New Etheric Karmic Clairvoyance

April 14, 2014 By Amelia Leave a Comment

…before the middle of the twentieth century there will be people possessed of a natural etheric clairvoyance, who, since mankind has reached the epoch in which this will develop as a natural gift, will perceive the etheric body as permeating the physical body and extending beyond it. Just as man, once able to see into the spiritual world, has descended to the merely physical perception and intellectual comprehension of the external world, so he begins gradually to evolve new and conscious capacities which will be added to the old ones. One of these new capacities I should like to characterize.

There will be people — at first only a few, for only in the course of the next two or three thousand years will these capacities evolve in larger numbers, and these first forerunners will be born before the end of the first half of the twentieth century — who will have an experience something like the following. After taking part in some action they will withdraw from it, and will have before them a picture which arises from the act in question. At first, they will not recognize it; they will not find in it any relation to what they have done. In the end they will see that this picture, which appears to them as a sort of conscious dream-picture, is the counterpart of their own action; it is the picture of the action which must take place, in order that the karmic compensation of the previous action may be brought about.

Thus we are approaching an age in which men will begin to understand karma not only from the teachings and presentations of Spiritual Science, but in which they will begin actually to see karma. Whereas until now karma was to man an obscure impulse, an obscure desire, which could be fulfilled only in the following life, which could only between death and a new birth be transformed into an intention, man will gradually evolve to a conscious perception of the work of Lucifer and its effect. Certainly only those will have this power of etheric clairvoyance who have striven after knowledge and self-knowledge. But even in normal circumstances men will have more and more before them the karmic pictures of their actions. That will carry them on further and further, because they will see what they still owe to the world — what is on the debit side of their karma.

~Rudolf Steiner

Collective Karma

April 14, 2014 By Amelia Leave a Comment

To understand what will now be said, we must realize that over and above the karma which belongs to every individual human being, there is at every stage of existence a universal karmic law. All the categories of beings have their karma — the karma of the one differing from that of the other. But karma operates through every realm of existence and there are things in the karma of mankind, in the karma of a people, of a community or other group of human beings, which must be regarded as collective karma, so that in certain circumstances the individual can be drawn into the sway of the collective karma. It will not always be easy for one who cannot penetrate to the root of the matter to discern exactly where the influences of the powers concerned lie in the case of human beings overtaken by such a destiny. An individual within some community may well be entirely guiltless as far as his own karma is concerned; but because he stands within a field of collective karma, calamity may befall him. If, however, he is entirely guiltless, compensation will be made in later incarnations.

In the wider connection we must look not only at the karma of the past but also think of the karma of the future. A terrible fate may befall a whole group of human beings; the reason why just this group should suffer such a destiny is not to be discovered. Someone who might be capable of investigating the karma of an individual will in certain circumstances be unable to find anything at all that could have led to this tragic fate, for the threads of karma are extremely complicated. The cause of such karmic happenings may lie far, far away — but it is connected with these people nevertheless. And it may be that the whole group, while guiltless, has been overtaken by some collective karma which could not overtake those immediately guilty, because circumstances did not make this possible.

In such cases the only thing that can be said is this: In the total karma of an individual, everything is ultimately balanced out, including what befalls him without guilt on his part; it is all inscribed in his karma and compensation in the fullest sense will be made in future time. — Therefore in considering the law of karma we must also take into account the karma of the future.

Nor must it be forgotten that man is not an isolated being but that every individual has to share jointly in the collective karma of humanity. We must remember, too, that man, together with humanity, is connected with those hierarchies of Beings who have not entered into the physical world and that he is also drawn into the karma of the hierarchies. In the destinies of mankind in the spiritual world a great deal appears the connections of which are not to be sought in the immediate circumstances, but the karmic consequences come to pass inevitably.

Since the second half of the Atlantean epoch, Ahriman’s karma has been linked with the karma of mankind. Where, then, are the deeds of Ahriman, over and above what is wrought by him in the bodies of men in order to spread phantoms and illusion over the world of sense? Where are these other deeds?

~Rudolf Steiner

Steiner on Tolstoy

April 12, 2014 By Amelia Leave a Comment

Tolstoy

It is worth reminding ourselves again, at this time, of the valid reasons why Russia has the impulse to turn against the West, and protect itself from Western influence. Here are some of Steiner’s thoughts when discussing Tolstoy:

That which in the individual and in the community alike craves for well-being and happiness is the life itself in the most manifold forms. It therefore behooves us not to shape our ethical, our innermost, ideal according to external forms, but according to what is vouchsafed as the ideal to the inmost essence of the soul itself by the indwelling God. That is why Tolstoy reaches out again for a higher kind of Christianity which he regards as the true Christianity. — Seek not the kingdom of God in outer manifestations — in the forms — but within you. What your duty is will become clear to you when you knowingly experience the life of the soul, when you allow yourself to be inspired by the God within you, when you give ear to the utterances of your soul. Let not the forms engross you, great and impressive though they may be! Go back to the original, undivided life, to the divine life within you yourself. When a man does not take the ethical ideals, the cultural ideals, into himself from outside, but lets that which arises in his heart, that which the Godhead has imbued into his soul, stream forth from his soul, then he has ceased to live only in form; then he is moral in the true sense. This is inner morality, and inspiration.

From this standpoint Tolstoy strives for a complete renewal of all conceptions of life and of the world in the form of what he calls ‘original Christianity.’ In his view, Christianity has been externalised, has adapted itself to the diverse forms of life produced by culture and civilisation in the different centuries. And he awaits an era when form will be vibrant with new, inner life, when life will again be apprehended in direct experience. Therefore he is never tired of exhorting in ever new connections that it is a matter of experiencing the simplicity of the soul’s existence, not the complex existence which all the time is trying to learn something new. The ideal prescribed by Tolstoy is that the simplicity of the soul must be maintained, that the intricacies of external science, of external artistic presentation, the luxury-adjuncts of modern life. must be resolved Into the simplicity inherent in the soul of every human being, no matter in what form of life and society he is placed. And so Tolstoy is a stern critic of the various forms of Western European culture, of Western science. He declares that this science, like theology, has little by little stiffened into a body of dogmas and that Western scientists give one the impression of being outright dogmatists, filled with wrongly directed intellect. He passes stern judgment on these scientists, above all on the ideal striven for in these forms of science, and on those who regard the final goal of all endeavour to be our material welfare. For centuries past mankind has been at pains to make forms preeminent, regarding external possessions, external well-being as the highest goal. And now — we know that this should not be censured but regarded as inevitable – well-being must not be limited to particular ranks or classes, but shared by one and all. — Certainly there is no objection to be made to this, but it is against the form in which Western sociology and Western socialism endeavour to achieve it that Tolstoy directs his attacks. What does this socialism proclaim? Its aim is the transformation of the external forms of life. Material culture itself is to lead men to a higher level, to a higher standard of life. And then, so it is believed, those whose conditions improve, whose, prosperity increases, will also have a higher ethical standard. All ethical endeavour on the part of socialism is directed toward revolutionising the outer form of the conditions of existence. —

It is this attitude which Tolstoy attacks, For the obvious result of the evolution of culture has been the development of the most manifold differences of rank and class. Can you possibly believe that if you make this culture of form preeminent, you will actually produce an ideal civilisation? No, you must take hold of the human being where he himself creates form. You must enrich his soul, imbue his soul with divine-moral forces, and then, acting from the very source of life, he will change the form. That is Tolstoy’s socialism and it is his view that no renewal of moral end ethical culture can ever arise from any metamorphosis of the form-culture of the West, but that this renewal must be brought about by the soul, from within outwards. Hence he is not a preacher of dogmas but the champion of a complete transformation of the human soul. He does not say: Man’s ethical standard is raised when the outer conditions of his life improve … but he says: It is just because you have based yourselves on outer forms that you have brought upon yourselves the wretchedness of your existence. Not until you transform the human being from within will you be able to surmount this form of life. In sociology, as well as in Darwinism, we have the last offshoots of the old form-culture. But then we have, too, the preliminary factors for a new culture of life. Just as in the former case we have the line of descent, here we have the line of ascent. As little as an aged man who has already attained his settled form of life is capable of complete self-renewal, as little can an old culture produce a new form of life. It is from the child with its fresh forces of growth that the new form of life springs — inwardly quickened — from what is as yet undifferentiated and able to unfold into infinite diversity. Hence in the Russian people Tolstoy sees a people not yet entangled in Western forms of culture; it is within this people that the life of the future must germinate. From his observation of the Slav people who still regard the European ideals of culture — European science as well as European art — with apathetic indifference, Tolstoy declares that in this people there lives an undifferentiated spirit which must become the bearer of the future ideal of culture. It is there that he sees the hope of the future. His judgment is based on the great law of evolution, on that law which teaches us the principle of the change of forms and the perpetually new, germinal up-welling of life.

Rudolf Steiner

A question for thought… How can the Slavic peoples be protected in such a way that they are able to bring into fruition what lives in their souls? In what form would a rightful differentiation from Western European values take shape? How can the West improve the oppression of the Slavic peoples without trodding on their very inner nature? How do we learn to respect each other, from angel to angel? In vital burgeoning life! Tact, first and foremost…Appreciation. Freedom. Ability to thrive. There is no pat answer to the question of Russia’s relationship to Europe and/or America. We will see a rather messy mingling of influences, with what lives in the Slavic soul striving ever for sunlight and strength. The Slavic soul, with its close relationship to its angel, is deserving of our care and nurturing. May we, as westerners, at least begin by trying to understand and appreciate it. And let us remember to allow it to be free.

The I and the Ideal

April 12, 2014 By Amelia Leave a Comment

From Rudolf Steiner:

But the ” I ” is a spiritual potency, a spiritual being. What the ” I ” creates, as the astral body creates karma, does not remain connected with man but detaches itself from him as forms created by thoughts. Now in respect of the forms or forces deriving from the ” I ” of man, a sharp distinction must be made. The human ” I ” or Ego can unfold either selfishness or selflessness in the inner life. According to whether selfishness, or selfless love and compassion are unfolded, these “forces” or “forms” operate quite differently. The forces of selfish thoughts become forces of disturbance, even of destruction; they pass into the spiritual world actually as destructive forces. On the other hand, all forces of selfless thoughts enter into the spiritual life of Earth-evolution, not as destructive but as upbuilding, constructive forces. In that these forces of selfless thought detach themselves as it were from the ” I ” of man, they leave behind certain traces in him. Especially is it true of forces begotten of selfless thoughts and feelings, that as they go forth from the ” I,” they leave traces behind in the human being — traces which are quite perceptible. The more the ” I ” sends out forces born of selfless thoughts and feelings, the more does a man develop individuality of form, of gesture, facial expression, and so on — in short, the power inherent in his own being. The forces of selfish, self-seeking thoughts and feelings, however, operate in him in such a way that he has little power to give expression to his own individuality. We must therefore ask: What is the principle underlying the distinction to be made among the individual forms of men in the course of the evolution of humanity?

Rudolf Steiner

Ideas must become Ideals.

We are most ourselves when we are least ourselves.

Selflessness leads to true individuality.

On Digestion

April 12, 2014 By Amelia Leave a Comment

I recently had an online discussion with Adriana Koulias regarding digestion, and thought I would share some of it here.

First, some Steiner excerpts on digestive organs:

“Here are two important tasks for the future that we as Anthroposophists should be thinking about now! To care for the dying by helping them to learn how to cross the threshold in a more natural and healthy way. This is done through exercises of the will. Such exercises can transform thinking into an organ that can perceive the threshold while a person is still alive, taking away the fear and dread of death. Helping the dying to see death for what it is, a joyous experience of reconnection with our spiritual home. To care for the living, to connect the living with their dead loved ones through exercises in thinking that can bring consciousness to the will of the living. Such a consciousness can enable a conversation to develop between those who have crossed the threshold and those who are alive. Much of the nervousness and digestive trouble people are experiencing today would be resolved as most of it arises out of an unconscious experience of the spiritual world in which the dead live. ”

“The region in the neighbourhood of the digestive organs shares the same time-scale as the dead after death. …

“When a person suffers from a gastric disorder, the symptoms can be diagnosed physically; but as a result of his gastric condition he is more able to share in the life of the dead immediately after their death. … From the spiritual standpoint we would say that such a person feels impelled to preserve, after their death, his spiritual link with the souls he has known on Earth. … Gastric disorders arise because one is too much attached to the dead. Under such conditions one is dominated by the dead. …”

“Thus, if the consciousness below the heart is too active, the consciousness in the region of the larynx must be diminished; the heart lies between, it acts as a regulator and it is the knife edge on which the beam of the balance oscillates. Equilibrium is restored by administering copper. I have already pointed out that man’s body today is constituted in such a way that the larynx reacts to copper. … `The metabolic and laryngeal systems are as closely related as the two sides of the balance. One may be adjusted by means of the other. If suitable doses of copper are administered, the patient is inclined to withdraw somewhat from the realm of the dead and thereby benefits in health, whereas otherwise he is increasingly identified with it. That is the spiritual aspect of healing.”

Amelia asks Adriana:

Do you experience what Steiner refers to here… That a balancing of the larynx activity with the abdominal activity brings about both the absence of digestive disturbances and the warmth of the voice? (That bit later & earlier in the lecture.)

… And I wish I knew more about the “time-scale” Steiner refers to as being connected with varied processes in the human body. What is the physiology of our time body? We are present in the center of our heart? We live in the past in our head? We live in the future in our metabolic body?

Adriana Koulias answers:

Yes and yet the paradox is that although our physical head is the oldest part of us and connects us to the past, the spiritual organs contained in it take us towards the future, that is, towards experiencing the spirit – pineal and pituitary glands, while the will that lives in the metabolic system and which walks us towards the future in the physical sense spiritually connects us to our karma which is our past. The heart is our experience of the present, it keeps physical time and through it we experience physical space and yet it is the organ that helps us to reach the timeless and spaceless. I was trained in operative singing for many years and so I was a good candidate for being connected to the dead unconsciously as I had woken up my larynx but not my consciousness which led to many gastrointestinal disturbances. The more I became interested in fiction writing the worse the gastric disturbances became because in writing I am totally connected to the dead who are wishing to impart something through me. By working through knowledge of higher worlds and developing a faculty of imagination and inspiration I was able to bring consciousness to my larynx experiences and as soon as I did that the gastric disturbances subsided without a need for copper.

Amelia continues:

Ah, so perhaps my desire to write fiction is somehow connected to the upswing in gastric disturbances? And my interest in karma…

The balancing consciousness of the larynx has been in abeyance for some years now for me. Three steps backward for every step forward (a conscious choice). It is time, now, for me to renew my practice. May I flourish on the spiritual nutrition that surrounds me!

Adriana:

Yes Amelia!!!! And you will find, that when we acquire consciousness of the etheric world by way of the ‘eyes’ or the two petalled chakra any nervousness also subsides, in time when the experience of the 16 petalled chakra is added – that is when colour is added to light outwardly, the larynx becomes an inward ‘listening’ device for hearing the intentions of the dead or their inspirations. When the heart experiences are added we grow into understanding what we are seeing and ‘hearing’. The words of the dead rise up to the larynx and it resonates their words into our souls.

Amelia:

Some of us have real food intolerances resulting from childhood conditions and very weak organic and etheric forces. I have experienced this myself, and felt some greater health when I avoided foods that I could not properly digest. However, I am very well aware of the isolation this creates; I have experienced it! I am ever trying to strengthen my digestion so that I can eat what others eat. (Remarkably, this was easiest during pregnancy!) At this point in my life, I eat whatever is served when I am not cooking for myself, and allow my body the challenge of digesting the food. It is funny how so many of us feel so passionate about our food preferences. I do like my millet, but I will try to eat your wheat. I have always felt that it is a bit “profound” that I am allergic to milk and the “staff of life” (gluten-containing grains). It is symbolic of difficulties in incarnation, and of difficulties in effective working through of the various bodies in nutrition. Ah, how nice it would/will be, to sit with others, eat whatever is offered, and manage to digest it in a healthy way! Indeed, I feel it is a time that the inner/outer balance is off for so many of us. It is a symptom of our times, and I agree that it is something we should work against. Spiritual nutrition also is important!