THE WEAVING AND LIVING ACTIVITY OF THE HUMAN ETHERIC BODIES.
Lecture by R u d o l f S t e i n e r
delivered at MUNICH on the 20th of March, 1916.
From stenographic notes unrevised by the lecturer.
For a gradual
acquisition of that science which we designate as spiritual science,
it is necessary that we should have the good will of filling out the
thoughts and thought-connections which are indicated almost in the
form of a plan with real ideas relating to those things which can at
first only be given in a more general outline. We say that the
human being consists of physical body, etheric body, astral body,
Ego, etc. This is quite correct, to begin with, for it is necessary
that we should orient ourselves with the aid of encompassing
schematic ideas. But if we wish to continue in the acquisition
of spiritual science, we must penetrate more accurately into
everything which has thus been given in a schematic form. We already
possess quite a considerable number of lecture-cycles, which are read
particularly within the more restricted circle connected with our
Society; but these cycles of lectures still contain relatively
little of what should be known to humanity in a near future, at least
to a certain number of people! This would be most desirable. To begin
with, we say: We designate as man’s physical body his external
appearance, which can be perceived through the physical senses and
which can be observed with the aid of that science that is linked up
with the intellect, with experiments and observations. We know that
the etheric body lies at the foundation of the physical body. Let us,
first of all, cast our spiritual eye upon these two members of human
nature.
Spiritual science as
such, needs to say least of all (of course, this is at first only
apparently the case) about the physical body, for the physical body
is the only thing which the ordinary science, dealing with the
physical world, is willing to contemplate with the aid of its
methods. But although the physical body may at first seem to be what
natural science considers, it to be, its true significance and its
position within the universe can only be recognised if the
higher members of the human organisation are also borne in mind.
You will undoubtedly
recollect that man’s physical body, in the form in which it
envelops him here upon the. earth, could only arise during the
Earth-epoch, but it received its first foundation during the ancient
Saturn-epoch. During the Sun, Moon and Earth epochs, it then
underwent a constant transformation. It was gradually
transformed under the influence of the processes which were taking
place: it was transformed through the fact that the etheric body was
incorporated with it. When the physical body passed on from the
Saturn epoch to a new epoch, it had to change, for it became
permeated with the etheric body. And it also had to change when it
became permeated with the astral body upon the Moon. Not only
has the astral body been added to the physical body, but the physical
body has been transformed through the fact that the etheric body
penetrated into it, as it were, during the Sun-epoch and the
astral body during the. Moon-epoch, whereas the Ego is gradually
developing in every direction here, upon the Earth; of course, it
develops first of all within the astral body, then within the etheric
body, but then also within the physical body.
If we now pass on
from the human being to the cosmos, we only need to remember
what is contained in our lecture-cycles. We must remember, in this
case, that just as the first foundation of the physical body has been
made possible through the outpouring, as we may call it, of the
Spirits of the Will or the Thrones, so the transformation during
the Sun-epoch became possible through the Spirits of Wisdom, and the
transformation during, the Moon-epoch through the Spirits of
Movement. The transformation during the Earth-epoch, that is to say,
the change entailed through the fact that an Ego now dwells within
the physical body, has been made possible through the Spirits of
Form, This is a most significant fact, which we must bear in mind.
When we encounter man’s physical body upon the Earth, we must
think of it as being endowed with an Ego, and since it is endowed
with an Ego, we must bear in mind that it has received a certain
form, the form which is most appropriate to it. During the Moon
epoch, it has merely received the inner movement which was most
adapted to it. The form which was most suited to it, is a gift of the
Spirits of Form, and is in keeping with the fact that an Ego had to
be Implanted in it.
We may thus say: Our
earthly body, which has a physical form, has been formed in such a
way as to become a bearer of the Ego. Together with the Ego, the
Spirits of Form gave the human physical body the form which it
now has and which is in keeping with the fact that it is the bearer
of an Ego. The beings that belong to the other kingdoms of Nature,
have received their forms later. If you read the more intimate
descriptions of the Moon-epoch, [See
“THE AKASHA CHRONICLES”
by Rudolf Steiner.]
you will find that they describe all the other beings in such a
manner that it is not possible to say that also these beings had
their forms at that time. They are described with a certain mobility.
Bear in mind, for instance, the description contained in my
“Occult Science”.
Also the other
kingdoms of Nature have received their stable forms through the
Spirits of Form, during the Earth-epoch. Let us now contemplate the
animal kingdom. Also the animal kingdom has its definite forms. It
has acquired these forms only during the Earth. epoch. But think of
the great difference between the forms of the animal kingdom and of
the kingdom of man! If we cast our gaze over the surface of the
earth, we may indeed find certain differences among men, but these
differences belong to another field of study. We also come across
certain differences in the external human form. All the interesting
peoples which the West Europeans now lead into the field against
Central Europe of course present a different aspect from the European
populations! Differences can of course be perceived when we cast our
gaze over the surface of the earth and study the form of various
individual human beings. The colour of the skin must, for instance,
be considered in connection with the bodily form. But if you compare
the differentiations which exist in regard to the human being with
the great differentiations which exist in regard to the various
animal species, you will have to admit: The various species of
animals differ far more from one another than the human beings. In
comparison to the various animal species we can speak of an
individual human species; in the human kingdom, however, we cannot
find such a great difference as may be found, for instance, between a
lion and a nightingale. If there would be such a great difference in
the kingdom of man as that between a lion and a nightingale, we would
not hear even such peculiar observations that it is not possible to
notice the differences which exist among human beings. The fact to be
borne in mind is that the animals show infinitely greater differences
than the human being, within his own general human species.
Although the things
which I have just now explained to you are undoubtedly right, they
are only right within certain limits, if we consider them from the
aspect of spiritual science. The following fact should be looked upon
as a truth: In your thoughts and, in your observation, add the
etheric body to man’s physical body and imagine that a certain
experiment is to be made; in reality, of course, this experiment
cannot be made. Imagine the following experiment and that you see it
being enacted; imagine that the whole physical body of man can be
separated from him, detached from him scientifically, piece by piece
and that before we begin to detach the physical body from the human
being we are in the position to invoke the Spirits of the higher
hierarchies — to send an invocation to the Spirits of the
Angeloi, Archangeloi, Archai. We would have to utter this invocation
in such a way that its request would be granted, namely, that the
Spirits of the Angeloi, Archangeloi, and Archai might withdraw from
the human being and cease; to influence his etheric body. We would,
therefore — we cannot say, excoriate — but we would
have to take away from the human being everything pertaining to
his physical body and then we would have to ask the Angeloi,
Archangeloi and Archai to withdraw their influences, so that man’s
etheric body may be left entirely to its own resources, and may no
longer be influenced by anything else. For the etheric body is
subjected to certain influences; it is inserted in the physical body
and the physical body has its own solid form, to which the etheric
body must adapt itself. If you take a very soft piece of rubber and
put it into a glass, it will adapt itself to the form of the glass
and will no longer maintain its own form. But if you take it out of
the glass, it will bound back into its own form. In a similar way,
the etheric body must adapt itself to the physical body, without a
form of its own. Consequently, if we draw away the physical body, we
eliminate the forces to which the etheric body had to adapt itself;
however, it would not immediately take on its own form, owing to the
fact that the Angeloi, Archangeloi and Archai still work upon it, but
we have asked them to withdraw, so that the etheric body can now obey
its own forces to the fullest extent. In that case, the etheric body
would take on its own elasticity. And this would be visible; we would
see the etheric body jumping out. And what would occur? — You
would have before you the whole animal kingdom! The etheric body
would split up into portions, and these would show in their
fundamental types the forms of the whole animal kingdom. In other
words: etherically, the human being carries about within him the
whole animal kingdom, which is simply held together by the form of
his physical body and by the activity of the Beings of the
above-named hierarchies. It is unquestionably true that the human
being bears within him, as a disposition, the whole animal kingdom.
From this standpoint, the animal kingdom differs from man only
through the fact that every animal-species has assumed a form of its
own, which it has developed independently into a physical shape.
Consequently, the animal kingdom is the expanded etheric body of
man,
A strange fact
should be borne in mind. At the turn of the 18th and of the 19th
century, something special arose within the world-conception of
Europe, and we may observe this, for instance, more in detail in the
case of Oken. From the standpoint of his time, the scientist Oken
could not as yet speak of etheric bodies; indeed, he was far from
doing so. But in his books we may find the following peculiar
statement: “The animal kingdom is the human being,
expanded.” This means that in his fantasy he had caught, a
glimpse of the truth. It rose up on his spiritual horizon at a time
when the great ideas of the Central European world-conception had
developed. Indeed, this truth even rose up on Schelling’s
horizon, and this same statement can also be found in Schelling’s
books. Those who were unable to penetrate into such a lofty idea,
which could not, of course, be developed fully, those who were unable
to penetrate into such a great idea, went through a terrible time. We
should think of Oken in such a way, that the things which he could
not as yet grasp clearly, nevertheless lived within his soul as a
marvellous conception, so that he could feel the single parts of the
human being really consist of animal forms. He even had the courage
to express this, but this courage very much annoyed the learned
Philistines. Just think that Oken conceived the following idea: What
is the tongue? — Well, he said that the tongue is a cuttlefish.
Of course, the things which I have just explained to you lay at the
foundation of this statement ... but just imagine what the learned
Philistines thought about it! If we wish to grasp the development of
man’s spiritual life we must become broad-minded and we must
realise that things which may apparently sound like nonsense may
bear within them a great truth. Oken subdivided the human being as
follows: The tongue is a cuttlefish, other organs are something else.
After all, it was merely the exact repetition of a truth which
existed in a very ancient conception of man and which brought into
evidence the fundamental types, subdividing the human being in
accordance with the four fundamental animal types: Lion, eagle, angel
and calf.
Thus we may say:
Things are not as easy as they appear to be, for in reality, the
human being bears within his etheric body the whole animal kingdom.
As a philosopher might express himself, he bears it within him as a
disposition.
Now you should bear
in mind the following fact: If the things which I have just now
described to you would not take place, if in addition to the fact
that the physical body holds together the whole animal kingdom, the
Angeloi, Archangeloi and Archai would not exercise their influence,
then the process explained above would necessarily take place,
when the human being lays aside the physical body and passes through
the portal of death; namely, the etheric body would, in that case,
jump out elastically into the world when the astral body and the Ego
have abandoned it, and a whole etheric animal kingdom would rise
out of the etheric body. But in reality, this does not take place;
this animal kingdom does not rise out of the human being, for the
etheric body detaches itself in an entirely different form; it
detaches itself and becomes incorporated with the universal ether and
interweaves with it. [Compare:
“Inner Being of Man and Life Between Death and a New Birth”.]
What lies before us
in that case? The fact that the Beings of the hierarchies of the
Angeloi, Archangeloi and Archai work upon our etheric body and do not
allow it to reach the point of splitting up into the animal kingdom.
What does really take place? — You see, I would like to
describe these things by drawing in a comparison. Here upon the earth
we human beings work. We build machines, for instance, machines made
of wood or of iron. Wood and iron are our fundamental materials. We
use them to construct machines. The way in which these materials are
put together is our own work, but wood and even iron are raw
materials which we take from the earth. We take them from a kingdom
which lies below our human kingdom.
If you now imagine
that the Angeloi, Archangeloi and Archai live above us, you will also
realise that these Beings do not exist in the universe simply in
order to have a perpetual holiday. They have their work, tasks which
they must fulfil. What do they really do? They, too, must use a
material for their work, just as we use wood and iron which we take
from the earth, and they, too, will work upon this material. Our
etheric bodies are the material used by the Angeloi, Archangeloi and
Archai. For the Angeloi, Archangeloi and Archai, our etheric bodies
have the same value that the wood and iron which we take from the
earth have for us, when we use them to build machines. The Angeloi,
Archangeloi and Archai work upon our etheric bodies, and when we walk
about upon the earth and harbour, as it were, the thought (if we
have such thought at all!) that we carry about within us our etheric
body, believing that we carry it about as something that belongs to
us in the same way in which the lungs that we carry about within us
belong to us — then the whole essence of the Angeloi,
Archangeloi and Archai is active around us and works out forms for
the spiritual world, forms that are needed there, just as machines
are needed here upon the earth. They work out what is needed in the
spiritual world. What aids these spiritual beings in their work?
You see, throughout
our life we think; we think, from the moment that we attain the
capacity of thinking up to the moment of death. Our thinking consists
therein that it weaves and lives in our etheric body. Yet, while we
live within our physical body, we believe that only the things we
mould in the shape of thoughts belong to us. But what we thus
possess in the shape of thoughts, what we thus form and mould within
our thoughts is, as it were, only the inner aspect of our whole
thought-life. From outside, the Angeloi, Archangeloi and Archai work
upon our thoughts, particularly in regard to our etheric body.
As human beings, it is not at all unnecessary that we should
think. Our thoughts are necessary not only for the physical earth,
but also for the cosmos. For what we transform within our etheric
body through our thinking, is employed during our earthly life as a
material which is used in accordance with higher standpoints. While
we pass through the world as thinking human beings, the Angeloi,
Archangeloi and Archai work upon our thoughts, so that after our
death something may arise that can be incorporated with the whole
ether of the universe. When our astral body and our Ego lay aside our
etheric body, they sew into the cosmos the wool of our etheric
body, that has arisen essentially through our manner of thinking.
As human beings, we
do not only live for ourselves; we also live for the whole universe.
We know that Jupiter, Venus and Vulcan will follow our Earth.
But all this must be prepared; it must be interwoven with the
universe as forces. This entails work. It forms part of this work,
for instance, that the Angeloi, Archangeloi and Archai carry it
on in accordance with our thoughts. (Stupid thoughts are not the same
kind of material as clever thoughts). Coarsely speaking, the Angeloi,
Archangeloi and Archai work upon these etheric machines in accordance
with the material that we supply to them, and these “machines”
then exist, in order that the evolution of the universe may continue.
When our etheric body is handed over to the cosmos after our death,
this kind of work is therefore handed over at the same time to the
Beings of the three, above-mentioned hierarchies.
Let us now
contemplate from a similar standpoint man’s astral body. We
always contemplate things from different standpoints, so that we
always obtain other connections with the surrounding kingdoms,
and those who cannot read (an encompassing view of things is needed
in order to be able to read) may discover many contradictions in our
descriptions, but this is only due to the fact that they ignore the
standpoints from which these things are viewed.
You see, our astral
body is connected with the earthly surroundings in a similar way
as our etheric body. From the standpoint just indicated, our etheric
body is the whole ANIMAL KINGDOM. Our astral body is, instead, the
whole VEGETABLE KINGDOM. In exactly the same way in which I spoke to
you of the etheric body in connection with the animal kingdom, I
would now have to speak to you of the astral body in connection with
the vegetable kingdom. All the vegetable forms of our earth are
contained in the astral body. And again, we find that if nothing else
were to occur, if the Beings of the higher Hierarchies would not work
upon our astral body, if during the time between death and a new
birth, when we live backwards through our life, nothing would occur
except the fact that the astral body is discarded, then the astral
body would appear as the whole vegetable kingdom outside in the
world. Indeed, this would even take on the form of a sphere, it would
follow its own elasticity. The astral body would really take on
the form of a sphere; but it cannot do this because during our life
between birth and death the Spirits of Form have been working upon
our astral body, also the Spirits of Movement, the Spirits of Wisdom,
and even the Spirits of the Will. When after years or decades we have
lived backwards through our earthly life and have thus gradually
freed the astral body from its connection with earthly existence,
then the astral body will contain the results of a work, results that
the Spirits of Form, the Spirits of Movement, the Spirits of Wisdom
and the Spirits of the Will require in order to incorporate something
with the cosmos, namely, to incorporate with it, what they MUST
incorporate with it. Of course, what thus becomes incorporated with
the cosmos is to our own profit; for this must be contained in the
cosmos. However, this becomes inwoven with the cosmos in a manner
that differs from the process described above.
When we discard our
etheric body, this becomes inwoven, I might say, with the universal
ether of the cosmos. But what appears now, as a woof woven out of our
astral body as a result of the work of the Spirits of Form, the
Spirits of Movement, the Spirits of Wisdom and of the Thrones,
cooperates with our Ego that is passing through its time between
death and a new birth and contains forces which must be active, in
order that we may once more enter a new incarnation. Many things are
needed in order that we may enter a new incarnation! Many things,
indeed! To-day, the ordinary science of the physical world really
knows quite a lot about the structure of the skull and of the human
brain; such a lot, that many people find it is too much to learn all
these things! It is undoubtedly a lot. But suppose that all the
knowledge which is acquired through external science were to be
considered from a particular standpoint ... from the standpoint that
the _skull containing that wonderful structure of the brain has
actually arisen, that it could really be formed in its minutest
details, whereas if all this had to be formed with the aid of our
ordinary external science, very little indeed could be achieved!
Here we face a
significant mystery, a mystery that obtuse men (the sort of men whom
we can really designate as obtuse) think to cope with so easily by
saying: “Well, the human being simply arises! In the course of
the generations, it so happened that human bodies develop
spontaneously within the bodies of mothers. This is quite
spontaneous.” Indeed, the arguments adopted by such people can
be grasped ... but let me show you, with the aid of a comparison, how
clever they really are!
For instance, you
may take for granted that here in Munich there are certain Beings
able to perceive many things, but unable to perceive man, and thus
unable to see his activities. It is quite possible, to imagine this!
But those Beings who cannot see man, nor his activities, may, for
instance, be able to see — a clock. They would, therefore, know
that there are clocks and also how they are made. They would not,
however, see the man who makes the clock; they would only see how a
clock arises from its single parts. They would perhaps see the
different kinds of pincers taking hold of the clock’s parts,
but they would see them gripping, as it were, out of the air. What a
conception would these Beings have of a clock? They would not say:
“In Munich there are clock-makers”, but they would say:
“Clock-makers do not exist; the clocks arise spontaneously,
of their own accord, for we can see how they form themselves.”
This is the manner of thinking adopted by people who take for granted
that things that gradually develop in a physical way must arise quite
spontaneously! However, everything that arises is the result of
actions fulfilled by spiritual Beings belonging to the higher
Hierarchies. Indeed, the human being does not arise spontaneously,
merely through the interchanging influence of father and mother and
through what develops within the mother’s body, but the whole
cosmos participates in his development.
Particularly the
external world, as far as its highest regions, cooperates in the
formation of the human head. It participates less in what is
attached to the head, and participates in a particular way in the
development of the human head. In a not too distant future, even
ordinary science will learn to think differently in embryology
concerning all the organs and also concerning the human head. It will
discover that the other organs depend very strongly upon hereditary
qualities, whereas the formation of the head depends upon them only
very slightly. The form of the head is simply pushed together after
the formation of the other organs. The whole cosmos participates in
the forming of the head and the influences of the cosmos
penetrate into the mother’s body. Those who do not see these
forces ... well, also a farmer does not see the forces that are
active in a magnet, but this does not prove the non-existence of
these forces. What exists in the human head, has been worked out, as
it were, in connection with all that the human being has received
from the Spirits of Form, the Spirits of Movement and the Thrones,
with what he bears along within his Ego, carrying it over into the
time between death and a new birth, as a mighty spherical form.
What is thus elaborated is gigantic; it is a sphere and within this
sphere everything is worked out. [See Rudolf Steiner's
“MACROCOSM AND MICROCOSM”.
]
Imagine a gigantic
sphere, upon whose surface is engraved, as upon a globe, everything
that must be worked into it in accordance with what the human
being handed over, to begin with, to the universal cosmos through his
etheric body, through the extract of his etheric body; this forms, as
it were, something that is copied on to the surface of the sphere. We
then work into it what should be engraved upon it in accordance with
what we have brought along with us through the work done upon our
astral body. And then comes the time — it begins with that
moment designated by me as the world’s midnight hour —
when the sphere gradually grows smaller and finally this sphere, upon
which, the higher Spirits work, becomes quite small, it grows smaller
and smaller, until it unites with the human germ conceived within the
mother’s body. This, above all, gives rise to the form of the
head. The gradual development of the form of the head is the result
of centuries of work on the part of the higher Hierarchies.
Just imagine how
man’s feelings in regard to his relationship with the
world could be deepened if he would be aware of his position within
the whole cosmic connections! The human being who carries his head
upon his shoulders should learn to think in all humility, without any
pride and arrogance, that human wisdom and all that may be found in
it, contains very little indeed of what is required for the forming
of the head bestowed upon the human being! Man bears within him
everything that is contained in the cosmos. If we consider things
from this standpoint, spiritual science acquires an immense
value through, the fact that it becomes the point of departure for
certain feelings, that may, indeed, endanger souls filled with pride
and arrogance.
In my second
Mystery Play I have alluded to this fact, in the scene where
Capesius, conversing with Benedictus, feels the approach of truths
telling him that the deeds of gods are needed in order to give rise
to man. Truths of this kind may increase the vanity of many, who may
at first be disposed to vanity. They may attribute enormous
importance to themselves. Yet it would be far more reasonable to
foster the feeling showing us how little of all that wisdom which
gave rise to the human being really exists within our own
consciousness! Of course, we may snare the opinion of those who
say: “Of what use is it to know all these things? We can quite
well do without this knowledge. Indeed, we can live quite comfortably
without knowing, all these, things” ... Yet a great error
is contained in the belief that we can quite well do without this
knowledge! For, in reality, we cannot live without it. Indeed, at the
present time we easily yield to the erroneous belief that we can lead
quite a decent life without having a knowledge of the spiritual
world; that is to say, that we can breakfast, etc., and do many
things in between ... Undoubtedly, it is very easy to believe
this at the present time; nevertheless, such a belief is not
based upon truth. We should gradually be brought to the point of
feeling that such beliefs are not based upon truth. For this
reason, I mention a subject such as that of Planck. I mention Planck,
that strange man, who lived for many years an extremely lonely life
at Ulm and was not even offered a chair at the university of
Tübingen, because nobody really understood his true value and
significance; the significance of a man concerning whom obtuse
persons would certainly say: “Towards the end of his life, he
grew so nervous that he said all manner of things that sounded like
megalomania.” Well, obtuse men may argue like that. But even
someone who had not to endure the sufferings that Planck had to
endure, would have grown nervous through the way in which his fellow
men treated him, and he would also have uttered the words which may
be found in Planck’s introduction to his “Philosophy of
Nature and of Mankind”, the words of an ancient Roman:
“Ungrateful country of mine! You shall not even have my bones!”
I am quoting these words purposely; they were uttered in 1889, the
year of Planck’s death, and they really convey exactly what we
tried to explain just now.
The reality could be
perceived by a man with idealistic conceptions, because the
forces that develop within us when we are able to think in this
manner, are, at the same time, the most practical thing in the
world. The most practical thing is not at all as imagined by those
who believe that they really are in touch with the most practical
things in life; this can only be explained through the brutality with
which they face life’s practical aspects. When I advance such
examples, I only advance them in order to show you that all those
human forces which are also needed in practical life, can give rise
to clear thoughts filled with insight, only if the soul is fertilized
by spiritual scientific truths.
Is it possible
to-day that people actually believe that human life on earth is
possible, without the slightest idea of spiritual scientific truths?
Why do people believe such things? — Because they are so
terribly short-sighted! If they were not so short-sighted, it would
be possible to prove, even in an entirely external way, how
mistaken are those who say: “Well, people simply believe that
they need not concern themselves with a spiritual world. They are
born without doing anything towards this, and they grow ...” Of
course, some kind of education must be offered to man. Modern
pedagogy is so extremely clever, that it sets up clever principles,
reaching the gigantic heights of Forster’s pedagogy! And then
we gradually become mature men, who concern themselves with the
problem of what we should do, in order to give others something to
eat and to drink.
Yet it was not
always so within the human race. It is not so long ago that the
present conditions arose, inducing men to believe that they can live
upon the earth without possessing any spiritual knowledge. External
proofs may be advanced, in support of this.
Let me advance one
of these proofs. Probably, if we had time to spare (but here in
Munich, people do not have much time), we might even come across a
similar proof here in Munich. At the Museum of Art, in Hamburg we
recently discovered a proof that may be advanced externally. It
results from the following fact:
Let us bear in mind
that great symbol at the beginning of the Old Testament: Adam and
Eve’s Temptation, what is known to us as the Luciferic
temptation. Let us think of this. When a modern painter paints this
(his standpoint is quite an indifferent matter; it is all the same
whether he is a realistic or an idealistic painter, an expressionist,
impressionist, or futurist), he thinks that the reality can be
conveyed best of all if he paints Adam and Eve in a more or less ugly
way; between them, he will paint the Tree of Paradise and upon it the
Serpent, with a real serpent’s head, as large as the Tree. Can
this be termed realistic, in the true meaning of the word? I do not
think so. Leaving aside the present assumption, it is impossible
to believe that the archetypal mother Eve could have been so stupid
as to be tempted by a real serpent. Imagine, a real serpent creeping
through the green grass should have caught mother Eve! Even the
present serpent can only be looked upon as a symbol of something
else. Let us recall the thoughts that should really be connected with
the Luciferic temptation. The serpent is Lucifer. It can only
symbolize Lucifer. The fact that this being remained behind upon
the Moon-stage of development, is connected with the Luciferic
principle. It is therefore impossible to see Lucifer through physical
eyes, for these have only developed upon the earth. Lucifer can only
be perceived through the inner eye, and so he cannot resemble an
earthly serpent that can be seen through our ordinary earthly eyes.
Lucifer should be imagined as spiritual science is able to represent
him. Imagine now that man carries upon him his head, as the most
perfectly formed member of his body. Attached to it (it suffices if
you study a skeleton) is the remaining organism; the spine is
attached to the head. Everything that has, later on, developed
physically, was formed in advance. If we go back into evolution, if
we were to perceive Lucifer through our inner power of vision, we
would see him in the form which he had upon the Moon, when he was
preparing the earthly human head, a human head that was not so dense
and solid as the present one, for it was inwardly mobile,
manifold in its forms, and attached to it was a human spine, a spinal
cord, that may be imagined in the form of a serpent’s body.
Lucifer would, therefore, have to be painted with a countenance as
expressive as possible, and attached to it, a serpent’s body,
but one that resembles the archetypal human spine. This would be a
kind of picture of Lucifer.
At the Museum in
Hamburg there is a picture by Master Bertram representing a Story, of
the Creation, and there the Paradise-symbol is represented in such a
way that Lucifer is portrayed as described, exactly in accordance
with spiritual science. In the 13th and 14th century, Master Bertram
therefore painted Lucifer correctly, in a spiritual-scientific sense.
This can be seen; it is a historical fact. We have frequently spoken
of the ancient atavistic clairvoyance. What Master Bertram
painted, shows that up to the 13th and 14th century it was possible
to paint Lucifer correctly, in accordance with an ancient spiritual
science. It can therefore be proved, it can be proved externally,
that the human beings have become, so abandoned by the spirit as
they are now, only a few centuries ago. This can be proved, and you
will be able to discover such proofs.
In other words: What
the obtuse people of to-day consider as the everlasting human nature
... the fact that they look out into the world through their eyes and
then combine the things they see through their intellect, has become
a human soul-quality only a few centuries ago. Before that time, man
was aware of his connection with the spiritual world. This has faded.
But we can learn to know that even in the 13th and 14th century
people were still able to paint in such a way that this
was in keeping with the ancient spiritual science. It is important to
bear in mind such a fact. It shows us that the ancient spiritual
science had to vanish for the sake of the development of human
freedom, for in the 5th post-atlantean epoch arose something
that has often been described: namely, the, consciousness-soul had to
develop and consequently the old spiritual science had to recede.
But it must be brought back again.
In regard to what
constitutes the spirit of invention, the creative spirit, humanity
still lives to-day upon the old inheritance in every sphere, upon the
old inheritance that entered human evolution with the ancient
spiritual science. When someone has a new idea to-day and invents
something quite new, he does this because the ancient spiritual
science still continues to be active. But in less than a hundred, in
less than fifty years time, every kind of invention, every creative
kind of thought shall have disappeared; it shall have disappeared
even in the mechanical sphere, unless spiritual science influences
humanity in a fruitful way. Spiritual science must begin to penetrate
livingly into the development of the human race, for otherwise, the
human race must grow barren.
In the sphere of
art, this, fact is more or less evident to-day. In art it is strongly
evident that the human beings are, as it were, abandoned by the
spirit, seeing that they can only weave into their works of art what
they find as a model, outside, in Nature; thus the inner
fertilization on the part of the spirit is completely lacking.
These facts stand on
one side. They show us how necessary it is for the human being to
become aware of the fact that he is connected, as a whole human
being, with Beings belonging to the higher kingdoms. We may
think of people — some still exist to-day — who do not
know that air exists. For them, space is empty. At least this fact
does not reach their consciousness. After all, the physical body
cannot be thought of without the environing air — for what
would we be with our physical body without any air! We imagine that
the physical body is closed up, because it is enveloped in its skin,
— but here is the air outside the body: we breathe it in, and
now it is inside us; we breathe it out, and then it is outside. Does
not the air belong to the physical body in the same way as the
muscles? Do you not have within you what is outside, and outside what
is within? In the same way in which we are connected with the air in
regard to our physical body, so we are connected, in regard to our
soul-element, with the Beings that weave through the world as Spirits
of Form, Spirits of Movement and Thrones; through our astral body we
are united with the Beings who weave through the world as spiritual
Hierarchies; they are incessantly active in us, just as the air is
active within our physical body. If we know this, we have the right
kind of consciousness of man’s being.
This is one aspect
of the matter. But then there is still another aspect. Now I wish to
awaken in you a conception of these things, by contemplating them
from several aspects, as it is necessary to-day.
Read, for instance,
(I might also indicate another example) Dostojevski’s
“Karamasov Brothers”. Four characters appear, among
others, in this book: the four sons of the old Karamasov, Ivan,
Dmitri, Aljosha, Smerdiakov. It is very strange to see what an
influence this novel of Dostojevski had, particularly in Europe. I
would have to say many things if I wished to explain the whole way in
which such things rise out of human life and pass through a soul such
as that of Dostojevski where they develop into a work such as his
“Brothers Karamasov”. Let me only say this: In spite of
the greatest admiration which we may have for the penetrating
psychological art (this is the name given to it by many modern
people, because they know so little what psychology really is!),
in spite of the penetrating insight of Dostojevski’s
psychological art, also in spite of his fine and penetrating
observation of life, those who have really reached the point of
taking up spiritual-scientific conceptions not only in such a way as
to say, man consists of physical body, etheric body, astral body
and Ego, but so that they are filled with what may be experienced in
connection with these members of human nature — those who
strive to build up feelings in the way in which we endeavour to do
it, will have an uncomfortable feeling when they read the frequently
chaotic descriptions of the Karamasov brothers. For this book
contains many things that may indeed be designated as fine
observations of life, if we simply bear in mind an external,
superficial observation of life ... for instance the fact that the
eldest brother is the son of another mother and has an entirely
different character than that of his two younger brothers; the fourth
son is again the offspring of another mother (the old Karamasov
is namely a thorough scoundrel!), whereas the third son has a most
peculiar mother. One does not know if he is really the son of the old
Karamasov ... But I do not intend to tell you the story of the book.
Indeed, if we also bear in mind the aspect, who were the mothers, we
may feel throughout: there is something behind all that! In fact,
this is so, for a Central-European writer would not describe things
in that way; he would describe things far more consciously and thus
he would not bring into his description so many sub-conscious
factors; as is the case with Dostojevski, he constructs more, and
since he only brings into his book what he more or less knows, his
book will not contain such a wealth of things as that of Dostojevski,
who takes the things he writes from LIFE.
Life contains more
than that which rises up in the consciousness of the human soul.
Towards all these things we feel that in the case of Dostojevski we
have before us an extremely chaotic mind, rendered chaotic through
his epilepsy; but, in spite of this, many things passed through his
entirely diseased soul, things which could pass through it, because
human nature is, in our time, inclined, as it were, to reveal certain
Things. We may then come to the following result: If we have acquired
the right kind of feeling, the right kind of idea in regard to what
is meant by physical body, etheric body, astral body and Ego, we
shall find in the four Karamasov brothers four human beings who
can only be understood in the right way if we say to ourselves: In
one of them, we have before us a human being in whom the
physical body is specially active; in the other one, a human being in
whom the etheric body is particularly active; in the third one, a
human being in whom the astral body is more active; and in the fourth
one, a human being in whom the Ego is more active. It is
indeed so: If you take the Karamasov brothers and study them from an
inner aspect, you will be able to say that, in accordance with. the
present cycle of human evolution, and in a case where everything is
active in such a way that the poet is influenced and stimulated
to describe things more from out his sub-consciousness, the various
members of human nature are active so that in one brother one
particular member has the upper hand, and in another one, another
member; the four brothers therefore appear like the drawn-out image
of humanity. In Dmitri we find that the Ego is preponderant; in
Aljosha, the astral body; in Ivan, the etheric body; and in
Smerdiakov, the physical body. Though at first this may seem strange,
it is nevertheless so, from the standpoint of reality.
You see, here we
have the strange case of a poet who produces chiefly from out his
sub-conscious depths and even has a chaotic soul life owing to his
epilepsy, but who is nevertheless pushed towards the reality and
whose astral body, that is to say, his sub-consciousness, becomes
connected with what weaves and lives in the world.
We may well believe
that the experience of standing beneath the gallows and. being
unexpectedly pardoned at the last minute (Dostojevski’s
comrades have already been hung, while Dostojevski himself is
facing the moment of being hung), is not an indifferent experience;
indeed, such an experience awakens in a human soul altogether
different feelings than those of a soul that has never passed through
a similar experience. This is a fact that should be borne in mind.
But all this shows us that at the present time, in particular, a soul
of Dostojevski’s kind could be influenced by the real facts in
such a manner that his soul felt induced to describe throughout his
book, in a chaotic way, these four brothers, who possess the
qualities just described, whom we can only understand if we know this
and if we are able to feel it. In that case, we shall understand
why the brother in whom the etheric body predominates and the one in
whom the astral body predominates, must be the sons of a mother
afflicted with hysterical fits. If we know this, the details in
particular become wonderfully transparent. This reveals the tendency
of our time within the sphere of a nation inclined to offer (I have
already explained this to you), as it were, those blood qualities
which must become united with the Central European qualities. We can
grasp what is taking place, also in the case of men in whom these
events are still inwoven unconsciously; but we can grasp this only if
we understand spiritual science.
Even though it may
seem stupid, let me nevertheless say that the world is deep, and that
it is not such a simple matter to gain some knowledge in regard to
it, nor to judge it; it is not so simple a matter as imagined by
those who lead the usual kind of life. The human beings pass through
life in a dream or in a state of intoxication. Yet great things
are preparing and it is not so easy to attract people’s,
attention to these things.
Through your Karma
you belong to those who are gradually penetrating into these
things; you have been listening to them for many years and have thus
gradually become familiar with them, acquiring an idea of all that
lies concealed beneath the surface of life. But in regard to
outsiders: — we may sometimes allude to such things in their
presence and the very people may be sitting there, who belong to the
clever set and believe, above all, that the person who speaks in a
spiritual-Scientific manner and mentions this or that thing to them,
does not really know anything beyond what he is saying. They have not
the slightest idea that this knowledge must be drawn out of an
all-encompassing knowledge, one that can really be proved in every
detail and that becomes interesting just when it can be substantiated
through details.
That many things in
human evolution must change, can be seen therein that I have put
before you two facts: I have shown you, on the one hand, what is
connected with the human being, but on the other hand, I have also
shown you the way in which we should contemplate the events that
are now taking place. If someone who knows nothing of microscopy
looks through a microscope, he will see nothing whatever. In a
similar way, nothing whatever can be discerned when we contemplate
human experience. Nothing whatever can be discerned in the
experiences of the East during the 19th century; nothing can be seen
in a Dostojevski, who wrote the book, “The Brothers Karamasov”,
a book that indicates a sub-earthly element. In the East, in the
Russian East, people have become aware of this, for a certain
attitude towards life has been designated, as “Karamasovshchina”.
It is difficult to explain this word; it is a far more qualitative
concept than, for instance, the word “Strizitum” (a word
in Austrian dialect, indicating a loose, half rascally, half
good-fellow attitude towards life). “Karamasovshchina”
is a far more concrete thing. We may come across this in life itself
and even in art, and in order to perceive what is taking place, it is
easy to realise that when we contemplate things, it is necessary to
have in our soul’s background a knowledge that can only come
from spiritual science.
Even the external
processes rising up before us at the present time in particular,
reveal this necessity; if we only look upon life thoughtfully, they
reveal the necessity to which I allude and which I illuminated from
two aspects. For instance, a very distressing phenomenon of the
present is the following one: — General opinions existed long
before the war. Certain people were considered to be prominent in
this or in that sphere. There was no reason to object to this because
they really achieved extraordinary things in the meaning of
modern civilisation. Then war broke out. These prominent people
expressed their views, they wrote letters. It is almost incredible
what nonsense these prominent men wrote! For instance, Krapotkin, who
enjoyed a great reputation in England. But read the letters written
by him at the beginning of the war! He was looked upon as a
broad-minded free-thinker, yet how stupid were the letters he wrote!
These are weighty
facts. Indeed, I might say: Particularly now that humanity is facing
such a sudden and powerful situation, we can see how little their
thoughts are capable of grasping something that does not, for
once, break in upon mankind in accordance with an ordinary, easy
programme. From their own standpoint, the ordinary Philistines are
better off than others, for they judge things in accordance with
their views. But how do these views generally arise? At the
present time, people despise authority and have their own views! Yet
their opinions are merely based upon the fact that they have
forgotten where they have read them! These are the “individual
opinions”, that are simply characterised through the fact that
they have been read or heard somewhere. All these things show that
particularly the so deeply incisive events of the present contain
something that must become a distinctive mark of humanity: namely,
the fact that many, many things in spiritual life must change
completely; human beings must make up their mind not to pass through
life in the same way as the materialists, who merely dream of the
world ... Of course, they think that the others are dreaming,
nevertheless it is THEY who really dream, for they have never really
woken up properly. Spiritual life must indeed change, and this fact
must penetrate into the consciousness of those who wish to become
united in their heart with the true life-essence of the
spiritual-scientific world-conception.
Earnest words had to
be said at this meeting, simply because to-day things present such an
aspect that every opportunity must be used which may, perhaps, not
always be available. It is difficult to travel about, at present.
It is therefore
necessary to discuss these earnest things. They are also connected
with questions discussed on previous occasions, questions that
may be considered in connection with those of to-day. I explained
that our etheric body is not something that may be designated as the
bearer of our thoughts; it does not simply evaporate: no, the etheric
body does not evaporate ... it becomes inwoven with the world-ether.
When, however, as is the case at present, hundreds and thousands of
deaths prevent human beings from carrying their etheric bodies
through several decades, as would be the case normally, when these
etheric bodies are handed over to the spiritual world, then something
arises which I have frequently described: They remain here, with that
part of the etheric body which may still have been used, and this
will be found ABOVE. But its INFLUENCE in the future will depend upon
the constitution of the souls BELOW. Strength for a spiritual
progress will in future be found by those souls below who say to
themselves: Many men have passed through the sacrifice of death and
if we grow conscious of the forces contained in what they leave
behind, then a spiritual growth will be possible. Souls must be there
who are open to the comprehension of the spiritual world. In that
case, the forces existing through the death-sacrifices can
become fruitful for the earth. Otherwise, they must fall a prey to
Ahriman. It need not NECESSARILY arise that these forces become
fruitful for the earth ... for this will depend either upon the
greatest possible number of souls that are inclined to unite in their
feelings with what has arisen spiritually through the
death-sacrifices; it will depend upon the possibility of utilising
this later on, or else it will depend upon whether this will fall a
prey to Ahriman. Meditate this thought, for then it will acquire
significance and you will be able to feel the words with which I once
more wish to conclude my lecture:
Aus dem Mut der Kämpfer,
Aus dem Blut der Schlachten,
Aus dem Leid Verlassener,
Aus des Volkes Opfertaten:
Wird erwachsen Geistesfrucht,
Lenken Seelen geistbewusst
Ihren Sinn ins Geisterreich.
(TRANSLATION)
From the courage of the fighters,
From the blood of the battles,
From the suffering of the abandoned,
From the nation's deeds of sacrifice,
Shall spring forth a Spirit-fruit,
If souls, in spirit-consciousness,
Lead their heart and mind into the Spirit-realm.
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