Immaculate Conception is not only meant in a physical sense, but primarily in a purely spiritual sense, like so much else in the Bible. Only he who accepts and intuitively perceives the spiritual world as really existing in its vital activity can find the key to an understanding of the Bible; intuitive perception alone is capable of making the Word come to life. To all others it will always remain a book with seven seals.
Every conception arising out of pure love and with a sincere look upwards to the Creator, in which the sensual instinct is not the basis but merely a contributing force, is an immaculate conception in the physical sense.
In reality this occurs so seldom that there was a need to put special emphasis on it. The assurance for the relegation of sensual instincts was assured by the fact of the Annunciation, which is why special mention of it is made, because otherwise a link in the chain of natural happenings and strict co-operation with the spiritual world would be missing. The Virgin Mary, already provided with all the gifts needed to fulfill her high mission, was at the requisite time, led through spiritual guidance into contact with persons who had deeply penetrated into the revelations and prophecies about the coming Messiah. This was the first preparation on earth which urged Mary onto the path leading to her real goal, and which acquainted her with all the circumstances in which she herself was later destined to play such an important role, without being aware of it at that time.
The bandage which blindfolds the eye of the specially chosen ones is only carefully and gradually loosened so as not to disturb the necessary process of development, for every intermediary step must be seriously experienced in order to finally ensure the possibility of fulfillment. To be conscious of the actual task too early would leave gaps in the development which would render a later fulfillment more difficult. Having the final goal in sight constantly incurs the danger of pressing forward too rapidly, whereby much that absolutely must be experienced in all seriousness to qualify for the appointed task would be overlooked or learned too slightly. However, people can only experience seriously what at any particular time they regard as their real life’s task. So it was with Mary.
Thus, when the day of her inner and outer readiness had come, during a moment of perfect rest and psychic balance, she became clairvoyant and clairaudient, that is, her innermost being opened itself to the world of a different substance and she experienced the Annunciation described in the Bible. The bandage fell from her eyes and she consciously entered into her mission.
The Annunciation became such a momentous and stirring spiritual experience for Mary that from that hour on it completely filled the life of her soul. From that time on it was concentrated in one direction only, i.e. to be allowed to expect a high Divine Grace. Through the Annunciation the Light wanted to bring about this condition of her soul so as to drive back all base instincts from the very outset, and to create the soil upon which a pure physical vessel (the child’s body) could come into being for the immaculate spiritual conception. Because of this exceptionally strong psychic orientation of Mary the physical conception, which later occurred in accordance with the laws of Nature, was an “immaculate” one.
For those who have some knowledge of the spiritual world and its widespread activities, which easily span thousands of years in preparing for all great events, it is not difficult to understand that Mary came already equipped with all the gifts needed for her mission, that is, she was pre-natally chosen to become the earthly mother of Jesus, the coming Bringer of Truth.
With the child’s body developing in such circumstances as the purest vessel, the earthly conditions were provided for an “immaculate spiritual conception,” the incarnation, which takes place in the middle of pregnancy.
In this case it was not of one of the many waiting souls or spirit-sparks who wish to or are compelled for the sake of development to incarnate to live a life on earth and whose ethereal bodies (or garments) are more or less tarnished and soiled, so that their direct connection with the Light is dimmed and at times completely severed. Here it was a matter of an entire part of Divine Essence, given out of love to mankind erring in darkness, which was strong enough to prevent the direct connection with Primordial Light from ever being broken. This resulted in a close connection between the Godhead and mankind through the One, Who resembled a shining pillar of inexhaustible purity and power from which anything base had to slide off. Thus the possibility was also created for the transmission of undimmed Truth drawn directly from the Light, and also of the power for the actions which appeared to be miracles.
The account of the temptations in the wilderness demonstrates how the attempts by dark influences to defile Him were repelled by the purity of His intuitive perception without being able to do any harm.
After Mary’s immaculate physical conception, the incarnation, which occurs in the middle of pregnancy, could take place directly from the Light with a strength which excluded the possibility of any dimming on the intermediate steps between the Light and the mother’s body, thus bringing about an “immaculate spiritual conception” as well.
Therefore it is quite right to speak of an immaculate conception, which, at the conception of Jesus, occurred both physically and spiritually without the necessity of circumventing, altering or remodeling a Law of Creation for this particular case.
Man must not now think that a contradiction lies within the prophecy which promised that the Savior should be born of a virgin.
The contradiction lies solely in the wrong interpretation of the word “virgin” in the prophecy. If this prophecy speaks of a virgin, it does not assume some narrow concept, much less the views of a State, but it can only be a matter of a broad human concept.
A narrow view would have to recognize the fact that a pregnancy and childbirth by themselves, without considering conception, preclude virginity in the ordinary sense. The prophecy, however, does not mean such things! It meant that Christ would definitely be born as the first child of a virgin, that is, of a woman who had never been a mother. In such a case all the organs involved in the development of the human body are virginal, that is, they have never before been active in this way, meaning that no child has issued from this womb. In the case of every first-born child the organs of the mother’s body must be virginal. Only in this sense could such a far-reaching prophecy be understood, since every prophecy can only be fulfilled in strict consistency with the active Laws of Creation and is made on the basis of such reliable foresight.*(Lecture No. 48: World events)
Thus in this prophecy “the first child” is meant, and therefore a distinction has been made between virgin and mother. Any other distinction is out of the question because the concepts of virgin and married woman have merely arisen out of the purely civil or social institution of marriage, which are definitely not meant by such a prophecy.
The very perfection of Creation as the Work of God makes the act of procreation absolutely necessary, because the Omniscience of the Creator has ordered all things in Creation, from the Primordial beginning on, in such a way that there should be nothing too much or superfluous. Holding such a thought is the same as saying that the Work of the Creator is imperfect. The same applies to one who contends that the birth of Christ occurred without there first being an act of procreation as prescribed by the Creator for mankind. A normal act of procreation through a human being of flesh and blood must have taken place! Even in this case.
Anyone who truly understands this praises his Lord and Creator more than those who want to permit other possibilities. The former shows such unshaken faith in the Perfection of his God as to be convinced that any exception or change in the Laws He has ordained is absolutely impossible. And that is the greater faith! Besides, all the other events absolutely bear this out. Christ became a human being on earth. With this decision, He was also obliged to submit to all the Laws God had decreed for physical procreation because the Perfection of God requires this.
Should it be argued that; “With God nothing is impossible,” then such an obscure explanation offers no satisfaction, for again another and quite different meaning lies in these words than that which so many people imagine in their indolence. In order to refute the wording of this sentence as commonly understood, it need only be said that imperfection, want of logic, injustice, arbitrariness and many other things are impossible with God. It could further be argued that if in this sense nothing is impossible with God, He could just as easily, with a single act of His Will, have made every man on earth a believer! Then He need not have had His Son incarnate on earth, exposing Him to earthly hardships and death on the cross. He would have been spared that tremendous sacrifice. The fact, however, that things happened as they did shows the inflexible nature of the Divine Laws which have been active in Creation from the very beginning, the perfection of which makes a forced intervention for the purpose of changing them in one way or another quite impossible.
Blindly contentious opponents might now stubbornly assert that the way it happened was according to God’s Will. That is quite right, but in no way proof to the contrary; on the contrary, it merely confirms the previous reasoning, provided one drops the more naive interpretation and follows the deeper explanation which is absolutely required for all statements of a spiritual nature.
It was the Will of God! However, that has nothing to do with arbitrariness, but, on the contrary, it means nothing less than the confirmation of the laws God placed in Creation and which bear His Will; it means absolute obedience to them, allowing for no exception or circumvention whatever. It is just in the necessity of compliance that the Will of God reveals and manifests itself.
Therefore in order to fulfill His mission, Christ too, inevitably had to submit to all the Natural Laws, that is, to the Will of His Father. The fact that Christ did so is proved by His whole life. His feeling hunger and fatigue, His suffering and finally His death on the cross. He was subject to everything to which man’s earthly body is subject. Why then should His procreation alone have been different, when there was no necessity for it. It is just because of the naturalness that the Savior’s task is even greater, by no means smaller! Neither was Mary less blessed in her high calling.