It should not be expected that what is spiritual can be brought before the eyes, before the senses. It must be experienced inwardly and spiritually.
Rudolf SteinerRead
In ancient, prehistoric times, the temples of the spirit were outwardly visible, but today, when our life has become so unspiritual, they no longer exist where we can see them with our physical eyes. Yet spiritually they are still present everywhere, and whoever seeks can find them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The essence of spirituality is no longer visible in our materialistic world, but it can still be found by those who seek it.
Rudolf Steiner's quote highlights the idea that in ancient times, spirituality was readily evident through physical manifestations of the divine, such as temples. However, in today's world, where many are absorbed in materialism and the unspiritual, these symbols are less visible. Despite this, Steiner reassures us that spiritual truths are still present; they exist beyond physical sight, waiting to be discovered by those who actively seek them.
Themes
SpiritualitySeekingVisibilityMaterialismTruth
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on personal growth, one might say, 'As Rudolf Steiner reminds us, while the evidence of spiritual practices may seem hidden, they are always present for those willing to seek them out.'
More from Rudolf Steiner
All quotes βOnly a person who has passed through the gate of humility can ascend to the heights of the spirit.
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Most actions derive not from your own initiative but from your family circumstances, your education, your calling, and so on. You must therefore give up a little time to performing actions which derive from yourself alone. They need not be important; quite insignificant actions fulfill the same purpose.
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Love is higher than opinion. If people love one another the most varied opinions can be reconciled - thus one of the most important tasks for humankind today and in the future is that we should learn to live together and understand one another. If this human fellowship is not achieved, all talk of development is empty.
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We will not find the inner strength to evolve to a higher level if we do not inwardly develop this profound feeling that there is something higher than ourselves.
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Man only becomes independent of this physical world when he learns to consider the objects around him as symbols. He must, for this reason, seek to acquire a moral relationship to them.
Rudolf SteinerRead
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