The Rudolf Steiner Archive

[Haubinda, Klosterheim. Postmark: Friedrichshall (Sachsen-Meiningen) 8/14/05] Dear Miss Scholl.

Your penultimate letter speaks of your current state of depression.¹ Please do not worry about it. Such experiences are a necessary part of effective esoteric work. The main thing in all of this is that we take ourselves in hand in a clear way. In particular, it is important to always make sure that we do not allow the harmonious connection with our respective surroundings to be compromised. You are a very strong, but also a very receptive nature and nothing prevents you from safely surviving the nevertheless profound transformations that your present exercises are undergoing in your astral and even your etheric body. There are not many German members of the Theosophical Society who follow or can follow the same path, but all those who do have the same experiences as you. And I must regard these experiences as a sign of real progress. Real progress is not possible without the loosening of certain centers in the etheric and astral bodies.

A higher consciousness awakens when centers that were previously regulated by an unconscious organism in their interaction are released from their connection. Then the previously unconscious organism is gradually transformed into a conscious one, and the loosened centers are subordinated to this latter. I would like to make myself understood with a small drawing.

Firm connection of the three centers
Psychic subconscious, which regulates these centers.
Present clear day-consciousness, which in a more passive way preserves the results of the activity of the physical subconscious, which remains unconscious.

This is the present “normal state of man”. Now, through esoteric work,

1. The loosening of center A B C

2. The psychic subconscious is raised to the level of the psychic superconscious, and the results of the bright day consciousness are transformed into things of the past. The situation is then as follows:

bright day consciousness
awakened super-psych consciousness

In DEFCG, new centers are formed, which are regulated by the acquired bright day consciousness through its firmness gained in the sense life. The centers A, B, C now stand isolated, and will later be regulated individually at will by the awakened higher consciousness.

The meditation “I Am, It Thinks, It Feels, It Wants” brings about the loosening indicated. ¹ The centers of thinking, feeling and will separate and connect with the primal forces of the universe, which you can find described in Mrs. Besant's last writing ² as will, wisdom, action, and in this way:

Powers of will
Powers of wisdom
Powers of action

Please consider the assignment correctly: the subjective feeling, for example, corresponds to the objective wisdom in the universe, and the subjective thinking corresponds to the action.

Now, as the relaxation develops, certain incubation states occur that are associated with twilights. And that is what you are feeling now.

We will also have a lot to talk about when you are in Berlin.

Now I ask you to continue the given exercises exactly. If you find that the matter goes better with real breathing, that is very good. Later on it should definitely be combined with it. But usually one practices “spiritual-symbolic” breathing as a preliminary stage beforehand. But you can combine it with real physical breathing right away.

I fully agree with your last letter. I will just tell you in confidence that I know that good Bresch should not be judged in the same way as a healthy person. However, the condition he has developed can develop very slowly and remain hidden from inaccurate observers, who then do not realize that the personality in question has already crossed the line from healthy to unhealthy. You can imagine how this makes the whole matter difficult and worrying for me, because I cannot publicly tell the truth about Bresch, as I see it.

Heartfelt greetings to you and the Künstlers

Dr. Rudolf Steiner

• 1. This letter is not available.
• 1. See “Instructions for Esoteric Training”, GA 245.
• 2. Annie Besant, “A Study in Consciousness”, London and Benares 1904

Part of the otherwise unknown letter summarizing the content of the esoteric lecture given in Berlin on the same day

Berlin, October 4, 1905

AUM
“Seek the Way"
“Seek the way in inner contemplation“
“Seek the way by boldly stepping out of yourself” ¹

The last two sentences only appear to contradict each other. In truth, they express two extraordinarily correct facts.

Inner contemplation is the first half of a journey. At first, at his present stage of development, the human being lives in the sense perceptions of the outer world. Even when he processes these sense impressions with his intellect and reason, he still remains “outside”.

When he frees himself from the impressions of the senses and withdraws into himself, the power of thinking remains. This thinking is then emptied of its outer content. This is the “inner contemplation”. But precisely because thinking is “emptied”, new content can now flow into it from within.

And this content is of a spiritual nature, just as the previous content was of a sensual nature. But it is precisely because of this that the human being now steps out of himself again. He steps out of the sphere of the lower self into the “spiritual outside world”. And this is indicated by the sentence: “Seek the way by boldly stepping out of yourself”.

Now the mystic connects all three sentences with the syllable AUM. The A is first of all the holding on to the state in which man always finds himself at the present stage of his evolution.

The U is the symbol of inner contemplation and meditation, and the M is the stepping out into the spiritual outer world.

• 1. From the guiding thoughts in “Light on the Path”.

Berlin W 30, Motzstrasse 17

December 31, 1905

Dear Miss Stryczek!

In the sad matter that has befallen us, let me say the following to you.¹

When a person we love passes over to the other world, it is especially important that we send our thoughts and feelings to them without letting the idea arise that we want them back. The latter makes it more difficult for the deceased to exist in the sphere into which they have entered. It is not the suffering we have, but the love we give him, that we should send to his worlds. Do not misunderstand me. We should not become hard or indifferent. But it should be possible for us to look at the dead with the thought, “My love accompany you! You are surrounded by it.” According to my knowledge, such a feeling is a kind of wing-dress that carries the dead upwards; while the feelings of many mourners, such as, “Oh, if you were still with us,” become an obstacle to him. So that would be a general indication of how we have to adjust ourselves with our feelings in such a case.

In particular, I may now advise you the following. I will write down for you the thoughts that I am not yet able to express in quite good German; but they are based on ancient occult tradition in such cases. Three times a day, once of which should be immediately in the evening before going to sleep, you should become completely still within yourself, so that you take the thoughts themselves with you into the spiritual world. It is best to fall asleep with the thoughts:

My love be to the covers
That now surround you
Cooling all warmth,
Warming all cold
Sacrificially interwoven!
Live, dear-carried,
Light-bestowed upward!

It is important that you have the right feelings when you hear the words “warmth” and “coldness.” We are not talking about physical warmth and coldness, but rather emotional warmth and coldness, although it is not easy for a person in a physical body to imagine what these qualities mean for the discarnate. The latter must first realize that the astral substance still clinging to him is active, but without the use of physical tools. Much of what man strives for here on earth is given to him through his physical tools. Now these are not there. This lack of physical organs resembles – but only resembles – the feeling of burning thirst transferred to the soul. These are the strong 'sensations of heat' after disembodiment. And it is the same with our will, which longs to be active. It is accustomed to using physical organs and no longer has them. This “deprivation” is equivalent to a feeling of mental coldness. It is precisely these feelings that the living can help with. For these feelings are not merely the result of the individual's life, but are connected with the mysteries of incarnation. And it is therefore possible to help the disembodied person.

Now for something else I would ask of you. Let the above sentences be preceded by a few thoughts to our Mr. Wagner, along the following lines: “Your [the wife's] faithful love has surrounded you so far; it continues to surround you unchanged; it will sustain you as a power of the spirit, as it has illuminated you in visible presence so far.”

I wanted to write all this to you today. At the moment I have so much work to do on the physical plane that I cannot tell you anything specific, except for the general above, because physical work obscures spiritual experience. Of course, you are free to share my lines with anyone you think fit. I would like many hearts to turn to the dear personality.

Give the warmest greetings to the dear doctor and receive the same for yourself from your

Dr. Rudolf Steiner

• 1. It was the death of Anna Wagner, † 30. 12. 1905, the wife of Günther Wagner.

Berlin, January 12, 1906

Dearest Dr. Steiner!

The right way to begin meditation is as follows:

In the morning, when no other impressions have yet passed through the soul – best of all immediately after awakening – one seeks to establish complete calm in the soul. Complete distraction of attention from all external impressions and also from all memory images that relate to everyday life.

From this stilled soul, one then lets the following sentences arise, so that the very core is filled with them (3-5 minutes):

"In the pure rays of light
The divinity of the world shines
In the pure love for all beings
the divinity of my soul
I rest in the divinity of the world
I will find myself
in the divinity of the world.

It is important that these sentences are presented quite literally.

Then follows (through another 3-5 minutes)
in the first month: the first sentence in “Light on the Path”
in the second month: the second sentence in “Light on the Path”
in the second month: the third sentence in “Light on the Path”
in the second month: the fourth sentence in “Light on the Path”

Then (for another 3-5 minutes) devotion to one's divine ideal, followed by an intense sense of the value of the virtue one wants to instill.

In the evening: review of the day's deeds and experiences. Retrospective, from evening to morning. Without regret, merely with the tendency to learn from life. If you fall asleep, it does not matter. It is not a matter of being complete, but of developing the attitude of learning from life.

Only in the morning during meditation must there be complete wakefulness.

With warm greetings

Dr. Rudolf Steiner

March 7, 1906

Dear Ms. Minsloff!

Regarding your own exercises, I need only tell you to continue with them as we have discussed them. If you do this, you will develop the beautiful powers within you, and this is what corresponds entirely to your nature. Success will not fail to come to you. We cannot make any changes to the exercises at this stage, as this would disrupt your further progress in the spiritual world. You are so inclined that you will make rapid progress by keeping to the same exercises, while many others have to progress through changes. The best spiritual beings are at your side to protect you. Your soul is destined to bring much help to humanity. You are so imbued with a true feeling for the spiritual world that I no longer need to speak to you about it myself, but only to tell you that I will always ask the “Venerable Masters” to protect you.

Now, Miss von Sivers tells me about the lady who has turned to you. With good and energetic treatment, the same can be helped. But it is not easy in her condition, especially now that she is expecting a child. Nevertheless, I would advise you to carry out a treatment with her if possible. This treatment also has an effect on the development of the child; but this influence will be less severe than if the lady remains without any psychic treatment at all.

The following is now advised.

You should let the lady come to you. Initially, for three days in a row at a specific time. Half an hour before she comes to you, reflect in the following specific way. First, think of your feet, as if your whole self were in the sole of your foot. Then draw the feeling that you get in the sole of your foot up through your whole body to your heart, always thinking “I” as you do so. Then think of your fingertips and say, as if you wanted to send the thought into your fingertips: “I want to ward off anything harmful with this.”

Then the lady can come to you. Now say the following to her:

Then the lady must repeat the thought of the feet to the heart at least once a day, without you, while standing.

When this has been done for three days, everything should remain the same, except that the thought of the feet is replaced by the thought of the legs from heel to knee for a further three days,

then three days from knee to hip,
then three days thinking of the body from the middle to the navel,
then three days thinking of the body from the navel to the heart,
then three days from heart to shoulders,
then three days thinking of the upper arms
three days thinking of the lower arms
three days thinking of the hands to the fingertips.

If this is done energetically, the lady will be reassured after a while, but this is not yet the case, so she must repeat the whole thing.

Each time the matter is over, the lady must say:

"In the pure rays of light
the divinity of the world shines;
in the pure love for all beings,
the divinity of my soul shines;
I rest in the divinity of the world
I shall find myself
in the divinity of the world.

She should repeat this to herself seven times a day after the other thing.

When you have made the strokes on the back and said the words given above, “the hostile powers disappear”, then say the name (first names) of the lady very firmly and stroke her back again from bottom to top with both hands.

Goodbye, and warmest regards.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner
W 30, Motzstrasse 17, Berlin

July 3, 1906

My dear Mr. Bauer!

I would have liked to have written to you long ago. But I was quite busy with other things. First I was in Paris, where I gave a series of lectures over four weeks.¹ Then I had a lot of work to do at home. I'm sure you will agree that I will not be coming to the Nuremberg Congress. I do not believe that one could achieve anything serious in such a short time as I would have been allotted.

On the other hand, if it is convenient for you, I would like to visit you and our other dear members around August 8. That is, within the days after the 8th. Perhaps you will then be able to hold a lodge meeting together. I will write you the day later. I will write you the day later, because I will be in the vicinity of Nuremberg in a few days for another matter.²

The Leadbeater case is serious. I have written a circular about it, which will be sent to all our members in the next few days.³In this matter, we have to go into the deeper underlying issues. It is simply the case in occultism that, with the method that Leadbeater adopted, it is extremely easy to fall away. But actually, the case can only be properly judged from the occult point of view. I hope to explain the whole matter to you orally in the next few days.

[...] ⁴

Kind regards to you, your wife and all the members.

Yours,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner
Berlin W 30, Motzstrasse 17

At first, there is no change in the E.S. work.

• 1. See “Cosmogony”, CW 94
• 2. Rudolf Steiner was in Bayreuth with Marie von Sivers for a performance of Parsifal on August 6/7, 1906. It is not known whether he visited Nuremberg.
• 3. See the circular letter of July 1906 in part II “On the history of the division of the Esoteric School of Theosophy into an Eastern and a Western School”.
• 4. These remarks refer to the knowledge-cultic section of Rudolf Steiner's Esoteric School; see GA 265.

August 14, 1906

Dear Mrs. v. Bredow!

As sad as the news you gave me regarding our dear Mathilde Scholl is, it does not surprise me. However, it will not be possible to help her by doing something that she herself would have to be a part of. The situation is such that she is facing a test that cannot possibly be taken away from her. What you and I can do is strike the right note for her within ourselves. And the note that your letter to me just shows as yours is the right one. You will help her best by remaining strong in this very note. It would not be right to interpret Matilda's present state of mind as a “weakness”. At the occult level at which she lives, it is not a matter of her inner weakness, but rather of the strength of the attacks on her soul by certain powers. One gets the right point of view if one regards the form in which friendship expresses itself in her as a test. There can be no question of any “fault” on your part, dear woman. If you remain true to the path you have chosen, you will do the right thing for yourself and for Mathilde.

You must both have the firm point of your friendship in view of the spiritual ideal. I myself will write to Mathilde in a few days. Today would not be the right time. If she emerges victorious from this trial, then all the more strength will flow to her in the end.

During the time I was allowed to spend with you, I would have been of more use to you if I did not have some very important duties to attend to right now. But the main thing is that you have found a way to follow the path that is right for you in your difficult circumstances. In human development, a lot depends on such things. A secure soul is a powerful force for spiritual progress. You will not lose courage in the face of difficulties, even if unexpected ones arise. You are emotionally in tune with your environment. And even if you often think that your influence is not great enough there, you will gradually recognize that indirectly it is seeking the right paths and will ultimately find them.

Let the spiritual powers you have sought be with you as you maintain and develop the path you have been striving to follow for a while.

Kind regards

Yours

Dr. Rudolf Steiner
Berlin W, Motzstrasse 17

August 15, 1906

Dear Director!

Today I also have something to say about your exercise. It is right to continue it in the same way until about August 23. Then it would have to be shaped in the following way. You begin your morning meditation with

1. breathing exercise.² Before you begin to take the usual breathing breaths, imagine, as vividly as you can, a plant that you know well. You must know it in every detail, so that the imagination can be a very exact one. You keep this image as the only content of your consciousness in mind for the duration of the eight breathing-strokes that now follow.

You now do the following:

Inhalation – retention – exhalation, so that the three intervals relate to each other as 1:4:2 (in feeling), so if the inhalation lasts 2 seconds, for example, the retention lasts 8 seconds and the exhalation 4 seconds. (If you cannot breathe in this order, normal breaths can be inserted in between, but the presentation of the plant must not be interrupted.) While inhaling and during the first half of the retention, meditate with the plant in mind:

During the second half-breath and while breathing out, meditate on

(The meaning of these words will gradually become clear to you on its own).

This is done over the course of seven breaths.

On the eighth, you try to put your consciousness into the plant itself as much as possible, as if you were in the plant and looking at yourself from the outside. (As if you had gone out of yourself and were standing in front of yourself); in doing so, you meditate on yourself.

When inhaling and half exhaling:

“My death - your life”

on the second half-breath and exhalation:

“Your death - my life”

Do this only once.

Then follow:

Active thinking at the point between and slightly behind the eyebrows (nasal root) and meditate:

I am

Active thinking at the inside of the larynx and meditate:

It thinks.

Lively thought of arms and hands, meditating:

She feels.

Lively thought of the whole body, meditating:

It wants.

Warm greetings,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner
Berlin W 30, Motzstrasse 17

• 1. The first part of the letter is about the Esoteric School's section on the cult of knowledge; see GA 265.
• 2. For this and further breathing exercises, see the volume of collected esoteric exercises (GA 267, in preparation).

1906, undated

Dear Mr. Meebold!

I would like to quickly answer the questions you raised and summarily address the points you touched on.

I only touched on the question of the master implicitly by pointing out that “I” does not mean “I” when I say “I”. I knew that you would understand me correctly because I have the highest regard for the experiences you have had in life and therefore spoke to you with complete trust.

I know that you are familiar with the ancillary exercises. But it is necessary to practice them systematically once. What you describe as an “inner experience” you owe to the practice so far. And you will also have the rest in my description given to you in the future as your experience, and in fact a special feeling will really arise from each special exercise. Please do not think, I beg you, of “suggestion” here. With such concepts, one only throws stones in one's way.

The meaning of “breathing retention” will become clear to you if you direct your thoughts in the following direction: the process of earthly embodiment is conditioned by “lung breathing”; the upward movement to spirituality must therefore undo this process through practice, etc., etc. This, of course, is only a hint, which I ask you to develop further.¹

Please do not regard the “secrecy” as an obligation of principle, but only as a temporary one, due to the confused present circumstances in E.S. and T.S. I do not keep secrets from intimate friends if these friends enjoy your absolute trust. For the time being, however, please regard this “silence” as if one friend were confiding in another and telling him: Please do not talk to anyone about this. The time will surely come when we will be able to communicate with each other about it, so that the duty of silence will no longer be necessary towards such friends. So for the time being, please treat this confidential message as confidential. I myself would be glad if this did not need to be the case. I am particularly pleased with those of my students who are learning to understand my relationship to occultism no differently than a mathematician's to mathematics. This also completely resolves the vexed question of authority.

I would be very pleased to see you at the congress.² It gives me great satisfaction that you are starting the exercises so soon. I will always be at your service for important matters, even in writing.

Warmest regards,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner

• 1. Cf. on this “From the Content of the Esoteric Lessons”, CW 266.
• 2. Since the letter does not state an exact date, it may have been either the Paris Congress in May 1906 or the Munich Congress in May 1907.

Berlin, August 4, 1907

My dear Mr. Bauer!

Enclosed I am sending you the “Additional Exercises”, which also include the last three periods. You wrote to me some time ago that these are still missing for the Nuremberg group. I am sending them to you so that you can give them to your esotericists when you think it is right. Of course, this can also be done after your vacation. Because it is always good if those practicing stay with something for as long as possible.

For yourself, I am sending seven sayings, spread over the seven days of the week.¹ One practices them by immersing oneself on Friday in the sayings for Saturday, on Saturday in those for Sunday, and so on. You can do this several times a day and try to absorb the depth of such a saying for 20-30 minutes. You will benefit greatly from this in order to gain access to the mystery of the all-pervading seven.

At the same time, I am sending you Esoteric Leaves, which will give you a handle to experience the four sayings you already know even further in their power.²

During your leisure time, extend the practice time as much as you can with your strength. But in any case, not beyond measure.

You will send me the transcript of your Munich lecture soon. I have to finish the “Federation Yearbook”. And your lecture has to appear in it.³

Give my warmest regards to your dear wife. She should continue to practise in the same way.

With best wishes,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner

• 1. Michael Bauer was “Sub-Warden” for Nuremberg, i.e. head of a regional esoteric group, just as Adolf Arenson was for Stuttgart, and Sophie Stinde for Munich. The “Additional Exercises” and “Seven Sayings” are contained in “Instructions for an Esoteric Schooling”.
• 2. The “Esoteric Leaves” are not available, but it could have been the exegesis of “Light on the Path”.
• 3. Lecture at the Munich Congress in May 1907 on the cultivation of occultism within society. However, the “Federation Yearbook” was not published.