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121. The Mission of the Individual Folk-Souls: The Mission of Individual Peoples and Cultures in the Past, Present and Future. 16 Jun 1910, Oslo
Translated by A. H. Parker

His conception of Christ is such that it can only be understood by students of Spiritual Science because he lifts it to ever higher planes and reveals its infinite potentialities, showing that our understanding of Christ today is only a beginning, because the Christ Impulse has only been able to reveal to mankind a fraction of what it holds in store. But if we look at the conception of Christ as presented by Hegel, for example, we find that Hegel understood Him as only the most refined, the most sublimated Spiritual Soul could understand Him. But Solovieff's conception of Christ is very different.
The concept of Christ rests upon a clear realization of what took place when the Christ Spirit entered into the man Jesus of Nazareth who had already developed all the necessary attributes. We must first of all understand the two natures of Christ and the union of both at a higher stage. As long as we have not grasped this duality, we have not understood the Christ in all His fullness.
121. The Mission of the Individual Folk-Souls: Nerthus, Freyja and Gerda. Twilight of the Gods. Vidar and the new Revelation of Christ 17 Jun 1910, Oslo
Translated by A. H. Parker

It is therefore a question of having a proper understanding of the goal ahead. If, then, Spiritual Science reflects the knowledge of the Christ Being, and if we start from a true understanding of this Being whom we look for in the very core of the European peoples themselves, if we set our future hopes on this understanding, then we shall not be motivated by any kind of personal predilection or temperamental predisposition.
It is proof, if proof were needed, that we are able, though some may not be conscious of it, to understand each other at the deepest levels of spiritual knowledge and that we shall understand each other, especially in those matters I emphasized at the last Theosophical Congress in Budapest and which I repeated during our own General Meeting in Berlin when we had the great pleasure of seeing friends from Norway amongst us.
We can best serve mankind if we develop our particular talents so as to offer them to the whole of humanity as a sacrifice which we bring to the progressive development of culture. We must learn to understand this. We must learn to understand that it would not redound to the credit of Spiritual Science, if it did not contribute to the evolution of man, Angel and Archangel, but were to support the convictions of one people at the expense of another.
121. The Mission of the Individual Folk-Souls: Preface 08 Feb 1918, Berlin
Translated by A. H. Parker

Neither the information provided by orthodox science, nor the study of anatomy and physiology suffice for an understanding of the psychic life of man. If we wish to understand the inner life of an individual we must study the soul as well as the body, and if we desire to gain real insight into national characteristics we must explore the psychic and spiritual element underlying them.
The conditions in the life of the various peoples, as well as their mutual relationships, can thus be clearly understood, whereas without this basis there can be no true understanding of this approach. Either one must seek a basis for the psychology of peoples in a spiritual reality or one must abandon such a psychology in toto.
But the members of the individual peoples will only be able to offer their proper, free and positive contributions if they have, above all, an understanding of their ethnic origin, an understanding for what we might call ‘the self-knowledge of the folk’. ” No doubt the time has now come when the fate of humanity itself demonstrates the truth of this view.
The Mission of the Individual Folk-Souls: Synopses

In future man will be able to direct his body from outside. In order to know what a nation is we must understand the missions of these Beings. Lecture Two Climate, nature of the soil, plant-cover, etc. are the physical expression of a spiritual reality.
Lecture Four Important to understand how nations and folk communities arise out of races. Earth passed through three states or conditions before the present Earth condition.
Lecture Six For a full understanding of cosmic evolution it is necessary to correlate the contents of the different lectures. The creation of races described in detail.
122. Genesis (1959): The Mystery of the Archetypal Word 17 Aug 1910, Munich
Translated by Dorothy Lenn, Owen Barfield

Whoever wishes to get an idea of what lived in the soul of the ancient Hebrew sage when he used this word should clearly understand that in those days there was a lively comprehension of the fact that our earth evolution had a definite meaning and a definite goal.
We should have to go into very many things to get anywhere near an understanding of these Beings. To begin with, however, we can come to know one aspect of them, and that will suffice to bring us at least one step nearer to the potent meaning of the ancient Bible words.
One of them could do this, another that. But we understand the nature of these Beings best if we realise that at the time we are now considering they were working as a group towards a common goal; they were moved by a common aim.
122. Genesis (1959): Ha'aretz and Haschamayim 18 Aug 1910, Munich
Translated by Dorothy Lenn, Owen Barfield

How far has this brought us? We shall not understand the sublime process of the seven days of creation unless we bear these details in mind. If we do so, then the whole will seem a wonderful cosmic drama.
This is how they are resumed.” Now in order to understand what comes next, usually rendered “darkness was above the fluid substances” or “above the waters”(above the abyss)—or darkness was upon the face of the waters (English A.V.)
So we must not think of them as human, but we must certainly envisage that there is already in their nature a certain cleavage. When we speak of man today, we do not understand him at all unless we distinguish between body, soul and spirit. You know what great efforts we Anthroposophists have made to get a closer understanding of the activity and nature of this human trinity.
122. Genesis (1959): The Seven Days of Creation 19 Aug 1910, Munich
Translated by Dorothy Lenn, Owen Barfield

I will deal later with the question of how we should understand the “day” of creation; for the moment I am concerned with the irruption of light and of air from without, of the separation of water from solid.
You must clearly understand that no plants, as we understand the term today, sprang up at that time, but that out of a psychic activity, out of a cosmic, musing activity, sprouted species, in other words the group-souls of the plant kingdom.
Truly we need no historical proof, the words furnish their own proof. When we understand the matter in this way we realise that it was only after the fifth “day” of creation that anything new could happen.
122. Genesis (1959): The Forming and Creating of Beings by the Elohim. The Aeons or Time-Spirits 20 Aug 1910, Munich
Translated by Dorothy Lenn, Owen Barfield

We know that the chief, the most comprehensive activity is undertaken by the Elohim themselves; but after they had laid down the main lines, so to say, after they had exercised their great creative forces, did they not appoint other Beings such as the Archai to represent them on the spot?
In this way everything fits together into one great system, even for our understanding. But of course it is only when you have followed up what I am saying for years that you will acquire a real grasp of how everything without exception falls into place.
It is this Spirit who is hidden behind the customary phrase “the first day.” We shall only understand the still deeper meaning of this first day when we also understand what lies behind the verse: And the evening and the morning were the first day.
122. Genesis (1959): Light and Darkness. Yom and Lay'lah 21 Aug 1910, Munich
Translated by Dorothy Lenn, Owen Barfield

If you read the relevant passages in my Occult Science you will come across something extremely important for the understanding of all development—the fact that at each stage of evolution certain Beings remain behind. Only a certain number of Beings reach their goal.
And the others—forgive me for saying this—those whose knowledge of occultism would perhaps equip them to understand the essential nature of the Goethean theory, know too little about physics for me to be able to discuss the subject in detail.
But something else is also necessary as well as light. To understand what this is, we have to consider the rhythmic alternation of sleeping and waking. What does it really mean to be awake?
122. Genesis (1959): Elementary Existence and the Spiritual Beings behind it. Jahve-Elohim 22 Aug 1910, Munich
Translated by Dorothy Lenn, Owen Barfield

This is how we have to understand the underlying purpose of this course of lectures. We tried in the preceding lectures to form an idea as to how spiritual Beings, whom we know from Spiritual Science, are to be rediscovered in Genesis.
An appearance is precisely an appearance. As such it is a fact; but we do not understand it if we stop short at its apparition. We can only appreciate it and give it its proper value as appearance, if we go on beyond the appearance.
This shows how necessary it is to have recourse to occult sources if one wishes to understand things. What does the biblical criticism of the nineteenth century make of this? It says: “We find in one passage the name Elohim, in another the name Jahve.

Results 611 through 620 of 6552

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