“At this stage of his esoteric development the student realizes, through personal inward experience, all that had previously appealed to his sense of truth, to his intellect and reason. He has now direct knowledge of his Higher self. He learns how the higher self is connected with exalted spiritual beings and forms with them a united whole. He sees how the lower self originates in a higher world, and it is revealed to him how his higher nature outlasts his lower. He can now distinguish the imperishable in himself from the perishable; that is, he learns through personal insight to understand the doctrine of the higher self in the lower. It will become plain to that he is part of a great spiritual complex.” ~Rudolf Steiner
Higher Self Development
As this quote comes from the center of the book, the stage of development of the student mentioned at the beginning is fairly advanced. The things described do not happen to the beginner, or even a student who has been practicing for a few weeks. We can assume that a student who reaches this stage has probably devoted years to spiritual learning and spiritual development.
Personal Experience
Steiner says the student realizes the great truths through personal inward experience. As I have said before, this does not mean that one should look only within for divine knowledge anymore than he should look only without. Some truths can only be found by looking within. Others require us to look outward. Specifically, we should look outside the realm of matter to the dimensions of spirit.
Higher Self Connections
Notice that Mr. Steiner doesn’t say that this advanced student who has awakened his higher self now connects that higher self with great spiritual beings. He says that the student becomes aware that those connections exist. They always did. We are not aware of such connection when we are focusing on our lower self, but they are there anyway.
And when we become aware of our connection to higher spiritual beings, when we experience it for ourselves, we become part of a united whole. That doesn’t mean we lose our individuality. We are still individuals while connected to the Higher Beings. And since those higher beings are connected to others all the way up to God, we too are connected with the all. When we become aware of that connection, and gain the experience of being part of that spiritual All, we truly gain Gnosis.
Higher Self from a Higher World
Steiner says that the student sees that his lower self originated in a higher world. While that is technically true, it can be misleading. The lower self fell from the higher worlds into the lower. A kind of devolution rather than evolution.
I believe the point Mr. Steiner is trying to make is that we originated in a higher world, but that was in spiritual form. Yet the substance of matter can (and will) be changed back into spirit and redeemed by the forces of God. We should all seek to be one of those helping the higher beings to make that happen.
Great Spiritual Complex
Steiner is correct in saying our higher self is part of a great spiritual complex. And that of spirit which remains active within us seeks always to return to its source. It is why even the wealthy and powerful are never satisfied with what the material world has to offer. This great spiritual complex is reaching down to the earthly plain to try to grab us and pull us up as much as they can without falling to our level and getting trapped here. Awakening our higher self is the way to become one of them and work with them in that great task.
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