# Spiritual Discernment and the Rosicrucian Path to Higher Worlds

## GA 266II — 5 November 1910, Berlin

### Esoteric Lesson

Record A

*Noah's Ark*

As always, we want to ask the spirit of the day for help with our work. - Saturday saying.

Yesterday we spoke about the disciple hearing the spiritual sound, the sound from the East. If the discile were to say that he now knows how the spiritual sounds, that he has now heard the first spiritual sound, he would be making a grave mistake. The sound that the disciple hears is, in fact, the last word, as it were, from the physical world. Everything that still sounds loud in any way, every sound that can come from a larynx incarnated in the flesh, does not come from the spiritual realm.

The spiritual world is, for the time being, completely colorless, lightless, soundless, and so on. Everything we see in terms of colors, for example, is not spiritual, but comes from within ourselves, and indeed it imparts qualities that we do not yet possess, that we still have to attain. When we see the color red, for example, it means that we do not yet have love within us, that we have to develop it within ourselves. If we see violet, it means that we must acquire devoted piety.

When we hear sounds, they are not spiritual, but something that comes from within us. If someone has a craving for a certain food, for example, if someone starts eating vegetarian but still has an inner, physical craving for meat, even if they are not aware of it, this craving sounds like a noise, a hypocritical noise. All these sounds and noises are just occult raven cawing!

If a figure from earlier times appears to the student and he wants to interpret it immediately, this is completely wrong. He must be able to wait with the interpretation. The student should not interpret in the present, but only later. If such an image appears before our soul, it shatters as soon as we approach it with our thoughts. But if it is a genuine image, it will reappear before us later and then remain in its true form, and we will know what it means. But we must be able to wait, wait and remain silent. Just as we should not approach experiences with our own thoughts, we should speak even less about them. We should regard and treat our entire spiritual life as something sacred. With all these experiences of sounds and colors and so on, we must tell ourselves that they do not come from the spiritual, but from our own inner being, from our own ego, which is surrounded by a sea of desires and passions, just as Noah's ark was surrounded by the sea. And we must live in the conviction that all these experiences and phenomena are not spiritual. By telling ourselves this clearly and relentlessly, we must, as it were, give up our ego, give up our ego's desire for experiences, let it fly away, as the dove was let out of Noah's Ark and did not return.

But then, later, the student has another occult experience. When we have realized that there is nothing, absolutely nothing spiritual in those experiences of sounds and colors, when we have recognized with inner strength that the spiritual world is completely empty for us, then we realize that those experiences do have a meaning, a meaning for ourselves. The colors become warning signs and advisors; they tell us what we do not yet have, what we still have to achieve. From the sounds we recognize that they reflect physical desires. And when the images that we have allowed to work on us calmly reveal their meaning to us, then the soul is enriched by such experiences. It is like the second dove that was released and returned with the olive branch, the symbol of peace.

But the soul is not entirely on its own on this difficult path of the esotericist; there is something it can hold on to. Something like this is the Rosicrucians. We should let it work on us; we should be clear that the black of the wood represents our physicality, which is hardened and withered, that we must let our lower self, which identifies with physicality, become as dark and dead as the wood of the cross is dead. Then the higher, spiritual self will work within us, just as the black of the cross is transformed into bright, radiant lines of light. In the same way, the red of the roses will be transformed from the color of inner love into green, the color of outward life.

When we experience symbols, it is not those that are genuine and come from the spiritual world that make us happy, that we experience joyfully, but only those that cause us suffering. And we must carry them around with us until we have grasped their meaning. In suffering, the spiritual must be born in us from them.

And we must realize one more thing: that is, that we cannot be unselfish. We are never unselfish, never, never, never! And even if we imagine that we have now done something that is completely selfless, it is still a mistake. We cannot act selflessly. It is the karma of the world that makes us act selfishly. The karma of the world is God!

And when we finally reach the point where we act in a good and noble way, it is the God within us who is good. As we become more selfless, we will notice, for example, that we no longer feel fear or terror. If a loud noise suddenly occurs next to us, we will no longer startle as we did before. The God who makes us act good and noble is our archetype. Our archetype created us into what we are now. And we must become the image of our archetype again.

If we have understood all this correctly, then we will understand in the right way the true esoteric Rosicrucian motto:

> Ex Deo nascimur  
> In - - - morimur  
> Per Spiritum Sanctum reviviscimus

What has been omitted here is inexpressible for the esotericist. When we begin to speak the first line, our feeling must go to what is inexpressible. And only when the feeling returns can we continue speaking. Those who experience this inwardly with the right feeling will also understand the other esoteric saying correctly:

> In the spirit lay the seed of my body ...

Record B

What was said yesterday about the inexpressible word that is heard in meditation and that points toward the East should not be imagined as something that represents a sound that has anything in common with human language. What one hears as vowels, as articulated sounds, is precisely what one has put into it oneself. Nothing that is seen or heard in the spiritual world, no sound, no color, has anything in common with the things of this physical world. When we look at the color red, for example, the color is something that belongs to us; it represents what we ourselves are not yet. Red in the spiritual world means love. So when we see red, it means that we have not yet developed love within ourselves.

While we meditate, we consciously or unconsciously rise into the spiritual world, as if we were standing on a high mountain and the waves of our passions were crashing around us and up towards us, just as Noah's ark floated on the floods. It is these passions that reveal themselves in the first beginning as sounds, as voices.

As esotericists, we are obliged to reject all sounds (noises) at the beginning of our development and to regard them as the cawing of ravens.

One must therefore begin by considering everything one sees or hears as incorrect. This also applies, for example, when looking at personalities one knows in their “previous incarnations.” The student should not pay attention to any of this, but let it go so that it does not return. What one sees in this way will, after a long time—for it can take a long time before a change becomes apparent—dissolve and transform into something else. The new thing that then forms is the true thing! When a red color appears, one should only perceive it as coming from oneself. Only when the red color dissolves like a cloud and changes into another color should the latter color be regarded as significant. — This is the dove returning to the ark with the olive branch; it is a revelation from the spiritual world that has something to tell us. But this, too, should be understood as a symbol that we must learn to decipher. It may take a long time before we are able to do this. Even when a symbol appears to us, we should not dwell on it, but rather reject it.

One should only consider colors and symbols when they have appeared to us some time before, so that it is more likely that our personal interest in them has waned and we may be able to find their true meaning. We must familiarize ourselves with the awareness that we are completely permeated by selfishness and that we carry this into the spiritual world. We must have the courage and strength to imbue ourselves with the certainty that we can do nothing, absolutely nothing, on the physical plane without egoism having a say. We should resolve to promise ourselves that we will always keep in mind that everything we do stems from selfish motives. This might discourage us, but if we enforce it for ourselves, we will notice that we are making certain progress. For example, fear and terror, such as when we suddenly hear a loud noise, will fall away from us.

Only that which we do in the name of another, in the name of that within us which we can call our God, does not originate from egoism. In order to feel this God within us, we must permeate ourselves with the awareness that we are only an image of the archetype according to which this God created us, and that only slowly and gradually can that image be transformed into the archetype. The archetype is our true self, which was formed in embryo on ancient Saturn, and it is this that confronts us when we utter our Rosicrucian formula. The Rosy Cross is the symbol that shows us the way to ascend into the spiritual world. When viewed in the spiritual world, the black of the cross is seen as white—the counter-image of the image—and the red roses are transformed into a brilliant green color.

The Rosicrucian formula is exoteric as long as it is spoken in its entirety; it is esoteric when spoken as follows: Ex Deo nascimur. In - - - morimur. Per Spiritum Sanctum reviviscimus. One must feel for oneself what a great difference this makes in the soul.[^1]

Record C

We will easily be exposed to misunderstandings if we think that the sound that descends to us from the spiritual East and signifies the name of God manifests itself in tones and articulated sounds as we hear them in the physical world. But it is a completely different sound, a completely different tone, which has not the slightest resemblance to anything in the physical world. The student must therefore be extremely careful in his discernment, but especially in his self-knowledge. For it is a fact that when someone begins to perceive colors, forms, sounds, or even words from the spiritual world, these come from the spiritual world in very few cases. They mostly come from the physical world, namely from the human being themselves, often simply because the human being is animated by a burning desire to experience something in the spiritual world themselves; Then phenomena and sounds and so on appear from our own world. But in a certain sense, these phenomena are based on truth—and this should be carefully considered—insofar as they are part of our thoughts and the nature of the human character. What is expressed in colors and so on is therefore not usually from the spiritual world, but is often caused by physical discomfort, or can also be caused by the following. If a person has become a vegetarian but has not yet lost the desire to eat meat, this craving for meat will torment him on the astral plane where he dwells at night, and this discomfort manifests itself there in sounds or words which he then believes he hears coming from the spiritual world. This is what is called the “croaking raven” in occultism.

Or let us assume that someone sees the color red—the color red spiritually signifies love—it is presented to them spiritually because that is precisely the quality they lack. It is placed before their soul as a challenge. Some people complain that they cannot hold on to colors, but that is not necessary. The colors must disappear like the dove, and when they return later, they will appear completely different. The red color will change before our eyes into green, blue, or yellow. This is then the sign that a spiritual phenomenon is at work and that we are at the stage where we are being taught through symbols and are being allowed a glimpse into the spiritual world.

At first we will not understand the symbols; we must let them sink into our memory; little by little, in our meditation, it will become clear to us what the symbol is meant to teach and tell us.

As the student develops further, he will be granted permission to read the Akashic Records. However, before reaching this stage, he must have worked hard on himself. Above all, he must recognize that all his actions on earth are based on selfishness, that even in his supposedly “selfless” acts of love, selfishness is secretly hidden. As long as man is incarnated on earth, he will never be able to completely overcome selfishness.

On our difficult path, we are given many aids, and one of these aids are the symbols that have been given to us by the Masters of Wisdom for meditation. One of the most effective of these meditations is that on the Rosicrucian cross.

We should think of the black cross as the death of human passions, and in the red roses we see the symbol of the purified human being who has cast off the lower nature. If we transform the black cross into a white one in our meditation, it symbolizes the spiritually elevated human being. All egoism is then extinguished. The red roses will meditatively transform into green ones and awaken in us devotion to the divine. A veil will be torn from our eyes, and we will consciously look into the spiritual world.

Record D Every human being is created from an archetype of themselves and is only a reflection of this archetype. Everything good, beautiful, and noble that we are able to accomplish in the world is not done by ourselves, but is thanks to our archetype.

Continuing from what he had said the day before, the doctor said: We should not think that our visions etc. are correct and of value until we have heard the “inexpressible word,” which is not a word in human sounds, has no tone or vowel at all—like earthly sounds or vowels. Everything that manifested itself to us in this way came from ourselves — Lucifer and Ahriman = deception, and the sounds, for example knocking sounds and our interpretation of them, would have to be characterized by the expression “raven cawing,” and talking about such experiences would also be nothing more than raven cawing. Only when we heard the “word” would we come to understand what the expression “East — wise masters of the East” meant. If it were objected: yes, how do I know that I have real experiences in colors, for example? The distinguishing feature here is that these color images must change, as must forms or figures, which — if they do not change — have no meaning. If we have such images, we should remain silent about them and try to interpret them correctly. It is like a dove that we send out and that does not return. We should not mourn or become impatient if, after we have had a vision once, it does not return for a long, long time. It is necessary to wait, to wait patiently. An example of an interpretation: If we see red, for example, this does not mean love or that we have love, but precisely that we do not have it; we should acquire it. The same applies to violet, where there is a lack of devoted piety. If we have interpreted this correctly, it is like a dove returning with an olive branch in its beak—the same applies to forms, symbols, and figures. Above all, it is important to bring to consciousness the insight that we are selfish and that the words “I am doing this” or “I feel completely unselfish in this” should never, ever come out of our mouths, for selfishness belongs to the world karma and we cannot free ourselves from it for the time being. We should only acquire the insight that this is so as a weapon against Ahriman.

Once we have developed this insight within ourselves, it is like a third dove that rises higher but always returns to us, thus connecting us with the archetype that is determined in Christ. When this realization has become completely alive within us, we surrender to Christ and die in Him. Exoterically, we say the words: E.D.N. - I.C.M. P.S.S.R. Esoterically, they cannot be written down.

Record E

The word from the East must be received by us in the right way. We must above all take care to distinguish truth from deception in inspiration, that everything which appears to be of the character of the larynx-spoken, i.e., as a vowel, in what we hear from the spiritual world, does not in truth originate from there. Rather, there must be no sound character. Therefore, the “word” from the spiritual world does not flow like human speech. Everything vowel-like must disappear. As soon as a sound character is present, one must say to oneself: This is a temptation to recognize voices other than those from the spiritual world and to follow them! But the spirit never speaks to me in a sound character.

With time, we will learn that the soul changes through meditation, and what we experience through these changes can reveal itself to us in certain sounds. But we must not consider this to be true inspiration either; in reality, it is nothing more than the occult cawing of our desires and cravings—reflections of our inner being. This occult raven cawing is overcome when I send the raven away.

Therefore, when we receive the first messages, we must always say to ourselves: This is only our own inner self being reflected. These illusions are indeed a danger, but we should not allow ourselves to be discouraged by saying: “I have been working for five years or more and have still not experienced anything positive!” Rather, we must continue our attempts again and again until we achieve a positive result.

Human beings clothe their experiences in the physical world in forms, colors, and sounds. However, the spiritual world does not express itself in colors, shapes, and sounds in the physical sense. Man must therefore undergo a reversal of his self in order to become seeing in the higher world, and for this he needs inner strength. Yes, we must learn to recognize that it is we ourselves who initially bring about the colors and shapes (imaginative images). We must boldly and courageously acknowledge this. The supposed voices are usually only the expression of uncomfortable moods of the body; this is even more the case with meat eaters.

However, I must remain firmly convinced that sooner or later colors and sounds will appear that are not only the expression of the uncomfortable inner body, but really originate from the spiritual world. The dove of our own spirit must not return empty once it has flown away!

We must learn to interpret the symbolic language that echoes to us from the spiritual spheres. Then the dove of our spirit will no longer return empty, but with the olive branch. We must seek to understand spiritual experiences in the language of images. The first symbols that appear to us should be an invitation to acquire this quality. For example, if the color red, the color of love, appears to us, I say to myself modestly: You do not have it! Violet is the color of devoted piety; it tells us to be patient, to be able to wait. But when one day these colors transform into their complementary colors, we can say to ourselves that we have taken a step forward and purified ourselves of egoism.

The training guides the student and tells him what is important in order to recognize symbolically in the Rosicrucian symbolism the expression of the first impressions from spiritual worlds. Only when we do everything in the name of God do we feel correctly: Thus must man learn to regard himself as the image, the archetype of God.

This is what the threefold Rosicrucian motto tells us.

Record F

The student should be as suspicious as possible of his occult experiences—especially those that bear the tone characteristic. Even if he wanted to believe that he was experiencing the sound of the inexpressible name of God, which would sound to him when he had found the direction toward the spiritual East—if he wanted to believe that this was spiritual truth when he heard such a sound, like something still reminiscent of a physical sound, he would be deceiving himself. For this “spiritual” sound that he hears is like the last thing from the physical plane and at the same time like the first thing from the higher planes—something that comes toward him, so to speak, from the other side to connect him with the higher worlds. Having a sound character still means something from the physical plane. Vowels only sound here, not there! True spiritual hearing is something completely different, something that has no sound character in itself. It does not come from a larynx incarnated in flesh.

When the student is now lifted up in his “ark” onto the “mountain,” he feels surrounded by the “waves of the sea,” that is, his own sea, his own astrality, by everything that still lives in his instincts, lusts, desires, and so on. He looks at them; they surround him like waves. He should recognize and see through them; he must know what is sounding toward him, or rather, what seems to be sounding toward him from the spiritual world—this is nothing other than the reflection of his own lusts and desires. He initially experiences the reflection of his own lower nature. The reflection of his thoughts appears to him in colors and light—it is Lucifer at work here, not his higher self. Sounds, however, are reflections of something that lives in the physical body and demands satisfaction as greed! For example, someone who lives as a vegetarian solely out of their own decision, not for reasons arising from higher impulses within them, who perhaps still has a craving for meat and is only suppressing it, may experience this craving as sounds emanating from seemingly spiritual worlds. For example, the student may see red. He must learn to say to himself: this shows me that something is missing in me: I do not yet have true love within me. Red, the color of love, calls on me to develop warm human love. And if a light violet appears to him, as if floating, he must say to himself that this is only a sign that he must develop devoted piety within himself. Or an event or a personality that gives him clues about previous incarnations does not tell him anything about previous incarnations, but rather that he is not yet mature enough to look into his previous incarnations, i.e., to read the Akashic Records, which requires a high level of development.

Therefore, one should be as suspicious as possible. One only hears, as they say in occultism, the “cawing of ravens” of one's lower self when one is on this mountain, surrounded by the waves of one's own astral sea. Then one gradually learns to distinguish. But one is still exposed to many deceptions.

Only when you have learned to say to yourself with all determination: All this is nothing but the outpourings of your lower self, not true experiences of the higher worlds, which, however, are initially experienced as such by the student – only then can you gradually approach the truth, which can only be gained by overcoming this phase in occult development. One then sends away the “ravens” with complete determination. To send away the ravens means to give up, as it were, one's everyday ego, which is bound to the sensory world and must be bound to it; to give up all desire for content related to one's experiences. Become completely still, completely empty, completely without desire within. Once we have achieved this, we realize that those experiences that still come to us from the physical world do have value—but value for us alone. Then, for example, colors tell us that they are warning signs, advisors who tell us what we do not yet have, what we still have to achieve. And from the sounds we recognize physical desires. We then calmly allow these experiences to affect our soul in their true meaning.

Now, from this inner peace and silence of the soul, one is ready to send out the first dove. It does not return. And that is good. One waits. Then one sends out the second dove. It returns with the “olive branch”—the symbol of peace, that is, of inner balance. What is this dove?

When the color formations transform so that their opposite image emerges, when, for example, the red color “turns around” and becomes violet, this violet is truly something coming from the spiritual world. This is the dove that truly brings a message from the spiritual world. The student must experience something like a reversal of his own ego before he can have this experience. And now the student himself must give form and shape to what comes to him from the spiritual world.

There is something that can serve as a support for the student on this difficult and ascetic path: the Rosicrucians, which he should carry in his soul!

A characteristic feature of what the spiritual worlds give is that everything that appears as a symbol is not immediately understood by the student. He must allow these symbols to work on his soul — for days, often weeks, in self-denying silence. In complete peace and tranquility of soul, without desires, without wishes.

Then, at a certain moment, he turns back, so to speak, and suddenly understands what the symbol meant to him. All the while, it has been working as a force in his soul, to which he remains silent and waits. Patience — perseverance — silence towards oneself! In the peaceful silence of the soul, which lives in the confidence that the student will always receive the right thing from the teacher at the right time — this life of the soul in trust that it will be given what it needs — this must be the esoteric equipment of the student.

The student must repeat to himself again and again: I will not be able to participate in the spiritual world unless I have learned to say to myself: I am full of egoism — and I cannot be any other way here in the physical world. But what lives here in the physical world is only an image, a form that is a reflection of my original image. This form, this image, is completely saturated with egoism. And it is world karma that saturates us completely with egoism in our course of development through incarnations. But world karma is God. God also lives within us. And when we reach the point where we act in a good and noble way, it is the God within us who drives us to do so. And the God within us, who makes us act in a good and noble way, lives in our archetype. I myself am full of egoism — but I am predestined to become the image of my divine archetype. This archetype rested in the bosom of the deity—it descended to this physical form, and this form is under the power of the God who stands above my destiny, my karma, which is completely saturated with egoism. Never, never may I say that I am without egoism; that is never true—I cannot even be without egoism in the physical world.

But when I learn to look at my archetype born of God, when I let my thinking, feeling, and willing, all my soul forces, die completely into this archetype, then I can hope to defeat the egoism in me and draw closer to my archetype again. We will notice that to the same extent that we become more selfless, we also become physically more powerful. We will notice that we no longer feel fear or terror, we will no longer flinch in sudden fright. We will become powerful and strong in our entire human being.

If we understand the genuine, ancient esoteric Rosicrucian saying correctly, we say: E.D.N., the knowing being of man goes toward that which is inexpressible, the creative word. Then feeling returns, and we can continue: I — - M. That is: “Let Christ die within”—let egoism die and rise to new life through the power of Christ's love. In - - morimur: this is how one pronounces this mantra esoterically. And its meaning shines forth: the God of my destiny releases me by allowing me to die into him: In — - - morimur.

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[^1]: In a draft of this record, the following sentence can still be found: “At the end, the prayer was spoken with the omission of the last three words; in their place, the sign of the cross with the circle was repeated three times with a hand movement.”