hat he has been in another world. But the
former of these two feelings requires the greater degree of inner energy,
for which reason the second is the more common among beginners in occult
training. But it may gradually come to pass that the student will become
aware of having been during the entire time of sleep in this other world,
only emerging therefrom when he awakes. And his memory of beings and facts
connected with this other world will become ever more and more distinct,
thus showing that in one form or another he has now entered upon what one
may call continuity of consciousness. (The continuation of consciousness
during sleep.)

Still, for this to be so, it is not necessary that man's consciousness
should _always_ continue during sleep. Much will already have been
attained in the matter of the continuity of consciousness should the
person, whose sleep is in general like that of the ordinary individual,
have certain periods during his sleeping hours when he is aware of being
in the psycho-spiritual world; or if, on awakening, he is able to remember
such a condition of consciousness. It should, however, be borne in mind
that what is here described is to be understood only as a transition
state. It is well to pass through this state as a part of training; yet it
should not be imagined that any conclusive views concerning the
psycho-spiritual world may be gained from this transition state, for in
this condition the soul is uncertain, and unable as yet to rely upon its
own perceptions. But through such experiences the soul gathers ever more
strength enabling it also during waking hours to ward off the disturbing
influences of the physical outer and inner world and thus to attain
psycho-spiritual observation. Then impressions through the senses no
longer reach the soul; brain-fettered reason is silent and even the image
of the meditation, through which one has only prepared oneself for
spiritual vision, has been dropped from consciousness. Whatever is given
out through occult science in this or that form should never originate in
any psycho-spiritual observation other than that which is made with fully
waking consciousness. The first experience is one in which the student can
say to himself: Even should I now disregard everything that can come to me
through impressions from the outer physical world, still I look upon my
inner being not as upon one in which all activity has ceased, but I look
upon a being which is sel