Rudolf Steiner, thought gnosis, will gnosis, and feeling gnosis.

Rudolf Steiner's six exercises effect thought (1), will (2), and feeling (3), then infuse positive thought into feeling towards equanimity (4), positive thought into will towards full open-mindedness (5), and unify will and thought with feeling in a positive evolutionary way (6).

I am reading Roy Wilkinson's superb introduction to anthroposophy online, and it stimulating excitement and a sense of energy in me to read about how the inner life of the soul functions.

However, I find the six exercises a little hard to apply easily. So here are my notes on the first two exercises, informed by my existing understanding of gnostic meditation:

Thought gnosis.

Build a mental picture of an entire field of accurate facts, holding them all in mind, then one by one eliminate the facts while retaining the entire picture. When the picture is eliminated completely let go completely into voidness of thought, and rest for a while until thought upsurges again.

It it best to read a short chapter or paragraph of a much loved spiritual teacher and create a mind map of their words to begin. Just assemble all the understandings they give, with no interpolations of your own ideas. Then eliminate one idea after another until only the energy field of the ideas remains.

I suggest starting with a paragraph of the Upanishads, a chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, or the 5th, 6th, and 7th chapters of the biblical book of Matthew.

Will gnosis.

Build up a field of interconnected intentions, values, and associated emotionalised ideas, such as a goals list, a prcoess plan, or a mind map of your intended actions. Feel the sense of motivation, then as you release each portion of the intentions, feel the sense of motivation lessen and diminish until you have let go of all willing and experience voidness of intention. Observe this void and notice if and when will re-arises of itself.


Feelings gnosis.

Take a non-verbal piece of music which seems full of feeling to you. Listen to it several times until it is by memory. Replay it mentally in full. Then replay it backwards. Then simply eliminate a piece of the music and note the feeling quality of the music that remains. Then eliminate piece by piece the entire composition until one is left with silent feeling alone.

Results.

You can expect these exercises to great augment thought, will and feelings over time. Patience and persistence is key.