Now there are many different degrees of memory. Its simplest form is
manifest when a person perceives an object and, after turning away from
it, retains its image in his mind. He formed the image while looking at
the object, A process was then carried out between his astral body and his
ego. The astral body lifted into consciousness the outward impression of
the object, but knowledge of the object would last only as long as the
thing itself was present, unless the ego absorbed the knowledge into
itself and made it its own.
It is at this point that occult science draws the dividing line between
what belongs to the body and what belongs to the soul. It speaks of the
astral body as long as it is a question of the gaining of knowledge from
an object which is present. But what gives knowledge duration is known as
soul. From this it can at once be seen how close is the connection in man
between the astral body and that part of the soul which gives a lasting
quality to knowledge. The two are, to a certain extent, united into one
principle of human nature. Consequently, this unity is often denoted the
astral body. When exact terms are desired, the astral body is called the
_soul-body_, and the soul, in so far as it is united with the latter, is
called the _sentient soul_.
The ego rises to a higher stage of its being when it centres its activity
on what it has gained for itself out of its knowledge of objective things.
It is by means of this activity that the ego detaches itself more and more
from the objects of perception, in order to work within that which is its
own possession. The part of the soul on which this work devolves is called
the rational- or intellectual-soul.(3) It is the peculiarity of the
sentient and intellectual souls that they work with that which they
receive through sense-impressions of external objects of which they retain
the memory. The soul is then wholly surrendered to something which is
really outside it. Even what it has made its own through memory, it has
actually received from without. But it is able to go beyond all this, and
occult science can most easily give an idea of this by drawing attention
to a simple fact, which, however, is of the greatest importance. It is,
that in the whole range of speech there is but one name which is
distinguished by its very nature from all other names. This is the name
“I.” Every other name can be applied by any one to the thing or being to
which it belongs. The word “I,” as the designation of a being, has a
meaning only when given to that being by himself. Never can any outside
voice call us by the name of “I.” We can apply it only to ourselves. I am
only an “I” to myself; to every one else I am a “you,” and every one else
is a “you” to me. This fact is the outward expression of a deeply
significant truth. The real essence of the ego is independent of
everything outside of it, and it is on this account that its name cannot
be applied to it by any one else.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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