Spirit self

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The spirit self (German: Geistselbst), the higher self of the human being in the narrower sense, which inspires him as a genius, is that element of the human being which is formed by the conscious work of the individual "I" on the human astral body. It is also called manas (Sanskrit: मनस्) or karana sharira in the theosophical tradition. In order to develop the spirit self and consciously enter the spiritual world, absolute impartiality is necessary, which is especially trained by the fifth subsidiary exercise.

History of terms

The term "Manas" is first mentioned in the Katha Upanishad:

A charioteer is, know,
The Atman, chariot is the body,
Steering the chariot is Buddhi
Manas, know, the reins is.

– Katha Upanishad: 3,3[1]

The Jewish Kabbalah knows it by the name Neschama (Hebrew: נְשָׁמָה, also N'schama), but which is also used for the consciousness soul, especially in its connection and fusion with the spirit self. According to Rudolf Steiner, the spirit-self was also called Solomon (Hebrew: שלמה, Shəlom:o), after the eponymous Israelite King, in whom all 7 members of the human being were already very perfectly predisposed:

„And at last they called Manas or spirit-self these ancestors - because they said that such a spirit-self must contain within itself the disposition to be inwardly closed to be in balance - with a word that means "inner balance", "salvation". "inner balance", "Solomon".“ (Lit.:GA 116, p. 83)

Spirit Self and "I"

„The spirit that forms an "I" and lives as an "I" is called "spirit-self" because it appears as the "I" or "self" of the human being. The difference between the "spirit-self" and the "consciousness soul" can be made clear in the following way. The consciousness-soul touches the truth which is independent of all antipathy and sympathy and exists by itself; the spirit-self carries the same truth within itself, but absorbed and enclosed by the "I"; individualised by the latter and taken over into the independent being of man. In that the eternal truth is thus made independent and united with the "I" to form an entity, the "I" itself attains eternity.

The spiritual self is a revelation of the spiritual world within the "I", just as sensory perception is a revelation of the physical world within the "I". In what is red, green, light, dark, hard, soft, warm, cold, one recognises the revelations of the physical world; in what is true and good, the revelations of the spiritual world. In the same sense as the revelation of the physical is called sensation, the revelation of the spiritual is called intuition. The simplest thought already contains intuition, for one cannot touch it with hands, cannot see it with eyes: one must receive its revelation from the spirit through the "I".“ (Lit.:GA 9, p. 52f)

Literature
References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated.
Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com.
Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books
A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works
Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English.
Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold
steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA)
Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.

References

  1. ↑ Paul Deussen, Upanishads, p. 353
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