Initiation, Eternity, and the Passing Moment

At one pole, the human soul hardens within itself, winds itself into the cocoon of its selfhood, and only desires what is of service to itself, what is for its self-gratification. At the other pole, the human soul draws forces from its own depths that are able to radiate into the whole life of humanity.... This happens the moment we think how necessary it is for every man to sacrifice for others what is his own, what is his most individually, what belongs most deeply to his egohood. But in all that man can do for his fellows out of his egohood lives Lucifer, the other pole of Lucifer; in all that man can thus achieve for humanity under the influence of the Light-bearer, lies a reflection of what Lucifer really is in higher worlds, a reflection of his creative activity, which is the revealing of the unrevealed. Rudolf Steiner. These lectures delineate the difference between ordinary and initiate consciousness. Steiner further distinguishes between the initiation of the Christ, who gave the earth its meaning by working from within the physical body, and the initiations of the great initiates who guided humanity by imparting truths gained while outside the body. Steiner goes on to describe the means of initiation needed today and how Lucifer and Ahriman, the opposing forces in earthly existence, play into this process. These profound lectures can help us in understanding the place, purpose, and methods of true inner development.