Crossing the Threshold: Lucifer, Ahriman, and Spiritual Concepts

GA 266III — 3 September 1913, Munich

Esoteric Lesson

Quote of the day for Wednesday.

Our task for the coming days must be to extract the esoteric, which was to be found between the lines, so to speak, from everything we have been able to let pass by us exoterically during these days. This is what all esotericism consists of: taking in with the soul, with the mind, what we can understand and comprehend exoterically.

What has been mainly talked about during these days is the guardian of the threshold, Lucifer and Ahriman. We must learn to recognize the realms of these last two in order to protect ourselves from encroachment. Above all, we must be careful not to take concepts that we have formed and acquired here in the physical realm, which rightly exist for the physical realm, and carry them over into the spiritual realm when we cross the threshold.

Philosophy is something that is more distant to some of the souls sitting here, but you all know that philosophy attempts to give people views on life and worldviews. Philosophy mainly talks about two things:

Firstly, multiplicity, in which everything is reduced to the smallest parts, atoms, monads. Leibniz's philosophy, for example, is a monadological-spiritual worldview; Haeckel's materialism is an atomistic one.

The second thing discussed in philosophy is unity. Spinoza's philosophy belongs here, and Hegel's worldview can also be included here.

Now, however, multiplicity and unity are concepts that only apply to the physical plane and have no meaning for the spiritual world, at most for the elementary world. We used to work with friends who were into philosophy. One day, someone came up to me and said they couldn't work with us anymore because they saw unity as the only truth, and we didn't. And they left us.

Those who worship unity and take these concepts into the spiritual realm fall prey to Lucifer. Those who regard multiplicity as the only truth fall prey to Ahriman. Those who become conscious in the spiritual realm, and this is the main requirement for the advanced esotericist, that during meditation they are consciously outside their body, see themselves first. Their main impression is of themselves, their physical body and its relationship to their physical being. Here in the physical realm, we feel ourselves to be a unity in relation to the environment, which we perceive as multiplicity. We see clouds, mountains, trees—in short, the various kingdoms of nature around us. If we were to believe that the cloud up there is a part of ourselves, just as a finger is a part of ourselves, we would be committing a grave error. In the spiritual realm, we become aware of ourselves as a multiplicity; we see all the forces and beings that act on our physical body in the elemental world as a multiplicity. We see them as a hundred thousand fools, yes, as a legion. But if we were to see these hundred thousand fools only as a multiplicity and not say: All you little fellows there, you are all just me; all of you together in your multiplicity form only me as a unity! — if we did not say this with all our strength and energy and self-reflection, then we would fall prey to Ahriman. And we must not only tell ourselves this theoretically, intellectually, which would not be so difficult after all, but we must truly experience this conviction that multiplicity in the spirit is unity. If we did not do this, if we did not empower our souls to these feelings, but instead saw these hundred thousand fools as hundred thousand fools, then fragments of us would fly away, we would be torn apart into multiplicity. Ahrimanic beings would take pieces from our being and use them to veil themselves and present us with error and lies.

Certain wild tribes, for example, know lions only as multiplicity. They cannot conceive of them as a unity, as a species. One must truly grasp the concepts of unity and multiplicity and leave behind those that are only applicable to the physical plane when crossing the threshold. “The Awakening of the Souls,” 4th picture, Romanus: “But my mind laid aside the temple mood at the gate when it entered life.”

Through meditation, we must strengthen our soul so that when beings in the spiritual world truly approach it, it feels strong enough to immediately recognize whether they are trying to lead it into error. The soul must be able to say: You are the builders of my physical body.

In theosophical literature, one often finds diagrams that are quite useful in themselves; they start from a unity, which then branches out into more and more diversity. Or they start with diversity and work their way up to unity. And even if these representations are perhaps not entirely correct, it does no harm. It does harm, but not so much as long as it remains on the physical plane. But if one wants to cross the threshold with this concept of the diagram, it can become terrible. A scheme can serve as a teaching aid if it serves only as a symbol, if one remains aware that the same thing can be represented in this way or in a hundred other ways; if one is not aware of this, one has fallen prey to Ahriman.

Feelings and emotions naturally play a role in all representations and explanations. One person needs to be told something in a lively manner, another in a completely different way, which may seem antipathetic to the first. That is just the way it is.

But one must never use eloquent means to impose or force a spiritual truth on an esotericist; that would be Lucifer at work. The student must be free in his receptiveness.

So one must clearly distinguish between life on the physical plane and life in the spiritual worlds. One must not take the concepts that are valid here in the physical world with one when crossing the threshold, and likewise when retreating (Romanus in “Seelen Erwachen,” as already mentioned).

The activity of the Ahrimanic and Luciferic beings is necessary for the world order as long as they remain within their proper limits. The esotericist must now strengthen his soul so that he recognizes the encroachments of these beings and protects himself from them. Only when human beings have brought themselves to maintain the balance between Ahriman and Lucifer in physical life, when they know the origin of everything they encounter, only then will they gain self-confidence in the spiritual world.

From what is given in the esoteric lessons and through our meditative life, the esotericist should develop a different feeling from that of the exotericist; his whole life and actions must be illuminated by the spiritual, so that it becomes impossible for quarrels and disputes to prevail in our ranks. This is possible, truly possible! In exoteric life, the esotericist must behave like the exotericist. Only he must feel toward the exotericist as an adult feels toward children, but without any arrogance or conceit, purely objectively. But it is often quite painful to see how quarrels, disputes, ambition, and jealousy prevail even among esotericists. It is just as if a forty-year-old man were playing skittles with children and, when a skittle hurt his finger or a ball blackened his eye, he wanted to hit the ball. In a child, this way of expressing his displeasure would be natural. As an adult, one can play games better than children, but one has different feelings and emotions; you are above the game, while the child is absorbed in it.

Some of our dear friends told me that my book “Theosophy” was so difficult to understand and asked if it could be presented in a simpler way. I sometimes put pen to paper to do so. But one must not believe that it would be easier or less strenuous to write about Theosophy in a more popular style, so to speak. But I always put the pen down again. If one wanted to take in Theosophy without any difficulty of thought, one would thereby offer Lucifer points of attack. It is quite right to struggle a little in the process.

There are many false concepts in the physical realm as well. For example, it is wrong to assume that light is based solely on waves. However, it is completely wrong to speak of waves, oscillations, or vibrations in relation to spiritual things. Some people say that during an esoteric lesson, there were sympathetic vibrations (“vibrations,” pronounced in English); people like to say that, but they should not!

In recent days, there has been much talk about all the dangers that await the spiritual student on the path to the spiritual world. If someone were to say, “No, I do not want to go down this path, I do not want to become a spiritual bearer, there are too many dangers involved!” — it would be the same as if someone were to say: I want to live in the house that is about to collapse, I just don't want to know about the collapse! —

Everyone must walk this path once, and therefore it is necessary to familiarize oneself with the dangers. Humanity must take this path to the spiritual if it does not want to become desolate and wither away. And it is the task of the esotericist to strengthen his soul so that he can correctly recognize all difficulties, Lucifer and Ahriman, the guardian of the threshold, and look them in the face, not succumbing to the hindering forces, but defeating them in order to show humanity the way.

The seed of my body lay in the spirit ...
The seed of the spirit lies in my body .

Record B

First: the prayer of the day: Then the introduction.

Many people listen to the lectures, many have also listened to the esoteric lectures over the years, yet one sometimes hears that it is difficult for some to really distinguish what the difference is between the exoteric and esoteric lectures. In fact, it is difficult to distinguish what should be called esoteric. However, a simple yardstick can be used here, namely that one is clear that the messages that are also conveyed exoterically actually originate from the supersensible world and are to be understood as such by the listeners. It is only the way of understanding that distinguishes the esotericist. If we succeed in internalizing what is brought to us externally, we are esotericists. The internalization of the exoteric is esotericism. We are esotericists when we truly experience within ourselves what is communicated to us externally, not only intellectually, but with all our senses and soul forces.

In everything that surrounds us in the physical-sensory world, we find a combination of what we call the Ahrimanic and the Luciferic. These two forces flow together in the physical-sensory realm. In esoteric life, however, this should not happen; the Ahrimanic and Luciferic should be kept away. But how can this be done, since we have no standard for what is exoteric and what is esoteric, what is Ahrimanic and what is Luciferic? These forces are also at work in science, in art, in short, in the whole of outer life, without people knowing it. If we take a look at the various philosophies and worldviews, we can distinguish two large groups. There are philosophers who believe that everything in the world must be traced back to a single idea, to a single entity. This includes all monistic and unifying philosophers, whether they trace everything back to the physical, the spiritual, or the soul. On the other hand, there are those who believe that everything can be traced back to a multiplicity. Those who want to trace everything back to a unity are influenced by Luciferic impulses, while those who want to trace everything back to a multiplicity are influenced by Ahrimanic impulses.

But since both currents have their justification in the physical-sensory world, it is necessary to know how far this justification extends. And so the question arises: how far does one have justification and how far does the other? The Ahrimanic, multiplicity, has justification in the physical and to a limited extent in the elemental world. But not in the spiritual world. Atoms do not exist in the spiritual world. Vibrations of light no longer exist in the physical world.

Even the concept itself is something that exists for me in the physical-sensory world. So you cannot even bring that into the spiritual world. Even mathematics no longer has any validity on the spiritual plane. You cannot rely on the fact that three times three is nine. If someone enters with such a dogma, it is almost certain that an Ahrimanic entity will interfere with the first three and a completely different result will emerge. So even mathematical concepts and arithmetic axioms have no validity in the spiritual realm. The whole atomistic system is valid only on the physical plane, to a limited extent still in the elementary world, but no longer in the spiritual world.

Those who have a tendency to unite everything into a single entity are working with the Luciferic impulse; but those who have a tendency to view everything atomistically or monadologically are working with Ahrimanic influence. Leibniz and Haeckel atomize; they are therefore influenced by Ahriman. Those who ascend to the higher worlds with such views are blinded to things as they are. The things of the spiritual world are shown to them in a completely false light. It is roughly the same as when children playing skittles knock over the skittle when something goes wrong; so it is when people blame others for what happens to them. What happens to them is karmic. It is not the fault of one person alone, but of both parties. We must therefore come to understand that what is caused by another is also our fault. In this way we discover how multiplicity becomes unity again.

Record C

Esoteric work is the internalization of what we receive in the exoteric lectures. Much has been given to us in the last fourteen days, which we must carry into our souls and process esoterically so that it has true value for us. Much has been said to us about the threshold where we must leave behind very, very much that is valid and right for the physical plane. Some of the concepts we carry over from this world are innocent enough, but many become problematic because the Ahrimanic and Luciferic forces take hold of them. For example, we must completely change our concepts of unity and multiplicity beyond the threshold. Philosophies deal extensively with these two concepts, and philosophers have created systems and worldviews with which they divide the world either into a unity (Monas) or into a multiplicity (Spinoza, Hegel, Leibniz, Haeckel). Such philosophies have their justification on the physical plane and are innocent children compared to an esotericist who would do something like that. In general, esotericists should feel toward other people—without falling into arrogance or conceit, but rather with humility—the same way adults feel toward children at play. From their point of view, they are right to play their games in this way and to take them seriously, while adults always stand above the game; in the same way, esotericists should stand above many things in which others are still quite entangled, and rightly so. An esoteric who has once crossed the threshold into a room where he receives esoteric teachings and then, in his exoteric life, continues to give free rein to his antipathies, jealousies, anger, and all other impulses, has not yet penetrated the spirit of what is meant and has not yet grasped the seriousness of the matter.

If we want to enter the spiritual world, if we are outside our body, this body will appear to us as a great multiplicity. We will recognize it as the result of the work of all elemental beings, all hierarchies. But we must nevertheless recognize it as our unity, that we are one with it. Then the elemental beings will show us their true face. But if we consider it to be a multiplicity in itself, Ahriman takes hold of our error and all these beings tear a piece from us and confront us like lying figures, like a hundred thousand fools. Every error concerning multiplicity falls prey to Ahriman, and every error concerning unity falls prey to Lucifer. If we want to limit ourselves entirely to ourselves as a unity, we fall prey to Lucifer. The various philosophies of multiplicity or monism are dominated by Ahriman and Lucifer. If we are vigilant, these two influences will not harm us so easily. It is dangerous to enter the spiritual worlds unprepared, but one should not let fear deter one from doing so, for sooner or later every soul must take this step. - With your whole soul, with a boundless mind, take in and let yourself be permeated by the truths we receive here; that is the best way into the spiritual worlds, to immerse ourselves deeply, to work out for ourselves what is given to us. - Well-meaning people have often asked me if I could not give a lighter, more popular book for beginners than “Theosophy,” and I have often put pen to paper for this purpose. However, there are dangers in simplifying and making things easier for some minds, which would be poisonous, and so I have always refrained from doing so.

Record D

Esoteric life is the internalization of the exoteric knowledge we acquire about the development of the world. In this series of lectures, much esoteric knowledge has been incorporated between the lines, so to speak, and it will be our task in the coming period to extract and discover it. Much has been said about the threshold to the supersensible world, which we all must cross in the course of time. At this threshold, it is the Luciferic and Ahrimanic beings that can become dangerous to us. It cannot be emphasized enough that we must not carry over into the spiritual world concepts that are valid for the sensory world, where they could become dangerous to us. Such concepts are multiplicity and unity. Philosophers who are also esoterically intellectual but have naive, childlike souls construct systems to explain the phenomena of the world. They trace these back to multiplicity, monadology, atomism—Haeckelism, in which Ahrimanic impulses are at work—or to unity, monism, Spinozism, Hegelianism, in which Luciferic impulses are at work. These concepts are foolish in the sensory world and dangerous in the supersensible world. Where we are outside our bodies, they would lead us to see a hundred thousand fools. We must learn to recognize the multiplicity of the supersensible world as the unity of our bodies now outside us; we must recognize that countless elemental spirits are working on it and have the longing to create human beings. We must tear away the mask of lies from these beings and recognize them as subordinate helpers of the higher hierarchies.

The desire for a simpler, more popular version of theosophy than the book [Theosophy] has been expressed many times. Theosophical concepts must be worked out. If one wanted to influence others as a teacher by means other than the content of the teaching, for example through beautiful eloquence, one would allow Luciferic impulses to flow into Theosophy. To speak of “vibrations” in Theosophy, as is often done, is to open the door to Ahrimanic impulses. We must step out of esoteric life into the world as adults participate in children's games; if we return to our old quarrels, emotions, and passions, we behave just like the adult who, like a child, hits the ball that has hit him in the eye.