ould make use
of any such method, by which indeed, the pupil would be reduced to a blind
tool. The teacher gives his pupil instructions as to the rules of conduct
he is to pursue, and the pupil carries them out. At the same time, should
the case seem to demand it, the teacher does not withhold the reasons
justifying these rules of conduct.

The acceptance of the rules, and their application by a person seeking
spiritual development, need not be a matter of blind belief. Such a belief
ought to be quite out of the question in this sphere. One who studies the
nature of the human soul as far as it can be followed by ordinary
self-observation, without occult training may, after accepting the rules
recommended for spiritual training, ask himself, "How do these rules act
upon the life of the soul?" This question may be satisfactorily answered
previous to any schooling by an unbiased use of common sense. Before these
rules are adopted, true conceptions may be gained as to the way in which
they operate. The effect can be _experienced_ only during training, but
even then the experience will always be accompanied by an understanding of
the experience, if each step that is to be taken is tested by sound
judgment. And in this age any true spiritual science will only suggest
such rules for training as can be vindicated by sound judgment. For him
who is willing to simply trust himself to such schooling and does not
permit prejudice to drive him into _blind_ faith, all scruples will vanish
and objections against a regular training for higher states of
consciousness will no longer disturb him.

Even such people as may have arrived at a state of inward maturity,--which
sooner or later would lead to the self-awakening of these spiritual organs
of perception--even for these, training is by no means superfluous. On the
contrary it is especially adapted to them. For there are but few cases in
which personal initiation does not have to travel along tortuous and
devious ways, and training spares them the traversing of such by-paths,
leading them forward in a straight line. In cases where such
self-initiation comes to a soul, the reason is that the required degree of
ripeness had already been attained in the course of previous incarnations.

It may easily happen that such a soul possesses a certain dim intuition of
its ripeness, and by reason of this very feeling may assume an attitude of
disinclination toward training. A feeling of this kind