The Gentle Will: Meditative Guidelines for Creative Consciousness - Softcover

Kühlewind, Georg

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1584200936 ISBN 13: 9781584200932

Publisher: Lindisfarne Books, 2011

Synopsis

Every spiritual practice, every exercise of consciousness, all meditation―indeed, every moment of true awareness―we do with the “gentle will,” even if we are unaware of it initially and cannot fully activate it yet. In the course of practice, however, the gentle will begins to shine, and we gradually gain the ability to access it in our ordinary, daily activities, allowing our lives to become infinitely richer, meaningful, and creative.

The gentle will is relaxed, receptive, expressive, creative, soft, light, and playful. It is not rigid or cramped. We use the gentle will in artistic activities such as playing a musical instrument, writing a poem, or painting a picture. It is the original will of the human being, the will of the “I.” The gentle will is not the determined, useful, goal-oriented, egoistic, working will of Sisyphus, who will never be able to roll his boulder up the mountain. The gentle will is free of me-feeling and egoism. In this way, it differs from the “hard will,” which works through egoism.

Today, however, all life is governed by the principle of usefulness, utility, comfort, and efficiency―the hard will of egoism. This approach has brought the world to the brink of catastrophe, regardless of what technocrats say or think about it.

Georg Kühlewind writes in this book that the only hope he sees of avoiding destruction is a change in human consciousness; the “hard will” must become the “gentle will.” To this end, he provides exercises through which we may transform the hard will into the gentle will.

About this title

About the Author

Georg Kühlewind (1924–2006) was a Hungarian philosopher, writer, lecturer, and meditation teacher who worked from the tradition of Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual science. Setting aside his early interest in music and psychology, he pursued a successful professional career as a physical chemist. Meanwhile, he continued to deepen his spiritual practice and insights. A prolific author (most of whose works are still only in German), Georg Kühlewind spent much time traveling the world, lecturing and leading workshops and seminars in meditation, psychology, epistemology, child development, anthroposophy, and esoteric Christianity. He was the author of numerous books. Kühlewind died January 15, 2006 at the age of 83. 

Review

From what is thought to Thinking
From what is felt to Feeling
From what is willed to Willing

About this edition

• Publisher: Lindisfarne Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1584200936
• ISBN 13: 9781584200932
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 126