“When exercises for intuition are practiced, they not only affect the etheric body but extend to the supersensible forces of the physical body. But it must not, of course, be imagined that effects are brought about in the physical body which are discernable to ordinary sense observation, for these effects the clairvoyant alone is able to judge, and they have nothing to do with external powers of perception. They come as a result of a ripened consciousness, when this latter is able to have intuitional experiences, even though it has divested itself of all previous inner and outer experiences. The experiences of intuition are, however, subtle, delicate, and intimate, in comparison with which the physical body, at its present stage of development, is course. For this reason, it offers a positive hindrance to the success of any exercises for attaining intuition. Nevertheless, should these be pursued with energy and perseverance, and with the required inner calm, they will ultimately be these powerful hindrances of the physical body. The student will become aware of this when he [, or she] notices how by degree, particular actions of the physical body which hitherto had taken place without his [, or her] own own volition, now come under control.” ~Rudolf Steiner

Exercises Practices

Steiner speaks of these practices as “exercises for intuition” but they can also be called exercises for spiritual development or spiritual growth. Those terms are more commonly used today but mean the same thing as it was spiritual development that Mr. Steiner was trying to teach. Of course, we students of Cosolargy are aware that exercises, or as we call them, techniques, must be practiced regularly and faithfully to achieve any significant spiritual growth.

Extend the Supersensible Forces

Steiner doesn’t explain what he means by “supersensible forces,” but I think we can say that practicing spiritual techniques not only brings energy (Light) into the energy centers of the spirit but also those of the body, so practicing these techniques can have a good effect on the body and mind as well as the spirit. Mr. Steiner says their effects are not discernable by the physical senses, and that is generally true, but there are exceptions. While beginning students may find this hard to believe, many Cosolargy students who had brown eyes when they started have seen their eye color gradually change to blue or grey (which experts say is not really grey, but a grayish shade of blue). While this color change may not seem to matter, as it doesn’t seem to be accompanied by other changes, it is, at the very least, a good indication that one is practicing the techniques properly and achieving the desired results. Other noticeable effects might be a general improvement in physical health and in mental health and attitude. Some of those improvements may be due to changing long-held beliefs that have proven untrue once you start developing higher levels of consciousness. Other may be the result of the increased energy of a positive kind brought into the body by practicing the techniques. However, it should not be assumed that practicing spiritual techniques will eliminate all illnesses, though it does happen to a few individuals.

Ripened Consciousness

Mr. Steiner says these changes come about because of a “Ripened” consciousness. While that is an unusual way to say it, it is totally appropriate. Today, we are more likely to say expanded consciousness, or reaching higher levels of consciousness. I have chosen to illustrate this article with an animated GIF of an opening Lotus blossom to represent this expansion of consciousness. It might be useful to think of that image when practicing techniques.

Hindrance By the Body

The physical body can be a hindrance to spiritual development. Gene Savoy, Sr. has noted this in some lectures when he said that it is hard to practice techniques when one has a toothache or headache. But even when you are not suffering from any obvious illness, the dense materialism that the physical body has degenerated into over many centuries does offer a hindrance to spiritual development. It can, however, still be done with patience and regular practice. We must all understand that we can’t erase centuries of degeneration with a few weeks, or even months, of spiritual techniques. We must keep at it diligently and faithfully for years.

“Up close, an atom is composed of tinier bits of matter whirling at lightning speed around a huge empty space. …

“If you zero in on these bits of subatomic matter, they are not material at all but rather mere vibrations of energy that have taken on the appearance of solidity. This discovery, that matter is a fluctuation of energy dressed up in a different guise, fueled the quantum revolution lrd by Einsten and his colleagues. …

“The quantum revolution made it inevitable that our world-view would change. Quantum physics proved that the infinite variety of objects we see around us—stars, galaxies, mountains, trees, butterflies, and amoebas—is connnected by infinite, eternal, unbounded quantum fields, a kind of invisible quilt that has all creation stitched into it. Objects that look seperate and distinct to us are in fact all sewn into the design of this vast quilt. The hard edges of any object , such as a chair or a table, are an illusion forces upon us by the limits of our sight. If we had eyes tuned to the qquantum world, we would see these edges blur and finally ment, giving way to unlimited quantum fields. …

“It is nw believed that a single superfield, called the unified field, exists; it is the ultimate reality that underlies all of nature.” ~Deepak Chopra

Looking at the Atom

As Chopra says, the atom was for centuries considered the smallest particle of matter and was fairly solid. Only the invention of more powerful microscopes made it possible to see that the atom was not solid at all, but made up of smaller particles whirling around each other. When I was in grade school and high school, this was typically depicted as a nucleus of particles with solid electrons swirling around it only a short distance away. The new quantum version has the electron a greater distance from the nucleus, and it is all fuzzy to show that it isn’t solid at all, but only appears solid when observed.

All Connected

The greater discovery of Quantum Physics is that these tiny subatomic particles are all connected to each other in some as yet unknown way. While many scientists who favor a more Newtonian view of the world insist that this interconnectedness of subatomic particles does not extend out to larger objects like trees and people. While that opinion may give them some comfort, it doesn’t make sense. If everything is made of atoms, which are made of smaller subatomic particles, and those particles are interconnected, then everything and everyone is interconnected. On a material level of existence, that interconnectedness is not apparent, but at a higher, more spiritual level it is. Dr. Chopra refers to this as a great quilt, but I don’t think that gives an accurate view. A quilt is made up of many pieces that are sewn together, yet they remain separate. The idea here is that objects are not truly separate but are joined to all other objects, directly or indirectly. And that is just on the physical level and in the universe of matter.

The Spiritual Side of Interconnectedness

This interconnectedness is even greater on a spiritual level. We only have to think a little about what spirits are. Spirit is not restricted or affected in any way by space and time. A spirit occupies all space and all time simultaneously. As a result, they are clearly all interconnected. If every spirit is infinite, then in any location, no matter how small, all spirits are there. So while physical subatomic particles/waves are connected to others in the same time and space, spirits are connected in all times and all spaces. It is the goal of spiritual development to reach that level of consciousness where we become aware of that interconnectedness and become One with the All. This doesn’t mean we lose our individuality, but it does mean that individuality is more limited than most of us believe.

Being Healthy

A final note on being healthy. The quote from Dr. Chopra comes from his book titled “Perfect Health”. In this book, he expresses the idea that disease and aging are optional. In a quantum world, we must understand that nearly every cell in our bodies is regularly replaced. It is only because we believe in it that the process allows the cells to age or develop disease. He says that if we can change our beliefs to understand that those cells can reproduce perfectly each time, no matter how old we get, we will live much longer and healthier lives. Gene Savoy, Sr. taught the same idea.

“It is the object of contemplative prayer, as it is the object of all education, to discipline and develop certain growing faculties. Here, the faculties are those of the ‘transcendental self,’ the ‘new person’—all those powers which we associate with the ‘spiritual consciousness.’ The ‘Sons of God,’ however, like the sons of men, begin as babies, and their first lessons must not be too hard. Therefore the educative process conforms to and takes advantage of every step of the natural process of growth: as we, in the education of our children, make the natural order in which their faculties develop the basis of our scheme of cultivation. Recollection, Quiet, and Contemplation, then, answer to the order in which the mystic’s powers unfold. Roughly speaking, we shall find the forms of spiritual attention which is called ‘Meditative, or ‘Recollective’ go side to side with the purification of the Self; that ‘Quiet’ tends to be characteristic of illumination, that contemplation proper—at any rate in its highest forms—is most fully experienced by those who have attained, or nearly attained, the United Way. At the same time, just as the self in its ‘first mystic life,’ before it has passed through the dark night of the spirit, often seems to run through the whole gamut of spiritual states, and attain that immediate experience of the Absolute which it seeks—though as a fact, it has not reached those higher levels of consciousness on which true and permanent union takes place.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Discipline and Development

Ms. Underhill is correct in linking together discipline and development in any educative process. With virtually any type of education, self-discipline goes together with developing the skills or knowledge of that education. This is probably more important with our spiritual development than with any other form of education. A person who gains spiritual knowledge without also developing the discipline to handle and control that knowledge can harm themselves or others, and either negate into developing the dark side or become frightened and stop their spiritual development entirely. So the smart spiritual school or teacher helps the student develop discipline at the same time they are learning spiritual development techniques. Think of Mr. Miyagi teaching Daniel in the original (1984) version of “The Karate Kid”. He made Daniel develop patience and discipline before learning Karate.

The New Person

I have taken the liberty here of modernizing Underhill’s statement which originally read “new man” because I want it to be clear that it applies to women as well. What Underhill is saying here is that with proper spiritual development, we don’t just become better educated, we become a new person, a transcendental person who is greater than before such development. You are not just educating yourself, as with studying math, for example, but literally changing yourself.

Sons and Daughters of God

Just as our physical self begins as a baby, so does the newly awakened spirit. While a spirit is never a baby, it is similar to one in that it is uneducated, so its education must start with the basics. You wouldn’t put an infant in a college physics class. Likewise, you don’t start teaching spiritual development with advanced methods and knowledge. It might not have to be as basic as stacking blocks and coloring in color books, still, the concept applies. The beginning student must start at the beginning and progress slowly, with very few exceptions. And a good school will allow each student to progress at his or her own speed, and not forde them to go too fast or slow them down so much that they lose interest.

The Order in Which Powers Unfold

While we are all individuals, and some may develop differently than others, there is a general order in which spiritual development happens. So a good spiritual education takes that into account and teaches in the order in which things usually develop. And it isn’t just the order in which they develop, but the order in which they can be understood. It is also true that some people develop certain spiritual gifts while others don’t. As a dog owner, I have been disappointed at times in my limited ability to communicate with animals, yet this is an advanced gift that few develop until a very late stage, so I accept that now, and make use of those spiritual abilities that have developed. It should be noted that spiritual abilities and psychic abilities are not the same, so try not to confuse the two.

Dark Night of the Spirit

The Dark Night of the Spirit (or Soul) is something mentioned often in regard to spiritual development. Some express the idea that without going through such a period of great difficulties and depression, spiritual development cannot happen. Fortunately, that is not true. While we all go through some difficulties, something as deep as the Dark Night of the Spirit doesn’t always happen, nor does it have to. Just as some people are easier to wake from deep physical sleep than others, so too some are easier to awaken from the deep sleep of spirit than others. And having a Dark Night of the Soul does not guarantee a spiritual awakening. Many have such an experience and do not develop spiritually at all. So don’t seek out such an experience on the idea that it will awaken your spiritual faculties. Following the techniques of a spiritual school like Cosolargy is a better and safer way to do it.