Ganganda Greida

From Anthroposophy

Ganganda Greida is an aspect of the Holy Grail and means 'food for spiritual travellers', it is also the name of the Grail in an ancient Nordic version of the legend.

The aspect of the Grail specifically conveyed in the expression “ganganda greida” is 'nourishment or food while journeying along a path' or simpler: 'food for wanderers', for those who go on a spiritual path.

The Holy Grail contains this miraculous food, prepared from

  • the finest activities of the sense-impressions, and
  • the finest activities of the mineral extract (obtained from all foods)

These come together and nourish 'the noblest part of Man, they flow to the 'the noblest part of his brain' at night.

See also: The heart's two blood circuits and Etherization of blood.

Aspects

  • the term Ganganda Greida: appears in an ancient Nordic version of the Grail legend in Norvegian, as referenced in 'Riddarasögur, Parzevals Saga' published by German philologist Dr. Eugen Kölbing (1846-1899) in 1872. The Grail is here called “ganganda greida” - from "gehend" .. moving or going about, and "greida" .. literally meaning “things”, and in this context indicating “provisions” or “nourishment”.
  • the three subsystems of Man as a threefold being make for the integration of the sense-impressions and mineral extract, that join with the cosmic breathing of Man in the The human heart and the blood stream which is the carrier of the Human 'I'. See also Schema FMC00.015A below. The blood that gets etherised and flows upward to the pineal gland. This way, our soul constitution influences the process between the pituitary and pineal glands (see Schema FMC00.354 below, more on Kundalini).

Illustrations

Schema FMC00.354 is a meta study schema, using other schemas as infographics to show a broader scope and the relationship between related aspects. Not all schema or lecture references are given, these can be found on the various pages such as Kundalini, Etherization of blood and related pages. Central theme is the symbolism of the Holy Grail, with on the one hand the grail cup and the bloody lance, and on the other hand the pituitary and pineal gland. The diagram relates the physiological and spiritual processes taking place in Man, with the central role of the blood as the carrier of the Human 'I', and the human heart.

FMC00.354.jpg

FMC00.015A shows threefold Man and how the three main intake processes lie at the basis of Thinking, Feeling and Willing (TFW). It shows also how the subsystem processes are linked (green arrows), and how at each stage part of the etheric flows is stopped et the exhalation stage (red line).

Furthermore the schema allows to contemplate Man: an integrated view with the matrix linkeage between fourfold Man (above, re the four elements) and the Man as a threefold being (below, with three subsystems).

FMC00.015A.jpg

Lecture coverage and references

1913-03-25-GA145

The miraculous celestial food contained in the vessel of the Holy Grail is prepared from, and forms a union in the noblest part of the brain

  • the finest effects of the most delicate sense impressions of the external sensible world
  • and the finest effects of the pure mineral extracts, the most refined products of the mineral kingdom

then, during sleep, when the brain is not thinking, the products formed within the human being ... (out of ..) .. flow toward the brain

p 129: the purest, noblest element in light, sound and warmth encounters

1913-03-25-GA145

(SWCC) describes the legend of the grail with symbols or sword and bloody lance as the spiritual process that takes place in Man every night. In the extract below, the underlined sections highlight the link with Etherization of blood.

[While Man is asleep] .. Symbolised by the brain lying within the skull, our human nature on the earth appears as a being under enchantment living in a castle, as a being imprisoned and enclosed by stone walls. Our skull is like the shrunken external symbol of this. But when we look at the etheric forces which lie at its foundation, the earthly man actually appears to us as if he were within the skull, and imprisoned in this castle.

And then from the other parts of the organism there stream up the forces which support this human being who is really within the skull as if in a mighty castle; the forces stream upwards;

  • first the force which comes from the outspread instrument of the astral body: all streams up all that strengthens Man's nerve fibres. All this streams together in the earthly brain-man; this appears as a mighty sword which the human being has forged on the earth.
  • Then stream up the forces of the blood. These appear as that which really wounds the brain-man lying in the enchanted castle of the skull. The forces which in the etheric body stream up to the earthly human being lying in the enchanted castle of the brain are like the bloody lance, streaming up to the noblest parts of the brain.

The etheric body thrusts back all foods coming from the animal kingdom (this may nourish other organs). It also thrusts back from one small, vital part of the brain all that comes from the plant kingdom, and allows only the mineral extract to be of value; there this mineral extract is brought into contact with the purest of what comes through the sense organs.

The purest of light, the purest sound, the purest heat [editor: sense impressions result of cosmic breathing], here come in touch with the purest products of the mineral kingdom; for the most vital part of the human brain is nourished by the union of the purest sense impressions with the purest mineral products.

The etheric body separates from this noblest part of the human brain all that comes from the plant or animal kingdoms. But all the things that the human being takes in as his food pass up also; for the brain also has less noble parts. These are nourished by all that streams up, by which the whole organism is nourished. Only the noblest part of the brain must be nourished by the most beautiful union of the sense perceptions and the highest part of the purified mineral extract.

We now learn to recognise a wonderful cosmic connection between man and the whole of the rest of the cosmos. We can now see, part of man wherein we perceive how human thought, by means of the instrument of the nervous system which serves the astral body, prepares the sword for human strength on earth; therein we become acquainted with all that is mingled with the blood, and to a certain extent contributes to the killing of the most precious thing in the brain. And this noblest thing in the brain is ever sustained by the union of the most delicate sense perceptions with the purest products of the mineral kingdom. And then, during sleep, when thought is not making use of the brain, there stream to the brain the products which have been formed lower down in the inner parts from the plant and animal kingdoms.

Thus, when we penetrate into our own etheric body, it is as though we had reached an abyss, and across it we could see what goes on in the etheric body; and all this appears in mighty pictures representing the processes of the spiritual man during sleep.

The I and astral body — the spiritual man — descends into the castle, which is formed of that which is only seen symbolically in the skull. Here the human being lies sleeping, wounded by the blood, the Man of whom we see that thoughts are his strength — that which must be capable of nourishment by all that comes from the kingdom of nature, that which in its purest parts must be served by the finest.

All this symbolically represented resulted in the Legend of the Holy Grail, which tells us of that miraculous food which is prepared from the finest activities of the sense impressions and the finest activities of the mineral extracts, whose purpose it is to nourish the noblest part of man all through the life he spends on earth; for it would be killed by anything else. This heavenly food is what is contained in the Holy Grail.

And that which otherwise takes place, that which presses up from the other kingdoms, we find clearly represented if we go back to the original Grail legend, where a meal is described at which a hind is first set on the table. The penetrating up into the brain where for ever floats the Grail, that is, the vessel for the purest food of the human hero who lies in the castle of the brain, and who is killed by everything else — all this is represented.

The best presentation of this is not that by Wolfram, but it is best represented in an external exoteric way (because almost everyone can recognise, when his attention has been drawn to it, that this legend of the Grail is an occult experience which every human being can experience anew every night), it is best represented, in spite of the profanation which has even crept in there, by Chrestien de Troyes. He put what he wished to say in an exoteric form, but this exoteric form hinted at what he wished to convey, for he refers to his teacher and friend who lived in Alsace, who gave him the esoteric knowledge which he put into exoteric form. This took place in an age when it was necessary to do this, on account of the transition indicated in my book, ‘The Spiritual Guidance of Humanity.’ The Grail legend was made exoteric in 1180, shortly before the transition.

This links to what is happening in The heart's two blood circuits, and how this is the basis for what takes place in the Etherization of blood (see also: Damming up between heart and brain), and can lead to the fructification of budhi, see Kundalini.

1914-01-01-GA149

The legend of the Holy Grail tells us of that miraculous food which is prepared from

  • the finest activities of the sense-impressions, and
  • the finest activities of the mineral, extracts,

whose purpose it is to nourish the noblest part of man all through the life he spends on earth; for it would be killed by anything else. This heavenly food is what is contained in the Holy Grail ...

1914-01-02-GA149

... We have heard what the Holy Grail contains. It contains that by which the physical instrument of man on earth must be nourished: the extract,

  • the pure mineral extract which is obtained from all foods

and which unites in the purest part of the human brain with

  • the purest sense-impressions, impressions which come to us through our senses.

Now, to whom is this food to be handed? It is really to be handed — as is revealed to us when from the exoteric story we enter into the esoteric presentation of it in the Mysteries — it is really to be handed to the human being who has obtained the understanding of what makes man mature enough gradually to raise himself consciously to what the Holy Grail is ...

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References and further reading