To detach oneself from the agitation of the crowd and strive to find one’s own path is the primary task of a person who dedicates their life to spiritual transformation.
This creates a new, special relationship with the whole. The path is based on the impulses of reason and the heart – and the latter are impulses of love. They lead to a deeply felt connection with everybody and a sense of shared responsibility for the future path of humanity.
In 1936, somewhere in Germany, a photo was taken of a large group of shipyard workers enthusiastically raising their right arms in a symbolic salute. Everyone in the photo is doing so with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Everyone, that is, except for one man, who stands somewhat sternly with his arms crossed in front of his chest. In keeping with the spirit of the times, this is a stance that shows courage.
What is courage?
Etymologically, in Germanic languages, the word originally referred to the spirit, mind or soul of a person and the resulting will. Courage was contrasted with (or placed alongside) reason. In later developments, courage was reduced to strong emotions such as anger and fearlessness. In the late Middle Ages, this understanding of courage became predominant in Dutch and German. The more far-reaching meanings were assigned to the term ‘mind’. This referred to qualities of the heart. In French and English (courage in both languages), the relationship to the heart (French: le coeur) is obvious.
Courage has to do with the workings of the heart, the soul, the spirit. Acts of courage are often expressed in fearlessness.
The spiritual conscience of human beings lies deep within the heart. Courage based on this is connected with truth, ethics, doing the right thing, and ‘inner knowledge’. When turned towards the heart, the head can understand what is right in decisive moments. The role of the heart becomes apparent at the moment of decision.
Viewed ‘from below’, the soul is the instrument with which we transform everything that affects us from outside into inner movement, in order to then have our experiences – with ourselves and with the world. Viewed ‘from above’, the soul is the instrument in which the truth of the spirit can be reflected – on its way through the heart. In both cases, consciousness receives impulses that find expression in our behaviour. In everything, the power of courage always flows from the heart. The heart flows into action, as it were.
Following a spiritual path can mean detaching oneself from the flowing and absorbing movement of the masses. In the search for the right action, for the next step on one’s own path, everyone is ultimately alone. They can listen to their heart, or not. If they do, they can make use of the courage that the heart offers them – namely, to act out of the soul and its longing for the spirit and truth.
In order to perceive the choice of the heart and carry it out unwaveringly, sufficient individual awareness and a character possessed of inner strength must be present. The seeker follows a path that they believe or intuitively feel will lead them to a higher goal. But they do not know what ‘landscapes’ they will pass through. The path only develops as we walk, and what is right or wrong becomes clear step by step. Courage takes on a special component here: it must be so great that the seeker is also prepared to leave their previous identity behind if their heart demands it.
This becomes necessary again and again because, deep down, we are not the temporal beings we know ourselves to be now. We are more, and when we walk the path that truly leads to ourselves, this ‘more’ urges us to take shape. We change in ever new and sometimes surprising ways.
The path that the great majority of people follow also leads to unknown realms. The motives for going along or letting oneself be carried along are manifold. Often they do not even enter our consciousness. Rarely are they based on a free decision. People seek protection in the ‘great stream’ from the uncertainties of the future.
The wisdom of Hermes Trismegistos appeals to humanity:
Where are you rushing to, O people, who are clouded because you are drunk with words that lack all knowledge, words of absolute ignorance that you cannot bear? Spit it out at last! Stop and sober up! See again with the eyes of your heart! And if not all can do so, then at least those who are capable of it. The evil of ignorance floods the whole earth, destroys the soul imprisoned in the body, and prevents it from entering the harbour of salvation. So do not let yourselves be carried away by the force of the current, but let those among you who are able to reach the harbour of salvation use the countercurrent and enter. (Corpus Hermeticum 3:1-3; Jan van Rijckenborgh, The Egyptian Arch-Gnosis Vol. 2)
Everyone has the freedom to follow their own path – and thus also the one that is right for them. However, they are then also responsible for the consequences of their path. It takes courage to take on this responsibility. The temptation to slip back into the turmoil of the masses in order to escape inner freedom and personal responsibility is all too great. It requires faith that what I feel to be right in my soul is true, and the courage to follow it.
The coronavirus pandemic was a time to test our courage. What happened during this period might happen again in other circumstances. In many countries, the government severely restricted freedom. This was partly done through restrictions and regulations, and partly through appeals to everyone’s sense of responsibility to behave in a compliant manner. This led to spontaneous and widespread social control among people.
What do I do in such a situation? There is much to consider here. What role does fear play for me? Do I give in to general fears or, after examining all the circumstances, do I follow my heart and my reason?
To detach oneself from the agitation of the crowd and strive to find one’s own path is the primary task of a person who dedicates their life to spiritual transformation. This creates a new, special relationship with the whole. The path is based on the impulses of reason and the heart – and the latter are impulses of love. They lead to a deeply felt connection with everybody and a sense of shared responsibility for the future path of humanity. This connection is particularly evident when one encounters people who are following the same or a similar path. One experiences directly the shared journey towards the goal of humanity, the unity of souls with each other, with the Earth and with the living organism of the universe.
Those who are not aware of this integration into the greater whole are in danger of hubris, of pride, of thinking they are something special. Those who are aware of it experience themselves as invited – as Hermes puts it – to enter the harbour of salvation. They use the ‘countercurrent’ to undergo inner transformations as individuals and at the same time together with others. They follow their urge and use the power of their soul. Many will not understand why they behave in certain situations in this way and not differently. It is their path, and they must struggle to understand it themselves.
One facet of development consists in unmasking what is at work within ourselves. Parts of what we have hitherto taken for granted as belonging to us reveal themselves to be significant obstacles on the path. Aspects of our individuality turn out to be masks behind which we hide. Perceiving them already requires courage and the belief and trust that the perception is correct. They are given to us by what is to come: a new spiritual ‘form’ that is better suited to expressing the spirit. In action, in speech, in silence.
In its depth, the soul is free, it is one with the soul world, a sphere of the universe. Here in the material world, it needs a persona, a form of appearance with which it can act. It needs the consciousness of a personality that at some point experiences itself as a helper, as a companion of an innermost divine I-Am, and together with it sets out on the great path on which the three – the inner spirit, the soul and the personality – become one. To this end, we receive courage as a gift from the inner God. And the freedom to step out of the old stream. And the longing, the confidence and the strength. For the primal ground urges us towards new revelation.
