One could easily imagine that visionary sight would be a better preparation for death than merely to hear of the facts of the spiritual world. And yet the truth is that after death, what a man has simply seen in a visionary way is of very little use to him, while on the other hand an actual reality is immediately present, as soon as he becomes conscious of what he has received in spiritual communications, if he has grasped these with his understanding. It is what has been understood that is of value after death, whether it has been seen or not.
Source: Rudolf Steiner – GA 117 – THE TASKS AND AIMS OF SPIRITUAL SCIENCE – Stuttgart, 13th November, 1909
Translated by D.S. Osmond
See also: Power of judgment / Memory
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