Self-Knowledge and God-Knowledge I

GA 90a — 16 November 1903, Berlin

IV. Where Does Diversity Come From? — From Unity

A person consists of body, soul, spirit, of three epochs of the cosmos: past, present and future.

Our present round: present; the preceding past; what will come, the subsequent rounds: future. [...]

'Past' as an expression of the original spirit. Imagine the original spirit as water; everything physical is the solidified state of water. 'Present' is the soul; the 'future' lies within us as a seed. We cannot yet see the soul, but we are approaching the time when the soul can be seen. The past is the same as the future – the content of both is the present. The content is different and manifold – originating from the One – the multitude returns to the Unity. – The original spirit, conceived as the power of creation, as the center.

Now the power of creation emits thoughts as rays emanating from the center. Each such ray is a soul. Now, not every soul [...] is the creative power, but a part of it [...] is active and strives towards the whole again. If we could compare the soul itself to this creative power: the soul continually produces thoughts and sends them out into space; but not every thought is independent and can work independently as a being like the soul as God's thought. The path of development is twofold: the primal source as creative power – and thoughts.

We cannot fathom the reason for God's devotion. We can know how a machine works by studying it. With a plant, although we can also study the laws here, it is more difficult to determine its form and development. It is even more difficult with animals. In the lower man we can still determine by observation what he does, which is no longer possible with the more highly developed. There it is an act of freedom. So the highest act of the Creator's freedom is this causeless devotion to the world out of love. No compulsion. So there is no logical reason for us with the great spirit. Plato as an initiate - like other sages - called love the reason of the universe.

Present as the connection between past and future is the power in us as an astral body.

Third Logos Wisdom. Therefore renunciation of Why? Because God as Creator in the act of His highest freedom created the world:

God, the Primordial Source, Unity, through devotion to the world out of love a multiplicity. — Example: water sprinkled in many drops; the drop is still the same water —, then Annie Besant: fire, and bursting out — sparks.

Now that we are thoughts – drops, sparks – of the Most High, we remember our origin. Memory = remembrance – Plato.

In the beginning was the Word—inexpressible! When I utter it, it consists of letters; each letter has a different sound. We are—every being is—such a letter of the Word. The diversity of beings is because, in order to speak a word, different sounds are necessary.

Word – diversity – that art Thou – it is I – I am I!

I. Logos omnipotence – II. Logos power – III. Logos wisdom.