The Gospel of St.

John
B y R u d o l f S t e i n e r Notes from three lectures given in Berlin on the 19th and 26thof February and the 5th of March 19!6 "# 9$ #uthori%ed translation from shorthand re&orts unrevised by the lecturer by &ermission of the Rudolf SteinerNachlassver'altung (ornach S'it%erland)*he original "erman te+ts of these lectures can be found inthe ,ollected -dition of Rudolf Steiner.s 'or/s No) 9$ in theBibliogra&hical Survey 1961) , 0 N * - N * S ,over Sheet1ntroductory Note1 First 2ecture Berlin 19th February 19!611 Second 2ecture Berlin 26th February 19!6111 *hird 2ecture Berlin 5th March 19!6Notes 1 n t r o d u c t o r y N o t e 0n the 12th and 13th of February 19!6 Rudolf Steiner gavet'o lectures in ,ologne on 4*he "os&el of St) 5ohn as a(ocument (escribing 1nitiation6 'hich are &ublished in 7olume 98 of the com&lete edition of the 'or/s of Rudolf Steiner in the original "erman under the title of 4(as ,hristliche Mysterium6) # fe' days later in Berlin he alsos&o/e about the 5ohn "os&el) 1t 'as originally intended to&rint these lectures in 7olume 96 entitled 49rs&rungs:im&ulseder "eistes'issenschaft6) For technical reasons they 'ere held bac/ for 7olume 9$ 'hich is still in &re&aration and 'hich 'ill contain the eight lectures on the 5ohn "os&el given inMunich) 9nfortunately the notes of these Berlin lectures are very scanty) Since they contain essential material concerning,hristology they should undoubtedly have a &lace in thecom&lete edition) 1n vie' of the fact that the &ublication of 7olume 9$ 'ill &robably not a&&ear in the immediate future these three lectures are mean'hile &rinted in this form) F i r s t 2 e c t u r e Berlin 19th February 19!6*oday and ne+t time 1 am going to s&ea/ about the "os&el of St) 5ohn) 1 'ould mention that 'hat 1 have to say 'ill only really be com&rehensible to those 'ho are already some'hatfamiliar 'ith s&iritual science) 1t 'ould ho'ever ta/e us toofar out of our 'ay if 'e 'ent into everything unfamiliar tonon:theoso&hists) ;ou are &robably a'are that latterly Ne' *estament te+tual criticism has discredited the 5ohn "os&elas an historical source) 1t is said in theological circles < atleast in advanced circles < that the first three gos&els thesyno&tic gos&els are the only documents relevant to the life of the founder of ,hristianity) *hey are called syno&tic becausethey can be ta/en together to form a general &icture of the lifeof ,hrist 5esus) 0n the other hand modern theologians try tointer&ret the 5ohn "os&el as a sort of &oetic 'or/ aconfession of faith the 'ritings of a &erson &ortraying hisfeelings his intimate religious life as it 'as born in himthrough the im&act of ,hristianity) *hus the 5ohn "os&elcould be considered as a devotional 'or/ a dee&ly feltconfession of faith not as anything that could be ta/en as,hristian historical facts)But for everyone 'ho immerses himself in the 'ritings of theNe' *estament one fact is indis&utable= an immediate lifeflo's from the 5ohn "os&el and there is a conviction asource of truth of a different nature to that &roceeding fromother religious 'ritings) *here is a certainty 'hich needs noouter confirmation) *here is a feeling that comes over one

'hen one meets the 5ohn "os&el if one is sensitive to innersoul life and s&iritual devotion) 0nly 'ith the hel& of s&iritualscience can one understand 'hy this is so) Many a time have 1told you ho' s&iritual science hel&s to'ards a more intimateconnection 'ith religious documents) ;ou all /no' that 'hen one first meets the scri&tures oneado&ts the attitude of a sim&le &erson and ta/es the facts asthey are described 'ithout criticism> one ta/es the bread of religious life from these sources and is satisfied 'ith it)Many &eo&le of our day 'ho had this naive outloo/ and then became 4clever6 became 4enlightened6 noticed thecontradictions in the gos&els) *hen they re?ected the gos&elsand lost faith) *hey said= @e cannot reconcile remainingfaithful to these 'ritings and see/ing 'isdom in them 'ithour conscience and our sense of truth) *his is the stage of the4clever6 ones the second stage)*hen there is the third 'ay that &eo&le a&&roach religiousdocuments) *hey begin to e+&lain them symbolically) *hey begin to see symbols and allegories in them) *his is the 'ay of freethin/ers es&ecially in recent times)Bruno @ille the editor of the &a&er 4(er Freiden/er6 A*heFree *hin/erB has no' chosen this 'ay) Ce has ta/en toe+&laining symbolically the ,hrist myth and the Bible ingeneral) *he really necessary 'ay of develo&ment that manneeds an inner turning &oint cannot follo' from this) *hose 'ho are less ingenious 'ill e+&lain the scri&tures lessingeniously) 0thers 'ho are more ingenious 'ill be better)Much 'ill be read into it that s&rings from human ingenuity)*he third 'ay is thus a half believing but arbitrary attitude) *hen there is Duite a different stand&oint) 0ne learns thatthere are realities &ertaining to higher 'orlds that besides our 'orld of the senses there are soul:s&iritual things and thatreligious revelations are not concerned 'ith the sense 'orld but &resent facts of a higher 'orld) *hose 'ho have gotten to/no' the realities of the astral 'orld 'hich lies behind oursense 'orld and of the devachanic Aor mental 'orldB 'hichlies even dee&er 'ill come to a ne' and higher understandingof religious sources) 1t is im&ossible to understand the 5ohn "os&el 'ithout rising to such higher 'orlds) *he 5ohn "os&elis not a &oetic 'or/ nor a 'riting arising from mere religiousfervour but sets forth revelations from higher 'orlds that the 'riter of the gos&el has received) 1t is something li/e this < 1 'ill briefly describe it) *he su&&orting evidence 1 'ill not deal 'ith today> &erha&s 1 can go into it ne+t time) *he 'riter of the 5ohn "os&el learned through e+&erience in higher 'orlds 'hat too/ &lace at 4the beginning of our era4 that related tothe life of the founder of ,hristianity and his acts)2et me give you an e+am&le of the difference bet'een ?ust/no'ing and truly com&rehending) @e have recently mentioned here that someone can be ne+t to us 'e can see 'hat he loo/s li/e but 'e need not necessarily really /no' him for 'hat he is) 1 have told the story of the singer 'ho atan evening &arty sat bet'een Mendelsohn and someone else she did not /no') She got on very 'ell 'ith Mendelsohn butto'ards the other guest though he 'as very courteous shefelt an aversion) #fter'ards she as/ed 4@ho 'as that bore onmy leftE6 *he ans'er 'as 41t 'as the famous &hiloso&herCegel6) 1f the lady had been told &reviously that the great&hiloso&her Cegel 'ould be &resent at a &arty that alone 'ould &robably have been enough for her to have acce&ted theinvitation) But because he sat beside her un/no'n he 'as a bore) *his is the difference bet'een seeing andunderstanding bet'een ?ust /no'ing and com&rehending) Ce 'ho 'as the founder of ,hristianity could not readily berecognised if one only &ossessed the ordinary intellectem&loyed in the sense 'orld) 1t needed that 'hich the,hristian mystics so often e+&ressed in &rofound and beautiful language) *his 'as 'hat #ngelus Silesius meant 'hen he said=1f ,hrist 'ere born in Bethlehem a thousand times #nd not in thee thyself> then art thou lost eternally)*here is an inner e+&erience of ,hrist < there is the&ossibility to reali%e in'ardly 'hat too/ &lace out'ardly asevents in Falestine bet'een the years 1 and 33 #)() Ce 'hocame into this 'orld from higher 'orlds must be understoodfrom a higher 'orld) #nd he 'ho &ortrayed Cim most dee&ly had to

raise himself to the t'o higher 'orlds 'e havementioned the astral and the devachanic or mental 'orlds)*his elevation of 5ohn if 'e so name him 'as the elevationinto these t'o higher 'orlds) Cis "os&el reveals this to us)*he first t'elve cha&ters contain 5ohn.s e+&eriences in theastral 'orld) From cha&ter thirteen on'ards it is hise+&eriences in the devachanic or mental 'orld) Ce 'ho 'roteit do'n says of ,hrist Athe 'ords are not to be ta/en literallyB=Cere on this earth Ce lived here has Ce 'or/ed 'ith divine&o'ers 'ith occult &o'ers) Ce has healed the sic/ he hasgone through everything from death to resurrection) 1t isim&ossible to understand these things 'ith the ordinary intellect) Cere on earth there is no science or learning by 'hich one could really understand 'hat occurred) But there isthe &ossibility of rising to the higher 'orlds) *here one canfind the 'isdom to understand Cim 'ho 'al/ed here on earthamong us) *hus did the 'riter of the 5ohn "os&el rise to thet'o higher 'orlds and become initiated) 1t 'as an initiation and the 'riter describes his initiation into the astral 'orld andthe devachanic or mental 'orld) 1n olden times in regions 'here man.s body 'as still suited tothese things such an initiation too/ &lace as follo's) *he&erson had to go through a sort of slee&:state) @hat no' ta/esseveral years in a modern -uro&ean initiation < because themodern -uro&ean can no longer go through the &rocess 1 'illdescribe < 'hat today is achieved through long e+ercises of meditation and concentration 'as achieved in a short time by some individuals after the a&&ro&riate e+ercises of meditation and concentration) 1 &articularly em&hasise thatanyone 'ho really 'ishes to receive initiation must in someform or other face the t'o im&ortant e+&eriences about to bedescribed < though in a some'hat different 'ay) Ce must gothrough a sort of slee& condition) *o understand the nature of slee& let us remind ourselves 'hat ta/es &lace 'hen oneslee&s) 0ne.s higher bodies are then se&arated from one.slo'er bodies) Man consists of a &hysical body 'hich one cansee 'ith one.s eyes) *he second member is the etheric body 'hich surrounds the &hysical body and 'hich is much finerthan the &hysical body) ,urrents and organs of 'onderful variety and s&lendour are active in it) *he etheric body contains the same organs as the &hysical body) 1t has a brain heart eyes etc) *hey re&resent the forces 'hich formed thecorres&onding organs) 1t is as if one cooled 'ater in a vesseluntil it becomes ice) 1n this 'ay you should &icture the arisingof the &hysical organs through the densifying of the ethericorgans) *he etheric body e+tends only a little beyond the&hysical body)*he third member is the astral body) 1t is the bearer of desires 'ishes &assions etc) 1t &ermeates the &hysical body in theform of a cloud) *here are colours < violent &assions a&&earas lightning flashes) *he &eculiarities of tem&erament glidethrough the body in glo'ing &oints of varying intensity) *he 'hole inner man is e+&ressed in a luminous form) *his isthe real ego of man the bearer of the higher centre of his being) 1n normal slee& the &hysical and etheric bodies arelying in bed) *hey are closely united) *he astral body and allthe rest is se&arated) #s long as one does not do anything&articular one is unconscious 'hen the astral body is outsidethe &hysical body) 0ne is as unconscious as one 'ould be inthe &hysical 'orld 'ithout eyes or ears) 0ne could live as longas one li/ed in the &hysical 'orld> if one had no eyes there 'ould be no colours if one had no ears there 'ould be nosound) So it is 'hen the astral body is outside the &hysical body) 1t is s&read out in the soul 'orld but one does not seethis 'orld or become a'are of it because one has no astralsense organs) *hey must gradually be formed) 1f a &erson doesnot &ractice e+ercises he remains unconscious in higher 'orlds) But if he does &ractice then he can attainconsciousness in these higher 'orlds) @hen his astral body acDuires organs he begins to see the astral 'orld around him)*hose of you 'ho have often attended these lectures 'ill /no' that there are seven such organs) *hey are called 'heels cha/rams or lotus flo'ers) *he t'o: &etalled lotus flo'er lies bet'een the eyes < bet'een the eye:bro's the si+teen:&etalled lies in the region of the laryn+ the t'elve:&etalledlies in the heart region) 1f these organs

are gradually develo&ed one becomes clairvoyant in the astral 'orld)*his astral vision is something Duite different from &hysicalsight) ;ou can get some idea of astral vision if you thin/ of theflo' of dream life) 1n dreams 'e have symbolic &ictures <true symbols) 0ne sees symbols) 0ne loses consciousness of 'hat ta/es &lace here in the &hysical 'orld but one cane+&erience in symbolic &ictures such events as the life of ,hrist 5esus as 5ohn describes it from his o'n e+&erience inthe astral 'orld) (escri&tions of this nature form the contentof the first t'elve cha&ters of the 5ohn "os&el) (on.t misunderstand me) 1 /no' many 'ill say= 1f all this is astrale+&erience then it is nothing real and 'hat is told us of thefounder of ,hristianity is not authentic) But this is not thecase) 1t 'ould be as if one denied that a man of flesh and blood could be a genius because one cannot see genius) #lthough one learns the truth of ,hrist 5esus only on theastral &lane it is still a fact that he lived his life on the &hysical&lane) @e are dealing 'ith symbols on the astral &lane andouter reality on the &hysical &lane) Nothing is ta/en a'ay from the facts 'hen 'e understand them more dee&ly in thesense of the 5ohn "os&el)1nitiation in the astral 'orld is &receded by and de&ends on 'hat is called meditation) *his means that the soul sin/s intoitself < 1 have often described it here) *o reach a meditativee+&erience one must ma/e oneself blind and deaf to all senseim&ressions) Nothing must be able to disturb one) ,annonscan go off 'ithout one being a'are of it in one.s inner life) 0nedoes not achieve this at once but through constant &racticeone can attain this ca&acity) 0ne must em&ty oneself also of all &ast e+&eriences) Memory must be 'i&ed out) *he soulmust be concerned only 'ith itself and then out of its inner being there arise the eternal truths 'hich are able < not only to a'a/en our understanding < but to release ca&acities 'hich lie slumbering under a s&ell in our souls) *hese greateternal verities 'ill rise u& in man according to the maturity he has attained through his /arma < the one as Subba Ro' says in seven incarnations another in seventy years anotherin seven years others in seven months seven days or sevenhours)5ohn sets forth the means 'hereby his soul 'as led to&erce&tion on the astral &lane) *he formula he used formeditation stands at the beginning of his gos&el) 41n the beginning 'as the @ord and the @ord 'as 'ith "od and the @ord 'as a "od) *he same 'as in the beginning 'ith "od) #ll things 'ere made by Cim and 'ithout this @ord 'as notanything made that 'as made) 1n it 'as life and the life 'asthe light of men) #nd the light shineth in the dar/ness andthe dar/ness com&rehended it not)61n these five sentences lie the eternal verities 'hich loosed thes&ell in 5ohn.s soul and brought forth the great visions) *his isthe form of the meditation) *hose for 'hom the 5ohn "os&elis 'ritten should not read it li/e any other boo/) *he first fivesentences must be ta/en as a formula of meditation) *hen onefollo's 5ohn on his 'ay and attem&ts to e+&erience oneself 'hat he e+&erienced) *his is the 'ay to do it> so it is meant)5ohn says= (o 'hat 1 have done) 2et the great formula 41n the beginning 'as the @ord6 'or/ in your souls and you 'ill verify 'hat is said in my first t'elve cha&ters)*his alone can really hel& to'ards understanding the 5ohn"os&el) *hus is it intended and thus should it be used) 1 haveoften s&o/en of 'hat the 4@ord6 signifies) 41n the beginning6is not a good translation) 1t should really read= 0ut of the&rimal forces emerged the @ord) *hat is 'hat it means= *he @ord came forth came forth out of the &rimal forces) *hus4in the beginning6 means= coming forth out of the &rimalforces) @hen man is in this slee& condition he is no longer in thesense 'orld) Ce moves into a soul 'orld and in this soul 'orlde+&eriences 'hat the sense 'orld really is) *he truth of thesense 'orld is revealed) Ce starts out from these 'ordsderived from the sense 'orld leading bac/ to the &rimalforces and rises u& to the 'ords of truth) -very truth hasseven meanings) For the mystic immersed in contem&lation ithas ho'ever this meaning= *he /no'ledge the @ord 'hichemerges is not something that merely a&&lies to yesterday and today but this @ord is eternal) *his @ord leads to "od

because it 'as ever 'ith "od because it is the very essencethat "od has &lanted into all things)*here is ho'ever still another 'ay of understanding this andone acDuires it if one returns day after day to the momentous 'ords= 41n the beginning 'as the @ord6) @hen one begins tounderstand not 'ith the intellect but 'ith the heart so thatthe heart becomes one 'ith these 'ords then the &o'er begins to 'or/ and there begins the state of mind of 'hich5ohn s&ea/s) Ce says it 'ith great clarity= 4#ll things 'eremade by Cim and 'ithout the @ord 'as not anything madethat 'as made6) @hat do 'e find in this @ordE @e find life) @hat do 'e&erceive through this life < through this lightE @e must ta/ethese religious te+ts Duite literally if 'e 'ant to attain higher/no'ledge) @here does this light shineE 1n the dar/ness of night) 1t comes to those 'ho slee&) 1t comes to everyone 'hoslee&s) But the dar/ness com&rehended it not < until theability develo&s to &erceive it on the astral &lane) *hus is thefifth verse to be understood literally) *he astral light shinesinto the dar/ness of night but man does not normally see it hemust first learn to see) #s all this became reality for the 'riter of the 5ohn "os&el thelight da'ned and he sa' 'ho Ce 'as Ce 'hose disci&le anda&ostle he 'as) Cere on earth he had seen Cim) No' he hadfound Cim again on the astral &lane and he /ne' that Ce 'ho had 'al/ed the earth in the flesh only differed in oneres&ect from 'hat lived in his o'n dee&est inner self) 1n every single man there lives a divine man) 1n the distant future thisdivine man 'ill arise resurrected in every man) #s man stands before us today he is in his out'ard a&&earance to a greateror lesser e+tent an e+&ression of the inner divine man andthis inner divine man 'or/s constantly on the outer man) 2ast *hursday GFublic 2ecture Berlin 15 Feb 19!6)4Reincarnation and Harma6I 1 already &ointed out ho' onecan illustrate this by a sim&le com&arison) 2oo/ at a child)0ne could be tem&ted to say that these innocent featurescame from the father or mother an uncle or an ancestor)Co'ever everything 'ithin the child e+&resses itself in thefeatures in the gestures of the hands and in all its movements) @hat slumbers in the child strives to come to e+&ression) Finally the individual emerges and the &hysiognomy becomesan e+&ression of the individual soul 'hile &reviously itsho'ed more of a family ty&e) 1n &rimitive man the individualsoul is usually still slumbering and has but a meagree+istence) 1n the course of many incarnations and efforts theindividual emerges the soul aDuires more &o'er over the&hysical body and the &hysiognomy ta/es on the im&rint orthe e+&ression of the inner man) #n immature &ersone+&resses little of the &o'er of the soul) "radually manmatures and full maturity is reached 'hen the inner 'ord has become flesh com&letely < 'hen the outer has become ane+act im&rint of the inner so that the s&irit shines through theflesh) *his ho'ever 5ohn only understood once his higher self had a&&eared clearly before his astral eyes) 1t stood in front of his astral eyes and he /ne'= *his is 1) *oday have 1e+&erienced it on the astral &lane) Co'ever it 'ill gradually descend as it did in Cim 'ho 1 follo'ed) *his is the dee&relationshi& bet'een ,hrist 5esus and the divine man thate+ists in every man) *his is the dee& inner e+&erience of 5ohn)*he inner soul lives unconscious in man and he only becomesa'are of it through the &rocesses 'e have described) @hat does it mean to say= something becomes conscious) ,an 'e become conscious of something 'hich lives 'ithin usE #slong as it only lives 'ithin us 'e are not a'are of it) Man isnot a'are of 'hat he carries 'ithin him 'hat is sub?ective) 1 'ill use a crude com&arison to ma/e clear 'hat 1 mean) ;ou all have a &hysical brain but you cannot see it) 1t 'ould haveto be ta/en out and then you could see it) For the samereason though there is a certain difference you cannot see your higher self) 1t is the 416 'ithin you) But it must come outif you are to see it and this can only ha&&en on the astral&lane) @hen it is outside and confronts you then s&iritually itis as if you had a &hysical brain on a &latter and made it theob?ect of your sense &erce&tion)*he 'riter of the 5ohn "os&el describes this &rocess) Cis o'nhigher ego a&&ears before Cim < his o'n higher ego 'hich inits fullness re&resents the ,hrist) @hen you /no' this you

'ill be able to understand certain hints and truths in the 5ohn"os&el) ;ou 'ill be able to understand certain things Duite 'ell 'ith the hel& of 'hat 1 said u& to no') 1n occult languageone describes 'hat this ego inhabits < the &hysical body 'hich it has built for itself to d'ell in < as the tem&le) *husone says= *he soul d'ells in the tem&le)1t is not altogether a &ainless &rocedure 'hen for the firsttime the soul must leave the tem&le of the body so that it becomes visible outside of it) *his leaving of the body is not 'ithout &ain) #ll that forms this higher connection 'ith the&hysical body are bands that are not so easy to loosen)1magine that you are bound 'ith fetters and you brea/ loose) ;ou 'ould e+&erience &ain through this tearing a&art) 1t isli/e a &rocess of tearing a&art 'hen the astral body leaves the&hysical body 'hen it leaves it &erce&tibly) 2eaving the body in slee& is different one is not a'are of it) 1f one leaves itconsciously then one e+&eriences &ain) @hen man begins to develo& astral consciousness things onthe astral &lane a&&ear to him as in a mirror) *he number 165should not be read as 165 but as 561 < as reflected 'riting)-verything a&&ears reversed on the astral &lane) -ven time isreversed) @hen you follo' someone on the astral &lane you start to begin 'ith from 'here he is) *hen you go bac/ to his birth) ;ou can follo' him on the &hysical &lane for'ards> onthe astral &lane bac/'ards) 2eaving the &hysical body is li/ethis= 1t is as though 'e 'ere leaving the tem&le of the &hysical body and 'ere laid hold of from all sides) *his is theoccurrence 'hich 5ohn 'ants to describe) Ce left his body inorder to e+&erience the ,hrist his o'n higher divine self confronting him) Feo&le around him have their astral bodies bound strongly to their &hysical bodies as if 'ith fetters) Cad5ohn remained li/e them he 'ould have continued to befettered to his &hysical body) No' let us read ho' thisoccurrence is described &ictorially and symbolically in the5ohn "os&el cha&ter J verses 5J and 59= 45esus said untothem verily verily 1 say unto you= Before #braham 'as 1 am)*hen too/ they u& stones to cast at him= but 5esus hid himself and 'ent out of the tem&le going through the midst of them6 through the hindrances) @ith this ends the eighth cha&ter)*his is the &assing out of the astral body from the &hysical body) *he final act leading to the leaving of the &hysical body and to higher vision usually lasts three days) @hen thesethree days are u& one attains a consciousness on the astral&lane com&arable to that &reviously e+&erienced on the&hysical &lane) *hen one is united 'ith the higher 'orld)1n occult language this union 'ith the higher 'orld is calledthe marriage of the soul 'ith the &o'ers of the higher 'orld) @hen one has left the &hysical body this a&&ears to one as amother 'ould a&&ear to a ne':born child 'ere the child ableto be conscious at birth) *hus the &hysical body confronts one and the astral body can very 'ell say to the &hysical body=*his is my mother) @hen one has celebrated this marriage onecan say this) 0ne can loo/ bac/ on the former union) *his canha&&en after three days) *his is the occult &rocedure on theastral &lane) 1n cha&ter 2 verse 1 it is stated= 4#nd the thirdday there 'as a marriage in ,ana of "alilee> and the mother of 5esus 'as there6) *his is the &ictorial e+&ression for 'hat 1have ?ust said) 1t ha&&ened on the third day) @hen a &erson enters the astral 'orld he finds himself in aregion from 'hich he can rise a ste& further into a still higher 'orld < the mental or devachanic 'orld) *his entry into thedevachanic 'orld can only be gained at the e+&ense of thecom&lete e+tinction the death of the lo'er nature) Ce mustgo through the three days of death and then be a'a/ened)0nce he has attained vision of the astral &lane and the&ictures of the astral &lane have confronted him he is matureand ready to receive /no'ledge on the mental or devachanic&lane) 1t is &ossible then to describe the a'a/ening on thedevachanic &lane) *o find oneself on the higher &lane 'ithconscious clarity of thought this is the a'a/ening of 2a%arus)5ohn describes the a'a/ening of 2a%arus) Freviously he hassho'n that through this chain of events one can enter thehigher 'orlds) 1n cha&ter 1! verse 9 it is said= 41 am the door= by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go

in andout and find &asture6) *his is the a'a/ening of 'hat 'as 'ra&&ed in slee& and is no' a'a/ened on the devachanic&lane) 5ohn goes through it) 5ohn is 2a%arus and 5ohn meansnothing more nor less than 'hat is described in his firstt'elve cha&ters) Ce describes as an astral e+&erience that he 'as a'a/ened on the astral &lane) *hen follo'ed the initiationfor the devachanic &lane) *hree days he lay in the grave andthen he received the a'a/ening) *he raising of 2a%arus is thea'a/ening of 5ohn 'ho 'rote the gos&el)Read everything u& to the cha&ter on the raising of 2a%arusand you 'ill find no mention of 5ohn any'here) ,onsider2a%arus and 5ohn) 1t is said of 5ohn A5ohn ch) 13 v) 23B=4No' there 'as leaning on 5esus. bosom one of his disci&les 'hom 5esus loved)6 Regarding 2a%arus you find the same 'ords < that Ce loved him) 1t is the same &erson) Ce is not mentioned &revious to the a'a/ening) Ce a&&ears for the firsttime after he is 4raised from the dead6) *hese are the enigmashidden in the 5ohn "os&el) *he disci&le 'hom the 2ord lovedis he 'hom the 2ord himself has initiated) *he 'riter of the5ohn "os&el 'as he 'hom the2ord loved) Co' 'as he able to say thisE Because he had beeninitiated first on the astral &lane and then on the devachanic&lane) 1f one is able in this 'ay to find the dee&er meaning of the 5ohn "os&el then 'ill one be able to understand it in itstrue &rofundity and then it becomes one of the greatest te+tsever 'ritten) 1t is the descri&tion of the initiation into thede&ths of the inner life of the soul) 1t has been 'ritten so thateveryone 'ho reads it can follo' the same &ath) #nd this onecan do) Sentence for sentence 'ord for 'ord one can find 'ithin oneself by rising to the higher &lane 'hat is describedin the 5ohn "os&el) 1t is not a biogra&hy of ,hrist 5esus but a biogra&hy of the develo&ing human soul) #nd 'hat isdescribed is eternal and can ta/e &lace in the heart of every human being) *his te+t is an e+am&le and a model) Cence ithas this living and a'a/ening &o'er 'hich not only ma/es&eo&le into ,hristians but enables them to a'a/en to a higherreality) *he 5ohn "os&el is not a &rofession of faith but a te+t 'hich really gives strength and a self:su&&orting inde&endent higher life) *his s&rings forth from the 5ohn"os&el and he 'ho does not merely 'ant to understand it but to live it has truly com&rehended it) @ith these fe' 'ords 1 could only touch on the contents) Ne+ttime 'e 'ill go into certain details) *hen you 'ill see ho' every single sentence confirms 'hat 'e have said today ingeneral terms) Ste& by ste& you 'ill then see that the 5ohn"os&el is not addressed merely to the human intellect but toman.s entire soul forces and that real soul e+&erience s&ringsfrom it) S e c o n d 2 e c t u r e 26 February 19!62ast time 1 s&o/e about the first t'elve cha&ters of the "os&elof St) 5ohn) @e sa' that the 2a%arus miracle re&resents theinitiation of a man into the s&iritual 'orld) -very sentence of the 5ohn "os&el directs one to the higher 'orld) @hen 'ema/e it alive in us 'e come to /no' the ,hristian initiation)*hose 'ho /no' other forms of occult training and are a'arethat there are other &aths of initiation also /no' that he 'hosee/s the &ath today 'ill be led along different 'ays) *heseare /no'n to most of you) *hose 'ho have already somecontact 'ith s&iritual life /no' that there is an esoteric side toour s&iritual scientific strivings) *he ,hristian initiation hassimilarities 'ith other 'ays of initiation but today this &athcan no longer be follo'ed) Ce 'ho 'ould tread it must be led by the hand of an e+&erienced teacher but in vie' of ourmodern normal mode of life it is Duestionable 'hether this&ath is still o&en) 2et us again call to mind the 2a%arus miraclein connection 'ith the ,hristian initiation) @e 'ill start from the normal state of slee&) @hat ha&&ens 'hen a &erson slee&sE 1n man 'e have the &hysical body etheric body astral body and ego) @hat ha&&ens occultly 'hen a &erson slee&sE *he &hysical and etheric bodies remainin bed) *he astral body together 'ith the ego rises out andfloats over them in the form of a ring in the case of anundevelo&ed &ersonality and

later in the form of the &hysical body) *he astral body is not inactive) 1t has something to do) @hen the &erson is a'a/e the astral body &enetrates and inter'eaves the &hysical body) @hen it is outside it 'or/s onthe &hysical body &rotecting and caring for it) *he relation of the astral body to the &hysical body is li/e that of a 'or/manto his machine but 'ith the difference that in this case the 'or/man is in the machine he ensouls the various &arts andma/es them move) *his resemblance of 'or/er to machine a&&lies even better 'hen the &erson lies aslee&) *he astral body then 'or/s from outside) @hat does it doE 1t ma/es goodthe damage suffered by the &hysical body during the day) Soone can see the disadvantages for &eo&le 'ho slee& badly)Beings belonging to the third elemental /ingdom have aninfluence on the astral body) Beings belonging to the secondelemental /ingdom get at the etheric body and those belonging to the first elemental /ingdom get access to the&hysical body to destroy it) 0nly 'hen the astral body 'or/son the &hysical body during slee& are these destructive&rocesses made good)5ust to /no' this does not have any influence) @hen ho'ever a &erson begins to 'or/ on his s&iritual develo&ment he mustalso create the necessary conditions for the astral body to 'or/ u&on the &hysical) Meditation influences the 'or/ of theastral body u&on the &hysical and etheric bodies during thenight) 0nly beneficent beings must be allo'ed access to thehuman being ) ) ) Ce 'ho see/s initiation must achieve theutmost calm) *his includes the avoidance of all stimulants es&ecially alcohol) 0ther reDuirements for any higher strivingare control of thought a morally blameless life the effort notto be s'ayed to and fro by every feeling be it &ain or ?oy butto maintain balance in the soul) *his ma/es it &ossible forgood beings to be active 'hen the astral body 'or/s on the&hysical and etheric bodies during slee&)1n the initiation described in the 5ohn "os&el the astral body together 'ith the etheric body leaves the &hysical body) *hislatter remains as though dead) *his is 'hat is meant 'hen it is said that 2a%arus lay three days in the grave) *he 2a%arusmiracle is thus the scene of an initiation) *he astral andetheric bodies need to be led bac/ into the &hysical body) *histhe master brings to &ass) *he disci&le is no' an Karisen oneL 'ho can remember the e+&eriences in the higher 'orlds) *hisis &ossible for everyone) Co'ever 'hat in the old days 'as a&rocess lasting three and a half days ta/es &lace in a differentmanner today) *he e+&erience is the same but it is achieved by different methods)*he &u&il of the ,hristian initiation has to undergo seventrials) *hey 'ere not only &hysical but s&iritual e+&eriences)*hose 'ho had undergone them /ne' that real e+&eriencesare &ossible outside of the body) #t the first stage the &u&ile+&eriences ho' man has become 'hat he is) *his 'asachieved through a train of thought as follo's= *he &lant musthave a mineral soil) Minerals are of lo'er ran/ than &lants)But the &lant must bo' do'n and say 4*o thee oh stone though thou art lo'er than me 1 o'e my e+istence my life6)*he animal is of higher ran/ than the &lant) 1t breathes o+ygenand e+hales carbon dio+ide) *he &lant e+hales the o+ygen) *heanimal must say to the &lant 4*o thee oh &lant 1 humbly bo' for 'ithout thee 1 could not live)6 *he same relation e+ists bet'een the higher ran/ing human being and the lo'er/ingdoms) Ce too must say to them 41f you 'ere not there 1should not be)6 0ne must com&letely fill oneself 'ith thisfeeling and bo' oneself in all humility) 0ut of dee&ly felte+&erience of gratitude one must be able to bo' do'n before 'hat is lo'er than oneself) *his is the 'ashing of feet the firststage of a ,hristian initiation) ,hrist bo's do'n before thedisci&les and 'ashes their feet) @hat is here e+&erienced re&resents a symbol of the higher 'orld) Ce 'ho is able to lives&iritually in the higher 'orld 'ho has achieved this dee&feeling that 2a%arus had he e+&eriences the 'ashing of feet in the higher 'orld) Ce 'ho e+&eriences humiliation in the &hysical 'orld goes through the 'ashing of feet in a higher 'orld) *his is the sign that he has reached the first stage onthe 'ay to initiation) 1n his body this is e+&ressed by thefeeling that all his muscles are ne'ly strengthened) @hen themuscles become steeled

after the feeling of humiliation thissignifies the first stage of initiation)*he second stage of the ,hristian initiation is the s c o u r g i n g and smiting) 0ne must learn to bear calmly 'hat formerly hurt one < to ta/e u&on oneself the suffering of the 'orld)*his too finds e+&ression in the higher 'orld) *he strengthacDuired by the soul is symbolised as scourging and real blo's) *hen one day one feels a sort of &ric/ling or stinging allover the body < a sign that one has stood the test) *his is areal e+&erience that a &erson goes through 'hen he follo'sthis &ath) *he great mystics e+&erienced it) Such a &erson hasreached the second stage)*he third stage is the c r o ' n i n g 'ith thorns) #t this stage onedoes not only bear &ain but also contem&t from one.s fello' men) 0ne has to 'in the fortitude to bear the feeling of obliteration 'hen there is no one there to give one courageand strength e+ce&t oneself < 'hen one is considered entirely 'orthless and yet one remains in'ardly u&right) *hus must it be e+&erienced) *his is felt in the s&iritual 'orld as thecro'ning 'ith thorns) 0ne sees oneself 'ith the cro'n of thorns) Fains in the head 'ill be felt in the &hysical body),hanges ta/e &lace in the brain something that later also becomes noticable in the 'a/ing state)*he fourth stage is the crucifi+ion) *hrough this a &ersonlearns to feel his o'n body as a foreign ob?ect something li/ea &iece of 'ood) Ce no longer connects his ego 'ith his body)1n the s&iritual 'orld he sees himself 'ith the cross on his bac/) @ith this the fourth stage is reached) Fhysically thestigmata a&&ear) 1n the case of certain saints this is no myth) 1t indicates that they have reached the fourth stage) Suchsaints are bearers of the cross)1f a &erson has got as far as this he comes to the fifth stage)*his is the mystical death) *he 'hole 'orld a&&ears as if covered 'ith a veil) -verything around has lost its old value) @hile a &erson feels himself thus lost in dar/ness suddenly the veil is rent and he begins to see the ultimate s&iritual andoriginal aim) Ce ga%es into a Duite ne' 'orld) #t the sametime he learns to recognise 'hat lies at the bottom of thehuman soul) Ce becomes a second &erson by the side of himself and loo/s do'n on his lo'er self 'hich is se&aratedfrom him) Cis body is the mother that he sees standing belo' him and the transformed lo'er self is the disci&le 'ho bears 'itness that ,hrist lives) No' the higher self can say to thelo'er self 4Behold thy motherM6 A5ohn ch) 19 v 28B @hen a &erson has gone through this fifth station he can&rogress to the si+th stage the burial and resurrection) -verything &ertaining to this &lanet becomes the body of the,hristian mystic) Ce feels as though the 'hole earth 'as &artof him) Ce has ceased to be a se&arate being) Ce is one 'iththe 'hole life of the earth) *hrough burial he is in'ardly bound 'ith it) *he grave becomes the source of his e+&erience< man and animal &lant and roc/ around him becometrans&arent) Ce has lost his o'n se&arate life the higher lifeof the 'hole -arth ) ) )*he seventh stage is /no'n as the ascension into heaven) 1tsignifies that he is com&letely ta/en u& into the s&iritual 'orld)*he 5ohn "os&el is a descri&tion of this ,hristian &ath of initiation) Ce 'ho ta/es it as an account of an e+ternalha&&ening does not understand it) 1t can only becom&rehended if one has lived through it in'ardly) *his is 'hat #ngelus Silesius means 'hen he says= @hen thou dost rise above thyself and let "od hold his s'ay=*hen &resent in thy s&irit is the ascension for ever and foraye)NG#ngelus Silesius 4*he ,herubinic @anderer6I #s no creature can see the sunlight unless its eyes are o&enedso no one can understand the mystery of "olgotha if they have not in'ardly e+&erienced it) 0nce one has come to suchan inner e+&erience one can a&&reciate 'hy the rec/oning of time is divided into before and after ,hrist),hristianity attains its real meaning 'hen it is follo'ed as aninner &ath) *he 5ohn gos&el is a document 'hich can be livedsentence by sentence) 1f one has lived it one /no's thate+ternal criticism does not a&&ly) #ll criticism vanishes andevery doubt disa&&ears if one /no's that 'hat is 'ritten is to be lived through and through) -very line can be

livedin'ardly) *he ,hristian s&irit has to be e+&erienced in thede&th of the soul) Ce 'ho sa' for himself ho' everything too/ &lace /no's that he s&ea/s the truth and says so) For he is therisen 2a%arus) * h i r d 2 e c t u r e 5th March 19!6 @hat 'e have said so far about the "os&el of St) 5ohn hasta/en us dee&ly into the essence of ,hristianity and hassho'n us 'hat &rofound mystical &o'er lies hidden 'ithinthis ,hristian document) @e have seen that it should not beread li/e a re&ort of outer events or an historical account buta scri&t engraved by life so that every sentence re:lived transforms something in us) @e have follo'ed the seven stages of s&iritual ascent in thelife of St) 5ohn) *oday 'e 'ill add something 'hich goes evendee&er) # fe' e+am&les 'ill sho' that 1 have not forced anarbitrary meaning on the gos&el but that by means of occultteaching 'e are able to understand many things thatother'ise 'ould remain dar/ and unintelligible) First 1 'illremind you of the seven stages of initiation 'hich e+isted atthe time of the birth of ,hristianity)1n the last lecture 'e came to /no' the ,hristian initiation but it 'as not ,hristianity that first made initiation &ossible) #t all times ever since there 'ere men as 'e /no' them onearth it 'as &ossible to become an initiate < to ascend tohigher stages of human e+istence) *hrough ,hristianity allthese things became more in'ard) Since ,hristianity has&rovided us 'ith such documents as the 5ohn "os&el < 'hichonly needs to be allo'ed to 'or/ and live in us < one canachieve much and rise to s&iritual heights) *here 'ere nosuch documents in &re:,hristian times available) 0ne had to be introduced into hidden mystery tem&les or centres andaccording to the various &eo&les the lo'er stages of initiationdiffered) 1n the higher stages national &eculiarities 'ere of noaccount and they 'ere the same for all &eo&les even in mucholder times)1 'ould li/e to describe the seven stages of initiation as they 'ere &ractised in the Fersian Mithras cult) 1t 'as a form of initiation that 'as cultivated in the 'hole of #sia Minor in"reece and Rome and even as far as the (anube basin it 'as&ractised far into the ,hristian era) For a long time it 'as&ossible to go through these stages even in the hidden culticcentres and tem&les in -gy&t 'hich 'ere often built into thesolid roc/) *hey 'ere only accessible to those 'ho came to/no' them as morally advanced &u&ils and initiates afterstrict tests) *he first grade 'as the 4Raven6) #s a raven theneo&hyte carried the /no'ledge acDuired in the outer sense 'orld into s&iritual life) *he idea of the raven has lingered inmyths and sagas) *here are the Ravens of @otan the ravensof -li?ah and in the "erman Barbarossa saga ravens are theintermediaries bet'een the em&eror under a s&ell in themountain and the outer 'orld) 1n the Mithraic mysteries4Raven6 signified a grade of initiation)*he second grade 'as that of the 40ccult 0ne6) *his 'as thename for someone 'ho had already received some im&ortantoccult secrets)*he third grade 'as that of the 4Fighter6) *hese 'ere initiates 'ho felt their higher self to the e+tent that they understoodsayings such as one finds in the second &art of 42ight on theFath6) NG4Stand aside in the coming battle and though thoufightest be not thou the 'arrior)6 2ight on the Fath Mabel,ollins *heoso&hical 9niversity Fress) Fasadena ,alifornia 1981)I 0nly an initiate of the third grade can understand suchsayings) *his does not mean that the ordinary &erson cannot reach a certain com&rehension) -veryone has a higher self and if one is able to abnegate one.s lo'er self and ma/e it aservant of the higher self then one can say in a certain sense=4*hough thou fightest thou art not the fighter6) But it is notuntil one has reached a &articular stage of initiation that onereally /no's 'hat this sentence signifies) @hat one formerly considered as higher interests become mere subsidiary interests mere servants of the fighter)*he fourth grade 'as achieved 'hen com&lete inner harmony and calm eDuilibrium and strength are gained) *his grade 'ascalled that of the 42ion6) Such an

initiate had so develo&ed theoccult life in himself that he could re&resent the occult notonly 'ith 'ords but 'ith deeds)Mean'hile the consciousness of a &erson 'ho has &assedthrough these four stages of initiation e+tended further andfurther) Ce identified himself 'ith ever larger grou&ings of &eo&le) #ll these names have a hidden meaning) For instance the e+&ression 4*he 0ccult 0ne6) @hat is a human being as 'e see him in front of usE Ce is 'hat is in him) #s a Raven aninitiate of the first grade < he tries to overcome 'hat is only in him) *hen his interests become 'ider) @hat &eo&le aroundhim are 'hat they feel and 'hat they 'ill becomes his o'nfeeling and his o'n 'ill) *he terms 'ere coined in times 'henthere 'ere still communities 'hich 'ere /indred enlargedfamilies) Co' did one regard such a familyE 0ne said they 'ere members of a soul:family tracing right bac/ to acommon ancestral &air < members of a hidden ego) #n initiate of the second grade an 40ccult 0ne6 had soennobled his ego that it became the ego of his community> hemade their interests his o'n) *he occult entity of a humancommunity 'as able to live in him) @hen the ego of such ahuman community became the ego of an individual initiatethen this community became his d'elling &lace) *he 4Fighter6 fought for the larger community) 1n ancient Falestine onedesignated as a 42ion6 he 'ho had raised himself u& toencom&ass the consciousness the ego of a 'hole tribe) *he4lion6 of the tribe of 5udah is the term a&&lied to someone 'ho had reached such a stage of initiation that he bore 'ithinhimself the ego of the 'hole tribe)*he initiate of the fifth grade had so overcome his &ersonality that he could ta/e u& the fol/:soul) *he fol/:s&irit lived inhim) 1n Fersia such an initiate 'as called a 4Fersian6) 1n"reece one 'ould have called him a 4"recian6 if it had beenthe custom) @hat does this grade signifyE For him everythingindividual has vanished and his consciousness has becomeone 'ith the 'hole) *his constitutes a higher state of consciousness)*oday it is different) Because of the s&litting u& of allcommunal grou&s 'e meet 'ith Duite different stages of initiation) But at the time of the birth of ,hristianity it still hada meaning 'hen one s&o/e of souls initiated to the fifth grade) ;ou can verify this in the 5ohn "os&el) *a/e the first cha&ter verse $5=4Fhili& findeth Nathanael and saith unto him= @e have foundhim of 'hom Moses in the la' and the Fro&hets did 'rite 5esus of Na%areth the son of 5ose&h) #nd Nathanael said untohim= ,an there any good thing out of Na%arethE Fhili& saithunto him= ,ome and see 5esus sa' Nathanael coming to himand saith of him= Behold an 1sraelite indeed in 'hom there isno guileM6Nathanael is here ac/no'ledged as an initiate of the fifthgrade) *his means that he had learned to /no' 'hat for usmen is the essence of life the *ree of 2ife) -arlier in life onetastes of the fruit of the *ree of Hno'ledge) 0ne &arta/es of the fruit of the *ree of Hno'ledge the moment one is able to say 416 to oneself) @hen the higher the s&iritual in mana'a/ens it can ha&&en that "od has to &rotect man) 5ehovah 'as concerned lest man after having eaten of the *ree of Hno'ledge should also eat of the *ree of 2ife before he 'asready for it) *he initiate of the fifth grade learns 'hat relievesthis concern and 'hat raises one beyond all death and all thatis transitory) *his is the s&iritual element)Co' can the s&iritual element become established in manEFor someone 'ho has &enetrated more dee&ly into *heoso&hy it is something 'hich flo's through the 'hole 'orld) For him 'hose vision is able to &enetrate into higher 'orlds all that is to begin 'ith a stage of inner develo&ment even on higher&lanes is e+&ressed at first on the astral &lane as a &icture) @hen a &erson has reached the fifth grade of initiation heal'ays sees a &icture on the astral &lane 'hich formerly hehad not seen < the &icture of a tree a finely branched 'hitetree) *his &icture on the astral &lane 'hich is to be ta/en as asymbol of the fifth grade of initiation is called the *ree of 2ife)Ce 'ho had reached this &oint is said to have sat under the*ree of 2ife) *hus Buddha sat under the Bodhi *ree andNathanael under the Fig *ree) *hese are terms for the &ictureon the astral &lane) @hat is seen are reflections of inner <even bodily inner things) *he Bodhi *ree is but the astralmirror image of the human nervous system) Ce 'ho

throughinitiation is able to direct his ga%e in'ard sees his inner life even his bodily inner life &ro?ected reflected into the outerastral 'orld) So you see 'hat is intended in this cha&ter of the5ohn "os&el)Nathanael is addressed as one 'ho /no's) 1t is im&lied= @eunderstand each other) 45esus said unto him KBefore that Fhili& called thee 'hen thou 'ast under the fig tree 1 sa' thee)L6 *his means 'e are brothers of the fifth grade of initiation) 1tis a recognition bet'een initiates) 4Nathanael ans'ered andsaith unto him KRabbi thou art the Son of "od thou art theHing of 1srael)L6 ;ou see the recognition is com&lete) 5esusans'ered him and said that it 'ill become a&&arent that he ismore than an initiate of the fifth grade) Ce said 4Because 1said unto thee 1 sa' thee under the fig tree thou believest>thou shalt see greater things than these)61 'ould also li/e to dra' your attention to the conversation 'ith Nicodemus 'hich you 'ill find in the third cha&ter)*here 'e have the significant 'ords 47erily verily 1 say untothee e+ce&t a man be born of 'ater and of the s&irit hecannot enter into the Hingdom of "od)6 @hat does it mean to be born ane' and to see the Hingdom of "odE 1t means tohave a'a/ened the higher self to be born so that the eternalcore of one.s being is a'a/ened) @hat does it mean to enterthe /ingdom of heavenE 1t means to see not only the reflectionof (evachan here on earth as 'e see it through our &hysicaleyes but to see this realm directly itself) Ce alone can do this 'ho has not only been born for this &hysical 'orld but is borna second time)*a/e 'hat 1 have used as a com&arison but one 'hich is morethan a com&arison) *a/e it literally) *o be born means to&roceed from an embryo to a stage at 'hich one &erceives theouter 'orld 'ith the senses) 1f one does not &ass through anembryonic stage one can never be ready to be born) *hose 'ho /no' this stage also /no' that ordinary life is anembryonic stage for the higher life) *his leads us dee& into themeaning of ordinary life) 1t could be Duite easy for someone 'ho directs his ga%e to'ards the s&iritual 'orld to becomeconvinced that there is such a 'orld and that man is a citi%enof it) Ce could then &roceed to disregard the &hysical 'orldand to believe that one cannot de&art from it Duic/ly enough and that one should mortify the flesh the sooner to reach the s&iritual 'orld) *his sho's ignorance) 1t is as senseless as if one 'ould not allo' the human embryo to mature but 'ould bring it into the 'orld at t'o months and e+&ect it to livethere) 2i/e'ise for the higher 'orld one has to develo& to become mature) Such is he 'ho has develo&ed his higher self)*he &hysical 'orld is the school) Ce 'ho has develo&ed hisego here is ready to enter the /ingdom of heaven 'hichmeans to be born again) Man has to go through birth anddeath ever and again until he has gained his full maturity inorder to enter the s&iritual 'orld itself so that he no longerneeds &hysical organs) *hus 'e have to realise that everything 'e do by means of our eyes ears and other senses is 'or/ done for the higher life),ertainly 'e have freDuently said that man must develo&higher senses that he must develo& the cha/rams or holy 'heels 'hich enable him to enter the s&iritual 'orld and seeit) But ho' does he come to obtain these holy 'heelsE*hrough his 'or/ on the &hysical &lane) Cere is the &lace of &re&aration) 0ur 'or/ here &re&ares the organs for a higher 'orld) #s the human being is &re&ared in the mother.s body so in the body of the great 'orld mother < 'here 'e are 'hileleading our &hysical life < is &re&ared 'hat is necessary toma/e it &ossible for us to see and act in higher 'orlds) 0ne is&erfectly ?ustified to s&ea/ of a higher 'orld and to value ithigher than our lo'er 'orld but 'e should only use theseterms in a technical sense) #ll 'orlds are basically eDually valid e+&ressions of the highest &rinci&le in different forms) @e should not des&ise any 'orld) 1n this 'ay 'e learn torelate ourselves rightly to'ards both the lo'er and the higher 'orlds) *his is the reDuirement for entering into the thirdcha&ter of the 5ohn "os&el)1t must be understood that 5esus s&ea/s to Nicodemus of agenuine rebirth and that above all he 'ishes to remind himthat loo/ed at in this 'ay the ordinary everyday life must be

reborn as a higher life and recognised as such) Ce 'ho readsthis cha&ter really carefully 'ill see that this is 'hat is meant)Many circles lay it against *heoso&hy that it teachesreincarnation < the gradual maturing of humanity throughrebirth and re&eated earth lives) 1t is said that ,hristianity /no's nothing of this teaching of reincarnation) But actually in the 5ohn "os&el there is a clear indication that 'hen hes&o/e intimately 'ith his disci&les 5esus taughtreincarnation) For instance one can only ma/e sense of theninth cha&ter Athe healing on the Sabbath of the man born blindB if one bases it on the idea of reincarnation) 0ne mustremember that he s&o/e in the language current at that time)1n "reece it 'as then usual to s&ea/ of the &o'er that&ermeates man.s innermost being and leads it for'ard) Forthe "ree/s and all other &eo&les of that time the &o'er thatmade man into man and caused him to develo& 'as "od) #nouter "od a "od in the ne+t 'orld 'as un/no'n in thosedays) *herefore one called 'hat lived in man the "od in man)*hus if one s&o/e of the "od of #braham the "od of 1saacand the "od of 5acob it 'as the higher self that 'as meant)0ne can only understand the 0ld *estament if one a&&reciatesthis conce&tion of "od) 5esus too s&ea/s of the "od living inman 'hen tal/ing intimately to his disci&les= 4Cis disci&lesas/ed him saying KMaster 'ho did sin this man or his&arents that he 'as born blindEL 5esus ans'ered KNeitherhath this man sinned nor his &arents but that the 'or/s of "od should be made manifest in him)L6*hese three sentences s&ea/ clearly enough) Neither had hesinned in his &hysical body nor had his &arents> therefore the5e'ish la' that "od 'ill visit the sins of the fathers u&on thechildren unto so and so many generations does not hold good)But the 'or/s of "od in man shall be made manifest i)e) theself in man that &asses through all his incarnations) *hese 'ords 'hich 5esus s&o/e to his disci&les could not be clearer) ;ou /no' the orthodo+ e+&lanation) *hin/ if someone meant 'hat is su&&osed to be said here= *he glory of "od should bemade manifest in a blind &erson) *his &resumes that it 'asarranged that someone should be blind so that 5esus couldheal him and the glory of "od be made manifest) ,an this bereconciled 'ith true ,hristianityE No) ,hristianity 'ould bemorally degraded) 1nter&reted theoso&hically this imagecarries a truly beautiful and noble meaning)1t 'as al'ays so 'hen 5esus s&o/e intimately 'ith hisdisci&les) *hat it 'as so is es&ecially revealed in the scene/no'n as the transfiguration) 1t is ho'ever not in the 5ohn"os&el) @e find it in the seventeenth cha&ter of St) Matthe' and in the ninth cha&ter of St) Mar/) 1n St) 5ohn it is not to befound) *he only reference that could have any relation to it isthe &assage in the t'elfth cha&ter verse 2J= 4KFather glorify thy name)L *hen came there a voice from heaven saying K1have both glorified it and 'ill glorify it again)L6 #nd further in verse 31= 4KNo' is the ?udgment of this 'orld) No' shall the&rince of this 'orld be cast out) #nd 1 if 1 be lifted u& from theearth 'ill dra' all men unto me)L *hus he said signifying 'hat death he should die) *he &eo&le ans'ered him K@e haveheard out of the la' that ,hrist abideth for ever and ho' sayest thou= the Son of Man must be lifted u&E @ho is this Sonof ManEL *hen 5esus said unto them K;et a little 'hile is thelight 'ith you) @al/ 'hile ye have the light lest dar/nesscome u&on you for he that 'al/eth in dar/ness /no'eth not 'hither he goeth) @hile ye have light believe in the light that ye may be the children of light)L6 @e find the transfiguration scene in all the evangelists e+ce&tSt) 5ohn) *his is significant) 2et us clarify the meaning of thisscene) @hat ta/es &laceE 5esus goes 'ith three disci&les Feter 5ames and 5ohn < u& a mountain= this means into the innersanctuary 'here one is initiated into higher 'orlds and 'hereone also s&ea/s in occult language) *hen it is said= the master too/ his disci&les u& into a mountain < it means that he 'entto that &lace 'here he e+&ounded the &arable to them) *hedisci&les 'ere carried u& into a higher state of consciousness)*hey sa' then that 'hich is not transitory but eternal) Mosesand -lias a&&ear and 5esus himself 'ith them) @hat does thismeanE 1n occult science the 'ord -lias means the same as -l< the goal the 'ay) Moses is the s&iritual scientific 'ord

fortruth) By the fact that -lias Moses and 5esus a&&ear you havethe fundamental ,hristian truth= 1 am the @ay the *ruth andthe 2ife) 5esus himself says < this is a fundamental ,hristianmystical truth < 41 am the @ay the *ruth and the 2ife)6A5ohn ch) 1$ v) 6B*he im&ortant thing is that here the eternal is sho'n asagainst the tem&oral and the disci&les see into a 'orld 'hichlies beyond this 'orld) #fter'ards they said to the master 4#llthis should only have come to &ass once -lias has comeagain)6 *hus they s&o/e to him as though reincarnation 'asta/en as a matter of course as also in many other &assages inthe gos&els) 5ohn as/ed 4#rt thou -lias come againE6 *henans'ered the master 4-lias is indeed come again < 5ohn theBa&tist is -lias) But the &eo&le did not recognise him) Say itunto no man until 1 come again)6 Cere 'e have the general religious &rofound truth of reincarnation uttered in theintimate conversation bet'een the master and his disci&les) #t the same time it is set do'n as a testament= 4Say it unto noman until 1 come again)6 *his coming again refers to a muchlater time the time 'hen all men 'ill recognise ,hristthrough their higher com&rehension) @hen this comes aboutthen 'ill Ce rea&&ear to them)*hus time is being &re&ared through the theoso&hical 'orldconce&tion) ,hrist 'ill rea&&ear in the 'orld) *he doctrine of reincarnation and /arma as a generally acce&ted idea 'as to be laid aside until this time) #t that time &eo&le should /no' nothing of reincarnation and /arma so that they 'ere obliged to ta/e the life bet'een birth and death as something of &articular value and im&ortance) Cumanity had to &assthrough all stages of life e+&erience) 9& to the time of ,hrist reincarnation 'as generally acce&ted) 2ife bet'een birth anddeath 'as only a &assing e&isode) But then man had to learnto ta/e life on earth as something im&ortant) #n e+treme formof this teaching 'as the dogma of eternal &unishment andeternal re'ard) *his is an e+treme form) @hat mattered 'asthat each human individuality each 4"od: man6 should &assthrough one incarnation in 'hich he /ne' nothing of reincarnation and /arma and in 'hich he a&&reciated the vitalim&ortance of life bet'een birth and death)1f you read theoso&hical boo/s you 'ill find that the time bet'een the t'o incarnations is fifteen to eighteen hundred years) *his is about the same length of time as bet'een the birth of ,hrist and the &resent day) *hose living then a&&earagain today) Because of this they are able again to acce&t thene' teaching) *herefore the theoso&hical outloo/ 'as really &re&ared on Mount *abor by ,hrist 5esus) 1f 'e loo/ at 'orldhistory in broad lines 'e should not thin/ that 'e are dealingeither 'ith truth or 'ith error 'hich 'e can censure) 1t is nota Duestion of absolute truth or error but of 'hat is right forman at any given time) 1f 1 sat here 'ith a grou& of boys nomore than ten years old and set about teaching them highermathematics 1 'ould be teaching them truth and yet it 'ould be folly) 1 must give a &erson 'hat he needs at any given stageof his develo&ment) 1t is not right for us today to say inretros&ect that the ,hristian teaching contained errors) No)1n order to master the &hysical &lane one had to ta/e this onelife seriously) ,ertainly the &riestly sages of ,haldea taughtgreat s&iritual truths) *hey brought do'n a vast /no'ledge of the s&iritual 'orld but they used the most &rimitive tools anddid not /no' ho' to use the forces of nature in everyday life)*he &hysical &lane had first to be mastered) *o do this man.s 'hole life of feeling must be directed to'ards it) ,hristianity had to &re&are man/ind to master the &hysical 'orld) *his 'as decreed it is the testament from Mount *abor) @hat lies behind this declaration is something 'onderful)1f one &enetrates dee&er one 'ill find more and more) 1f 'e 'ant to understand religious documents 'hich came do'n tous from times 'hich had true /no'ledge of s&iritual life andnot a materialistic 'ay of thin/ing 'e must realise that themode of thought 'as so different that if one s&o/e of man one s&o/e in a com&letely different 'ay)No' 1 must tell you something 'hich though easy tounderstand intellectually is difficult for the man of today togras& 'ith his 'hole soul) *he time 'hen the gos&els 'ere 'ritten 'as the da'n of ,hristianity) 0ne used names then

ina 'ay 'hich 1 'ill no' e+&lain) 0ne did not loo/ to the outer&hysical man but one sa' something higher the s&iritual shining through it) # name 'as not used as it is today it had asignificance) Su&&ose someone 'as called 5ames A5acobusB)5ames really means 'ater) @ater is the s&iritual scientificterm for the soul element) 1f 1 call somebody 5ames 1 say thathis soul shines through his body) @ith this 1 signify that he belongs to the 'atery element) 1f 1 give the name 5ames to aninitiate he is to me the symbol for 'ater ACebre' < 5amB)5ames is nothing but the technical name for an initiate 'hoes&ecially governs the force of 'ater in its occult sense)*hus 'ere the three disci&les 'ho 'ere ta/en u& to Mount*abor called by their initiate names= 5ames means 'ater Feter stands for earth or roc/ ACebre' < 5abaschaB 5ohnsignifies air ARuachB) *hus 5ohn means he 'ho has attainedthe higher self) *his leads us dee& into the secret doctrines)*rans&ort yourself bac/ into the time 'hen man only &ossessed the lo'er &rinci&les < the third Root Race the2emurian e&och) Man/ind did not then breath air he breathed through gills) 2ungs and breathing through lungsdevelo&ed later) *his &rocess coincided 'ith the im&regnation by the higher self) #ir is according to the hermetic &rinci&le the lo'er 'hich re&resents the higher < the higher self) 1f 1call somebody 5ohn A5ohannesB then he is one 'ho hasa'a/ened his higher self 'ho governs the occult forces of air)5esus is the one 'ho governs the occult forces of fire ANurB)*hus you have in these four names the re&resentatives of earth 'ater air and fire) *hey are the names of the four 'hoascended Mount *abor)5am < 5amesNur Ruach5esus 5ohannes5abascha < Fetrus*hin/ of these four together on the Mount of *ransfiguration)*here you have at the same time the initiates 'ho govern thefour elements= fire 'ater air and earth) @hat ha&&enedE 1t 'as made manifest s&iritually that through the a&&earance of 5esus the 'hole &o'er of the elements 'as rene'ed in such a 'ay that the life &ulsing through the elements &assed througha ne' im&ortant &hase of its develo&ment) *his is thetransfiguration seen occultly) 1f somebody goes through thetransfiguration in this manner if he has 'ithin himself thestages of 'ater earth and air and even rises to the forces of fire then he is a rea'a/ened one someone 'ho has gonethrough the crucifi+ion) *hus in the case of the otherevangelists this scene is but a &re&aration for the dee&erinitiation scene of the crucifi+ion itself) 1n the 5ohn "os&el everything is already &re&ared) *he &re&aratory scene doesnot a&&ear only the death on the Mount of "olgotha) 5am Nur Ruach 5abascha < 1NR1 < this is the meaning of the 'ords on the cross) 0ne can go dee&er and dee&er into the religious te+ts andnever finish learning) Sometimes 'hen one hears ane+&lanation li/e this it sounds forced) But every ste& that leads you dee&er 'ill furnish evidence that it is not forced)Su&erficial e+&lanations see/ to avoid the 4de&ths6 &ur&osely)But there are de&ths in these 'ritings) *hose 'ho /no' something can al'ays say to themselves= &robably there ismuch more in it 1 have still much to learn) *his is the attitudeof reverence that 'e can bring to religious te+ts)*his reverence is of the utmost im&ortance for it 'ill becomestrength in us dra'n from the de&ths) *here is one im&ortantsentence that 1 can only touch on) 1n cha&ter 19 verse 33 'efind= 4But 'hen they came to 5esus and sa' that he 'as deadalready they bra/e not his legs ) ) ) 6 and in verse 36 4For thesethings 'ere done that the scri&ture should be fulfilled # boneof him shall not be bro/en)6 ;ou /no' that this reminds oneof a &assage in one of the boo/s of Moses A-+odus 12)$6B)Rightly understood it has a dee& meaning) 1t is dee&ly symbolical but 1 can only touch on it)1f you loo/ around the 'orld you 'ill have to admit that manas he is no' incarnated in the flesh has no &o'er over life norover 'hat stands above life) Ce is only master of the lifelessinorganic forces) Man cannot oblige a &lant to gro' or togro' faster) Ce 'ould have to acDuire occult &o'er to do so)Far less is he able to master 'hat is higher than life forces) @hat he is able to control is the lifeless outer 'orld) *here hee+erts his mastery in everyday 'or/ over the materials 'ith 'hich

nature &rovides him) Ce creates 'or/s of art &icturesof the #lmighty but he cannot breathe life into them) Ce canonly co&y life) Ce cannot a'a/en an intimation of life in thelifeless even in the most sublime ,hristian 'or/s of art) *hisis so because man has enfolded his astral and etheric forces inthe solid dense &hysical body) *hus he came to have thisrelation to the outer 'orld < to be master only of the lifeless) *he higher forces 'hich are not tied to the &hysical must bea'a/ened and then man 'ill again be able to master life) #s itis he can only control &hysical forces and not life itself)*his is connected 'ith the fact that the human body 'hich 'as once soft and &liable has no' become more and moresolid) 1f you go bac/ in evolution you 'ill see that man haschanged very much) 1n 2emurian times he had no s/eleton)*his 'as formed later) *he bones 'ere the last things toa&&ear in the human organism) Ce 'ill have them until he hass&iritualised himself again until he has a'a/ened again hisinner forces and learned the lesson 'hich he can only learn inthis dense body 'ith its hard s/eleton) ,hrist 5esus is thats&irit 'hose cosmic mission it 'as to be incarnated in ?ustsuch a body in order to sho' man the 'ay out of this 'orldinto a higher 'orld) Ce is the leader and guide into the higher 'orld) *hat 'hich has to find its 'ay into the higher 'orld issymbolised by the solid human s/eleton) #s long as man hadnot reached the stage of having a hard s/eleton he did notneed a Messiah) But for this &resent e&och he needs theMessiah the Redeemer)*hus it is evident that the forces in 5esus 'hich are connected 'ith the higher 'orld do not concern &resent day humanity) @e can e+&ress it by calling the s/eleton the e+terior> 'ater the etheric body> blood the astral body> and then the s&irit)NGFirst -&istle of 5ohn ch) 5 v) J AliterallyB 4#nd there arethree that bear 'itness= the s&irit and the 'ater and the blood)6I *herefore blood and 'ater can flo' from the body of ,hrist) *hese are of no im&ort for the &resent cycle of humandevelo&ment) 0n the other hand that 'hich su&&orts the 'hole 'hich leads man u&'ards to the throne of the -ternal 'hat he needs in order to learn the lesson that must be /e&tunin?ured) *his is the s/eleton the symbol for the lifeless innature) *hrough this s/eleton ,hrist is connected 'ith the&resent cycle of man.s develo&ment) *his is 'hat must be /e&t intact until such time as man shall have reached higher stages) @e can follo' this bac/ to the corres&onding &assages in theBoo/s of Moses) But this can be done some other time)*oday 1 'anted to add something 'hich 'ill have sho'n youthat the 5ohn "os&el is ine+haustible and ho' full it is of strength and life) #s 'e ta/e it in and absorb it it gives usstrength and life) *his is 'hy this gos&el is the leadingscri&ture for those 'ho 'ish to &enetrate dee&er and dee&erinto theoso&hical ,hristianity) 1f theoso&hy is to 'or/ for,hristianity it is from this above all that it must start) Butclearly if 1 'ere to e+&lain the 5ohn "os&el in its entirety to you 1 should have to ta/e the 'hole 'inter) 1 should have tota/e it sentence by sentence and then you 'ould see ho' dee&are the 'ords ascribed to 5ohn i)e) to him 'hose very nameindicates that he is a herald of the higher self) Ce is there&resentative of air and master of the higher forces 'ho from the &erce&tion of the higher self 'rote his "os&elaccording to St) 5ohn)1t 'ould be futile and in vain to attem&t to fathom or criticisethis gos&el 'ith the &o'ers of the ordinary intellect) 1n ourtime the intellect has achieved great things but the 5ohn"os&el is not 'ritten for the intellect) 0nly he 'ho hasovercome the intellect and is able to lead it to the heights of s&irit &o'er as 5ohn did can understand his gos&el)*heoso&hy 'ould be Duite 'rong to underta/e an intellectualcritiDue of this 5ohn "os&el) 1nstead it should immerse itself in it in order to understand it) *hen 'e should see that a ne' s&irit of ,hristianity < not only the s&irit of the &ast but afuture ,hristianity can &roceed from the 5ohn "os&el) @e 'ill become a'are of the dee& truth of one of the most beautiful and &rofound sayings of ,hrist) 0ut of his mouth 'eare told that ,hristianity is not something that has merely lived in the &ast but that the same &o'er still lives today)*rue it is 'hat ,hrist said= 1 am 'ith you al'ays even unto the end of time)