords of ,wisdom4 ,hence what is developed out of the ,sun-,moon organism during this period of evolution may be called in occult science the 8,cosmos of ,wisdom40 ,when1 therefore1 after an interval of rest1 our ,earth system appears as the successor of this ,cosmos of ,wisdom1 all the beings newly emerging on the earth1 developing out of their ,moon-germs1 prove to be filled with wisdom4 ,and this is the reason why earthly man when contemplating the things around him1 is able to discover the wisdom concealed in their inner nature4 ,the wisdom in each leaf of a plant1 in every bone in animal and man1 in the marvelous structure of the brain and heart1 fills us with admiration4 ,if man requires wisdom to understand things1 and therefore gathers wisdom from them1 this shows that there is wisdom in the things themselves4 ,for however much man might have striven to understand things by means of wise perceptions1 he could not draw wisdom from them unless it had first been put into them4 ,he who tries by means of wisdom to understand things1 assuming at the same time that wisdom had not first been concealed within them1 may just as reasonably believe that he can empty water out of a glass into which it has not first been poured4 ,as will be shown later in this book1 the ,earth is the 8old ,moon0 risen again4 ,and it appears as an organism full of wisdom1 because it was permeated by the ,lords of ,wisdom and their forces during the epoch that has been described4 ,it will easily be understood that this description of the ,moon condition could take account only of certain temporary forms of evolution4 ,it was necessary to pause at certain things in the progress of events1 and single them out for delineation4 ,it is true that this kind of description gives only isolated pictures1 and it may be deplored for this reason1 that in the foregoing account the evolutionary scheme was not brought down to a system of precise and definite concepts4 ,but in the face of such an objection it may be well to point out that the description was intentionally given in less clearly defined outlines4 ,for it is not of so much consequence here to give speculative ideas and to construct theories as to represent what really passes before the spiritual eyes of clairvoyant consciousness1 when looking back upon these events4 ,with regard to the ,moon evolution this cannot be done in such sharp and definite outlines as are characteristic of earthly perceptions4 ,in the ,moon period we are mainly concerned with variable1 changing impressions1 with shifting1 moving pictures and their transitory stages4 ,we have1 moreover1 to bear in mind that we are contemplating an evolution continuing through long1 long periods of time1 and that out of all that presents itself1 it is possible to seize upon only momentary pictures and fix them for delineation4 ,the ,moon period actually reached its highest point at the time when the astral body1 implanted in man1 had brought him so far along the evolutionary path that his physical body afforded the ,sons of ,life the possibility of attaining their human stage4 ,man had then attained all that this epoch could give him for himself1 for his inner nature on the upward path4 ,the following1 or second half of the ,moon evolution may therefore be termed the 8ebb-tide10 or wane4 ,but even during this ebb-tide one sees a most important thing taking place with regard to man's environment1 and even with regard to himself4 ,it is now that wisdom is implanted in the ,sun-,moon body4 ,it has been shown that during the ebb-tide the germs of the intellectual and sentient souls are implanted4 ,but the development of these1 as well as of the consciousness-soul and with it the birth of the 8,ego0--the free self consciousness--does not ensue until the ,earth period4 ,at the ,moon stage the intellectual- and sentient-souls have as yet no appearance of being used by human beings as a means of expression2 they appear rather as instruments of those ,sons of ,life who belong to humanity4 ,were we to describe the feeling of the human dweller on the ,moon in this respect1 we should have to say that he experiences the following3 8,the ,son of ,life lives in and through me2 he surveys through me the environment of the ,moon2 in me he reflects upon the things and beings of that environment40 ,the ,moon human being feels himself overshadowed by the ,son of ,life1 and looks upon himself as the instrument of that higher being4 ,during the time of the separation of ,sun and ,moon he felt a greater measure of independence when the ,sun was turned away from him2 but at the same time he also felt as though the ego belonging to him1 which had disappeared from the picture-consciousness during the ,sun period1 now became visible4 ,it was1 for ,moon-humanity1 what may be described as a change in the states of consciousness1 so that the ,moon-being had this feeling3 8,in the ,sun period my ego wafts me away into higher regions1 into the presence of exalted beings1 and when the ,sun disappears it descends with me into lower worlds40 ,the actual ,moon evolution was preceded by a preparatory stage4 ,in a certain way the ,saturn and ,sun evolutions were recapitulated4 ,now1 after the reunion of ,sun and ,moon1 during what we have termed the ebb-tide1 two epochs may be distinguished one from the other4 ,in the course of these1 even physical condensation occurs to a certain degree4 ,therefore psycho-spiritual conditions of the ,sun-,moon organism alternate with others of a more physical nature4 ,in such physical epochs human beings and those of the lower kingdoms appear as though they were preparing1 in stiff not yet self-reliant forms1 the type of what they were to become in a more independent manner during the ,earth period4 ,we may therefore speak of two preparatory epochs in the ,moon evolution1 and of two others during the ebb-tide4 ,in occult science such epochs may be termed cycles47#bj7 ,in that period which follows the two preparatory epochs1 and precedes those of the ebb-tide--that is to say1 during the time of the separation of the ,moon--three epochs can again be distinguished4 ,the middle period is the time when the ,sons of ,life reached the human level4 ,it is preceded by a period in which all conditions lead up to that crowning event2 and it is followed by one which may be called a time of adaptation and of perfecting the new creations4 ,in this way the middle period of the ,moon evolution is again divided into three epochs1 which1 with the two preparatory periods and the two during the ebb-tide make up seven ,moon cycles1 or rounds4 ,it may therefore be said that the whole ,moon evolution passes through seven cycles1 or rounds4 ,between them are intervals of rest1 which have been mentioned repeatedly in the above description4 ,yet we can approach a true concept of these facts only if we do not think of the changes between the periods of activity and those of rest1 as sudden ones4 ,for instance1 the ,sun-beings little by little withdraw their activity from the ,moon4 ,a time begins for them which1 viewed from without1 appears to be their resting period1 whereas in reality an intense1 independent activity still continues on the ,moon itself4 ,thus the active period of one kind of being repeatedly extends into the resting time of another4 ,if we take account of such things we may speak of a rhythmic ascent and descent of forces in cycles4 ,indeed1 similar divisions are to be recognized even within the seven ,moon cycles mentioned4 ,we may then call the whole ,moon evolution one great cycle1 and the seven divisions1 or rounds1 within it1 8small0 cycles2 and again1 the separate parts of these1 8smaller0 cycles4 ,this systematic arrangement into seven times seven divisions is also noticeable in the ,sun evolution and can be indicated during the ,saturn period4 ,yet we must bear in mind that the boundaries between the divisions are somewhat obliterated even in the ,sun1 and still more so in ,saturn4 ,these boundaries become more and more defined the nearer evolution advances to the ,earth period4 ,at the close of the ,moon evolution1 which has been sketched in the foregoing pages1 all the beings and forces connected with it enter upon a more spiritual form of existence4 ,this is on quite a different plane from that of the ,moon period1 and also from that of the ,earth evolution which follows4 ,a being possessed of faculties so highly developed as to enable him to perceive all the details of the ,moon and ,earth evolutions need not necessarily be able to see what happens during the interval between the two periods4 ,for one possessing such vision1 beings and forces would1 at the end of the ,moon period1 disappear1 as it were1 into nothingness2 and after an interval they would issue forth again from the dusky twilight of the cosmic depths4 ,only a being endowed with considerably higher faculties would be capable of following up the spiritual events which take place during this interval4 ,when this interval is over1 the beings who took part in the evolutionary processes on ,saturn1 ,sun1 and ,moon reappear endowed with new faculties4 ,beings of a higher order than man have1 by their former achievements1 won the power of bringing man's evolution forward to a point at which he would be able to unfold in himself1 during the ,earth period1 a form of consciousness which stands a step higher than the picture-consciousness he had possessed during the ,moon period4 ,but man must first be prepared to receive this gift4 ,during the ,saturn1 ,sun1 and ,moon evolutions1 he incorporated within his being the physical1 etheric1 and astral bodies4 ,but those bodies were only endowed with such faculties and powers as enabled them to have a picture-consciousness2 the organs and forms by means of which they could attain to a cognizance of a world of outer sense-objects1 such as is requisite for the ,earth stage1 were still wanting4 ,just as the new plant unfolds only what is concealed in the seed originating from the old plant1 so do the three principles of man's nature appear1 at the beginning of the new stage of evolution1 with such forms and organs as will enable them to develop only a picture-consciousness4 ,it is necessary first to prepare them for the unfolding of a higher state of consciousness4 ,this takes place in three preliminary stages4 ,during the first1 the physical body is raised to a level at which it becomes able to undergo the necessary remodeling which is to serve as a basis for consciousness of outer objects4 ,this is one of the preliminary stages of the actual earth evolution1 and may be called a recapitulation of the ,saturn period on a higher level4 ,for during this period1 as during the ,saturn period1 higher beings are working only on the physical body4 ,when the latter has progressed far enough in its evolution1 all beings must first again pass into a higher form of existence before the etheric body can also progress4 ,the physical body must1 as it were1 be recast1 in order to be able1 in its remodeled state1 to receive the more highly constituted etheric body4 ,after this interval devoted to a higher form of existence1 a kind of recapitulation of the ,sun evolution on a higher level1 occurs for the purpose of shaping the etheric body4 ,and after another interval1 a similar thing occurs for the astral body1 by means of a recapitulation of the ,moon evolution4 ,let us now turn our attention to the evolutionary processes taking place after the close of the third recapitulation described4 ,all beings and forces have passed again into a state of spiritualization4 ,during that state they ascended into higher worlds4 ,the lowest of the worlds1 in which something of them is still to be perceived during this spiritualizing epoch1 are the same in which contemporary man sojourns between death and a new birth4 ,these are the regions of the spirit-world4 ,thence the beings and forces gradually descend again into lower worlds4 ,before the physical ,earth evolution begins they have so far descended that their lowest manifestations are to be seen in the astral or psychic world4 ,everything human existing at that period is still in its astral form4 ,in order to understand this condition of humanity1 attention should be paid especially to the fact that though man has within him the physical1 etheric and astral bodies1 yet the physical and etheric bodies are not present in their own forms but in astral form4 ,it is not physical form that makes the physical body physical1 but the fact that it embodies physical laws1 although possessing an astral form4 ,it is a being in a psychic form with a physical law of existence4 ,the etheric body is in a similar position4 ,to spiritual vision the ,earth at this stage of evolution appears at first as a heavenly body all soul and spirit1 in which1 therefore1 even physical and life forces appear in a psychic form4 ,in this world-organism everything which will subsequently be moulded into the creatures of the physical earth is contained in a germinal state4 ,the globe is luminous2 but its light is not yet such as could be seen by physical eyes1 supposing even that they had then existed4 ,the globe shines only in psychic light to the opened vision of the seer4 ,a process now takes place on this globe which may be designated 8condensation40 ,the result of this is that after a time a fiery form appears in the midst of the psychic globe2 this condition was similar to that of ,saturn in its densest state4 ,this fiery form is interpenetrated by the action of the various beings who are taking part in the evolution4 ,the reciprocal action which is to be observed between those beings and the planetary body is like a rising out of and a diving into the earth's fiery globe4 ,hence the earth's globe is by no means a homogeneous substance1 but has somewhat the character of an ensouled and spiritualized organism4 ,the beings destined to become human on the earth in man's present form are as yet in a condition which renders them the least capable of sharing in the activity of plunging into the fiery globe4 ,they remain almost entirely in the uncondensed environment4 ,they are still living in the bosom of the higher spiritual beings4 ,at this stage they come in contact with the fiery earth at only one point of their psychic form1 and this causes one part of their astral form to be densified by the heat4 ,thus earth-life is enkindled in them4 ,they therefore still belong to psycho-spiritual worlds with regard to the greater part of their nature1 but by coming in contact with the earth's fire1 vital heat plays around them4 ,if we wish to draw a material1 yet supersensible1 picture of these human beings in the very beginning of the earth's evolution1 we must imagine a psychic ovoid1 or egg1 contained within the circumference of the earth1 and enclosed on its lower surface1 as an acorn is by its cup4 ,the substance of the cup1 however1 consists solely of heat or fire4 ,the process of being enveloped by heat not only causes the kindling of life in the human being1 but a change appears simultaneously in the astral body4 ,in this body becomes incorporated the first germ of what afterwards becomes the sentient-soul4 ,we may therefore say that man at this stage of his existence consists of the sentient-soul1 the astral body1 the etheric body1 and the physical body1 which latter is formed out of fire4 ,those spiritual beings who participate in human existence surge through the astral body4 ,man feels himself bound to the earth body by the sentient-soul4 ,he has therefore at this time a preponderating picture-consciousness1 in which are manifested those spiritual beings in whose bosom he reposes2 and the feeling of his own body seems to be merely a point within that consciousness4 ,he looks down1 so to speak1 from the spiritual world upon earthly possession1 which he feels belongs to him4 ,further and further the condensation of the earth now proceeds and at the same time the differentiation of the various parts of man1 as has been described1 becomes more and more defined4 ,from a definite point of evolution onward1 the earth is so far condensed that only part of it is fiery2 another part has assumed a substantial shape1 which may be termed 8gas0 or 8air40 ,a change also takes place now in man4 ,he is not only brought into contact with the heat of the earth1 but the air substance is incorporated in his fire-body4 ,and as heat kindled life in him1 the air playing around him creates an effect within him which may be called 7spiritual7 sound4 ,his etheric body begins to resound4 ,simultaneously1 a part of the astral body becomes separated from the remainder2 this part is the germ of the intellectual-soul which appears later4 ,in order to bring before our eyes what takes place in the human soul at this time1 we must notice that the beings superior to man are surging through the airy-fiery body of the earth4 ,in the fire-earth it is at first the ,sons of ,personality who are of importance to man1 and when man is stirred into life by the heat of the earth his sentient soul says to itself1 8,these are the ,sons of ,personality40 ,in the same way the beings called 8,archangels0 earlier in this book 7in accordance with ,christian esotericism7 appear in the air-sphere4 ,it is their influences which man feels within him as sound1 when the air plays around him4 ,and the intellectual-soul then says to itself1 8,these are the ,archangels40 ,thus what man at this stage perceives1 through his connection with the earth1 is not as yet a collection of physical objects1 but he lives in sensations of heat which rise up to him1 and in sounds2 in those heat currents and sound waves1 however1 he feels the ,sons of ,personality and the ,archangels4 ,it is true that he cannot perceive those beings directly1 only1 as it were1 through a veil of heat and sound4 ,while these perceptions are penetrating from the earth into his soul1 there continue to ascend and descend within it the images of those higher beings in whose tender care he feels himself to be4 ,now evolution takes a further step1 which is once more expressed in condensation4 ,watery substance is incorporated into the ,earth-body1 so that now the latter consists of three parts1--igneous1 aeriform1 and aqueous4 ,before this happens1 something of great importance takes place4 ,an independent celestial body is split off from the fiery-aeriform earth2 this new body becomes in its later development our present sun47#ba7 ,previously1 earth and sun had formed one body4 ,after the sun had been split off1 the earth still has at first everything within it which is in and on the present moon4 ,the separation of the sun takes place because higher beings could no longer carry on their own evolution as well as their task on ,earth within this atmosphere1 now densified to the consistency of water4 ,they separate from the general mass of the ,earth the only substances useful to them1 and fare forth to make a new abode for themselves in the sun4 ,they now influence the earth from the sun1 from outside4 ,man1 however1 needs for his further evolution an environment in which matter becomes still more condensed4 ,with the incorporation of watery substance in the earth-body a change also takes place in man4 ,henceforth not only does fire stream into him and air play around him1 but watery substance is incorporated into his physical body4 ,at the same time his etheric part changes3 that is1 it is now perceived by man as a fine light-body4 ,previous to this1 man had felt currents of heat rising up to him from the earth3 he had felt air surrounding him through tones2 now1 the watery element also penetrates his fire-air body1 and he sees its ebb and flow as the alternate flaring up and dimming of light4 ,but a change has also taken place in his soul4 ,to the germs of the sentient and intellectual souls is added that of the consciousness-soul4 ,the 8,angels0 work in the element of water2 they are also the real producers of light4 ,it was as though they appeared to man in light4 ,the higher beings who were previously in the ,earth-planet itself1 now influence it from the sun4 ,on this account all effects produced on the earth are changed4 ,the human being chained to earth would no longer be able to feel the influence of the sun-beings within him1 if his soul were unceasingly turned toward the earth1 from which his physical body is taken4 ,a change now appears in the conditions of human consciousness4 ,at certain times the sun-beings wrest the soul of man from his physical body1 so that man is now alternately purely psychic1 in the bosom of the sun-beings1 and1 when united with the body1 in a condition in which he receives earth influences4 ,when in the physical body1 heat currents stream up to him2 a sea of air is sounding round him and water pours into and out of him4 ,when man is out of his body the images of the higher beings in whose care he is1 float through his soul4 ,the earth passes through two periods at this stage of its evolution4 ,during one of these it allows its substances to circulate around the human souls and clothe them with bodies2 during the other1 the souls have withdrawn from it1 and only the bodies are left and the human beings are in a condition of sleep4 ,it is speaking quite in conformity with facts to say that in those times of a remote past the earth passed through a day and a night time4 7,expressed in terms of physical space this means that through the reciprocal action of the sun-beings and the earth-beings1 the earth is brought into a movement in relation with the sun2 thus there is brought about the alternation of day and night periods described above4 ,the day period is when the surface of the earth1 on which man is evolving1 is turned toward the sun2 the night period1 the time when man leads a purely psychic existence1 is when the earth's surface is turned away from the sun4 ,now it must not1 of course1 be imagined that in that far-off time the earth's motion around the sun was like its present motion4 ,the conditions were still utterly different4 ,but even at this early point it is helpful to realize that the motions of the celestial bodies are a consequence of the mutual relations of the spiritual beings inhabiting them4 ,spiritual-psychic causes produce in the celestial bodies positions and motions which permit the manifestation of spiritual conditions on the physical plane47 ,if our gaze were turned upon the earth during its night period1 its body would appear like a corpse4 ,for it consists to a great extent of the decaying bodies of those human beings whose souls are in another state of existence4 ,the organized watery and aeriform structures of which human bodies were formed become disintegrated1 and dissolve into the rest of the earth's substance4 ,only that part of man's body which was formed from the very beginning of the earth evolution by the co-operation of fire and the human soul1 and which subsequently became denser and denser1 continues to exist as an insignificant looking embryo4 ,now when the day period begins1 the earth once more participates directly in the sun influence1 and human souls press forward into the sphere of physical life4 ,they come in contact with the embryos1 and cause them to spring up and assume an external form1 which appears like an image of man's psychic being4 ,something like a delicate fertilization then takes place between the human soul and the bodily embryo4 ,the souls thus embodied now begin once more to attract the aeriform and watery substances and incorporate them in their own bodies4 ,air is expelled and absorbed by the organized body1--the first beginning of that which later appears as the respiratory process4 ,water too is absorbed and expelled2 the nutritive process in its original form has begun4 ,but these processes are not yet perceived as external ones4 ,a kind of external perception takes place in the soul only by means of the already characterized kind of fertilization4 ,here the soul vaguely feels its awakening to physical existence when it comes in contact with the embryo which is held toward it from the earth4 ,it then feels something which may be put into words thus3 8,this is my form40 ,and such a feeling1 which might even be called a dawning consciousness of self1 abides within the soul through this union with the physical body4 ,but the soul still feels the process of absorbing air in an absolutely psycho-spiritual way1 as an image1 which appears in the form of tone-pictures surging up and down2 these give form to the embryo which is being incorporated within them4 ,the soul everywhere feels itself in the midst of sound waves1 and that it is fashioning the body in accordance with those tone forces4 ,thus are human forms developed at that stage of evolution4 ,they cannot be observed in any external world by our present consciousness4 ,they evolve like vegetable or flower forms of fine substance1 therefore appear like flowers waving in the wind4 ,during his ,earth period1 man experiences the blissful feeling of being fashioned into such forms4 ,the absorption of the watery parts is felt in the soul as an accession of force1 or inner strength4 ,from without it appears as growth of the physical human structure4 ,as the direct influence of the sun decreases1 the human soul also loses the power of controlling these processes4 ,by degrees they are cast aside4 ,only those parts are left which allow the embryo1 above described1 to mature4 ,but man leaves his body1 and returns to the spiritual form of existence4 7,as not all parts of the earth's body are employed in building up human bodies1 we must not imagine that during the earth's night period1 it is composed exclusively of disintegrating corpses and embryos waiting to be awakened4 ,all these are imbedded in other structures1 which are formed out of the earth's substances4 ,the status of those structures will be explained later47 ,now1 however1 the process of condensing the earth's substance continues4 ,to the watery element is added the solid or 8earthly0 substance 78earthly0 in the sense of occult science74 ,and when this happens man also1 during his earth period1 begins to incorporate the earthly element in his body4 ,as soon as this incorporation begins1 the forces which the soul brings with it out of the disembodied state1 no longer have the same power as before4 ,previously1 the soul had fashioned its body out of the igneous1 aeriform1 and watery elements1 in accordance with the tones which resounded and the light-pictures which played around it4 ,the soul cannot do this with regard to the solidified form4 ,other forces now interpose to shape it4 ,what is left behind of man1 when the soul withdraws from the body1 is not only an embryo to be fanned into life by the returning soul1 but a structure containing in itself reanimating power4 ,the soul1 at its departure1 not only leaves its image behind on earth but sends down some of its animating power into that image4 ,now on its reappearance on earth the soul alone no longer suffices to awaken the image to life2 reanimation must take place in the image itself4 ,the spiritual beings influencing the earth from the sun now uphold the reanimating force that is in the human body1 even though man himself is not upon the earth4 ,thus1 during its incarnation1 the soul is not only sensible of the sounds and light-pictures floating around1 in which it feels the beings next above it1 but1 through receiving the earthly element1 it comes under the influence of those still higher beings who have taken up their abode on the sun4 ,previously1 man felt that he belonged to the psycho-spiritual beings with whom he was united when free from the body4 ,his ego was still within them4 ,now that ego confronts him during physical incarnation1 quite as much as everything else which is around him during that period4 ,independent images of the psycho-spiritual being of man were henceforth on the earth4 ,these structures1 in comparison with the present human body1 were of a finer material4 ,for the earthly part mixed with them only in its finest state1 much in the same way as when man of the present day absorbs the finely distributed substances of an object through his organ of smell4 ,human bodies were like shadows4 ,but as they were distributed over the whole earth they came under earth influences1 which varied in their nature on different parts of the earth's surface4 ,whereas formerly bodily images corresponded to the human soul animating them1 and on that account were essentially alike over the whole earth1 differences now appeared between human forms4 ,in this manner the way was prepared for what appeared later as differences of race4 ,when the human body became independent1 the previous close union of the earth-man with the psycho-spiritual world was to a certain extent dissolved4 ,henceforth1 when the soul left the body1 the latter1 in a way1 continued to live4 ,if evolution had gone on advancing in this manner1 the earth would have hardened under the influence of its solid elements4 ,to the eyes of the seer who looks back on those conditions1 human bodies1 when abandoned by their souls1 appear to become more and more solidified4 ,and after a time the human souls returning to earth would have found no available material with which to combine4 ,all the substances available for man would have been used up in filling the earth with the hardened1 wood-like remains of incarnations4 ,then an event took place which gave a new turn to the whole evolution4 ,everything in the solid earthly substance which could contribute to permanent induration was eliminated4 ,at this point our present moon left the earth4 ,and what had previously directly conduced to a moulding of permanent forms1 now operated from the moon indirectly and in a diminished degree4 ,the higher beings1 on whom that moulding of forms depended1 had resolved to exercise their influences upon their earth no longer from its interior1 but from without4 ,by this means there was brought about in the bodily structure of man a difference which must be called the beginning of the separation into a male and a female sex4 ,the finely constituted human forms which formerly inhabited the earth1 had produced through cooperation of the two forces within themselves1 that of the embryo and that of the animating force1 the new human form1 their descendant4 ,these descendants are now transformed4 ,in one group the animating power of the psycho-spiritual element was paramount2 in another the animating germinal force4 ,this was caused by the weakening of the power of the solid element in consequence of the moon's leaving the earth4 ,the reciprocal action of these two forces now became more delicate than it had been before--when it occurred within one single body1 consequently the descendant also became more delicate and fine4 ,he entered the earth in a delicate condition1 and only gradually incorporated more solid parts within him4 ,in this way the possibility of union with the body was once more given to the human soul returning to earth4 ,it no longer animated the body from without1 because that animation took place on the earth itself2 but it became united with the body1 and enabled it to grow4 ,of course a certain limit was set to that growth4 ,through the separation of the moon1 the human body had for a time become supple2 but the more it continued to grow on the earth1 the more the solidifying forces got the upper hand4 ,at length the share borne by the soul in the organization of the body grew less and less1 and the body disintegrated when the soul ascended to psycho-spiritual modes of existence4 ,one can trace how the forces gradually acquired by man during the ,saturn1 ,sun1 and ,moon evolutions take part more and more in the progress of man during the described formative periods of the earth4 ,the first part to be kindled by the earth's fire is the astral body1 still containing within it the etheric and physical bodies in a state of solution4 ,then the astral body is organized into a more subtle astral part1 the sentient soul1 and into a grosser etheric part1 which henceforth is in contact with the earth-element2 when this occurs1 the etheric or vital body1 already fore-shadowed1 makes its appearance4 ,and while the intellectual and consciousness-souls are being evolved in the astral man1 there are incorporated into the etheric body those coarser parts which are susceptible to sound and light4 ,at the time when the etheric body still further densifies and changes from a light-body into a fire or heat-body1 the stage of evolution has been reached at which1 as described above1 parts of the solid earth-element are incorporated into man4 ,because the etheric body has condensed to the consistency of fire1 it is now able1 by means of the forces of the physical body previously implanted in it1 to combine with those substances of the physical earth attenuated as far as the fire-state4 ,but by itself it would no longer be able to introduce air substances into the body which has meanwhile become more solidified4 ,then1 as indicated above1 the higher beings dwelling on the sun interpose1 breathing air into the body4 ,while man1 by virtue of his past1 is able of himself to become permeated with earthly fire1 higher beings direct the breath of air into his body4 ,heretofore the etheric body of man1 as a receiver of sound1 had been the director of the air current4 ,it permeated man's physical body with life4 ,now the physical body gets life from without4 ,the result is that this life becomes independent of the soul part of man4 ,on departing from the earth1 the soul leaves behind not only the seed of its form1 but also a living image of itself4 ,the ,lords of ,form now remain united with that image1 and the life they have bestowed1 they transfer to man's descendants1 when his soul has left the body4 ,thus comes about what may be called heredity1 and when the human soul once more appears on earth it feels that it is in a body animated by the life of its ancestors4 ,it feels itself especially attracted to just that kind of a body4 ,in this way something like a memory is formed of the ancestor with whom the soul feels itself to be at one4 ,this memory passes through the line of descendants in the form of a consciousness possessed in common4 ,the ego thus flows down through the generations4 ,at this stage of evolution man1 during his life on earth1 was conscious of himself as an independent being4 ,he felt the inner fire of his etheric body to be combined with the external fire of the earth4 ,he could feel the heat that was streaming through him as his own ego4 ,in those heat currents1 interwoven with life1 are to be found the first beginnings of the circulation of the blood4 ,but in what flowed into him as air1 he did not exactly feel as his own being4 ,indeed1 it was the forces of the higher beings we have described that were working in that air4 ,but still there was left to him1 within the air that flowed through him1 that part of the active forces which belonged to him by virtue of his previously formed etheric powers4 ,he was master in one part of those air currents4 ,and to that extent1 it was not only the higher beings who were shaping him1 but he himself4 ,he formed the air parts of his being in accordance with the images of his astral body4 ,while air was thus flowing into his body from without1 a process which became the basis of respiration1 part of the air was formed within him into an organism which became fixed and was the basis of the subsequent nervous system4 ,thus man at this period was connected with the external earth by heat and air4 ,on the other hand1 he was not conscious of the introduction within himself of the solid element of the earth4 ,although it contributed to his own embodiment1 he could not perceive directly what was being supplied but could only do so through a dim consciousness in the image of the higher beings who were active in the process4 ,in the same kind of picture-form1 as an expression of the beings above him1 man had previously perceived the introduction of the fluid element into the earth4 ,through the densification of his earthly form the pictures have now undergone a change in his consciousness4 ,the solid element has been mixed with the fluid4 ,this incoming of the solid element must also be seen to be the work of higher beings operated from without4 ,it is no longer possible for the human soul to have the power of directing the supply for that supply has now to serve his body1 which is being built up from without4 ,he would spoil its form if he were to direct the influx himself4 ,what1 therefore1 reaches him from without appears to him to be directed by authoritative orders issuing from the higher beings who are at work on the shaping of his body4 ,man feels himself to be an ego2 he has within him1 as part of his astral body1 his intellectual-soul1 through which he inwardly perceives1 in the form of pictures1 what is happening externally1 and by means of which he permeates his delicate nervous system4 ,he feels himself to be descended from ancestors1 by virtue of the life flowing down through the generations4 ,he breathes1 and feels it to be the effect of the higher beings who have been described as the ,lords of ,form4 ,he is likewise subject to their impulses in all that which comes to him from the outside 7as his food74 ,what he finds most obscure is his origin as an individual4 ,as to that1 he only knows that he has been under the influence of the ,lords of ,form expressing themselves in earth-forces4 ,in his relations with the outer world1 man was guided and ruled4 ,this finds expression through the fact that man has a consciousness of the psycho-spiritual activities operating behind his physical environment4 ,it is true that he does not see the spiritual beings in their own form1 but he is conscious in his soul of sounds and colors4 ,he knows1 however1 that it is the actions of spiritual beings that are realized through that world of images4 ,what those beings communicate to him1 reaches him as sound2 their manifestations appear to him in light-pictures4 ,the innermost concepts1 of which earthly man becomes conscious1 are those conveyed to him by the element of fire or warmth4 ,he can already distinguish between his own inner heat and the heat currents of the earth's periphery4 ,in these latter are manifested the ,sons of ,personality4 ,but man has only a dim consciousness of what is behind the currents of external heat4 ,it is in those very currents that he feels the influence of the ,lords of ,form4 ,when powerful effects of heat are produced in man's environment1 the soul feels that spiritual beings are now heating the earth's circumference--beings1 from whom a spark has been detached1 which warms his inner being4 ,in the effect of light1 however1 man does not yet distinguish in quite the same manner between the outer and the inner4 ,when light-pictures appear around him1 they do not always produce the same feeling in the soul of the earth-man4 ,there were times when he felt them as external images4 ,this was during the period when he had just descended from the disembodied state into incarnation4 ,it was the period of his growth on earth4 ,as the time approached for the embryo to be developed those images faded1 and man only retained something like inner memory-pictures of them4 ,the actions of the ,sons of ,fire 7,archangels7 were contained in those light-pictures1 which appeared to man to be the servitors of the ,fire-spirits who sent down a spark into his own inner being4 ,when their outer manifestations died away1 man felt them inwardly in the form of images 7memories74 ,he felt himself united with their forces4 ,and so indeed he was4 ,for by means of what he had received from them1 he was able to work upon his surrounding atmosphere4 ,this1 under his influence1 began to emit light4 ,at that time nature forces and human forces were not as yet separated from each other as they subsequently became4 ,what happened on earth still emanated to a great extent from human forces4 ,viewing nature processes on the earth from the outside1 one would then have seen in them not only something independent of man1 but also the effect of human activity within those processes4 ,sound-perceptions assumed a still more different form to the earth-man4 ,from the beginning of earth-life they had been perceived as outer tones4 ,whereas the external air pictures were perceived up to the middle of earth existence1 the external tones could be heard even after that middle period4 ,and only toward the end of his life did the earth-man become insensible to them4 ,but the memory-pictures of those sounds remained4 ,in them were contained the manifestations of the ,sons of ,life 7,angels74 ,when1 toward the end of his life1 man felt himself inwardly united with those forces1 he was able1 by imitating them1 to produce mighty effects in the earth's watery element4 ,the waters surged in and above the earth under his influence4 ,man had perceptions of taste only during the first quarter of his earth-life1 and even then they seemed to the soul like a memory of the experience of his disembodied state4 ,as long as they lasted1 his body continued to grow more and more solid by assimilating external substances4 ,in the second quarter of earth life growth still continued1 but the form was already fully developed4 ,at this time man could perceive other living beings near him only through their heat1 light1 and sound effects2 for he was not as yet capable of imagining the solid element4 ,during the first quarter of his life he received the taste-impressions described1 only through the watery element4 ,man's external bodily form was an image of this inner psychic condition4 ,those parts were most fully developed which contained the first fore-shadowing of the later form of the head4 ,the other organs appeared only as appendages4 ,these were shadowy and indistinct4 ,yet earth-beings varied with regard to form4 ,there were some in whom the appendages were more or less developed1 according to the earth-conditions under which they lived4 ,this varied with people's different dwelling places on the earth4 ,where they were more involved in the things of earth1 the appendages became more prominent4 ,those human beings who at the beginning of physical development on earth were the ripest1 owing to their previous evolution1 having come in contact with the fire-element at the very beginning before the earth had been condensed into air1 were those now able to develop the first beginnings of the head most completely4 ,they were those persons possessing most inner harmony4 ,others were ready for contact with the fire-element only when the earth had already evolved air within it4 ,they were more dependent upon outer conditions than the first mentioned1 who distinctly felt the ,lords of ,form through heat1 and during their earth-life felt as though they retained a memory of having belonged to those spirits and of having been connected with them in the disembodied state4 ,the second species of human beings only had the memory of the disembodied state to a more limited degree2 they were conscious of their fellowship with the spiritual world chiefly through the light-influences of the ,sons of ,fire 7,archangels74 ,a third type of human beings was still more entangled in earthly existence4 ,it was they who were unable to come in contact with the fire-element until the earth was separated from the sun and had absorbed the watery element within itself4 ,their feeling of fellowship with the spiritual world was especially slight at the beginning of earth-life4 ,only when the activities of the ,archangels1 and more especially of the ,angels1 influenced the inner imaginative life1 did they feel this connection to any degree4 ,on the other hand1 at the beginning of the earth-period they were full of active impulses for performing deeds which can be accomplished under earthly conditions only4 ,in them the extremities were particularly strongly developed4 ,when the ,moon-forces1 before the separation of the moon from the earth1 tended more and more to harden the latter1 it happened that among the descendants of the embryos left behind upon the earth by man1 there were some in whom human souls returning from the disembodied state could no longer incarnate in consequence of the ,moon-forces4 ,the form of these descendants was too much solidified and through the ,moon-forces1 had become too unlike the human form to be able to reassume it4 ,consequently certain human souls no longer found it possible1 under these circumstances1 to return to earth4 ,only the ripest and strongest of these souls felt competent to transform the earth-body during its growth1 so that it could blossom into a human form4 ,only a portion of the bodily descendants of man became the vehicles of earthly human beings4 ,another part1 because of its solidified form1 was able to receive only souls on a lower level than those of men4 ,but there was one group of human souls1 however1 which was prevented from participating in the earth-evolution of that time4 ,in this way they were driven to embark on another course4 ,there were souls who1 as far back as the separation of the sun from the earth1 found no place on the latter4 ,for their further evolution they were removed to a planet which1 under the guidance of cosmic beings1 was detached from the universal world-substance1--that substance of which the earth formed a part at the beginning of its physical evolution1 and from which the sun had separated4 ,this planet1 in its physical expression1 is the one known to outer science as 8,jupiter40 7,here we are speaking of celestial bodies1 planets1 and their names exactly in the sense of a more ancient science1 and as is in harmony with occult science4 ,just as the physical earth is only the physical expression of a great psycho-spiritual organism1 so is every other celestial body4 ,and as the seer does not denote only the physical planet by the word 8earth10 nor only the physical fixed star by 8sun10 so when speaking of 8,jupiter10 8,mars10 and the other planets1 he signifies far-reaching spiritual relationships4 ,the form and mission of the heavenly bodies have1 in the nature of things1 been essentially changed since the times of which we are here speaking1--in a certain respect even their position in celestial space has been changed4 ,it is possible only for one who follows with the seer's vision the evolution of those celestial bodies back to remote ages of the past1 to apprehend the connection of contemporary planets with their predecessors47 ,on ,jupiter the souls that have been described continued their evolution4 ,and later1 when the earth was tending more and more toward solidification1 still another abode had to be prepared for souls who even though they were able to occupy the solidified bodies for a time1 could no longer do so when this solidification had progressed too far4 ,an appropriate place for their further evolution was prepared on 8,mars40 ,even as far back as the time when the soul was still united with the sun1 and was incorporating the sun's air elements within itself1 certain souls were proving unfit to participate in the earth's evolution4 ,they were too powerfully affected by the earthly bodily form4 ,accordingly1 even at that time1 they had to be withdrawn from the direct influence of the ,sun-forces4 ,these had to influence them from without4 ,the planet ,saturn became the scene of their further evolution4 ,thus1 in the course of the earth's evolution1 the number of human forms decreased1 and forms appeared which had not embodied human souls4 ,these were able to receive only astral bodies as the human physical and etheric bodies on the old ,moon had done4 ,while the earth was becoming depopulated as far as human beings were concerned1 these other beings were colonizing it4 ,eventually all human souls would have been compelled to leave the earth if1 by detaching the ,moon from it1 a way had not been provided to preserve those human bodies which at that time could still harbor human souls4 ,it was made possible for these1 during their earth life1 to withdraw the human ego from the effects of the ,moon-forces coming directly from the earth1 thus allowing it to mature sufficiently within themselves until it could be exposed directly to those forces4 ,as long as the embryo was developing within man1 it was under the influence of those beings who1 under the leadership of the mightiest of their number1 had detached the moon from the earth in order to conduct the evolution of the latter over a critical point4 ,when the earth had developed the air element within it1 astral beings were present as described above1 who had belonged to the old ,moon and who had been left behind4 ,they had fallen short even of the lowest human souls in their evolution4 ,they became the souls of those forms which already before the separation of the ,sun had to be abandoned by man4 ,these beings are the ancestors of the animal kingdom4 ,as time went on1 they developed especially those organs which in man thus far only existed as appendages4 ,their astral body had to work on the physical and etheric bodies in the same way as did the human astral body during the old ,moon-period4 ,now the animals which had thus come into existence had souls which could not dwell in the individual animals4 ,the soul extended its being also to the descendant4 ,virtually1 animals descended from one form have a soul in common4 ,only when the descendant diverges from the ancestral type through special influences1 does a new animal soul become incarnated4 ,in this sense1 in accordance with occult science1 we can speak of a species or group-soul1 in animals4 ,something of a similar nature took place at the time of the separation of sun and earth4 ,there came forth from the watery element1 forms no further evolved than man was before the old ,moon-evolution4 ,they could only receive an impression from anything of an astral nature when the latter influenced them from without4 ,this could not happen until after the departure of the sun from the earth4 ,whenever the sun-period of the earth set in1 the astral element in the sun stimulated these forms in such a way that they formed their vital body out of the etheric part of the earth4 ,when the sun turned away from the earth1 that etheric body was again dissolved into the common earth-life4 ,and as a result of the co-operation of the astral part of the sun with the etheric part of the earth1 there emerged from the watery element those physical forms which became the ancestors of the present vegetable kingdom4 ,man became an individualized soul-being on earth4 ,his astral body1 which had been poured into him on the ,moon through the ,lords of ,motion1 now became organized on earth into the sentient-intellectual-and consciousness-souls4 ,and when the consciousness-soul had progressed so far that it was able to form for itself during earth-life1 a body adapted to that life1 the ,lords of ,form endowed that body with a spark from their fire4 ,the 8ego0 was enkindled within it4 ,every time man left the physical body he was in the spiritual world1 in which he met the beings who1 during the ,saturn1 ,sun1 and ,moon evolutions1 had given him his physical1 etheric1 and astral bodies1 and who had developed them as far as the earth-stage4 ,since the spark of ego had been enkindled during earth-life1 there had also come about a change in the disembodied life4 ,up to this point of evolution1 man had had no independence in the spiritual world4 ,within that world he did not feel himself a separate being1 but as though he were a member of the exalted organism which was composed of the beings superior to him4 ,the 8ego experience0 on earth now takes effect also in the spiritual world4 ,henceforth man feels himself to be1 to a certain degree1 a unit in that world4 ,but he feels also that he is unceasingly linked with it4 ,in the disembodied state he again finds the ,lords of ,form1 in a higher aspect1 and this aspect he had perceived in their manifestation on earth by means of the spark of his ego4 ,at the separation of the moon from the earth1 the disembodied soul began to have experiences in the spiritual world which were connected with that separation4 ,to develop such human forms upon earth which could receive soul individuality1 only became possible through the fact that a part of the shaping forces passed over from the ,earth to the ,moon4 ,thus human individuality came within the sphere of the ,moon-beings4 ,and in the disembodied state the reminiscence of earthly individuality could only operate because1 even in that state1 the soul remained within the sphere of those mighty spirits who had brought about the separation of the moon4 ,the process worked in such a manner that immediately after leaving the earth-body the soul could only see the exalted ,sun-beings as though in a lustre reflected from the ,moon-beings4 ,and it was only when sufficiently prepared by gazing at that reflected splendor1 that the soul attained to the vision of the exalted ,sun-beings themselves4 ,the mineral kingdom of the earth also arose out of what was ejected from human evolution in general4 ,its structures are what remained solidified after the moon was detached from the earth4 ,the only soul-element which felt attracted to those structures was that which had been left behind at the ,saturn stage1 and was therefore only adapted for developing physical forms4 ,all the occurrences treated of here and in what follows were enacted in the course of exceedingly long periods4 ,but the question of chronology cannot be entered into here4 ,the events described1 present the evolution of the earth from without4 ,seen spiritually from within1 the facts present themselves as follows3 ,the spiritual beings who drew the moon out of the earth and incorporated their own existence with the moon1--thus becoming earth-moon beings1--brought about a certain formation of the human organism by means of the forces which they sent to the earth from the moon4 ,their influence affected the 8ego0 which man had acquired1 and made itself felt in the interplay of that 8ego0 with the astral1 etheric1 and physical bodies4 ,they made it possible for man to reflect within himself consciously and to reproduce within his cognition1 the wisdom revealed in the cosmos4 ,it will be remembered that during the old ,moon-period man1 owing to the separation from the sun at the time1 acquired a certain independence in his organism1 a more unfettered stage of consciousness than that which he had been able to derive directly from the ,sun-spirits4 ,this free1 independent consciousness--a heritage from the old ,moon-evolution--appeared again during the earth-period in question4 ,but it was just this consciousness which1 through the influence of the described earth-moon beings1 could again be brought into union and harmony with the universe and be made a reflection of it4 ,this would have happened if no other influence had asserted itself4 ,without that influence1 man would have become a being whose consciousness would not have reflected the world in pictures of cognition1 through his own free volition1 but through natural necessity4 ,but things did not happen in this way4 ,at the time when the moon split off1 certain spiritual beings interposed in human evolution who had retained so much of their ,moon nature that they could not take part in the exodus of the sun from the earth1 and were shut out from the influence of the spirits who from the earth-moon had exerted their activity upon the earth4 ,these spirits with the old ,moon nature were1 so to say1 banished to the earth1 but with an irregular development4 ,in their ,moon-nature was that which had rebelled against the ,sun-spirits during the old ,moon-evolution1 and which had so far been a blessing to man that it had led him to a free1 independent state of consciousness4 ,the consequences of the peculiar development of these spirits during the earth-period entailed their becoming adversaries of the spirits who1 acting from the moon1 desired to make human consciousness an automatic reflector of the universe4 ,what had helped man to a higher state of development of the old ,moon1 proved to be in opposition to the possibilities which had arisen through the evolution of the earth4 ,the opposing forces had brought with them from their ,moon nature the power of working upon the human astral body1 namely1--as above indicated1--the power of making it independent4 ,they exercised that power by giving the astral body a certain degree of independence--even throughout the earth-period--compared with the automatic 7involuntary7 state of consciousness which had been brought about by the spirits of the earth-moon4 ,it is difficult to express in the language of to-day the effects on man1 in that far-off time of the spiritual beings referred to4 ,they must not be thought of as analogous to natural influences of the present time1 nor yet as similar to the influence of one human being on another1 when the first awakens in the second inner powers of consciousness by words which help the second person to understand something1 or which stimulate him to virtue or vice4 ,the effect referred to as operative in that primeval age was not a force of nature but a spiritual influence1 conveyed in a spiritual way1 which descended upon man as a spiritual influx from higher spirits1 conformable with man's state of consciousness at that time4 ,if we think of this influence as a force of nature we altogether miss its essential reality4 ,if we say that the spirits with the old ,moon nature tempted man in order to lead him astray for their own ends1 we are using a symbolical expression1 which is good as long as we remember that it is but a symbol and are at the same time clear in our minds that a spiritual fact underlies the symbol4 ,the influence brought to bear on man by the spirits who had remained behind during the ,moon-evolution had a two-fold result4 ,man's consciousness was divested of the character of being merely a mirror of the universe1 because the possibility was aroused in the human astral body of regulating and controlling1 by means of this astral body1 the images in the consciousness4 ,man became the ruler of his own knowledge4 ,but on the other hand it was the astral body that was the starting point of that rulership1 and consequently the ego set over the astral body came to be continually dependent upon it4 ,hence man was from this time forth exposed to the lasting influences of a lower element in his nature4 ,it was possible for him in his life to sink below the height on which he had been placed by the spirits of the earth-moon in the course of the world's progress4 ,and subsequently he was open to the lasting influence on his nature of the irregularly evolved ,moon-spirits4 ,we may call these ,moon-spirits ,luciferian1 to distinguish them from the other spirits who1 from the earth-moon1 made consciousness into a mirror of the universe1 without bestowing free will4 ,the ,luciferian spirits endowed man with the possibility of developing free activity in his consciousness1 and at the same time created the possibility of error and evil4 ,as a result of these events man was brought into a different connection with the ,sun-spirits from that which had been destined for him by the spirits of the earth-moon4 ,these wished to develop the reflecting human consciousness in such a manner that within the whole life of the human soul1 the influence of the ,sun-spirits would have become dominant4 ,these purposes were thwarted1 and an opposition was thus created in human nature between the influence of the ,sun-,spirits and that of the spirits who were irregularly developed on the old ,moon4 ,owing to this opposition1 the inability to recognize the physical ,sun-influences as such also arose in man2 they were hidden by the earthly impressions of the outer world4 ,filled with these impressions1 the astral part of man was drawn into the sphere of the ego4 ,this ego1--which otherwise would have felt only the spark of fire bestowed on it by the ,lords of ,form1 and which would have submitted to the bidding of those spirits in everything that had to do with external fire1--henceforth worked upon external heat phenomena through the element with which it had itself been inoculated4 ,a bond of attraction was thereby established between the ego and the earth-fire4 ,in this way man became more involved in earthly materiality than had been ordained for him1 which was effected through the earth-moon spirits in man's body4 ,the real individual ego was thereby set free from the mere earth-ego so that although man during earth-life only partially felt himself to be an ego1 he at the same time felt his earth-ego to be a continuation of that of his ancestors through the generations4 ,the soul was conscious of a kind of 8group-ego0 in earth-life1 dating back to remote ancestors2 man felt himself to be a member of this group4 ,only in the disembodied state could the individual ego be conscious of itself as a separate being4 ,but this state of isolation was impaired because the ego was still burdened with a memory of the earth-consciousness 7earth-ego47 ,this memory clouded its vision of the spiritual world1 which began to be covered as with a veil between death and birth just as it is hidden from physical vision upon earth4 ,the many changes which took place in the spiritual world while human evolution was passing through the conditions just described1 found physical expression in the gradual adjustment of the mutual relations existing between the sun1 moon1 and earth 7and1 moreover1 between other celestial bodies74 ,the alternation of day and night stands out as one result of those relations4 7,the motions of celestial bodies are regulated by the beings who inhabit them4 ,the earth's motion1 of which day and night are the result1 was induced by the mutual relations of various spirits superior to man4 ,the moon's motion had been brought about in the same way1 in order that after the separation of the moon from the earth1 the ,lords of ,form might1 by means of the revolution of the former around the latter1 work upon the human physical body in the right way1 and with the right rhythm47 ,the ego and astral body of man now worked within the physical and etheric bodies by day2 at night that activity ceased3 for the ego and the astral body then left the physical and etheric bodies and came wholly within the sphere of the ,sons of ,life or ,angels1 the ,sons of ,fire or ,archangels1 the ,sons of ,personality1 and the ,lords of ,form4 ,besides the ,lords of ,form1 the ,lords of ,motion1 of ,wisdom and the ,thrones also included the physical and etheric bodies in their sphere of influence at this time4 ,the injurious effects produced on man by the errors of his astral body during the day1 could thus be counter-balanced4 ,as people upon ,earth now again multiplied there was no reason why human souls should not incarnate in their descendants4 ,the earth moon-forces now acted in such a way that under their influence the human bodies became entirely capable of incarnating human souls4 ,the souls who had previously removed to ,mars1 ,jupiter and the other planets were now guided to earth1 and there was thus a soul ready for each human being born in the physical line of descent4 ,this went on through long periods so that the immigration of souls to earth corresponded to the increase of human beings4 ,souls now leaving their bodies at physical death retained the echo of their earthly individuality as a memory in the disembodied state4 ,this memory acted in such a way that whenever a body was born on earth suitable for them1 they again incarnated it4 ,consequently there were among the human descendants some whose souls came from without and who appeared on earth for the first time since its very earliest periods1 and there were others whose souls had continually incarnated on the earth4 ,in subsequent periods of earthly evolution the number of young souls appearing for the first time grows ever smaller and smaller1 and the reincarnated souls become more and more numerous2 yet for long ages the human race was composed of the two types of beings conditioned by these facts4 ,henceforth man on earth felt himself united with his forefathers through the group-ego which he had in common with them4 ,on the other hand1 the experience of the individual ego was all the stronger in the disembodied state between death and a new birth4 ,the souls which entered human bodies from celestial space were in a different position from those which had one or more earthly lives behind them4 ,the former1 as souls entering upon the physical earth-life1 brought with them only the conditions to which the higher spiritual world and their experiences outside the sphere of earth had subjected them4 ,the others had1 by their actions in former lives1 added conditions of their own4 ,the fate of the first was determined only by facts lying outside of the new earth-conditions2 that of the reincarnate souls is also determined by what they themselves have done in former lives under earthly conditions4 ,individual human ,karma makes its first appearance simultaneously with reincarnation4 ,because the human etheric body was withdrawn from the influence of the astral body in the manner above indicated1 the generative faculty was not included in the sphere of human consciousness1 but was under the sway of the spiritual world4 ,when the time had come for a soul to descend to earth1 procreative impulses arose in the human being4 ,the entire process1 to a certain degree was veiled in mysterious obscurity as far as earthly consciousness was concerned4 ,the consequences of this partial separation of the etheric from the physical body were felt during earthly life also4 ,the qualities of the etheric body were capable of being especially heightened by spiritual influence4 ,in the life of the soul this expressed itself through a special perfection of memory4 ,independent logical thought was at this period only in its most rudimentary stage in man2 on the other hand1 the faculty of memory was almost unlimited4 ,externally it appeared as though man had direct knowledge of the working forces of every living being4 ,he had at his disposal the vital and generative forces of the animal and1 more especially1 of the vegetable kingdom4 ,he was able1 for instance1 to draw out of a plant the force which impels it to grow1 and to use that force1 just as we now use the forces of inanimate nature2 for example1 the power dormant in coal which is extricated and used for propelling engines47#bb7 ,the inner soul life of man was also transformed in many different ways by the ,lucifer influence4 ,many kinds of feelings and emotions due to it might be instanced4 ,of these only one can be mentioned4 ,previous to this influence1 the human soul acted1 in that which it had to shape and to do1 according to the purposes of higher spiritual beings4 ,the plan of everything that was to be carried out was determined from the beginning4 ,and in proportion to the degree to which human consciousness was evolved1 it was able to foresee how things must develop in the future in accordance with that preconceived plan4 ,that consciousness of the future was lost when the veil of earthly perceptions was woven across the manifestations of higher spiritual beings and in these the real forces of the ,sun-spirits were hidden4 ,henceforth the future became uncertain1 and in consequence of this the possibility of fear was implanted in the soul4 ,fear is a direct result of error4 ,it is however evident that through the ,luciferian influence1 man became independent of certain definite forces to which he had previously submitted without the exercise of his will4 ,henceforth he was able to form resolutions of his own4 ,freedom is the result of the ,luciferian influence1 and fear and similar feelings are only the phenomena attendant on the evolution of human freedom4 ,spiritually seen1 fear makes its appearance in this way4 ,within the earth-forces1 under whose influence man had come by means of the ,luciferian powers1 other beings were operating1 which had developed irregularly much earlier in the course of evolution than the ,luciferian powers4 ,with the earth-forces man admitted into his nature the influence of these other beings4 ,they gave the quality of fear to feelings1 which without them would have operated quite differently4 ,they may be called ,ahrimanic beings4 ,they are the same that ,goethe calls ,mephistophelian4 ,although the ,luciferian influence manifested itself at first only in the most advanced individuals1 it soon spread to others4 ,the descendants of the advanced individuals intermingled with the less progressive described above1 and in this way the ,luciferian force was conveyed to the latter4 ,but the etheric body of these souls returning from the different planets could not be protected to the same extent as that of the descendants of those who remained on earth4 ,the protection of the etheric body of these descendants emanated from an exalted ,being in ,whom was vested the leadership of the cosmic when the separation of the sun from the earth took place4 ,that ,being is the ,ruler of the ,kingdom of the ,sun4 ,with him those lofty spirits1 whose cosmic development was sufficiently matured1 departed for their dwelling-place in the ,sun4 ,but there were other beings who had not reached such a height at the separation of the sun2 these were obliged to seek other spheres4 ,it was through their instrumentality that ,jupiter and other planets became detached from that general cosmic substance of which1 at the outset1 the earthly physical organism consisted4 ,jupiter now became the abode of those beings who were not highly enough developed to live on the sun1 and the most advanced of these became the leader4 ,as the ,leader of the ,sun evolution became the 8higher ego0 which worked in the etheric body of the descendants of those who had remained on earth1 so the ,jupiter leader became that 8higher ego0 which manifested as a common consciousness in certain other human beings4 ,those were the human beings descending from the intermixing of those who had only appeared on earth at the time of the air-element and had gone over to ,jupiter4 ,these human beings may be called1 in conformity with occult science1 8,jupiter-humanity40 ,they were scions of the human race which had adopted human souls far back in that ancient time2 but who1 at the beginning of earthly evolution1 were not yet mature enough to take part in the first contact with fire4 ,they were souls midway between the human and animal soul-kingdoms4 ,now there were other beings who1 under the leadership of the greatest one among them had detached ,mars from the general cosmic substance1 to make it their dwelling place4 ,under their influence there arose a third kind of humanity1 formed by interbreeding1--the 8,mars-humanity40 7,this knowledge throws light upon the origin of the formation of the planets of our solar system2 for all the members of that system originated through the various stages of maturity reached by the beings inhabiting them4 ,but of course it is not possible to enter into all the details of cosmic differentiation here47 ,those people who felt in their etheric body the influence of the exalted ,sun-being ,himself may be called 8,sun-humanity40 ,the ,being ,who lived in them as the ,higher ,ego--of course only in the race1 not in the individual1--is the same to ,whom various names were given in later times1 when man had gained conscious knowledge of ,him4 ,it is he ,who appears to the human race today as the ,christ4 8,saturn-humanity0 is also to be distinguished at that time4 ,the 8higher ego0 of this race appeared as a being who1 with his associates1 had been forced to leave the general cosmic substance before the separation of the ,sun4 ,in these individuals not only the etheric body but also the physical body was partly exempt from the ,luciferian influence4 ,but the etheric body was nevertheless not well enough protected in the less developed races of mankind to be able to sufficiently resist the influences of the ,luciferian beings4 ,these individuals could arbitrarily use the spark of the ego within them to such a degree that they were able to call forth mighty and destructive effects of fire around them4 ,the result was a mighty terrestrial catastrophe4 ,a large part of the inhabited earth was wrecked by fiery storms1 and with it the human beings that had fallen into sin4 ,only a very small part of those who had remained untouched by sin1 were able to take refuge in a region which had so far been shielded from the fatal human influence4 ,the country occupying that part of the earth now covered by the ,atlantic ,ocean proved to be peculiarly well fitted for the abode of the new human race4 ,thither that part of humanity repaired which had preserved purity4 ,only stray groups of humanity inhabited other regions4 ,occult science gives the name of 8,atlantis0 to that part of the earth which once existed between the present continents of ,europe1 ,africa1 and ,america4 7,this particular stage of human evolution has its special nomenclature in theosophical literature4 ,the period preceding the ,atlantean is called the ,lemurian age1 whereas that during which the ,moon-forces had not yet fully developed is called the ,hyperborean age4 ,this is preceded by yet another1 which coincides with the earliest period of the evolution of the physical earth4 ,biblical tradition describes the period before the influence of the ,lucifer-beings came into play as the ,paradise time1 and the descent to earth1 or entanglement of humanity in the sense-world1 as the expulsion from ,paradise47 ,the ,atlantean period of evolution was the real time of separation into the ,saturn1 ,sun1 ,jupiter1 and ,mars humanities4 ,up to that time only predispositions for this separation had been developed4 ,the division between the state of waking and sleeping had special consequences1 which appeared particularly in the ,atlantean race4 ,during the night the human astral body and ego were in the sphere of the beings superior to man1 as far up as the ,sons of ,personality4 ,man could perceive the ,sons of ,life 7the ,angels7 and the ,sons of ,fire 7the ,archangels7 through that part of his etheric body which was not united with the physical body4 ,for he was able to remain united1 during sleep1 with that part of his etheric body which was not interpenetrated by the physical body4 ,it is true1 his perception of the ,sons of ,personality was vague1 owing to the ,luciferian influence2 but not only the ,angels and ,archangels became visible to man in this condition but also those beings who were not able to enter upon earthly existence because they had lagged behind on the ,sun or ,moon1 and were therefore obliged to remain in the psycho-spiritual world4 ,but man1 by means of the ,luciferian influence1 drew them into his soul which was separated from his physical body during sleep4 ,thus he came in contact with beings whose influence was highly corrupting4 ,they increased in his soul the propensity for error2 especially the tendency to misuse the powers of growth and reproduction1 which since the separation of the physical and etheric bodies were now under his control4 ,certain human beings of the ,atlantean period however became entangled in the sense world only to a very limited degree4 ,through them1 the ,luciferian influence became1 instead of a hindrance to human evolution1 a means of further progress4 ,it enabled them to develop knowledge of earthly matters sooner than would otherwise have been possible4 ,they sought to expel error from their imaginative life and to interpret1 by means of cosmic phenomena1 the original purposes of spiritual beings4 ,they kept themselves free from those impulses and desires of the astral body which were directed merely toward the sense-world4 ,hence they became more and more free from the errors of the astral body4 ,this resulted in a condition through which they were able to confine their perceptions to that part of the etheric body which was separated from the physical body in the manner described above4 ,under these conditions the capacity of the physical body for perception was practically extinguished and the physical body itself was as though dead4 ,for through the etheric body1 these individuals were wholly united with the kingdom of the ,lords of ,form1 and were able to learn from them how they were being guided and directed by that exalted ,being the 8,christ10 who was the ,leader at the time of the separation of sun and earth4 ,these people were ,initiates4 ,but since human individuality had been brought into the sphere of the ,moon-beings1 as described above1 these ,initiates could not as a rule come into direct contact with the ,christ-,being1 they could only see it as a reflection1 shown them by the ,moon-beings4 ,thus they did not see the ,christ-,being directly1 but only the reflection of its glory4 ,they became leaders of the rest of humanity1 to whom they were able to impart the mysteries they had seen4 ,they attracted disciples1 to whom they communicated the methods for attaining the condition which leads to ,initiation4 ,only those could attain knowledge of the ,christ who belonged to the ,sun-humanity mentioned above4 ,they cultivated their mystic learning1 and the occupations which promoted it1 at a particular spot which1 in occult science terminology may be called the ,christ oracle1 or ,sun oracle1 the term 8oracle0 being used to denote a place where the purposes of spiritual beings are unveiled4 ,other oracles were called into being by the members of the ,saturn1 ,mars1 and ,jupiter humanities4 ,the intuitive vision of their ,initiates was confined to seeing those beings who were revealed to them in their etheric bodies as their respective 8higher egos40 ,thus adherents of the ,saturn1 ,jupiter1 and ,mars wisdom arose4 ,besides these methods of ,initiation1 there were others for those who had assimilated too much of the ,luciferian spirit to allow as large a part of the etheric body to be separated from the physical body as was the case with the ,sun humanity4 ,nor could they be brought to the revelation of the ,christ through these conditions4 ,because their astral body was more influenced by the ,lucifer principle1 they were obliged to undergo a more difficult preparation1 and then1 in a less disembodied state than the others1 they were able to receive the revelation1 not indeed of the ,christ ,himself1 but of other exalted beings4 ,there were beings who1 although they had left the earth at the separation of the sun1 did not stand on such a high level that they were able to continue taking part in the ,sun evolution4 ,they formed an abode for themselves away from the sun1 after its separation from the earth3 this was ,venus4 ,their leader was the being who now became a 8higher ego0 to these ,initiates and their adherents4 ,a similar thing happened with the leading spirit of ,mercury for another group of people4 ,in this way the ,venus and ,mercury oracles arose4 ,one kind of human beings1 who had most completely absorbed the ,luciferian influence1 could reach only one of the higher beings who1 with his associates1 had been the first to be expelled from the ,sun evolution4 ,this being has no particular planet in cosmic space1 but still lives within the periphery of the earth1 with which he was once more united after the return from the sun4 ,the group of people1 to whom this being was revealed as its 8higher ego0 may be called the followers of the ,vulcan oracle4 ,their attention was more directed to earthly phenomena than that of the other ,initiates4 ,they laid the first foundations of what afterwards became the human arts and sciences4 ,on the other hand1 the ,mercury ,initiates established the study of the more super-sensible things2 and the ,venus ,initiates did this to a still greater extent4 ,the ,vulcan1 ,mercury1 and ,venus ,initiates differed from those of ,saturn1 ,jupiter1 and ,mars in the manner of receiving their ,mysteries2 the latter received them more as a revelation from above1 and in a more finished state2 whereas the former gained their knowledge more in the form of their own thoughts--in the form of ideas4 ,the ,christ ,initiates occupied a middle position4 ,while having a direct revelation1 they acquired the capacity for clothing their ,mysteries in a human form of conception4 ,the ,saturn1 ,jupiter1 and ,mars ,initiates were obliged to express themselves more in symbols2 the ,christ1 ,venus1 ,mercury1 and ,vulcan ,initiates were able to impart their knowledge more through ideas or concepts4 ,whatever knowledge of this kind reached ,atlantean humanity came indirectly through the ,initiates4 ,but the rest of mankind also received special faculties through the ,lucifer principle2 for1 through the intervention of lofty cosmic beings1 what otherwise might have wrought ruin was transformed into good4 ,one of these faculties was that of speech4 ,this was brought about by the condensation of man's physical body and by the separation of part of his etheric from his physical body4 ,for some time after the separations of the moon1 man felt himself connected with his physical ancestors through the group-ego4 ,but this common consciousness1 linking posterity with its ancestors1 was gradually lost in the course of generations4 ,later descendants had an inner memory of only their more recent ancestors1 no longer of their earlier forefathers4 ,it was only in conditions akin to sleep1 during which mankind came in contact with the spiritual world1 that the remembrance of one ancestor or another again emerged4 ,then people thought of themselves as one with that ancestor whom they believed to be reappearing in them4 ,this was an erroneous idea of reincarnation1 which arose especially in the later ,atlantean period4 ,the true doctrine of reincarnation could be learned only in the schools of the ,initiates4 ,they could see how the human soul passes through the disembodied state on its way from one incarnation to another1 and they alone were able to impart the real truth of the matter to their disciples4 ,in the remote past which is now under consideration1 man's physical form was very different from his present form4 ,it was still1 to a great extent1 the expression of the qualities of his soul4 ,man was composed of a softer and more delicate substance than that which he has since acquired4 ,that which is now solidified in the limbs was then soft1 flexible1 and plastic4 ,the bodily structure of the more psychic and spiritual human beings was delicate1 supple1 and expressive4 ,these less evolved spiritually possessed coarser1 heavier1 less mobile bodily structures4 ,a high degree of psychic maturity contracted the extremities1 and the ,stature remained small2 backwardness of the soul and entanglement in sensuality were outwardly expressed by gigantic size4 ,while man was growing to maturity his body was being formed in accordance with what was developing in his soul1 in a way which would appear incredible and fabulous to contemporary ideas4 ,depraved passions1 impulses1 and instincts brought in their train a colossal increase of matter4 ,man's present physical form has come about through a contraction1 thickening1 and consolidation of the ,atlantean human form4 ,and whereas man1 before the ,atlantean period1 had been an exact image of his soul-nature the events of the ,atlantean evolution bore within them the causes which lead to the formation of post-,atlantean man1 whose physical form is solid and comparatively independent of the qualities of the soul4 7,the forms of the animal kingdom had solidified during far more remote ,earth periods than those of man47 ,the laws now governing the shaping of forms in the kingdom of nature certainly did not prevail in the remote past4 ,toward the middle of the ,atlantean evolution a calamity gradually befell humanity4 ,the ,mysteries of the ,initiates had to be carefully kept secret from those who had not purified their astral bodies from sin4 ,had they gained insight into that hidden knowledge1 into the laws by means of which higher beings directed the forces of nature1 they would have employed those forces thus placed at their disposal for their own perverted needs and passions4 ,the danger was all the greater because mankind was coming1 as has been described1 into the sphere of lower spiritual beings1 who could not take part in the regular evolution of the earth and were therefore working against it4 ,these persistently influenced humanity in such a way as to instil into it interests which were actually directed against human welfare4 ,but mankind still had the power to employ the forces of growth and reproduction belonging to animal and human nature in their own service4 ,not only humanity in general1 but even some of the ,initiates yielded to temptation from low spiritual beings4 ,they were induced to employ the supersensible forces mentioned above for a purpose which ran counter to human evolution4 ,and for this purpose they sought out associates who were not initiated1 and who made use of the secrets of the supersensible forces of nature for low ends4 ,the result was a great corruption of human nature4 ,the evil spread further and further2 and since the forces of growth and generation1 if torn from their original sphere and used independently1 have a mysterious connection with certain forces working in air and water1 there were thus unchained1 through human action1 mighty1 destructive natural forces which led to the gradual ruin of the ,atlantean territory by the agency of air and water catastrophes4 ,atlantean humanity was obliged to migrate--i4 e41 that portion of it which did not perish in the storms4 ,in consequence of these storms the surface of the earth was altered4 ,on one side1 ,europe1 ,asia1 and ,africa gradually assumed their present shape2 on the other1 ,america appeared4 ,great migrations took place to these countries4 ,those migrations which were directed eastward from ,atlantis are especially important for us of today4 ,europe1 ,asia1 and ,africa were gradually colonized by the descendants of the ,atlanteans4 ,various peoples fixed their abode in these continents4 ,they were at different stages of development1 and also at different levels of corruption4 ,and with them came the ,initiates1 guardians of the oracle-,mysteries4 ,they established sanctuaries in various parts1 in which the cults of ,jupiter1 ,venus1 etc41 were cultivated sometimes in a good1 sometimes in an evil manner4 ,the betrayal of the ,vulcan ,mysteries exercised an especially unfavourable influence1 for the attention of their adherents was mostly centered on earthly matters4 ,by this betrayal1 mankind was made dependent on spiritual beings who1 as a result of their past evolution1 rejected everything emanating from the spiritual world which had been evolved through the separation of the earth from the sun4 ,in accordance with the tendency they had thus developed1 they worked upon just that element in man which was formed through his having perceptions of the sense-world1 behind which the spiritual world lies hidden4 ,henceforth beings acquired great influence over many of the human inhabitants of the earth1 and indeed their influence asserted itself more and more by depriving mankind of the feeling for spiritual things4 ,since the size1 form1 and flexibility of the physical human body were still largely affected by the qualities of the soul1 the consequence of the betrayal of the ,mysteries also appeared in changes of the human race in these respects4 ,wherever the corruption of humanity manifested itself especially in the abuse of supersensible powers for the satisfaction of lower inclinations1 desires and passions1 unsightly human shapes1 grotesque in form and size were the result4 ,these were not able to survive the ,atlantean period1 and became extinct4 ,post-,atlantean humanity was formed physically from those ,atlantean ancestors in whom such a solidification of the bodily form had taken place that it no longer yielded to those powers of the soul which had now become perverted4 ,there was a certain period in the ,atlantean evolution during which1 by means of the law ruling in and around the earth1 just those conditions prevailed which tended to solidify man's bodily form4 ,those human racial types which had been solidified before this period could1 it is true1 reproduce themselves for a long time1 yet the souls incarnating in them gradually became so cramped that they had to die out4 ,it is true that some of these race-types survived into the post-,atlantean times2 those which had remained sufficiently agile lasted even for a very long time in modified form4 ,human forms which had remained flexible1 after the period just described1 became bodies for such souls as had1 in a large measure1 undergone the pernicious influence of the betrayal described above4 ,these forms were destined to speedy extinction4 ,in consequence of what had thus happened1 beings had brought their influence to bear upon human evolution1 since the middle of the ,atlantean period1 beings whose influence tended to make mankind live in the physical sense world in an unspiritual manner4 ,this went so far that1 instead of man's seeing the real form of that world1 phantoms1 hallucinations1 and illusions of every kind appeared to him4 ,mankind was exposed not merely to the ,luciferian influence but to that of those other beings mentioned above1 whose leader may be called ,ahriman1 according to the appellation given him later in the ,persian civilization4 7,he is the same as ,mephistopheles47 ,through this influence man was subject1 after death1 to powers which made him appear even then as a being adhering only to material earthly conditions4 ,he lost more and more the unobstructed vision of the events of the spiritual world4 ,he was forced to feel himself in ,ahriman's power1 and to a certain extent shut out from intercourse with the spiritual world4 ,there was one oracle-sanctuary of special importance1 which in the universal decline had preserved the ancient cult in its purest form4 ,it was one of the ,christ oracles1 and on that account it was able to preserve not only the ,christ ,mystery itself but those of the other oracles as well4 ,for in the manifestation of the loftiest of the ,sun-spirits1 were also revealed the regents of ,saturn1 ,jupiter1 and the other planets4 ,in the ,sun oracle the secret of producing in some particular human being1 such human etheric bodies as had been possessed by the best of the ,jupiter1 ,mercury1 and other ,initiates was known4 ,by means of the methods used for this purpose1 which cannot be further dealt with here1 impressions of the best etheric bodies of the ancient ,initiates were preserved1 in order that they might subsequently be stamped upon suitable individuals4 ,the same process could be employed with the astral bodies of the ,venus1 ,mercury1 and ,vulcan ,initiates4 ,at a certain time the ,leader of the ,christ ,initiates found ,himself isolated with a few associates1 to whom ,he was able to impart1 to a very limited extent only1 the mysteries of the cosmos4 ,for those associates were individuals who were endowed with the natural ability to permit the least possible degree of separation between the physical and etheric bodies4 ,they were altogether1 at that time1 the best possible individuals for promoting the further progress of humanity4 ,their experiences in the realm of sleep had become rarer and rarer4 ,the spiritual world was more and more closed to them4 ,therefore they were also lacking in the comprehension of all that had been revealed to man in ancient times when he was not in his physical1 but only in his etheric body4 ,those immediately surrounding the leader of the ,christ oracle were the farthest advanced with regard to the union of the physical body with that part of the etheric body which had previously been separated from it4 ,this union came about in the human being little by little1 as a result of the transformation which had taken place in the ,atlantean continent and the earth in general4 ,the physical and etheric bodies of man fitted more and more into each other4 ,hence the memory lost its former unlimited capacity1 and the human life of thought began4 ,that part of the etheric which was united with the physical body transformed the physical brain into an actual instrument of thought1 and man from this time1 first really felt his 8ego0 within his physical body4 ,self-consciousness awoke4 ,this was at first the case with only a limited number of the human race1 pre-eminently with the associates of the leader of the ,christ oracle4 ,the bulk of humanity1 scattered over ,europe1 ,asia1 and ,africa1 retained in varying degrees the remnant of the old conditions of consciousness4 ,hence they had direct experience of the supersensible world4 ,the associates of the ,christ ,initiate were people of highly developed intelligence but of less experience in supersensible spheres than any of their contemporaries4 ,the ,initiate journeyed with them to a country in central ,asia4 ,he wished them to be guarded as much as possible from contact with those of less developed consciousness4 ,he instructed his followers along the lines of the mysteries which had been revealed to him and especially did he do this with their descendants4 ,thus he gathered round him a people who had received into their hearts the impulses corresponding to the ,mysteries of the ,christ ,initiation4 ,out of this company he chose the seven best1 that they might be endowed with the etheric and astral bodies which bore the impress of the etheric bodies of the seven best ,atlantean ,initiates4 ,thus he educated a successor to each of the ,christ1 ,saturn1 ,jupiter1 etc41 ,initiates4 ,these seven ,initiates became the teachers and leaders of the people who1 in the post-,atlantean period1 had colonized the south of ,asia1 especially ancient ,india4 ,since these great teachers were endowed with the etheric bodies of their spiritual ancestors1 the contents of their astral body1 that is1 the science and knowledge they themselves had worked out1 was far below what was revealed to them through their etheric body4 ,therefore if these revelations were to speak within them1 they were obliged to impose silence on their own science and knowledge4 ,then the exalted beings who had also spoken to their spiritual ancestors spoke out of and through them4 ,except during the times when these beings were speaking through them1 they were simple people1 endowed with the measure of intelligence and feeling which they had cultivated and worked out for themselves4 ,there lived at this time in ,india a race of people who had retained a particularly vivid remembrance of the ancient soul-condition of the ,atlanteans1 which permitted experiences in the spiritual world4 ,moreover1 the heart and soul of a great number of these people were powerfully attracted by such experiences4 ,by a wise decree of fate1 the majority of the race had come to southern ,asia from among the best portions of the ,atlantean population4 ,besides this majority1 other ,atlanteans had migrated thither at different times4 ,the ,christ ,initiate1 referred to above1 appointed his seven great disciples to be the teachers of this association of people1 to whom they imparted their wisdom and precepts4 ,many of these ancient ,indians needed but little preparation for reviving within them the scarcely extinct faculties leading to observation of the supersensible world4 ,for longing after that world was really a fundamental quality of the ,indian soul4 ,it was felt that man's original home was in that world4 ,he is transplanted out of it into this one1 which offers only outer sense-observation and the intelligence connected with it4 ,the supersensible world was felt to be the real world1 and the sense-world to be a deception of the human power of observation1 an illusion 7,maya74 ,by every possible means these people strove to open up a view of the real world4 ,they could take no interest in the illusory sense-world1 or at any rate only so far as it proved to be a veil for the supersensible4 ,the power going out from the ,seven ,great ,teachers to such people as these1 was a mighty one4 ,what they were able to reveal entered deeply into the ,indian soul2 and since the possession of the transmitted etheric and astral bodies invested the teachers with lofty powers1 they were also able to work magically on their disciples4 ,they did not really teach2 they worked as though by magic power from one personality to another4 ,thus there arose a civilization completely saturated with supersensible wisdom4 ,the contents of the books of wisdom of the ,hindus1 the ,vedas1 do not give the original form of the lofty wisdom imparted by the great teachers of most ancient times1 only a feeble echo of it4 ,only the seer's eye1 looking backward is able to find unwritten primeval wisdom behind the written words4 ,a particularly prominent feature of this ancient wisdom is the harmonious accord of the various wisdom oracles of the ,atlantean time4 ,for each of the ,great ,teachers was able to unveil the wisdom of one of these oracles1 and these different aspects were in complete harmony1 because behind them all was the fundamental wisdom of the ,christ ,initiation4 ,it is true the teacher who was the successor of the ,christ ,initiate did not impart to his disciples what the ,christ ,initiate himself was able to reveal4 ,the latter had remained in the background during this period of evolution4 ,at first he was unable to entrust his high office to any post-,atlantean4 ,the difference between him and the ,christ ,initiate of the ,seven ,great ,indian ,teachers was that the former was able to work his vision of the ,christ ,mystery completely into the form of human ideas1 whereas the ,indian ,christ ,initiate could only offer a reflection of the ,mystery in signs and symbols2 for his humanly cultivated power of conception did not suffice for such a ,mystery4 ,however1 from the union of the ,seven ,teachers there resulted a knowledge of the supersensible world1 presented in one great wisdom-panorama1 of which only separate portions could be imparted in the ancient ,atlantean oracles4 ,the great ,regents of the cosmos were revealed1 and the ,one great ,sun-spirit1 the ,hidden ,one1 ruling over those who were manifested through the seven teachers1 was delicately indicated4 ,what is here meant by 8ancient ,indians0 is not the same as what is usually understood by that term4 ,no outer documents exist of the period in question4 ,the people usually known as 8,indians0 belong to a stage of historical evolution which was developed long after the time spoken of here4 ,we have to distinguish a first post-,atlantean period of the earth1 in which the ,indian civilization now described was the predominant one2 then came a second post-,atlantean period in which the prevailing civilization was that which later in this work is called the 8ancient ,persian10 and still later was developed the ,egypto-,chaldean civilization1 also to be described4 ,during the evolution of these second and third post-,atlantean epochs1 8ancient0 ,india also went through a second and third epoch1 and to this third epoch belongs what is usually related of ancient ,india4 ,what is described here must therefore not be applied to the 8ancient ,india0 mentioned elsewhere4 ,another feature of this ancient ,indian civilization is that which afterward led to the division of the race into castes4 ,the inhabitants of ,india were descendants of ,atlanteans who belonged to the various types of ,saturn and ,jupiter humanities1 etc4 ,by means of supersensible teachings it was seen that it is not by chance that a soul is incarnated in a particular caste1 but that the soul itself has determined its lot4 ,such an understanding of supersensible teachings was made much easier1 because it was possible to revive in many people the inner remembrance of their ancestors which has been described above2 this1 of course1 might also easily lead to an erroneous idea of reincarnation4 ,just as1 in the ,atlantean age1 it was only through the ,initiates that the true idea of reincarnation could be realized1 so in ,india1 in most ancient times1 it was possible only through direct contact with the great teachers4 ,it is true that the erroneous idea of reincarnation mentioned above found the widest acceptance imaginable among the bands of people who were dispersed over ,europe1 ,asia and ,africa in consequence of the ,atlantean catastrophe4 ,and because the ,initiates who had gone astray during the ,atlantean evolution had imparted the mystery of reincarnation to immature souls1 mankind began to confuse more and more the true with the false ideas4 ,many of these people indeed retained a kind of dim clairvoyance1 as a heritage from the ,atlantean period4 ,just as the ,atlanteans had entered the spiritual world during sleep1 their descendants had experience of it in abnormal states1 intermediate between sleeping and waking4 ,then there arose in these people the images of the ancient times of their forefathers4 ,they believed themselves to be reincarnations of people who had lived in those times4 ,teachings about reincarnation1 which were at variance with the true ideas of the ,initiates1 were widely spread over the earth4 ,as a result of the long-continued migrations which had taken place from west to east since the beginning of the ,atlantean catastrophe1 a group of people settled in western ,asia whose posterity is known to history as the ,persian race and the tribes related thereto4 ,here we look back to a much earlier period than the historical times of these peoples4 ,next after the ,indian period1 we have first to do with the very early ancestors of the later ,persians1 among whom arose the second great civilization of post-,atlantean evolution4 ,the peoples of this second era had a different mission from that of the ,indians4 ,their longings and inclinations were not fixed on the supersensible world alone2 they were also directed toward the physical sense-world1 and the earth became dear to them4 ,they valued what man is able to acquire on it1 and what he is able to win by means of its forces4 ,their achievements as a warlike people1 and the methods which they discovered of acquiring the earth's treasures1 are connected with this peculiarity of their nature4 ,there was no danger of their turning their backs upon the 8illusion0 of the physical senses in their yearning after the supersensible1 but rather of their entirely severing the connection of their souls with the supersensible world1 through their appreciation for the physical world4 ,the oracle-sanctuaries1 which had been transferred hither from the ancient ,atlantean territory1 also reflected1 in their own way1 the general character of the people4 ,in them forces were present which it had formerly been possible to acquire through experiences in the supersensible world1 and which could still be controlled in certain lower forms2 these forces were used in the sanctuaries to direct the phenomena of nature in such a way as to make them subservient to man's personal interests4 ,this ancient people still had a great mastery over those forces of nature which subsequently withdrew from the influence of the human will4 ,the guardians of the oracles mastered certain inner forces connected with fire and other elements4 ,they can be called magicians4 ,what supersensible knowledge and force they had retained as a heritage from ancient times was certainly slight in comparison with man's powers in the remote past4 ,but it nevertheless took all kinds of forms1 from the noble arts1 the only object of which was the welfare of humanity1--down to the most reprehensible transactions4 ,the ,luciferian influence held sway over these people in a peculiar manner4 ,it had brought them into connection with everything which diverts mankind from the purposes of those exalted beings who alone would have guided human evolution1 had not the ,luciferian influence interposed4 ,even those members of this race who were still gifted with some remnant of the old clairvoyant condition1 described above as a state intermediate between sleeping and waking1 felt themselves powerfully attracted by the lower beings of the spiritual world4 ,in order to counteract these characteristic qualities it was necessary that a spiritual impulse should be given to this people4 ,a leadership was established among them by the guardian of the ,mysteries of the ,sun oracle1 from the same source from which the spiritual life of ancient ,india proceeded4 ,the leader of ancient ,persian civilization1 who was sent by the guardian of the ,sun oracle to the people now under consideration1 may be designated by the same name as the historical ,zarathustra1 or ,zoroaster4 ,only the fact must be emphasized that the personality indicated belongs to a much earlier period than the historical possessor of the name4 ,in this connection it is not a question of outer historical research1 but of spiritual knowledge4 ,and any one who instinctively thinks of a later time in connection with the bearer of the name ,zarathustra may reconcile this idea with occult science on learning that the historical character represents himself as a successor of the first great ,zarathustra1 whose name he took1 and in the spirit of whose teaching he worked4 ,the impulse which ,zarathustra had to give to his people was to show them that the physical world of sense is not merely the lifeless material1 devoid of spirit1 which it appears to a man who gives himself up exclusively to the influence of the ,luciferian being4 ,to this being man owes his personal independence and sense of freedom2 but it should work within him in harmony with the opposite spiritual being4 ,with the pre-historic ,persians it was a question of keeping alive the sense of this last-named spiritual-being4 ,through their inclination toward the physical sense world they ran the risk of complete amalgamation with the ,luciferian beings4 ,now ,zarathustra1 through the guardian of the ,sun oracle1 had received an ,initiation that enabled him to receive the revelations of the great ,sun-spirits4 ,in particular states of consciousness1 brought about by his training1 he was able to see the ,regent of the ,sun-spirits1 who1 as described above1 had taken under ,his protection the human etheric body4 ,zarathustra knew that ,this ,spirit directs the course of human evolution1 but that ,he must first1 at a certain time1 descend to earth out of cosmic space4 ,for this purpose it was necessary that ,he should be able to live in a human astral body1 just as in man4 ,he had worked in the etheric body since the entrance of the ,luciferic nature4 ,it was therefore necessary that a man should appear who had retransformed the astral body to the same level that it would have reached in the middle of the ,atlantean evolution1 had there been no ,luciferian influence4 ,had ,lucifer not appeared1 mankind would certainly have attained this level before1 but without personal independence or the possibility of freedom4 ,now1 however1 in spite of those qualities he should again arise to this height4 ,zarathustra1 endowed with prophetic vision1 could see that in the future it would be possible1 within human evolution for a personality to exist1 who would have a suitable astral body for that purpose4 ,but he also knew that the great ,sun-spirit could not appear on earth before that time1 though ,he could be perceived by a seer in the spiritual part of the ,sun4 ,when as a seer he turned his attention to the ,sun1 ,zarathustra was able to see ,this ,spirit1 whom he proclaimed to his people4 ,he announced that the ,sun-spirit was at first to be found only in the spiritual world1 but that later ,he would descend to earth4 ,this was the great ,sun-spirit1 or ,spirit of ,light 7the ,aura of the ,sun1 ,ahura-mazdao1 or ,ormuzd74 ,he was revealed to ,zarathustra and his followers as the ,spirit who1 for the time being1 was turning the light of ,his countenance on man from the spiritual world1 and that it was ,he ,who might be expected to appear in a human body amongst men in the future4 ,it was the ,christ1 before his appearance on earth1 whom ,zarathustra proclaimed as the ,spirit of ,light4 ,on the other hand he represented ,ahriman 7,angra mainju7 as a power working injuriously on the life of the human soul1 when it engrosses that soul completely4 ,this power is none other than the one previously described1 which had acquired special dominion over the earth since the betrayal of the ,vulcan ,mysteries4 ,together with the message concerning the ,light ,god1 ,zarathustra proclaimed teachings about those spiritual beings who were revealed to the seer's purified perception as associates of the ,spirit of ,light4 ,these were in strong contrast to the tempters who appeared to that unpurified clairvoyance which was left over from the ,atlantean period4 ,it had to be made clear to the ancient ,persians that in man's soul1 so far as it is engaged in work and endeavor in the physical sense world1 a conflict is going on between the power of the ,light ,god and his adversary4 ,it had also to be shown them how man must act so as not to be engulfed by ,ahriman1 and how to turn his influence to good through the power of the ,light ,god4 ,the third era of post-,atlantean civilization began among the peoples who finally gathered together in western ,asia and northern ,africa after the migrations4 ,this civilization was developed among the ,chaldeans1 ,babylonians1 and ,assyrians on the one hand1 and among the ,egyptians on the other4 ,in these peoples the taste for the physical world of sense developed in a different form from that which it had taken among the ,persians4 ,the former had acquired the quality of mind lying at the root of the faculty of thought which has arisen since ,atlantean times1 that is1 the gift of reason4 ,indeed1 it was the mission of post-,atlantean humanity to develop within itself those faculties of the soul which it was possible to acquire through the newly awakened powers of thought and feeling4 ,these powers cannot be directly stimulated from the spiritual world1 but result from man's observing the sense-world1 becoming familiar with it1 and working upon it4 ,the conquest of the physical world of sense by these human faculties must be regarded as the mission of post-,atlantean humanity4 ,step by step that conquest proceeded4 ,it is true that even in ancient ,india1 man1 through the condition of his soul1 was already turned toward that world2 but he still looked upon it as illusion1 and his spirit turned to the supersensible world4 ,in the ,persian race1 on the contrary1 there sprang up the endeavour to conquer the physical world of sense1 but the attempt was still largely made with those powers of the soul which had been left over as an inheritance from the time when man could still reach the spiritual world directly4 ,among the peoples of the third epoch of civilization1 the soul had for the most part lost the supersensible faculties4 ,it was obliged to seek manifestations of the spiritual in the surrounding world of sense1 and to continue its development by discovering the means of civilization existing in that world4 ,men sought to investigate1 through the physical world1 the spiritual laws underlying it1 and in this way human sciences arose4 ,human technical skill1 artistic work1 and their tools and means came about through the recognition and use of the forces of the physical world4 ,to a man of the ,chaldaic-,babylonian race the sense-world was no longer an illusion but a manifestation1 in its different kingdoms1 in mountains and seas1 in air and water1 of the spiritual activity of powers existing behind it1 whose laws man was striving to learn4 ,to the ,egyptian1 the earth was a field of work1 given to him in a condition which he must1 by his own powers of intelligence1 so transform that it should bear the impress of human power4 ,from ,atlantis1 oracle-sanctuaries1 originating chiefly from the ,mercury oracle1 had been transplanted to ,egypt4 ,yet there were others as well1--for example1 ,venus oracles4 ,in that which was fostered1 in their oracle-sanctuaries1 among the ,egyptian peoples1 the germ of a new culture was planted4 ,this germ proceeded from a great leader who had received his training in the ,persian ,zarathustra ,mysteries1 who was the reincarnated individuality of a disciple of the great ,zarathustra himself4 ,let us call him 8,hermes40 ,through acceptance of the ,zarathustra ,mysteries he was able to find the right way to guide the ,egyptian people4 ,this people had so turned its attention to the physical sense-world1 during earthly life between birth and death that it was able only to a limited extent to directly behold the spiritual world behind the physical phenomena1 although it recognized the spiritual laws of the world4 ,thus it could not think of the spiritual world as the one in which it could live while on earth1 but on the other hand1 it could be shown how man will live1 in the disembodied state after death in the world of those spirits who1 during earthly life1 appear through their impressions upon the sense-world4 ,hermes taught that man qualifies himself for union with spiritual forces after death1 in proportion as he uses his powers on earth for furthering the purposes of those spiritual forces4 ,those especially1 who had worked most zealously in this way between birth and death would be united with the lofty ,sun-,god ,osiris4 ,on the ,chaldaic-,babylonian side of this stream of civilization the direction of the human mind toward the physical sense-world was more conspicuous than on the ,egyptian side4 ,the laws of that world were being investigated and from its reflection in the sense-world these people looked up to the corresponding spiritual prototypes4 ,yet in many respects the nation remained wedded to physical things4 ,instead of the star-spirit1 the star was put first1 and instead of other spiritual beings their earthly counterparts were made prominent4 ,only the leaders attained to really deep knowledge concerning the laws of the supersensible world and its connection with the physical4 ,the contrast between the knowledge of the ,initiates and the perverted beliefs of the people became more apparent in these nations than anywhere else4 ,very different conditions existed in those parts of ,southern ,europe and western ,asia where the fourth epoch of post-,atlantean civilization was unfolded4 ,in occult science1 it is called the ,greco-,roman period4 ,descendants of peoples inhabiting widely distant parts of the older world had met together in these countries4 ,here were oracle-sanctuaries which conformed to the various ,atlantean oracles2 here were people with the heritage of ancient clairvoyance as a natural gift1 and others who were able to acquire it1 with comparative ease1 by training4 ,the traditions of the ancient ,initiates were not only preserved in special places1 but worthy successors to them arose1 who attracted disciples capable of rising to lofty levels of spiritual vision4 ,moreover1 these races had within them the impulse to create a domain within the sense-world which expresses the spiritual in perfect form through the physical4 ,greek art is1 among other things1 a result of this impulse4 ,it is only necessary to gaze with the eye of the spirit upon a ,greek temple1 in order to see that in this marvel of art1 material substance is so worked upon by man that it appears in every detail as the expression of spirit4 ,the ,greek temple is the 8,house of the ,spirit40 ,one sees in its form what otherwise only ,the ,spiritual eye of the seer perceives4 ,the temple of ,zeus-7or ,jupiter7 is so constructed as to present to the physical eye a fitting shrine for what the guardian of the ,zeus-7or ,jupiter7 ,initiation saw with spiritual vision4 ,and it is the same with all ,greek art4 ,the wisdom of the ,initiates flowed in mysterious ways into poets1 artists1 and thinkers4 ,the ,mysteries of the ,initiates are found again1 in the form of conceptions and ideas1 in the systems of thought by which ancient ,greek philosophers interpreted the universe4 ,the influences of the spiritual life1 the ,mysteries of the ,asiatic and ,african sanctuaries of ,initiation1 flowed into these nations and to their leaders4 ,the great ,indian teachers1 the associates of ,zarathustra1 and the followers of ,hermes had attracted disciples4 ,these1 or their successors1 thereupon founded sanctuaries for ,initiation1 in which the ancient wisdom was revived in a new form4 ,these were the ,mysteries of antiquity4 ,here disciples were prepared to be brought into the condition of consciousness through which they might attain vision of the spiritual world47#bc7 ,from these sanctuaries of ,initiation the ,mysteries flowed forth to those who cultivated ,spiritual ,mysteries in ,asia ,minor1 ,greece1 and ,italy4 7,important centres of ,initiation were formed in the ,greek world in the ,orphic and ,eleusinian ,mysteries4 ,in the ,pythagorean ,school of wisdom1 lingered the effects of the great wisdom-teachings and methods of past ages4 ,on his distant travels1 ,pythagoras had been initiated into the secrets of the most varied kinds of ,mysteries47 ,but human life between birth and death in the post-,atlantean period had also an influence on the disembodied state after death4 ,the more man's interests were fixed on the physical sense-world1 the greater was the possibility of ,ahriman gaining a hold upon the soul during earthly life and retaining his power of it after death4 ,this danger was least among the peoples of ancient ,india1 for during earthly life they had felt the physical sense-world to be an illusion1 and thus had eluded the power of ,ahriman after death4 ,the danger for the primitive ,persian peoples1 who between birth and death had fixed their attention1 with great interest1 upon the physical sense-world was much greater4 ,they would have largely fallen a prey to ,ahriman's wiles had not ,zarathustra pointed out1 emphatically through his teaching concerning the ,light of ,god1 that behind the physical sense-world there exists the world of the ,spirits of ,light4 ,in proportion to the ability of the people of this civilization to receive something into their souls out of the world of thought thus created1 were they able to escape ,ahriman's clutches during earthly life1 and thereby elude him in the life after death1 during which they were to be prepared for a new earth-life4 ,the power of ,ahriman in earthly life tends to make the physical sense-existence appear to be the only one1 and thus to bar the way to any vista of a spiritual world4 ,his power in the spiritual world leads man to complete isolation1 and to the concentration of all his interest upon himself4 ,those who1 at the time of death1 are in ,ahriman's power1 are born again as egoists4 ,it is now possible for occult science to describe life between death and a new birth as it is1 provided the ,ahrimanic influence has1 to a certain degree1 been overcome4 ,it is in this sense that it has been described by the author in the first chapter of this book as well as in other writings4 ,and it must be described in this way if that which can be experienced by man during this form of existence is to be visualized and if he has attained to purely spiritual perception for that which really exists4 ,the degree to which the individual experiences this1 depends upon the extent to which he has overcome the ,ahrimanic influence4 ,man is approaching nearer and nearer to what it is possible for him to become in the spiritual world4 ,how this progress is thwarted by other influences must however be clearly brought out in our consideration of the course of human evolution4 ,during the ,egyptian period ,hermes taught the people to prepare themselves during earth-life1 for communion with the ,spirit of ,light4 ,but because at that time human interests1 between birth and death1 were already so constituted that it was only possible to a slight degree to see through the veil of the physical sense-world1 therefore the spiritual vision of the soul after death was also clouded and the perception of the world of light remained dim4 ,the obscuration of the spiritual world after death reached a climax in the souls who passed into the disembodied state out of a body belonging to the ,greco-,roman civilization4 ,during their earthly life they had brought to perfection the cultivation of physical sense-existence1 and had thus condemned themselves to a shadowy existence after death4 ,hence the ,greek felt life after death to be a shadowy existence1 and it is not mere rhetoric but the realization of truth when the hero of that time1 who is given up to the life of the senses1 says1 8,better a beggar on earth than a king in the realm of shades40 ,all this was still more marked in those ,asiatic peoples who had fixed their attention with veneration and worship on material images instead of on their spiritual archetypes4 ,a large proportion of mankind was in this condition at the time of the ,greco-,roman era of civilization4 ,it can be seen how man's mission in post-,atlantean times1 which consisted in the conquest of the physical sense-world1 must necessarily lead to estrangement from the spiritual world4 ,thus greatness in one respect necessarily involves deterioration in another4 ,man's connection with the spiritual world was kept alive in the ,mysteries4 ,through these the ,initiates1 in special states of the soul1 were able to receive revelations from that world4 ,they were more or less the successors of the guardians of the ,atlantean oracles4 ,to them was revealed what had been hidden through the influence of ,lucifer and ,ahriman4 ,lucifer concealed from man what had flowed from the spiritual world into the human astral body1 without his co-operation1 up to the middle of the ,atlantean period4 ,had the etheric body not been partially separated from the physical body1 man would have been able to experience within himself this part of the spiritual world as an inner revelation to his soul4 ,as a result of ,lucifer's encroachment1 this could be done only in special states of the soul4 ,at those times a spiritual world appeared to man in the guise of the astral4 ,the corresponding spiritual beings manifested themselves in forms which embodied only the higher principles of the human being1 and in those principles the symbols of their particular spiritual forces were astrally visible4 ,superhuman forms were manifested in this way4 ,after the encroachment of ,ahriman1 still another kind of ,initiation was added to this one4 ,ahriman concealed from man everything out of the spiritual world which would have appeared behind physical sense-perception1 had he not interfered in human affairs from the middle of the ,atlantean period onward4 ,the ,initiates of the ,mysteries owed the revelation of what he had thus kept hidden1 to the fact that they had developed within their souls all those faculties which man had attained since that time1 beyond the degree necessary for physical sense-impressions4 ,thus there were revealed to them the spiritual powers lying behind the forces of nature4 ,they could speak of the spiritual beings behind nature4 ,the creative might of those forces acting in nature below man1 was revealed to them4 ,that which had been active since ,saturn1 ,sun and the old ,moon and had shaped man's physical1 etheric and astral body as well as the mineral1 plant and animal kingdoms1 formed the contents of a certain kind of mystery-secrets1--namely those over which ,ahriman held his hand4 ,that which had formed the sentient-1 rational-and consciousness-souls and which had been concealed from man by ,lucifer1 was revealed in a second kind of ,mystery-secrets4 ,but what the ,mysteries could only prophesy was1 that in time a man would appear possessing an astral body which1 despite ,lucifer1 could become conscious of the light-world of the ,sun-spirit through the etheric body1 apart from any special condition of the soul4 ,and the physical body of that human being must be of such a nature1 that everything in the spiritual world would be revealed to him1 which ,ahriman is able to conceal from man up to the time of physical death4 ,physical death could bring no change into the life of such a being1 that is to say1 could have no power over it4 ,the 8,ego0 so manifests in such a human being that the entire spiritual life is at the same time contained in his physical life4 ,such a being is the vehicle of the ,spirit of ,light1 to whom the ,initiate ascends from two directions1 being led1 under special conditions of the soul1 either to the ,superhuman ,spirit or to the ,being of the forces of nature4 ,when the ,initiates of the ,mysteries foretold the appearance in the course of time1 of such a human being1 they were prophets of the ,christ4 ,a personality arose1 as the special prophet of this coming manifestation1 within a nation which possessed through natural inheritance the qualities of the peoples of western ,asia1 and through education the learning of the ,egyptians--the ,hebrew nation4 ,this prophet was ,moses4 ,the influences of ,initiation had entered so deeply into his soul that in certain states of consciousness the being who had undertaken in the regular course of the earth evolution to shape human consciousness from the ,moon1 was revealed to him4 ,in thunder and lightning ,moses realized not merely physical phenomena1 but manifestations of this ,spirit4 ,at the same time the other kind of ,mysteries had influenced his soul1 so that he was able to distinguish1 in astral vision1 how the superhuman becomes human by means of the ego4 ,thus1 from two directions1 ,he ,who was to come1 was revealed to ,moses as the highest form of the ,ego4 ,and in ,christ the lofty ,sun-spirit appeared in human form as the great ideal for human life on earth4 ,at ,his coming1 all mystery-wisdom had in some respects to take a new form4 ,up to that time this wisdom had existed exclusively for the purpose of enabling man to put himself into such a condition of soul in which he would be able to view the kingdom of the ,sun-spirit as something outside of earthly evolution4 ,henceforth it was the mission of ,mystery-wisdom to make man capable of recognizing in the incarnated ,christ the ,primordial ,being4 ,from this ,primordial ,being man was enabled to understand the natural and spiritual worlds47#bd7 ,at the point in ,his life at which the astral body of ,christ ,jesus contained everything which it is possible for the ,luciferian influence to conceal1 ,he came forward as the ,teacher of humanity4 ,from that moment1 the faculty was implanted in human earthly evolution for assimilating that wisdom whereby the physical goal of the earth may gradually be reached4 ,at the moment when the ,event of ,golgotha was accomplished1 human nature was endowed with another faculty1 that by which ,ahriman's influence may be turned into good4 ,henceforth man was able to take with him through the gate of death that which saves him from isolation in the spiritual world4 ,what happened in ,palestine was the central point1 not only of human physical evolution but also of the other worlds to which man belongs2 and when the 8,mystery of ,golgotha0 had been accomplished1 when the 8death on the cross0 had been suffered1 ,christ appeared in that world where souls sojourn after death1 and set limits to the power of ,ahriman4 ,from that moment the region which the ,greeks had called the 8realm of shades0 was illuminated by that flash of the ,spirit indicating to its dwellers that light was to return4 ,what had been gained for the physical world by the 8,mystery of ,golgotha0 cast light also into the spiritual world4 ,up to this event post-,atlantean human evolution had been a time of ascent in the physical sense-world1 but of descent as far as the spiritual world was concerned4 ,everything which flowed into the sense-world proceeded from what had been in the spiritual world from remote ages4 ,since the coming of ,christ1 those who attain to the ,mystery of ,christ are able to take with them into the spiritual world what they have won in the physical4 ,and from the spiritual world it then flows back again into the earthly sense-world1 since reincarnated souls1 on re-entering earth-life1 bring with them what the ,christ-impulse between death and a new birth1 has bestowed4 ,what flowed into human evolution with the appearance of the ,christ1 acted in it like a seed4 ,only slowly can this seed mature4 ,only the smallest part of these profound new wisdom teachings1 up to the present time1 has reached down into physical existence4 ,christian evolution has just barely begun4 ,during the successive periods of time following the appearance of the ,christ1 this ,christian ,evolution was able to reveal only so much of its inner essential nature as the humanity1 the peoples of that time1 were capable of receiving2 only as much as they could grasp with their faculties of comprehension4 ,the first form into which this essence of ,christianity could be poured may be described as a comprehensive ideal of life4 ,as such it was opposed to those forms of life which had been developed in post-,atlantean humanity4 ,the conditions operating in human evolution since the repopulation of the earth in the ,lemurian period have been described above4 ,accordingly1 humanity can be traced back to different beings who1 coming from other worlds1 incarnated in the bodily descendants of the ancient ,lemurians4 ,the various races of man are a consequence of this1 and the most diverse vital interests appeared in these reincarnated souls1 as a result of their ,karma4 ,as long as all this was being worked out1 there could be no ideal of 8universal humanity40 ,human nature originated in unity1 but earthly evolution up to the present time has led to division4 ,in the figure of the ,christ1 we see an ideal which opposes all division1 for in the man who bears the name of ,christ there lives the lofty ,sun-being from ,whom every human ego is descended4 ,the ,hebrew nation still felt itself to be a nation1 and each individual a member of that nation4 ,when once the idea was grasped that in ,christ-,jesus there lives the ideal ,man who stands above all that tends to divide humanity1 ,christianity became the ,ideal of an all-,embracing brotherhood4 ,above all individual interests and relations1 the feeling arose in some that the innermost ego of all human beings is of the same origin4 7,in addition to all the earthly forefathers1 the great common ,father of all humanity appears4 8,i and the ,father are one407 ,in the fourth1 fifth1 and sixth centuries after ,christ1 the era in which we are still living was being prepared in ,europe4 ,it was gradually to replace the fourth1 or ,greco-,roman civilization4 ,it is the fifth post-,atlantean period4 ,the races which1 after many wanderings and varied fortunes1 became the vehicles of this new civilization were descendants of those ,atlanteans who had remained less affected than others by what had been going on meanwhile during the four preceding periods of civilization4 ,they had not penetrated into the countries in which those respective civilizations took root4 ,on the contrary1 they had1 in their way1 handed on ,atlantean forms of civilization4 ,there were many among them who had retained in a high degree the inheritance of the ancient dim clairvoyance1 the state described above as intermediate between sleeping and waking4 ,such people knew the spiritual world from their own experience1 and could reveal to their fellow-men what takes place there4 ,thus there sprang up a great number of narratives of spiritual beings and events1 and the national treasures of legends and sagas had their origin in spiritual experiences of this kind4 ,for the dim clairvoyance lasted on1 in many people1 into times not far removed from the present4 ,there were other people who1 although they had lost clairvoyance1 nevertheless developed the faculties they acquired for use in the physical sense-world in accordance with feelings and emotions which corresponded to clairvoyant experiences4 ,and even the ,atlantean oracles had their successors in the new civilization4 ,there were everywhere ,mysteries1 but in them that ,mystery of ,initiation was most cultivated1 which leads to the unveiling of that part of the spirit-world which ,ahriman keeps hidden4 ,the spiritual powers existing behind the forces of nature were here revealed4 ,in the mythologies of ,european nations are contained the remnants of what the ,initiates of these ,mysteries were able to disclose to men4 ,it is true that these mythologies also contain the other kind of mystery1 although in a more imperfect form than that possessed by the ,southern and ,eastern ,mysteries4 ,superhuman beings were also known in ,europe1 but they were seen to be in perpetual conflict with the associates of ,lucifer4 ,and the ,light-,god too was proclaimed1 but in such a form that it was doubtful whether he would overcome ,lucifer4 ,on the other hand1 these ,mysteries were illuminated by the figure of the coming ,christ4 ,it was announced of ,him that ,his kingdom would replace that of the other ,light-,god47#be7 ,from such influences as these1 there came about a cleavage in the soul of the people of the fifth epoch of civilization which still continues1 and is manifest in most diverse phenomena4 ,the soul had not retained1 from ancient times a sufficiently strong attraction for spiritual things to enable it to hold fast the connection between the worlds of spirit and sense4 ,the attraction existed only as a training of feeling and emotion1 not as direct vision of the spiritual world4 ,on the other hand1 man's attention was more and more directed toward the world of the senses and its conquest2 and the intellectual powers which had been awakened in the latter part of the ,atlantean period1 all those human powers of which the physical brain is the instrument1 were concentrated upon the sense-world1 and upon gaining knowledge of and mastery over it4 ,two worlds1 so to speak1 were developed within man3 the one directed toward the life of physical sense2 the other susceptible to the revelation of the spirit in such a way as to permeate with feeling and emotion even though lacking clairvoyant vision4 ,the tendency to this cleavage of soul already existed when the teaching concerning the ,christ was introduced into ,europe4 ,this message from the spiritual world was received into men's hearts1 and permeated feeling and emotion2 but it was not possible to bridge the gulf between this state of devotion and what human intelligence1 concentrated on the sense-world1 was learning in the sphere of physical existence4 ,what is now known as the contradiction between external science and spiritual knowledge is simply a consequence of this fact4 ,the ,christian mysticism 7of ,eckhart1 ,tauler and others7 is the result of ,christianity becoming permeated with feeling and emotion4 ,science1 occupied as it is exclusively with the world of sense and its results in life1 is the consequence of the other tendency of the soul1 and all achievements in the sphere of outer material civilization are entirely due to this divergence of tendencies4 ,since those human faculties1 of which the brain is the instrument1 were concentrated exclusively on physical life1 they were able to reach that pitch of perfection which makes contemporary science1 technical skill1 and other forms of mental activity possible4 ,such a material civilization could originate only among the nations of ,europe1 for they are those descendants of ,atlantean ancestors who converted their natural inclination toward the physical sense-world into faculties only when it had reached a certain degree of maturity4 ,previously they had allowed it to lie dormant1 and had lived on what remained in them of the ,atlantean clairvoyance and on the communications of their ,initiates4 ,while mental culture was outwardly almost entirely given up to these influences1 in them ripened slowly the desire for the material conquest of the world4 ,now1 however1 the dawn of the sixth post-,atlantean era of civilization is already at hand4 ,what is to arise at a certain time in human evolution has ripened slowly in the preceding age4 ,the first beginnings of that which can even now be developed1 is to be discovered in the thread which binds together the two tendencies of the human breast1 material civilization and life in the spiritual world4 ,to this end it is necessary1 on the one hand1 that the results of spiritual vision should be understood2 and on the other1 that in the observations and experiences of of the sense-world the revelations of the ,spirit be recognized4 ,the sixth civilization-epoch will bring to full development the harmony between the two4 ,herewith the studies in this book have reached a point where we may turn from the perspectives of the past to those of the future4 ,but it will be better to precede the latter by a study of the ,knowledge of ,higher ,worlds and of ,initiation4 ,then1 after this study and in connection with it1 we shall be able to indicate in brief the outlook for the future1 in so far as that can be done within the framework of this book4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,knowledge ,,of ,,the ,,higher ,,worlds ,at the present stage of evolution there are three possible conditions of soul in which man ordinarily lives his life between birth and death3 waking1 sleeping and1 between the two1 dreaming4 ,the last-mentioned will be briefly dealt with in a later part of this book2 for the moment we shall consider life simply as it alternates between its two main conditions--waking and sleeping4 ,before he can 8know0 for himself in higher worlds1 man has to add to these two a third condition of soul4 ,during waking life the soul is given up to the impressions of the senses1 and to the thoughts and pictures that these evoke in it4 ,during sleep the senses cease to make any impression1 and the soul loses consciousness4 ,the whole of the day's experience sinks down into the sea of unconsciousness4 ,let us now consider how it would be if man were able to become conscious during sleep1 notwithstanding that all impressions of the senses were completely obliterated1 as they are in deep sleep4 ,now would any memory remain to him of what had happened while he was awake4 ,would his soul find itself in a state of vacuity8 ,would it be incapable of having any experiences8 ,this is a question that can only be answered if conditions like or similar to those under discussion can actually be brought about4 ,if the soul is capable of experiencing anything1 even when sense-activities and recollection of such activities are lacking1 then that soul would1 so far as the external world is concerned1 be 8asleep02 and yet the soul would not be sleeping but awake to a world of reality4 ,now such a condition of consciousness can be attained if man makes these psychic experiences possible toward which occult science guides him4 ,and everything that occult science tells us about those worlds beyond the sensible1 has been found through such a condition of consciousness4 ,in the foregoing parts of this book certain communications have been made concerning the higher worlds2 and in the following pages1 as far as is possible in a book of this kind1 methods will be discussed whereby the state of consciousness requisite for such investigations may be acquired4 ,this state of consciousness resembles that of sleep1 in only one respect1 namely3 that through it1 all outward sense activity ceases1 and also all thoughts that might be aroused by the action of the senses1 are obliterated4 ,but although the soul has no power to experience anything consciously in sleep1 yet it receives this power through this very state of consciousness4 ,and through it a capacity for experiencing is awakened in the soul which in every day life can be awakened only through sense impressions4 ,the awakening of the soul to this higher state of consciousness is called ,initiation4 ,the methods of initiation lead man away from the state of ordinary day-consciousness into such a soul activity as enables him to use his spiritual organs of perception4 ,like germs these organs lie dormant in the soul and must be developed4 ,now it may be that a person1 at some particular moment of his earthly life1 makes the discovery that these higher organs have developed within his soul without previous preparation4 ,it is a kind of involuntary self-awakening4 ,such a person will become conscious of a change affecting his entire being2 his soul's experiences will have been enriched beyond measure and he will find that no experiences of the sense-world can bring him such spiritual happiness1 such soul satisfaction and inner warmth as that which now opens up to him1 which no physical eye can see and no hand can touch4 ,from the spiritual world strength and a sense of security in all situations in life1 will flow into his will4 ,there are instances of such self-initiation2 but they should not give rise to the idea that the only right course is to wait for the coming of such self-initiation1 and to do nothing toward bringing about initiation through regular training4 ,we need not here give further space to the subject of self-initiation1 since it may take place without regard to rules of any kind whatsoever4 ,what we have to consider is how by training1 one may develop those organs of perception1 lying dormant in the ,soul4 ,those who do not feel themselves especially impelled toward doing something for their own development may easily say that man stands under the guidance of spiritual powers1 that such guidance should therefore not be interfered with1 and that the moment1 deemed by those powers to be the right one for revealing another world to the soul1 should be awaited in patience4 ,indeed1 persons who are of this opinion are inclined to consider it a kind of presumption1 or unjustifiable desire for any one to interfere with the wisdom of such spiritual guidance4 ,those who think in this way will only change their opinion if some other mode of presenting the case makes a sufficiently strong impression upon them4 ,if they were to say to themselves1 8,this wise guidance has endowed me with certain faculties1 and it has done so1 not that ,i should let them lie idle1 but rather that ,i should use them4 ,indeed1 the very wisdom of such guidance lies in the fact of its having placed in me the rudiments of those organs necessary for a higher state of consciousness4 ,i can1 therefore1 rightly comprehend this guidance only when ,i regard it as my duty to do everything in my power that may serve to bring such rudimentary growths to their proper development40 ,should such thoughts make a sufficiently strong impression on the mind1 scruples against training for the attainment of higher consciousness will disappear4 ,there is1 it is true1 another scruple which may arise in the mind with regard to such schooling4 ,a person may say to himself3 8,this development of the inner faculties of the soul means an invasion of man's most hidden sanctuary4 ,it involves a certain change of the entire human being3 the method for such a change cannot be worked out by any ordinary procedure of thought1 for the manner in which the higher worlds are attained can be known only to those to whom the path has become visible by reason of experience4 ,if1 therefore1 ,i turn to such an one1 ,i am allowing him to exercise his influence over the innermost sanctuary of my soul40 ,any one given to this attitude of mind will hardly find it reassuring if the methods for bringing about a higher state of consciousness are imparted to him in book form4 ,for it is not a question of receiving communications either verbally or from some person who1 having the knowledge1 has set the same down in a book to which we have access4 ,now there are people possessing knowledge of the rules for developing the spiritual organs of perception who are of the opinion that these rules ought not to be entrusted to a book4 ,these people1 for the most part1 consider the communication of certain truths relating to the spiritual world as forbidden4 ,but this view must be characterized as in a certain sense out of date in view of the present stage of human evolution4 ,it is true that the communication of the rules referred to can be made only up to a certain point4 ,yet what is imparted leads so far that one who applies it to his soul-life makes such progress in knowledge that he is able to go on by himself4 ,this way then leads onward in a manner of which a true idea can be gained only through what has been previously experienced4 ,from all these facts1 scruples may arise concerning the path of spiritual knowledge4 ,these scruples however disappear when one clearly understands the essential nature of that course of development which is adapted to our age4 ,of this latter method of developing we shall speak here and other methods will be only briefly referred to4 ,the method of training to be here discussed furnishes to him who has the will for a higher development1 the means for accomplishing the transformation of his soul4 ,any questionable encroachment on the personality of the student would only then be possible1 should the teacher proceed to carry out the change by methods of which the pupil was not conscious4 ,but no true teacher of occult science in our day would make use of any such method1 by which indeed1 the pupil would be reduced to a blind tool4 ,the teacher gives his pupil instructions as to the rules of conduct he is to pursue1 and the pupil carries them out4 ,at the same time1 should the case seem to demand it1 the teacher does not withhold the reasons justifying these rules of conduct4 ,the acceptance of the rules1 and their application by a person seeking spiritual development1 need not be a matter of blind belief4 ,such a belief ought to be quite out of the question in this sphere4 ,one who studies the nature of the human soul as far as it can be followed by ordinary self-observation1 without occult training may1 after accepting the rules recommended for spiritual training1 ask himself1 8,how do these rules act upon the life of the soul80 ,this question may be satisfactorily answered previous to any schooling by an unbiased use of common sense4 ,before these rules are adopted1 true conceptions may be gained as to the way in which they operate4 ,the effect can be experienced only during training1 but even then the experience will always be accompanied by an understanding of the experience1 if each step that is to be taken is tested by sound judgment4 ,and in this age any true spiritual science will only suggest such rules for training as can be vindicated by sound judgment4 ,for him who is willing to simply trust himself to such schooling and does not permit prejudice to drive him into blind faith1 all scruples will vanish and objections against a regular training for higher states of consciousness will no longer disturb him4 ,even such people as may have arrived at a state of inward maturity1--which sooner or later would lead to the self-awakening of these spiritual organs of perception--even for these1 training is by no means superfluous4 ,on the contrary it is especially adapted to them4 ,for there are but few cases in which personal initiation does not have to travel along tortuous and devious ways1 and training spares them the traversing of such by-paths1 leading them forward in a straight line4 ,in cases where such self-initiation comes to a soul1 the reason is that the required degree of ripeness had already been attained in the course of previous incarnations4 ,it may easily happen that such a soul possesses a certain dim intuition of its ripeness1 and by reason of this very feeling may assume an attitude of disinclination toward training4 ,a feeling of this kind may produce a certain degree of pride1 which refuses to place confidence in a teacher4 ,now it can happen that a certain degree of soul development may remain hidden up to a certain age and only then reveal itself4 ,but such schooling may be just the very means needed to call it forth4 ,should the person hold aloof from such training1 it may happen that the power will remain dormant during that particular ,life1 and will only reappear in a later incarnation4 ,the rising to a supersensible state of consciousness can only proceed from ordinary waking day-consciousness4 ,it is in this consciousness that the soul lives prior to its ascent1 and schooling will furnish the means to lead it out of this consciousness4 ,the first steps which the schooling here under consideration prescribes1 are such as can still be characterized as actions of the ordinary day-consciousness4 ,it is just those quiet acts of the soul which are the most effective steps4 ,this requires that the soul should give itself up to definite perceptions and these perceptions are such as are able by their very nature to exercise an awakening influence upon certain hidden faculties of the inner nature of man4 ,they thereby differ from those perceptions of waking day-life1 whose purpose is to portray external objects4 ,the more faithfully they present these things1 the truer they are4 ,it is1 indeed1 in accordance with their nature that they should be true in this sense1 but this is not the mission of those perceptions which the soul is to consider1 when in pursuit of spiritual training2 and they are therefore so formed as not to present anything external1 having rather within themselves the power to act upon the soul4 ,the best percepts for the purpose are the emblematic or symbolic ones4 ,yet other percepts may be used4 ,for it does not depend at all on what the percepts contain1 but solely on the fact that the soul puts forth all its powers in order not to have anything in the consciousness except the one percept in question4 ,whereas1 in ordinary life1 its forces are divided among many things and perceptions change rapidly1 the important point in spiritual training is the concentration of the whole inner life upon one single perception4 ,and this perception must be voluntarily brought to the centre of one's consciousness4 ,symbolic perceptions are better than those which reflect outer objects or events1 because the latter are related to the outer world1 and the soul has to depend less on itself than in the case of symbolic perceptions1 formed by its own inner energy4 ,the chief object at which to aim is the intensity of the force to be exercised by the soul4 ,it is not what is before the soul that is essential1 but the greatness of the effort and the length of time spent concentrating upon one perception4 ,strength ascends from unknown depths of the soul1 from which it is drawn up by concentration on one perception4 ,occult science contains many such perceptions1 all of which have been proven to possess the power alluded to above4 ,one gains a comprehension of this immersion or sinking down into a percept by calling the ,memory-,concept before the soul4 ,say1 for instance1 that we allow the eye to rest on a tree1 and then turn away from the object so that it is no longer presented to our sight2 we shall1 nevertheless1 be able to retain the image of the tree in the soul4 ,now this image or perception of the tree which we have when it is no longer in sight1 is a recollection of the tree4 ,then assume that this recollection is retained in the soul1 and the soul reposes1 as it were1 in this recollection1 taking care to exclude all other perceptions from the memory4 ,the soul then dwells in that memory-concept of the tree1 and we then have to do with the immersion of the soul into a concept4 ,yet this concept is the image of an actual thing perceived through the senses4 ,if however1 of our own free will1 we take such images into our consciousness1 gradually the effect desired will be attained4 ,one example of meditation based upon a symbolical concept will now be placed before the reader4 ,such a concept must first be built up in the soul1 and this may be done in the following manner4 ,let us think of a plant1 calling to mind how it is rooted in the ground1 the way in which leaf after leaf shoots forth1 until finally the blossom unfolds4 ,and then let us imagine a human being placed beside this plant1 and let us call up in our soul the thought that he has qualities and characteristics which1 when compared with those of the plant1 will be found to be more perfect4 ,we dwell on the fact that this being is able to move here and there1 according to his will and his desires1 while the plant remains stationary1 rooted in the soil4 ,but now let us also consider3 ,yes1 man is certainly more perfect than the plant2 but on the other hand1 ,i find in him qualities which ,i cannot perceive in the plant and through the lack of which1 the plant appears more perfect than man in certain respects4 ,man is filled with passions and desires and these govern his conduct4 ,with him we can speak of sin committed by reason of his impulses and passions1 whereas in the plant1 we see that it follows the pure laws of growth from leaf to leaf1 and that the blossom without passion opens to the chaste rays of the ,sun4 ,so we can see that man possesses a certain perfection beyond the plant1 but that on the other hand he has paid for this perfection by admitting into his being inclinations1 desires and passions in addition to the pure forces of the plant4 ,and then we call to mind the green sap flowing through the plant1 and think of it as the expression of the pure and passionless laws of growth4 ,and then again1 we call to mind the red blood as it courses through the veins of man1 and we recognize in it an expression of man's instincts1 his passions and desires4 ,let a vivid picture of all this arise in our souls4 ,we then think of man's faculties of development2 how he can purify and cleanse his inclinations and passions through his higher soul faculties4 ,we think how through this process something that is low is destroyed in these inclinations and passions which thereby are born upon a higher plane4 ,then we may be able to think of the blood as the expression of these purified and cleansed inclinations and passions4 ,now we gaze in spirit on the rose and say to ourselves3 8,in the red sap of the rose is the erstwhile green sap of the plant--now changed to crimson--and the red rose follows the same pure1 passionless laws of growth as does the green leaf40 ,thus the red of the rose may offer us a symbol of a kind of blood which is the expression of cleansed impulses and passions1 purged of all lower elements1 and resembling in their purity the forces working in the red rose4 ,let us now try not only to assimilate such thoughts within our reason1 but also let them come to life within our feelings4 ,we can experience a blissful sensation when contemplating the purity and passionless nature of the growing plant4 ,we can awaken the feeling within us how certain higher perfections must be paid for through the acquisition of passions and desires4 ,this1 then1 can change the blissful sensation previously experienced into a serious mood3 and then only can it stir within us the feeling of liberating happiness1 if we abandon ourselves to the thought of the red blood that can become the carrier of inner pure experiences1 like the red sap of the rose4 ,the important point is that we should not look coldly and without feeling upon these thoughts which serve to build up such a symbolical concept4 ,after dwelling for a time upon the above mentioned thoughts and feelings1 let us try to transmute them into the following symbolical concept4 ,let us imagine a black cross4 ,let this be the symbol for the destroyed lower element of our desires and passions and there where the beams of the cross intersect1 let us imagine seven red radiating roses arranged in a circle4 ,let these roses be the symbol for a blood that is the expression of cleansed and purified passions and desires47#bf7 ,now we must call up this symbolical concept before our soul just as has been described in the case of a memory-concept4 ,such a concept has an awakening power if one abandons oneself to it in inner meditation4 ,one must try during this meditation to exclude all other concepts4 ,only the described symbol must float before the soul as vividly as possible4 ,it is not without significance that this symbol has been introduced1 not merely as an awakening percept1 but because it has been constructed out of certain perceptions concerning plants and man4 ,for the effect of such a symbol depends upon the fact of its being put together in this definite manner1 before employing it as an instrument for meditation4 ,should it be called up without a previous process of construction such as has here been delineated1 the picture must remain cold and will be far less effective than if it had by previous preparation gathered force with which to give warmth to the soul4 ,during meditation1 however1 one should not call up in the soul all the preparatory thoughts1 but merely allow the life-like image to float before one's mind and at the same time permit those feelings which are the result of these preparatory thoughts to vibrate with it4 ,thus the symbol becomes a sign1 co-existent with the inner experience4 ,and it is the dwelling of the soul in this experience that is the active principle4 ,the longer one can do this1 without admitting disturbing impressions1 the more effective will be the whole process4 ,it is well1 however1 in addition to the time used in meditation itself1 to repeat the building up of the image through the feelings1 as described above1 so that the corresponding sensation may not pale4 ,the greater the patience brought to bear in performing these acts of repetition1 the more effective becomes this image for the soul47#bg7 ,such a symbol as has just been described represents no external object or being evolved by nature1 but for this very reason it possesses an awakening power for certain inner faculties4 ,it is true1 someone may raise the objection3 certainly the 8whole0 as a symbol1 does not exist in nature2 yet all its details are borrowed from nature1 the black color1 the roses1 etc4 ,it can all be observed through the senses4 ,he who is troubled by such objections1 ought to consider that it is not the images of these sense perceptions that awaken the higher faculties of the soul1 but that this result is produced purely by the manner in which these details are combined4 ,and this combination does not then picture something that exists in the sense-world4 ,a symbol was chosen as an example to show the process of effective meditation of the soul4 ,many symbols of this kind are used in occult training and are built up according to varying methods4 ,certain sentences1 formul1 and single words can also be given as subjects for meditations1 and in every case the means used will have the same object1 namely3 to detach the soul from sense-impressions and to stimulate it to an activity in which the impressions of the physical senses play no longer any part and in which the unfoldment of inner latent soul capacities becomes the essential4 ,there are1 however1 also meditations based exclusively upon feelings1 sensations1 etc41 and these are especially effectual4 ,let us1 for instance1 take the feeling of joy4 ,in the normal course of life the soul experiences pleasure when there exists an outer stimulus to pleasure4 ,if a healthily constituted soul perceives some act performed by a person1 indicative of the doer's goodness of heart1 then the soul will assuredly feel pleasure and joy at such an act4 ,but the soul is able to reflect upon such an act1 and can say to itself that an act done from sheer kindness of heart is one in which the doer is following the interests of his fellow-creatures rather than his own1 and such an act may be called ethically good4 ,but the soul can lift itself above the perception of any particular case in the outer world which has given it joy or pleasure1 and instead may arrive at a general concept of kindness4 ,it can for instance1 think of kindness coming into existence through one soul making the interests of others his own4 ,and the soul can then experience joy over the ethical idea of kindness4 ,therefore1 the joy is then not over this or that event of the sense-world1 but it is the joy over the idea as such4 ,if the student now tries for some time to let this joy come to life within his soul1 then this is a meditation on a feeling1 on a sensation4 ,it is then not the idea which is the active principle in the awakening of the inner soul faculties1 but the sustained dwelling upon that feeling within the soul which has not been caused by merely a single external impression4 ,occult science being in a position to penetrate far deeper into the being of things than can be done by ordinary perception1 the teacher will be able to indicate to the pupil feelings and sentiments which are still more powerful as awakening agents for the unfolding of the soul's faculties when used as subjects of meditation4 ,yet1 necessary as this will be for the higher degrees of training1 it should be remembered that energetic meditating upon subjects1 such as kindness of heart may carry the student very far on his way4 ,since the natures of human beings differ1 special methods of training are effective for particular individuals4 ,as to the duration of time to be devoted to meditation1 we may remind the student that the greater the length of time during which he can meditate uninterruptedly1 the stronger will be the effect4 ,but every excess in these matters should be avoided4 ,there is1 however1 a certain inner discretion1 resulting from these exercises themselves which teaches the pupil to keep within due bounds in this regard4 ,those who pursue their studies in occult science under the personal guidance of a teacher will receive from him precise instruction and advice in these particulars4 ,nevertheless1 it must be emphatically understood that only experienced occultists are in a position to impart such advice4 ,such exercises in meditation will generally require practice for some time before the student can become aware of any result4 ,what is essential to occult science is patience and perseverance4 ,he who is unable to awaken these two qualities within himself and who cannot continually practice his exercises in quietude1 so that patience and perseverance are always the predominant note in his soul-life1 cannot attain very great progress4 ,from what has been said above1 the reader will have gathered that meditation is a means of acquiring knowledge of the higher worlds1 but he will also see that not just any percept whatsoever1 taken at random1 is productive of this result1 but only those of the kind before-mentioned4 ,the path here indicated leads in the first place to what is called imaginative knowledge1 and this is the first step toward the higher knowledge4 ,knowledge1 dependent upon sense-perceptions and upon the working up of such perceptions by reason1 which is sense-bound1 is1 to use the occult term1 known as 8objective cognition40 ,beyond this are higher degrees of knowledge1 the imaginative stage being1 as we have said1 the first4 ,now the term 8imaginative0 can cause confusion in the minds of some1 to whom 8imagination0 stands only for 8imaginings0--that is concepts that lack reality4 ,in occult science1 however1 8imaginative0 cognition must be understood to be that kind of cognition which results from a supersensible state of consciousness of the soul4 ,the things perceived in this state of consciousness are spiritual facts1 and spiritual beings1 to which the senses have no access1 and--since this condition of the soul is caused by meditating upon symbols1 or 8imaginations0--the sphere to which this condition of higher consciousness belongs may be termed the imaginative world1 and the knowledge relating to it1 imaginative knowledge4 8,imaginative0 stands1 therefore1 in this sense1 for that which is 8actual0 in a higher sense than are the facts and beings of physical sense-perception4 ,a very natural objection to the use of the symbolic pictures here characterized is that they arise from a dreamy thinking and an arbitrary imagination1 and might therefore have doubtful consequences4 ,but any such doubts are unjustified in regard to the symbols given by true occult schools4 ,for these symbols are chosen in such a way that they can be looked at quite apart from their connection with outer sense reality1 and their value is to be found exclusively in the power with which they work upon the soul when it turns its attention wholly away from the outer world1 when it suppresses all sense-impressions and shuts out every thought to which it might be stimulated from without4 ,the process of meditations is best demonstrated by comparison with sleep4 ,in one respect it is like the state of sleep2 in another1 the exact opposite of it4 ,it is a sleep which when compared to the day-consciousness1 represents a higher state of being4 ,the point is that by concentration on the given conception or image1 the soul is obliged to call up much stronger forces out of its own depths than it uses in ordinary life or knowledge4 ,its inner activity is thereby enhanced4 ,it becomes detached from the body1 as it does in sleep2 but instead of passing1 as in the latter case1 into unconsciousness1 it experiences a world it did not know before4 ,although as regards detachment from the body this condition may be compared with sleep1 yet it is such that1 compared with ordinary waking consciousness1 it may be characterized as a more intense waking state4 ,by this means the soul learns to know itself in its true1 inner1 independent being4 ,but in ordinary life1 owing to the weaker development of its forces1 it is only with the help of the body that the soul arrives at self-consciousness4 ,therefore it does not experience itself but merely sees itself in that image which--like a kind of reflection--is traced1 by the physical body 7or1 properly speaking1 by its processes74 ,these symbols built up in the manner above described are not as yet related to anything real in the spiritual world1 but they serve to detach the human soul from sense-observations and from that instrument1 the brain1 to which the reason is at first fettered4 ,this detachment is not effected until man is able to feel3 8,i am now perceiving something by means of powers for which neither my senses nor my brain serve as the instruments02 and the first thing man thus experiences is a liberation from the organs of sense4 ,he is then able to say to himself3 8,my consciousness does not vanish when ,i cease to take cognizance of sense-perceptions and ordinary reasoned thought2 ,i can lift myself out of those conditions and then feel myself as a being alongside of that which ,i was before0--and this is the first purely spiritual experience2 the perception of a psycho-spiritual ,ego-being4 ,this has arisen as a new self out of that self which is linked to the physical senses and physical reason only4 ,had this detachment from the world of the senses and from the reason been effected without meditation1 the person would have lapsed into the nothingness of the unconscious state4 ,this psycho-spiritual being was our possession prior to meditation also1 but it then lacked the organs for perception of the spirit-world2 and it might1 indeed1 have been compared to the physical body without the eye to see--the ear to hear4 ,the strength thus employed in meditation has1 in fact1 been the creative means by which these psycho-spiritual organs have been formed out of a previously unorganized psycho-spiritual being4 ,but this which man thus creates for himself is also the first thing to be perceived by him4 ,the first experience is therefore in a certain sense1 a kind of 8self-perception40 ,it belongs to the nature of spiritual training that the soul1 through the self training which it gives itself at this point of its development1 becomes fully conscious that the first thing it perceives in the world of imaginative forms1 which appear as a result of the exercises described1 is itself4 ,it is true that these images make their appearance as a new world1 but the soul must recognize that they are1 however1 at first nothing but the reflection of its own being1 which has been strengthened by exercises4 ,and it must not only recognize this by correct reasoning1 but must have arrived at such a cultivation of the will that it is able at any time to put away and obliterate the images from the consciousness4 ,the soul must be able to act with complete independence within these images4 ,this is part of true spiritual training at this stage4 ,if it could not do this1 it would be in the same position1 in the sphere of spiritual experiences1 as a soul in the physical world which1 on looking at an object1 has its attention so arrested by it that it cannot look away4 ,an exception to this possibility of obliteration is formed by a group of inner imaginative experiences which should not be extinguished at this stage of spiritual training4 ,they correspond to the inmost kernel of the soul's being1 and the occult student recognizes in those images that which forms the very essence of his being which passes through the various repeated earth lives4 ,at this point the knowledge of repeated earth lives becomes an actual experience4 ,in relation to everything else the before-mentioned independence of experience must prevail4 ,and only after acquiring the faculty of obliterating experiences1 is the spiritual outer world really approached4 ,what is obliterated returns in another form1 and is experienced as a spiritual outer reality4 ,one feels that out of something indefinite one grows psychically into something definite4 ,from this self-perception1 one must then proceed to the observation of a psycho-spiritual outer world4 ,this comes to pass when we can order our inner experience after the manner to be indicated in the following pages4 ,at first1 the soul of the occult student is feeble in all that appertains to a perception of the psycho-spiritual world2 and he will therefore need all the inner energy he can summon in order1 while meditating1 to hold firm the symbols or other concepts which he has built up from the impulses of the sense-world4 ,should he1 however1 desire to attain to an actual observation of the higher world1 he will not alone have to maintain his hold on these1 he must also1 after having done this1 be able to remain in a condition in which not only no influences of the outer sense-world can affect the soul1 but in which also the images above characterized shall have been effaced from his consciousness4 ,only now can that which has been previously formed by means of meditation enter the plane of his consciousness4 ,the important point is that there should be at this stage sufficient soul force to spiritually perceive that which has thus been formed through meditation1 so that it may not elude the observer's attention1 as is always the case if this inner energy is still insufficiently developed4 ,that which is here evolved as a psycho-spiritual organism and which should be comprehended through self-perception1 is delicate and subtle4 ,the disturbing influences of the outer sense-world1 however one may try to exclude them1 are nevertheless great4 ,it is not merely a question of those disturbances to which we are able to pay heed1 but far more of those which in ordinary life are ever eluding our notice4 ,but it is just through the very nature of man that a transitory condition in this respect becomes possible4 ,what the soul1 in its waking state1 was powerless to effect1 owing to the disturbances of the physical world1 it is capable of achieving during sleep4 ,one who gives himself up to serious meditation will1 with the proper attention1 become aware of a certain change in his sleep4 ,he will feel that while sleeping1 he is yet not quite asleep1 but that his soul has times when1 although asleep1 still it is1 in a certain way1 active4 ,during these conditions1 nature wards off the influences of the outer world which the waking soul is not yet able to keep away of its own strength4 ,when1 however1 the meditation exercises have taken effect1 the soul1 during sleep1 detaches itself from unconsciousness1 and becomes aware of the psycho-spiritual world4 ,this can happen in two ways3 the person may1 while asleep1 become aware that is is in another world1 or he may1 after awakening1 remember that he has been in another world4 ,but the former of these two feelings requires the greater degree of inner energy1 for which reason the second is the more common among beginners in occult training4 ,but it may gradually come to pass that the student will become aware of having been during the entire time of sleep in this other world1 only emerging therefrom when he awakes4 ,and his memory of beings and facts connected with this other world will become ever more and more distinct1 thus showing that in one form or another he has now entered upon what one may call continuity of consciousness4 7,the continuation of consciousness during sleep47 ,still1 for this to be so1 it is not necessary that man's consciousness should always continue during sleep4 ,much will already have been attained in the matter of the continuity of consciousness should the person1 whose sleep is in general like that of the ordinary individual1 have certain periods during his sleeping hours when he is aware of being in the psycho-spiritual world2 or if1 on awakening1 he is able to remember such a condition of consciousness4 ,it should1 however1 be borne in mind that what is here described is to be understood only as a transition state4 ,it is well to pass through this state as a part of training2 yet it should not be imagined that any conclusive views concerning the psycho-spiritual world may be gained from this transition state1 for in this condition the soul is uncertain1 and unable as yet to rely upon its own perceptions4 ,but through such experiences the soul gathers ever more strength enabling it also during waking hours to ward off the disturbing influences of the physical outer and inner world and thus to attain psycho-spiritual observation4 ,then impressions through the senses no longer reach the soul2 brain-fettered reason is silent and even the image of the meditation1 through which one has only prepared oneself for spiritual vision1 has been dropped from consciousness4 ,whatever is given out through occult science in this or that form should never originate in any psycho-spiritual observation other than that which is made with fully waking consciousness4 ,the first experience is one in which the student can say to himself3 ,even should ,i now disregard everything that can come to me through impressions from the outer physical world1 still ,i look upon my inner being not as upon one in which all activity has ceased1 but ,i look upon a being which is self-conscious in a world of which ,i know nothing as long as ,i permit myself to be governed only by the impressions of ordinary reason and of the senses4 ,the soul at this moment has the sensation that1 in the manner described above1 it has given birth to a new being as its own essential soul-kernel4 ,and the being possesses totally different qualities from those which were previously present in the soul4 ,the second experience of the soul is one in which man has his former being1 like a second independent one1 alongside of himself4 ,that which had up to this time been imprisoned1 evolves now into something we are able to confront2 we feel1 in fact1 at certain times outside of what we have been accustomed to regard as our own being1 as our own ego4 ,it is as though one now lived in two egos1--one1 which we have hitherto known2 the other1 a newly born being1 superior to the first1--and we become aware that the former ego acquires a certain independence in its relationship to the second1 just as the physical body has a certain measure of freedom in its relation to that first ego4 ,this is an event of great importance1 for through it man comes to know what it means to live in that world which he has been endeavoring to reach by means of training4 ,it is this second1 this new-born1 ego which can be led to cognizance of the spiritual world1 and in it can be developed that which has as much significance for the spiritual world as our sense organs have for the physical world of the senses4 ,should this development have attained to the requisite degree1 the student will not only be aware of himself as a new-born ego1 but he will recognize the spiritual facts and entities around him1 just as he perceives the physical world through the action of his physical senses2 and this is a third important experience4 ,to meet properly this stage of spiritual training one must take into account that with the strengthening of the forces of the soul a degree of self-love and egoism appears with such intensity as is quite unknown in the ordinary life of the soul4 ,it would be a mistake for anyone to think that it is only a case of ordinary self-love at this point4 ,self-love becomes so strong at this stage of development that it acquires the strength of a nature-force within the soul1 and a vigorous training of the will is necessary in order to conquer this powerful egoism4 ,this training of the will must go hand in hand with the rest of the spiritual training4 ,a strong inclination exists to feel absolutely happy in a world which we have gradually created for ourselves4 ,and we must be able to obliterate1 in the manner above described1 that to which we have previously devoted ourselves with all our powers4 ,we must efface ourselves in the imaginative world we have reached4 ,but this effacement is opposed by the strongest impulses of egoism4 ,the idea might easily arise that the exercises in spiritual training are something merely external which have no connection with the moral development of the soul4 ,in this connection it must be said that the moral force necessary for the conquest of egoism1 as described1 cannot be gained unless the moral condition of the soul is brought to a corresponding stage4 ,progress in spiritual training is unthinkable unless moral progress takes place at the same time4 ,the conquest of egoism is impossible without moral force4 ,all talk of spiritual training not being at the same time moral training is certainly contrary to fact4 ,only he who passes through such an experience might advance the following objections3 how can one be sure to be dealing with actualities1 and not with mere fancies1 visions or hallucinations1 when he thinks he is having spiritual perceptions8 ,now the matter lies thus3 every person1 who has been systematically trained and who has arrived at the stage already characterized1 will be in a position to note the difference between his own percept and a spiritual reality1 just as well as a man endowed with sound sense knows the difference between the percept of a bar of hot iron and the actual presence of such a bar that he touches with his hand4 ,the difference is determined by experience and by nothing else2 and in the spiritual world1 too1 life is the touchstone4 ,just as we know that in the world of the senses an imagined bar of iron1 however hot1 will burn no one's fingers1 so does the trained occultist know whether he is passing through a spiritual experience merely in his imagination or whether his awakened spiritual organs of perceptions are impressed by actual facts or beings4 ,the precautions to be taken during schooling1 in order that the student may not fall a victim to such delusions will be dealt with in the following pages4 ,it is of the greatest importance that the student should have attained to a certain very definite condition of the soul when the consciousness of the new-born ego commences4 ,for through his ego1 man is the ruler of his sensations1 feelings1 and conceptions1 his impulses1 desires1 and passions4 ,observations and percepts cannot be left in the soul to follow their own devices2 they must be regulated according to the laws of thought4 ,and it is the ego1 as it were1 that controls these thought-laws1 and by means of them brings order into the life of perception and thought4 ,it is similar with regard to desires and passions1 inclinations and impulses4 ,the fundamental ethical laws become the guides of these forces of the soul1 and by reason of the moral judgment1 the ego becomes the soul's guide within this domain4 ,now if a person detaches a higher ego from his ordinary ego1 the latter becomes to a certain extent independent4 ,that much life-power is now taken away from it as is needed for the use of that higher ego4 ,but let us consider the case of a person who has not1 as yet1 developed certain ability and firmness in exercising the laws of thought and in the power of judgment1 but who nevertheless desires to bring about the birth of his higher ego4 ,he will be able to leave to his ordinary ego only as much thought capacity as he has previously developed4 ,if the amount of well-ordered thinking is insufficient1 then the ordinary ego which has now become independent1 will certainly fall victim to confused1 disordered1 fantastic thoughts and judgment1 and moreover1 since in such a case the new-born ego must inevitably be weak also1 the disordered lower ego will gain the upper hand1 and the person will lose his ability for balanced judgment4 ,had he developed sufficient capability and firmness in logical thinking1 he might have calmly left his ordinary ego to go its own way4 ,in the ethical sphere it is precisely the same4 ,should a person not have attained firmness in the matter of his moral judgment1 should he not have become sufficiently master over his inclinations1 impulses1 and passions1 he will then render his ordinary ego independent while in a condition in which it will be overwhelmed by all these soul forces4 ,it may then happen that the person will become worse through the birth of his higher ego than he was before4 ,had he waited to bring about this birth until he had sufficiently developed his ordinary self1 attaining firmness in the matter of ethical judgment1 stability of character1 and depth of conscience1 he would then have been in a position to have all these virtues left within that first ego when the birth of the second came about4 ,neglecting to do so1 however1 lays him open to the danger of losing his moral balance1 which under the right course of training cannot happen4 ,two things must here be borne in mind4 ,first1 that the facts above related should be taken as seriously as possible2 secondly1 that1 on the other hand1 they should in no way deter one from entering upon such training4 ,anyone who has the firm intention of doing all in his power that may give confidence to the first ego in the execution of what it has to fulfil1 need never be dismayed when the second ego becomes detached as the result of such spiritual training4 ,yet he must remember that the power of self-delusion in man is very great with regard to the belief that he has now reached the stage of 8ripeness0 for any special thing4 ,during the spiritual training here described the student develops his thought-life to such an extent that he is not exposed to dangers which are often thought to be connected with training4 ,this cultivation of thought brings about all the inner experiences that are necessary1 but causes them to be so enacted that the soul lives through them without any injurious shocks4 ,without an adequate development of thought1 these experiences may produce a feeling of great uncertainty in the soul4 ,the method here emphasized calls forth experiences in such a way that they may produce all their effect and yet not cause serious shocks4 ,by developing the life of thought the student becomes more of a spectator of the experiences of his inner life1 whereas without such thought-development he is in the very midst of the experience and is shaken by all the shocks incidental to it4 ,systematic training points out certain qualities which the student must acquire by means of exercises1 in order to find the way to the higher worlds and especial stress is laid on the following1--control of the soul over its thoughts1 its will1 and its feelings4 ,the manner in which this control is acquired through exercise has a dual aim4 ,on the one hand1 the soul by this practice acquires a firmness1 reliance1 and balance1 which will not forsake it even after the birth of the second ego2 and on the other hand1 this latter ego is provided with strength and inner fortitude for its journey4 ,what is required is that man's thinking power shall in all domains conform to facts4 ,in the physical world of the senses1 life is the great teacher of the human ego with regard to reality4 ,were the soul to allow its thoughts to roam aimlessly hither and thither1 it would soon be corrected by life1 unless it were willing to enter into combat with it2 the soul must conform its thoughts to the facts of life4 ,now1 when man leads his thoughts away from the world of the physical senses1 he misses the corrective influence of this latter4 ,if his thought is not able to be its own mentor1 it will be as unsteady as a will-o'-the-wisp4 ,consequently1 the student's thought must be exercised in such a way that its course and object are self-determined4 ,inner firmness and a capacity to concentrate strictly on one object3 this is what such thinking must of itself engender4 ,and for this reason the thought exercises should not be concerned with complicated objects or those foreign to life1 but should1 on the contrary1 deal with those that are simple and familiar4 ,any one who succeeds in fixing his mind1 over a period of several months and for a space of at least five minutes a day1 on such ordinary objects as a pin or a lead pencil1 excluding for the time being all other thoughts not concerned with the object under contemplation1 will have accomplished much in the right direction4 7,a new article may be chosen each day1 or the same one adhered to for the space of several days47 ,even those who feel themselves to be 8thinkers0 need not despise this method of preparing themselves for occult training1 because by fixing the attention for a time upon a really familiar object one may be sure that he will be thinking in accordance with facts1 and one who asks himself the questions3 8,what are the constituent parts of a pencil80 8,how are these materials prepared80 8,how are they afterwards put together80 8,when were pencils invented1 etc480 will surely be adapting his perceptions to realities more than he who meditates on the descent of man1 or asks himself what life is4 ,simple thought exercises prepare us better for an adequate concept of the world in its ,saturn1 ,sun1 and ,moon stages of development than those based on learned and complicated ideas4 ,for the important thing is not at all just to think1 but to think in conformity with facts by means of an inner force4 ,once one has been trained to accuracy by means of an obvious1 physical sense process1 the desire to think in conformity with facts will have become habitual1 even if thought does not feel itself under the control of the physical sense-world and its laws2 we then lose the tendency to let our thoughts drift about aimlessly4 ,and as in the world of thought1 so in the realm of the will1 the soul must become the ruler4 ,in the physical sense-world it is life that rules4 ,it urges upon man this or that as a necessity1 and the will feels itself constrained to satisfy these same wants4 ,in following higher training1 man must accustom himself to obey his own commands strictly1 and those who acquire this habit will feel less and less inclined to desire what is of no moment4 ,all that is unsatisfying and unstable in the life of the will comes from the desire for things of the possession of which we have formed no distinct concept4 ,discontent such as this may1 when the higher ego is desirous of emerging from the soul1 throw that person's whole inner life into disorder2 and it is a good exercise to give oneself for the space of several months some command to be carried out at a specified time of day3 8,to-day1 at this or that particular hour1 you will do this or that thing40 ,thus we gradually become able to command the time at which a thing is to be done and the manner in which it is to be performed1 so as to admit of its being accomplished with utmost exactitude4 ,thus we lift ourselves above the bad habit of saying1 8,i should like this10 and 8,i want the other10 while exercising no thought of the possibility of its accomplishment4 ,in the second part of ,faust1 ,goethe puts the following words into the mouth of a seeress3 8,him ,i love who craves the impossible10 and ,goethe himself1 in his 8,prose ,proverbs10 says3 8,to live in the idea means treating the impossible as though 't were possible40 ,such sentiments must not be put forward as objections against what has here been stated1 for the demands made by ,goethe and his seeress 7,manto7 can be fulfilled only by those who have first educated themselves through desire for that which is possible1 and have in so doing1 arrived at being able1 by means of their strong 8will10 to treat the 8impossible0 in such a manner that through their willing it becomes transformed into the possible4 ,a certain equanimity should pervade the soul of the occult student concerning the world of feeling4 ,and to attain this result1 it is necessary that the soul should have mastery over the expressions of joy and sorrow1 pleasure and pain4 ,but it is just concerning the acquisition of this faculty that some prejudice might arise3 one might be afraid of becoming dull and indifferent if he does not 8rejoice with them that do rejoice1 and weep with them that weep40 ,yet this is not what is meant4 ,what is pleasurable should rejoice the soul1 and sorrow should give it pain1 but what the soul is to learn to achieve is control over the expression of joy and sorrow4 ,if that is his aim1 the student will become aware that1 far from becoming 8dull and unsympathetic10 he will be growing all the more receptive to the joy and sorrow around him4 ,but it is true that the student will here find that he needs to watch himself carefully for a considerable time to be able to acquire the faculty indicated4 ,he must be careful to see that he partakes of pain and pleasure to the full1 yet without so giving himself up to either that he gives involuntary expression to it4 ,it is not justified sorrow that should be suppressed1 but the involuntary weeping2 not the revulsion against a mean act1 but the blind raging in anger2 not the precaution against danger1 but the senseless 8being afraid10 etc4 ,it is only by means of such exercises that the occult student can gain the inner calmness of soul necessary in order that1 at the birth of the higher ego1 the soul may not find itself as a kind of double1 leading a second and unhealthy life alongside of the higher self4 ,it is especially in these matters that we should not yield to self-deception4 ,some people may be of the opinion that they already possess in everyday life a certain degree of equanimity1 and that they therefore stand in no need of such exercises2 yet it is especially those who doubly need them4 ,for it is quite possible to remain equable when surveying the things of this life1 and then when ascending into the higher world to show evidences of a want of equanimity all the greater because it had only been held in check4 ,for it should be emphatically understood that in the matter of occult training it is not so much a question of what we may already seem to possess1 but of carefully and regularly practicing what we need4 ,contradictory as this phrase may appear1 it is nevertheless true that though life may have trained us to this or to that1 the qualities to serve us in occult training are those that we have acquired for ourselves4 ,should life have rendered us excitable1 we must train ourselves to conquering this trait2 yet if life has engendered in us equanimity1 we should so rouse ourselves by our own efforts that the soul may be capable of responding to the impressions it receives4 ,the man who cannot laugh at anything1 has just as little control over his laughter as one who is perpetually giving way to uncontrolled laughter4 ,thought and feeling may be cultivated by yet another means1 namely1 by the acquirement of the characteristic known as positiveness4 ,there is a beautiful legend in which it is related of ,christ ,jesus1 that ,he1 with others1 passed the dead body of a dog4 ,the others turned aside from the hideous sight1 but ,christ ,jesus spoke admiringly of the creature's beautiful teeth4 ,one can1 through practice1 attain to the condition of mind in regard to the world1 which is indicated in this legend4 ,error1 vice1 and ugliness should not deter the soul from seeing truth1 goodness1 and beauty1 wherever they are to be found4 ,nor is this positiveness to be mistaken for want of judgment1 or for deliberately closing the eyes to what is bad1 false1 and inferior4 ,he who can admire the beautiful teeth of a decaying animal can also see that decaying corpse--yet the corpse does not hinder his observing the beauty of the teeth4 ,thus1 though what is bad cannot be deemed good1 nor error acclaimed as truth1 we can yet train ourselves so that what is bad need not prevent us from recognizing what is good1 nor need errors render us insensible to that which is true4 ,thought1 combined with will1 attains to a certain maturity if we strive never to allow what we have already experienced or learned to rob us of our unbiased receptiveness for new experiences4 ,such a thought as3 8,i have never heard that before2 ,i don't believe it60 should lose all significance where the occult student is concerned2 indeed1 he should endeavour1 for a fixed period of time1 to allow every thing and every creature to convey something new to his mind4 ,every breath of air1 every leaf on the tree1 the prattling of a child1--each and all will teach him something1 provided he be willing to bring a different point of view to bear upon it from the one he has hitherto held4 ,it may1 of course1 be possible to go too far in this particular1 and we must not at any time lose sight of the experiences we have previously had4 ,indeed1 what we experience in the present should be judged in accordance with the sum of our past experiences4 ,these must be laid on one side of the scale1 while on the other the occult student should place an inclination for ever gathering new knowledge4 ,above all1 a belief in the possibility that new experiences may contradict the old4 ,thus we have enumerated those five qualities of the soul which the occult student in regular training1 should acquire2 control of the trend of his thoughts2 control of the impulses of his will2 equanimity in sorrow and joy2 positiveness in his judgment of the world2 and impartiality in his view of life4 ,after giving consecutive periods of time to the acquiring of these qualities through continued practice1 the student must go still further1 and bring all these qualities into a harmonious whole within the soul1 to achieve which1 he will have to practice the exercises in twos and twos together1 or three and one1 simultaneously1 so as to bring about the harmony desired4 ,the exercises indicated above are thus given out by occult teaching because if faithfully carried out1 they not only produce in the occult student what we have called above direct results1 but they lead indirectly to much else that is needed on the path to the higher worlds4 ,he who practices these exercises sufficiently will1 while doing so1 become aware of many a lack and many a failing in his own soul-life1 and he will at the same time find in them the very means necessary to give strength and security to the intellect1 to the emotional tendencies and to the character as well4 ,he will assuredly need many additional exercises1 according to his capacities1 temperament1 and character2 these1 however1 will present themselves if the above be frequently carried out4 ,indeed1 one will notice that the already indicated exercises1 indirectly1 gradually yield that which at first does not seem to be in them4 ,a person endowed with but little self-confidence1 for instance1 finds in the course of time1 that by persistent practice the needed confidence in himself has come about4 ,and it is the same with many other soul qualities47#bh7 ,it is a matter of significance that the occult student is capable of raising these capabilities to ever higher degrees2 and he must succeed in so controlling his thoughts and feelings that the soul will have power to maintain complete inner quietude for certain periods of time--periods during which he can keep out of his mind and heart all those things that in any way concern the outer everyday life1 its joys and sorrows1 its pleasures and cares1 even its tasks and demands4 ,at such a time nothing should be allowed entrance into the soul except what the soul itself admits4 ,an abjection may easily be made to this4 ,one might imagine that alienation must result if the student withdraws in heart and spirit from life and its duties for a certain part of the day4 ,yet in reality1 this is by no means the case4 ,for those who1 in the above manner1 give themselves up to periods of inner quietude and peace will find that out of these there grows such a fund of energy for fulfilling the outer duties of life that they are not only not less efficiently performed1 but assuredly more so4 ,it is of great benefit at such times to detach oneself entirely from thoughts of personal affairs1 and to be able to raise oneself to that which affects not oneself alone1 but all mankind4 ,if he is then able to fill his soul with messages from a higher spiritual world1 and if they have the power of enthralling his soul to as intense a degree as any personal concern or care1 then indeed will his soul have gathered fruit of especial value4 ,those who thus exert themselves to regulate their soul-life will arrive at the possibility of a degree of self-observation that will permit them to review their personal affairs with the same tranquillity as those of others4 ,seeing one's own experiences and one's own joys and sorrows in the light in which those of another appear1 is a good preparation for occult training4 ,we bring this exercise gradually to the necessary stage1 if1 after the day's work is over1 we allow the pictures of the day's occurrences to pass before the mind's eye4 ,we would then see ourselves within our own experiences as in a picture2 in other words1 we would look at ourselves in our daily life1 as an outside observer4 ,a certain practice in self-observation having been gained by concentrating the attention upon short divisions of the day's experience1 the student will become more and more expert in this kind of retrospect1 continued practice enabling him to review the events of the whole day completely and quickly4 ,it will become ever more and more the ideal of the occult student to assume such an attitude with regard to the events of life which confront him that he will be able to await their approach with absolute calm and inner confidence1 no longer judging them by the state of his own soul but according to their own inner meaning and inner worth4 ,and it is by looking to this ideal that he will create a condition of soul that will enable him to meditate profoundly1 as described above1 upon symbolical and other thoughts and feelings4 ,the conditions here described must be fulfilled1 because supersensible experience is built upon the foundation on which the student stands in his ordinary soul-life1 before he enters the supersensible world4 ,in a two-fold way1 all supersensible experience is dependent upon the soul's point of departure before entering that world4 ,one who is not intent1 from the outset1 on making sound powers of judgment the foundation of his spiritual training will develop supersensible capacities which perceive the spiritual world inaccurately and incorrectly4 ,to a certain extent his spiritual organs of perception will develop in the wrong way4 ,and just as a man with a defective or diseased eye cannot see correctly in the sense-world1 so it is not possible to have true perceptions with spiritual organs which are not built upon the foundation of sound powers of judgment4 ,one who starts from an immoral state of soul rises into the spiritual worlds with his spiritual vision stupified and clouded4 ,in regard to supersensible worlds he is like a person in the sense-world who makes observations in a state of lethargy4 ,the latter1 however1 will not be able to make any statements of consequence1 whereas the spiritual observer1 even in his stupefaction1 is more awake than a person in the ordinary state of consciousness1 and the results of his observations will therefore be erroneous in regard to the spiritual world4 ,the highest possibilities of imaginative cognition can be realized by supporting the aforesaid meditations by that which one might call 8sense-free0 thinking4 ,now when we formulate an idea based upon observations made in the physical sense-world1 our thought is not free from sense-impressions4 ,yet it is not as though man could formulate only such ideas3 human thought need not become void and meaningless simply because it is not filled with observations derived through the channels of the senses4 ,the most direct and the safest way for the occult student to acquire this 8sense-free0 thinking1 is to make the facts of the higher worlds presented by occult science1 the subject of his thoughts4 ,these facts cannot be observed by means of the physical senses2 nevertheless1 the student will find that he will be able to grasp them--if only he has enough patience and perseverance4 ,no one can explore higher worlds1 or make his own observations therein1 without having been trained4 ,but it is quite possible without training to understand everything which investigators communicate about those regions4 ,should anyone ask1 8,how can ,i accept on trust what the occultist tells me1 being myself as yet unable to see it80--such an objection would be groundless1 for it is perfectly possible to arrive through mere reflective thinking at the sure conviction that the matters thus communicated are true4 ,if a man is unable1 through reflecting1 to arrive at such a conviction1 the reason is not that he cannot possibly 8believe0 something he cannot see1 but simply because he has not as yet applied his powers of reflective thinking in a sufficiently unbiased1 comprehensive and profound manner4 ,in order to be clear on this point1 it must be borne in mind that human thought1 if it arouses itself to energetic activity1 can understand more than it usually imagines possible4 ,for in thought there is an inner essence which is in connection with the supersensible world4 ,the soul is not usually conscious of this connection1 because it is wont to train its faculty of thought only through the world of sense4 ,on this account it thinks incomprehensible what is imparted to it from the supersensible world4 ,what is thus communicated is1 however1 not only intelligible to thought which has been spiritually trained1 but to any thinking which is fully conscious of its power and is willing to make use of it4 ,by the persevering assimilation of what occult teachers are able to impart to us we habituate ourselves to a line of thought that is not derived from sense-observation1 and we learn to recognize how1 within the soul1 one thought is allied to another1 and how one thought calls forth another1 even when the connection of ideas is not occasioned by any power of sense-observation4 ,the essential point is that by this method we become aware of the fact that the world of thought possesses an inner life1 and that while we are engaged in thought we are1 indeed1 in the realm of a supersensible living power4 ,thus we may say to ourselves3 8,there is something within me that develops an organism of thought2 nevertheless1 ,i am one with this something40 ,and thus in yielding to this sense-free thinking1 we experience something like a being1 which flows into our inner life1 just as the qualities of the things of the senses flow into us through our physical organs when used for sense-observation4 8,out there in space10 says the observer of the sense-world1 8is a rose3 it is not unfamiliar to me1 for both scent and colour proclaim its presence40 ,and in like manner1 when sense-free thought is working within us1 we need only be sufficiently unbiased in order to be able to say3 8,something real proclaims its presence to me1 linking thought to thought and constituting a thought-organism0--only there is a difference to be noted between the communication coming to the observer from the outer world of the senses1 and that which actually reaches the sense-free thinker4 ,the former feels that he is standing without--in front of the rose--whereas he who has given himself up to thinking which is untrammelled by the senses will feel within himself whatever thus proclaims its presence to him2 he will feel himself one with it4 ,those who1 more or less1 unconsciously consider as beings only that which they can perceive as external objects1 will1 it is true1 be unable to entertain the feeling that whatever has the nature of a being1 can also manifest itself within man by his becoming one with it4 ,in order to judge correctly one must be able to have the following inner experiences3 one must learn to distinguish between the thought combinations created through one's own volition1 and those experienced without any voluntary exercise of the will4 ,in the latter case1 we may then say3 ,i remain quite still within myself2 ,i produce no trains of thought2 ,i yield to that which 8thinks within me40 ,then we are fully justified in saying3 ,within me a being is acting1 just as we are justified in saying that the rose acts upon us when we see a certain red1 when we perceive a certain odor4 ,nor is there any contradiction in having derived the contents of our ideas from communications made by the occult seer4 ,the ideas are1 it is true already there when we devote ourselves to them2 yet they cannot be 8thought01 without in each case being created anew within the soul4 ,the important point is that the occult teacher seeks to awaken in his hearers and readers the kind of thoughts which they must first call forth from within themselves1 whereas he who describes some physical object indicates something that the listener or reader may observe within the sense-world4 7,the path which leads to sense-free thinking by means of the communications made by occult science is thoroughly safe4 ,but there is also another method even safer and above all things more exact1 yet for this very reason more difficult for the majority4 ,this method is set forth in my two books1 8,goethe's ,conception of the ,world0 and 8,the ,philosophy of ,spiritual ,activity40 ,these writings set forth what human thought can achieve for itself1 if the thinking is not under the influence of the physical sense impressions but relies merely upon itself4 ,then pure thinking works within man like a living being4 ,at the same time nothing in the above-mentioned writings is derived from communications due to occult science itself1 and yet it is shown that pure1 self-reliant thinking can obtain information about the world1 life and man4 ,these writings therefore occupy a very important intermediate position between the actual cognition of the sense-world and that of the spiritual world4 ,they present that which thinking can gain when it raises itself above sense-observation and yet does not enter into occult research4 ,anyone who allows these books to work upon his whole soul1 already stands within the spiritual world1 but it appears to him as a world of thought4 ,those who are in a position to allow this intermediate condition to act upon them1 will be following a safe and sane path and can thus win for themselves a feeling concerning the higher worlds1 which will for all future time ensure for them most abundant results47 ,the object of meditating upon the above described symbolical concepts and feelings is1 strictly speaking1 the development of the higher organs of cognition within man's astral body4 ,they are in the first place created from the substance of the astral body4 ,these new organs of observation establish a connection with a new world wherein man learns to know himself as a new ego4 ,these new organs of perception are first of all to be distinguished from those of the physical sense-world by being active organs4 ,whereas the eye and ear are passive1 allowing light and sound to work upon them1 it may be said of these perceptive organs of the soul and spirit that1 while functioning they are in a perpetual state of activity1 and that they seize hold of their objects and facts1 as it were1 in full consciousness4 ,this gives rise to the feeling that psycho-spiritual cognition is a union with1--a 8dwelling within10--the corresponding facts4 ,these separately evolving psycho-spiritual organs may be compared to 8lotus flowers0 corresponding to the appearance which they present to the clairvoyant consciousness1 as they are formed from the substance of the astral body47#bi7 ,very definite kinds of meditation act upon the astral body in such manner that certain psycho-spiritual organs1 the so-called 8lotus flowers10 are developed4 ,any proper meditation undertaken with the view of attaining to imaginative cognition has its effect upon one or another of these organs47#cj7 ,a regular course of training arranges and orders the separate exercises to be practised by the occult student1 so that these organs may either simultaneously or consecutively attain their suitable development1 and on this process the student will have to bring much patience and perseverance to bear4 ,those1 indeed1 who are possessed of no more than the average amount of patience with which man1 under ordinary conditions of life is endowed1 will not reach very far4 ,for it takes a long--often a very long time indeed--before these organs have reached a point at which the occult student is able to use them for observing things in the higher worlds4 ,at this point comes what is known as 8illumination10 in contradistinction to the 8preparation10 or 8purification10 which consists in the practices undertaken for the formation of these organs4 7,the term 8purification0 is used because in order to reach certain phases of inner life1 the pupil cleanses himself through the corresponding exercises1 of that which belongs to the world of sense observation47 ,it is1 however1 quite possible that before actual illumination1 the student may get repeated 8flashes of light0 from a higher world4 ,these he should receive gratefully4 ,even these can make him a witness of the spiritual realms4 ,yet he must not falter should this never be vouchsafed him during his entire period of preparation1 and should its consequent duration seem all too long to him4 ,indeed1 those who yield to impatience 8because they can as yet see nothing10 have not yet acquired the right attitude toward the higher worlds4 ,those alone will be in a position to grasp this who can view the exercises they undertake as an object in themselves4 ,for this practice is in truth a working on something psycho-spiritual1 namely1 on their own astral body2 even though they do not 8see10 they can 8feel0 that they are working on the psycho-spiritual plane4 ,only when we have a preconceived idea of what we 8wish to see10 are we unable to experience this feeling4 ,in that case we may consider as nothing what is1 in reality1 of immeasurable importance4 ,but one should observe minutely everything which one experiences while practicing1--experiences which are so fundamentally different from those of the sense-world4 ,we shall then become aware that we cannot work upon our astral body as though it were some indifferent substance2 but that in it there lives a totally different world of which the life of our senses does not inform us4 ,higher entities act upon the astral body in the same way in which the world of the physical senses acts upon the physical body1 and we 8come upon0 that higher life in our own astral body1 provided only we do not shut ourselves out from it4 ,if we are perpetually saying3 8,i am aware of nothing10 then it is generally the case that we imagined that these experiences should appear thus and so2 and because we do not see what we imagined we should see1 we say1 8,i can see nothing40 ,however1 he who is able to acquire the right attitude of mind with regard to his practice during training1 will find more and more that he has something which he loves for its own sake and which1 as an immeasurably important vital function1 he can no longer do without4 ,he will then know that through these very practices he is standing in the psycho-spiritual world and will await with patience and resignation what may further transpire4 ,this attitude of mind of the student may best be expressed in such words as these3 8,i will do all the exercises which have been assigned to me2 for ,i know that in the fullness of time as much will come to me as ,i should receive2 ,i do not ask for it impatiently1 but ,i prepare myself to receive it40 ,on the other hand one should not raise the objection3 ,the occult student1 then1 is expected perhaps for a long time to feel around in the dark1 because he cannot know that he is on the right path with his exercises1 before he obtains results4 ,it is not true1 however1 that he must wait until the results prove to him the correctness of the exercises4 ,if the attitude of the student is right1 then the satisfaction which he experiences in the practice of these exercises1 in itself carries the conviction that he is doing the right thing1 and he does not need to wait for results to prove it4 ,the correct practice of exercises in occult training brings with it a satisfaction that is not merely satisfaction1 but conviction--the conviction that ,i am doing something which shows me that it is leading me forward in the right direction4 ,every occult student may have this conviction at any moment if he pays careful attention to his experiences4 ,should he not exercise such attention1 he will simply pass by these experiences just as a wayfarer in profound thought does not notice the trees alongside of the road1 though he would surely see them if he would but direct his attention to them4 ,it is by no means desirable that results1 other than those which are always due to such practice1 should in any way be hastened4 ,for such results might easily be only an infinitesimal part of what should really take place4 ,indeed1 in the matter of occult development1 partial results are1 more often than not1 the cause of considerable delay in complete development4 ,contact with such forms of spiritual life corresponding to partial development1 tends to dull the perceptive faculties to the influences of those powers which would lead on to higher stages of development2 while the benefit derived from such a 8glimpse0 of the spiritual world1 is after all only a seeming one1 because this glimpse cannot divulge the truth1 but only deceptive illusions4 ,the psycho-spiritual organs1 the 8lotus flowers10 shape themselves in such a manner that to clairvoyant consciousness they appear in the vicinity of particular physical organs of the body of the person undergoing training4 ,from among these psycho-spiritual organs the following should be enumerated3 that which is to be perceived between the eye-brows is the so-called two-petalled lotus flower2 that in the region of the larynx is the sixteen-petalled lotus2 in the region of the heart is to be found the twelve-petalled lotus flower and the fourth is near the navel4 ,others appear in close conjunction with other parts of the physical body47#ca7 ,the lotus flowers are formed in the astral body1 and by the time one or the other has developed1 we become conscious of them4 ,we then feel that we can make use of them1 and that by doing so we really enter a higher world4 ,the impressions received of that world still resemble in many respects those of the physical senses2 and one with imaginative cognition will be able to designate the new higher world as impressions of heat or cold1 perceptions of sound or words1 effects of light or color--because it is in this way that he perceives them4 ,he is1 however1 conscious of the fact that these perceptions express something different in the imaginative world from what they do in the actual sense-world2 and he recognizes that behind them lie causes which are not physical1 but psycho-spiritual ones4 ,should he receive an impression of heat he will not1 for instance1 attribute this to a piece of hot iron1 but will regard it as the emanation of some soul-process1 which he has hitherto experienced only with his soul's inner life4 ,he knows that behind imaginative experiences exist psycho-spiritual things and processes just as behind physical perceptions we have physical entities and material facts4 ,and yet this similarity1 apparent between the world of imagination and the physical world1 is modified by one important difference4 ,there is something present in the physical world which1 when met in the imaginative world1 bears quite another appearance4 ,in the former we are aware of a perpetual ebb and flow1 an alternation between birth and death4 ,but in the imaginative world there appears1 in place of this phenomenon1 a continual metamorphosis of the one into the other4 ,in the physical world we see1 for instance1 how a plant fades away1 but in the imaginative world there emerges1 in proportion as the plant fades1 another form1 not physically discernible1 into which the withering plant is gradually transformed4 ,when once the plant has faded away completely1 this form will have become fully developed in its place4 ,birth and death are conceptions which lose their value in the imaginative world1 making way for a comprehension of the transmutation of the one into the other4 ,this being the case1 those truths concerning which we have already made certain communications in an earlier chapter of this book 7see ,chapter ,,ii1 8,the ,nature of ,man07 become accessible to the imaginative perception4 ,physical sense-perception is able to perceive only what takes place in the physical body1 processes which are enacted within the 8domain of birth and death40 ,the other principles of man's being1 namely1 the etheric or vital body1 the sentient body1 and the ego1 are subject to the law of transmutation1 and the perception of them is unlocked by imaginative cognition4 ,any one who has advanced this far will observe that that which lives on under other conditions of being after death1 detaches itself from the physical body4 ,but development does not come to a standstill within the imaginative world4 ,anyone who would like to remain stationary in it1 would1 it is true1 be able to note the entities in process of transmutation1 but he would be unable to interpret the meaning of these processes of change4 ,he would not be in a position to find his way about in this newly attained world4 ,for the imaginative world is a realm of unrest--there is naught in it but movement and change2 nowhere are there stationary points4 ,such points of rest are reached only by the person who1 having transcended the stage of imaginative knowledge1 has attained to that grade of development known to occult science as 8understanding through inspiration40 ,it is not necessary for one seeking knowledge of the supersensible world to develop his capacities so that the imaginative cognition should have been acquired in full measure1 before moving on to the stage of 8inspiration40 ,his exercises may1 indeed1 be so regulated that two processes may go on simultaneously1 one leading to imagination and the other to inspiration4 ,the student will then in due time enter a higher world1 in which he not only perceives1 but where he can also find his way about1 as it were1 and which he becomes able to interpret4 ,progress1 as a rule1 consists in the occult student perceiving some apparitions of the imaginative world and becoming conscious1 after a while1 that he is beginning to get his bearings4 ,yet the world of inspiration is something quite new compared with the purely imaginative realm4 ,by means of the latter we learn to know the transformation of one process into another2 while through the former we come to recognize the inner qualities of ever changing beings4 ,imagination shows us the soul-expression of such beings2 through inspiration we penetrate into their spiritual core4 ,above all1 we become aware of a multiplicity of spiritual beings and of their relation to one another4 ,in the physical sense-world we have also1 of course1 to do with a multiplicity of different beings1 yet in the world of inspiration this multiplicity is of a different character4 ,in that world each being sustains quite definite relations to all the other beings1 not1 however1 as in the physical world through outer influence upon them1 but through their essential inner nature4 ,when we become aware of a being in the world of inspiration1 no external impression made upon another is apparent1 such as might be compared with the influence of one physical being upon another2 a relation nevertheless exists which is purely the result of the inner constitution of the two beings4 ,this relationship may be compared with that in which the separate sounds or letters of a word stand to one another in the physical world4 ,if we take the word 8man10 the impression made is due to a consonance of the letters1 m-a-n4 ,there is no impact nor other outer influence passing from the 8m0 to the 8a10 but both letters sound together within 8a whole10 owing to their very nature4 ,this is why observations made in the world of inspirations can only be compared to reading and the observer sees the beings of this world like written characters which he must learn and whose inner relations must reveal themselves to him like a supersensible writing4 ,therefore occult science can call cognition through inspiration1 figuratively1 the 8reading of the secret script40 ,how one may read by this 8secret script0 and how one can communicate what has thus been read will now be made clear by reference to previous chapters in this book4 ,man's being was first described as composed of different principles4 ,it was then further shown how the cosmos in which man is developing1 passes through various conditions2 those of ,saturn1 ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,earth4 ,the perception by means of which we are able on the one hand to discern the principles of the human being1 and1 on the other1 the successive states of the ,earth and its previous transformations1 is revealed to the imaginative cognition4 ,but it is now further necessary that the relations existing between the ,saturn state and man's physical body2 between the ,sun state and the etheric body1 etc41 be understood4 ,it must be shown that even during the ,saturn state the germ of man's physical body came into existence1 and that it has then further developed to its present form during the ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,earth periods4 ,it had to be shown for example1 what changes took place in the human being owing to the separation of the sun from the earth1 and also that something similar again took place in connection with the moon4 ,we had1 moreover1 to make plain what contributed to the bringing about of such changes in mankind as those which took place in the ,atlantean era1 how they were manifested in the successive ,indian1 ancient ,persian1 ,egyptian1 and other periods4 ,the description of this sequence of events is not the result of imaginative perception1 but of inspirational cognition derived from the reading of the secret script4 ,for such reading1 the imaginative perceptions are like letters1 or sounds1 although such reading is not alone necessary for interpretations like the above4 ,it would be impossible to comprehend the whole life-process of man by means of imaginative cognition alone4 ,one might possibly be in a position to note how1 in the process of dying1 the psycho-spiritual principles detach themselves from what remains in the physical world1 but it would be impossible to understand the connection between what happens to man after death and the preceding and following stages1 were we unable to find our way through the facts obtained by imaginative cognition4 ,without inspirational knowledge the entire imaginative world would remain mere writing1 at which we gaze but which we are unable to read4 ,as the student proceeds from imagination to inspiration he will soon see how wrong it would be to neglect this understanding of the facts of the universe and limit himself only to those facts which1 so to speak1 touch his close personal interests4 ,indeed1 those who are not initiated into these matters may be inclined to say3 8,the only thing that seems of any importance to me is that ,i should ascertain the fate of the human soul after death4 ,if anyone can give me information upon that subject1 it will suffice2 but of what use is it for occult science to present to me such remote subjects as the ,saturn and ,sun states1 or the separation of the moon and the sun1 etc480 ,those1 however1 who have been properly instructed in these things will recognize that a true understanding of what they desire to learn could not be obtained without knowledge of these matters1 which appear so unnecessary to them4 ,a delineation of man's states after death would remain utterly incomprehensible and valueless to one who is unable to connect it with ideas derived from those very far-off events4 ,even the most elementary observations of a clairvoyant necessitate his acquaintance with such things4 ,when1 for example1 a plant passes from the blossom to a state of fruition1 the clairvoyant observes a change in the astral being1 which1 while the plant is in blossom1 has covered and surrounded the blossoming plant from above like a cloud4 ,had fructification not taken place1 this astral being would have been changed into quite a different form from the one it now assumes in consequence of this fertilization4 ,now we understand the entire process thus clairvoyantly observed1 if we have learned to comprehend our own nature through a knowledge of that great cosmic process1 in which the earth and all its inhabitants were involved at the time of the separation from the sun4 ,before fertilization1 the plant is in the same condition as was the whole earth before the sun separated from it4 ,after the fertilization of the blossom1 however1 the condition of the plant is that of the earth after the separation of the ,sun had taken place1 while the moon-forces were still active in it4 ,those who have thoroughly assimilated the idea to be gained by a comprehension of this separation of the sun1 will now be able to interpret correctly the significance of the process of plant fertilization1 when it is said that 8the plant previous to fructification is in a #8sun state1' and afterward in the #8moon state4' 0 ,indeed1 it may be said of even the smallest occurrence in the world that it can be fully understood only when the reflection of great cosmic events is recognized in it4 ,otherwise its inner nature remains just as unintelligible as ,raphael's ,sistine ,madonna would be for one who could see only a small blue speck1 while the rest of it remained covered4 ,everything that happens to man is a reflection of all those great cosmic events that have to do with his existence4 ,those who wish to understand the observations made by clairvoyant consciousness of the phenomena taking place between birth and death1 and again between death and a new birth1 will be able to do so if they first acquire the faculty of interpreting imaginative observations by means of conceptions gained by reflecting upon great cosmic events4 ,these contemplations1 indeed1 furnish the key to a comprehension of human life4 ,therefore the study of ,saturn1 ,sun1 and ,moon are1 from the standpoint of occult science1 at the same time a study of man4 ,through inspiration one arrives at a knowledge of the relationships between the beings of the higher world1 and a further stage of cognition makes it then possible to recognize the inner essential nature of these beings themselves4 ,this stage of cognition is known to occult science as that of intuitive cognition47#cb7 ,cognition of a sense-being implies standing outside of it1 and judging it according to outer impressions4 ,intuitive cognition of a spiritual being implies being at one with it2 uniting oneself with the inner nature of that being4 ,step by step1 the occult student ascends toward such cognition4 ,imagination leads him no longer to consider phenomena as the external qualities of beings1 but to recognize them as psycho-spiritual emanations2 inspiration leads him further into the inner nature of these beings4 ,here we can again illustrate by means of the foregoing chapters what is the meaning of intuition4 ,in those earlier chapters it has not only been stated how the progress of the ,saturn1 ,sun and ,moon evolutions proceeded2 but also that beings took part1 in widely different ways1 in that progress1 and mention was made of the ,thrones or ,spirits of ,will1 the ,spirits of ,wisdom1 the ,spirits of ,motion1 and so on4 ,in connection with the earth's development1 reference was made to the ,luciferian spirits and spirits of ,ahriman4 ,the structure of the world was traced back to those beings who took part in it4 ,all knowledge pertaining to these beings is derived from intuitive cognition1 which is also necessary1 if we wish to understand man's life4 ,that which is released from the human physical body at death passes on through various states in the future4 ,the more immediate conditions after death might1 to some extent1 be described by referring to imaginative cognition1 but that which takes place when man has proceeded farther into that time lying between death and a new birth would be entirely incomprehensible to the imagination1 did not inspiration come to its aid4 ,for inspiration alone can disclose what can be revealed about man's life after its purification in the 8land of spirits40 ,we come to a point where inspiration is no longer adequate--where it reaches the limit of its possibilities4 ,for there is a period in human development1 between death and a new birth1 in which the human being is accessible only to intuition4 ,yet this part of the human being is always within man1 and if we wish to understand it in its true inner nature we must also seek it1 between birth and death1 by means of intuition4 ,anyone attempting to fathom man by means of imagination and inspiration alone would miss the very innermost being1 that which continues from incarnation to incarnation4 ,it is therefore by intuitive cognition alone that adequate research concerning reincarnation and ,karma becomes possible1 and all genuine knowledge of these processes is derived from research undertaken by means of intuition4 ,if a man wishes to know his own inner self1 he can only do so by intuition2 by its aid he becomes aware of what it is that moves onward within him from incarnation to incarnation2 and should it fall to anyone's lot to know something about his earlier incarnations1 this can only take place through intuitive cognition4 ,cognition through inspiration and intuition is attainable only by means of psycho-spiritual exercises1 and they resemble those meditations practiced for the attainment of imagination which have already been described4 ,while1 however1 in exercises for the development of the imagination1 a connection is set up with impressions belonging to the world of the physical senses1 such connections gradually cease in the case of exercises for inspiration4 ,in order to understand more clearly what must be done1 let us recall once more the symbol of the 8rosy cross40 ,when we meditate on this we have before us a picture1 of which the component parts have been taken from the world of the senses3 there is the black colour of the cross1 the roses1 etc41 and yet the combination of those various parts into the 8rosy cross0 is not derived from the world of the senses4 ,if the student now endeavours to banish from his consciousness both the black cross and the red roses1 as pictures of sense-realities1 only retaining in his soul that spiritual activity which has been used in putting these parts together1 he will then have a means for a meditation that will gradually lead him on to inspiration4 ,he should put the question to himself somewhat in the following manner3 8,what have ,i done inwardly to construct that symbol from cross and rose8 ,what ,i did 7an act of my own soul71 ,i will retain within my hold2 but the picture itself ,i will allow to fade away out of my consciousness4 ,i shall then be able to feel within me all that my soul did in order to produce the picture1 though ,i no longer recall the picture itself4 ,i will now live wholly within my own activity that created the picture4 ,i will not meditate upon a picture1 but upon the powers of my own soul which are capable of creating pictures40 ,such meditations must now be practised with various other symbols4 ,this leads then to cognition through inspiration4 ,here is another example1 that of meditating upon the growth and subsequent withering of a plant4 ,let the picture of a slowly growing plant arise in the soul1 as it sprouts from the seed1 unfolds leaf after leaf1 then blossoms and fruits2 then again as it begins to wither on to its complete dissolution4 ,by the help of meditations on such a symbol as this1 the student gradually attains a feeling concerning growth and decay of which the plant is but a symbol4 ,if the exercises be persevered in continuously1 the image of the transformation which underlies physical growth and decay can be evolved from this feeling4 ,but if one wishes to attain the corresponding stage of inspiration1 this exercise must be practised quite differently4 ,here one's own activity of soul must be called to mind1--that which had obtained the conception of growth and decay from the image of the plant4 ,the plant must now be allowed to vanish altogether from the consciousness1 and the attention be concentrated entirely upon the student's own inner activity4 ,it is only such exercises as these that help us to rise to inspiration4 ,at first the occult student will find it difficult to fully grasp how to set about such an exercise4 ,this is because man is used to permitting his inner life to be governed by outward impressions1 and thus falls immediately into uncertainty and wavering when now he must unfold in addition a soul life which has freed itself from all connections with outward impressions4 ,here the student must clearly understand that he should only undertake these exercises if along with them he cultivates everything that may lead to firmness and stability in his judgment1 emotional life1 and character2 these precautions are even more necessary than when seeking to acquire the faculty of imagination4 ,should he take these precautions1 he will be doubly successful1 for1 in the first place1 he will not risk losing the balance of his personality through the exercises2 and secondly1 he will acquire the capacity of being really able to carry out what is demanded in these exercises4 ,they will be deemed difficult only as long as one has not yet attained a particular attitude of soul1 and certain feelings and sentiments4 ,he who patiently and perseveringly cultivates within his soul such qualities as are favourable to the growth of supersensible cognition1 will not be long in acquiring both the understanding and the faculty for these practices4 ,any one who can acquire the habit of frequently entering into the quiet of his own soul1 and who1 instead of brooding over himself1 transforms and orders those experiences he has had in life1 will gain much4 ,for he will perceive that his thoughts and feelings become richer1 if through memory he establishes a relationship between the different experiences of life4 ,he will become aware that he gains stores of new knowledge not only through new impressions and new experiences1 but also by letting the old ones be active within him4 ,he who allows his experiences and his opinions free play1 keeping himself with his sympathies and antipathies1 personal interests and feelings entirely in the background1 will prepare an especially fertile soil for supersensible cognition4 ,he will in very truth be developing what may be called a rich inner life4 ,but what is of primary importance is the balance and equilibrium of the qualities of the soul4 ,people are very apt to become one-sided when indulging in certain activities of the soul4 ,thus1 when a person has come to know the advantages of contemplation1 and of dwelling upon pictures derived from his own thought-world1 he is apt to develop a tendency to withdraw himself from the impressions of the outer world4 ,yet such a step only leads to parching and withering the inner life2 and he will go farthest who manages to retain an unchecked receptivity for all impressions of the outer world1 while possessing the power to withdraw within his own inner self4 ,it is by no means necessary to think only of the so-called important events of life3 every one1 in every sphere of life1 be his four walls ever so humble1 will be possessed of experience enough1 provided only his mind is truly receptive4 ,experiences need not be sought--they abound on every hand4 ,of particular importance is the way in which experience may be utilized by the human soul4 ,for instance1 one may make the discovery that someone whom he or another greatly reveres1 has some quality that must be regarded as a flaw in his character4 ,an experience of this kind may lead the person to whom it comes to thoughts which will tend toward one of two different directions4 ,he may simply feel that he can never again regard the person in question with the same degree of veneration2 or on the other hand1 he may say to himself3 8,how has it been possible for this revered person to be burdened with such a failing8 ,how can ,i present the matter to my mind so as to see in this failing not merely a fault1 but something that is the outcome of his life1 possibly even caused by his noble qualities80 ,whoever can place the question thus before his own mind may1 perhaps1 arrive at the conclusion that his veneration for his friend need not suffer the least diminution1 in spite of the failing that has come to light4 ,experiences of this nature will1 each time they are met with1 add something to our understanding of life4 ,yet it would certainly be a bad thing for one to allow himself to be tempted through this generous view of life1 to excuse everything in those whom he happens to like1 or to drop into the habit of ignoring every blamable action1 in order thereby to seek some benefit to his own inner development4 ,blaming or excusing the mistakes of others merely as a result of an inner impulse1 does not further our development4 ,this can only happen if our action is governed by the particular case itself1 regardless of what we may thereby gain or lose4 ,it is absolutely true that we cannot learn by condemning a fault1 but only by understanding it2 but1 at the same time1 if1 owing to understanding it1 we exclude all disapproval of it1 we likewise would not progress very far4 ,here1 again1 the important thing is to avoid one-sidedness1 either in one direction or the other1 and to establish harmony and balance of all qualities in the soul2 and this is especially to be kept in mind in regard to one quality which is pre-eminently important to man's development3 the feeling of devotion4 ,those who can cultivate this feeling1 or on whom nature herself has bestowed so inestimable a gift1 have a good foundation for the powers of supersensible cognition4 ,those who in childhood and youth have been able to look up to certain persons with feelings of devoted admiration1 beholding in them some high ideal1 will already possess in the depths of their souls the soil in which supersensible cognition may flourish abundantly4 ,and those who1 possessed of the maturer judgment of later life1 can direct their gaze upon the starry heavens and surrender themselves unreservedly to admiration of the revelations of the ,higher ,powers1 are in a like manner ripening their senses for the acquisition of knowledge with regard to the supersensible worlds4 ,so is it also with those who can admire the powers ruling over human life itself4 ,it is by no means of small importance for a fully matured man to be able to feel veneration to the highest degree for other people whose worth he senses or recognizes4 ,for it is only where veneration such as this is present that a vista of the higher worlds can be revealed4 ,those who possess no sense of reverence will never go very far in their attainment of cognition2 for from those who decline to appreciate anything in this world1 the essence of all things will assuredly be withheld4 ,nevertheless1 any one who permits his feelings of reverence and devotion to kill his healthy self-consciousness and self-confidence1 is guilty of sinning against the laws of balance and equilibrium4 ,the occult student must work constantly in order to mature his own nature2 then indeed he may well have confidence in his own personality1 and believe that its powers are increasing more and more4 ,any one arriving at the right feeling in this respect will say to himself3 8,there are within me hidden powers1 and ,i am able to call them forth from within4 ,if1 therefore1 ,i see something which fills me with reverence because it is above me1 ,i need no longer merely venerate it1 but ,i may confidently assume that1 if ,i develop all that is in me1 ,i may raise myself to the level of the object of my veneration40 ,the more capable a man is of fixing his attention upon these events of life with which he is not directly familiar1 the greater will be the possibility of providing himself with a foundation for development in higher worlds4 ,the following example will make this evident4 ,let us assume that some one is placed in a position in which it rests with him either to do1 or leave undone1 a certain thing4 ,his judgment bids him 8,do this10 while at the same time there may be a certain indefinite something in his feelings which deters him from the deed4 ,it may so happen that the person in question will pay no heed to this inexplicable something1 carrying out the action in accordance with his judgment4 ,but it may also be that the person so placed will yield to this inner impulse and not perform the act4 ,now1 pursuing the matter further1 he may find that mischief would have resulted from his following the dictates of his reason1 and that a blessing awaited him through the omission of the act4 ,an experience of this nature may lead a man's thoughts into quite a definite channel1 and then he will put the matter to himself in this way3 8,there is something within me that is a surer guide than that measure of judgment of which ,i am at present possessed3 ,i must therefore retain an open mind toward this inner something1 to the height of which my own capacity for judgment has not yet attained40 ,the soul derives much benefit when it directs its attention to occurrences in life such as these1 for they demonstrate that man's healthy premonitions bear something in them which is of greater moment than he1 with his present degree of judgment1 is able to perceive4 ,attention in this direction has the effect of enlarging the life of the soul4 ,yet here again certain peculiarities may arise which are of themselves dangerous4 ,one who accustoms himself to a perpetual disregarding of his judgment1 owing to this or that 8premonition10 would easily become a shuttle-cock tossed at the mercy of every kind of undefined impulse2 indeed1 it is not a far cry from such habitual indecision to a state of absolute superstition4 ,every superstition is disastrous to the student of occult science4 ,the possibility of gaining admission1 by legitimate means1 to the realms of the spiritual life must depend upon a careful exclusion of all superstition1 phantasy1 and dreaming4 ,one who is pleased at having had a certain experience which cannot be grasped by human reason will not approach the spiritual world in the right manner4 ,no partiality for the 8inexplicable0 will ever make one qualified for discipleship of the ,spirit4 ,indeed the pupil should utterly discard the notion that a true mystic is one who is always ready to surmise the presence of what cannot be explained or explored4 ,the right way is to be prepared to recognize on all hands hidden forces and hidden beings1 yet at the same time to assume that what is 8unexplored0 today will be able to be explored when the requisite ability has been developed4 ,there is a certain mood of soul which it is important for the pupil to maintain at every stage of his development4 ,he should not let his urge for higher knowledge lead him to keep on aiming to get answers to particular questions4 ,rather should he continually be asking3 ,how am ,i to develop the needed faculties within myself8 ,for when by dint of patient inner work some faculty develops in him1 he will receive the answer to some of his questions4 ,genuine pupils of the ,spirit will always take pains to cultivate this attitude of soul4 ,they will thereby be encouraged to work upon themselves1 that they may become ever more and more mature in spirit1 and they will abjure the desire to extort answers to particular questions4 ,they will wait until such time as the answers come4 ,here again1 however1 there is the possibility of a one-sidedness1 which may prevent the pupil from going forward in the way he should4 ,for at some moment he may quite rightly feel that according to the measure of his powers he can answer for himself even questions of the highest order4 ,thus at every turn moderation and balance play an essential part in the life of the soul4 ,many more qualities of soul could be cited that may with advantage be fostered and developed1 if the pupil is seriously wanting to work through a training for ,inspiration2 and in connection with every one of them we should find that emphasis is laid on the supreme importance of moderation and balance4 ,these attributes of soul help the pupil to understand the exercises that are given for the attainment of ,inspiration1 and also make him capable of carrying them out4 ,the exercises for ,intuition demand from the pupil that he let disappear from consciousness not only the pictures to which he gave himself up in contemplation in order to arrive at ,imaginative cognition1 but also that meditating upon his own activity of soul1 which he practiced for the attainment of ,inspiration4 ,this means that he is now to have in his soul literally nothing of what he has experienced hitherto1 whether outwardly or inwardly4 ,if1 after discarding all outward and inward experience1 nothing whatever is left in his consciousness that is to say1 if consciousness simply slips away from him and he sinks into unconsciousness then that will tell him that he is not yet ripe to undertake the exercises for ,intuition and must continue working with those for ,imagination and ,inspiration4 ,a time will come however when an effect will linger in the consciousness which can just as well be made the object of meditation1 as were before those outer and inner impressions4 ,this something is1 however1 of a very special nature1 and in comparison with all previous experiences1 it is something absolutely new4 ,when it occurs1 we recognize it as something we have never known before4 ,it is a perception1 just as an actual sound is a perception1 that strikes upon the ear2 yet it can enter the consciousness only through intuition1 just as the sound can only enter the consciousness by way of the ear4 ,thus with intuition1 the last remnants of the physical and sentient are stripped from man's impressions1 while the spiritual world begins to expand before the understanding in a form that has nothing in common with the characteristics of the world of the physical senses4 ,imaginative cognition is attained by developing the lotus flowers within the astral body4 ,through those exercises undertaken for the attainment of inspiration and intuition1 particular movements1 formations and currents which were previously absent1 now appear in the human etheric or vital body4 ,these are the very organs which enable man to 8read the secret script10 and bring that which lies beyond it within his reach4 ,for to the clairvoyant1 the changes which occur in the etheric body of a person attaining to inspiration and intuition appear in the following manner4 ,near the physical heart a new center is forming in the etheric body1 which develops into an etheric organ4 ,from this organ1 movements and currents flow toward different parts of the human body1 in the most varied manner4 ,the most important of these currents approach the lotus flowers1 pass through them and their separate petals1 and thence direct their course outward1 pouring themselves into outer space in the form of rays4 ,the more developed a person is1 the greater will be the circumference around him in which these rays become discernible4 ,this centre near the heart is not1 however1 formed at the very beginning1 under correct training4 ,it is first prepared4 ,a temporary center is first formed in the head3 this then moves down to the region of the larynx and is finally transferred into the region of the heart4 ,under an irregular course of development it would be possible for the organ in question to develop near the heart at the outset4 ,in that case the student1 instead of arriving in due course at adequate1 tranquil clairvoyance by regular means1 would run the risk of turning into a visionary and dreamer4 ,subsequent development enables the occult student to render these currents and organized parts of this etheric body independent of his physical body and to use them independently4 ,the lotus flowers then serve him as instruments by which to move his etheric body4 ,yet1 before this can take place1 certain currents and radiations must come into action around his entire etheric body1 surrounding this1 as it were1 with a fine network1 thus encasing it as though it were a separate entity4 ,when this has taken place1 the movements and currents of the etheric body can without hindrance touch the outer psycho-spiritual world and unite with it so that outer psycho-spiritual occurrences and inner ones 7those within the human etheric body7 blend into one another4 ,when this comes to pass1 the moment has arrived when man can consciously experience the world of inspiration4 ,this cognition takes place in a manner different from cognition of the physical sense-world4 ,in this latter1 we become aware of the world by means of our senses and form our ideas and concepts from these perceptions4 ,but in the case of cognition through inspiration1 this is not so4 ,what is thus perceived is instantaneous2 there is no thinking after the perception has taken place4 ,that which in the case of physical sense-cognition is only afterward gained through the concept1 is1 in the case of inspiration1 simultaneous with the perception4 ,one would therefore become merged with the surrounding psycho-spiritual world1 and be unable to differentiate oneself from it had not the fine network above alluded to been previously formed in the etheric body4 ,when exercises for intuition are practiced1 they not only affect the etheric body but extend their influence to the supersensible forces of the physical body4 ,but it must not1 of course1 be imagined that effects are brought about in the physical body which are discernible to ordinary sense-observation1 for these effects the clairvoyant alone is able to judge1 and they have nothing to do with external powers of perception4 ,they come as the result of a ripened consciousness1 when this latter is able to have intuitional experiences1 even though it has divested itself of all previous inner and outer experiences4 ,the experiences of intuition are1 however1 subtle1 delicate and intimate1 in comparison with which the physical body1 at its present stage of development1 is coarse4 ,for this reason1 it offers a positive hindrance to the success of any exercises for attaining intuition4 ,nevertheless1 should these be pursued with energy and perseverance1 and with the requisite inner calm1 they will ultimately overcome those powerful hindrances of the physical body4 ,the occult student will become aware of this when he notices how1 by degrees1 particular actions of his physical body which hitherto had taken place without his own volition1 now come under his control4 ,he will also become aware that for a brief time he will feel the need1 for instance1 of so regulating his breathing 7or some similar act7 as to bring it into a kind of harmonious accord with whatever is being enacted within his soul1 be it exercises or other forms of inner concentration4 ,the ideal development would be that no exercises should be done by means of the physical body but that everything which has to take place within it should result only as a consequence of exercises for intuition4 ,as1 however1 the physical body offers such powerful impediments1 the training may permit of some alleviations4 ,these consist in exercises which affect the physical body2 yet everything in this domain that has not been directly imparted by the teacher1 or those having knowledge and experience of these things1 is fraught with danger4 ,such exercises1 for instance1 include a certain regulated process of breathing to be carried out for a very short space of time4 ,these regulations of the breathing correspond in quite a definite way to particular laws of the psycho-spiritual world4 ,breathing is a physical process1 and when this act is so carried out as to be the expression of a psycho-spiritual law1 physical existence receives the direct stamp1 as it were1 of spirituality1 and the physical matter is transformed4 ,for this reason occult science is able to call the change due to such direct spiritual influence1 a transmutation of the physical body1 and this process represents what is called 8working with the philosopher's stone0 by him who has a knowledge of these matters4 ,he who knows these things1 frees himself indeed from those concepts which have been limited by superstition1 humbug and charlatanry4 ,the significance of the phenomena does not become less to him who knows1 just because1 as a spiritual investigator1 all superstition is foreign to him4 ,when he has acquired a concept of a significant fact1 he may be allowed to call it by its correct name although that name has been fixed upon it as a result of misunderstanding1 error and nonsense4 ,every true intuition is in fact a 8working with the philosopher's stone10 because each genuine intuition calls directly upon those powers which act from out the supersensible world1 into the world of the senses4 ,as the occult student climbs the path leading to cognition of the higher worlds1 he becomes aware at a particular point that the cohesion of the powers of his own personality is assuming a different form from that which it possesses in the world of the physical senses4 ,in the latter the ego brings about a uniform co-operation of the powers of the soul--primarily of thought1 feeling and will4 ,these three soul powers are actually1 under normal conditions of human life1 in perpetual relation one with another4 ,for instance1 we see a particular object in the external world1 and it is pleasing or is displeasing to the soul2 that is to say1 the perception of the thing will be followed by a sense of either pleasure or displeasure4 ,possibly we may desire the object1 or may have the impulse to alter it in some way or other2 that is to say1 desire and will associate themselves with perception and feeling4 ,now this association is due to the fact that the ego co-ordinates presentment 7thinking71 feeling1 and willing1 and in this way introduces order among the forces of the personality4 ,this healthy arrangement would be interrupted should the ego prove itself powerless in this respect3 if1 for instance1 the will went a different way from the feeling or thinking4 ,no man would be in a healthy condition of mind who1 while thinking this or that to be right1 nevertheless wished to do something which he did not consider right4 ,the same would hold good if a person desired1 not the thing that pleased him1 but that which displeased him4 ,now the person progressing toward higher cognition becomes aware that feeling1 thinking1 and willing do actually assume a certain independence2 that1 for example1 a particular thought no longer urges him1 as though of itself1 to a certain condition of feeling and willing4 ,the matter resolves itself thus3 ,we may comprehend something correctly by means of thinking1 but in order to arrive at a feeling or impulse of the will on the subject1 we need a further independent impetus1 coming from within ourselves4 ,thinking1 feeling and willing no longer remain three forces1 radiating from the ego as their common centre1 but become1 as it were1 independent entities1 just as though they were three separate personalities4 ,for this reason1 therefore1 a person's own ego must be strengthened1 for not only must it introduce order among three powers1 but the leadership and guidance of three entities have devolved upon it4 ,and this is what is known to occult science as the cleavage of the personality4 ,here is once more clearly revealed how important it is to add to the exercises for higher training others for giving fixity and firmness to the judgment1 and to the life of feeling and will4 ,for if certainty and firmness are not brought into the higher world1 it will at once be seen how weak the ego proves to be1 and how it can be no fitting ruler over the powers of thought1 feeling and will4 ,in the presence of this weakness1 the soul would be dragged by three different personalities in as many directions1 and its inner individual separateness would cease4 ,but should the development of the occult student proceed on the right lines1 this multiplication of himself1 so to speak1 will prove to be a real step forward1 and he will nevertheless continue1 as a new ego1 to be the strong ruler over the independent entities which now make up his soul4 ,in the subsequent course of development this division or cleavage is carried further2 thought1 now functioning independently1 arouses the activities of a fourth distinct psycho-spiritual being2 one that may be described as a direct influx into the individual1 of currents which bear a resemblance to thoughts4 ,the entire world then appears as thought-structure1 confronting man just like the plant and animal worlds in the realm of the physical senses4 ,in the same manner feeling and will1 which have become independent1 stimulate two other powers within the soul to work in it as separate entities4 ,and yet a seventh power and entity must be added1 which resembles the ego itself4 ,thus man1 on reaching a particular stage of development1 finds himself to be composed of seven entities1 all of which he has to guide and control4 ,the whole of this experience becomes associated with a further one4 ,before entering the supersensible world1 thinking1 feeling1 and willing were known to man merely as inner soul-experiences4 ,but as soon as he enters the supersensible world he becomes aware of things which do not express physical sense realities1 but psycho-spiritual realities4 ,behind the characteristics of the new world of which he has become aware1 he now perceives spiritual beings4 ,these now present themselves to him as an external world1 just as stones1 plants and animals in the physical sense world1 have impressed his senses4 ,now the occult student is able to observe an important difference between the spiritual world unfolding itself before him and the world he has hitherto been accustomed to recognize by means of his physical senses4 ,a plant of the sense-world remains what it is1 whatever man's soul may think or feel about it4 ,this is not the case1 however1 with the images of the psycho-spiritual world1 for these change according to man's own thoughts and feelings4 ,man stamps upon them an impression which is the result of his own being4 ,let us imagine a particular picture presenting itself to man in the imaginative world4 ,as long as he maintains indifference toward it1 it will continue to show a particular form4 ,as soon1 however1 as he is moved by feelings of like or dislike with regard to it1 its form will change4 ,pictures1 therefore1 at first present not only something independent and external to man1 but they reflect also what man himself is4 ,these pictures are permeated through and through with man's own being4 ,this falls like a veil over the other beings4 ,in this case man1 even if confronted by a real being1 does not see this1 but sees what he himself has created4 ,thus he may have something true before him1 and yet see what is false4 ,indeed1 this is not only the case in respect to what man has observed concerning his own being1 but everything that is in him impresses itself upon the spiritual world4 ,if1 for example1 a person has secret inclinations1 which owing to education and character are precluded from revealing themselves in life1 those inclinations will1 nevertheless1 take effect in the psycho-spiritual world1 which is thus colored in a peculiar way1 due to that person's being1 quite irrespective of how much he may or may not know of his own being4 ,and in order to be able to advance beyond this stage of development1 it becomes necessary that man should learn to distinguish between himself and the spiritual world around him4 ,it is necessary that he should learn to eliminate all the effects produced by his own nature upon the surrounding psycho-spiritual world4 ,this can be done only by acquiring a knowledge of what we ourselves take with us into this new world4 ,it is therefore primarily a question of self-knowledge1 in order that we may become able to perceive clearly the surrounding psycho-spiritual world4 ,it is true that certain facts of human development entail such self-knowledge as must naturally be acquired when one enters higher worlds4 ,in the ordinary world of the physical senses man develops his ego1 his self-consciousness1 and this ego then acts as a point of attraction for all that appertains to man4 ,all personal propensities1 sympathies1 antipathies1 passions1 opinions1 etc41 possessed by a person1 group themselves1 as it were1 around this ego1 and it is this ego likewise to which human ,karma is attached4 ,were we able to see this ego unveiled1 it would also be possible to see just what blows of fate it must yet endure in this and future incarnations1 as a result of its life in previous incarnations and the qualities acquired4 ,encumbered as it is with all this1 the ego must be the first picture that presents itself to the human soul1 when ascending into the psycho-spiritual world4 ,this double of the human being1 in accordance with a law of the spiritual world1 is bound to be his first impression in that world4 ,it is easy to explain this fundamental law to ourselves1 if we consider the following4 ,in the life of the physical senses man is cognizant of himself only so far as he is inwardly conscious of himself in his thinking1 feeling1 and willing4 ,this cognition is an inner one2 it does not present itself to him externally1 as do stones1 plants and animals2 but even through inner experiences1 man learns to know himself only partially1 for he has within him something that prevents deep self-knowledge1 namely1 the impulse to immediately transform this quality1 when through self-cognition he is forced to admit its presence and concerning which he is unwilling to deceive himself4 ,if he did not yield to this impulse1 but simply turned his attention away from himself--remaining as he is--he would naturally deprive himself of even the possibility of knowing himself in regard to that particular matter4 ,yet should he 8explore0 himself1 facing his characteristics without self-deception1 he would either be able to improve them1 or in his present condition of life he would be unable to do so4 ,in the latter case a feeling would steal over his soul which we must designate a feeling of shame4 ,indeed1 this is the way in which man's sound nature acts2 it experiences through self-knowledge various feelings of shame4 ,even in ordinary life this feeling has a certain definite effect4 ,a healthy-minded person will take care that that which fills him with this feeling does not express itself outwardly or manifest itself in deeds4 ,thus the sense of shame is a force urging man to conceal something within himself1 not allowing it to be outwardly apparent4 ,if we consider this well1 we shall find it possible to understand why occult science should ascribe more far-reaching effects to another inner experience of the soul1 very closely allied to this feeling of shame4 ,occult science finds that within the hidden depths of the soul a kind of secret feeling of shame exists1 of which man in his life of the physical senses is unaware4 ,yet this secret feeling acts much in the same way as the conscious feeling of shame of ordinary life to which we have alluded2 it prevents man's inmost being from confronting him in a recognizable image1 or double4 ,were this feeling not present1 man would see himself as he is in very truth2 not only would he experience his thoughts1 ideas1 feelings and decisions inwardly1 but he would perceive these as he now perceives stones1 animals and plants4 ,this feeling1 therefore1 is that which veils man from himself1 and at the same time hides from him the entire spiritual world4 ,for owing to this veiling of man's inner self1 he becomes unable to perceive those things by means of which he is to develop organs for penetrating into the psycho-spiritual world2 he becomes unable to so transform his own being as to render it capable of obtaining spiritual organs of perception4 ,if man aims however to form these organs of perception through correct training1 that which he himself really is appears before him as the first impression4 ,he perceives his double4 ,this self-recognition is inseparable from perception of the rest of the psycho-spiritual world4 ,in the everyday life of the physical world the feeling of shame here described acts in such a manner as to be perpetually closing the door which leads into the psycho-spiritual world4 ,if man would take but a single step in order to penetrate into that world1 this instantly appearing but unconscious feeling of shame1 conceals that portion of the psycho-spiritual world which would reveal itself4 ,the exercises here described do1 however1 unlock this world3 and it so happens that the above-mentioned hidden feeling acts as a great benefactor to man1 for all that we may have gained1 apart from occult training1 in the matter of judgment1 feeling and character1 is insufficient to support us when confronted by our own being in its true form2 its apparition would rob us of all feeling of selfhood1 self-reliance and self-consciousness4 ,and that this may not happen1 provision must be made for cultivating sound judgment1 good feeling and character1 along with the exercises given for the attainment of higher knowledge4 ,a correct method of tuition teaches the student as much of occult science as will1 in combination with the many means provided for self-knowledge and self-observation1 enable him to meet his double with assured strength4 ,it will then appear to the student that he sees1 in another form1 a picture of the imaginative world with which he has already become acquainted in the physical world4 ,anyone who has first learned in the physical world1 by means of his understanding1 to apprehend rightly the law of ,karma1 is not likely to be greatly frightened when he sees his fate traced upon the image of his double4 ,anyone who1 by means of his own powers of judgment1 has made himself acquainted with the evolution of the universe1 and the development of the human race1 and who is aware that at a particular epoch of this development the powers of ,lucifer penetrated into the human soul1 will have little difficulty in enduring the sight of the image of his own individuality when he knows that it includes those ,luciferian powers and all their accumulated effects4 ,this will suffice to show how necessary it is that no one should demand admission into the spiritual world before having learned to understand certain truths concerning it2 learning them by means of his own judgment1 as developed in this world of the physical senses4 ,all that has been said in this book previous to the chapter concerning 8,perception of the higher worlds10 should have been assimilated by the student in the course of his regular development1 by means of his ordinary judgment1 before he has any desire to seek entrance himself into the supersensible worlds4 ,where the training has been such as to pay little heed to firmness and surety of judgment1 and to the life of feeling and character1 it may happen that the student will approach the higher world before being possessed of the necessary inner capacities4 ,the meeting with his double would in this case overwhelm him4 ,but what might also happen is that the person introduced into the supersensible world then would be totally unable to recognize this world in its true form1 for it would be impossible for him to differentiate between what he sees in the things1 and what they really are4 ,for this distinction becomes possible only when a person himself has beheld the image of his own being and becomes able to separate from his surroundings everything which proceeds from his inner being4 ,in respect to life in the world of physical sense1 man's double becomes at once visible through the already mentioned feeling of shame when man nears the psycho-spiritual world1 and in so doing1 it also conceals the whole of that world4 ,the double stands before the entrance as a 8guardian10 denying admission to all who are as yet unfit1 and it is therefore designated in occult science as the 8guardian of the threshold of the psycho-spiritual world40 ,however1 we may call it the 8lesser guardian10 for there is another1 of whom we shall speak later4 ,and besides this meeting with his double on entering the supersensible world as here described1 man encounters the ,guardian of the ,threshold when he passes the portals of physical death1 and it gradually reveals itself during that psycho-spiritual development which takes place between death and a new birth4 ,however1 the encounter can in no wise crush us1 for we then know of other worlds of which we are ignorant during the life between birth and death4 ,a person entering the psycho-spiritual world without having encountered the ,guardian of the ,threshold would be liable to fall a prey to one delusion after another4 ,for he would never be able to distinguish between that which he himself brings into that world and what really belongs to it4 ,but correct training should lead the student into the domain of truth1 not of error1 and with such training the meeting must1 at one time or another1 inevitably take place1 for it is the one indispensable precaution against the possibilities of deception and phantasm in the observation of supersensible worlds4 ,it is one of the most indispensable precautions to be taken by every occult student1 to work carefully upon himself in order not to become a visionary1 subject to every possible deception and self-deception1 suggestion and auto-suggestion4 ,wherever correct occult training is followed1 the causes of such deceptions are destroyed at their source4 ,it would of course be impossible to speak here exhaustively of the many details to be included in such precautions1 and we can only indicate in general the underlying principles4 ,the illusions to be taken into account arise from two sources4 ,in part they proceed from the fact that our own soul-being colors reality4 ,in the ordinary life of the physical sense-world1 the danger arising from this source of deception is comparatively small1 because here the outer world always obtrudes itself upon the observer in its own sharp outline1 no matter how much the observer is inclined to color it according to his wishes and interests4 ,as soon1 however1 as we enter the imaginative world1 the images are changed by such wishes and interests1 and we then have actually before us that which we ourselves have formed or1 at any rate1 helped to form4 ,now1 since through this meeting with the ,guardian of the ,threshold the occult student becomes aware of everything within him1 of that which he can take with him into the psycho-spiritual world1 this source of delusion is removed1 and the preparation which the occult student undergoes prior to his entering that world is in itself calculated to accustom him to exclude himself--even in matters appertaining to the physical world--when making his observations1 thus allowing things and occurrences to speak for themselves4 ,any one who has sufficiently practiced these preparatory exercises may await this meeting with the ,guardian of the ,threshold in all tranquillity2 by this meeting he will be definitely tested whether he is now really capable of putting aside his own being even when confronting the psycho-spiritual world4 ,in addition to this there is another source of delusion4 ,this becomes apparent when we place the wrong interpretation upon an impression we receive4 ,we may illustrate it by means of a very simple example taken from the world of the physical senses4 ,it is the delusion we may encounter when sitting in a railway carriage2 we think the trees are moving in the reverse direction to the train1 whereas in fact we ourselves are moving with the train4 ,although there are many cases in which such illusions occurring in the physical world are more difficult to correct than the simple one we have mentioned1 yet it is easy to see that1 even within that world1 means may be found for getting rid of those delusions if a person of sound judgment brings everything to bear upon the matter which may help to clear it up4 ,but as soon as we penetrate into the psycho-spiritual world such elucidations become less easy4 ,in the world of sense1 facts are not altered by human delusions about them2 it is therefore possible to correct a delusion by unprejudiced observation of facts4 ,but in the supersensible world this is not immediately possible4 ,if we desire to study a supersensible occurrence and approach it with the wrong judgment1 we then carry that wrong judgment over into the thing itself1 and it becomes so interwoven with the thing1 that the two cannot be easily distinguished4 ,the error then is not in the person and the correct fact external to him1 but the error will have become a component part of the external fact4 ,it cannot therefore be cleared up simply by unprejudiced observation of the fact4 ,this is enough to indicate an extremely fertile source of illusion and deception for one who would venture to approach the supersensible world without adequate preparation4 ,as the occult student has now acquired the faculty to exclude those illusions originating from the coloring of the supersensible world-phenomena with his own being1 so must he now acquire the faculty of making ineffective the second source of illusions mentioned above4 ,only after the meeting with his double1 can he eliminate what comes from himself and thus he will be able to remove the second source of delusion when he has acquired the faculty for judging by the very nature of a fact seen in the supersensible world1 whether it is a reality or an illusion4 ,now if the illusions were of precisely the same appearance as the realities1 differentiation would be impossible4 ,but this is not the case4 ,illusions of the supersensible world have in themselves qualities which distinguish them definitely from the realities1 and the important thing is for the occult student to know by what qualities he may be able to recognize those realities4 ,nothing seems more natural than that those ignorant of occult training should say3 8,how1 then1 is it at all possible to guard against delusions1 since their sources are so numerous80 ,and further3 8,can an occult student ever be safe from the possibility that all his so-called higher experiences may not turn out to be based on mere deception and self-deception 7suggestion and auto-suggestion780 ,any one advancing these objections ignores the fact that all true occult training proceeds in such a manner as to remove those sources of delusion4 ,in the first place1 the occult student during his preparation1 will have become possessed of enough knowledge about all that which may lead to delusion and self-delusion1 that he will be in a position to protect himself against them4 ,he has1 in this respect1 an opportunity1 like that of no other human being1 to render himself sober and capable of sound judgment for the journey of life4 ,everything he learns teaches him not to rely upon vague presentiments and premonitions4 ,training makes him as cautious as possible1 and1 in addition to this1 all true training leads in the first place to concepts of the great cosmic events1 to matters1 therefore1 which necessitate the exertion of the judgment1 a process by which this faculty is at the same time rendered keener and more refined4 ,but those who decline to occupy themselves with these remote subjects1 and prefer keeping the revelations nearer at hand1 might miss the strengthening of that sound power of judgment which gives certainty in distinguishing between illusion and reality4 ,yet even this is not the most important thing1 but the exercises themselves1 carried out through a systematic course of occult training4 ,these must be so arranged that the consciousness of the student is enabled during meditation to scan minutely all that passes within his soul4 ,in order to bring about imagination1 the first thing to be done is to form a symbol4 ,in this there are still elements taken from external observation2 it is not only man who participates in their content1 he himself does not produce them4 ,therefore he may deceive himself concerning them and assign their origin to wrong sources4 ,but when the occult student proceeds to the exercises for inspiration1 he drops this content from his consciousness and immerses himself only in the soul-activity which formed the symbol4 ,even here error is still possible3 education and study etc41 have induced a particular kind of soul-activity in man4 ,he is unable to know everything about the origin of this activity4 ,now1 however1 the occult student removes this1 his own soul-activity1 from his consciousness2 if then something remains1 nothing adheres to it that cannot easily be reviewed2 nothing can intrude itself in respect to its entire content that cannot easily be judged4 ,in his intuition1 therefore1 the occult student possesses something which shows him the pure1 clear reality of the psycho-spiritual world4 ,and if he applies this recognized test to all that meets his observation in the realm of psycho-spiritual realities1 he will be well able to distinguish appearance from reality4 ,he may also feel sure that the application of this law provides just as effectually against delusions in the spiritual world as does the knowledge in the physical world that an imaginary piece of red-hot iron cannot burn him4 ,it is obvious that this test applies only to our own experiences in the supersensible world1 and not to communications made to us which we have to apprehend by means of our physical understanding and our healthy sense of truth4 ,the occult student should exert himself to draw a distinct line of demarcation between the knowledge he acquires by the one means1 and by the other4 ,he should be ready on one the hand to accept communications made to him regarding the higher worlds1 and should seek to understand them by using his powers of judgment4 ,when1 however1 he is confronted by an 8experience10 which he may so name because it is due to personal observation1 he will first carefully test the same to ascertain whether it possesses exactly those characteristics which he has learned to recognize by means of infallible intuition4 ,the meeting with the ,guardian of the ,threshold being over1 the occult student will have to face other new experiences1 and the first thing that he will become aware of is the inner connection which exists between this ,guardian of the ,threshold and that soul-power we have already characterized1 when describing the cleavage of personality1 as being the seventh power to resolve itself into an independent entity4 ,this seventh entity is1 indeed1 in certain respects no other than the double1 or ,guardian of the ,threshold itself1 and it lays a particular task upon the student4 ,namely1 that which he is in his lower self and which now appears to him in the image1 he must guide and lead by means of the new-born higher self4 ,this will result in a sort of battle with this double1 which will continually strive for the upper hand4 ,now to establish the right relationship to it1 to allow it to do nothing except what takes place under the influence of the new-born ego1 this is what strengthens and fortifies man's forces4 ,this matter of self-cognition is1 in certain respects1 different in the higher worlds from what it is in the physical sense-world4 ,for whereas in the latter1 self-cognition is only an inner experience1 the newly born self immediately presents itself as an outward psycho-spiritual apparition4 ,we see our new-born self before us like another being1 yet we cannot perceive it in its entirety1 for1 whatever the stage to which we may have climbed on our journey to the supersensible worlds1 there will always be still higher stages which will enable us to perceive more and more of our 8higher self40 ,it can therefore only partially reveal itself to the student at any particular stage4 ,having once caught a glimpse of this higher self1 man feels a tremendous temptation to look upon it in the same manner in which he is accustomed to regard the things of the physical sense-world4 ,and yet this temptation is salutary2 it is indeed necessary1 if man's development is to proceed in the right manner4 ,the student must here note what it is that appears as his double1 as the ,guardian of the ,threshold1 and place it by the side of the higher self1 in order that he may rightly observe the disparity between what he is and what he is to become4 ,but while thus engaged in observation he will find that the ,guardian of the ,threshold will assume quite a different aspect1 for it will now reveal itself as a picture of all the obstacles which oppose the development of the higher ego1 and he then becomes aware of what a load he drags about with him in his ordinary ego4 ,and should the student's preparation not have rendered him strong enough to be able to say3 8,i will not remain at this point1 but will persistently work my way upward toward the higher ego10 he will grow weak and will shrink back dismayed before the labor that lies before him4 ,he has plunged into the psycho-spiritual world1 but gives up working his way farther1 and becomes a captive to that image which1 as ,guardian of the ,threshold1 now confronts the soul4 ,and the remarkable thing here is that the person so situated will have no feeling of being a captive4 ,he will1 on the contrary1 think he is going through quite a different experience1 for the image called forth by the ,guardian of the ,threshold may be such as to awaken in the soul of the observer the impression that in the pictures which appear at this stage of development he has before him the whole universe in its entirety--the impression of having attained to the summit of all knowledge1 and of there being1 therefore1 nothing left to strive after4 ,therefore1 instead of feeling himself a captive1 the student would believe himself rich beyond all measure1 and in possession of all the secrets of the universe4 ,nor need this experience fill one with surprise1 though it be the reverse of the facts1 for we must remember that by the time these experiences are felt1 we are already standing within the psycho-spiritual world1 and that the special peculiarity of this world is that it reverses events--a fact which has already been alluded to in our consideration of life after death4 ,the image seen by the occult student at this stage of development shows him a different aspect from that in which the ,guardian of the ,threshold first revealed itself4 ,in the double first mentioned1 were to be seen all those qualities which1 as the result of the influence of ,lucifer1 are possessed by man's ordinary ego4 ,but in the course of human development1 another power has1 in consequence of ,lucifer's influence1 also been drawn into the human soul2 this is known as the force of ,ahriman4 ,it is this force that1 during his physical existence1 prevents man from becoming aware of those psycho-spiritual beings which lie behind the surface of the external world4 ,all that man's soul has become under the influence of this force1 may be discerned in the image revealing itself during the experience just described4 ,those who have been sufficiently prepared for this experience will1 when thus confronted1 be able to assign to it its true meaning1 and then another form will soon become visible--one we may describe as the 8greater ,guardian of the ,threshold40 ,this one will tell the student not to rest content with the stage to which he has attained1 but to work on energetically4 ,it will call forth in him the consciousness that the world he has conquered will only become a truth1 and not an illusion1 if the work thus begun be continued in a corresponding manner4 ,those1 however1 who have gone through incorrect occult training and would approach this meeting unprepared1 would then experience something in their souls when they come to the 8greater ,guardian of the ,threshold10 which can only be described as a 8feeling of inexpressible fright01 of 8boundless fear40 ,just as the meeting with the 8lesser ,guardian0 gives the occult student the opportunity of judging whether or not he is proof against delusions such as might arise through interweaving his own personality with the supersensible world1 so too must he be able to prove from the experiences which finally lead to the 8greater ,guardian10 whether he is able to withstand those illusions which are to be traced to the second source mentioned farther back in this chapter4 ,should he be proof against the powerful illusion by which the world of images to which he has attained1 is falsely displayed to him as a rich possession1 when actually he is only a captive1 then he is guarded also against the danger of mistaking appearance for reality during the further course of his development4 ,to a certain degree the ,guardian of the ,threshold will assume a different form in the case of each individual4 ,the meeting with him corresponds exactly to the way in which the personal element in supersensible observations is overcome1 and therefore the possibility exists of entering a realm of experience which is free from any tinge of personality and is open to every human being4 ,when the occult student has passed through the above experiences1 he will be capable of distinguishing in the psycho-spiritual world between what he himself is and what is outside of him1 and he will then recognize why an understanding of the cosmic occurrences narrated in this book1 is necessary to man's understanding of humanity itself and its life process4 ,in fact1 we can understand the physical body only when we recognize the manner in which it has been built up through the developments undergone in the ,saturn1 ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,earth periods1 and we understand the etheric body when we follow its evolution through the ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,earth stages of evolution4 ,we further comprehend what is bound up with our earth-development at present1 if we can grasp how all things proceed by the process of gradual evolution4 ,occult training places us in a position to recognize the connection between everything that is within man and the corresponding facts and beings existing in the world external to him4 ,for it is a fact that each principle of man stands in some connection with the rest of the world4 ,the outlines of these subjects could only be briefly sketched in this book4 ,it must however be borne in mind that the physical body had1 at the time of the ,saturn development1 for instance1 no more than its rudimentary beginnings4 ,its organs--such as the heart1 lungs1 and brain--developed later during the ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,earth periods1 for which reason heart1 lungs and brain are related to the evolutionary process of ,sun1 ,moon and ,earth4 ,it is the same with the members of the etheric body1 the sentient body1 and the sentient soul4 ,man is the outcome of the entire world surrounding him1 and every part of his constitution corresponds to some event1 to some being in the external world4 ,at a certain stage of his development the occult student comes to a realization of this relation of his own being to the great cosmos1 and this stage of development may in the occult sense be termed a becoming aware of the relationship of the little world1 the microcosm--that is1 man himself--to the great world1 the macrocosm4 ,and when the occult student has struggled through to such cognition1 he may then go through a new experience2 he begins to feel himself united1 as it were1 with the entire cosmic structure1 although he remains fully conscious of his own independence4 ,this sensation is a merging into the whole world1 a becoming 8at one0 with it1 yet without losing one's own individual identity4 ,occult science describes this stage as the 8becoming one with the macrocosm40 ,it is important that this union should not be imagined as one in which separate consciousness ceases and in which the human being flowers forth into the universe1 for such a thought would only be the expression of an opinion resulting from untutored reasoning4 ,following this stage of development something takes place that in occult science is described as 8beatitude40 ,it is neither possible nor necessary that this stage be more closely described1 for no human words have the power to picture this experience and it may rightly be said that any conception of this state could be acquired only by means of such thought-power as would no longer be dependent upon the instrument of the human brain4 ,the separate stages of higher knowledge1 according to the methods of initiation that have been here described1 may be enumerated as follows3 #a4 ,the study of occult science1 in the course of which we first of all make use of the reasoning powers we have acquired in the world of the physical senses4 #b4 ,attainment of imaginative cognition4 #c4 ,reading the secret script 7which corresponds to inspiration74 #d4 ,working with the philosopher's stone 7corresponding to intuition74 #e4 ,cognition of the relationship between the microcosm and the macrocosm4 #f4 ,being one with the macrocosm4 #g4 ,beatitude4 ,these stages however need not necessarily be thought of as following one another consecutively1 for in the course of training1 the occult student1 according to his individuality1 may have attained a preceding stage only to a certain degree when he has already begun to practice exercises1 corresponding to the next higher stage4 ,for instance1 it may be that when he has gained only a few reliable imaginative pictures1 he will already be doing exercises which lead him on to draw inspiration1 intuition1 or cognition of the relationship between microcosm and macrocosm into the sphere of his own experiences4 ,when the occult student has experienced intuition he comes to know not only the forms of the psycho-spiritual world1 not only can he recognize their inter-relationship through the 8secret script10 but he attains a cognition of these beings themselves through whose co-operation the world1 to which he belongs1 comes into being4 ,thus he learns to know himself in the true form which he possesses as a spiritual being in the psycho-spiritual world4 ,he has struggled through to the higher ego1 and has learned how he must continue the work in order that he may master his double1 the ,guardian of the ,threshold4 ,but he has also met the 8greater guardian of the ,threshold0 who stands before him perpetually urging him to further labors4 ,it is this greater ,guardian of the ,threshold who now becomes the ideal he must strive to resemble1 and when the student has acquired this feeling he will have risen to that important stage of development in which he will be in a position to recognize who it is that is really standing before him as that 8greater ,guardian40 ,for henceforth1 in the student's consciousness1 the ,guardian is gradually transformed into the figure of the ,christ1 whose ,being and intervention in the evolution of the earth have been dealt with in a foregoing chapter4 ,thus the student1 through his intuition1 will have become initiated into that sublime ,mystery which is linked with the name of ,christ4 ,the ,christ reveals himself to him as the 8,great ,ideal of humanity on earth40 ,when in this manner through intuition1 the ,christ has been recognized in the spiritual world1 then we can also understand those events that took place historically upon earth during the fourth post-,atlantean period 7the ,greco-,roman time71 and how at that time the great ,sun-,spirit1 the ,christ-,being1 intervened in the world's development1 and how ,he still continues to guide its evolution4 ,these are matters the student will then know by personal experience4 ,therefore it is through intuition that the meaning and significance of the earth's evolution are disclosed to the occult student4 ,the path leading to cognition of the supersensible worlds as above indicated1 is one which all men may travel1 whatever their position under the present conditions of life may be4 ,and in speaking of such a path it must be borne in mind that1 while the goal of cognition and truth is the same at all times of the earth's development1 yet the starting-point for man has varied considerably at different periods4 ,for instance1 the man of the present day who wishes to find his way into supersensible worlds1 cannot start from the same point as the ,egyptian candidate for initiation of old4 ,this is why it is impossible for modern humanity to apply1 without modification1 the exercises given to the candidate for initiation in ancient ,egypt4 ,for since those times men's souls have passed through different incarnations1 and this passing onward from incarnation to incarnation is not without significance and importance4 ,the capacities and qualities of souls change from one incarnation to another4 ,those who have studied human history only superficially can note that since the twelfth and thirteenth centuries all life conditions have changed and that opinions1 feelings and even human capabilities have become different from what they were before that time4 ,the path here described for the acquirement of higher knowledge is one which is suitable for souls incarnating in the immediate present4 ,it fixes the starting-point of spiritual development just where the man of the present day stands1 in whatever conditions of life he may be placed4 ,from epoch to epoch1 progressive evolution leads humanity1 in respect to the path of higher cognition1 to ever changing modes1 just as outer life likewise changes its form4 ,for at all times it is necessary that perfect harmony should reign between external life and initiation4 ,it will be pointed out in the next chapter of this book what changes initiation1 which in the ancient mysteries lead into the higher worlds1 must undergo1 in order to become modern 8initiation0 for the attainment of supersensible cognition in its present form4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,present ,,and ,,future ,,evolution ,,of ,,the ,,world ,,and ,,of ,,humanity ,it is impossible to know anything in the occult sense of the present and future of human or planetary evolution without understanding that evolution in the past4 ,for1 that which presents itself to the occult student's observation when he watches the hidden events of the past1 contains at the same time everything that he can learn of the present and future4 ,in this book we have spoken of the ,saturn1 ,sun1 ,moon and ,earth evolutions4 ,we cannot follow the evolution of the earth1 as the occultist understands it1 unless we observe the events of preceding evolutionary periods4 ,for what meets us today1 within the bounds of our earthly globe1 comprises in a certain sense the facts of the evolution of the ,moon1 ,sun and ,saturn4 ,the beings and things that took part in the evolution of the ,moon have gone on developing1 and all that now belongs to the earth1 is the outcome of that development4 ,but not all that has evolved from the ,moon to the ,earth is perceptible to physical sense-consciousness4 ,a part of what came over to us from the ,moon evolution is revealed only at a certain stage of clairvoyant consciousness1 at which knowledge of supersensible worlds is reached4 ,when this knowledge is gained1 the fact that our earthly planet is united to a supersensible world is recognized4 ,the latter includes that part of lunar existence which is not sufficiently densified to be observed by the physical senses4 ,in the first place it does not include it as it was at the time of the evolution of the original ,moon4 ,if this clairvoyant consciousness occupies itself with the perception of these things1 which it can have at present1 this latter gradually separates into two images4 ,one presents the shape borne by the earth during the lunar evolution1 the other shows itself in such a way1 that we recognize as its content a form as yet in the germinal stage which will become a reality--in the sense in which the earth is now a reality--but only in the future4 ,on further observation it is seen that the results1 in a certain sense1 of that which is taking place on the earth are continually streaming into that future form1 so that in it we have before us that which our earth will ultimately become4 ,the effects of earthly existence will unite with the events in the world described1 and out of this the new cosmos will arise1 into which the ,earth will be transformed as the ,moon was transformed into the ,earth4 ,this future form is called in occult science the ,jupiter condition4 ,the clairvoyant observer of this ,jupiter state sees the revelation of certain events which must take place in the future4 ,the reason for this is that in the supersensible part of the ,earth which had its origin in the ,moon1 beings and things are present which will assume definite form when certain events have actually happened in the physical world4 ,therefore there will be something in the ,jupiter condition which was already predetermined by the ,moon evolution and it will contain new factors1 which can come into the whole evolution only in consequence of terrestrial events4 ,in this way clairvoyant consciousness is able to learn something of what will happen during the ,jupiter state4 ,the beings and facts observed in this field of consciousness have not the nature of sense-images2 they do not even appear as fine air-structures from which effects might proceed which resemble sense-impressions4 ,they give purely spiritual impressions of sound1 light and heat4 ,these are not expressed through any material embodiments4 ,they can be apprehended only by clairvoyant consciousness4 ,one may say1 however1 that these beings which at present manifest on the psycho-spiritual plane1 possess a 8body40 ,this body1 however1 appears like a sum of condensed memories which they carry within their souls4 ,one can distinguish within their being what they are now experiencing and what they have experienced and now remember4 ,this last is contained within them like a bodily element4 ,they are conscious of it in the same way that an earthly human being is conscious of his body4 ,at a stage of clairvoyant development higher than that just described as necessary for a knowledge of the ,moon and ,jupiter1 the student is able to perceive supersensible beings and things which are1 in fact1 the more highly developed forms of those present during the ,sun condition1 but which have now reached stages of existence so lofty as to be quite imperceptible to a consciousness capable of observing the ,moon forms only4 ,during meditation the picture of this world also divides in two4 ,the one leads to a knowledge of the ,sun state of the past2 the other represents a future form of the earth existence--namely1 that into which the earth will have been transformed when the fruits of all that takes place on it and ,jupiter have merged into the forms of that future world4 ,what can thus be observed of this future world may be characterized in occult phraseology as the ,venus condition4 ,in a similar manner1 to a still more highly evolved clairvoyant consciousness1 a future state of evolution is revealed1 which we may call the ,vulcan state4 ,it stands in the same relationship to the ,saturn state as the ,venus condition does to that of the ,sun1 or the ,jupiter state to the evolution of the ,moon4 ,therefore1 when we contemplate the past1 present1 and future of the earth's evolution1 we may speak of the ,saturn1 ,sun1 ,moon1 ,earth1 ,jupiter1 ,venus1 and ,vulcan evolutions4 ,just as these far-reaching conditions of the evolution of our earth lie disclosed to clairvoyant vision1 the same vision is also able to cover the nearer future4 ,there is a picture of the future corresponding to every picture of the past4 ,in speaking of such things1 however1 one fact must be emphasized which should be taken into strict account3 that in order to recognize facts of this kind1 one must absolutely do away with the idea that they can be fathomed through mere philosophical reflection4 ,these things cannot1 and never should be investigated by that kind of thinking4 ,anyone would be labouring under a prodigious delusion who1 after becoming acquainted with the teachings of occult science regarding the ,moon state1 thinks that he could discover the future conditions of ,jupiter by comparing those of the ,moon and ,earth4 ,these conditions must be investigated only when the requisite clairvoyant consciousness has been attained2 but once communicated to others after such investigation1 they can be understood without clairvoyant consciousness4 ,now the occultist finds himself in quite a different position1 with regard to observations concerning the future1 from that in which he stands with regard to those of the past4 ,it is impossible at first for man to contemplate future events as impartially as he does those of the past4 ,future events excite human will and feeling2 while the past affects us in quite a different way4 ,he who observes life knows how true this is of everyday existence2 but how enormously this truth is enhanced1 and what an intimate bearing it has upon the hidden facts of life1 can only be realized by one who has some knowledge of the supersensible world4 ,that is the reason why those who know such things are very definitely limited as to what they are allowed to give out4 ,certain things bearing on the future can1 in fact1 be imparted only to those who have themselves determined to follow the path leading to the supersensible worlds4 ,such people by their mental attitude have acquired something which gives them the disinterestedness necessary for the reception of these teachings4 ,for this reason certain secret facts1 even of the past and present1 can be spoken of only to those who are prepared for them in this way4 ,these are facts so closely connected with future evolution1 that their effect on the human soul is similar to that produced by communications regarding the future itself4 ,this explains1 also1 why the information in this book concerning the present and the future is given in the merest outline as compared with the more detailed descriptions of the evolution of the world and of humanity in the past4 ,what is said here is not intended to appeal to the love of sensation in the smallest degree2 not even to awaken it4 ,we shall only state where the answer can be found to vital questions which naturally present themselves to one who holds a certain definite attitude of mind4 ,just as the great cosmic evolution can be portrayed in the successive states1 from the ,saturn to the ,vulcan period1 so also is this possible for shorter periods of time2 for example1 for those of the evolution of the earth4 ,since that mighty upheaval which terminated the ancient ,atlantean life1 successive periods of human evolution have followed one another which have been called in this work the ancient ,indian1 the ancient ,persian1 the ,egypto-,chaldean1 and the ,greco-,roman4 ,the fifth period is that in which humanity finds itself to-day1--it is the present time4 ,this period gradually took its rise in the eleventh1 twelfth1 and thirteen centuries ,a4,d41 after a period of preparation commencing in the fourth and fifth centuries4 ,the ,greco-,roman period preceding it began about the eighth century ,b4,c4 ,when one-third of this period had elapsed1 the ,christ-event took place4 ,during the transition from the ,egypto-,chaldean to the ,greco-,roman period1 the attitude of the human mind and1 indeed1 all human faculties1 underwent a change4 ,in the first of these two periods what we now know as logical thinking1 as a mere intellectual concept of the world1 was still wanting4 ,the knowledge which a man now acquires through his intelligence1 he then gained in a manner suited to that time1--directly through an inner1 in a certain sense1 clairvoyant cognition4 ,he perceived the things around him1 and while perceiving them there arose within his soul the percept1 the image that was needed4 ,whenever knowledge is gained in this way1 not only pictures of the physical sense-world come to light1 but from the depths of consciousness a certain knowledge of facts and beings arises which are not of the physical world4 ,this was a remnant of the ancient dim clairvoyance1 once the common property of the whole of humanity4 ,during the ,greco-,roman period an ever-increasing number of individuals appeared without these capacities4 ,intelligent reflection concerning things took their place4 ,mankind was more and more shut off from the immediate perception of the psycho-spiritual world1 and was more and more restricted to forming a picture of it through intelligence and feeling4 ,this condition lasted more or less during the whole of the fourth division of the post-,atlantean period4 ,only those individuals who had preserved the old mental state as an inheritance could still become directly conscious of the spiritual world4 ,but these were stragglers from an earlier time4 ,their manner of gaining knowledge was no longer suitable for later conditions4 ,for1 as a consequence of the laws of evolution1 old faculties of the soul lose something of their former significance when new faculties appear4 ,human life then adapts itself to these new faculties1 and can no longer use the old ones properly4 ,there were individuals1 however1 who began in full consciousness to add to the powers of intelligence and feeling already gained1 the development of other and higher powers1 which made it possible for them once more to penetrate into the psycho-spiritual world4 ,to this end they were obliged to set to work in a different way from that in which the pupils of the old ,initiates had been trained4 ,the latter had not been obliged to take into account those faculties of the soul which were developed only in the fourth period4 ,the method of occult training which has been described in this work as that of the present age1 began in its first rudiments in the fourth period4 ,but it was then only in its beginning1 it could not attain real maturity until the fifth period 7from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries onward74 ,those who sought to rise into supersensible worlds in this manner could learn something of the higher regions of existence through the exercise of their own imagination1 inspiration1 and intuition4 ,those who went no further than the development of the faculties of reason and feeling could learn only through tradition what had been known to ancient clairvoyance4 ,this was handed on1 either by word of mouth or in writing1 from generation to generation4 ,neither could those born later know anything of the real nature of the ,christ-event save by such traditions1 if they did not rise to the level of the supersensible worlds4 ,certainly there were such ,initiates who still possessed the natural faculties of supersensible perception and yet who1 through their development1 had ascended into the higher worlds1 in spite of their disregard of the new powers of intelligence and feeling4 ,through them a transition was effected from the old method of ,initiation to the new4 ,such persons lived in later times as well4 ,the essential characteristic of the fourth period is that1 by the exclusion of the soul from direct communion with the psycho-spiritual world1 the human faculties of intelligence and feeling were thereby strengthened and invigorated4 ,the souls whose powers of intelligence and feeling had at that time developed to a great extent as the result of former incarnations1 carried over with them the fruits of this development into their incarnations during the fifth period4 ,as a compensation for this exclusion from the higher worlds1 mighty traditions of ,ancient ,wisdom then existed1 especially those of the ,christ-event1 which by the power of their content gave men confident knowledge of the higher worlds4 ,but there were still certain human beings existing who had evolved the higher powers of cognition in addition to the faculties of reason and feeling4 ,it devolved upon them to learn the facts of the higher worlds1 and especially of the ,mystery of the ,christ-event1 by direct supersensible perception4 ,from these individuals there always flowed into the souls of other men as much as was intelligible and good for them4 ,the first spreading of ,christianity was to take place just at a time when the capacities for supersensible cognition were undeveloped in a great part of humanity4 ,and this is why tradition at that time possessed such mighty power4 ,the strongest possible force was necessary to lead mankind to a faith in a supersensible world which they themselves could not perceive4 ,how ,christianity worked during that period has been shown in previous pages4 ,there were always those1 however1 who were able to rise into higher worlds through imagination1 inspiration1 and intuition4 ,these men were the post-,christian successors of the old ,initiates1 the teachers and members of the ,mysteries4 ,their task was to recognize again1 through their own faculties1 what man had been able to perceive through ancient clairvoyance1 and through the methods of ascent into higher worlds taught in the old ,initiations2 and in addition to this1 to acquire the knowledge of the real nature of the ,christ-event4 ,thus there arose1 among these 8,new ,initiates10 a knowledge embracing everything contained in the old form of ,initiation2 but the central point of this teaching was the higher knowledge concerning the ,mysteries of the coming of the ,christ4 ,such teaching could only filter through into the general life of the world in scanty measure while the human souls of the fourth period were further developing the faculties of intellect and feeling2 therefore1 while this lasted1 the doctrine was in truth secret4 ,then began the dawn of the new period designated as the fifth4 ,its essential characteristic lay in the progress made in the evolution of the intellectual faculties1 which were then developed to a very high degree1 and will unfold still further in the future4 ,this process has been slowly going on from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries1 becoming ever more rapid from the sixteenth century up to the present time4 ,under these influences the evolution of the fifth period became an ever-increasing endeavour to foster the powers of intellect1 while1 on the contrary1 the knowledge by faith of former times1 and traditional wisdom1 gradually lost its hold over the human soul4 ,on the other hand1 however1 from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries on1 there developed that which may be called an ever increasing flow of cognition born of modern clairvoyant consciousness4 ,this 8hidden knowledge0 flows even though at first quite imperceptibly1 into the human concepts of that period4 ,it is only natural that even up to the present time the purely intellectual forces should have maintained an antagonistic attitude toward this knowledge4 ,but that which must come to pass will do so in spite of all temporary antagonism4 ,that 8hidden knowledge0 which is taking possession of humanity more and more may be called symbolically1 the 8wisdom of the ,holy ,grail40 ,for he who learns to understand this symbol in its deeper meaning1 as it is told in story and legend1 will find that it symbolizes the nature of what has been called above1 the knowledge of the new ,initiation1 with the ,christ ,mystery as its central point4 ,modern ,initiates may therefore be called 8the ,initiates of the ,grail40 ,the preliminary stages of the path to the supersensible worlds described in this book1 leads to the 8,wisdom of the ,grail40 ,it is a peculiarity of this wisdom that its facts can be investigated only when the necessary means1 as described in this book1 have been acquired4 ,once investigated1 however1 these facts can be understood by means of those very soul-forces which are the result of the evolution of the fifth period4 ,indeed1 it will become more and more evident that to an ever increasing extent those forces find satisfaction through this knowledge4 ,we are now living at a time in which this knowledge must be absorbed by human consciousness in general to a much fuller extent than was formerly the case4 ,and it is from this point of view that the teachings contained in this ,christ-event will grow ever more powerful in proportion as human evolution assimilates the ,wisdom of the ,grail4 ,the inner side of the development of ,christianity will more and more keep pace with the exoteric side4 ,that which may be learned through imagination1 inspiration and intuition1 concerning the higher worlds1 in connection with the ,christ ,mystery1 will penetrate ever more and more human thinking1 feeling1 and willing4 ,the 8hidden wisdom of the ,grail0 will be revealed1 and as an inner force will more and more permeate the manifestations of human life4 ,through the whole of the fifth period1 knowledge concerning the supersensible world will flow into human consciousness2 and when the sixth period begins1 humanity will be able to regain on a higher level that clairvoyance which it possessed at an earlier epoch in a dim and indistinct manner4 ,yet the new acquisition will take a form quite different from the old4 ,what the soul knew of higher worlds in ancient times1 was not permeated by its own forces of intellect and feeling4 ,its knowledge was instinctive4 ,in the future it will not only have instincts1 but it will understand them1 and feel them to be the essence of its own nature4 ,when the soul learns a fact concerning some other being or thing1 its intellect will find this fact verified through its own nature4 ,or when some fact regarding an ethical law or human conduct presents itself1 the soul will say to itself3 8,my feeling is only justified when ,i carry out what is implied in this knowledge40 ,such a condition of soul will have to be developed by a large part of humanity in the sixth period4 ,in a certain manner1 that which human evolution accomplished during the third period--the ,egypto-,chaldean--is repeated in the fifth4 ,at that time the soul could still perceive certain facts of the supersensible worlds1 but this perception was disappearing4 ,for the intellectual faculties were at that time beginning to develop and it was their mission to at first exclude man from the higher worlds4 ,in the fifth period supersensible facts which in the third period were perceived in hazy clairvoyance1 are again becoming manifest2 but they are now interpenetrated by the intellectual and emotional life of the individual man4 ,they are also imbued with what may be imparted to the soul by a knowledge of the ,christ ,mystery2 therefore they assume a form totally different from that which they had previously4 ,whereas in ancient times impressions from the higher worlds were felt as forces acting from out a spiritual world to which man did not properly belong1 through development in later times these impressions are felt as those of a world into which man is growing1 of which he more and more forms a part4 ,let no one suppose that a repetition of the ,egypto-,chaldean civilization can take place in such a way that the soul would merely regain what then existed1 and which has been handed on from that time4 ,the ,christ-impulse1 rightly understood1 impels the human soul which has experienced it1 to feel and conduct itself as a member of a spiritual world1 now recognizing it as a world to which it belongs1 outside of which it previously existed4 ,in the same way that the third reappears in the fifth period1 in order to become penetrated with those new qualities which the human soul gained during the fourth1 so similarly the second period will revive within the sixth and the first1 the ancient ,indian1 during the seventh4 ,all the marvelous wisdom of ancient ,india which the great teachers of that day were able to proclaim1 will reappear in the seventh period1 as living truth in human souls4 ,now the changes in the earthly environment of man take place in a manner which bears a certain relationship to his own evolution4 ,when the seventh period has run its course1 the earth will experience an upheaval which may be compared with the one which separated ,atlantean from post-,atlantean times4 ,and the transformed earth will again continue its evolution in seven divisions of time4 ,the human souls which will then incarnate will experience1 on a more exalted level1 the kinship with the higher worlds which was possessed by the ,atlanteans at a lower stage4 ,but only those individuals will be able to cope with the new conditions of the earth who have built into their souls the qualities made possible by the influences of the ,greco-,roman age1 and of the periods following it1--the fifth1 sixth1 and seventh of the post-,atlantean evolution4 ,the inner nature of such souls will correspond to that which the earth has become by that time4 ,all other souls must then remain behind1 although up to that point they had been able to choose whether or not they would create for themselves the conditions necessary to advance with the others4 ,those souls alone will be ripe for the conditions arising after the next great catastrophe1 who at the point of transition from the fifth to the sixth post-,atlantean period have attained the capacity for penetrating supersensible cognition with the forces of intelligence and feeling4 ,the fifth and sixth are in a way the decisive periods4 ,those souls which have attained the goal of the sixth period will continue to develop accordingly in the seventh2 but the others will1 under the altered conditions of their surroundings1 find but little opportunity to proceed with their neglected task4 ,only in a distant future will conditions again appear which will permit of this being done4 ,thus evolution proceeds from period to period4 ,clairvoyance observes not only those changes in the future in which the earth alone takes part1 but those also which take place in conjunction with the heavenly bodies in its environment4 ,a time will come in which the terrestrial and human evolution will be advanced so far that those forces and beings which were compelled to detach themselves from the earth during the ,lemurian period1 so as to afford to earth-beings the possibility of further progress1 will be able once more to unite with the earth4 ,then the moon will again be united with the earth4 ,this will happen because a sufficiently large number of human souls will then possess the inner powers which will enable them to render the ,moon forces fruitful for further development4 ,and this will occur at a time when1 side by side with the high development of a certain number of human souls1 another development1 that of those who have chosen the path of evil1 will parallel it4 ,these straggler-souls will have accumulated in their ,karma so much sin1 ugliness and evil1 that at first they will form a separate community1 a perverse and erring section of humanity1 keenly opposing what we understand as 8good40 ,the 8good0 humanity will acquire little by little the power of using the ,moon forces1 and will thereby so transform the evil section as to enable it to keep pace with the advance of evolution as a separate earth kingdom4 ,through these labours of the good part of humanity1 the earth1 then reunited with the moon1 will be able1 after a certain period of development1 to again unite with the sun and also with the other planets4 ,after an intermediate state1 which will be a sojourn in a higher world1 the earth will be transformed into the ,jupiter condition4 ,that which we now call the mineral kingdom will not exist on ,jupiter2 the forces of this mineral kingdom will be transformed into plant forces and the plant kingdom1 which will have quite a new form compared with its present one1 will appear in the ,jupiter state as the lowest of the kingdoms1 while above it1 we find the animal kingdom1 likewise transformed4 ,next comes a human kingdom--the descendants of the evil earth humanity4 ,and then will appear the descendants of the good earth humanity1 as a human kingdom on a higher level4 ,a great part of the work of this last human kingdom consists in ennobling the souls which have sunk into the evil community1 so that they may still gain admittance into the true human kingdom4 ,the ,venus condition will be of such a nature that the plant kingdom will have disappeared also2 the lowest kingdom will be the animal kingdom once more transformed1 and above that there will be three successive human kingdoms of different degrees of perfection4 ,the earth will remain united with the sun during the ,venus period2 while during that of ,jupiter it will have happened that1 at a certain point1 the sun separates from ,jupiter1 the latter receiving its influence from outside4 ,then there is again a union between the sun and ,jupiter1 the transformation gradually passing into the ,venus state4 ,during that state another planet detaches itself from ,venus1 containing all kinds of beings which have opposed evolution1 an 8irredeemable moon10 as it were1 following a path of evolution which is of a character impossible to describe1 because it is too unlike anything which man can experience on earth4 ,but evolved humanity will pass on in a fully spiritualized state of existence to the ,vulcan evolution1 a description of which lies beyond the scope of this work4 ,we see that from the fruits of the 8,wisdom of the ,grail0 springs the highest ideal of human evolution conceivable for man3 spiritualization attained by him through his own efforts4 ,for in the end this spiritualization appears as a product of the harmony which he wrought out in the fifth and sixth periods of the present evolution1 between the faculties of reason and emotion which he had then attained and cognition of supersensible worlds4 ,that which he thus achieves within his soul will finally become in itself the outer world4 ,the human spirit rises to the mighty impressions of its outer world and at first divines1 later recognizes spiritual beings behind these impressions2 the human heart senses the unspeakable exaltedness of the ,spirit4 ,man can1 however1 also recognize that his inner experiences of intellect1 feeling and character are but the germs of a nascent spirit world4 ,he who thinks that human liberty is not compatible with a foreknowledge and predestination of future conditions1 ought to consider that man's freedom of action in the future depends just as little on the arrangement of predestined things as does his liberty of action with regard to inhabiting a house a year hence1 on the plans for which he is now settling4 ,he will be as free as his innermost being will permit1 within the house he has built2 and he will be as free on ,jupiter and on ,venus as his inner life permits1 even under the conditions which will arise there4 ,freedom will not depend on what has been predetermined by antecedent conditions1 but on what the soul has made out of itself4 ,in the earth condition is contained that which has developed within the preceding ,saturn1 ,sun and ,moon states4 ,earth-man finds 8wisdom0 in the processes going on around him4 ,this wisdom is there as the fruit of what has happened in the past4 ,the ,earth is the descendant of the 8old ,moon02 and the latter developed with all that belonged to it1 into the 8,cosmos of ,wisdom40 ,the ,earth is now at the commencement of an evolution1 which will introduce a new force into this wisdom4 ,it will cause man to feel himself an independent member of a spiritual world4 ,this will come to pass because his ego will have been formed within him during the ,earth period by the ,lords of ,form1 as was his physical body on ,saturn by the ,lords of ,will1 his vital body on the ,sun by the ,lords of ,wisdom1 and his astral body on the ,moon by the ,lords of ,motion4 ,by means of the co-operation of the ,lords of ,will1 ,wisdom and ,motion1 that which manifests as wisdom is brought forth4 ,through the labours of these three classes of spirits1 the beings and processes of earth can harmonize in wisdom with the other beings of their world4 ,it is the ,lords of ,form who bestowed on man his independent ego4 ,in the future this ego will harmonize with the beings of ,earth1 ,jupiter1 ,venus1 and of ,vulcan1 by means of the force added to the existing wisdom during the ,earth period4 ,it is the force of love4 ,this force must begin to arise within earth-humanity and the ,cosmos of ,wisdom develop into a ,cosmos of ,love4 ,everything which the ego is able to unfold within itself must give birth to love4 ,the all-embracing archetype of love is set forth in the revelation of that lofty ,sun-spirit indicated in the description of the ,christ ,mystery4 ,through ,him the germ of love is planted in the innermost core of the human being2 and from this starting-point it must flow through the whole of evolution4 ,just as the wisdom previously formed manifests in the forces of the earthly sense-world1 in the 8elementary forces0 of to-day1 so love itself will manifest in the future1 in all phenomena1 as the new 8elementary force40 ,the secret of all future development is a recognition that everything achieved by man from a right comprehension of evolution is a sowing of seed which must ripen into love4 ,and the greater the amount of love-force1 so much the greater will be the creative force available for the future4 ,in that which will grow from love1 will lie the mighty forces leading to that culminating point of spiritualization described above4 ,the greater the amount of spiritual knowledge that flows into human and terrestrial evolution1 so much more living and fruitful seed will be stored up for the future4 ,spiritual knowledge is transmuted through its own nature into love4 ,the whole process which has been described1 beginning with the ,greco-,roman period and extending throughout the present time1 shows how this transformation1 for which the beginning has now been made for future times1 is to take place and to what end4 ,that which has been prepared as wisdom on ,saturn1 ,sun and ,moon1 is active in the physical1 etheric and astral bodies of man2 it shows itself there as the 8,wisdom of the ,world01 but within the 8ego0 it becomes intensified4 ,the wisdom of the outer world becomes inner wisdom in man from the ,earth period onward and when it is concentrated in him1 it becomes the germ of love4 ,wisdom is the necessary preliminary condition for love2 love is the fruit of wisdom1 reborn in the ego4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,details ,,from ,,the ,,domain ,,of ,,occult ,,science ,,man',s ,,etheric ,,body ,when the higher principles of man are observed with clairvoyant vision1 the mode of perception is never precisely the same as that which comes from the outer senses4 ,if we touch an object1 and experience a sensation of warmth1 we must distinguish between that which comes from the object1 that which1 as it were1 streams out from it1 and our own psychic experience4 ,the inner psychic experience of perceiving warmth is something distinct from the heat which streams from the object4 ,now let us imagine this psychic experience quite by itself without the outer object4 ,let us call up the experience of a sensation of heat in our soul1 without the presence of any external physical object to cause it4 ,if such a sensation simply existed without cause1 it would be mere fancy4 ,the student of occult science experiences such inner perceptions without any physical cause4 ,but at a certain stage of development they present themselves in such a manner that he knows 7it has been shown that by the very nature of the experience he can know7 that the inner perception is not fancy1 but is caused by a psycho-spiritual being belonging to a supersensible world1 just as the ordinary sensation of heat1 for example1 is caused by an external physical-sense object4 ,it is the same with the perception of colour in the supersensible world4 ,here we must distinguish between the colour associated with the outer object1 and the inner colour-sensation in the soul4 ,let us call up the soul's inner sensation when it perceives a red object in the physical1 outer world of the senses4 ,let us imagine that we retain a very vivid recollection of the impression1 but that we are looking away from the object4 ,let us imagine what we still retain as a memory-picture of the colour1 to be an inner experience4 ,we shall then distinguish between that which is an inner experience of the colour1 and the external colour itself4 ,these inner experiences differ entirely in their content from impressions of the outer senses4 ,they bear much more the impress of what is felt as joy and sorrow than that of normal physical sensation4 ,now let us imagine an inner experience of this kind arising in the soul1 without any suggestion from an outer sense object4 ,a clairvoyant may have an experience of this kind1 and may know too1 in that case1 that it is no fancy1 but the expression of a psycho-spiritual being4 ,now if this psycho-spiritual being excites the same impression as does a red object of the physical-sense world1 then that being is red4 ,there will1 however1 always be the external impression first1 and then the inner experience of colour1 in the case of the physical-sense object2 in that of the genuine clairvoyance of a man of to-day1 it must be the contrary1--first the inner experience1 shadowy1 like a mere recollection of colour1 and then a picture1 growing more and more vivid4 ,the less heed we pay to this necessary sequence of events the less we are able to distinguish between actual1 spiritual perception and the delusions of fancy 7illusion1 hallucination1 etc474 ,the vividness of the picture in a psycho-spiritual perception of this kind1 whether it remains quite shadowy1 like a dim concept1 or whether it impresses us as intensively as an outer object1 depends altogether upon the clairvoyant's stage of development4 ,now1 the general impression obtained by the clairvoyant of the etheric body1 may be thus described4 ,when the clairvoyant has strengthened his will power to such a degree that1 in spite of the fact that an individual stands before him in a physical body1 he can abstract his attention from what the physical eye sees1--he is then able to see clairvoyantly into the space occupied by the man's physical body4 ,of course1 a great increase of will power is necessary1 in order to withdraw the attention not only from something in the mind1 but from something standing before one1 in such a way that the physical impression is quite extinguished4 ,but this increase of will is possible1 and is brought about by exercises for the attainment of supersensible cognition4 ,the clairvoyant can then first have a general impression of the etheric body4 ,within his soul there arises the same inner sensation which he has1 let us say1 at the sight of a peach blossom2 then this becomes vivid1 so that he is able to say that the etheric body has the colour of peach blossoms4 ,he next perceives the separate organs and currents of the etheric body4 ,a further description of the etheric body may be given by relating the psychic experiences which correspond to sensations of heat or of sound-impressions1 etc41 for this etheric body is not merely a colour phenomenon4 ,the astral body and the other principles of the human being1 may also be described in like manner4 ,he who takes this into consideration will understand just how descriptions should be taken which are given by occult science4 ,the ,astral ,world ,as long as we observe the physical world only1 the earth1 as man's dwelling place1 appears like a separate cosmic body4 ,but when supersensible cognition rises to higher spheres1 this separation ceases4 ,thus one can say that the imagination1 when beholding the earth1 at the same time also perceives the ,moon condition as it has developed up to the present time4 ,now that world which is entered in this way is one to which not only the supersensible part of the ,earth belongs1 but is one in which also other cosmic bodies are imbedded1 which in a physical sense are entirely separate from the earth4 ,therefore1 the observer of supersensible worlds thus beholds not only the supersensible part of the earth1 but also the supersensible part of other cosmic beings4 ,if one should be impelled to ask why clairvoyants do not describe the appearance of ,mars1 etc41 he should bear in mind that it is primarily a question of observing supersensible conditions of other planetary bodies1 whereas the questioner is thinking of physical sense conditions4 ,therefore in this work it was possible to speak of certain relations of the earth's evolution to the simultaneous evolution on ,saturn1 ,jupiter1 ,mars1 etc4 ,now when the human astral body has been drawn away by sleep1 it belongs not only to the earth1 but to worlds of which still other regions of the universe 7stellar worlds7 are a part4 ,indeed1 these worlds extend their influence to man's astral body even when he is awake4 ,for this reason the name 8astral body0 appears to be justified4 ,of ,man's ,life ,after ,death ,mention has been made1 in the course of this book1 of the time during which the astral body still remains joined to the etheric body of man after death4 ,during this time there exists a slowly paleing recollection of the whole earth life just ended4 ,the duration of this time varies in different individuals4 ,it depends upon the strength with which the astral body clings to the etheric body1 on the power which the former has over the latter4 ,supersensible cognition can gain an idea of this power by observing a person who1 judging from his degree of fatigue1 must of necessity fall asleep1 but1 by sheer inner force1 keeps awake4 ,it then appears that different people can keep awake for different lengths of time without being overpowered by sleep4 ,the memory of the past life1 in other words the connection with the etheric body1 lasts about as long after death as the length of time a man can keep awake when1 in the most extreme case1 he is compelled to4 ,when the etheric body is detached from the individual after death1 something of it nevertheless remains for man's whole subsequent development2 this may be described as an extract1 or the essence of it4 ,this extract contains the result of the past life1 and is the vehicle of all that which1 during man's spiritual development between death and a new birth1 unfolds like a germ for the following life4 ,the duration of time between death and a new birth is determined by the fact that the ego1 as a rule1 returns to the physical sense-world only when that world has been so transformed that the ego can experience something new4 ,during its sojourn in spiritual regions1 its dwelling place on earth undergoes a change4 ,but this change is connected with the great changes in the universe1 with changes in the constellation of the earth1 sun and so forth4 ,these are changes in which certain repetitions take place1 in connection with new conditions4 ,they find an external expression in the fact1 for example1 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 years4 ,hence this vernal point1 in the course of the period mentioned1 moves from one region of the heavens to another4 ,in the course of the twelfth part of that time1 that is to say1 in about twenty-one hundred years1 conditions on the earth have changed sufficiently for the human soul to experience something new upon it since its previous incarnation4 ,however1 since the experiences of an individual vary according to whether he is incarnated as a woman or as a man1 there are1 as a rule1 two incarnations within the time stated1 one as a man and one as a woman4 ,but these things are also dependent upon the nature of the forces which man carries with him from his earthly existence through death4 ,therefore all the statements given here are to be taken only in a general sense1 but can be subject to the greatest variations in special cases4 ,the ,course ,of ,human ,life ,man's life1 as it manifests itself in the sequence of events between birth and death1 can be fully understood only by taking into account both the physical body with its senses and the changes undergone by man's supersensible principles4 ,occult science views those changes in the following manner4 ,physical birth is seen to be the detachment of the human being from its maternal covering4 ,forces which before birth the embryo shared in common with its mother's body1 are present independently in the child after birth4 ,but in later life supersensible events1 similar to those of the sense-world at physical birth1 become perceptible to supersensible observation4 ,that is1 the etheric body of the human being up to the change of teeth 7the sixth or seventh year7 is still enveloped in an etheric sheath4 ,the etheric sheath falls away at that period1 and then the 8birth0 of the etheric body occurs4 ,but man is still surrounded by an astral sheath1 which falls away between its twelfth and sixteenth year 7at the time of puberty74 ,this is the 8birth0 of the astral body2 and at a still later period the real ego is born47#cc7 ,now after the birth of the ego1 man lives in such a way that he adapts himself to the conditions of the world and of life1 and occupies himself within them1 in accordance with the principles active through his ego1--the sentient1- the intellectual- and the consciousness-soul4 ,then there comes a time in which the etheric body retraces the process of its development from the seventh year onward1 in reverse order4 ,at first the astral body has so developed itself that it unfolds that which was present within it at birth as a germ4 ,after the birth of the ego1 this astral body enriches itself by experiencing the outer world4 ,finally1 at a definite time1 it begins to nourish itself spiritually by consuming its own etheric body2 it actually lives upon the etheric body4 ,the decay of the physical body in old age is a consequence of this4 ,the course of human life therefore falls into three divisions3 a time of unfoldment for the physical and etheric bodies1 then one in which the astral body and the ego develop1 and lastly that in which the etheric and physical bodies are changed back again4 ,but the astral body plays a part in all the events that take place between birth and death4 ,since it is really born in a spiritual sense only between the twelfth and sixteenth years and must1 during man's declining years1 draw upon the forces of the etheric and physical bodies1 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 body4 ,after death1 when the physical and etheric bodies have fallen away1 evolution1 during the time of purification1 proceeds in such a manner that it occupies about one-third of the duration of life between birth and death4 ,the ,higher ,regions ,of ,the ,spiritual ,world ,by imagination1 inspiration1 and intuition1 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 evolution4 ,and thus it also becomes possible to trace human evolution between death and a new birth in such a way that it becomes comprehensible4 ,now there are still higher regions of existence1 which can only be briefly indicated here4 ,when supersensible cognition has risen to intuition1 it lives in a world of spiritual beings4 ,these too1 are evolving4 ,that which concerns humanity of the present day extends upward1 in a certain sense1 as far as the world of intuition4 ,true1 man receives impulses from yet higher worlds in the course of his evolution between death and re-birth4 ,but he does not experience these impulses directly2 they are brought to him by beings belonging to the spiritual world4 ,and if these are considered1 everything that happens reveals itself to man4 ,but the special conditions of these beings1 that which they themselves require in order to guide human evolution1 can only be observed by means of a cognition that transcends intuition4 ,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 lowest4 ,logical decisions1 for example1 count among the highest things within the earthly sphere2 while the activities of the mineral kingdom are among the lowest4 ,now in those higher spheres1 logical decisions correspond to about what the mineral activities are on earth4 ,above the domain of intuition1 lies the region in which the cosmic plan is woven out of spiritual causes4 ,the ,principles ,of ,man ,when it is said that the ego works on the human principles1 on the physical1 etheric1 and astral bodies1 and transforms them in reverse order into ,spirit-,self1 ,life-,spirit1 and ,spirit-,man1 this statement relates to the work of the ego on the human being by means of the highest faculties1 the development of which was begun only under earthly conditions4 ,but this transformation is preceded at a lower level by another change1 giving rise to the sentient-1 the intellectual- or rational-1 and the consciousness-soul4 ,for while1 in the course of human evolution1 the sentient-soul is being formed1 changes are taking place in the astral body2 the growth of the intellectual-soul expresses itself in transformations in the etheric body2 and that of the consciousness-soul in similar transformations in the physical body4 ,fuller information on this subject has been given in this book in the accounts of the evolution of the earth4 ,thus in a certain sense we may say that the sentient-soul itself is the result of a transformed astral body1 the intellectual- or rational-soul of a transformed etheric body1 and the consciousness-soul of a transformed physical body4 ,but we may also say that these three divisions of the soul are parts of the astral body2 for example1 the consciousness-soul is only possible because it is an astral entity existing in a physical body suited to it4 ,it lives an astral life within a physical body fashioned to be its dwelling place4 ,the ,dream ,state ,a description of the dream state has been given in another chapter of this book4 ,on the one hand it is to be regarded as a relic of the old picture-consciousness peculiar to man during the ,moon evolution1 and also during a great part of the evolution of the ,earth4 ,evolution goes forward in such a way that earlier conditions resolve themselves into later ones4 ,and so1 in the dream state1 there now appears in man a relic of what was once his normal condition4 ,but at the same time this condition from another aspect is different from the old picture-consciousness4 ,for since its development1 the ego also has taken part in those activities of the astral body which are carried on during sleep in the dream life4 ,thus through the presence of the ego there arises in dreams a transformed picture-consciousness4 ,but since the ego does not consciously exercise its authority over the astral body during dream life1 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 sense4 ,something similar holds good with regard to what is often called vision1 premonition1 or 8second sight40 ,these arise through silencing the ego and the consequent appearance of remnants of the old condition of consciousness4 ,in spiritual science these are of no value4 ,what may be observed in them cannot in any real sense be regarded as a result of it4 ,the ,attainment ,of ,supersensible ,knowledge ,the path to the attainment of knowledge of the higher worlds1 which has been more fully described in this book1 may also be called the 8direct path of knowledge40 ,in addition to this path there is another1 which we may designate as the 8path of feeling40 ,it would be quite a mistake1 however1 to believe that the former had nothing to do with the development of feeling4 ,on the contrary1 it leads to the greatest possible deepening of the life of feeling4 ,but the 8path of feeling0 addresses itself directly and solely to the feelings1 and seeks from this point to rise to knowledge4 ,it rests on the fact that when the soul entirely surrenders itself to a feeling for a certain length of time1 the latter is transformed into knowledge1 into imaginative perception4 ,when1 for example1 the soul is filled for weeks or months1 or even longer1 with the feeling of humility1 the content of the feeling becomes transformed into a perception4 ,now a path leading to supersensible regions may be found by devoting oneself to such feelings one by one2 but for the man of today1 bound by the ordinary circumstances of life1 this is not easily carried out4 ,solitude1 retirement from the life of the present day1 is almost indispensable4 ,for the impressions of everyday life disturb the soul especially at the beginning of development1 through absorption in certain feelings4 ,on the other hand1 the path of knowledge described in this book can be pursued in every situation of present-day life4 ,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 events2 or whether they furnish the possibility of observing quite definite events and beings1 as1 for example1 any given deceased person4 ,to this we must answer that one who has acquired the ability to see in the spiritual world by the methods explained1 can also perceive particular events which occur there2 he acquires the power of putting himself in communication with individuals living in the spiritual world between death and a new birth4 ,it must be observed1 however1 that in an occult sense this ought to take place only after the proper training required for supersensible cognition has been undergone4 ,for not until then is it possible to distinguish between illusion and reality1 in regard to certain events and beings4 ,a man who tries to observe particular cases without due instruction1 may fall a victim to innumerable deceptions4 ,the training which leads to the observation in higher worlds of what has been described in this book1 also leads to the ability to trace the post-mortem life of any special individual1 and no less does it lead to the observation and comprehension of all psycho-spiritual beings who1 from the hidden worlds1 work upon the visible ones4 ,correct observation of individual cases is only possible1 however1 on the basis of a knowledge of the universal great facts of the spiritual world1--facts regarding the world and humanity which concern every human being4 ,the desire for the one without the other1 leads one into error4 ,,footnotes #a ,we may also say1 it could only live the life of a plant in the physical body4 #b ,explanations such as those given in this book regarding the faculty of memory may very easily be misunderstood4 ,for one who observes external events only would not at first sight notice the difference between what happens in the animal1 or even in the plant1 when something appears in them resembling memory1 and what is here characterized as actual recollection in man4 ,of course1 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 present4 ,nay1 we may even extend our conception of memory or of recollection as far as some naturalists and their disciples1 when they point out that the chicken begins to pick up grain as soon as it comes out of the shell2 that it even knows the proper movements of head and body for gaining its end4 ,it could not have learned this in the eggshell2 hence it must have done so through the thousands and thousands of creatures from which it is descended 7so says ,hering1 for example74 ,we may call the phenomenon before us something resembling memory1 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 process1 as an actual perception of earlier experiences at a later date1 is not merely the working of earlier conditions in later ones4 ,in this book it is this perception of what is past that is called memory1 not alone the reappearance 7even though transformed7 of what once existed1 in a later form4 ,were we to use the word memory for the corresponding processes in the vegetable and animal kingdoms1 we should be required to use a different word in speaking of man4 ,in the description given here the important thing is not the particular word used1 but rather that in attempting to understand human beings this distinction should be recognized4 ,just as little do the apparently very intelligent actions of animals have any relation to what is here called memory4 #c ,the term 8,verstandesseele0 is sometimes translated by 8rational soul40 ,from a certain point of view one might prefer the term 8intellectual soul10 because it expresses better the activity of the soul than does 8rational soul40 ,in the latter one thinks of the knowledge about a perception2 in intellectuality1 one thinks of the actual possibility of forming this knowledge through inward activity4 ,in ,german the expression 8emotional soul0 only coincides as it should with the second member of the soul when the inward activity is kept in view4 #d ,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 body4 ,the one merges into the other4 ,when a man learns something1 and thereby gains a certain capacity for judgment1 a change takes place in his astral body2 but when this judgment changes his natural disposition1 so that he habituates himself to feel differently1 in consequence of his learning1 from what he did before1 this means a change in his etheric body4 ,everything that becomes so much a man's own that he can always recall it1 is based on the transformation of the etheric body4 ,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 body4 #e ,as a matter of fact1 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 fanciful4 ,such statements cannot be so easily branded as due to partiality on the part of the observer4 ,let occultists learn as much as possible from those who regard their efforts as nonsense4 ,they need not be disturbed if in this respect their love is not reciprocated4 ,occult observation assuredly does not require such things for the verification of its results1 nor are these allusions intended as proofs but as illustrations4 #f ,in current theosophical literature1 the condition of the ego from death to the end of purification is called 8,kamaloca40 #g ,the assertion that a man's personal talents1 if governed purely by the law of 8heredity10 must show themselves at the beginning of a line of descent1 not at its end1 might of course easily be misunderstood4 ,it might be said1 indeed1 that they could not show themselves then1 for they must first be developed4 ,but this is no objection2 for if we wish to prove that something has been inherited from an ancestor1 we must show how that which was there formerly is repeated in a descendant4 ,now if it were demonstrated that something existed at the beginning of a genealogical line which reappeared in its further course1 we might speak of heredity4 ,we cannot do so when something appears at the end of it which was not there before4 ,the reversal of the above proposition is only to show that the belief in heredity is impossible4 #h ,in different chapters of this book it has been shown how the world of humanity1 and man himself1 pass1 in their progressive evolution1 through conditions which have been named ,saturn1 ,sun1 ,moon1 ,earth1 ,jupiter1 ,venus1 and ,vulcan4 ,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 saturn1 jupiter1 mars1 and so on4 ,these latter planets are also passing through their evolution in the natural way4 ,at the present period they have reached such a stage that their physical portions are seen as those bodies which physical astronomy calls saturn1 jupiter1 mars1 and so forth4 ,now when the saturn of the present day is observed by occultism it is seen to be1 in a certain sense1 a reincarnation of the old ,saturn4 ,it has come into existence because of the presence of certain beings1 who before the separation of the sun from the earth were unable1 like the others1 to leave with the sun4 ,the reason of this was that they had gained so many qualities which are suitable for a saturn existence1 that their place could not be where the qualities of the sun were specially unfolded4 ,the present jupiter1 however1 arose in consequence of the presence of beings possessed of qualities which can only be matured on the future jupiter of the whole evolution4 ,a dwelling place appeared for them on which they can already begin in anticipation of this later evolution4 ,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 nothing4 ,mars is a reincarnation of the old ,moon at a higher stage4 ,the present mercury is the dwelling place of beings who are beyond the evolution of the earth2 but this is just because they have developed certain qualities in a higher way than is possible on the earth itself4 ,the present venus is a prophetic anticipation of the future ,venus condition of a similar kind4 ,it is consequently justifiable to give to the conditions preceding and following the ,earth the names of their corresponding representatives in the universe4 #i ,therefore it is perhaps scarcely necessary to remark that what has been described above could never actually happen4 ,a contemporary man1 as he is1 could not have approached ancient ,saturn as a spectator4 ,the account was given merely for the sake of illustration4 #aj ,in ,christian spiritual science they bear the name of 8,kyriotetes10 that is1 8,dominions40 #aa ,in ,christian esoteric science they are called 8,thrones40 #ab ,the ,christian 8,dynamis10 or 8,powers40 #ac ,the ,christian 8,exusiai10 or 8,authorities40 #ad ,the ,christian 8,archai10 or 8,principalities40 #ae ,the ,christian 8,archangeloi10 or 8,archangels40 #af ,the ,christian 8,seraphim40 #ag ,the ,christian 8,angeloi10 or 8,angels40 #ah ,the ,christian 8,cherubim40 #ai ,the gas appears to clairvoyant consciousness through the effect of light which emanates from it4 ,we might therefore speak also of light forms1 which are apparent to spiritual vision4 #bj ,in current theosophical literature they are called rounds4 ,yet1 if we bear in mind the more graphic description already given1 we shall guard against a too schematic concept of such matters4 #ba ,in the next few pages1 ,sun and ,moon are printed with capital letters when the old evolutions are referred to1 but are printed 8sun0 and 8moon0 when the ,earth period is indicated4--,translator4 #bb ,further particulars on this subject will be found in my book1 ,atlantis and ,lemuria1 which deals with man's ancestors4 #bc ,more detailed information about these ,mysteries of antiquity is to be found in my book1 8,christianity as ,mystical ,fact40 ,more particulars will be given in the last chapter of the present work4 #bd ,what is to be said further on this subject will be given in a later chapter dealing with supersensible knowledge4 #be ,all sagas concerning the twilight of the gods1 and similar traditions1 had their origin in this knowledge of the ,mysteries in ,europe4 #bf ,it is a matter of no moment whatever whether the above thoughts are warranted or not by any of the views held by natural science4 ,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 contemplation4 ,such thoughts are of importance side by side with no less significant theoretical presentments of things in the external world2 and here the thoughts are not adduced in order to prove a fact scientifically1 but to construct a symbol that shall prove effective1 irrespective of whatever objections may be raised by this or that person against its construction4 #bg ,in my explanations of 8,how to attain ,knowledge of the ,higher ,worlds10 translated under the title of ,the ,way of ,initiation and beginning at ,chapter ,,ii1 several other examples of methods of meditation are given1 and especially efficacious will be found one which deals with the coming into being and fading away of a plant2 also another may be particularly recommended1 based on the dormant formative power dwelling in the seed of a plant1 and others on the form and structure of crystals1 and other substances4 ,but the purpose in this book was only to show in one instance1 the nature of meditation4 #bh ,special exercises going into greater detail on this subject may be found in my book entitled ,the ,way of ,initiation4 #bi ,it must of course be clearly understood that such an appellation as 8lotus flower0 has no more bearing on the matter than has the expression 8wing10 if applied to the lobe of a lung4 #cj ,in my books1 entitled 8,the ,way of ,initiation0 and 8,initiation and ,its ,results10 some of these methods of meditation and exercises for acting upon these different organs are set forth4 #ca ,the appellation 8two-petalled0 or 8sixteen-petalled10 and so on1 is used because the organs in question may be likened to flowers having a corresponding number of petals4 #cb ,intuition is in everyday life a much-abused word1 which is made to stand for a vague and uncertain view of a matter2 for some sort of 8notion10 which1 while it may possibly 8hit0 the truth1 can nevertheless give no immediate proof of it4 ,it is needless to say that this kind of intuition is not meant here4 ,intuition1 in this case1 stands for knowledge of the highest and most luminous clearness1 of the justification of which the possessor is1 in the fullest sense1 conscious4 #cc ,the suggestive points of view for the conduct of education resulting from a knowledge of these supersensible facts are presented in my little book1 ,the ,education of ,children from the ,standpoint of ,spiritual ,science1 in which will be found fuller details of what can here only be hinted at4