Devotion, Thought Control, and Spiritual Perception

GA 266I — 14 March 1904, Berlin

Fourth Lecture

I would like to begin by saying that you should not underestimate the mood in which one has to place oneself in order to have the right relationship with the universe. For those who are not yet on the path of knowledge, this mood is perhaps something that seems to have no real significance. But it does. For this reason, all religions have tried to educate people to this mood through prayer, and the prayer that originated from esotericists also has no other meaning.

In order for you to fully appreciate the significance of such an attitude towards the universe, I would first like to show how not only those who want to progress in terms of their inner life, but also those who want to progress in their knowledge of the outside world, can pave their way by doing so.

In our materialistic age, many erroneous opinions are held about great explorers and pathfinders. In particular, many of those who are involved in the sciences believe from the outset that the sciences lead to disbelief, to the denial of the spiritual world. That is why I would like to tell you today about the spirit of a great mind, whose name I will not give you until I have read a few of his sayings to you. For these sayings show how he came to the great discoveries that have been a blessing for modern times, through his having a more intimate connection with the spirit that permeates the whole universe. He says:

“It is true that the divine call that compels men to learn astronomy is written in the world itself, not in words and syllables, but in terms of the nature of the chain of heavenly bodies and conditions, by virtue of the appropriateness of human concepts and senses. A hidden destiny drives one person to this and another to that occupation, so that they may be convinced that, just as they are a part of the work of creation, they are also under the guidance of divine providence.”

Another sentence from the same man:

“What I sensed 25 years ago [...] I have finally [...] brought to light. To a higher degree than I could ever have hoped for, I have recognized as absolutely true and correct that the whole world of harmonics, however great it is, with all its parts discussed in the third book, is found in the heavenly motions, although not in the way I had imagined (and that is not the last part of my joy), but in a completely different, and at the same time highly distinguished and perfect way. In the meantime, while I was kept busy with the extremely laborious task of improving the theory of the movements of the heavenly bodies, my passionate desire for knowledge was greatly increased and my determination was spurred on by reading Ptolemy's Harmonical Writing [...] In it I found, contrary to my expectations and to my greatest astonishment, that almost the entire third book was already dealing with a similar study of celestial harmony 1500 years ago. But at that time much was still lacking in astronomy [...] However, in the emphatic pursuit of my plan, I was not only greatly encouraged by the low level of ancient astronomy, but also by the strikingly precise agreement between our observations, which were made fifteen centuries apart. For why are many words needed? Nature itself wanted to reveal itself to people through the mouths of men who set about interpreting it in very different centuries. There is a divine hint in it, to speak with the Hebrews, that in the minds of two men who had devoted themselves entirely to the contemplation of nature, the same thought about the harmonious design of the world emerged; for neither was the guide of the other in walking this path. Now, after eighteen months of gathering light, three months of bright days, and just a few days ago the full sun of a most marvelous vision, nothing holds me back...”

These words were written by the great astronomer Johannes Kepler, who first taught people how the planets move and which orbits they follow. From this you will see that, in the face of true science, it cannot be a matter of unbelief in the spirit and that anyone who today, on the basis of discoveries such as those made by Kepler, Copernicus, Galilei and so on, wanted to claim that the world is not permeated by the spirit, that a spiritual view of the world has been overcome, would find himself in a very strange position. For those who, out of this devotional mood, have made the discoveries of natural science, as Kepler did, have grasped the harmony of the world system.

What we must strive for first of all is to recognize that man's personality is not yet his true self, but that this true self is something to which we must aspire, something that must develop more and more in us through the incarnations. This is also what Goethe means when he says: “Whoever strives, we can redeem him. And if he has received love from above, the blessed host will give him a warm welcome!” And Christ meant nothing other by the term ‘grace’ than the ‘buddhi’ that bends down and draws our self up to itself.

Buddhi is grace. And this constant striving towards the realms that the theosophist calls the plane, the plan of buddhi, the plan of bliss, is what brings us knowledge. And every true knower, everyone who has come to knowledge, who has had knowledge, has realized that he has come from nature to grace and from there to glory. And that was Kepler's prayer. When he felt the full significance of his discovery within him, he was not the proud scholar who said, “I have now found it.” Rather, Kepler's mood was the mood from which his great discovery was born, and this mood was this:

"O thou who, through the light of nature, awakens in us a desire for the light of grace, in order to lead us through it to the light of glory, I thank you, Lord and Creator, that you have delighted me with your creation and that I have rejoiced in the works thy hands; behold, I have now finished the work of my calling, utilizing the measure of strength thou hast bestowed upon me; I have revealed to men the glory of thy works, as much as my limited mind could grasp of thy infinity. If anything has been presented by me that is unworthy of thee, or if I have sought my own honor, graciously forgive me.

The human soul is often called a reflection of the divine being. If one delves into this image, it becomes clear that one does not have one's being within oneself, but outside of oneself, that the higher self is outside and we can only reflect it. But then one also realizes that the human being is part of the higher self, is part of an eternal being. That the theosophists' images are not arbitrary may be proved to you again by a saying of Kepler's, a saying about the soul that coincides so completely with the theosophical truth about the soul: “I think about the soul somewhat like mirrors that the sun shines upon. If you stop perceiving them with your senses, they do not cease to be. They contain the expression of the Divine. Whatever is materialized in this dissolves.

What Kepler spoke, he overheard from the Spirit that spoke to him. This is mentioned here to show how the devotional mood comes into play in everything. No one can gain higher knowledge than the one who believes and allows himself to ascend to knowledge. He who knows that with every thought man lets a divine stream flow into him, he who is conscious of this, receives as a consequence the gift of higher knowledge. He who knows that knowledge is communion, also knows that it is nothing other than that which is symbolized in the Lord's Supper.

As holy and great as it can be grasped, it should be presented as the union with the world spirit. Those who feel unworthy must struggle to make themselves worthy and capable of the knowledge. Devotion is something that works wonders in this area. Those who do not know the mood of judgment are on the right path.

Young people usually make the mistake of judging too soon when they say, “I stand on such and such a point of view.” A young person must receive knowledge with reverence and respect. There is a difference between the person who criticizes from an early age and the person who receives knowledge devoutly. The Talmud lists seven qualities for those who want to become wise:

He does not speak first when a person of importance is present.

He does not interrupt anyone else's speech.

He does not answer hastily before thinking.

He asks and answers questions appropriately.

He discusses one topic after another in order.

This fifth rule is a golden rule for the present time. Go into a hundred modern meetings and see if you can find one in which things are handled properly and in order.

Of what he does not know, he admits: “I do not know.”

He confesses his error if he believes he has made one.

These are important sentences that look like very mundane rules of life, but they are infinitely important because they inspire reverence for knowledge, and that is what works more for spiritual knowledge than anything else. One must have experienced the difference in the auras of young people who have this reverent mood and those who do not. The clairvoyant can tell exactly whether someone is sitting, let us say, in a lecture hall and listening with real reverence, for then he has the blue and violet rays and currents in his aura. And then one can also tell exactly those listeners - especially among the student body they are frequent - who, even at the age of twenty, harbor the thought and also express it: I stand on this point of view; this seems right to me, this seems wrong to me. On the other hand, there are young people who, with a holy awe, only dare to open the door of some great man. And these come to the highest and furthest realization.

And then it is important that we keep order in our train of thought. The following words in «Light on the Way» seem to contain a contradiction. But anyone who wants to go higher must live with that. They must have two opposing sentences in front of them:

Strive only for that which dwells within you.

Strive only for that which lies beyond the self.

You may ask: Do I need both sentences and what for? Yes, we need both. And we want to be clear about both sentences, because that is where thought control lies. We must practice it so that we do not make one truth clear to us one-sidedly, but look at the world from all sides.

Let us first take the sentence: “Strive only for what dwells within you”, and then the second sentence, the second thought: “Strive only for what lies beyond the self.”

Life alternates between good and evil, between beauty and ugliness, and so on. These are things that always contradict each other. But we will only get to know the life of the mind if we do not get stuck in the details. We simply do not dwell on the contradictions, but understand that contradictions are what life is all about.

In this way, we practice thought control, always being aware that when we have conceived a thought, we must immediately seek the corresponding other, which relates to the former as hunger relates to satiety. In this way, one side of the thought is complemented by the other, just as light and shadow, positive and negative, complement each other. So our thoughts must follow a strict order. Let us therefore remember the rule: add to every thought its opposite! Those who follow this rule will gradually be able to live in a living spirituality. They will live in a spiritual life that is higher than the sensual.

When we have reached one level, we must be aware that there is an even higher level above us. After all, everything we can achieve now is such low levels compared to what we still have to achieve. It is not for nothing that Christian wisdom has said: No eye has seen, no ear has heard what God will show those who approach him lovingly.

The tenth thought in “Light on the Path”: “Strive only for that which lies beyond the self” is controlled by the eleventh:

Strive only for that which is always unattainable.

The writer of “Light on the Path” wrote under the influence of a highly developed master. “Light on the Path” was inspired by an Occidental master who carefully dictated every single sentence to the pen, word for word. The person who wrote the book was merely the scribe, the writing medium.

In the sense of this sentence: “Strive only for what is always out of reach.” Goethe also says at the height of his knowledge: “I praise only those who desire the unattainable.”

It is not important to understand these sentences, to be able to make them clear to one's mind. It is much more important to start the day with three such sentences, no matter how you have understood them. Let us begin, for example, with the sentence: “Strive only for what is always out of reach.” For the one who lives with this sentence, it will become an inner strength; it will become his own. But then a change can also be found in the aura. In certain places in the aura, somewhat darker circles can be found. The more a person develops, the more these dark spots, which look like wheels, change. And when a person begins to assimilate such sentences in lonely mental work, then these wheels begin to turn. These are the “wheels” of which the writings of the Indians and the representatives of the old religions speak. These are the “chakrams”, and when they begin to turn, then the higher knowledge begins.

For in you dwells the light of the world, - the only one that illuminates your path. If you cannot recognize it within you, you will seek it in vain elsewhere. And yet it lies beyond yourself. If you penetrate to it, you have lost yourself. And it is unattainable, for it always recoils. You may enter its circle of light, but you will never touch its flame. Notes by Rudolf Steiner for the lecture Berlin, March 14, 1904, cf. p. 48