From Normal to Healthy

Georg Kühlewind begins with the premise that war, social injustice, pestilence, pollution, physical and soul illnesses, and natural disasters are a result of our "normal" consciousness. The way we think, feel, and will about things has created or contributed to the sickness and affliction of this world. Only a new consciousness can overcome this sickness. But what is consciousness? It is not something that can simply be given a definition and be captured in a concept. In FROM NORMAL TO HEALTHY Kühlewind says, "...only consciousness can discover itself as consciousness." He points out that what we find in consciousness initially is thinking and then draws our attention to the fact that, if we look within ourselves, most of us cannot remember ever thinking a new thought. Yet new thoughts--truly new thoughts--are what will develop a new consciousness and heal human and planetary problems. With this book he takes us on a path of discovery and development, to help us become aware of our consciousness as it exists now--what can be called normal--and to move forward from there to develop a healthy consciousness. This path through thinking encourages and empowers each of us to become healers of our world.

This is the very first book that anyone who is interested in spirituality, psychology, anthroposophy, or self-improvement should read. Kuhlewind starts the book off analyzing speaking and thinking, describes why we should use our "superconscious" faculties more than out subconscious ones. Our subconscious faculties lie in the habitual, mechanical realm. In this state our thoughts simply bounce around, going from one association to the next. Association is not thinking, it is mechanical and animalistic. Superconscious abilities, on the other hand, are what we used as children. We were able to learn, see, and experience a great deal more as children than as adults simply because we used our superconscious abilities. Once these things have been learned through our superconscious, our energies used to learn and percieve gradually weaken, consciousness fades, dirt is thrown on our flame, and slowly all of our energies begin to come from the subconscious more and more (think of the first time you saw a particular place.. how rich, new and alive everything you encountered was. Then think of the second, third, fourth and so on, times that you saw this place. Not as powerful of an impression?) Kuhlewind then goes on to describe, in the greatest detail, particular excercises that help free energies from the subconscious where they can be properly used in the superconscious domain. Over time, our inner strength builds and consciousness grows. And he teaches all this on not just the theoretical level, but also an esoteric level where one can teach oneself. Reading the book is, in itself, a teriffic excercise, as it is incredibly demanding of the reader's attention. It is not a book that is difficult to understand, but because we are not used to dealing with concepts such as these, or with thinking in this way, or to exertion, it can be a bit challenging at times. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!