Inner and Outer Evolution

GA 91 — 18 August 1904, Graal

2. On Meditation

The purpose of the evening review is to turn the life of the past into lessons for the life of the future. Some say: yes, I do it every day. Self-examination is also a double-edged sword; it is fruitful only when it really detaches the higher self from [the lower]. People do not become strangers enough to themselves, worrying ...

This is not unjustified, theosophy does not say to become hard-hearted; but often we prevent something by worrying and worrying about past things, prevent doing better. The purpose of meditative work is to pull oneself out; during the day one can have sorrow and worry, during the review [one must reject them] as well as the everyday thoughts. It is good to make this day review from backward to forward. For man lives toward the future, and in truth the future is approaching, perfection is at the end. If we extend [the review] not to twelve hours, but to twenty-four hours, we will see that it is good. The dreams will be only confusedly conscious at first, but it is good that one extends one's memory, for thereby the sense of the astral is sharpened, and the consciousness becomes continuous. One learns to understand that the dream life has a higher reality. To man the astral appears in distorted images, because man is not able to see properly. Later comes the moment when during the dream man is fully conscious, and this leads to the continuity of consciousness, so that it becomes indifferent whether we are awake or dreaming. This is also the way in which the masters teach the occult disciples.

One should not care whether one is a valuable personality or not. As for the morning meditation, it is mainly a matter of having a completely sightless consciousness, so that this void is filled with spiritual content ... or scripture. Let's try to bring about this emptiness by imagining the absolute, dark and empty space that has no boundary. The state we have to invoke is just like when we are asleep. To exclude the senses and the memory is the art. Then we imagine the absolute empty and dark space, and then out of this blackest darkness we let rise: "aum mani padme hum" - then the formula and the elevation to the higher self. Again darkness - and then as on a wall the sentence.

Sitting down more often, when there is time and opportunity, and thinking of nothing at all is a good exercise. It is hard to resist the always angry thoughts. This even strengthens the physical organism. Very significant is to get free the brain with present astral body.

A strong reason why the astral body is egoistic is the thoughts; everyone surrounds himself with a shell that is astral. When the thoughts are taken away, this astral stuff dissolves again, and nothing is better than when an organism is left to itself. Man has such a harmonious heart, lungs and so on, because the higher formers have created on it and he could ruin little. One acquires also thereby a certain exercise to scare away thoughts.

With the concentration it is necessary that from it is sharply separated the thinking, the speculating about a [meditation] sentence. We must already be finished with it. Such a sentence comes from higher experience and always contains more than we know. Even the inspired one meditates on his own sentences. So firm is his belief that it is higher revelation.

Patience must be so long, even in failure, that the unconditional belief that things will get better one day does not waver. Not forcing things, not forcing, is necessary. Patience must be there in tremendous measure; it is it that comes over the occult student in the

Meditation must be poured out completely. It is through this that he becomes a disciple. As the plant does not skip a single one to get to the last, crowning one, so the disciple; never skip an intermediate link; detour where necessary; form is adapted to the cleft of the rock. Patience, constancy and steadfastness are the qualities of the divine nature that we have to develop. It is a matter of mind, not of success.

The devotional part then follows.

Phrases: Let us keep in mind the one that basically man is more perfect as a physical being than as astral and mental. Imperfection lies in the fact that man today is a tripartite being and still clumsy in the handling of what are the higher principles and in the free use of the lower principles. For he can never become happy if he abandons himself to the lower principles like the animal, which does not have its mental body on the same plan as its physical and astral. Animals can be trained, but man works through the animal again to the higher plan, which then works down. But only the one who moves freely on the mental plane, only an occultist, is allowed to do that.

Man must keep the balance between his mental and physical nature, oscillate back and forth between both. This is already expressed in the exterior. The animal is horizontal; the human being is imprinted with being torn out of the physical vitality. This uprightness of the head is conditioned by the balancing between the physical and the higher spiritual. Because it is so, the head of man as a sign of his intellectuality is the organ which is pushed in the middle ...

The animal head is only instinctive. In occult relation the human head is quite different from the animal one. With the animal completely ... With man a beginning; the stream is poured out into the animal and has found its end there - dead end. With man there is a new beginning; through all the openings of the head all the streams go on, so that man through his head is a bridge, a connecting link between the higher and lower nature.

The animal eye looks out only to the sensed object; the human eye connects the mental image with the object, and thereby opens to the spirit; while the animal eye forms a cul-de-sac.

The main human openings are related to space by the seven planets, to time by the seven days of the week. The sacred line in the world, the lemniscate, is to be traced here; we recognize in this way the occult placement of man in the world-entirety.

Through the right eye passes the second principle, Budhi; through the left the third principle, Manas; through the right ear the mind soul; through the left the sentient soul; through the right nostril the etheric body; through the left nostril the astral body, Linga sharira. And on the top of the head, in the future, there will be an opening for the outpouring of Atman. Through the mouth flows the Word, which must always be thought through. Through the seven planets these main openings are placed in relationship to space.

The top opening on the head has a connection with Jupiter, the right eye is connected with Mercury, the right ear with Saturn, the right nostril with the Sun, the left nostril with the Moon, the left ear with Mars, the left eye with Venus. Through the seven days of the week they are connected with time. Here it is necessary to notice the Sacred Line of the World. It points us to the occult construction of man in the universe.

Concentration is followed by a prayer part, which should consist of awe and reverence [toward] the great spirits who have penetrated deeply into the mysteries of nature and the universe and who are above ordinary human nature.

When the moon is waning, nothing new should enter into meditation.

Right Eye Second Principle, Budhi Mercury
Left eye Third principle, Manas Venus
Right ear mind soul Saturn
Left ear sentient soul Mars
Right nostril etheric body Sun
Left nostril astral body moon