Living in You
The Goetheanum Leadership has discussed aspects of an anthroposophical esotericism – not least with a view to how it is perceived in public.
Many people, including politicians, economists, athletes, try to prepare themselves for demanding and potentially stressful tasks by using relaxation exercises, meditation and other spiritual approaches. But few ask what anthroposophy has to offer in this respect. And while there is some appreciation and recognition, there is also an increase in attacks on anthroposophists, who are alleged to be opposed to vaccination, to be anti-Semitic and into conspiracy theories.
Anthroposophical verses can be helpful when one has to cope with illness or difficult – private or professional – situations. Is the fact that something is difficult to fathom for outsiders (‘mysterious’) a sufficient reason for this bad reputation? Why is there no acknowledgment of the fact that all these verses, down to the lessons of the First Class of the School of Spiritual Science, are all publicly accessible?
Practical implementation
The fact is that the anthroposophical inner work does not aim at self-optimization. In the medical-therapeutic context, for instance, the meditative path of knowledge serves the development of the ‘I’-being so that it becomes open to inspiration in attending to the needs of the patients and promoting therapeutic effectiveness. This orientation towards the You reveals the selfless purpose: the development of the ‘I’ serves the other person. Is this nurturing of what is truly individual one of the reasons for the attacks?
Anthroposophical esotericism connects the meditative path of knowledge with the practical life. It promotes inner development, seeking to connect our spiritual being with the spirit in the world and, in this way, become effective in practical life. ‘Practical life’ can refer to our actions in the here and now or to our nurturing of relationships with the dead or with the world of spiritual beings. The requirement for esotericism to encompass the practical life in order to be complete goes hand in hand with the need for us to live what we represent and to only represent what we have experienced ourselves or to make it clear when we are relating something we have heard or read. Omitting this may lead to – justified – rejection.
Additionally, the lack of clarity about one’s method of gaining knowledge or foundations of judgement can give the impression of impenetrable mysticism and lead to incomprehension. It is a question of communication, but how can it be done in the right way, so that it is understood?
Open to the spiritual world
The fruits of our esoteric work can become effective in our actions. When this happens they are not the content of our consciousness, but they lead through the ‘gate of forgetting’ into the ‘sleep-conscious world of will’. Aside from the relevant preparations, acting requires presence of mind and openness to the actual situation, in an attitude that Dag Hammarskjöld described as saying “thank you to the past, ‘yes’ to the future”.
The path from living in thought to living in You is about building a relationship with others and letting them ‘speak’ in their individual way: here we enter the world of essential being and of beings.
Are more explanations required, for instance, on concrete ways of working in Anthroposophic Medicine, biodynamic farming and Waldorf Education? And on how everyday professional practice relates to the path of knowledge?
Summary of a conversation with the Goetheanum Leadership.