Inner and Outer Evolution
GA 91 — 30 August 1904, Graal
8. Evolution And Involution
You have to acquire a few terms to understand how self-knowledge becomes world-knowledge. First, a simple concept. Let us consider a lily seed and then the whole lily. The power of the whole lily is inside the seed. If we sink the seed into the earth, the power inside it is able to group earth, water, air in such a way that the lily becomes. The material comes from the environment, but the organizing force from the lily.
Similarly, we must imagine the Pitri nature according to a Pralaya. In the form of a seed we have it after a great pralaya. He is perceptible only in the beginning and at the end of his development on the Budhi plan and in the middle on the Nirvana plan. Nevertheless, when he comes into matter, he has the power within him to organize it as the lily seed does.
Let us note: Pitri whole force without matter; in contrast to this we have man in his material arrangement. In a sense, similar. After the seventh round, when man will have reached nirvana, he will again have seed nature, but a different one. Everything he has experienced here, he will take over into the seed. We have the state where everything is rolled up into one point: Involution; and the one where unfolded is: Evolution.
Seed of the lily - involution unfolded lily - evolution
They are states relative to each other, [they are] mutually dependent. If man, as he is, went to Nirvana, he would not be able to unfold all that he is capable of. One side of the being is always in evolution, the other in involution.
Let us go through the Middle Ages, the time of Augustine to Luther and Calvin. Little of external science was then, but more mystical-internal life. This was therefore in evolution; mind in involution. - Later time: intellectual life [emerges] and mystical recedes. Mind life: Evolution; mystical: involution. What was then in germ, now came up. - In life the activity of our senses is in evolution - after death we have no senses, but all that we have experienced through them is properly spread out. Involution and evolution.
We have no time at all to process everything we see, only a small part we process. From this it can be seen how much we involve, absorb, how much must spread, evolve in the Devachan. From this we can see why the time in Devachan has to be so long. And again, what is prepared in Devachan by this propagation, becomes investment at birth and evolves in the next life. So, it is a continuous equilibration between involution and evolution. And to penetrate this completely is the task of theosophical immersion. It corresponds to a world process. Man usually jumps from one impression to another, taking in impression after impression; that he spreads them out in devachan will depend on the fact that he already holds them in life. Ordinary life is a kind of spiritual involution; meditation-life is a kind of spiritual evolution.
Just as evolution and involution play an essential role in understanding the world order, so does triplicity.
Let us think of a sphere, a glass sphere, compact, it is a unit, holds together. Let us think it divided into innumerable parts, all the same: The glass ball will fall apart, be a heap. If it doesn't, it must be held by forces that make it float in space. [unreadable word] Sphere made of many parts; forces that hold it - shape.
This applied to the whole universe: originally one, then divided into millions of parts; and then the forms, the arranging spirit. - The first, infinitely times divided is:
a) I. Logos, original power, on which everything [unreadable word]: Father, b) II. the powers that hold together: Word, Son, c) IIL. the ordering, the Holy Spirit.
Namely this was in use by the greatest Christian esotericist: Dionysius Areopagita, disciple and initiate of the Apostle Paul. - He is called Pseudo-Dionysius because [the teachings] were not written down until the sixth century.
There was a watchword among Christians, "From mouth to ear." Written things can be abused; the truly initiated did not write down. Dionysius was the head of a school of mystics. It happens with such developed people that they do not remain in devachan as long as other people. They can soon return to new incarnation. The heads of initiatory schools usually do; these schools often have the good fortune to keep the same head through many centuries. So it was here. And it was not until the sixth century, when people thought more of writing down teachings, that they were written down here.
From this Dionysus are the original teachings of Christian esotericism; one can learn Christianity in its original form from him, and to this belongs this interpretation of the supreme entities.
The Father reveals himself first in the higher being, then in the mirror image:
Atma - Father
Budhi - Word
Manas - spirit and in physicality:
Etheric body - Father
Astral body - word
Kama-Manas - spirit, the lower.
In [John]: Three are they that beget on earth: the blood - life principle -, the water - astral - and the spirit - KamaManas; and three are they that beget in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the heavenly spirit: Atma - Budhi - Manas.
This is how gnosis, esotericism, was taught even then in Athens. Pulpit speech was exoteric, priestly teaching: esoteric.