Supersensible Knowledge
GA 55
1 December 1906, Cologne
VI. Education in the Light of Spiritual Science
When the spiritual scientific movement began its activity some thirty years ago, its aim was not to satisfy curiosity about the spiritual worlds, but to make spiritual knowledge available to a wider public, and provide insight that will help to solve not only spiritual but also everyday practical problems. One such problem is the subject of today's lecture. It belongs to everyday life and must be of interest to everyone. Knowledge of human nature and problems of education are intimately connected. No aspect of social life can benefit more from spiritual research than education, because it is possible to provide practical guidelines in this realm through supersensible knowledge.
In order to deal with this subject we must look once more at the nature of human beings. That aspect of their being that is grasped by the intellect is for spiritual science only part of their nature. The physical, bodily aspect that we can see and touch a person has in common with the rest of the natural world. The spiritual investigator's research is not based on speculation, but on what is discovered through the higher sense of clairvoyant sight. This reveals the ether body as the second member of a person's being. It is a spiritual organism that is considerably more delicate and refined than the physical body. It has nothing to do with physical ether, and is best described as a sum of forces or currents of energy rather than as substance.
The ether body is the architect of the physical body. The latter has crystallized out of the ether body much as ice crystallizes out of water. We must therefore regard everything that constitutes the physical aspect of a person's being as having evolved out of the ether body. Human being's have this member in common with all beings endowed with life, that is, with the vegetable and animal kingdoms. In shape and size the ether body coincides with the physical body except for the lower part, which differs in shape from the physical. In animals the ether body extends far beyond the physical. For someone who has developed the spiritual faculties that slumber in every human being, there is nothing fantastic about this description of the ether body, just as it is not fantastic for a person who can see to describe colors to a blind person as blue or red.
The third member of a person's being, the astral body, is the bearer of all kinds of passions, lower as well as higher, and also of joys and sorrows, pleasure and pain, cravings and desires. Our ordinary thoughts and will-impulses are also contained in the astral body. Like the ether body, it becomes visible when the higher senses are developed. The astral body permeates the physical and ether bodies and surrounds humans like a kind of cloud. We have it in common with the animal kingdom; it is in continuous movement, mirroring every shade of feeling. But why the name “astral?”
The physical substances of which the physical body is composed connect it with the whole earth; in like manner is the astral body connected with the world of stars. The forces that permeate it and condition a person's destiny and character were given the name “astral” by those who were able to look deeply into their mysterious connection with the astral world that surrounds the earth.
The fourth member of a person's being, the power that enables him or her to say “I,” makes the human being the crown of creation. This name can only be applied to himself; it expresses the fact that what speaks is the soul's primordial divine spark. The designations of everything else we share with others; they can reach a person's ear from outside, but not the name that refers to what is god-like in each individual human soul. That is why in Hebrew esoteric schools it was called the “inexpressible name of God—Jahve,” the “I am the I am.” Even the priest could utter it only with a shudder. This “I am the I am” the soul ascribes to itself.
The human physical body is related to the mineral kingdom, the ether body to the vegetable kingdom and the astral body to the animal kingdom. The “I” humans have in common with no other earthly being; the “I” makes a person the crown of creation. This fourfold entity has always been known in esoteric schools as the “quaternity of man's nature.”
These four bodies develop in each individual in a particular way from childhood till old age. That is why, if we are to understand a person, we must always consider each human being individually. A person's characteristics are indicated already in the embryo. However, humans are not isolated beings; they develop within a certain environment, and can thrive only when surrounded by all the beings of the universe. During embryonic life they must be enveloped by the maternal organism, from which they become independent only when a certain stage of maturity is reached. During further development, the child goes through more events of a similar nature. Just as the physical body while still at the embryonic stage must be enveloped by the maternal organism, so is it surrounded after birth by spiritual sheaths related to spiritual realms. The child is enveloped by an etheric and an astral sheath; the child reposes in them as he did in the womb before birth.
At the time of the change of teeth an etheric covering loosens itself from the ether body, as did the physical covering at physical birth. That means that the ether body is born and becomes free in all directions. Up to then an entity of like nature to itself was attached to it, from which spiritual currents flowed through it as physical currents flowed from the maternal covering through the child before birth. Thus, the child is born for a second time when the ether body is born. Meanwhile the astral body is still surrounded by its protective sheath, a covering that strengthens and invigorates it up to the time of puberty. Then that too withdraws; the birth of the astral body takes place; and the child is born for the third time.
The fact that a threefold birth takes place indicates that the three entities must be considered separately. While it is impossible for external light to reach and harm the eyes of the unborn child, it is not impossible, but certainly highly damaging to the soul, if influences foreign to it are brought to bear on the ether body before it has become completely independent. The same applies to the astral body before puberty. We should, according to spiritual science, avoid all education and training before the change of teeth, except such that have a bearing on the child's physical body; we should in fact influence the ether body as little as we influence the child's physical body before it is born. However, just as the mother must be cared for, because her health influences the development of the embryo, so one should now respect the inviolability of the ether body for the sake of the child's healthy development. This is so important because before the change of teeth only the physical body is ready to be influenced by the external world; all training should therefore be restricted to what concerns the physical body. Any external influence of the ether body during this period is a violation of laws according to which human beings develop.
The human ether body is different from that of the plant world because in a person it becomes the bearer of his enduring traits such as habit, character, conscience and memory, and also temperament. The astral body is the seat of the life of feelings already mentioned, and also of the ability to discern, to judge.
These facts indicate when it becomes right to exert influence on the natural tendencies. In the period up to the seventh year, the child's bodily faculties develop; they become independent and self-contained. The same applies between the seventh and the fourteenth years to habits, memory, temperament and so on; between the fourteenth and the twentieth or twenty-second years is the time when the faculty of the critical intellect develops, and an independent relation to the surrounding world is attained. All these things indicate that different principles of education are required in the various life periods. Special care must be taken up to the seventh year with everything that affects the physical body. This encompasses a great many things. It is a time when all the essential physical organs are gradually developing and the effect on the child's senses is of immense importance. It matters greatly what it sees and hears and generally absorbs. The faculty most prominent at this time is imitation. The Greek philosopher Aristotle1Aristotle (384–322 B.C.) was a Greek philosopher and one of the most influential thinkers of his time. remarked that human beings are the most imitative of all animals. This is especially true of the child before the change of teeth. Everything is imitated during this time, and as whatever enters the child through its senses as light and sound works formatively on the organs, it is of utmost importance that what surrounds the child should act beneficially.
At this age nothing is achieved by admonition; commands and prohibitions have no effect whatever. But of the greatest significance is the example. What the child sees, what happens around him, he feels must be imitated. For instance: the parents of a well-behaved child were astonished to discover that he had taken money from a cashbox; greatly disturbed, they thought the child had inclinations to steal. Questioning brought to light that the child had simply imitated what he had seen his parents do every day.
It is important that the examples the child sees and imitates are of a kind that awaken its inner forces. Exhortations have no effect, but the way a person behaves in the child's presence matters greatly. It is far more important to refrain from doing what the child is not permitted to do than to forbid the child to imitate it.
Thus, it is vital that during these years the educator is an exemplary example, that he or she only does what is worthy of imitation. Education should consist of example and imitation. The truth of this is recognized when insight is attained into the nature of human beings and confirmed by the results of education based upon it. Thus, because the ability to understand what things mean is a faculty of the ether body, the child should not learn the significance of the letters of the alphabet before the change of teeth; before then, he or she should do no more than trace their form with paint.
Spiritual research makes all these subtleties understandable and throws light even on details of what should be done. Everything the child perceives, also in a moral sense, acts on the formation of its physical organs. It makes a difference whether the child is surrounded by pain and sorrow or happiness and joy. Happiness and joy build sound organs, and lay the foundation for future health. The opposite can create a disposition towards illness. Everything that surrounds the child should breathe an atmosphere of happiness and joy, even down to objects and colors of clothing and wallpaper. The educator must ensure that it does so, while also taking into account the child's particular disposition.
If a child is inclined to be too earnest and too quiet, it will benefit from having in its surroundings rather sombre, bluish, greenish colors, while the lively, too active child should have yellow, reddish colors. This may seem like a contradiction, but the fact is that through its inherent nature the sense of sight calls up the opposite colors. The bluish shades have an invigorating effect, while in the lively child the yellow-reddish shades call up the opposite colors.
Thus, you see that spiritual investigation throws light even on practical details. The developing organs must be treated in ways that promote their health and inner forces. The child should not be given toys that are too finished and perfect, such as building blocks or perfect dolls. A doll made out of an old table napkin on which eyes, nose and mouth are indicated is far better. Every child will see such a homemade doll as a lady attired in beautiful finery. Why? Because it stirs its imagination, and that induces movement in the inner organs and produces in the child a feeling of well-being. Notice in what a lively and interested manner such a child plays, throwing itself body and soul into what the imagination conjures up, while the child with the perfect doll just sits, unexcited and unamused. It has no possibility to add anything through imagination, so its inner organs are condemned to remain inactive. The child has an extraordinarily sound instinct for what is good for it, as long as only the physical body has become free to interact with the external world, and as long as it is in the process of development. The child will indicate what is beneficial for himself. However, if from early on this instinct is disregarded, it will disappear. Education should be based on happiness, on joy and the child's natural cravings. To practice asceticism at this age would be synonymous with undermining its healthy development.
When the child approaches the seventh year and the milk teeth are gradually being replaced, the covering of the ether body loosens and it becomes free, as did the physical body at physical birth. Now the educator must bring to bear everything that will further the development of the ether body. However, the teacher must guard against placing too much emphasis on developing the child's reason and intellect. Between the seventh and twelfth years, it is mainly a question of authority, confidence, trust and reverence. Character and habit are special qualities of the ether body and must be fostered; but it is harmful to exert any influence on the reasoning faculty before puberty.
The development of the ether body occurs in the period from the seventh to the sixteenth year (in girls to the fourteenth). It is important for the rest of a person's life that during this period feelings of respect and veneration are fostered. Such feelings can be awakened in the following way: by means of information and narration, the lives of significant people are depicted to the child, not only from history, but from the child's own circle, perhaps that of a revered relative. Awe and reverence are awakened in the child, which forbid him to harbor any critical thoughts or opposition against the venerated person. The child lives in solemn expectation of the moment he will be permitted to meet this person. At last the day arrives and the child stands before the door filled with awe and veneration; he turns the handle, enters the room that for him, is a holy place. Such moments of veneration become forces of strength in later life. It is immensely important that the educator, the teacher, is at this time a respected authority for the child. A child's faith and confidence must be awakened, not in axioms, but in human beings.
People around the child with whom he has contact must be his ideals; the child must also choose such ideals from history and literature: "Everyone must choose the hero whose path to Olympus he will follow," is a true saying. The materialistic view that opposes authority and undervalues respect and reverence is utterly wrong. It regards the child as being already self-reliant, but its healthy development is impaired if demands are made upon the reasoning faculty before the astral body is born. What is important at this time is that memory is developed. This is best done in purely mechanical fashion. However, calculators should not be used; tables of multiplication, poems and so on should be committed to memory in quite a parrot fashion. It is simply materialistic prejudice that maintains that at this age such things should be inwardly felt and understood.
In the old days educators knew better. At the ages between one and seven all kinds of songs were sung to the children, like the good old nursery rhymes and children's songs. What mattered was not sense and meaning but sound; the children were made aware of harmony and consonance; we often find words inserted purely for the sake of their sound. Often the rhymes were meaningless. For example: “Fly beetle fly, your father is away; your mother is in Pommerland, Pommerland, fly beetle fly.” Incidentally, in the idiom of children “Pommerland” meant motherland. The expression stemmed from a time when it was still believed that human beings were spiritual beings and had come down to earth from a spiritual world. Pommerland was the Land of spiritual origin. Yet it was not the meaning in such rhymes that was important, but the sound; hence, the many children's songs had no particular sense.
This is the age when memory, habit and character must be established, and this is achieved through authority. If the foundation of these traits is not laid during this period, it will result in behavioral shortcomings later. Just because axioms and rules of conduct have no place in education until the astral body is born, it is important that the pre-puberty child, if he is to be properly educated, can Look up to authority. The child is able to sense a person's innermost being, and that is what it reveres in those with authority. Whatever flows from the educator to the child forms and develops conscience, character and even the temperament—its lasting disposition. During these years allegories and symbols act formatively on the ether body of the child because they make manifest the world-spirit. Fairy tales, legends and descriptions of heroes are a true blessing.
During this period, the ether body must receive as much care as the physical body. During the earlier period it was happiness and joy that influenced the forming of the Organs; from seven to fourteen (in this case boys to sixteen), the emphasis must be on everything that promotes feelings of health and vigor. Hence, the value of gymnastics. However, the desired effect will not be attained if the instructor aims at movements that solely benefit the physical body. It is important that the teacher be able to intuitively enter into how the child inwardly senses himself, and in this way to know which movements will promote inner sensations of health, strength, well-being, and pleasure in the bodily constitution. Only when gymnastic exercises induce feelings of growing strength are they of real value. Not only the external aspect of the bodily nature benefits from correct gymnastic exercises, but also the way a person inwardly experiences the self.
Everything artistic has a strong influence on the ether, as well as the astral body. Music of excellence, both vocal and instrumental, is particularly important, especially for the ether body. And there should be many objects of true artistic beauty in the child's environment.
Most important of all is religious instruction. Images of things supersensible are deeply imprinted in the ether body. What is important here is not the pupil's ability to have an opinion about religious faith, but that he receives descriptions of the supersensible, of what extends beyond the temporal. All religious subjects must be presented pictorially.
Great care must be taken that what is taught is brought to life. Much is spoiled in the child if it is burdened with too much that is dull and lifeless. What is taught in a lively interesting manner benefits the child's ether body. There should be much activity and doing; this has a quickening effect on the spirit. That is true also when it comes to play. The old kind of picture books have a stimulating effect because they contain figures that can be pulled by strings and suggest movement and inner life. Nothing has a more deadening effect on the child's spirit than putting together and fixing some structure, using finished geometrical shapes. That is why building blocks should not be used; the child should create everything from the beginning and learn to bring to life what he forms out of the lifeless. Our materialistic age extinguishes life through mass-produced lifeless objects. Much dies in the young developing brain when the child has to do meaningless things like, for example, braiding. Talents are stifled and much that is unhealthy in our modern society can be traced back to the nursery. Inartistic lifeless toys do not foster trust in spiritual life. A fundamental connection exists between today's lack of religious belief and the way young children are taught.
Once puberty is reached, the astral covering falls away; the astral body becomes independent. With the awakening feelings for the opposite sex, the ability to judge, to form personal opinion, also awakens. Only now should appeal be made to the reasoning faculty, to the approval or disapproval of the critical intellect. That is not to say that the moment the human being has reached this age he is capable of forming independent judgment, let alone do so earlier. It is absurd for such young people to judge issues or to have a say in cultural life. A young person under the age of twenty has an as yet undeveloped astral body, and can no more make sound judgments than a baby still in the womb can hear or see. Each life period requires a corresponding influence. In the first, it is a model to imitate; in the second an authority to emulate; the third requires rules of conduct, principles, and axioms. What is of utmost significance for the young person at this time is the teacher, the personality that will guide the student's eagerness for learning and his desire for independence in the right directions.
Thus, the spiritual scientific world conception provides an abundance of basic principles that help the teacher's task of developing and educating the young generations. We have shown that spiritual science is applicable to everyday life and capable of practical intervention in important issues. We must understand all the members of the human being, and the way they are interrelated in order to know when to influence which member in a truly beneficial way. The embryo will be affected if the expectant mother is not properly nourished; for its sake the mother must be cared for. Similarly, what later still surrounds and protects the child must also be cared for, as that in turn will benefit the child. This holds good on both physical and spiritual levels. Thus, as long as the child still slumbers as if within an etheric womb and is still rooted in the astral covering, it matters greatly what happens in the environment. The child is affected by every thought, every feeling, every sentiment motivating those around him, even if not expressed. Here a person cannot maintain that one's thoughts and feelings do not matter as long as nothing is said.
Even in the innermost recesses of their hearts, those around the child cannot permit themselves ignoble thoughts or feelings. Words affect only the external senses, whereas thoughts and feelings reach the protecting sheaths of the ether and astral bodies and pass over to the child. Therefore, as long as these protective coverings envelop the child, they must be cared for. Impure thoughts and passions harm them just as unsuitable substances harm the mother's body.
Thus, even subtle aspects are illumined by spiritual science. Through knowledge of the human being the educator gains the insight needed. Spiritual science does not aim to persuade; it is not a theory, it is practical knowledge applicable to life. Its effect is beneficial, for it makes human beings healthier both physically and spiritually. It provides effective truth that must flow into every aspect of life. There is no better way for spiritual science to serve humanity than fostering social impulses in the young during the formative years. What takes place in human beings during the time they grow up and mature is one of life's greatest riddles; those who find practical solutions will prove true educators.
Die Erziehung des Kindes vom Standpunkt der Geisteswissenschaft
Als vor drei Jahrzehnten die theosophische Bewegung ihren Anfang nahm, handelte es sich bei den eigentlich führenden Persönlichkeiten nicht darum, eine neue Idee in die Welt zu bringen, nach welcher eine Begierde nach übersinnlichen Welten Befriedigung finden sollte, sondern darum, eine geistige Einsicht weiteren Kreisen zugänglich zu machen, durch welche man die geistigen und auch die praktischen Lebensfragen lösen könne. — Eine von diesen Fragen ist die des heutigen Themas, eine Frage, die uns ins alltägliche Leben hineinführt und darum jeden Menschen interessieren muß. Die Erziehungsfrage kann nur im Zusammenhang mit intimer Kenntnis vom Wesen des Menschen gehandhabt werden. Für keine Strömung ist das Wesen der Geistesforschung günstiger als für die Erziehungsfrage, durch welche sich durch eine Erkenntnis, die eindringt ins übersinnliche Leben, leitende Grundgedanken ergeben.
Wir müssen auch hier wieder ausgehen von der Betrachtung des Wesens des Menschen. Was der Verstand erfassen kann, das ist ja für die Geistesforschung nur ein Teil des menschlichen Wesens. Das, was wir am Menschen greifen und sehen, diese physische Leibeswesenheit hat er mit der ganzen übrigen Natur gemeinsam. Nicht durch Spekulation, nicht durch Gedankenphilosophie, sondern durch dasjenige, was mit hellseherischem Blick der höhere Sinn schauen kann, forscht der Geisteswissenschafter. Ihm zeigt sich als zweites Glied im Menschen der Ätherleib, ein geistiger Organismus, der wesentlich feiner ist als der physische. Er hat nichts mit dem physikalischen Begriff von Äther zu tun und wird besser nicht als ein Stoff, sondern als eine Summe von Kräften, als eine Summe von Strömungen, von Kraftwirkungen beschrieben. Er ist aber der Architekt des aus ihm heraus kristallisierten physischen Leibes, welcher sich aus ihm herausentwickelt wie etwa das Eis aus dem Wasser. So müssen wir uns vorstellen, daß alles, was am Menschen physischer Leib, physischer Organismus ist, herausgebildet ist aus dem Ätherleib. Diesen haben wir gemeinsam mit allen lebenden Wesen, mit der Pflanzen- und Tierwelt. Er hat eine ähnliche Form wie der physische Leib, seine Form und Größe schließen sich der Form und Größe desselben an. An den unteren Teilen aber ist er verschieden, bei den Tieren ragt er weit heraus. Man beschreibt hiermit, was man als Ätherkörper kennt, etwa so, wie man einem Blinden sagt, eine Farbe ist blau oder rot. Ebensowenig wie dem Sehenden dies phantastisch erscheint, ist für den, welcher die in jedem Menschen schlummernden Fähigkeiten entwikkelt, Phantasie in dem Beschriebenen.
Als drittes Glied des menschlichen Wesens erkennen wir den Astralleib, den Träger von all dem, was wir Leidenschaften, niedere und zum Teil auch höhere nennen, alles, was der Mensch an Lust und Leid, Freude und Schmerz, Begierde und Trieb in sich trägt. Der Astralkörper ist Träger auch der gewöhnlichen Gedankenwelt, der Willensimpulse. Er wird wiederum durch die Entwicklung höherer Sinne geschaut.Er umgibt den Menschen wie eine Art Wolke, die den physischen und Ätherleib durchsetzt. Ihn haben wir mit der ganzen Tierwelt gemein. Alles in ihm ist Bewegung, alles spiegelt sich in ihm ab, was an Gemütsbewegungen sich vollzieht. Warum hat er den Namen «Astral»? Wie der physische Körper durch seine physischen Stoffe mit dem ganzen Erdenkörper zusammenhängt, so steht der AstralJeib mit der ganzen die Erde umgebenden Welt der Sterne in Verbindung. Alle die Kräfte, die den Astralleib durchdringen und des Menschen Schicksal und Charakter bedingen, sind deshalb so benannt worden von solchen, die tief hineingeschaut haben in den geheimnisvollen Zusammenhang mit der ganzen die Erde umgebenden Astralwelt. In einem orphischen Gesange an den orphischen Urgott drückt Goethe, der tief hineingeschaut hat in die Zusammenhänge zwischen der Natur, dem Menschen und dem Kosmos, in schöner Strophe dasjenige aus, was sich im Astralleib abspielt:
Wie an dem Tag, der dich der Welt verliehen,
Die Sonne stand zum Gruße der Planeten,
Bist alsobald und fort und fort gediehen
Nach dem Gesetz, wonach du angetreten.
So mußt du sein, dir kannst du nicht entfliehen!
So sagten schon Sibyllen, so Propheten,
Und keine Zeit und keine Macht zerstückelt
Geprägte Form, die lebend sich entwickelt.
Durch das vierte Glied ist der Mensch die Krone der Schöpfung. Es umfaßt das, als Kraft begriffen, was ihm die Fähigkeit gibt, zu sich «Ich» zu sagen, was ein jeder nur zu sich selbst sagen kann. Es ist der Ausdruck dafür, daß die Seele ihren göttlichen Urfunken in sich sprechen läßt. Alles, was sie mit den anderen Menschen gemeinsam hat, kann als Bezeichnung an ihr Ohr klingen, aber was jeder als inneren Gott in sich hat, kann nicht von außen an ihn herantreten. Deshalb wurde es in den jüdischen Geheimschulen der unaussprechliche Name Gottes genannt, das Jahve, das «Ich bin der Ich-Bin» der Hebräer, das der Priester selbst nur mit Schauern nannte. Dieses «Ich bin der Ich-bin» schreibt sich die Seele zu. — Wir sprachen von der Gemeinschaft des physischen Körpers mit der materiellen, des Ätherkörpers mit der Pflanzen-, des Astralkörpers mit der Tierwelt; sein Ich hat der Mensch mit niemand und mit nichts gemeinsam; daher wird er durch dieses zur Krone der Schöpfung. Diese viergliedrige Wesenheit hat man in allen okkulten Schulen als Vierheit der menschlichen Natur angesprochen. Von der Kindheit an bis zum reifen Alter bilden sich diese vier Körper heraus, indem jeder dieser Teile sich besonders entwikkelt. Daher müssen wir jeden am werdenden Menschen gesondert betrachten, wenn wir ihn verstehen wollen. Veranlagt finden wir sie alle nicht nur im Kinde, sondern schon im Embryo. Die Entwicklung aber der vier Glieder ist ganz voneinander verschieden. Der Mensch entwickelt sich nicht ohne Umgebung, er ist kein Wesen für sich. Er kann nur gedeihen und sich entwickeln, wenn er von andern Wesenheiten des Kosmos umgeben ist. Als Embryo muß ihn der mütterliche Organismus umschließen, und erst, wenn er eine gewisse Reife erlangt hat, kann er aus ihm frei werden. Bis zu einer gewissen Stufe muß er umschlossen sein vom mütterlichen Organismus.
Ähnliche Vorgänge gehen noch öfter mit dem Menschen vor sich während seiner Entwicklung. Geradeso wie der physische Leib als Keim bis zur Geburt vom mütterlichen Organismus umgeben ist, so bleibt der Mensch nachher von geistigen Organen umgeben, die der geistigen Welt angehören, von einer Äther- und einer Astralhülle. Er ruht in denselben wie bis zu seiner Geburt im Mutterschoß.
Wenn ein gewisser Zeitpunkt in der Altersentwicklung erreicht ist, die Zeit des Zahnwechsels, dann löst sich um den AÄtherleib herum ebenso eine Ätherhülle los wie bei der physischen Geburt die physische Hülle. Da wird dann der Ätherleib nach allen Richtungen frei, da wird er erst geboren. Vorher hatte sich an ihn eine Wesenheit derselben Art angeschlossen, so daß Strömungen hinaus- und hineingingen wie die Gefäße der physischen Mutter in den physischen Leib des Kindes. So wird nach und nach das Kind zum zweiten Mal, ätherisch, geboren. Dann ist noch immer der Astralleib von einer schützenden Hülle umgeben, von einer den Leib bewegenden und durchkraftenden Hülle bis zur Zeit der Geschlechtsreife. Dann zieht auch die sich zurück, und der Mensch wird zum dritten Mal geboren; die astralische Geburt findet statt.
Diese dreifache Geburt zeigt, daß wir jede einzelne dieser Wesenheiten getrennt betrachten müssen. So wie es unmöglich ist, daß man das äußere Licht an das Auge des Kindes heranbringen kann, solange es im Mutterleibe ist, so ist es für den Seelenzustand, wenn nicht unmöglich, so doch im höchsten Grade schädlich, äußere Einflüsse an den Ätherleib heranzubringen, ehe derselbe nach allen Seiten hin frei geworden ist. Ebensowenig darf an den Astralleib vor der Geschlechtsreife etwas herangebracht werden, was ihn unmittelbar beeinflußt. Vom geisteswissenschaftlichen Standpunkt aus darf auf den Menschen bis zum siebten Jahre erzieherisch nur so gewirkt werden, daß wir bewußt nur seinen physischen Körper beeinflussen. Wir dürfen seinen Ätherleib vorher so wenig beeinflussen wie den physischen vor der Geburt. Wie aber die Pflege der Mutter von Einfluß ist auf die Entwicklung des Embryo, so muß auch hier die Unantastbarkeit des Ätherleibes geschützt werden, wenn sich das Kind gedeihlich entwickeln soll.
Was heißt das fürs physische Leben? Bis zum Zahnwechsel ist nur der physische Leib den Wirkungen von außen übergeben; daher dürfen wir bis dahin nur diesen erziehen. Und wenn in dieser Zeit etwas von außen an den Ätherleib herangebracht wird, so ist das eine Versündigung gegen die Gesetze der Menschenerziehung.
Was am Ätherleib des Menschen haftet, ist nicht nur das, was dem Ätherleib der Pflanze eignet; für den Menschen wird er zum Träger dessen, was von seelischer Dauer ist; Gewohnheiten und Charakter, Gewissen und Gedächtnis, seine bleibende Temperamentsanlage haftet am Ätherleib.
Am Astralleib haftet außer den genannten Gefühlsanlagen die Urteilsfähigkeit. Danach wissen wir, wann wir einzugreifen haben in die betreffenden Anlagen. So wie bis zum siebenten Jahre die äußeren Sinne des Kindes freigegeben werden, so werden bis zum vierzehnten Jahre die Gewohnheiten, das Gedächtnis, das Temperament und so weiter frei, und dann bis zum zwanzigsten, zweiundzwanzigsten Jahre der kritische Verstand, das selbständige Verhältnis zur Umwelt. Hieraus ergeben sich ganz bestimmte Erziehungsprinzipien für die einzelnen Lebensepochen, nämlich bis zum siebten Jahre die Pflege alles dessen, was Zusammenhang hat mit dem physischen Leibe. Dies ist nicht nur in äußerer mechanischer Weise aufzufassen, sondern es kommt noch vieles hinzu. Die Organe bilden sich nach und nach aus; wichtige physische Organe kommen zur Entfaltung in dieser Zeit. Es ist daher wichtig, wie wir auf die Sinne wirken, was das Kind sieht und wahrnimmt. Eine Fähigkeit des Menschen ist hierbei maßgebend, der Nachahmungstrieb. Der griechische Philosoph Aristoteles sagt bezeichnend: Der Mensch ist das nachahmendste der Tiere. Bis zum Zahnwechsel ist das für das Kind besonders zutreffend; da steht es unter dem Zeichen der Nachahmung. Daher muß man in die Umgebung des Kindes alles das bringen, was durch die Sinnesorgane bildend auf dasselbe wirken kann. Dasjenige, was als Lichtstrahl durchs Auge, als Ton durchs Ohr dringt, hat die Bedeutung, daß es für die physischen Organe bildend wirkt. Durch Ermahnung hingegen wird nichts erlangt in diesen Jahren. Gebot und Verbot haben gar keine Wirkung. Die größte Bedeutung aber hat das Vorbild. Was das Kind sehen kann, das, was geschieht, betrachtet es als etwas, was es tun und nachahmen darf. So überraschte einmal ein gutgeartetes Kind seine Eltern damit, daß es Geld aus einer Kassette genommen hatte. Die Eltern waren entsetzt und glaubten, das Kind hätte einen Hang zum Stehlen. Auf Befragen stellte sich aber heraus, daß das Kind einfach nur nachgeahmt hatte, was es Vater und Mutter täglich hatte tun sehen. Es muß deshalb das Vorbild so sein, daß durch Nachahmung desselben im Kinde innere Kräfte erweckt werden können. Darum kann man durch Predigen nichts nützen, nur dadurch, wie man in der Umgebung des Kindes ist. Daher soll man mit dem, was man tut, auf die Gegenwart des Kindes Rücksicht nehmen, sich nicht gestatten etwas zu tun, was es nicht nachahmen darf. Es ist dies viel wichtiger, als etwas selbst zu tun und dann dem Kinde zu verbieten.
Es ist also wichtig, daß der Erzieher in diesen Jahren ein Vorbild ist, daß er nur Dinge tut, die das Kind nachahmen darf. Auf Vorbild und Nachahmung beruht die Erziehung in diesen Jahren. Das erkennt der, welcher hineinsieht in die Wesenheit des Menschen, und der Erfolg gibt ihm recht. Darnach ist es auch nicht richtig, dem Kind vor dem Zahnwechsel den Sinn der Buchstaben einprägen zu wollen; es kann zunächst nur die Form derselben nachahmen, indem es sie nachmalt. Denn die Kraft zum Begreifen des Sinnes haftet erst am Ätherleib.
Alle diese Feinheiten lassen sich begreifen vermöge der Geistesforschung; bis ins einzelne kann diese Wissenschaft hineinleuchten in das, was zu geschehen hat. Organbildend, für die physischen Organe von Bedeutung ist alles das, was in der Umgebung des Kindes vor sich geht, auch in moralischer Beziehung, und von dem Kinde wahrgenommen wird. So ist es nicht gleichgültig, ob das kleine Kind Schmerz und Leid oder Freude und Lust um sich her sieht. Denn Freude und Lust begründen gesunde Anlagen, sind gesunde Organbildner; was anderes einfließt, kann zum Begründer von Krankheit werden. Alles um das Kind herum sollte Freude un Lust atmen, und beides hervorzurufen sollte der Erzieher bedacht sein, bis auf die Farbe der Kleider, der Tapeten und der Gegenstände. Dabei ist sorgfältig die individuelle Anlage des Kindes zu berücksichtigen.
Ein Kind, das zu Ernst und Stille neigt, sollte dunklere, bläuliche, grünliche Farben in seiner Umgebung sehen, ein lebhaftes, lebendiges Kind gelbliche, rötliche Farben. Dies scheint ein Widerspruch zu sein. Allein es verhält sich so, daß durch die Fähigkeit der Sinne die Erweckung der Gegenfarbe wachgerufen wird. Das Bläuliche wirkt belebend, während für lebhafte Kinder die ins gelblich-rötliche spieJlenden Töne die Gegenfärbung aufrufen.
Sie sehen, ganz ins Praktische hinein leuchtet da die Geistesforschung. Die Organe, welche in der Entwicklung sind, muß man so behandeln, daß sie sich entsprechend entfalten können, daß sie veranlaßt werden, die inneren Kräfte herauszubilden. Darum sollte man dem Kinde auch keine fertigen Spielsachen geben wie Baukasten, Puppen und so weiter. Man gebe ihm lieber eine aus einer alten Serviette hergestellte Puppe mit Tintenaugen, Nase und Mund. Jedes Kind zieht eine selbstgemachte Puppe, aus einem Stiefelknecht oder einer alten Serviette, den schön ausgeputzten Wachsdamen vor. Warum? Weil dadurch die Imagination geweckt wird, weil die Phantasie in Tätigkeit gesetzt wird und die inneren Organe anfangen zu arbeiten zur Freude und Lust des Kindes. Wie lebendig und interessiert ist solch ein Kind bei einem Spiel, wie geht es mit Leib und Seele auf in dem, was seine Imaginationen ihm vorspielen. Wie lässig und unvergnügt sitzt das andere da; denn bei einer fertigen Puppe ist keine Möglichkeit mehr, etwas hinzu zu ergänzen, und seine inneren Organe werden zur Untätigkeit verdammt, wenn es solche fertigen Dinge bekommt. Solange der physische Leib in seiner Entwicklung begriffen ist, hat das Kind einen außerordentlich gesunden Instinkt für das, was ihm gut ist, wenn er ihm nicht verdorben wird. Solange der physische Leib der einzige ist, der frei zur Außenwelt in Beziehung steht, zeigt er selbst, was ihm frommt. Wenn frühzeitig viel weiter eingegriffen wird, so wird dieser Instinkt ausgetrieben, der sonst zeigt, was dem Kind gedeihlich ist. Auf Freude, Lust und Begierde muß sich hier die Erziehung aufbauen. In dieser Zeit wäre jeglicher Anflug von Askese gleichbedeutend mit Ausrottung der natürlichen Gesundheit und Entwicklungsmöglichkeit.
Wenn das Kind gegen sein siebentes Jahr hinlebt, bei dem allmählichen Zahnwechsel, lösen sich die äußeren Hüllen des Ätherleibes ab und dieser wird ebenso frei, wie vorher der physische Leib. Jetzt muß der Erzieher alles heranbringen, was den Ätherleib ausbildet. Aber er muß sich hüten, zu großen Wert darauf zu legen, daß die Vernunft und der Verstand ausgebildet werden. In dieser Zeit, zwischen dem siebenten und zwölften Jahre des Kindes handelt es sich vorzugsweise um Autorität, Glauben, Vertrauen und Ehrfurcht. Gewohnheit und Charakter sind die speziellen Außerungen des Ätherleibes, während auf die Urteilskraft in dieser Zeit nicht gewirkt werden soll, da dies vor der Geschlechtsreife ohne Schaden nicht geschehen kann.
Die Ausbildung des Ätherleibes fällt in die Zeit vom siebenten bis zum sechzehnten Jahre, beim Mädchen bis zum vierzehnten Jahr. Fürs ganze spätere Leben bleibt von Wichtigkeit, daß in dem Kinde das Gefühl von Ehrfurcht geweckt und genährt wird. Das kann etwa folgendermaßen geschehen: Es wird ihm von bedeutenden Menschen nicht nur der Geschichte, sondern auch aus den umgebenden Lebenskreisen ein Bild gegeben durch Mitteilungen und Erzählungen, etwa von einem Verwandten, vor dem man Achtung und Ehrfurcht haben kann. Es wird dem Kinde Ehrfurcht und Scheu eingeflößt, die ihm verbietet, irgendeinen Gedanken von Kritik oder Opposition der verehrten Person gegenüber aufkommen zu lassen. Dann darf es diesen Menschen einmal sehen; es lebt in heiliger Erwartung des Augenblicks, und eines Tages steht es vor der Türe dieser Person und empfindet eine heilige Scheu, auf die Klinke zu drücken und das Zimmer zu betreten, das ihm ein Heiligtum ist. Diese Momente der Ehrfurcht sind Kräfte für das spätere Leben. Von ungeheurer Bedeutung ist, daß der Erzieher, der Lehrer selbst, in dieser Zeit dem Kinde Autorität sei. Nicht an Grundsätze muß das Kind glauben, sondern an Menschen. Die Menschen, die das Kind umgeben, die es sieht und hört, die müssen seine Ideale sein, und aus der Geschichte oder Literatur muß es sie wählen. Hier gilt der Spruch: «Ein Jeder muß sich seinen Helden wählen, dem er die Wege zum Olymp hinauf sich nacharbeitet.» Ganz falsch ist es, wenn die materialistische Weltanschauung gegen die Autorität sich ausspricht, das Kind schon zur Selbständigkeit anhält und das Gefühl der Hingebung und Verehrung mißachtet. Die gesunde Entwicklung leidet Schaden, wenn es schon vor der Geburt des Astralleibes auf sein eigenes Urteil gestellt wird. Wichtig ist, daß in dieser Zeit das Gedächtnis herausgebildet wird, und zwar geschieht das am besten auf ganz mechanische Weise. Nicht die Rechenmaschine sollte benützt werden, sondern ganz mechanisch gedächtnismäßig sollte das Einmaleins, sollten Gedichte und so weiter eingeprägt werden. Nur ein materialistisches Vorurteil kann für diese Zeit behaupten, daß man sich diese Dinge erst merken soll, wenn man sie versteht. In alten Zeiten hat man in dieser Hinsicht richtiger erzogen. Vom ersten bis siebenten Jahre sang man vor, allerlei Verse, die guten alten Ammen- und Kinderlieder. Es kommt dabei nicht auf den Sinn an, und so finden wir in alten Liedern zwischen bedeutungsvollen Zeilen etwas, was nur wegen des Klanges da ist. Es kam beim Vorsingen nur auf den Zusammenklang und die Harmonie für das kindliche Ohr an, daher die oft sinnlosen Reime. Zum Beispiel: «Flieg, Käfer flieg, dein Vater ist im Krieg, deine Mutter ist im Pommerland, Pommerland ist abgebrannt; flieg, Käfer, flieg.» Pommerland bedeutet, nebenbei gesagt, in der Mundart des Kindes Mutterland. Der Ausdruck stammt noch aus jener Zeit, in der man an den geistigen Menschen geglaubt hat, der aus der geistigen in die physische Welt kommt. Pommerland war das Land der geistigen Herkunft. Nicht auf den Sinn aber kommt es hier an, sondern auf den Klang. Daher haben wir so viele, viele Kinderlieder, die eigentlichen Sinn nicht aufweisen. — Gedächtnis, Gewohnheit und Charakter müssen in ihren Grundfesten in dieser Periode angelegt werden. Der Weg dazu ist die Autorität, Ein Mensch, bei dem dies nicht geschieht, weist eine mangelhafte Erziehung auf, Wo richtig erzogen wird, muß das Hinaufschauen zur Autorität in dieser Zeit zur Geltung kommen, während Grundsätze erst nach der astralischen Geburt am Platze sind. Dasjenige, was vom Kind als innerste Natur eines Menschen geahnt wird, was in der Autorität verehrt wird, was überhaupt zu ihm strömt vom Erzieher, das bildet des Kindes Gewissen, den Charakter und sogar sein Temperament aus und wird zur dauernden Anlage bei ihm. Dann müssen wir uns klar sein, daß in diesen Jahren bildend auf den Ätherleib wirkt, was durch Gleichnisse und Sinnbilder den Geist der Welt kennenlernen läßt. Daher der Segen der Märchenbilder in dieser Zeit und das Vorführen großer Persönlichkeiten und Helden in Sage und Geschichte.
Man muß in dieser Zeit auf die Pflege des Ätherleibes ebenso bedacht sein wie vorher auf diejenige des physischen Leibes. Wie in den ersten Jahren durch Lust und Freude organbildend gewirkt wurde, so muß vom siebenten bis zum vierzehnten — für die Jungen bis zum sechzehnten — Lebensjahre alles ausgebildert werden, was das Gefühl erhöhter Gesundheit und Lebensfreudigkeit hervorruft; daher der Wert des Turnunterrichtes. Mangelhaft ist derselbe aber, wenn der Turnlehrer mit dem Blick des Anatomen die Turner betrachtet, wenn er nur nach dem äußeren Zweck einer Gliedbewegung zielt. Es kommt vielmehr darauf an, daß der Lehrer sich intuitiv so hineindenkt in die fühlende Seele des Kindes, daß er weiß, durch welche Bewegung des Leibes die Seele den Eindruck von Kraftgefühl, von Gesundheitsgefühl bekommt, was dem Menschen Wohlgefühl, Lust seiner eigenen Leiblichkeit bereitet. So erst bekommt die Turnübung einen innerlichen Wert und Einfluß auf das Gefühl der wachsenden Kraft. Eine rechte Turnübung ist nicht nur für das äußerlich anschauende Auge, sondern auch für den fühlenden Menschen.
Einen großen Einfluß bis in den Äther- und Astralleib hinein übt jedes Künstlerische. Daher muß echtes, wahres Künstlerisches den Ätherleib durchdringen. Gute Vokal- und Instrumentalmusik zum Beispiel ist von hoher Bedeutung, und das Kinderauge sollte viel Schönes um sich her erblicken.
Aber durch nichts ist der Religionsunterricht zu ersetzen. Die Bilder des Übersinnlichen prägen sich tief in den Ätherleib ein. Es kommt hier nicht darauf an, daß der Schüler kritisieren kann, daß er sein Urteil fällt über irgendein Glaubensbekenntnis, sondern darauf, daß er eine Anschauung empfängt von dem, was übersinnlich ist, was über das Vergängliche hinausgeht. Daher sind alle religiösen Vorstellungen in bildliche Darstellungen zu bringen.
Die größte Sorgfalt muß gelegt werden auf die Erziehung aus dem Lebendigen heraus. Dadurch, daß das Kind zu viel mit totem Stoff zu tun bekommt, wird viel an ihm verdorben, während alles, woran es das Lebendige ahnen kann, wichtig ist für den Ätherleib. Alles sollte Handlung, Tat, Leben sein; das belebt den Geist. Selbst im Spielzeug ist dies Moment von Bedeutung. So sind die alten Bilderbücher zum Ziehen, zwei Klötze, die es hämmernd verbinden kann, anregend, indem sie die Ahnung von innerer Bewegung des Lebens geben. Nichts Schlimmeres für den Geist, als aus fertigen geometrischen Gegenständen Formen zusammenstellen und -setzen zu lassen. Darum soll das Kind nicht mit dem Baukasten bauen, sondern von Grund auf alles selbst aufbauen. Das Kind muß lernen, das Lebendige aus dem Unlebendigen zu machen. Durch das Fertige, UnJebendige wird die materielle Zeit das Lebendige auslöschen. Vieles erstirbt an dem sich entwickelnden Gehirn, wenn das Kind Dinge machen soll, die keinen Sinn haben, wie Flechtarbeiten und so weiter. Ganze Anlagen bleiben dadurch unentwickelt. Vieles, was Unheil in unserem sozialen Zusammenleben bedeutet, ist auf die Kinderstube zurückzuführen. Das Spielzeug des Unlebendigen bildet auch nicht den Glauben an das Lebendige heran, und daher besteht der tiefere Zusammenhang zwischen der Kindererziehung und der Glaubenslosigkeit unseres Zeitalters. So haben die Dinge einen tiefen Zusammenhang.
Wenn die Geschlechtsreife erlangt wird, fallen die astraJlen Hüllen, von denen der Leib umgeben ist, ebenfalls ab. Mit dem Gefühl für das andere Geschlecht tritt die persönliche Urteilskraft hervor. Jetzt erst kommt die Zeit, in der man an die Urteilskraft appellieren kann, an das Ja und Nein, an den kritischen Verstand. Kaum dann, wenn der Mensch diesen Jahren entwachsen ist, vermag er ein eigenes Urteil abzugeben, geschweige denn früher. Es ist ein Unding, wenn solche jungen Menschen schon urteilen und auf die Kultur, auch nur im kleinsten Umfang, Einfluß ausüben wollen. So wenig ein Kind im Mutterleibe hören und sehen kann, vermag der noch nicht astral entwickelte Mensch vor dem zwanzigsten Jahr ein gesundes Urteil zu bilden. Für jedes Lebensalter ist der entsprechende Einfluß nötig, für das erste Vorbild, Nachahmung, für das zweite Autorität und Nacheiferung, für das dritte Grundsätze. — Außerst wichtig ist, wer den jungen Menschen in diesem Lebensalter als Lehrer entgegentritt, um ihnen ihre Lernbegierde und ihren Freiheitsdrang in die rechten Bahnen zu lenken.
Die geistige Weltanschauung erfüllt den Erzieher mit einer Fülle von Grundsätzen. Diese Grundsätze helfen dem Lehrer bei der Entwicklung des Menschengeschlechtes. Geisteswissenschaft kann dadurch praktisch eingreifen in die wichtigsten Vorgänge des Menschenlebens und wir sehen sie im richtigen Verhältnis zum täglichen Leben. Dadurch, daß wir den Menschen in allen seinen Gliedern kennen, wissen wir, auf welche Glieder wir zu wirken haben und was wir tun müssen, damit unter solchen Verhältnissen, wie sie wirklich sind, der Mensch gedeiht. Wenn eine Mutter sich selbst nicht ordentlich ernähren kann, so wirkt das durch den Mutterleib auf den Embryo; wie dessen Mutter gepflegt werden muß, so auch die spätere Umgebung des Kindes; dadurch wird das Kind mitgepflegt. Das ist etwas, was auch ins Geistige zu übertragen ist. Weil nun das Kind in der Äther-Mutterhülle schlummert, in der Astral-Umgebung wurzelt, so kommt es darauf an, wie in seiner Umgebung die Dinge sich vollziehen. Jeder Gedanke, jedes Gefühl, alles Unausgesprochene, was diejenigen bewegt, die in seiner Umgebung sind, wirkt mit; da gilt nicht: Fühlen und denken darfst du dies und jenes wohl, wenn du es nur nicht sagst. — Mit reinen Gedanken und Gefühlen muß man das Kind umgeben und darum bis ins innerste Herz Reinheit bewahren, keine unlauteren Gedanken sich gestatten. Durch Worte wirken wir nur auf das Sinnesvermögen, Gefühle und Gedanken impfen wir der schützenden Mutterhülle des Äther- und Astralleibes ein und sie gehen auf das Kind über. Solange es von Hüllen umgeben ist, müssen wir diese pflegen. Pfropft man unreine Gedanken und Leidenschaften in diese hinein, so verdirbt man ebensoviel, als wenn man in die physische Hülle des Mutterleibes Schädliches bringt. Bis in diese Feinheiten hinein vermag somit die geistige Weltanschauung zu leuchten. Aus der Erkenntnis der Menschennatur heraus erfüllt sie den Erzieher mit der nötigen Einsicht.
Geisteswissenschaft soll nicht eine Theorie sein und Überzeugungen lehren; sie soll handeln, eingreifen ins praktische Leben. Indem sie gesundes Leben bewirkt, indem sie gesunde Menschen in leiblicher und geistiger Beziehung macht, erweist sie sich nicht nur als richtige, sondern als gesunde Wahrheit, die ausfließen muß in das ganze Leben des Menschen. Am besten können wir durch Geisteswissenschaft der Menschheit dienen und ihr soziale und andere Kräfte zuführen, wenn wir diese herausholen aus dem werdenden Menschen. Der werdende, der sich entwickelnde Mensch ist eines der größten Rätsel des Lebens. Derjenige, der es praktisch löst, erweist sich als der rechte Erzieher, als der wahre Rätsellöser in der Bildung des Menschen.
The Education of the Child from the Perspective of Spiritual Science
When the theosophical movement began three decades ago, its leading figures were not concerned with bringing a new idea into the world that would satisfy a desire for supernatural worlds, but rather with making spiritual insight accessible to wider circles, through which spiritual and practical questions of life could be resolved. — One of these questions is the topic of today's discussion, a question that leads us into everyday life and must therefore be of interest to everyone. The question of education can only be addressed in connection with an intimate knowledge of human nature. No field is more conducive to spiritual research than the question of education, which, through insight into the supersensible life, gives rise to guiding principles.
Here, too, we must start from a consideration of the nature of the human being. What the intellect can grasp is only a part of the human being for spiritual research. What we can grasp and see in human beings, this physical bodily existence, is something they share with the rest of nature. Spiritual scientists do not conduct their research through speculation or philosophical thought, but through what the higher senses can perceive with clairvoyant vision. They see the etheric body as the second link in the human being, a spiritual organism that is much finer than the physical body. It has nothing to do with the physical concept of ether and is better described not as a substance but as a sum of forces, a sum of currents, of energetic effects. However, it is the architect of the physical body that crystallizes out of it, developing out of it like ice out of water. So we must form the mental image that everything in the human being that is physical body, physical organism, has developed out of the etheric body. We share this with all living beings, with the plant and animal world. It has a similar form to the physical body; its form and size correspond to the form and size of the physical body. But it differs in the lower parts; in animals it protrudes far out. This describes what is known as the etheric body, much like telling a blind person that a color is blue or red. Just as this does not seem fantastical to the sighted, so too is there nothing fantastical in what is described for those who develop the abilities that lie dormant in every human being.
We recognize the astral body as the third member of the human being, the carrier of all that we call passions, lower and in part also higher, everything that man carries within himself in terms of pleasure and suffering, joy and pain, desire and instinct. The astral body is also the bearer of the ordinary world of thoughts and impulses of will. It can be seen through the development of higher senses. It surrounds the human being like a kind of cloud that permeates the physical and etheric bodies. We have this in common with the entire animal world. Everything in it is movement; everything that takes place in the emotions is reflected in it. Why is it called “astral”? Just as the physical body is connected to the whole earth through its physical substances, so the astral body is connected to the whole world of stars surrounding the earth. All the forces that permeate the astral body and determine human destiny and character have therefore been given this name by those who have looked deeply into the mysterious connection with the entire astral world surrounding the earth. In an Orphic song to the Orphic primordial god, Goethe, who has looked deeply into the connections between nature, man, and the cosmos, expresses in beautiful verse what takes place in the astral body:
As on the day that gave you to the world,
The sun stood in greeting to the planets,
You immediately and continuously flourished
According to the law by which you came into being.
This is how you must be, you cannot escape it!
So said the Sibyls, so said the prophets,
And no time and no power can fragment
The molded form that develops itself in life.
Through the fourth member, man is the crown of creation. It encompasses that which, understood as power, gives him the ability to say “I” to himself, which each person can only say to himself. It is the expression of the soul allowing its divine spark to speak within itself. Everything it has in common with other people can be heard as a description to its ear, but what each person has within themselves as an inner God cannot approach them from outside. That is why in the Jewish secret schools it was called the unpronounceable name of God, Yahweh, the “I am that I am” of the Hebrews, which even the priests themselves could only utter with shudders. This “I am that I am” is attributed to the soul. We spoke of the communion of the physical body with the material world, of the etheric body with the plant world, of the astral body with the animal world; man has his ego in common with no one and nothing; therefore, through this, he becomes the crown of creation. This fourfold being has been referred to in all occult schools as the fourfold nature of man. From childhood to maturity, these four bodies develop as each of these parts develops separately. Therefore, we must consider each one separately in the developing human being if we want to understand him. We find them all predisposed not only in the child, but already in the embryo. However, the development of the four members is completely different from each other. Human beings do not develop without their environment; they are not beings unto themselves. They can only thrive and develop when surrounded by other entities of the cosmos. As an embryo, they must be enclosed by the maternal organism, and only when they have reached a certain maturity can they become free from it. Up to a certain stage, they must be enclosed by the maternal organism.
Similar processes occur even more frequently with humans during their development. Just as the physical body is surrounded by the maternal organism as a germ until birth, so afterwards the human being remains surrounded by spiritual organs belonging to the spiritual world, by an etheric and an astral sheath. He rests in them as he did in the womb until his birth.
When a certain point in age development is reached, the time of tooth replacement, an etheric shell detaches itself from around the etheric body, just as the physical shell detaches itself at physical birth. The etheric body then becomes free in all directions; it is only then that it is born. Previously, a being of the same kind had attached itself to it, so that currents flowed in and out like the vessels of the physical mother into the physical body of the child. Thus, little by little, the child is born a second time, etherically. Then the astral body is still surrounded by a protective shell, a shell that moves and energizes the body until the time of sexual maturity. Then this too withdraws, and the human being is born for the third time; the astral birth takes place.
This threefold birth shows that we must consider each of these beings separately. Just as it is impossible to bring external light to the eye of the child while it is still in the womb, so it is, if not impossible, then at least extremely harmful to the state of the soul to bring external influences to the etheric body before it has become free on all sides. Likewise, nothing that directly influences the astral body should be brought to it before sexual maturity. From a spiritual scientific point of view, until the age of seven, we may only influence the human being educationally in such a way that we consciously influence only its physical body. We may influence its etheric body just as little as we may influence the physical body before birth. However, just as the mother's care influences the development of the embryo, so too must the inviolability of the etheric body be protected if the child is to develop healthily.
What does this mean for physical life? Until the teeth change, only the physical body is exposed to external influences; therefore, until then, we may only educate this. And if during this time something external is brought to the etheric body, it is a sin against the laws of human education.
What adheres to the etheric body of the human being is not only what belongs to the etheric body of the plant; for the human being, it becomes the carrier of what is of lasting spiritual significance; habits and character, conscience and memory, his lasting temperament clings to the etheric body.
In addition to the aforementioned emotional dispositions, the astral body also clings to the faculty of judgment. We then know when we need to intervene in the relevant dispositions. Just as the child's outer senses are released up to the age of seven, so habits, memory, temperament, and so on are released up to the age of fourteen, and then, up to the age of twenty or twenty-two, critical thinking and an independent relationship to the environment. This gives rise to very specific educational principles for the individual stages of life, namely, up to the age of seven, the cultivation of everything related to the physical body. This is not to be understood in a purely external, mechanical sense, but includes much more. The organs develop gradually; important physical organs unfold during this period. It is therefore important how we influence the senses, what the child sees and perceives. One human ability is decisive here: the urge to imitate. The Greek philosopher Aristotle says significantly: Man is the most imitative of animals. This is particularly true for the child until the change of teeth; then it is under the sign of imitation. Therefore, everything that can have a formative effect on the child through the sensory organs must be brought into the child's environment. What enters the eye as a ray of light and the ear as sound has the significance of having a formative effect on the physical organs. On the other hand, nothing is achieved through admonishment during these years. Commands and prohibitions have no effect at all. The greatest significance, however, is attached to the role model. What the child can see, what happens, it regards as something it may do and imitate. Once, a good-natured child surprised its parents by taking money from a cash box. The parents were horrified and believed that the child had a tendency to steal. When questioned, however, it turned out that the child had simply imitated what it had seen its father and mother doing every day. The role model must therefore be such that imitating it can awaken inner strengths in the child. That is why preaching is useless; only the way you behave around the child matters. Therefore, you should be mindful of the child's presence in what you do and not allow yourself to do anything that the child should not imitate. This is much more important than doing something yourself and then forbidding the child to do it.
It is therefore important that the educator is a role model during these years, that he or she only does things that the child is allowed to imitate. Education during these years is based on role models and imitation. Anyone who looks into the essence of human beings recognizes this, and success proves them right. Accordingly, it is also not right to try to impress upon the child the meaning of letters before they have changed their teeth; at first they can only imitate their form by copying them. For the power to understand their meaning is attached only to the etheric body.
All these subtleties can be understood through spiritual research; this science can shed light on what is to happen in every detail. Everything that goes on in the child's environment, including in a moral sense, and which is perceived by the child, is important for the formation of the physical organs. It is therefore not irrelevant whether the small child sees pain and suffering or joy and pleasure around it. For joy and pleasure establish healthy dispositions and are healthy organ formers; anything else that flows in can become the cause of illness. Everything around the child should breathe joy and pleasure, and the educator should be mindful of evoking both, down to the color of the clothes, the wallpaper, and the objects. In doing so, the individual disposition of the child must be carefully taken into account.A child who tends to be serious and quiet should see darker, bluish, greenish colors in its environment, while a lively, energetic child should see yellowish, reddish colors. This seems to be a contradiction. However, the ability of the senses to perceive colors evokes the opposite color. Blue tones have an invigorating effect, while for lively children, yellowish-reddish tones evoke the opposite color.
You see, spiritual research shines through in a very practical way. Organs that are still developing must be treated in such a way that they can unfold appropriately, that they are encouraged to develop their inner powers. That is why children should not be given ready-made toys such as building blocks, dolls, and so on. It is better to give them a doll made from an old napkin with ink eyes, nose, and mouth. Every child prefers a homemade doll, made from a boot jack or an old napkin, to the beautifully dressed wax ladies. Why? Because it awakens the imagination, because it stimulates the fantasy, and because the inner organs begin to work for the joy and pleasure of the child. How lively and interested such a child is in a game, how it throws itself heart and soul into what its imagination presents to it. How casual and unhappy the other child sits there; because with a ready-made doll, there is no longer any possibility of adding anything, and its inner organs are condemned to inactivity when it is given such ready-made things. As long as the physical body is still developing, the child has an extraordinarily healthy instinct for what is good for it, if it is not spoiled. As long as the physical body is the only one that freely interacts with the outside world, it shows what is good for it. If too much intervention occurs at an early age, this instinct, which otherwise shows what is beneficial for the child, is driven out. Education must be based on joy, pleasure, and desire. At this time, any hint of asceticism would be tantamount to the eradication of natural health and the possibility of development.
When the child approaches the age of seven, during the gradual change of teeth, the outer layers of the etheric body detach and it becomes as free as the physical body was before. Now the educator must bring in everything that develops the etheric body. But he must be careful not to place too much emphasis on developing reason and intellect. During this period, between the ages of seven and twelve, the focus should be on authority, faith, trust, and reverence. Habit and character are the specific expressions of the etheric body, while judgment should not be influenced during this period, as this cannot be done without harm before puberty.
The development of the etheric body takes place between the ages of seven and sixteen, and for girls up to the age of fourteen. It is important for the child's entire later life that a sense of reverence is awakened and nurtured in them. This can be done in the following way: they are given an image of important people, not only from history but also from their own circle of life, through messages and stories, for example from a relative who commands respect and reverence. The child is instilled with reverence and awe, which forbids them from entertaining any thoughts of criticism or opposition toward the revered person. Then the child is allowed to see this person once; it lives in sacred anticipation of the moment, and one day it stands at the door of this person's house and feels a sacred fear of pressing the handle and entering the room, which is a sanctuary to it. These moments of reverence are forces for later life. It is of tremendous importance that the educator, the teacher himself, be an authority figure for the child during this time. The child must not believe in principles, but in people. The people who surround the child, whom it sees and hears, must be its ideals, and it must choose them from history or literature. Here the saying applies: “Everyone must choose their own hero, whom they will follow on their way up to Mount Olympus.” It is completely wrong for the materialistic worldview to speak out against authority, to encourage the child to be independent and to disregard the feeling of devotion and reverence. Healthy development suffers when the child is left to its own judgment even before the astral body is born. It is important that memory is developed during this period, and this is best done in a completely mechanical way. It is not the calculating machine that should be used, but rather the multiplication tables, poems, and so on should be memorized in a completely mechanical way. Only a materialistic prejudice can claim at this time that one should only memorize these things once one understands them. In ancient times, education in this regard was more correct. From the first to the seventh year, all kinds of verses were sung, the good old nursery rhymes and children's songs. The meaning is not important, and so we find in old songs, between meaningful lines, something that is there only for the sake of sound. When singing, the only thing that mattered to the child's ear was the harmony and the harmony, hence the often meaningless rhymes. For example: “Fly, beetle, fly, your father is at war, your mother is in Pomerania, Pomerania is burned down; fly, beetle, fly.” Pomerania, by the way, means motherland in the child's dialect. The expression dates back to a time when people believed in spiritual beings who came from the spiritual world into the physical world. Pommerland was the land of spiritual origin. But it is not the meaning that matters here, but the sound. That is why we have so many children's songs that have no real meaning. — Memory, habit, and character must be laid down in their foundations during this period. The way to do this is through authority. A person in whom this does not happen has had a deficient upbringing. Where proper education is given, looking up to authority must come to the fore during this period, while principles are only appropriate after astral birth. What the child senses as the innermost nature of a person, what is revered in authority, what flows to him from the educator, forms the child's conscience, character, and even his temperament, and becomes a lasting disposition in him. Then we must be clear that during these years, what allows the spirit of the world to be known through parables and symbols has a formative effect on the etheric body. Hence the blessing of fairy-tale images at this time and the presentation of great personalities and heroes in legends and history.
During this period, one must be just as mindful of caring for the etheric body as one was previously for the physical body. Just as in the early years, pleasure and joy had an organ-forming effect, so from the age of seven to fourteen — and for boys up to the age of sixteen — everything that evokes a feeling of increased health and joie de vivre must be developed; hence the value of physical education. However, physical education is deficient if the teacher views the gymnasts with the eye of an anatomist, if he aims only at the external purpose of a limb movement. It is much more important that the teacher intuitively empathizes with the feeling soul of the child, so that he knows through which movement of the body the soul receives the impression of strength, of health, which gives the person a feeling of well-being and pleasure in his own physicality. Only then does the gymnastic exercise acquire an inner value and influence on the feeling of growing strength. A proper gymnastic exercise is not only for the outwardly observing eye, but also for the feeling human being.
Everything artistic has a great influence on the etheric and astral bodies. Therefore, genuine, true art must penetrate the etheric body. Good vocal and instrumental music, for example, is of great importance, and children's eyes should see much beauty around them.
But nothing can replace religious instruction. Images of the supersensible are deeply imprinted on the etheric body. It is not important here that the student be able to criticize, that he pass judgment on any creed, but that he receive a view of what is supersensible, what transcends the transitory. Therefore, all religious mental images must be presented in pictorial representations.
The greatest care must be taken to educate children from the living. If children are exposed to too much dead material, much of them will be spoiled, whereas everything that gives them a sense of the living is important for the etheric body. Everything should be action, deed, life; this enlivens the spirit. Even in toys, this aspect is important. The old pull-along picture books, for example, or two blocks that can be hammered together, are stimulating because they give a sense of the inner movement of life. There is nothing worse for the spirit than having to assemble and arrange shapes from ready-made geometric objects. That is why children should not build with construction sets, but should build everything themselves from scratch. Children must learn to make the living out of the non-living. Through the finished, non-living, material time will extinguish the living. Much dies in the developing brain when children are made to do things that make no sense, such as weaving and so on. Entire faculties remain undeveloped as a result. Much of what causes harm in our social coexistence can be traced back to childhood. The toys of the inanimate also do not foster a belief in the living, and therefore there is a deeper connection between the upbringing of children and the lack of faith in our age. Thus, things are deeply connected.
When sexual maturity is reached, the astral shells surrounding the body also fall away. With the feeling for the opposite sex, personal judgment emerges. Only now does the time come when one can appeal to judgment, to yes and no, to critical thinking. Only when a person has outgrown these years is he or she able to make his or her own judgments, let alone earlier. It is absurd for such young people to already want to judge and influence culture, even to the smallest extent. Just as a child in the womb cannot hear or see, a person who has not yet developed astral consciousness before the age of twenty is not capable of forming sound judgments. Each age requires the appropriate influence: for the first, role models and imitation; for the second, authority and emulation; for the third, principles. It is extremely important who teaches young people at this age in order to channel their thirst for knowledge and their desire for freedom in the right direction.
The spiritual worldview fills the educator with a wealth of principles. These principles help the teacher in the development of the human race. Spiritual Science can thus intervene practically in the most important processes of human life, and we see it in the right relationship to daily life. By knowing the human being in all its parts, we know which parts we need to influence and what we must do so that the human being can flourish under the conditions that actually exist. If a mother cannot feed herself properly, this affects the embryo through the womb; just as the mother must be cared for, so too must the child's later environment; in this way, the child is also cared for. This is something that can also be transferred to the spiritual realm. Because the child now slumbers in the etheric womb, rooted in the astral environment, it depends on how things unfold in its environment. Every thought, every feeling, everything unspoken that moves those around it has an effect; it is not enough to say: you may feel and think this or that, as long as you don't say it. — We must surround the child with pure thoughts and feelings and therefore preserve purity in our innermost hearts, not allowing ourselves any impure thoughts. Through words we only affect the sensory faculties; we instill feelings and thoughts into the protective mother's shell of the etheric and astral bodies, and they are transferred to the child. As long as it is surrounded by shells, we must care for them. If you graft impure thoughts and passions into them, you corrupt them just as much as if you brought something harmful into the physical shell of the womb. The spiritual worldview can thus shine into these subtleties. Based on the knowledge of human nature, it fills the educator with the necessary insight.
Spiritual Science should not be a theory and teach convictions; it should act and intervene in practical life. By bringing about healthy living, by making people healthy in both physical and spiritual terms, it proves itself to be not only correct but also a healthy truth that must flow into the whole of human life. We can best serve humanity through Spiritual Science and bring social and other forces to bear on it if we draw these out of the developing human being. The developing human being is one of the greatest mysteries of life. Those who solve this mystery in a practical way prove themselves to be the right educators, the true puzzle solvers in the education of human beings.