In Search of the Miraculous

Can we not work without rules? Rules seem to them to be an unnecessary constraint on their freedom or a tiresome formality, and to be reminded about rules seems to

them to be ill will or dissatisfaction on the part of the teacher.

"In reality rules are the chief and the first help that they get from the work. It stands to reason that rules do not pursue the object of affording them amusement or

satisfaction or of making things more easy for them. Rules pursue a definite aim: to

make them behave as they would behave 'if they were,' that is, if they remembered themselves and realized how

they ought to behave with regard to people outside the work, to people in the work,

and to the teacher. If they remembered themselves and realized this, rules would not

be necessary for them. But they are not able to remember themselves and understand

this at the beginning of work, so that rules are indispensable, although rules can never

be either easy, pleasant, or comfortable. On the contrary, they ought to be difficult,

unpleasant, and uncomfortable; otherwise they would not answer their purpose. Rules

are the alarm clocks which wake the sleeping man. But the man, opening his eyes for

a second, is indignant with the alarm clock and asks: Can one not awaken without

alarm clocks?

"Besides these general rules there are certain individual conditions which are given to each person separately and which are generally connected with his 'chief fault,' or

chief feature.

"This requires some explanation.

"Every man. has a certain feature in his character which is central. It is like an axle round which all his 'false personality' revolves. Every man's personal work must

consist in struggling against this chief fault. This explains why there can be no general rules of work and why all systems that attempt to evolve such rules either lead to

nothing or cause harm. How can there be general rules? What is useful for one is

harmful for another. One man talks too much; he must learn to keep silent. Another

man is silent when he ought to talk and he must learn to talk; and so it is always and in everything. General rules for the work of groups refer to everyone. Personal directions

can only be individual. In this connection again a man cannot find his own chief

feature, his chief fault, by himself. This is practically a law. The teacher has to point out this feature to him and show him how to fight against it. No one else but the

teacher can do this.

"The study of the chief fault and the struggle against it constitute, as it were, each man's individual path, but the aim must be the same for all. This aim is the realization

of one's nothingness. Only when a man has truly and sincerely arrived at the

conviction of his own helplessness and nothingness and only when he feels it

constantly, will he be ready for the next and much more difficult stages of the work.

"All that has been said up till now refers to real groups connected with real

concrete work which in its turn is connected with what has been called the 'fourth

way.' But there are many imitation ways, imitation groups, and imitation work. These

are not even 'black magic.'

"Questions have often been asked at these lectures as to what is 'black magic' and I have replied that there is neither red, green, nor yellow magic. There is mechanics,

that is, what 'happens,' and there is 'doing.' 'Doing' is magic and 'doing' can be only of one kind. There cannot be two kinds of 'doing.' But there can be a falsification, an

imitation of the outward appearance of 'doing,' which cannot give any objective results

but which can deceive naive people and produce in them faith, infatuation,

enthusiasm, and even fanaticism.

"This is why in true work, that is, in true 'doing,' the producing of infatuation in people is not allowed. What you call black magic is based on infatuation and on

playing upon human weaknesses. Black magic does not in any way mean magic of

evil. I have already said earlier that no one ever does anything for the sake of evil, in the interests of evil. Everyone always does everything in the interests of good as he understands it. In the same way it is quite wrong to assert that black magic must necessarily be egoistical, that in black magic a man strives after some results for himself. This is quite wrong. Black magic may be quite altruistic, may strive after the

good of humanity or after the salvation of humanity from real or imaginary evils. But

what can be called black magic has always one definite characteristic. This

characteristic is the tendency to use people for some, even the best of aims, without their knowledge and understanding, either by producing in them faith and infatuation or by acting upon them through fear.

"But it must be remembered in this connection that a 'black magician,' whether