The Christian Mystery
GA 97
30 November 1906, Cologne
XIX. The Yoga Path, Christian Gnostic Initiation and Esoteric Rosicrucianism
Initiation makes it possible for a person to gain insight into higher worlds. It is a process of development in the inmost soul. Different people take different paths, but the truth is the same for all of them. Having reached the summit of a mountain you have an open view in all directions. But it would be quite nonsensical not to take the path to the top that is nearest to the point where we actually are. And it is the same with initiation. Once we have reached our goal and truly gained an open view, the insight gained will be the same for all.
It is not good, however, for someone to take a route other than the one that suits his nature. There should really be a separate path for every individual. All of them do, however, fall into one of three types—the yoga path, gnostic and Rosicrucian Christian initiation. One of these three different routes may be taken. They differ because there are three kinds of human beings. Only few Europeans can take the Oriental yoga route. It therefore is not right, as a rule, for a European to take that route. People live in an entirely different climate in the Orient, where the light of the sun is completely different. The anatomical differences between Orientals and Europeans are not easily demonstrable, but the difference in soul and spirit is profound, and this must be taken into account, for inner development intervenes deeply in the soul and spirit nature of a person. Anatomists cannot perceive the finer structure of the Hindu brain. But if you were to ask of a European the things that can be asked of an Indian, you would destroy him. An Indian may be asked to do certain things which serve no purpose at all for a European and may even be bad for him. Above all the yoga path makes one basic demand on pupils that has to be met if the path is to be taken at all. It demands the strict authority of a teacher, who is called a guru. To take that path one must accept the guru's directions in every detail of life. Quite apart from that, the Indian yoga route can hardly be taken unless one tears oneself away from the external conditions of life. It is necessary, you see, to make all kinds of external arrangements that will support the exercises one is given. If you experience things that make a deep impression on your feeling life, this will have a profound influence on you as you are going through occult inner development. The Oriental yoga pupil must therefore ask his guru about every detail of his life. To make any change whatsoever in his life, he must first ask the guru for direction. The yoga path therefore requires absolute subjection to a guru. You have to learn to see things through the guru's eyes, and to feel the way he does. It is impossible to follow this path unless there is profound trust, perfect love, combined with utter trust and an unconditional surrender that has precedence over everything else.
For the gnostic Christian path there is only one great teacher, the central guru. What is needed is belief in Christ Jesus himself not only his teachings. A gnostic Christian pupil must be able to believe that the one and only sublime divine individual spirit was incarnated in Christ Jesus, an individual spirit that cannot be compared with any other, not even the highest. All other individuals started at a lower level on earth and then ascended, examples being Buddha, Hermes, Zoroaster and Pythagoras, and their spiritual stature is the result of many earlier incarnations. This is not the case with Christ Jesus. He cannot be compared with any other individual, with anything else on earth. It would be impossible to follow the gnostic Christian path unless one believes this.
A third path is the Rosicrucian Christian one. There the teacher is the counsellor who essentially limits his counsel to the actual measures taken for spiritual development. This spiritual development must be organized in such a way that it has a deep-reaching influence on the life of the individual. A teacher must always be present for initiation. There is no serious initiation without a teacher. Anyone who wants to say there is, would be saying something as silly as someone who thought it was possible for a child to be bom without the two sexes playing a role. Initiation is a spiritual fertilization process which would in fact be harmful if it were not brought about in such a dual relationship between teacher and pupil.
The Indian yoga path is in seven stages. The sequence is not always the same, however. Different stages may be combined, in a way. It is not necessary to go through stages 1 to 7 in that order. It may happen that one is asked to take something from somewhere in the sequence earlier on, and an exercise may be given that relates to another stage. It depends on the individual concerned. A pupil may do this in a few years, or even a few months. Asked how long initiation takes, Subba Row148Subba Row (Rao) (1856–1890), Indian scholar. Esoteric Writings, 2nd edition, Adyar 1931. said it may be 70 incarnations or 7, some need 7 years, others may need 7 months, or 7 days, or indeed 7 hours. It depends entirely on the spiritual maturity of the person. Spiritual maturity shows itself sooner in some and needs longer in others. This is a matter of karma. We may well ask why someone may not be outstanding in this respect though he may have reached a very high level of spirituality in an earlier existence. There may be obstacles in his physical or soul nature. The teacher's task is above all to remove such obstacles. The physiognomy of a person in ordinary life has nothing to do with it. An earlier incarnation may lie hidden deep down in the soul and be unable to emerge because of some kind of obstacle or other.
Yama is the first stage of Indian yoga training. It signifies ‘restraint’; or ‘forbearance’. To an Indian this means not to lie, not to kill, not to steal, no dissoluteness, no desires. To enter more deeply into what this means to an Indian, we must consider it in its whole context. Thus we may be vegetarians, but we still have not got out of the habit of killing things. Our life is in fact impossible without this. We actually kill as we breathe, for we exhale carbon dioxide. If the earth's green plant cover did not continually take up the carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, humans and animals would be unable to live. It is part of the yoga exercises to get out of the killing habit. Indians take this very seriously. Many of the connections we have in our life would also come under the heading of stealing for them. Each of us must accept money in some way. Many conditions are involved in our getting this money. When we buy a coat we have no way of knowing if human blood has not been shed for it. People do not give much thought to the fact that they are in a social context and partly responsible for what they do. If we take these things seriously, we must feel responsible for the things that happen because of us.
You help other people most by having few wants. Someone who reduces his wants helps others more than a philanthropist does. Thus if we do not write unnecessary letters this may save some people the effort of having to climb stairs. It is quite wrong to think that you help people by making more demands, thus providing more work. You do not in the least add to the things people need by making work for them. In Europe the situation is so complex nowadays that it is getting more and more difficult to meet the requirements of the Eastern yoga path. This can of course be followed in the proper, strict way in a country where there are no banks and where the cultural situation is clearly apparent.
The 2nd stage is niyana, observance of ritual. The Indian yoga way certainly demands ritual, so that the teachings may be linked with religious rites. It is strictly required that everyone taking the yoga way observes a ritual. Things should be enacted before their eyes. Just as in the case of art it matters that it comes to real expression in objects, so in the case of initiation it is important to have things presented in rituals.
The 3rd stage is asana, body positions assumed to be in accord with specific currents in the cosmos. When people still had a feeling for such things, they would always put the main altar at the eastern end of their religious buildings. Indians are so subtly organized that it matters in which direction they face. The current that goes from north to south is indeed different from the one that goes from east to west. Body positions are important for yoga initiation because the Oriental body is much softer, and taking a particular position leaves much more of an imprint. A European wanting to take the Oriental yoga way would have to do all these things as well.
The 4th is pranayama, bringing rhythm into the breathing process. We can best understand this if we consider that under present-day conditions, the human breath kills things. The teacher instructs the pupil to regulate his breathing according to certain rules he gives him, at least for a time. If we were to examine the breath we would find that the air exhaled by a yoga pupil has quite a different composition, quite a different carbon dioxide content, than the breath of ordinary people. It is therefore true that by regulating the breath the pupil influences the future evolution of the earth. Constant dropping wears the stone. You don't see results from one day to the next. But it all adds up and will have definite significance over long periods of time.
At a particular time, Rosicrucian teachers also get their pupils to bring rhythm into their breathing. What does the breathing process bring about? The physical human being cannot be thought of without the plants. We inhale oxygen which combines with carbon in the lung, and we exhale carbon dioxide. The plant does exactly the opposite. There is a continuous cycle between human beings on the one hand and plants on the other. In far distant times human beings will develop an organ of their own which will take care of the function plants perform today. They will be able to process the carbon dioxide in themselves. Human beings will have an organ able to separate the carbon from the oxygen and make it part of themselves. The principles we take in with our food today to build up our bodies will then be something we consciously do within ourselves. We'll thus change carbon dioxide into oxygen again. This process is indeed helped by making the breathing process rhythmical. This was taught extensively in 14th century Rosicrucian schools. Some of these secrets were betrayed, so that they appeared in the popular literature. In an 18th century work reference is made to the philosopher's stone.149Karl Arnold Kortüm (1745–1828) published a treatise on the philosopher's stone in a paper called the Reichsanzeiger on 8 October 1976. Those able to read German may also see Kleeberg L. Wege und Worte 2. Aufl., Fussnote auf Seite 131. Stuttgart 1961. The statement is literally true. The author himself probably did not know what this was really about. The whole human being must change if he is to achieve what the plant does for him now. His physical body will then be carbon, but not black coal, nor hard diamond, which after all is only a symbol for the philosopher's stone. The philosopher's stone is meant to be a body which is transparent, with the other organs integrated within it. It will consist of a mass of gel-like carbon, rather like the white of an egg. Man is following a course where he will one day develop into this marvellous glory. The rhythmic breathing which leads to this is called ‘alchemy’. The philosopher's stone is the lapis philosophorum. The man who wrote this did not actually know what it was he was writing.
The 5th stage on the yoga path is pratyahara. It consists in being able to suppress external sensory impressions. We have to know the things that are truly our soul world and leave aside everything that has come to us from outside. Most of the things people think have come to them from outside. When someone is able to give himself up consciously to his inner thoughts and make himself blind and deaf to the world around him, though he is inwardly awake; if he is able to have a thought without reflecting on external things, his sleep will be filled with dreams and he'll be practising pratyahara.
At the 6th stage one needs not only to blot out completely anything the eyes see and the ears hear but also suppress inner ideas rising from the soul itself. Having removed everything from the soul that has come to it from life, one then holds one idea, which the guru has given, in one's inner soul. These may be ideas like those given in the first four rules in Light on the Path. The best soul contents are those a special teacher is able to give us.
Such a soul content is allowed to act for some time before one lets go of it, without losing conscious awareness. One then has the function of the life in mind and spirit, without the thinking content. When this 7th stage has been reached the world of the spirit enters into us. This condition is called samadhi.
The path of Christian gnosis is also in seven stages. This method is designed for a somewhat less subtle body and above all for the world of sentience and feeling. The Christian teacher has to guide the pupil's world of sentience and feeling. The seven stages of Christian initiation are 1) the washing of the feet, 2) the scourging, 3) the crown of thorns, 4) the crucifixion, 5) the mystic death on the cross, 6) the entombment, 7) the ascension to heaven.
It is best to consider these 7 stages by describing the way the teacher works with the pupil. The teacher will say, for instance: ‘Look at the plant. It roots and grows in the world of minerals. Addressing itself to the mineral world it would have to say: “It is to you that I owe my existence, and I am only able to live because of you. Thank you!”’ In the same way the animal should say to the plant world: ‘I owe my existence to you and am only able to live thanks to you.’ Looking at the natural world around him and at the human beings who are at a lower level, a similar feeling should live in his soul. It is never possible to develop and reach a higher level unless there are also lower levels. Because of this, people who are socially at a higher level must also go down to those who are below them and give thanks to them. Christ Jesus suggested this when at the washing of the feet he bent down to his disciples and washed their feet. Someone who is at the first stage of Christian initiation must fill his heart and mind with such a feeling of gratitude to all that is below him. Two symptoms will indicate what he has achieved. He will have an astral vision where he sees himself in the washing of the feet situation. This happens to everyone who goes through this in the right way. Secondly he will have a feeling as if water were washing around his feet.
At the 2nd stage the pupil must learn to bear all the pain and suffering that life brings and which is always present all around him. He must stand up straight, even when he has to suffer the greatest pain. The symptoms will be an astral vision where he sees himself being scourged and he will feel something like needle pricks in different places on his body.
At the 3rd stage the pupil gains the ability to bear it when scorn and derision are poured on things that are most sacred to us. The teacher says to the pupil: ‘If you are able to bear mockery and derision of what is most sacred to you and stand up for it nevertheless, you will be able to wear the crown of thorns.’ The pupil will experience a particular kind of headache when he has reached this level.
At the 4th stage he must learn to consider the body as something wholly external to himself carrying it around the way we carry around an instrument, a hammer or some other tool. In some schools the pupils learn to speak of their body like this: ‘My body goes through the door’—and the like. In his astral vision the pupil then sees himself nailed to the cross. He has Christ's stigmata on his hands and feet and on the right side of the body. Red stigmata appear at the moment of meditation and concentration.
The 5th stage is the mystic death. Here the individual feels as if a veil was placed between him and the rest of the world, like a black curtain. He then comes to know inwardly all the badness there can be in the world. Descent into hell—that is the mystic death. A vision will then show the curtain being torn apart.
At the 6th stage one has a feeling as if everything else were one's own body. You are united with the earth. That is the entombment.
The 7th stage, resurrection, cannot be put into words. Someone who goes through those feelings in his soul gains insight into the world of the spirit.
The third kind of initiation is the Rosicrucian way. It has been known in Europe from the 14th century. It is above all concerned to strengthen and empower the inner will. Where the Oriental school puts the emphasis on thinking, and the Christian school on feeling, the Rosicrucian way aims to develop the will. The stages of this way are 1) study, 2) Imagination, 3) learning the occult script, 4) bringing rhythm into life, 5) coming to understand the correspondence between microcosm and macrocosm, 6) contemplation of or entering into the macrocosm, 7) godliness.
For study, the pupil must have the patience to gain certain ideas concerning the world. He must first of all accept the teaching he is given. Thus he must, for example, devotedly study the teachings of elementary theosophy. He must try and enter as deeply into these as he can. Patient acquisition of ideas is essential for anyone who wants to reach higher levels. This calls for a specific way of training one's thinking, getting used to living and being active in the pure thinking element. Books such as The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity and Truth and Knowledge150Steiner R. The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity. A Philosophy of Freedom (GA 4). Tr. R. Stebbing. London: Rudolf Steiner Press 1989. Steiner R. Truth and Knowledge (GA 3). Tr. R. Stebbing. West Nyack NY: Rudolf Steiner Publications 1963. have been written for those who want to achieve Rosicrucian initiation and train their minds. It is a matter of overcoming the difficulties, which many find insurmountable, of following one's thoughts and perceiving how one thought of necessity arises from another. Oriental training required strict submission to the guru. For gnostic Christian training the pupil must put the Christ at the centre of all endeavour. In Rosicrucian Christian training the teacher is by his side, his friend and counsellor.
We are more apt to take a tumble when we come to the higher regions. It is therefore important to gain inner certainty. In everyday situations life itself puts us right. It will sometimes correct our errors in terrible ways. Such correction is not given when we ascend to the higher worlds. This is why in Oriental training one must see with one's guru's eyes and feel through him. The European teacher is a counsellor. One needs the guidance of another when ascending into the higher worlds. In the astral world, perceptions are entirely different from those we have in the physical world; and in the devachanic world, too, a new world of perceptions opens up for us. The three worlds differ completely in the impressions to be gained. But one thing is the same for all of them, and that is logical thinking. This can be a reliable guide on the astral and devachanic planes. When study has taught us to think logically, we can also manage on the astral and devachanic planes. The logic of the physical plan no longer applies on the buddhi plan, however.
The 2nd stage of Rosicrucian training is Imagination. European pupils should take their time over this, for it is easy to take a tumble. Man must learn to develop a moral relationship to things. All that is transient should be seen as a simile for something that is eternal. If we look at the natural world in this way, the autumn crocus, for instance, becomes the image for us of a solitary spirit seeking to rise upwards in a melancholy way. The violet will be a symbol of something that has its existence in undemanding, calm beauty. Every stone makes us think—it is a simile for something that lies behind it. Our world thus grows richer. Things tells us of their inmost nature. One flower will then be the tear through which the earth gives expression to its pain, another the expression of joy. Looking at a grain of rice, for example, we may observe a small flame arising from it. The small flame becomes an image of what will later be the haulm growing from the grain.
At the 3rd stage a whole world of the spirit arises from all that is. The spiritual reality, the spiritual content of all things floats above them. The whole astral world becomes visible. You then find yourself as if in the waves of the ocean, feeling as if you were floating in the sea. You see the colour of a tulip lifted out of it, as it were, and realize that this is the garment of a spiritual entity. At this third stage the pupil learns the occult script. We must learn this if we truly want to live in the astral world. Thus many things are based on a spiral in this world (Fig. 4).
We see such a spiral in the Orion nebula and in the configuration of life forms. Human and animal embryos are spiral in form at an early stage. One part is an image of the physical aspect, the other part, which winds into it, of the astral. The beginning of a new stage in human history is also symbolized by a double spiral. It is the sign of Cancer in the zodiac. When ancient Atlantis had perished and the post-Atlantean period began, with the ancient Indian race, the sun rose in the sign of Cancer at the beginning of spring. Learning the occult script we gain our orientation in the astral world.
The 4th stage consists in learning the rhythm of life. The pupil is instructed to regulate his breathing in a particular way. In nature, everything goes in rhythms. Every plant will rhythmically flower at the same time. Rhythm may also be seen in the animal world. Thus an animal is only fertile at certain times of the year. In man, however, rhythm becomes chaos. Man must create a new rhythm for his life. Many people only have rhythms that are imposed on them. Generally speaking, people do not have rhythms chosen of their own free will. The Rosicrucian must see to it that his life becomes rhythmical. Rhythm is given to the breathing process according to special instructions given by the teacher.
The 5th stage is getting to know the correspondence between microcosm and macrocosm. A bond exists between human beings and all things around them in this world. Ordinarily this only shows itself as love between the two sexes, the feeling that the one person finds in the other exactly what is familiar and related to him, what belongs to him. Many things are due to this mysterious relationship between world and man. An example is Paracelsus' discovery of the relationships that exist between certain plants and man. Having this ability he also came to know how other substances relate to man.151Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, called Paracelsus (1493–1541), son of a Swiss physician. Studied alchemy and chemistry at Basel, the properties of metals and minerals in mines. Later town physician at Basel, moving to Salzburg in 1541. Revolutionized old medical methods, basing himself on empiricism. He called someone suffering from cholera an Arsenicus, because arsenic will evoke exactly the symptoms in a healthy person which one also sees in a case of cholera.152‘It arises from this that you shall not say “that is cholera”, “that is melancholia”, but “that is Arsenicus, that is Aluminosum”; and thus also "he is of Saturn, he is of Mars”, not “he is of melancholia, he is of cholera”. Then one part is of the heavens, one part of the earth, mingled together like fire and wood, so that each may lose its name; then they are two things in one.’ From Paragranum, collected medical works in German, edited by K. Sudhoff vol. 8 p. 74. Munich 1922–23. One can have a personal relationship, a loving relationship with all things, one that is wholly of the spirit. This must be practised. You achieve it by following specific directions. If you think of the point that lies between the eyebrows and above the root of the nose in relation to a particular word, insight into a quite specific process in the world will come to you after some time. Thinking of the inner eye you gain knowledge of the sun's nature, of the processes that occurred when sun and earth were still one heavenly body. Another exercise makes it possible to know the moon in its spiritual aspect, or the condition of the earth 18 million years ago.
You then enter deeply into the correspondence between microcosm and macrocosm. Concentration on the point between the eyebrows and above the root of the nose you are able to penetrate into the time when the I entered into the human being. The human being then grows into the macrocosm in his conscious mind. He has to practise this for some time, growing into all things, be they far or near.
The 7th stage is that of godliness, when one grows beyond the limited bodily shell and is able to live with the macrocosm.
Pupils are instructed according to their occult status. When a pupil has gone through these stages as a real experience, he has reached the summit of insight into higher worlds.
Der Jogapfad, die Christlich-Gnostische Einweihung und die Esoterik Der Rosenkreuzer
Durch die Einweihung wird der Mensch zur Erkenntnis höherer Welten befähigt. Sie besteht in einem intimen Entwickelungsgang unserer Seele. Die Wege dazu sind bei den verschiedenen Menschen verschieden, aber die Wahrheit ist überall dieselbe. Wenn man erst auf dem Gipfel eines Berges steht, hat man nach allen Seiten eine freie Aussicht. Aber es wäre ein großer Unsinn, wenn wir nicht den nächsten Weg von dem Punkte aus gehen wollten, wo wir gerade sind, um den Gipfel zu erreichen. So ist es auch mit der Einweihung. Wenn wir am Ziel angekommen sind und wirklich die freie Aussicht der Erkenntnis errungen haben, dann ist diese Erkenntnis für alle dieselbe.
Es ist aber nicht gut, wenn der Mensch einen andern Entwickelungsweg geht als den, der seiner Natur angemessen ist. Eigentlich müßte es für einen jeden Menschen einen besonderen Einweihungsweg geben. Alle Wege gehen aber auf drei verschiedene Typen zurück: Auf den Jogaweg, die christlich-gnostische Einweihung und die christlich-rosenkreuzerische Einweihung. Einen dieser drei verschiedenen Wege kann man also beschreiten. Sie sind deshalb verschieden, weil es drei Gattungen von Menschen gibt. Unter den europäischen Menschen findet man nur wenige, welche den orientalischen Jogaweg gehen können. Daher ist es für den Europäer im allgemeinen nicht richtig, wenn er den Jogaweg geht. Denn im Orient leben die Menschen in einem ganz andern Klima, unter einem ganz andern Sonnenlichte. Die Verschiedenheit des Orientalen vom Europäer wird die Anatomie nicht so leicht nachweisen können, aber es ist unter ihnen ein tiefer seelischer und geistiger Unterschied, und dieser muß berücksichtigt werden, da die innere Entwickelung tief eingreift in die seelische und geistige Natur des Menschen. Die feinere Struktur des Hindugehirns ist für den Anatomen nicht wahrnehmbar. Aber wenn man dem Europäer das zumutete, was man dem Inder zumuten kann, dann würde man ihn zugrunde richten. Man kann dem Inder gewisse Verrichtungen vorschreiben, die dem Europäer gar nichts nutzen oder ihm sogar schlecht bekommen. Der Jogaweg stellt vor allen Dingen an den Schüler eine Grundforderung, ohne deren Erfüllung es gar nicht möglich ist, diesen Weg zu beschreiten. Er fordert die strenge Autorität eines Lehrers, eines sogenannten Guru. Wer ihn gehen will, muß sich bis in die Einzelheiten des Lebens hinein den Anordnungen des Guru fügen. Abgesehen davon ist der indische Jogaweg kaum zu gehen, wenn man sich nicht aus den äußeren Lebensverhältnissen herausreißt. Es ist nämlich notwendig, daß die verschiedensten äußeren Maßnahmen getroffen werden, um die vorgeschriebenen Übungen zu unterstützen. Wenn man gewisse Erlebnisse hat, die auf die Gefühlswelt einen Eindruck machen, so wird dies, wenn man eine innere okkulte Entwickelung durchmacht, einen tiefgehenden Einfluß haben. Darum muß der orientalische Jogaschüler in allen Einzelheiten des Lebens den Guru fragen. Wenn man irgendwelche Veränderungen im Leben vornehmen will, so muß man sich von dem Guru dazu die Richtung weisen lassen. Also ist der Jogaweg ein solcher, der die absolute Unterwerfung unter den Guru voraussetzt. Man muß lernen, mit den Augen des Guru zu sehen, und lernen, wie er zu fühlen. Man kann diesen Weg nicht gehen ohne tiefes Vertrauen, ohne vollkommene Liebe, vereint mit uneingeschränktem Vertrauen und bedingungsloser Hingabe, die alles andere übersteigt.
Bei dem christlich-gnostischen Weg gibt es nur einen großen Lehrer, den zentralen Guru. Erforderlich ist da der Glaube an den Christus Jesus selbst, nicht nur an seine Lehren. Der christlich-gnostische Schüler muß glauben können, daß in dem Christus Jesus die einzige hohe göttliche Individualität inkarniert war, eine Individualität, die nicht zu vergleichen ist mit irgendeiner andern, selbst der höchsten Individualität. Alle andern Individualitäten haben auf dieser Erde auf einer niedrigeren Stufe angefangen und sind dann aufgestiegen, wie Buddha, Hermes, Zoroaster, Pythagoras, so daß ihre geistige Gestalt das Ergebnis vieler vorhergehender Inkarnationen ist. Bei dem Christus Jesus ist das nicht der Fall. Er läßt sich nicht vergleichen mit irgendeiner andern Individualität, mit irgend etwas anderem auf der Erde. Ohne diesen Glauben würde man den rein christlich-gnostischen Weg nicht gehen können.
Ein dritter Weg ist der christlich-rosenkreuzerische. Da ist der Lehrer der Ratgeber, der seinen Rat vorzugsweise auf die Maßnahmen der geistigen Entwickelung selbst beschränkt. Diese geistige Entwickelung muß so eingerichtet werden, daß sie einen durchgreifenden Einfluß auf das Leben des Menschen hat. Ein Lehrer muß bei der Einweihung immer da sein. Eine ernsthafte Einweihung , ohne Lehrer gibt es nicht. Wer das behaupten wollte, würde etwas ebenso Törichtes sagen wie jemand, der die Geburt eines Kindes ohne das Zusammenwirken der beiden Geschlechter als möglich erachtete. Die Einweihung ist ein geistiger Befruchtungsprozeß. Wenn dieser nicht in dem Dualverhältnis zwischen Lehrer und Schüler herbeigeführt würde, so wäre er sogar ein schädlicher Vorgang.
Der indische Jogaweg unterscheidet sieben Stufen. Aber sie folgen nicht immer alle nacheinander in derselben Reihenfolge. Die Stufen, die aufgezählt werden, können in einer gewissen Weise untereinander gemischt werden. Es ist nicht notwendig, die erste bis zur siebenten Stufe nach der Reihe durchzugehen. Es kann sein, daß man dazu angehalten wird, etwas aus den sieben Stufen vorwegzunehmen und dann nach Maßgabe der Individualität eine Übung aufgegeben bekommt, die einer ganz andern Stufe entspricht. Vielleicht macht der Schüler das in einigen Jahren durch, vielleicht auch in einigen Monaten. Auf die Frage, wie lange man zur Einweihung braucht, hat Subba Row gesagt: Es kann siebzig Inkarnationen dauern oder auch sieben Inkarnationen, bei manchen dauert es sieben Jahre, bei andern sieben Monate oder nur sieben Tage oder auch nur sieben Stunden. — Das hängt ganz von der geistigen Reife ab, die ein Mensch schon erlangt hat. Die geistige Reife kommt bei dem einen schneller, bei einem andern langsamer zum Vorschein. Das hängt vom Karma ab. Man kann wohl die Frage aufwerfen, wie es kommt, daß ein bestimmter Mensch nicht hervortritt, obwohl er in einem früheren Dasein geistig sehr hoch stand. Vielleicht sind Hindernisse in seiner körperlichen und seelischen Anlage vorhanden. Darin liegt hauptsächlich die Aufgabe des Lehrers, diese Hindernisse fortzuräumen. Nicht ist maßgebend, welche äußere Physiognomie jemand im gewöhnlichen Leben besitzt. Es kann eine frühere Einweihung tief verborgen in der Seele ruhen und nur wegen irgendwelcher Hindernisse nicht hervorkommen.
Die erste Stufe der indischen Jogaschulung ist Yama. Das heißt etwa Unterlassung, Nichtvollziehung. Der Inder versteht darunter: nicht töten, nicht lügen, nicht stehlen, nicht ausschweifen, nicht begehren. Wenn wir aber tiefer eindringen wollen in das, was der Inder damit meint, so müssen wir es in seinem ganzen Umfange nehmen. Wenn wir zum Beispiel auch Vegetarier werden, so haben wir uns das Töten doch noch nicht abgewöhnt. Unser Leben ist ohne Töten gar nicht möglich. Schon durch das Atmen töten wir dadurch, daß wir Kohlensäure ausatmen. Wenn nicht die grüne Pflanzendecke der Erde fortwährend die Kohlensäure aufnahme und den Sauerstoff zurückgäbe, so könnten Menschen und Tiere nicht leben. Ein Teil der Jogaübungen besteht darin, sich gerade dieses Töten abzugewöhnen. Der Inder nimmt diesen Punkt sehr wichtig. Er würde auch zahlreiche Verkettungen in unserem heutigen sozialen Leben so auffassen, daß sie für ihn unter den Begriff des Stehlens fallen.. Ein jeder von uns muß in irgendeiner Weise Geld einnehmen. Damit er dieses Geld bekommt, sind viele Bedingungen notwendig. Wenn wir einen Rock kaufen, können wir nicht wissen, ob nicht an dem Rock menschliches Blut hängt. Der Mensch denkt wenig darüber nach, wie er in sozialen Zusammenhängen steht und mitverantwortlich ist für das, was er tut. Wenn man die Dinge ernst nimmt, dann muß man sich für das verantwortlich fühlen, was durch einen selbst geschieht.
Dadurch hilft man den Mitmenschen am meisten, daß man bedürfnislos wird. Mehr als der Philanthrop hilft den Mitmenschen der, der bedürfnislos wird. Wenn man zum Beispiel keine unnötigen Briefe schreibt, so erspart das einigen Menschen vielleicht, viele Treppen hinaufsteigen zu müssen. Man ist sehr im Irrtum, wenn man glaubt, daß man den Menschen hilft, indem man größere Ansprüche hat und auf diese Weise für mehr Arbeit sorgt. Man vermehrt nicht im geringsten das, was die Menschen brauchen, wenn man ihnen Arbeit gibt. Unter den komplizierten Verhältnissen, die in Europa herrschen, wird es immer schwieriger, die von dem Orientalen geforderten Dinge durchzuführen, um den Jogaweg zu gehen. In einem Lande, wo es keine Banken gibt, wo die Kulturverhältnisse zu übersehen sind, da kann man den Jogaweg in seiner strengen Weise gehen.
Das zweite ist Nyana, die Pflege eines Rituals. Das fordert der indische Jogaweg durchaus, daß der Mensch ein Ritual hat, daß er die Lehre mit einem Kultus verbindet. Von jedem, der den Jogaweg geht, wird streng verlangt, daß ein Ritual befolgt wird. Man muß die Dinge in Handlungen sichtbar vor sich haben. So wie es bei der Kunst auf wirkliche Ausprägung in äußeren Objekten ankommt, so kommt es bei dieser Einweihung darauf an, daß die Dinge im Ritual vorgeführt werden.
Das dritte ist Asana, die Übereinstimmung der menschlichen Körperhaltung mit gewissen Strömungen im Kosmos. Wo man noch ein Gefühl für solche Dinge gehabt hat, hat man beispielsweise in Kultbauten immer den Hauptaltar nach Osten gebaut. Bei der feinen Organisation der Inder ist es von Bedeutung, in welcher Richtung er steht. Es gibt tatsächlich einen andern Strom von Norden nach Süden als von Osten nach Westen. Bei der Joga-Einweihung kommt es darauf an, wie die Körperhaltung ist, weil der orientalische Leib viel weicher ist und es sich in ihm viel mehr ausprägt, wenn er eine bestimmte Lage annimmt. Wollte der Europäer den orientalischen Jogaweg gehen, dann müßte er alle diese Dinge mitmachen.
Das vierte ist Pranayama, die Rhythmisierung des Atmungsprozesses. Das wird uns am leichtesten verständlich, wenn wir daran denken, daß der Mensch durch seinen Atem in gegenwärtigen Verhältnissen tötet. Der Lehrer gibt dem Schüler die Vorschrift: Du sollst wenigstens eine gewisse Zeit nach den Regeln, die dir der Lehrer gibt, den Atmungsprozeß regeln. Würde man den Atem untersuchen, dann würde man sehen, daß die ausgeatmete Luft bei einem Jogaschüler eine ganz andere Zusammensetzung hat, einen ganz andern Gehalt an Kohlensäure als beim gewöhnlichen Menschen. Es trifft infolgedessen zu, daß er durch die Regelung des Atmungsprozesses tatsächlich auf die zukünftige Entwickelung der Erde einwirkt. Steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein. Man kann das nicht von heute auf morgen sehen. Aber das summiert sich und wird im Verlauf langer Zeiträume etwas ganz Bestimmtes bedeuten.
Die Rhythmisierung des Atmungsprozesses läßt auch der rosenkreuzerische Lehrer zu einer bestimmten Zeit vornehmen. Was bewirkt der Atmungsprozeß? Der physische Mensch ist ohne die Pflanzen nicht denkbar. Wir atmen Sauerstoff ein, der wird in der Lunge mit Kohlenstoff verbunden, und wir atmen Kohlensäure aus. Die Pflanze tut gerade das Umgekehrte. Ein fortwährender Kreislauf findet zwischen den Menschen einerseits und den Pflanzen andererseits statt. In fernen Zeiten wird der Mensch in sich selbst ein Organ ausbilden, welches das besorgen kann, was heute die Pflanze besorgt. Er wird imstande sein, die Kohlensäure in sich zu verarbeiten. Dies wird durch ein Organ ermöglicht werden, durch das der Mensch den Kohlenstoff loslöst vom Sauerstoff und ihn mit sich selbst vereint. Was wir heute zum Aufbau des Leibes mit der Nahrung aufnehmen, werden wir dann bewußt in uns selbst vollziehen. Dadurch werden wir die Kohlensäure wieder zu Sauerstoff verwandeln. Dieser Prozeß wird tatsächlich gefördert durch die Rhythmisierung des Atmungsprozesses. Im 14. Jahrhundert wurde dies in den Rosenkreuzerschulen ausführlich gelehrt. Durch Verrat von einigen solchen Geheimnissen ist manches davon in die populäre Literatur gekommen. In einer Schrift des 18. Jahrhunderts steht etwas von dem Stein der Weisen. Was da steht, ist wörtlich richtig. Der Schreiber selbst hat aber wahrscheinlich gar nicht gewußt, worum es sich real handelt. Der ganze Mensch muß sich umändern, wenn er das vollziehen soll, was jetzt die Pflanze für ihn vollzieht. Sein physischer Leib wird dann selbst Kohlenstoff, aber das wird kein schwarzer Kohlenstoff sein, auch kein harter Diamant, der ja lediglich das Symbol für den Stein der Weisen ist. Unter diesem Stein der Weisen versteht man jenen Leib, der durchsichtig ist, in den die andern Organe eingegliedert sind. Er wird aus einer Masse von geleeartigem Kohlenstoff, ähnlich wie Eiweiß, bestehen. Der Mensch ist auf einer Bahn, in der er sich einstmals zu dieser wunderbaren Glorie entwickeln wird. Das rhythmische Atmen, welches dazu führt, nennt man Alchimie. Den Stein der Weisen nennt man Lapis philosophorum. Der Mann, der davon geschrieben hat, hat selbst nicht gewußt, was er schrieb.
Die fünfte Stufe des Jogapfades ist Pratyahara. Sie besteht darin, daß man imstande ist, die Eindrücke der äußeren Sinne zu unterdrücken. Wir müssen uns klarmachen, was unsere eigentliche Seelenwelt ist, und alles weglassen, was von außen auf uns eingedrungen ist. Das meiste, was der Mensch denkt, ist von außen in ihn hineingekommen. Wenn der Mensch sich bewußt dem inneren Gedanken hinzugeben vermag, wenn er sich blind und taub für seine Umgebung machen kann, und dabei doch innerlich wach ist, wenn er einen Gedanken haben kann, ohne daß er auf Äußeres reflektiert, dann wird sein Schlaf von Träumen erfüllt, dann übt er Pratyahara.
Auf der sechsten Stufe hat man nicht nur das, was Augen sehen und Ohren hören können, völlig zu absorbieren, sondern auch innere Vorstellungen zu unterdrücken, die aus der Seele selbst aufsteigen. Nachdem man alles aus der Seele entfernt hat, was durch das Leben hineingekommen ist, stellt man eine Vorstellung in das Innere der Seele. Diese gibt einem der Guru. Das können etwa solche Vorstellungen sein, wie sie in den vier ersten Lehren von «Licht auf den Weg» enthalten sind. .Die besten Seeleninhalte sind die, die einem ein spezieller Lehrer geben kann.
Nachdem ein solcher Seeleninhalt eine Zeitlang gewirkt hat, laßt man denselben fallen, ohne das Bewußtsein zu verlieren. Man hat dann noch die Funktion des Geisteslebens als solche, ohne den Inhalt des Denkens. Ist diese siebente Stufe erreicht, so dringt die geistige Welt in uns ein. Diesen Zustand nennt man Samadi.
Ebenso wie der Jogaweg hat auch die Schulung der christlichen Gnosis sieben Stufen. Diese Methode rechnet schon mit einem etwas vergröberten Leibe und ist besonders auf die Gefühls- und Empfindungswelt abgestellt. Der christliche Lehrer muß die Gefühls- und Empfindungswelt des Schülers leiten. Die sieben Stufen der christlichen Einweihung sind: Erstens die Fußwaschung, zweitens die Geißelung, drittens die Dornenkrönung, viertens die Kreuzigung, fünftens der mystische Tod am Kreuz, sechstens die Grablegung, siebentens die Himmelfahrt.
Am besten ist es, daß wir diese sieben Stufen so durchnehmen, daß wir beschreiben, wie sich das Verhältnis zwischen Lehrer und Schüler abspielt. Der Lehrer sagt dem Schüler etwa: Sieh dir die Pflanze an! Sie wurzelt und wächst im Gesteinsreich. Sie müßte, wenn sie sich an das Gesteinsreich wendet, zu ihm sprechen: Dir verdanke ich mein Dasein, nur durch dich kann ich leben - ich danke dir! — Ebenso müßte das Tier zum Pflanzenreich sprechen: Dir verdanke ich mein Dasein, nur durch dich kann ich leben. Und wenn der Mensch die Natur um sich her und die Menschen, die noch unter ihm stehen, ansieht, so muß eine ähnliche Empfindung seine Seele durchziehen. Keine höhere Stufe kann sich entwickeln und erreicht werden, ohne daß die niederen Stufen da sind. Darum müssen die Menschen, die in einer höheren sozialen Lage sind, auch herniedersteigen zu den Tieferstehenden und ihnen danken. Dies hat der Christus Jesus in der Fußwaschung dadurch angedeutet, daß er sich zu den Jüngern niederbeugte und ihre Füße wusch. Von dieser Empfindung der Dankbarkeit gegen alles unter ihm Stehende muß sich der Schüler auf der ersten Stufe der christlichen Einweihung ganz durchdringen. Was er erreicht, wird sich in zwei Symptomen zeigen. Erstens wird er in einer astralen Vision sich selbst in der Situation der Fußwaschung sehen. Das tritt bei jedem auf, der dies richtig durchmacht. Zweitens wird er ein Gefühl haben, als ob Wasser seine Füße umspülte.
Auf der zweiten Stufe muß der Schüler alle Leiden des Lebens, die sich fortwährend um ihn herum abspielen, ertragen lernen. Er muß aufrechtstehen, auch wenn er die größten Schmerzen zu erdulden hat. Das Symptom ist, daß er in der astralen Vision sich selbst gegeißelt sieht und daß er an seinem Körper an verschiedenen Stellen etwas wie Nadelstiche fühlt.
Die dritte Stufe ist die Erlangung der Fähigkeit, zu ertragen, daß das Heiligste, was wir kennen, mit Spott und Hohn überschüttet wird. Der Lehrer sagt dem Schüler: Wenn du die Verhöhnung dessen, was dir das Heiligste ist, ertragen kannst und gleichwohl dafür eintrittst, dann bist du fähig, die Dornenkrone zu tragen. Der Schüler wird eine besondere Art von Kopfschmerz empfinden, wenn er diese Stufe erreicht hat.
Auf der vierten Stufe muß er lernen, den Leib als etwas ganz Äußerliches anzusehen, den Leib herumzutragen, wie wir sonst ein Instrument, einen Hammer oder ein anderes Werkzeug herumtragen. In manchen Schulen lernen die Schüler so von ihrem Leibe zu sprechen, daß sie sagen: Mein Leib geht durch die Tür - und dergleichen. Der Betreffende sieht sich auf dieser Stufe in der astralen Anschauung ans Kreuz geschlagen. Er bekommt die Wundmale Christi an Händen und Füßen und an der rechten Seite des Leibes. Da treten in dem Moment seiner Meditation und Konzentration rote Stigmata auf.
Die fünfte Stufe ist der mystische Tod. Auf dieser Stufe hat der Mensch das Erlebnis, als ob sich ein Schleier zwischen ihn und die übrige Welt legte, wie ein schwarzer Vorhang. Dann erfährt er innerlich, was alles schlecht sein kann in der Welt. Das Hinabsteigen in die Hölle, das ist der mystische Tod. Darauf zeigt eine Vision das Zerreißen dieses Vorhangs.
Auf der sechsten Stufe erlangt man dann eine Empfindung, als ob alles andere der eigene Leib wäre. Man wird dann mit der Erde vereinigt. Das ist die Grablegung.
Die siebente Stufe, die Auferstehung, kann nicht mit Worten geschildert werden. Wer solche Gefühle in sich durchmacht, erlangt den Einblick in die geistige Welt.
Die dritte Art der Einweihung ist die rosenkreuzerische, die seit dem 14. Jahrhundert in Europa auftritt. Sie rechnet vor allem mit der Stärkung und Kräftigung des inneren Willens. Legt die orientalische Schulung das Schwergewicht auf das Denken, die christlich-gnostische auf das Fühlen, so ist die rosenkreuzerische Schulung auf die Ausbildung des Willens gerichtet. Die Stufen dieser Schulung sind: Erstens das Studium, zweitens die Imagination, drittens das Erlernen der okkulten Schrift, viertens die Rhythmisierung des Lebens, fünftens das Verstehenlernen der Entsprechung von Mikrokosmos und Makrokosmos, sechstens die Kontemplation oder das Versenken in den Makrokosmos, siebentens die Gottseligkeit.
Das Studium erfordert, daß der Schüler die Geduld hat, gewisse Begriffe über die Welt zu gewinnen. Zunächst muß er von seinem Lehrer Lehren aufnehmen. Er muß zum Beispiel hingebungsvoll studieren, was die elementare Theosophie ihm als Lehren in die Hand geben kann. Er muß versuchen, diese Lehren zu durchdringen, so gut er kann. Das geduldige Aneignen von Begriffen ist notwendig für jeden, der höher hinaufdringen will. Es ist dazu eine gewisse Trainierung des Denkens erforderlich, eine Angewöhnung, im reinen Elemente des Denkens zu leben und zu weben. Für die, welche die rosenkreuzerische Einweihung erlangen und den Geist trainieren wollen, sind solche Bücher geschrieben wie «Die Philosophie der Freiheit» und «Wahrheit und Wissenschaft». Es kommt darauf an, die für manche unendlichen Schwierigkeiten zu überwinden, den Gedanken zu verfolgen und zu erkennen, wie ein Gedanke sich aus dem andern mit Notwendigkeit herausspinnt. Bei der orientalischen Schulung ist eine strenge Unterwerfung unter den Guru erforderlich. Bei der christlich-gnostischen Schulung muß der Schüler in das Zentrum des Strebens den Christus stellen. In der christlich-rosenkreuzerischen Schulung steht der Lehrer ihm als Freund und Ratgeber zur Seite.
In den höheren Gebieten kann man viel leichter straucheln, deshalb muß man eine innere Sicherheit haben. Im gewöhnlichen Leben rückt uns das Leben selbst zurecht. Manchmal korrigiert das Leben unsere Irrtümer in furchtbarer Weise. Diese Korrektur hat man nicht, wenn man in die höheren Welten aufsteigt. Darum muß man in der orientalischen Schulung mit den Augen des Guru sehen, durch ihn fühlen. Einen Ratgeber hat man an dem europäischen Lehrer. Beim Hinaufsteigen in die höheren Welten braucht man jedenfalls noch eine andere Richtschnur. In der astralen Welt sind ganz andere Wahrnehmungen als in der physischen Welt; ebenso in der devachanischen Welt geht uns eine neue Welt von Wahrnehmungen auf. In bezug auf die Eindrücke sind die drei Welten ganz verschieden. Aber eins ist bei allen gleich: das logische Denken. Das kann uns ein sicherer Führer sein auf dem Astralplan und dem Devachanplan. Wenn man durch das Studium gelernt hat, folgerichtig zu denken, so kann man sich auch auf dem Astral- und Devachanplan helfen. Für den Buddhiplan gilt die Logik des physischen Planes allerdings nicht mehr.
Die zweite Stufe der Rosenkreuzerschulung ist die Imagination. Diese soll bei dem europäischen Schüler nicht übereilt angestrebt werden, weil er leicht straucheln kann. Der Mensch muß lernen, ein moralisches Verhältnis zu den Dingen einzugehen. Man hat in allen vergänglichen Dingen ein Gleichnis für ein Ewiges zu sehen. Schauen wir in diesem Sinne die Natur an, so wird beispielsweise die Herbstzeitlose für uns das Sinnbild für eine einsame Wesenheit, die in Melancholie aufwärtsstrebt. Das Veilchen ist dann ein Symbol für etwas, was in anspruchsloser, ruhiger Schönheit sein Dasein erfüllt. Jeder Stein regt in uns Gedanken an - er ist ein Gleichnis für etwas, was dahintersteht. Dadurch wird die Welt um uns reicher. Die Dinge verraten uns ihr innerstes Wesen. Die eine Blume wird dann zur Träne, durch welche die Erde ihr Leid ausspricht, die andere zum Ausdruck der Freude. Betrachten wir etwa ein Reiskörnchen, so können wir beobachten, wie eine kleine Flamme daraus
hervorwächst. Die kleine Flamme wird zum Bilde für das, was nachher als Halm daraus emporsprießt.
Drittens kommt eine Stufe, wo aus allen Wesen eine ganze geistige Welt aufgeht. Es schwebt über den Dingen ihre geistige Wesenheit, ihr geistiger Inhalt. Die ganze astralische Welt wird sichtbar. Man befindet sich dann wie in der Mitte von Meeresfluten und hat das Erlebnis, als ob man in einem Meer schwimmen würde. Man sieht wie herausgehoben die Farbe einer Tulpe und erkennt, daß diese das Gewand einer astralischen Wesenheit bildet. Auf dieser dritten Stufe folgt für den Schüler das Erlernen der okkulten Schrift. Wenn wir in der Astralwelt wirklich leben wollen, dann müssen wir die okkulte Schrift kennen. In der Welt sind viele Dinge zum Beispiel nach der Figur des Wirbels gebaut:
Diese Spirale finden wir sowohl im Orionnebel wie auch bei der Gestaltung von lebendigen Wesen. Die Menschen- und Tierkeime haben in einem früheren Stadium eine Spiralform. Der eine Teil verbildlicht das Physische, der andere Teil, der sich hineinschlingt, das Astrale. Auch der Anbruch eines neuen Stadiums in der Menschheitsgeschichte wird durch das Zeichen zweier ineinander verschlungener Wirbel symbolisiert. Es ist dies das Tierkreiszeichen des Krebses. Als nach Untergang der alten Atlantis mit der urindischen Unterrasse die nachatlantische Epoche ihren Anfang nahm, ging die Sonne bei Frühlingsanbruch im Tierkreiszeichen des Krebses auf. Wenn man die okkulte Schrift kennt, lernt man sich in der Astralwelt orientieren.
Als vierte Stufe folgt das Erlernen des Lebensrhythmus. Der Schüler bekommt die Anweisung zu einer bestimmten Regelung des Atmens. In der Natur verläuft alles rhythmisch. Eine jede Pflanze blüht rhythmisch zu derselben Zeit. Auch im Tierreich kann man den Rhythmus verfolgen. So ist das Tier nur zu bestimmten Zeiten des Jahres befruchtungsfähig. Beim Menschen aber geht der Rhythmus ins Chaos über. Der Mensch muß einen neuen Rhythmus für sein Leben schaffen. Bei vielen Menschen gibt es nur einen erzwungenen Rhythmus. Im allgemeinen gibt es bei den Menschen keinen freiwilligen Rhythmus. Für die Rhythmisierung des Lebens muß der Rosenkreuzer sorgen. In den Atmungsprozeß wird man durch die spezielle Anweisung des Lehrers Rhythmus hineinbringen.
Das fünfte ist die Erlernung der Entsprechung von Mikrokosmos und Makrokosmos. Es gibt ein gewisses Band zwischen dem Menschen und allen Dingen der Welt um ihn her. Bei dem gewöhnlichen Menschen kommt das nur heraus in der Liebe zwischen den zwei Geschlechtern, in dem Gefühl, wie der eine in dem andern gerade das findet, was ihm verwandt, vertraut ist, was zu ihm gehört. Auf diesem geheimnisvollen Verhältnis der Welt zum Menschen beruht aber vieles. Darauf beruht zum Beispiel, daß Paracelsus herausfand, wie gewisse Pflanzen in Beziehung zum Menschen stehen. Ebenso das Verhältnis anderer Substanzen zum Menschen lernte er durch diese Fähigkeit kennen. Er nannte einen Cholerakranken einen Arsenicus, weil Arsenik bei dem gesunden Menschen gerade dieselben Symptome eintreten läßt, wie sie sich bei einem Cholerakranken zeigen. Man kann ein persönliches Verhältnis, ein Liebeverhältnis zu allen Dingen in ganz rein geistiger Beziehung haben. Das muß besonders geübt werden. Man kommt dazu, wenn man ganz bestimmte Anweisungen befolgt. Wenn man mit einem bestimmten Wort an den Punkt zwischen den Augenbrauen über der Nasenwurzel denkt, kommt man dazu, daß einem nach einiger Zeit die Erkenntnis eines ganz bestimmten Vorganges in der Welt aufgeht. Durch das Denken an das Innere des Auges erlangt man Kenntnis von der Natur der Sonne, von den Vorgängen, die sich abspielten, als Sonne und Erde noch einen Himmelskörper bildeten. Durch eine andere Übung erkennt der Mensch, was der Mond geistig ist, oder, was für einen Zustand die Erde vor achtzehn Millionen Jahren gehabt hat.
Dann folgt das Versenken in die Entsprechung von Mikrokosmos und Makrokosmos. Durch Konzentration auf den Punkt zwischen den Augenbrauen über der Nasenwurzel kann man eindringen in die Zeit, als das Ich in den Menschen hineinzog. Dann wächst der Mensch mit seinem Bewußtsein in den Makrokosmos hinein. Das muß er eine ganz bestimmte Zeit hindurch üben und so in alle Dinge hineinwachsen, ob sie fern oder nah sind.
Siebentens folgt. die Stufe der Gottseligkeit, wo man herauswächst aus der begrenzten leiblichen Hülle und mit dem Makrokosmos zu leben vermag.
Die Lehren werden dem Schüler gegeben nach dem okkulten Befund seines Wesens. Wenn der Schüler diese Stufen im realen Erleben durchgemacht hat, dann hat er den Gipfel der Erkenntnis höherer Welten erlangt.
The Yoga Path, Christian Gnostic Initiation, and Rosicrucian Esotericism
Through initiation, human beings are enabled to gain knowledge of higher worlds. It consists of an intimate process of development of our soul. The paths to this vary from person to person, but the truth is the same everywhere. Once you stand on the summit of a mountain, you have a clear view in all directions. But it would be utter nonsense if we did not want to take the nearest path from the point where we are to reach the summit. The same is true of initiation. When we have reached our goal and truly attained the clear view of knowledge, this knowledge is the same for everyone.
However, it is not good for a person to follow a path of development other than the one that is appropriate to their nature. Actually, there should be a special path of initiation for each person. But all paths can be traced back to three different types: the path of yoga, Christian Gnostic initiation, and Christian Rosicrucian initiation. One of these three different paths can therefore be followed. They are different because there are three types of people. Among Europeans, there are only a few who can follow the Oriental path of yoga. Therefore, it is generally not right for Europeans to follow the path of yoga. This is because people in the Orient live in a completely different climate, under a completely different sunlight. Anatomy cannot easily prove the difference between Orientals and Europeans, but there is a profound psychological and spiritual difference between them, and this must be taken into account, since inner development has a profound effect on the psychological and spiritual nature of human beings. The finer structure of the Hindu brain is not perceptible to the anatomist. But if one expected of Europeans what one can expect of Indians, one would ruin them. One can prescribe certain practices for Indians that are of no use to Europeans or even harm them. Above all, the path of yoga places a basic demand on the student, without the fulfillment of which it is impossible to follow this path. It requires the strict authority of a teacher, a so-called guru. Those who wish to follow it must submit to the guru's instructions in every detail of their lives. Apart from that, the Indian path of yoga is almost impossible to follow unless one breaks away from one's external circumstances. It is necessary to take a wide variety of external measures to support the prescribed exercises. If one has certain experiences that make an impression on the emotional world, this will have a profound influence when one undergoes inner occult development. That is why the Oriental yoga student must ask the guru about all the details of life. If one wants to make any changes in life, one must let the guru show the way. Thus, the path of yoga is one that requires absolute submission to the guru. One must learn to see with the eyes of the guru and learn to feel as he does. One cannot walk this path without deep trust, without perfect love, combined with unrestricted trust and unconditional devotion that transcends everything else.
In the Christian Gnostic path, there is only one great teacher, the central guru. What is required is faith in Christ Jesus himself, not just in his teachings. The Christian Gnostic disciple must be able to believe that in Christ Jesus the only high divine individuality was incarnated, an individuality that cannot be compared to any other, even the highest individuality. All other individualities began on this earth at a lower level and then ascended, such as Buddha, Hermes, Zoroaster, Pythagoras, so that their spiritual form is the result of many previous incarnations. This is not the case with Christ Jesus. He cannot be compared to any other individuality, to anything else on earth. Without this belief, it would not be possible to follow the purely Christian Gnostic path.
A third path is the Christian Rosicrucian one. Here, the teacher is the advisor, who preferably limits his advice to the measures of spiritual development itself. This spiritual development must be arranged in such a way that it has a profound influence on the life of the individual. A teacher must always be present at the initiation. There is no such thing as a serious initiation without a teacher. Anyone who claimed otherwise would be saying something as foolish as someone who considered the birth of a child possible without the cooperation of both sexes. Initiation is a spiritual fertilization process. If this were not brought about in the dual relationship between teacher and student, it would even be a harmful process.
The Indian path of yoga distinguishes seven stages. But they do not always follow one another in the same order. The stages that are listed can be mixed in a certain way. It is not necessary to go through the first to seventh stages in sequence. It may be that one is encouraged to anticipate something from the seven stages and then, depending on one's individuality, be given an exercise that corresponds to a completely different stage. Perhaps the student will go through this in a few years, perhaps in a few months. When asked how long it takes to be initiated, Subba Row said: It can take seventy incarnations or seven incarnations; for some it takes seven years, for others seven months or only seven days or even only seven hours. — It depends entirely on the spiritual maturity that a person has already attained. Spiritual maturity comes more quickly to some, more slowly to others. It depends on karma. One may well ask how it is that a certain person does not stand out, even though he was spiritually very advanced in a previous existence. Perhaps there are obstacles in his physical and mental constitution. It is mainly the task of the teacher to remove these obstacles. The external physiognomy of a person in ordinary life is not decisive. A previous initiation may lie deeply hidden in the soul and not emerge only because of some obstacles.
The first stage of Indian yoga training is Yama. This means something like abstention, non-action. The Indian understands this to mean: do not kill, do not lie, do not steal, do not indulge in excess, do not covet. But if we want to delve deeper into what Indians mean by this, we must take it in its entirety. For example, even if we become vegetarians, we have not yet broken the habit of killing. Our life is not possible without killing. Even by breathing, we kill by exhaling carbon dioxide. If the green plant cover of the earth did not continuously absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, humans and animals could not live. Part of yoga practice consists of breaking this habit of killing. Indians consider this point very important. They would also view numerous chains of events in our social life today as falling under the concept of stealing. Each of us has to earn money in some way. Many conditions are necessary for us to obtain this money. When we buy a skirt, we cannot know whether human blood is attached to it. People think little about how they are connected in social contexts and are jointly responsible for what they do. If you take things seriously, then you have to feel responsible for what happens through you.
The best way to help your fellow human beings is to become free of needs. Those who become free of needs help their fellow human beings more than philanthropists do. For example, if you don't write unnecessary letters, you may save some people from having to climb many stairs. It is a great mistake to believe that you are helping people by making greater demands on them and thus creating more work. You do not increase what people need in the slightest by giving them work. Under the complicated circumstances prevailing in Europe, it is becoming increasingly difficult to do the things required by the Orientals in order to follow the path of yoga. In a country where there are no banks, where cultural conditions can be overlooked, one can follow the path of yoga in its strict form.
The second is Nyana, the cultivation of ritual. The Indian path of yoga demands that people have a ritual, that they combine the teaching with a cult. Everyone who follows the path of yoga is strictly required to follow a ritual. One must have things visible before one's eyes in actions. Just as in art it is important to express oneself in external objects, so in this initiation it is important that things are presented in ritual.
The third is asana, the alignment of the human posture with certain currents in the cosmos. Where people still had a feeling for such things, for example, the main altar in cult buildings was always built facing east. With the refined organization of the Indians, the direction in which it stands is important. There is indeed a different current from north to south than from east to west. In yoga initiation, the posture of the body is important because the Oriental body is much softer and is much more affected when it assumes a certain position. If Europeans wanted to follow the Oriental path of yoga, they would have to do all these things.
The fourth is pranayama, the rhythmic regulation of the breathing process. This is easiest to understand when we remember that, in the present circumstances, human beings kill through their breath. The teacher gives the student the instruction: You should regulate your breathing process according to the rules given to you by the teacher for at least a certain period of time. If one were to examine the breath, one would see that the exhaled air of a yoga student has a completely different composition, a completely different carbon dioxide content than that of an ordinary person. As a result, it is true that by regulating the breathing process, he actually influences the future development of the earth. Constant dripping wears away the stone. You cannot see this from one day to the next. But it adds up and, over long periods of time, will mean something very specific.
The Rosicrucian teacher also allows the rhythmicization of the breathing process to be carried out at a specific time. What does the breathing process do? The physical human being is inconceivable without plants. We breathe in oxygen, which is combined with carbon in the lungs, and we breathe out carbon dioxide. Plants do exactly the opposite. A continuous cycle takes place between humans on the one hand and plants on the other. In distant times, humans will develop an organ within themselves that can do what plants do today. They will be able to process carbon dioxide within themselves. This will be made possible by an organ through which humans will separate carbon from oxygen and combine it with themselves. What we today take in with food to build up the body, we will then consciously accomplish within ourselves. In this way, we will transform carbon dioxide back into oxygen. This process is actually promoted by the rhythmization of the breathing process. In the 14th century, this was taught in detail in the Rosicrucian schools. Through the betrayal of some of these secrets, much of this has found its way into popular literature. An 18th-century text mentions something about the philosopher's stone. What is written there is literally correct. However, the writer himself probably did not know what it was really about. The whole human being must change if he is to accomplish what the plant now accomplishes for him. His physical body will then itself become carbon, but it will not be black carbon, nor will it be hard diamond, which is merely the symbol for the philosopher's stone. The philosopher's stone is understood to be that body which is transparent, into which the other organs are integrated. It will consist of a mass of jelly-like carbon, similar to egg white. Human beings are on a path that will one day lead them to this wonderful glory. The rhythmic breathing that leads to this is called alchemy. The philosopher's stone is called Lapis philosophorum. The man who wrote about it did not himself know what he was writing.
The fifth stage of the yoga path is pratyahara. It consists of being able to suppress the impressions of the outer senses. We must realize what our actual soul world is and leave out everything that has invaded us from outside. Most of what humans think has come into them from outside. If a person is able to consciously devote themselves to their inner thoughts, if they can make themselves blind and deaf to their surroundings while remaining inwardly alert, if they can have a thought without reflecting on the outside world, then their sleep will be filled with dreams, then they are practicing pratyahara.
On the sixth stage, one must not only completely absorb what the eyes can see and the ears can hear, but also suppress inner images that arise from the soul itself. After removing everything from the soul that has entered it through life, one places an idea within the soul. This is given by the guru. These can be ideas such as those contained in the first four teachings of “Light on the Path.” The best soul contents are those that a special teacher can give you.
After such soul content has been effective for a while, you let it go without losing consciousness. You then still have the function of spiritual life as such, without the content of thought. Once this seventh stage is reached, the spiritual world enters into us. This state is called samadhi.
Just like the path of yoga, the training of Christian gnosis also has seven stages. This method already takes into account a somewhat coarsened body and is particularly geared towards the world of feelings and sensations. The Christian teacher must guide the student's world of feelings and sensations. The seven stages of Christian initiation are: first, the washing of the feet; second, the flagellation; third, the crowning with thorns; fourth, the crucifixion; fifth, the mystical death on the cross; sixth, the burial; seventh, the ascension.
It is best to go through these seven stages by describing how the relationship between teacher and student unfolds. The teacher says to the student, for example: Look at the plant! It takes root and grows in the mineral kingdom. When it turns to the mineral kingdom, it should say to it: I owe my existence to you, only through you can I live — I thank you! — Likewise, the animal should say to the plant kingdom: I owe my existence to you, only through you can I live. And when human beings look at the nature around them and the people who are still below them, a similar feeling must permeate their souls. No higher level can develop and be reached without the lower levels being there. That is why people who are in a higher social position must also descend to those below them and thank them. Christ Jesus indicated this in the washing of feet by bending down to his disciples and washing their feet. The student on the first stage of Christian initiation must be completely imbued with this feeling of gratitude toward everything below him. What he achieves will manifest itself in two symptoms. First, he will see himself in an astral vision in the situation of the foot washing. This happens to everyone who goes through this correctly. Second, he will have a feeling as if water were washing around his feet.
On the second stage, the student must learn to endure all the sufferings of life that are constantly happening around him. He must stand upright, even when he has to endure the greatest pain. The symptom is that in the astral vision he sees himself being scourged and feels something like needle pricks in various places on his body.
The third stage is the attainment of the ability to endure the most sacred things we know being showered with ridicule and scorn. The teacher tells the student: If you can endure the mockery of what is most sacred to you and still stand up for it, then you are capable of wearing the crown of thorns. The student will experience a special kind of headache when he has reached this stage.
At the fourth stage, he must learn to regard the body as something completely external, to carry the body around as we otherwise carry an instrument, a hammer, or some other tool. In some schools, students learn to speak of their bodies in such a way that they say: My body is going through the door – and so on. At this stage, the person concerned sees himself crucified in astral vision. He receives the stigmata of Christ on his hands and feet and on the right side of his body. At the moment of his meditation and concentration, red stigmata appear.
The fifth stage is mystical death. At this stage, the person experiences a veil between themselves and the rest of the world, like a black curtain. Then they experience inwardly all that can be bad in the world. Descending into hell is mystical death. Then a vision shows this curtain being torn apart.
At the sixth stage, one then gains a feeling as if everything else were one's own body. One then becomes united with the earth. This is the burial.
The seventh stage, the resurrection, cannot be described in words. Those who experience such feelings within themselves gain insight into the spiritual world.
The third type of initiation is the Rosicrucian, which has been present in Europe since the 14th century. It focuses primarily on strengthening and fortifying the inner will. While Oriental training emphasizes thinking and Christian Gnostic training emphasizes feeling, Rosicrucian training is directed toward the development of the will. The stages of this training are: first, study; second, imagination; third, learning occult scriptures; fourth, the rhythmization of life; fifth, learning to understand the correspondence between microcosm and macrocosm; sixth, contemplation or immersion in the macrocosm; seventh, godliness.
Study requires that the student have the patience to gain certain concepts about the world. First, he must receive teachings from his teacher. For example, he must study devotedly what elementary theosophy can offer him as teachings. He must try to penetrate these teachings as best he can. The patient acquisition of concepts is necessary for anyone who wants to ascend higher. This requires a certain training of the mind, an accustoming to living and weaving in the pure element of thought. For those who want to attain Rosicrucian initiation and train the mind, books such as “The Philosophy of Freedom” and “Truth and Science” have been written . It is important to overcome the difficulties, which for some are insurmountable, to pursue the thought and to recognize how one thought necessarily follows from another. In Oriental training, strict submission to the guru is required. In Christian Gnostic training, the student must place Christ at the center of his striving. In Christian Rosicrucian training, the teacher stands by him as a friend and advisor.
In the higher realms, it is much easier to stumble, so one must have inner security. In ordinary life, life itself puts us in our place. Sometimes life corrects our mistakes in a terrible way. This correction does not occur when one ascends to the higher worlds. That is why in Oriental training one must see with the eyes of the guru and feel through him. The European teacher serves as an advisor. When ascending to the higher worlds, however, one needs another guideline. In the astral world, perceptions are completely different from those in the physical world; likewise, in the devachanic world, a new world of perceptions opens up to us. In terms of impressions, the three worlds are very different. But one thing is the same in all of them: logical thinking. This can be a reliable guide for us on the astral plane and the devachanic plane. If one has learned to think logically through study, one can also help oneself on the astral and devachanic planes. However, the logic of the physical plane no longer applies to the buddhic plane.
The second stage of Rosicrucian training is imagination. European students should not rush into this, because they can easily stumble. Human beings must learn to enter into a moral relationship with things. In all transitory things, one must see a parable for something eternal. If we look at nature in this sense, the autumn crocus, for example, becomes for us the symbol of a lonely being striving upward in melancholy. The violet is then a symbol of something that fulfills its existence in unassuming, quiet beauty. Every stone stimulates thoughts in us—it is a parable for something that lies behind it. This enriches the world around us. Things reveal their innermost essence to us. One flower then becomes a tear through which the earth expresses its sorrow, another an expression of joy. If we look at a grain of rice, for example, we can observe how a small flame emerges from it.
The small flame becomes an image of what later sprouts from it as a stalk.
Thirdly, there comes a stage where a whole spiritual world emerges from all beings. Their spiritual essence, their spiritual content, hovers above things. The entire astral world becomes visible. One then finds oneself as if in the middle of ocean waves and has the experience of swimming in a sea. One sees how the color of a tulip stands out and recognizes that it forms the garment of an astral being. At this third stage, the student learns occult writing. If we really want to live in the astral world, we must know occult writing. In the world, many things are built according to the figure of the vortex, for example:
We find this spiral both in the Orion Nebula and in the design of living beings. Human and animal embryos have a spiral shape in an earlier stage. One part represents the physical, the other part, which winds its way into it, represents the astral. The dawn of a new stage in human history is also symbolized by the sign of two intertwined vortices. This is the zodiac sign of Cancer. When the post-Atlantean epoch began after the demise of ancient Atlantis with the primordial Indian subrace, the sun rose in the zodiac sign of Cancer at the beginning of spring. If one is familiar with occult writings, one learns to orient oneself in the astral world.
The fourth stage is learning the rhythm of life. The student is instructed to regulate their breathing in a certain way. Everything in nature proceeds rhythmically. Every plant blooms rhythmically at the same time. Rhythm can also be observed in the animal kingdom. Animals are only capable of fertilization at certain times of the year. In humans, however, the rhythm descends into chaos. Humans must create a new rhythm for their lives. For many people, there is only a forced rhythm. In general, there is no voluntary rhythm in humans. The Rosicrucians must ensure that life is rhythmic. Rhythm is brought into the breathing process through the special instructions of the teacher.
The fifth is learning the correspondence between the microcosm and the macrocosm. There is a certain bond between humans and all things in the world around them. In ordinary humans, this only comes out in the love between the two sexes, in the feeling of how one finds in the other exactly what is related to them, familiar to them, what belongs to them. However, much is based on this mysterious relationship between the world and human beings. For example, it is based on Paracelsus' discovery of how certain plants relate to human beings. He also learned about the relationship of other substances to human beings through this ability. He called a cholera patient an arsenicus because arsenic causes the same symptoms in healthy people as those seen in a cholera patient. One can have a personal relationship, a loving relationship with all things in a purely spiritual sense. This requires special practice. One can achieve this by following very specific instructions. If you think of a certain word at the point between your eyebrows above the bridge of your nose, after a while you will come to realize a very specific process in the world. By thinking of the inside of the eye, you gain knowledge of the nature of the sun, of the processes that took place when the sun and earth still formed one celestial body. Through another exercise, one recognizes what the moon is spiritually, or what state the earth was in eighteen million years ago.
Then follows immersion in the correspondence between microcosm and macrocosm. By concentrating on the point between the eyebrows above the root of the nose, one can penetrate into the time when the ego entered into human beings. Then the human being grows with his consciousness into the macrocosm. He must practice this for a specific period of time and thus grow into all things, whether they are far or near.
Seventh follows the stage of godliness, where one outgrows the limited physical shell and is able to live with the macrocosm.
The teachings are given to the student according to the occult findings of his being. When the student has gone through these stages in real experience, he has reached the summit of knowledge of higher worlds.