Theosophy by Rudolf SteinerThere are many people on the web
these days looking up Angelina Jolie. Now, I don’t know Angelina Jolie,
but she seems like a nice person, seems to have wider interests than
most actors. The tendency to type in Angelina Jolie’s name, however,
does not stem from interest in Ms. Jolie per se. Indeed, unless one
knows Angelina personally, that cannot be the reason. Most of the time,
the typing will be done by men (generally young ones) who are not in
fact interested in Ms. Jolie, but are interested in a characteristic
that she carries in some abundance, that being sensuality.Now,
leaving aside peripheral issues, we need to realise that this search
for sensuality on the web must come to an unhappy end for each hopeful
surfer. At the end of each search, Ms. Jolie is not there. No-one is
there. Only pixels.:.:.:… It is an unrequited search. It doesn’t
actually make sense.So what were they looking for, really?Rudolf
Steiner writes about this meaningless exercise in his seminal (sorry!)
work, Theosophy. Not that he actually mentions Angelina, as he wrote
the book early in the 19th Century.Steiner was a philosopher,
mystic and sage who lived around the turn of the 20th century. He is
best known for his work through Steiner/Waldorf education, Biodynamic
Agriculture and Anthroposophical Architecture. These things are only
becoming widely accepted and popular now, eighty-odd years after his
death.In Theosophy, Steiner propounds his philosophy of human
life, delicately describing the many parts that make up a person, in
the context of the physical and spiritual worlds around us.He
outlines the worlds of Body, Soul and Spirit, and various parts of
these, as well as making the argument for the importance of
reincarnation in this context. I am no convert to that idea, but I like
the argument.Steiner does not actually seek converts or
believers, but rather challenges the reader to develop her own
faculties of thinking and sensitivity so as to be able to appreciate
the truth (or otherwise) of the matters he outlines. His view is that
each person is able to develop themselves in this way. It is the very
reason he wrote this book and others, and spent all of his energies on
the lecture circuit (6000 lectures!).In the last chapter of the
book, Steiner provides the beginnings of what he regards as a sure-fire
path to knowledge of higher worlds. So what’s the catch? Well, it is
that Steiner’s view is that any short-cut or easy way to knowledge is
worthless, as it will only amuse or unsettle, but will not lead to true
understanding. The exercises he alludes to amount to no less than a
complete remaking of the self. It is hard, dedicated, religious
practice without the worldly religion or dogma attached. Anyone who
wishes to tread this path needs to be completely committed to it, in
heart, mind and soul, and willing to change himself utterly. The
requirement is for ever increasing faculties of self control. Not
generally within the comfort zone of the average web surfer looking for
a quick fix. And on that topic, returning to Ms. Jolie,
Steiner mentions, on page 109, that individuals are the more nearly
perfect the more their souls sympathise with manifestations of the
spirit, the less perfect the more their souls’ inclinations are
satisfied through bodily functions.This is not exactly a
wowserish attitude. Later in the book, Steiner indicates that the
experience of Ms Jolie’s visage would in fact be heightened in someone
who had trained herself in this way. The difference is that that person
would be better able to hold such a thing in its proper perspective.So
there we have it. A book that can provide a way to challenge one’s own
habits and rise above them. A good book, well intentioned. Not an easy
read. Not everyone’s cup of tea. My advice is this: Have a look, and if
it really grabs you, then it’s right. If it doesn’t, and I mean really
grab you like a good novell used to, then put it aside or give it away,
but don’t write it off. Have another go a few years later. That’s what
worked for me.Finally, I have summarised the last chapter below, in verse, so that I can better remember it, and use it as a bit of a mantra.With a listening earAnd well-ordered thoughtAnd devotion to allThat the world has here broughtSusupending our judgment‘fore each worthy soulbeyond pleasure and painto the eternal whole.Sdb05Theosophy, by Rudolf SteinerAnthroposophic Press, 1994The elib below has the book available for download, although I found it much easier to read in hardcopy.