"People who begin to have some presentiment of supersensible things are apt to wax talkative on this subject, thereby retarding their normal development. The less one talks about these matters the better. Only someone who has achieved a certain degree of clarity should speak about them. It would be much better to remain entirely silent on this subject, and to content themselves with mentioning only whether they have been successful or unsuccessful in performing the exercises and observing the instructions given them. " --Rudolf Steiner
Here is an essay that could prove to be useful when you cover chapter 5 on Initiation involving sense-free thinking as a path without a lot of esotericism. Pure Thinking. Ron Milito wrote this in 2015, and it forms the Intermediate Path.
One of the most important features of this discussion that I think will serve to propel it forward is the concept of "Saturn and Self Remembering", which forms the essence of what is called, 'Eternal Recurrence'. We know that Rudolf Steiner brought forth his Spiritual Science in three gradient measures of:
1) The Philosophy of Freedom
2) Theosophy: An Introduction to the Supersensible Knowledge of the World and the Destination of Man
3) Occult Science: An Outline
Now, it is in this third book, which is under consideration here, that Steiner for the first time opens up the vista of human evolutionary progression that is traceable to Ancient Saturn. So, this is why we are given a whole lot more than what was given in the previous book on Theosophy, which was about the evolution about the human Soul. Of course, PoF outlines the function of thinking as spiritual activity, in the first place. So, we see here a trinity engagement of Body, Soul, and Spirit in the work of Rudolf Steiner from 1894 to 1910.
Yet, Matt, when you feel the need to invoke Whitehead's book, "Process and Reality", in the midst of OOS, it has to make one wonder if you are getting it at all. The goal is to reach primordial aims, and not 'process function', which is a typical logical-empirical analysis. Yet, you are reminding of Whitehead. Why?
Why? Because I think Whitehead's panentheistic and evolutionary process theology provides some of the conceptual background that allows us to make sense of the metaphysics underlying Steiner's clairvoyant reports. I resist the idea that Steiner is somehow "the first"; so much of his work has deep roots in and has quite obviously been influenced not only by Theosophy but by the history Western esotericism more broadly.
Perhaps I am not getting Steiner at all. But describing Whitehead's method as "typical logical-empirical analysis" suggests to me you aren't getting his work.
Admittedly, I am not a student of Whitehead and his work, but I think it can be shown in manifold ways that Steiner's developed exact clairvoyance is the first of its kind in the world, and designed to set the standard for the entry into the 20th century of this new faculty in order to attempt to counteract the "fallout of Kali Yuga". The year 1900 equates to a New Age of Light, and this exact faculty of clairvoyance is meant to evolve out of the highest standards of thinking that seeks to grasp the spiritual-causal basis of the human, the world, and the Universe. Covering OOS is an excellent idea in the rationale of body, soul, and spirit.
Thanks. I will look at this article and learn something about Whitehead. Just saw that he and Steiner were born just 12 days apart. In reciprocation, I would like to send you an article I published recently, "The Trinity of Organic Life", and hopefully you will see a process going on therein, as well.
"People who begin to have some presentiment of supersensible things are apt to wax talkative on this subject, thereby retarding their normal development. The less one talks about these matters the better. Only someone who has achieved a certain degree of clarity should speak about them. It would be much better to remain entirely silent on this subject, and to content themselves with mentioning only whether they have been successful or unsuccessful in performing the exercises and observing the instructions given them. " --Rudolf Steiner
Call it then as you will
Call it bliss! Heart! Love! God
I do not have a name
For this.
Feeling is all;
Names are but sound and smoke
Befogging heaven’s blazes. --Goethe
Hi Matt,
Here is an essay that could prove to be useful when you cover chapter 5 on Initiation involving sense-free thinking as a path without a lot of esotericism. Pure Thinking. Ron Milito wrote this in 2015, and it forms the Intermediate Path.
http://mathsciencehelp.com/intermediatepath2.pdf
One of the most important features of this discussion that I think will serve to propel it forward is the concept of "Saturn and Self Remembering", which forms the essence of what is called, 'Eternal Recurrence'. We know that Rudolf Steiner brought forth his Spiritual Science in three gradient measures of:
1) The Philosophy of Freedom
2) Theosophy: An Introduction to the Supersensible Knowledge of the World and the Destination of Man
3) Occult Science: An Outline
Now, it is in this third book, which is under consideration here, that Steiner for the first time opens up the vista of human evolutionary progression that is traceable to Ancient Saturn. So, this is why we are given a whole lot more than what was given in the previous book on Theosophy, which was about the evolution about the human Soul. Of course, PoF outlines the function of thinking as spiritual activity, in the first place. So, we see here a trinity engagement of Body, Soul, and Spirit in the work of Rudolf Steiner from 1894 to 1910.
Yet, Matt, when you feel the need to invoke Whitehead's book, "Process and Reality", in the midst of OOS, it has to make one wonder if you are getting it at all. The goal is to reach primordial aims, and not 'process function', which is a typical logical-empirical analysis. Yet, you are reminding of Whitehead. Why?
Why? Because I think Whitehead's panentheistic and evolutionary process theology provides some of the conceptual background that allows us to make sense of the metaphysics underlying Steiner's clairvoyant reports. I resist the idea that Steiner is somehow "the first"; so much of his work has deep roots in and has quite obviously been influenced not only by Theosophy but by the history Western esotericism more broadly.
Perhaps I am not getting Steiner at all. But describing Whitehead's method as "typical logical-empirical analysis" suggests to me you aren't getting his work.
Admittedly, I am not a student of Whitehead and his work, but I think it can be shown in manifold ways that Steiner's developed exact clairvoyance is the first of its kind in the world, and designed to set the standard for the entry into the 20th century of this new faculty in order to attempt to counteract the "fallout of Kali Yuga". The year 1900 equates to a New Age of Light, and this exact faculty of clairvoyance is meant to evolve out of the highest standards of thinking that seeks to grasp the spiritual-causal basis of the human, the world, and the Universe. Covering OOS is an excellent idea in the rationale of body, soul, and spirit.
In case you're curious, I tried to show the convergence in methodologies between Goethe and Whitehead in this essay: https://footnotes2plato.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/goethe-and-whitehead_holistic-science-journal.pdf
Thanks. I will look at this article and learn something about Whitehead. Just saw that he and Steiner were born just 12 days apart. In reciprocation, I would like to send you an article I published recently, "The Trinity of Organic Life", and hopefully you will see a process going on therein, as well.
https://open.substack.com/pub/spiritlogic/p/the-trinity-of-organic-life?r=2kbdzg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web