How To Achieve Christ Consciousness And Attain Immortality - Rudolf Steiner

Summary

The script delves into the concept of carrying ego consciousness beyond death, suggesting that it can only be achieved through unity with Christ, who supports it during the transition. It explores the development of consciousness through meditation, the nature of ordinary and imaginative thinking, and the relationship between the soul and the physical body. The lecture also touches on the significance of the Christ event in preserving ego consciousness and the role of anthroposophical research in understanding the mysteries of life, death, and spiritual evolution.

Takeaways

• 🧘 The script discusses the concept of carrying one's ego consciousness through death, suggesting that it can only be achieved through the mystery of Golgotha and the union with Christ.
• 🛌 It emphasizes the idea that ordinary consciousness is extinguished during sleep and is rekindled through imagination, inspiration, and intuition meditation, which deals with ordinary thinking to produce imaginative thinking.
• 🤔 The experience of meditation initially involves a temporary inability to think, as one feels outside the physical organization, leading to a stronger activity of thought in the soul upon renewed awareness.
• 💭 The script describes the process of developing imaginative thinking, where one's memories and ordinary consciousness are set aside to experience a deeper, more substantial form of thought related to one's etheric body and life course.
• 🕒 The concept of time is explored, with the script suggesting that in imaginative consciousness, time periods appear simultaneously, unlike ordinary consciousness that lives in the present with only memories of the past.
• 🔄 The script contrasts the experiences of ordinary consciousness with those of imaginative consciousness, noting that the latter does not rely on memory but on the present moment's active experience.
• 💡 It highlights the importance of distinguishing between true imagination and visionary experiences, with the former being a controlled and enriching addition to ordinary consciousness, while the latter is an uncontrollable and potentially misleading experience.
• 🧠 The physical body, particularly the head organization, is described as a metamorphosis of pre-early soul life, serving as a mirror for reflecting thoughts, while the will is linked loosely with the metabolic and limb systems.
• 🌟 The script suggests that through intuition, one can perceive the spiritual nature of the will and understand the divine spiritual world, which is not directly accessible through the physical head organization.
• 🤝 The attainment of ego consciousness is linked to the physical body, and the script proposes that the mystery of Golgotha and the Christ being are essential for preserving this ego consciousness after death.
• 📚 Finally, the script implies that higher perception and philosophy gain substance and life through the approach described, leading to a spiritual Christianity and a deeper understanding of human existence.

Q & A

What is the central theme of the script discussing?

The central theme of the script is the exploration of human consciousness, particularly the ego consciousness, its relationship with the physical body, and how it can be carried beyond death through the mystery of Golgotha.

What does the script suggest about the nature of consciousness during sleep?

The script suggests that during sleep, a person's ordinary consciousness, sense perception, and the experiences of thinking, feeling, and willing are extinguished, and these aspects are rekindled through imagination, inspiration, and intuition during meditation.

How does the script describe the process of developing imaginative thinking?

The script describes the development of imaginative thinking as a process that starts with ordinary thinking and then transitions to a state where one's thinking is enhanced and more connected to the soul's experiences, including the ability to recall one's life from birth to the present moment in a simultaneous, spatial manner.

What is the significance of the 'mystery of Golgotha' in the context of this script?

The 'mystery of Golgotha' refers to the crucifixion of Christ and is significant in this script as it is suggested that Christ can support and carry the ego consciousness through death, preventing it from melting away with the physical body.

How does the script differentiate between ordinary consciousness and imaginative consciousness?

Ordinary consciousness is tied to the physical world and is bound by time, while imaginative consciousness allows for a simultaneous experience of time and a deeper, more substantial connection with the soul's life and experiences.

What role does the physical body play in the development of ego consciousness according to the script?

According to the script, the physical body is instrumental in the development of ego consciousness. It is through the use of the physical body, particularly during the period of human evolution marked by the event of Golgotha, that humans learn to develop their ego consciousness.

How does the script explain the relationship between the soul and the physical body?

The script explains that the soul has a dual relationship with the physical body. One part of the soul is transformed into the physical form, specifically the head organization, while another part remains connected to the metabolic and limb systems in a loose way, reflecting the will and not transforming into physical corporeality.

What is the significance of the head organization in the context of the script?

The head organization is significant as it represents a physical metamorphosis of a soul-spiritual element from pre-early existence. It serves as a mirror for reflecting thoughts, formed and enlivened out of the experiences of pre-early life.

What does the script suggest about the nature of the will in relation to consciousness?

The script suggests that the will operates in a part of the soul that is not fully conscious during waking life, akin to a state of sleep. It is only through intuition that one can perceive the true nature of the will and its connection to the divine spiritual world.

How does the script relate the concept of death to the evolution of human consciousness?

The script relates death to the evolution of human consciousness by suggesting that death is not the end but a transition where the soul life that was transformed into the physical body during life is reborn into a new spiritual existence, particularly through the intervention of the Christ as per the mystery of Golgotha.

What is the role of intuition in understanding the human will and spiritual world?

Intuition plays a crucial role in understanding the human will and the spiritual world as it allows one to perceive the true nature of the will and the soul's life that is otherwise concealed. It unveils the spiritual world by revealing the soul's embryonic life that is set to be born at death.

Outlines

00:00

🧘‍♂️ Ego Consciousness and the Mystery of Golgotha

This paragraph delves into the concept of ego consciousness and its connection to the physical body, suggesting that it can only be preserved after death through the union with Christ. It discusses the process of meditation and how it leads to imaginative thinking, which is essential for understanding the problem of death. The paragraph emphasizes the need to transcend ordinary consciousness to access deeper spiritual insights, highlighting the transformative journey from physical to etheric reality and the role of courage and presence of mind in experiencing this transition.

05:00

🔮 The Development of Imaginative Consciousness

The second paragraph explores the development of imaginative consciousness, contrasting it with ordinary consciousness. It explains how memories are lost during imaginative thinking, and how this form of consciousness allows for a simultaneous experience of one's life events, as opposed to the linear perception of time. The paragraph also addresses the challenge of retaining imaginative experiences in memory, emphasizing the need for repeated effort to access these insights, and differentiating between the substantial nature of imaginative thoughts and the illusory reflections of ordinary consciousness.

10:02

📚 The Role of Practice in Spiritual Perception

This paragraph discusses the importance of practice in cultivating spiritual perception, likening it to the acquisition of a skill. It emphasizes that the insights gained from super sensible worlds must be produced in the present moment and cannot be simply memorized. The speaker shares personal anecdotes to illustrate the difficulty of conveying spiritual truths and the necessity of composure and quiet for the subject to arise from a calm soul. The paragraph also touches on the expectations placed on lecturers of spiritual subjects and the potential disruptions caused by external inquiries.

15:03

🕊️ The Transformation of Soul Elements and the Physical Body

The fourth paragraph examines the relationship between the soul and the physical body, particularly focusing on how certain soul elements are transformed into physical form, specifically the human head organization. It explains that the head is a physical metamorphosis of pre-early soul life and serves as a mirror for reflecting thoughts. The paragraph also discusses the difference between the conscious experience of thoughts and the unconscious aspects of the will and metabolic processes, suggesting that the latter are more closely tied to the physical world and less reflective of the soul's true nature.

20:05

🤔 The Paradox of Consciousness and the Unconscious Aspects of the Soul

This paragraph delves into the complexities of human consciousness, highlighting the paradox that while we are awake in our thoughts, we are unconscious in our will and metabolic processes. It discusses the idea that the soul's life is partially asleep even when we are awake, particularly in relation to the will. The paragraph also explores the concept of intuition as a means to perceive the true nature of the will and the divine spiritual world, suggesting that through intuition, one can gain insight into the eternal nature of the soul and its development through pre-early existence, earthly life, and life after death.

25:06

🌐 The Soul's Journey from Pre-Early Existence to Earthly Life

The sixth paragraph discusses the journey of the soul from pre-early existence to earthly life, focusing on the transformation of the soul's elements during conception and birth. It explains that one part of the soul is completely transformed into the physical form of the human head, while another part remains connected to the metabolic and limb systems in a loose way. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of understanding the relationship between the soul and the physical body in order to gain insight into the nature of the soul and its experiences, particularly in relation to the development of ego consciousness.

30:07

💭 The Nature of the Will and the Soul's Eternal Being

This paragraph explores the nature of the will and its relationship to the soul's eternal being. It discusses how the will is a mystery even in waking life and can only be fully understood through intuition. The paragraph also examines the concept of the soul embryo, which is revealed through intuitive perception and represents the part of the soul that is born into a new spiritual life at death. The discussion highlights the importance of super sensible perception in understanding the evolution of the soul from pre-early existence, through earthly life, to life after death.

35:09

🛐 The Christ Event and the Preservation of Ego Consciousness

The eighth paragraph discusses the significance of the Christ event in preserving ego consciousness after death. It explains that ego consciousness, which is acquired through the use of the physical body, would otherwise be lost at death. The paragraph emphasizes that the mystery of Golgotha provides the answer to how ego consciousness can be carried beyond death, suggesting that it is through the union with Christ that this is made possible. The discussion highlights the importance of anthroposophical research in understanding the spiritual significance of the Christ event for human life.

40:11

🌟 The Role of Higher Perception in Spiritual Philosophy and Christianity

The final paragraph emphasizes the role of higher perception in shaping spiritual philosophy and Christianity. It discusses how higher perception leads to an appeal to the mystery of Golgotha and the entry of the Christ being into human consciousness. The paragraph suggests that modern super sensible perception, through spiritual philosophy and cosmology, can provide a firm foundation for spiritual Christianity. It also touches on the importance of imaginative knowledge in enriching philosophy and the insights gained from super sensible perception in understanding the nature of time and the human experience.

Keywords

💡Ego Consciousness

Ego Consciousness refers to the sense of self or the conscious awareness of one's own identity and existence. In the video's theme, it is suggested that Ego Consciousness is developed through the physical body and is tied to the mystery of Golgotha, implying a spiritual aspect to its continuation after death. The script discusses how this consciousness might be preserved through the Christ event, indicating its significance in both physical and spiritual realms.

💡Imaginative Thinking

Imaginative Thinking is a form of cognition that goes beyond ordinary consciousness, allowing individuals to perceive and understand concepts that are not immediately present to the senses. The video emphasizes its role in meditation and the exploration of the problem of death, suggesting that it can provide insights into the soul's journey beyond the physical body. It is portrayed as a bridge between the tangible and the spiritual.

💡Initiation Knowledge

Initiation Knowledge pertains to the deeper, esoteric understanding that one gains through a process of spiritual development or enlightenment. The script suggests that this knowledge is necessary to fully comprehend the relationship between the physical and spiritual aspects of human existence, particularly in the context of death and the preservation of Ego Consciousness.

💡Meditation

Meditation, in the context of the video, is a practice that facilitates the transition from ordinary thinking to imaginative thinking. It is presented as a method to explore the self and the soul's existence beyond the physical realm. The script describes meditation as a tool for experiencing a state of non-thinking, which is a precursor to accessing deeper spiritual insights.

💡Super sensible Perception

Super sensible Perception refers to the ability to perceive aspects of reality that are not accessible through the five physical senses. The video discusses this as a means to understand the spiritual constitution of humans and the relationship between the soul and the physical body. It is suggested that this form of perception can lead to a profound understanding of life, death, and the continuation of consciousness.

💡Christ Event

The Christ Event, as mentioned in the script, is a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and its spiritual significance. It is presented as a pivotal moment that allows for the preservation of Ego Consciousness after death. The script suggests that through this event, the Christ being supports the individual's ego, ensuring its continuation beyond the physical demise of the body.

💡Mystery of Golgotha

The Mystery of Golgotha is a term used to describe the spiritual significance and implications of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In the video, it is suggested that this mystery holds the key to understanding how Ego Consciousness can be carried beyond death. It is portrayed as a profound spiritual truth that can provide comfort and understanding in the face of mortality.

💡Intuitive Perception

Intuitive Perception is a higher form of cognition that allows one to grasp the deeper truths of existence. The video describes it as a result of will exercises and a means to perceive the true nature of the human will and the Divine spiritual world. It is presented as a form of perception that unveils the mysteries of life and death, providing insight into the soul's eternal journey.

💡Visionary Experience

Visionary Experience is a term used in the script to describe a type of perception that is immersive and potentially uncontrollable. It is contrasted with imaginative consciousness, where the individual maintains control and can switch between ordinary and higher states of consciousness. The script warns against confusing visionary experiences with the disciplined approach of anthroposophical research.

💡Anthroposophy

Anthroposophy is a spiritual philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, which postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world that is accessible by direct experience through inner development. The video discusses anthroposophical research as a means to gain deeper insights into the nature of consciousness, life, and death, and its approach to understanding spiritual phenomena with rigor and discernment.

💡Spiritual Christianity

Spiritual Christianity, as mentioned in the script, refers to a form of Christian belief and practice that emphasizes the importance of personal spiritual experience and the pursuit of a deeper understanding of the divine. The video suggests that modern super sensible perception, informed by spiritual philosophy and cosmology, can lead to a firm foundation for a spiritual Christian outlook on life and the afterlife.

Highlights

The concept of carrying ego consciousness through death, with the mystery of Golgotha as the key.

The necessity for the ego consciousness to unite with the Christ to be preserved beyond death.

The exploration of human consciousness during sleep and wake states, and its relation to the soul life.

The process of rekindling consciousness through imagination, inspiration, and intuition meditation.

The experience of non-thinking as a transition between ordinary and imaginative thinking.

The development of imaginative thinking through meditation and its impact on ordinary consciousness.

The distinction between the physical body's role in developing ego consciousness and its loss post-death.

The transformative journey of the soul from pre-existence through birth to death and beyond.

The role of the physical body as a mirror for thoughts and its metamorphosis from pre-existence.

The dual nature of consciousness: ordinary consciousness bound to the physical and higher consciousness transcending it.

The importance of maintaining ordinary consciousness alongside higher states for balanced perception.

The contrast between visionary experiences and true imaginative consciousness.

The process of discerning the soul's relationship to the physical body through super sensible perception.

The insight into the eternal nature of the soul and its journey from pre-existence to post-death existence.

The concept of the soul embryo, which matures at death, revealing a new spiritual life.

The transformative role of the Christ event in preserving ego consciousness through death.

The philosophical implications of the experience of non-thinking and its reflection in ordinary consciousness.

The potential of anthroposophical research to enrich modern philosophy, cosmology, and spiritual Christianity.

Transcripts

how do we carry our ego Consciousness

through death only the mystery of

golgatha can answer this

[Music]

question man could never carry his ego

Consciousness Beyond Death unless this

ego Consciousness having developed in

the physical body unites with the Christ

who holds and supports it when it would

otherwise melt away from the human soul

along with the physical

[Music]

[Music]

body when we look at the two conditions

of wake and sleeping that alternate in

daily human life we find that during

sleep in regard to ordinary

Consciousness man's sense perception is

suspended and that what he experiences

in his soul life as thinking feeling and

willing is also

extinguished everything that we as human

beings sum up as ourself when we are

awake is actually extinguished all that

is here extinguished will now be

rekindled bit by bit through imagination

inspiration and intuition meditation

must first deal with ordinary thinking

in order to produce imaginative thinking

I have described how thoughts are

employed so that through meditating

imaginative perception is attained

particularly concerning the problem of

death it is necessary to clarify still

further what is experienced on the path

of initiation knowledge for only then

does it become clear what kind of a

relationship man acquires in regard to

his physical body and his soul spiritual

being when death occurs when thinking is

used in meditation in the manner I have

described it the first experience of a

person is that he actually cannot think

for a while as he feels himself with his

whole soul to be outside the physical

organization

to a degree thinking is as it were for a

short time forgotten it takes a certain

amount of Courage inner energy and also

a certain presence of mind to experience

this moment with full awareness but then

as he awakens to renewed awareness he

notices that he experiences a much

stronger activity of thought in his soul

than he has had earlier thinking begins

again and man progresses in the the

following

way to start he has his ordinary

Consciousness I emphasize that ordinary

Consciousness is retained during genuine

imagination and then he must find his

way into the other form of Consciousness

and back again while the ordinary

Earthly view of things is naturally

preserved as far as ordinary

Consciousness is concerned in this other

state of mind that man can enter he

loses the capacity so to speak to

produce thoughts a stronger activity of

thought sets in however as meditation is

continued a more pronounced inner

thought experience is acquired in

ordinary Consciousness the thoughts that

are experienced have to do mostly with

the outer sense world and memories also

there are dim thoughts that are rise out

of any number of emotional

experiences now in this higher state of

consciousness man possesses a thinking

with which he can call up into awareness

in active thoughts the course of his own

life from birth to the present moment in

the manner I have

described this however has to do with a

deeper layer of the course of man's life

I have already mentioned that they are

not the memories a person also has has

in ordinary Consciousness these are on a

deeper level Man actually sees into an

etheric process that builds up saturates

and penetrates indeed has always

penetrated the physical

organization everything that has

occurred since birth in the physical

body as growth was produced in it how

the separate organs were plastically

formed how our capacities of thinking

feeling and willing were drawn out of

the depths of the bodily

organization everything connected with

Organic life that is otherwise hidden

from Consciousness all of this shoots up

in the form of active inwardly

experienced substantial thoughts in a

certain sense man passes from ordinary

thinking across an abyss to a thinking

that experiences its own etheric body in

developing imaginative thinking in this

way strict attention must be paid to

what escapes you during the moments when

you are within this imaginative thinking

the first thing you actually lose are

your memories you have the memories in

ordinary Consciousness but alongside

this ordinary Consciousness the other

imaginative Consciousness develops in it

no memories exist I ask you to clarify

this to yourselves through the following

explanation when you recall anything as

in in all experiences of ordinary

Consciousness you actually live in the

present you perceive what confronts you

at the present moment and you think

thoughts about it and if you remember

something of the past you nevertheless

have before you in your mind a picture

in the present moment that merely points

to the Past hence ordinary Consciousness

experiences the present imaginative

Consciousness experiences its own life's

course in such a way that the individual

stages are surveyed all at once as if

the things existing in time were spread

out in space just as you experience one

thing alongside another simultaneously

in sense perception so you now

experience your own past on Earth all at

once time becomes like space the events

you have lived through in your 30th 18th

10th 7th or fifth year stand before the

soul side by side in this way the

experiences of imaginative Consciousness

differ from those of ordinary

Consciousness ordinary Consciousness

lives in the present for the past it

only has its memories imaginative

Consciousness experiences different

times but in such a way that these time

periods appear simultaneously before the

soul I said that Recollections the

memory thoughts slip away first this is

really the case in imaginative

Consciousness man does not possess a

memory or Recollections faculties that

in his ordinary Consciousness are a

great help to him in life it goes

without saying that the capacity of

memory in his normal human nature

remains as it was because the ordinary

human being remains unchanged along

inside the new faculty but man cannot

remember his newly acquired imaginative

experience of the ordinary course of his

life let us assume that at a given

moment a person experiences his life's

course in imaginative Consciousness if

in 3 days he wants to relive it again he

will not be able to recall what he has

experience today he must repeat the same

efforts that led him to experience the

course of his life

again he must do the exercises that lead

to this experience just as a real

physical object cannot actually be

present in your memory you have to walk

over again to where it is located so

what you now experience namely your

etheric body cannot simply be called up

by memory for it is a living reality it

has to be summoned a new again and again

this is something that disappoints many

people who do such Soul exercises they

set about doing them and Achieve and see

something they assume that they can

retain this view that they can call it

up again any time in memory they are

unable to do this and are

disillusioned the efforts have to be

renewed each time in order to produce

the experiences inwardly again let me

give an example assume that a person

gives a lecture basing his talk on the

new science of meditation he lectures in

such a way that he has not turned

everything into abstract ideas but

rather speaks out of living perception

he therefore cannot prepare himself by

memorizing what he has in mind matters

pertaining to the physical world can be

memorized but not those relating to

imaginative Consciousness for they

always have to be produced a new a

person can indeed prepare himself but

this preparation is a kind of exercise

it is like acquiring a skill through

practice Earnest constant meditation and

practice help you to bring forth what

you want from the super sensible world

but it must be produced in the present

moment it must arise instantly if it is

to come out of the spiritual World in

truly alive form it then contains the

immediate echo of the spiritual in its

formulation

its

expression forgive me if I mention

something personal here I've perhaps

spoken already 30 or 40 times about one

subject it makes it no easier for me to

speak on it for the 30th time it is just

as hard as it was the first time for it

is always the same process again as a

basis for producing such material a

person needs composure and quiet so that

the subject can arise out of a calm Soul

Perhaps it is unnecessary but to make

myself clear I might add that in this

regard an audience that expects a person

to lecture on some aspect of the

spiritual world is often really cruel to

him naturally the present audience is

always accepted it may be acceptable in

a professorial lecture but not in a

spiritual one that any number of persons

come up prior to a lecture and ask all

all kinds of questions without

considering at all that in the next

moment facts from the spiritual world

are to be brought forth in this way I

have sought to describe to you the

subjective experience of one who has

imaginative

Consciousness because a person knows

within his own mind how this active

living thinking comes to the surface

which now has as its content his own

life's course he also understands the

nature of ordinary thinking from the

vantage point of imaginative

Consciousness he can now look back on

ordinary thinking and arrive at the

realization that in itself it has no

reality at all actually everyone lives

in imagination he does so unconsciously

carrying this substantial thinking

within himself but because he has not

strengthened his soul forces

sufficiently his soul is too weak to

lift into Consciousness what is within

him when he wants to think therefore he

always takes hold of his physical body

that becomes for him the basis of

ordinary

Consciousness but what actually happens

there because this inner activity which

even in ordinary Consciousness is

unconscious imagination turns to the

physical organism it slips right into it

this unconscious imagination of which

man knows nothing which remains

unconscious until it lights up in

imaginative knowledge as active thinking

slips into ordinary Consciousness into

the physical organism and makes use of

it then as imaginative Consciousness

which does not know what it is since it

remains unconscious it is reflected in

the form of inner mirror

Reflections these then are the ordinary

thoughts they have as little reality as

mirrored Reflections have in relation to

the objects standing before a mirror

something is reflected back to us from

our physical body and these are the

thoughts that arise in ordinary

Consciousness merely mirror images he

who experiences these thoughts therefore

experiences nothing substantial there is

no strength no life in these thoughts of

ordinary Consciousness at the moment

however when active thinking sets in

through imagination there is substance

in thinking in every imaginative thought

there is substance and energy you know

that with this imaginative thinking you

live within a force like the one that

brought you from the state of childhood

to that of a grown human being when a

person works his way through to

imaginative thinking he actually passes

to begin with from ordinary physical

reality to etheric reality but in doing

so he now receives the first insight

into the physical body he sees it as a

reflecting apparatus that throws the

thoughts back to the human being along

with this man begins to approach the

problem of death for it is not until his

physical body becomes for him an

external object that he can consider the

problem of death if Man actually still

exists as a being after death he is

quite certainly not present in his

physical body if therefore he wants to

solve the problem of death while he is

alive he must have his physical body

outside himself and view it as

objectively as is the case relatively

speaking when the body is beside or

outside the human entity in death this

characterizes the first step towards

solving the problem of

death in the second part of today's

lecture we shall discuss what else is

required on the basis of a perception

such as I have described to you man is

really in a position to judge how the

soul spiritual in the human being

relates to the corporeal physical not

until he can objectively survey the

physical organization the etheric body

and the Soul spiritual by means of the

imaginative as well as the subsequent

methods of super sensible cognition can

he perceive how the two parts conduct

themselves in the various stages of life

it is therefore of immense importance to

bear in mind that in the super sensible

perception of which I am speaking here

man retains the ordinary Consciousness

he possesses in every day Waking Life

alongside all the other perceptual

experiences already in imaginative

Consciousness when he confronts

something of his past life for instance

the manner in which certain traits

appeared in connection with the

processes of growth when he was still a

child of nine or 10 how moral Tendencies

arose he perceives all this because he

has before him the unity of the physical

and soul nature at age 9 or 10 he

observes what took place then in the

organism but at the same time he must

retain his everyday

Consciousness this means that he must

now have this view of the ninth or 10th

year of his life which reveals something

that otherwise remains entirely

unconscious on the other hand at his own

discretion he must be able to bring to

mind

instantaneously the memories that he has

in ordinary Consciousness which carry

him back in the normal way to his 9th or

10th

year man must always be able to compare

the one with the other the higher with

the ordinary

Consciousness in the same way that he

usually passes from one thought to

another he must pass back and forth

between an experience in imaginative

Consciousness and one in orinary

Consciousness this characteristic of the

higher Consciousness refer referred to

here is especially important those

people who judge anthroposophical

research only from the outside

frequently believe that what appears as

imagination can be dismissed like the

hallucinations of some Visionary but you

must become aware of the radical

distinction that exists between true

imagination and a vision a vision

certainly conveys a pictorial content

also but man is complete bound up in his

vision while the vision goes on his

Consciousness has transformed itself

into it and he cannot go back and forth

at Will from The Vision to his ordinary

Consciousness in contrast a person who

experiences imaginative Consciousness

has not transformed his ordinary

Consciousness into a vision he has

enriched it with

imagination he has added what he already

possesses in order Ary Consciousness to

what he has attained in imagination a

person with imaginative Consciousness

therefore firmly rejects the common

Visionary experience but he can also

discern the visionary's predicament in

life for whoever has achieved the

heights of perception indicated here can

observe in detail how a soul is inwardly

active in what way it employs the

physical organism so that the body can

reflect the thoughts back to it the

person experiencing imagination and

inspiration is familiar with the Soul's

relationship to the physical body in

normal

Consciousness he therefore can also form

a judgment about a

Visionary in the case of a Visionary the

soul has not become free of the body the

person who possesses imaginative

Consciousness knows what it means for

the soul to be free of the physical body

for he has actually lifted the soul out

of the body and has driven it into

activity when he observes a Visionary

however he sees that such a person's

soul is submerged more within the

physical body than is the case when it

perceives the outer world with ordinary

Consciousness this is the difference

between a person who has an imaginative

Consciousness and a Visionary

Consciousness the Visionary immerses

himself more deeply into his body's

functions than one does in ordinary life

while in imagination Man actually

emerges out of the physical

organization but at the same time the

ordinary Soul content in the physical

organism is consciously retained if the

vital significance of this difference is

not recognized if imagination is not

kept under rigorous control by ordinary

thinking which is retained side by side

with imagination the latter will always

be confused with Visionary activity that

has no accompanying control for there a

Man simply descends further into his

physical body and what appears to him as

his vision is perhaps only a passing

indisposition of his liver or stomach

which was already present in ordinary

life but into which he has now submerged

himself on the other hand the

imaginations of a person with

imaginative Consciousness have nothing

to do with his bodily organs he

consciously looks into a part of his

soul of which he was previously unaware

imaginative Consciousness therefore

doesn't lead away from ordinary

Consciousness to something Visionary as

some people believe rather the schooling

the exercises for cultivating

imaginative Consciousness are a precise

antidote for all uncontrollable

Visionary elements you do not develop in

the direction of Visions but in the

opposite direction the goal is to become

free of the physical organization and in

addition to be able to utilize the soul

in imagination to start with the

aetheric organism in order to arrive at

a substantial real thinking in ordinary

life the physical body represents

substantiality and what you possess in

addition to it are mirror images in

thinking that that have no substance no

real inner activity it is precisely the

contrast between the super sensible

insights referred to here and the

Visionary life that makes it abundantly

clear what is meant here by imagination

inspiration and intuition in the higher

Consciousness again you see how you can

gradually learn to comprehend the

relationship of the Soul spiritual to

the physical bodily Nature by means of

such perception you realize that

Visionary activity can arise when

someone's Soul descends more deeply into

the physical body during Earthly life

but you can also understand what it

implies to be outside your physical body

and what the soul experience is like at

a time when you are outside your body by

means of this Psychic Spiritual

experience outside the body you sense

and experience in advance how you must

live when you no longer have a physical

body this means that the problem of

death is solved within physical Earth

existence for you must be able to live

in a condition in which you will find

yourself one day when you no longer

possess your physical body I ask you to

understand that it is my aim to show how

the problem of death can be approached

and characterized with the greatest

discernment for this problem is nowadays

dealt with so often in an amateurish

fashion but I want to make it clear that

above all in anthroposophical research

all the circumspection in thinking that

could be demanded is indeed used to

consider this problem for this reason I

have not hesitated to formulate today's

lecture in a more exact way so as to

have a good basis for comprehending the

problem of death more concerning this

will follow in the third part of today's

consideration ations if we acquire a

view of man's Soul spiritual

constitution on the one side and his

physical bodily organization on the

other then when we rise to imaginative

inspirational perception and so on we

can survey the relationship that exists

between the two as I said earlier in any

given situation of man's life previously

I described how in descending from the

soul whole spiritual world man works on

the creation of his own physical

organization how it then Falls away from

him and how he finds it again in another

way through conception and birth I

describe furthermore how the problem of

birth appears when it is viewed from the

standpoint of pre-early

existence now let us look more into

Earthly existence as it is placed

between the events of birth and death

for if we want to arrive gradually at an

understanding of death we must be able

to link death to birth or conception by

means of Earthly life particularly when

we observe the way the soul spiritual in

pre-early existence relates to what a

man bears as a physical body in Earthly

life we can arrive at the realization

that one part of the Soul spiritual a

part that man also possesses in

pre-early existence is completely

transformed due to conception and birth

while it is still present in pre-early

life it now actually disappears it is

the part out of which thinking has

developed it is there in Pre Earthly

life but disappears as a sole spiritual

element the moment man arrives on the

earth traces of it remain in the infant

but gradually this part of Soul

spiritual life disappears in entirely

what has happened to it the part that

here disappears has been transformed

into the life and form of the human head

organization Now understand this

correctly it is entirely wrong to

believe that the whole soul spiritual

configuration of man exists as such in

pre-early life and then on Earth it

receives a kind of house by means of the

body into which it enters and lives it

is quite wrong to think in this way

about that part of the soul I now

referred to above that part Fades and

disappears it is transformed into a

really physical material thing namely

our head

organization the life and form of our

head organization is a physical

metamorphosis of a soul spiritual

element of our pre-early existence look

at your head organization

I do not mean now merely the head that

falls off when one is beheaded but the

head with its whole inner content with

all the nerves running into it and the

blood circulation in so far as it is

cerebral blood circulation all this is a

result of the transformation of a part

of man's pre-early sojourn this part of

pre-early Soul life disappears into the

head

organization as a result of the fact

that our head organization

represents a real metamorphosis of what

we possess in our pre-early life and

because we behold in the human head a

true physical replica of our pre-early

existence this head is a real mirror for

reflecting thoughts this has come about

because the head has formed and

enlivened itself as a physical organism

out of the experien thoughts of

pre-early life this way it is a mirror

for the thoughts we form by means of all

the sense perceptions by contrast I

might say on the other side of the

Soul's life another part of the Soul

emerges that passes in man through

conception and birth and does not

transform itself into physical

corporeality but comes only into loose

contact with man's metabolic and limb

systems it is that part of the Soul life

that is ordinarily experienced in its

Reflections as well compare the will

with the conceptual life

with thinking and you will

understand as human beings we are always

fully conscious in the life of thoughts

when we are awake indeed awake actually

means living in thoughts it is not so

with the will take the simplest Act of

will the raising of an arm hand how much

of this are you fully conscious of in

waking consciousness you first have the

idea I will raise my hand then something

happens that runs its course in the

depths of your bodily

organization you may experience all

kinds of undefined feelings shreds of

emotions and the like but what you next

experience clearly and in full

wakefulness is the result

the arm is raised you can see it

ordinary Consciousness is as unaware of

what takes place in the depths of the

organism in the actual sphere of the

will between the resolve to do something

and the accomplished action as it

remains unconscious of events during

sleep we are awake in our thought life

in our actual life of will we sleep even

when we are awake this partial life of

sleep that becomes evident in our will

is therefore a sleep that also permeates

our waking condition we are always

asleep in one part of our soul even when

we are awake namely in that part where

the will is rooted now this is the part

of the soul that is not transformed into

the physical organization at the time it

undergoes human conception and birth one

part of the Soul appears in the physical

world after birth as man's head

organization the metabolic and limb

system on the other hand is not a direct

replica of that other part of the Soul

it is born out of the physical world the

will segment of the Soul has linked

itself with it in a loose way for this

reason the metabolic and limb systems do

not mirror what the soul

experiences this is why man is asleep in

his will and also in relation to his

metabolic and limb system even when he

is awake when this part of the soul is

observed by the super sensible

perception in its relationship to the

physical organization it Bears a strong

similarity to the relationship of the

ego and astral body the whole soul to

the entire physical organization during

sleep indeed man is a much more

complicated being than is usually

believed there are certain descriptions

of the super sensible which simply State

when a person is awake his sole

spiritual nature is within his physical

etheric organization when he sleeps it

is outside but the matter is not as

simple as this at most one can speak in

this way of the head organization but

not of the rest of man's

corporeality for in regard to this

remaining organization a part of the

Soul sleeps even when the human being is

awake this part of the Soul's life that

is asleep and arises from the dark

depths of man's organization only in

certain mental images is brought into

view the moment a person attains to

intuition for as I have shown intuition

is a result of will

exercises in that way man learns to see

into what is otherwise always concealed

in Waking Life he learns to look into

the mysteries of the human will the

human will is a mystery even in Waking

Life it is revealed partly by

inspiration but only intuition finally

unveils it paradoxical as it may sound

once man has succeeded in perceiving the

true nature of his own will he also has

insight into the Divine spiritual world

in the head organization the spiritual

world is contained only in physical

metamorphosis not much of the spiritual

world as such can be discovered there

the human head is actually the least

spiritual part of man but the remaining

physical organization contains the

unchanged Soul life the way it was when

man dwelt in pre-early life without

physical and etheric bodies in this Soul

life that lives concealed in the will

man is Holy Spirit

even between birth and death through

intuition one can now discern the nature

of this Spirit the spirit that is

unveiled to intuition as the element

that underlies the will appears to this

perception as the reservoir for

everything a person has undergone during

Earth life in the form of intellectual

activities of the mind and soul

initiatives as moral inclinations and

impulses in the soul

as I have already indicated from another

standpoint this is revealed as the

younger part of the soul the part that

remains in an embryonic state in our

present Earth life and is at the

beginning of its

development if we look at this part of

the Soul we behold something in man's

inner being that heads toward death in

order to be actually born only at death

just as the soul in pre-early existence

approaches Earth life in order to be

born into it through conception and

birth beneath our will lives the soul

embryo which reveals its embryonic life

when intuitive perception beholds its

true nature we can tell by its nature

how it is born to a new spiritual life

at death just as we can tell by the

appearance of the human soul in

pre-early life that it enters Earthly

existence through birth in order to gain

insight into physical existence it is

therefore Our concern to become

acquainted to begin with in super

sensible existence with the sole being

that underlies the will through higher

perception man gains a view of the

evolution of his eternal being through

pre-early existence Earth life and life

after death now however to unprejudiced

Observation a mighty riddle arises

it arises when we see how ego

Consciousness is

acquired from the previous lectures you

may have surise that ego Consciousness

is dependent upon the physical

Organization for it originates only at

that point in the course of human Earth

development when man in ordinary

Consciousness can utilize nothing else

besides his physical organism

particularly here imaginative inspired

and intuitive knowledge makes it

abundantly clear that we as human beings

attain our ego Consciousness initially

in the physical world between birth and

death and that the attainment of this

ego Consciousness is linked to the use

of the physical body the body however is

taken from us at death

to a higher perception such as I

described again today the Eternal nature

of the Soul life that was experienced by

Earth Humanity prior to the development

of ego Consciousness can only appear as

a sole life that passes from pre-early

through Earthly to post-early existence

in other words through repeated Earth

lives concerning what man acquires as

ego Consciousness however we can say

with absolute certainty you attained it

through the use of your physical body

indeed only in the course of Humanity's

Evolution at the time when the mystery

of golgatha entered human evolution did

you learn to make use of your physical

body in such a way that ego

Consciousness lit up within you it is

therefore equally certain that in as

much as we gain ego Consciousness by

means of the physical body we must fear

that we shall lose it at death

this is one of the problems of death

even if the Eternal part of our being in

thought feeling and will has revealed

itself to us and we behold it in its

metamorphosis as the element appearing

only as a mirror image in thinking

actually it is the vanished Soul life

that has been transformed into the head

organization even if we see in the will

the shadow of what leads an embryonic

Soul life in the rest of the physical

organiz ization and will only come to

birth at death even if we are able to

look clearly into the soul life in this

regard we are still bound to become

fearful indeed we do not become afraid

because of an insignificant emotional

attitude but because of our Insight when

we Face the question what do we manage

to retain of the physical organism

beyond death for the physical body

decays after after death if we have

gained our ego Consciousness by means of

the body then the scientifically

Justified fear arises how do we carry

our ego Consciousness through death only

the mystery of Golgotha can answer this

question man could never carry his ego

Consciousness Beyond Death unless this

ego Consciousness having developed in

the physical body unites with the Christ

who holds and supports it when it would

otherwise melt away from the human soul

along with the physical

body ego Consciousness has been attained

by means of the physical body in death

along with the physical body it would

leave the soul if it were not bound up

with the Christ being in the sense of

Paul's words not I but the Christ in me

for the Christ takes our ego and carries

it through death in the following

lectures I will describe in detail how

this takes place and I will show how the

Christ is that being who makes it

possible for us to preserve our ego

Consciousness and carry it through the

portal of death only anthroposophical

research as meant here reveals the whole

significance that the Christ event has

for human life after all the

significance of such Insight already

begins in the case of ordinary

philosophy ordinary philosophy is only

awakened to an inner life and gains a

perception concerning itself when it can

be nourished by imaginative knowledge

think of what I said at the beginning of

my lecture when we advance through

meditation to imaginative perception we

cross over an abyss as it were our

thinking ceases and state of

non-thinking exists between ordinary

thinking and the active life-filled

thinking of

imagination several philosophers have

experienced this non-thinking for

instance Augustine and deart but they

were unable to interpret it correctly

they spoke of the doubt that arises at

the start of philosophical thinking this

doubt that Augustine and deart spoke

about is only the Reflection brought

into ordinary consciousness of this

condition of non-thinking that man finds

himself in between ordinary thinking and

imaginative thinking since neither

Augustine nor deart had submerged their

souls into this actual non-thinking they

did not come to the true experience only

the reflection of what a person

experiences when his thinking

particularly the thoughts of memory

ceases between ordinary and imaginative

thinking the doubt of August and decart

is only the reflected image in ordinary

consciousness of this experience that

does not appear until the transition

into imaginative Consciousness thus when

we observe it in the light of

imaginative philosophy we can correctly

interpret what appears vaguely in the

mere philosophy of ideas likewise we

have seen how a person confronts the

course of his life as a unity and how to

a perception that enables him to be

consciously alive in his ether body

events that run their course in time are

seen to stand side by side through this

Insight events that ordinarily occur one

after the other are seen side by side

like you normally see the objects in

space bergson for example felt this when

he formulated his idea of duration this

idea of duration plays a prominent role

in his philosophy but because of the

manner in which he conceived it it is

only an inkling of the truth the truth

is the imaginative view of time as

simultaneity bergson only arrived at the

abstract feeling that if he entered more

deeply into the matter he could now in

the present reach Beyond this world and

experience duration as such but since

bergson would not approach a form of

anthroposophical perception he again

arrived only at a reflected image of

what a person experiences with

imaginative perception in regard to time

as

simultaneity he called this elusive

element experienced as a reflected image

duration

duray it plays a prominent role in

bergson's philosophy regardless of which

aspect of philosophy you focus upon it

becomes evident that philosophy will

only contains substance and life when

this substance is grasped in the way it

was done today I have already indicated

that cosmology and religious knowledge

also gain substance in this way and I

will elaborate on the matter further in

regard to the questions about the Christ

in the next lectures I will show that

for man today all higher perception

leads basically to an appeal by his own

being to the mystery of golgatha

and when man's will aspires to reach the

mystery of golgatha and once again the

Christ being enters man's Consciousness

in his complete super sensible reality

then modern super sensible perception

will lead by means of a spiritual

philosophy and cosmology to a firm

foundation not only of super sensible

life in general but of a spiritual

Christianity

[Music]