Over many years, a consistent practice of the Subsidiary (Supplementary) Exercises – control of thinking, willing, feeling, and so on – can lead to certain, definite results. When consciousness is lifted out of the ordinary everyday awareness through concerted application of one or more of these exercises, or by evoking the corresponding streams of activity, something novel and intimate (a picture, concept, understanding, feeling, etc.) may emerge from the observed phenomena, that was previously unobserved. Consequently, the deliberate and fully conscious practice of the Subsidiary Exercises can become a methodology for the observation of phenomena that yields replicable and consistent results.

This method of research involves entering a particular soul-orientation through the use of the Subsidiary Exercises, particularly through the application of the third, fourth, and fifth exercises. Consistent results can be obtained when the same method is applied to similar phenomena in differing circumstances. Here, a tool is being used to facilitate the observation of a phenomenon. The Exercises are used as a tool, just in the same way one might use binoculars, for example, to augment one's sight.

A research group is being created to bring together those who are capable of conducting such research. The purpose of this communication is to connect with colleagues engaged in this type of research, for the sake of collaboration and to seek guidance for its further development. These colleagues will be those who have at least reached the stage of experiencing the streams produced by these exercises and the phenomenon of an observed space “becoming alive,” as described by Steiner in relation to the fifth Subsidiary Exercise.

Contact is invited from those who have made such progress who also wish to conduct research together. The exact structure of this research and group work remains to be defined. One potential approach is for participants to choose a phenomenon to observe and then to report back the others about the results that have been obtained. In this way, the group will be able to mutually verify their individual results.

Participation requires the following conditions to be met:
1. Completion of at least one full six-month cycle of the Subsidiary Exercises. Success is measured by the attainment of the specific results described by Steiner (GA 245).
2. Complete abstinence from alcohol.
3. Adherence to a vegetarian diet (no consumption of animal flesh).

For explanations of 2 and 3 see Steiner’s Esoteric Lessons.

Familiarity with, and progress in, the exercises outlined in the ‘Conditions’ and ‘Preparation’ sections at the beginning of ‘Knowledge of the Higher Worlds’ is also recommended. These exercises likewise facilitate an altered soul-orientation that supports the attainment of replicable results.

Thank you for considering this proposal. Those interested in collaboration or further discussion are encouraged to respond by expressing their interest via the contact form.

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