Rudolf Steiner's Esoteric Science

There are many fields which appear to be empty. A quick glance outside a window will give the impression that not much is occurring, however, we could not be more mistaken. There are radio frequencies swimming through the air which are invisible to the naked eye, but can easily be detected and decoded with radio and television receivers; for the purpose of antennas on rooftops of residential homes is to pick up subtle signals and transform them into television images and radio broadcasts.

At night, when visibility is limited and the earth seems to be at rest, there exists a world beyond the shadows that is fully alive; where the stars, the moon, and creatures of the night are actively engaged in mysterious ways. When the earth appears calm, still, and quiet, the higher "invisible" worlds are very much in motion.

Utilizing scientific devices, one can intercept, decode, and interpret invisible radio signals. But what about signals which scientific devices are not yet advanced enough to detect? Do we simply dismiss them as if they were an illusion? For this reason, the term spiritual science is employed in order to establish a field which investigates the mysteries of these invisible worlds. Spiritual science picks up where traditional science fails to venture into.

Every culture in the history of mankind has had a theory for these higher invisible planes. The concept of a “higher world” is thousands of years old, versus the theory of traditional modern science which is only a few hundred years old. It's only within the last 300 years of "modern" science--which reduces everything to atoms--that everything beyond matter has gotten ignored; both science and the mainstream culture have become asleep to the hidden wonders of the world, which dwell beyond the five senses.

Every culture going back to the ancient Egyptians—over 3,000 years—has believed and experienced these higher worlds in various forms and degrees. These higher worlds become activated and engaged through the use of our imagination. Energies which are activated through the instrument of our imagination, is what we call “magic” or Esoteric Science.

There are various methods to developing "knowledge of the higher worlds." One of them is Rudolf Steiner’s 3-Stage Model: Imaginative Thinking, Inspirational Thinking, and Intuitive Thinking. The point of departure for attaining these higher states of awareness is the ordinary cognitive state of Mechanical Thinking.

Steiner's Stages of Consciousness

When a human mind observes an external object, the initial thought and reaction is already habituated, or mechanical. The object of observation presents itself as we already know it, that’s what in Esoteric Science we call Mechanical Thinking. One does not observe an object to learn something new in it, instead the human brain simply recalls a set of memories associated to that object; the same effect occurs in everyday interactions with people and events out in the world. For example, in a moment of fear or shame, a person is instantly taken back to a past experience, a previous situation in life; often rooted in a traumatic childhood experience. Stories and scenarios keep repeating in the initial moment one encounters a scenario. This Mechanical Thinking is the starting point for psychological and spiritual development.

Mental stories can change, which then alter reactions in the unfolding moments of the world, which then influence the path and direction we navigate in world. Through proper mental training, anyone can alter their direction (path) in life. By simply changing habitual thinking patterns, a person can reorient their life. Through releasing and letting go of "what does not serve us anymore," new opportunities begin to arise in the world. Mechanical Thinking is the point of departure for psychological development. Upon this realization, one is then ready to advance to the next stage of cognitive training—Imaginative Thinking.

Imaginative Thinking

Through proper mental training, anyone can recalibrate their Mechanical Thinking patterns towards a more advantageous life story. Employing the imagination properly, new worlds can be created and re-created. Anyone can stop at this stage and reconstruct any world they are inspired to create without the aspiration for spiritual development. This option is often called "secular meditation"—where one is simply concerned with immediate and practical results. Secular meditation practices can work really well for some people, in terms of reconditioning old mental habits and becoming a better human being. For example, a global movement which has gradually been developing over the last 150 years is that of Secular Buddhism. This form of Buddhist practice is not concerned with beliefs or traditional rituals, rather, it’s primary focus is on being practical and useful in everyday affairs. One of the main contributors to this field is the Buddhist scholar Stephen Batchelor. Secular meditation can prove very useful for some people. However, there are many who are inspired to take the next step in the spiritual journey and enter the spiritual worlds—the Higher Worlds. And this is where we meet the ideas of Rudolf Steiner.

Rudolf Steiner believed that the human form contains a “soul” which moves the physical body, and that the purpose of life is to develop the inner capacities of the soul, which lay beyond physical matter and appearances. He’s not the only philosopher that thinks humans are spiritual in nature, there are countless testimonies from all around the world, in every culture, and in every epoch in history. There are billions of believers of the spiritual world, all who approach the spiritual world differently. For example, a Christian approach is different than the Buddhist methods, however, at the depths of these two traditions—at the esoteric levels—one finds more similarities than differences.

In the physical world, there’s a constant flow of things coming in and out of form. For example, a seed grows, becomes a plant, bears fruit, and eventually withers away—so too is the case for human beings. But in the spiritual world—the Higher Worlds—nothing dies, energy simply changes from one form to another. According to spiritual research, the human soul evolves and transforms in cycles of birth and rebirth. Hence the purpose of Esoteric Science, which is to develop methods of growth and development for the human soul. Rudolf Steiner established the spiritual school of Anthroposophy for this very purpose, to offer people with spiritual inclinations a system (a school) to learn about the higher spiritual realms—the Higher Worlds. In every spiritual community, the concept of birth and death is replaced with the concept of eternal transformation.

In the stage of Imaginative Thinking, a person is able to think critically about concepts and ideas which lead them to draw reasonable hypotheses which then opens the door to worlds beyond the simple primitive mind of Mechanical Thinking. Upon establishing a few reasonable hypotheses, the higher worlds begin to open, one can then at least entertain the idea that perceptions in the imagination are signals from a higher reality. Employing the capacities of the imagination, one can hypothesize that the causes of mental vibrations are signals from a higher vibrational field which are independent from the physical world. For example, just like a magnetic field attracts metal objects, or sound waves form an image in the sand, likewise, our human capacity to imagine is formed from causes beyond Mechanical Thinking. By acquiring the skill of Imaginative Thinking, one is then able to loosen the minds grip to old concepts and ideas, which make the brain’s mental vibrations receptive to vibrations from the higher world. For example, through mediation methods, one can arouse feelings of warmth or cold in the physical body which are drawn from a higher vibrational field—since energy can never be created nor destroy, it must come from somewhere. Inner development does not cease at the level of Imaginative Thinking, for one can go even higher into what Rudolf Steiner called Inspirational Thinking.

Inspirational Thinking

Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual science presents ideas that are beyond most people’s ability to imagine, but then again, that’s what scientists do. A few great questions to ask are: Was Steiner a crazy scientist? What did he get correct? Which of his methods are useful to humanity? What can humanity learn from his teachings and what should we dismiss as irrational or too "far out"? These are standard research questions every serious student of spirituality seeks to answer, or at least attempt to draw a reasonable conclusion. One of the aims of this essay is present some of those reasonable ideas which offer a reasonable path towards spiritual development. But before we get deep into spiritual concepts about Steiner’s make-up of the higher worlds, let’s first establish some basic ideas which serve as a foundation for further studies into the Higher Worlds.  

So, what is Inspirational Thinking? There are moments in life when a person feels inspired to go to a certain place, perform a particular task, or begin a new project. Musicians are great examples. A musician cannot force himself to write great music, instead, they prepare and wait for that moment of inspiration. However, they don’t simply wait around in useless distractions, instead, they’re constantly working on their craft, developing and experimenting with new ideas. And when great ideas appear, they’re always ready to capture them into their genre of music. Musical inspiration is like the wind, you don’t know where it’s coming from or where the idea is going, the musician's mission is to capture it, nourish and develop the idea, which eventually turns into something special that grows almost organically. That's the magic of music.

The same pattern follows fiction or non-fiction writers. For example, a fairytale writer is always analyzing concepts and developing ideas. Writers are constantly refining their craft, and when great ideas arrive—through Inspirational Thinking— they’re always ready to capture that magical moment; as in the case of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings. 

The same principle applies to spiritual researches who study the ideas of teachers who established their ideas in old books—such as Steiner and many others. In the process of studying esoteric concepts, a student will be inspired by some ideas, and less by others. Inspirational Thinking will determine which concepts to apply or restructure. As a result, modern esoteric students write for modern audiences, while referencing the classical works of previous esoteric teachers. Thereby, making old ideas new again.

The standard pattern that keeps reappearing in any field of study—either in science or art—is to always be prepared for when inspiration strikes. By constantly staying engaged in a project, one realizes that new ideas keep coming through as if from another world, we may call this process Inspirational Thinking. There are many things we do not know which are slowly revealed to those who are prepared to receive new knowledge—higher knowledge. Rudolf Steiner took this principle of Inspirational Thinking seriously, which led him to come up with all sorts of interesting theories. As spiritual researchers, we are to utilize this concept to evaluate and test out proposed ideas and hypotheses, which our Inspirational Thinking will determine if something is valid or practical. The aim of spiritual science is to try new ideas in order to keep what is useful and dismiss what does not make logical or intuitive sense.

Rudolf Steiner recognized a set of beings living in the spiritual world, which are accessible through Inspirational Thinking. These Higher Beings are not influenced by physical causes but spiritual causes. Just like the human body is supported by the physical environment, a spiritual being is influenced and supported by the spiritual world, which many call the Astral Plane. When a person dies, the body ashes stay on Earth, but the Soul rises to the Astral Plane; it's the same in sleep, where the body is at rest, while the soul travels in the Astral Plane.

Communication with the Astral dimension is established through Inspirational Thinking—similar to a telephone communication. Inspirational Thinking is like a connection through technology.  The aim of Esoteric Science is to develop the art and craft of reading the Higher Worlds through the process of spiritual research. The purpose of any spiritual school is to offer a practical method for reading the “hidden script.”

To understand how this process works, let’s examine a book analogy. We combine letters and read words in a book in order to extract out the meaning behind the words—a common phrase is “reading between the lines.” The act of reading and understanding is not based on the literal words or statements, but on their interpretive meaning. Poets, musicians, and fairytale writers don’t use language for their literal sense but in order to formulate a story with profound meaning veiled in common language; the true meaning of poetry begins to be revealed through Inspirational Thinking. In the English language, there are only 26 letters, but it is the arrangement of the letters that produce a sense of meaning in the stories that we tell one another and pass on from generation to generation—that is the key to reading sacred texts like the Holy Bible. One does not read the Bible for its literal sense, but for it’s Inspirational and Intuitive meaning. That is what we may call “reading the hidden script.” Poets, musician, fiction and non-fiction writers are always exploring the hidden depths of language, which requires one to go beyond Mechanical Thinking into Imaginative Thinking, which leads to Inspirational Thinking. These are the stories that fascinate audiences and generations to come. These are the ideas that last for generations.

Intuitive Thinking

The concept of Intuitive Thinking in Steiner’s Anthroposophy is different than the common definition of the term “intuition.” In common language, the term “intuition” is referred to as a feeling or message that comes from another world which people receive but don’t fully understand where it’s coming from or what its intended meaning is, this is not Steiner’s definition of the term. Intuitive Thinking is a direct relationship with the spiritual world. If Inspirational Thinking is analogous to communicating through technology—phones, computers—Intuitive Thinking is like being present in the same room with the other person. In Steiner’s terminology, Intuitive Thinking is a direct knowing of the Higher Worlds.

To fully enter the stage of Intuitive Thinking takes time and effort—and many years of training. The aim of spiritual training is to attain direct “knowledge of higher worlds.”  It may sound like a far-fetched idea, but at minimum it serves as something to aim at, a goal to keep spiritual students oriented towards higher ideals, and spiritual development. Many other great thinkers have also proposed similar concepts, Steiner is not the only person who claimed to have direct “knowledge of the higher worlds.”

Presupposing that these higher worlds do exist—based upon the numerous testimonies from all around the world, in every tradition, and every epoch of history—what then are the claims of Steiner’s Esoteric Science that we can put to practical use? Well, that’s the hobby of all spiritual students, to discover what methods or ideas work best for them in their current life situation. In the many years of spiritual research, I can testify that Steiner’s 3-Stage Model of spiritual development serves as a practical and useful tool to explore and eventually make our own. The mission of every esoteric student is to explore old methods and develop new ideas, which then get presented to a new generation in new ways.

Rudolf Steiner not only presents a “philosophy of freedom” but also provides methods for gaining access to these Higher Worlds. The spiritual claims in Anthroposophy and Esoteric Science is that the Higher Worlds are real, and that spiritual beings inhabit these worlds. Anthroposophy or Esoteric Science provides many methods for attaining the skills necessary to enter into these Higher Worlds.

Amongst the many beings that inhabit the spiritual world, the Etheric Christ is one of them, which in Christianity, is the central Spiritual Sun of the higher dimensions, the center of gravity for all the inhabitants of the Higher Worlds. Anthroposophy claims that the Second Coming of Christ has already occurred, and that the region in which to meet Him is in the spiritual world. The Etheric Christ awaits for humanity to open their spiritual senses and see Him in the Higher Worlds. By developing Intuitive Thinking, one enters the Higher Worlds and establishes a direct connection to Jesus Christ—according to Steiner’s Anthroposophy. The term intuition, in the Anthroposophical sense, refers to:

“A cognitive process of the highest degree of light-filled clarity. If we have it, we are fully conscious of its justification [existence].”

~Steiner, Rudolf. Chapter 5, Outline of Esoteric Science

Conclusion

In summary, this essay proposes a reasonable model towards spiritual development. In Mechanical Thinking, a being acts like a programmed robot; in Imaginative Thinking we begin to rewire and recreate our life story; in Inspirational Thinking we begin to establish a connection to the spiritual world and its inhabitants; and finally, in Intuitive Thinking, we establish a direct knowing of these Higher Worlds, where we communicate directly with the Etheric Christ.

In conclusion, in every culture and epoch of history, various methods or models of spiritual development have been offered. The purpose of so many methods is to meet the "needs and conditions" of the culture in which it enters. In this essay, I’ve presented an outline of Rudolf Steiner’s 20th Century approach. The mission of all modern spiritual researchers is to learn from previous generations and develop new methods for future generations. Just as musicians, artists, and writers learn from their predecessors and then rework their ideas to form new genres, so too must spiritual researchers develop new methods of making “old teachings” new again.