The Mystery of Death
GA 159
14 March 1915, Nuremberg
6. Moral Impulses and Their Results—The Relations of the European Peoples to Their Folk-Souls—The Cultural Impulse of Eurythmy
It may seem at first and it seems so to many people, as if that what one calls clairvoyant forces in the true sense of the word through which the beings and processes of the spiritual worlds can be recognised, as if the human being does not have these clairvoyant forces in the everyday life at all, or as if he develops nothing at all of these forces in his soul in the everyday life. However, it is not that way. The clairvoyant forces are not such forces which are quite strange to the human being living in the everyday life. This is not the case, but that we have to develop so that we can behold in the spiritual worlds what we must bring out of the deep subsoil of the soul in order to find the path into the spiritual worlds, this already exists in a certain soul activity also for the everyday life of the human being.
These are the moral impulses of the human being. A really moral action, a really moral impulse arises from the same abilities of the soul which lead to clairvoyant abilities by means of a corresponding development. Indeed, for the everyday life the matter is different because everything that the human being is doing comes from his physical nature or from that which he has acquired for and by means of his physical nature in the course of life. If the human being develops desires if the human being does this or that what he is determined by his education or his other conditions of life, then it is the body from which the impulse comes. But there are real impulses in the human life which do not come from the body with which only the soul deals if the human being grasps these impulses: these are the moral impulses. A really moral action is that to which the body is called for help, indeed, so that one gets a mental picture of the moral action, but the impulse of the moral action is in the psycho-spiritual which is really independent of the bodily. One will never be able to define moral with the help of mere philosophy, and it is just the typical of philosophy, provided that it wants to be moral philosophy, that it does not come to a correct, satisfying definition of moral if it does not position itself on the ground that the human being is able to experience his psycho-spiritual in himself independently of his body.
We know that human life is composed of moral, less moral and immoral actions and impulses. The difference which exists between moral and immoral actions appears only to the esoteric consideration in the true light. The human being goes in his smallest life cycle, in that time of twenty-four hours, into the sleeping state. This sleeping state means that the ego and the astral body go out basically from the physical and etheric bodies and live then beyond this physical and etheric bodies. Not yet everything is said with it if I say that the ego and the astral body leave the physical and etheric bodies. But you have also to realise that the ego and the astral body, while they leave the etheric and the physical bodies, are taken up in the spiritual worlds which prevail in the supersensible around us. We go into the supersensible worlds with our ego and astral body. If we have had a moral impulse during the day, during our waking state and have accomplished a moral action, then the following is true: we must be taken up with our ego and astral body by the spirits of the next higher hierarchies, by the spirits, which we count to the hierarchy of the angels, of the archangels et cetera. These take us up; we go into them as it were in the sleeping state.
As well as we live in the body during the day, we live inside the beings of the higher hierarchies during sleep. That has to be clear to us. If we have accomplished a moral action, if we have had a moral impulse, then it is possible for the beings of the next higher hierarchies—according to the spiritual cosmic laws—to take up our ego and our astral body with our moral impulses or that which of our moral impulses has remained in our soul. If we have committed an immoral action or have had an immoral impulse, we cannot come with this rest, with that which was formed by the immoral impulse in us into the beings of the higher hierarchies during sleep. That really remains behind, is pushed back which is immoral in us, it is pushed down again into the physical nature. The result of the fact is that everything that we bring as an after-effect of morality into the spiritual worlds during sleep does not have an effect on our physical and etheric bodies, because it is taken away from them.
An immoral idea, an immoral impulse, an immoral action, however, becomes something that is pushed back into the etheric and physical bodies and this has an effect on them. That is why the results of immoral actions can work in the physical and etheric bodies during sleep, from falling asleep up to waking. In this regard, it is really easy to recognise what I have often emphasised in my talks that language has a miraculous genius that it works ingeniously. If we speak of guilt, there just this German word “Schuld” (also meaning debts) signifies infinitely exactly this what it concerns. We pay what we owe to the spiritual world with our moral actions, but we remain guilty to the spiritual world of that which we must leave behind in our bodies, our immoral thoughts, our immoral impulses, our immoral actions.
Take now the following into account: if we spent our life in such a way that we would only perceive the things of the outside world and think about them, the processes even in our physical body would be quite different than they are. Because we not only think and perceive, but we also remember the thoughts, perceptions and experiences. What we think, imagine, feel goes down into our etheric body, but the etheric body imprints it again into the physical body. And that what the etheric body creates like impressions in the physical body this is memory. If we remember something of former experiences in the later life, this means: we bump our astral body, which is connected then with the etheric body, on that what like an impression, as a seal impression has remained in our physical body. The materialistic idea is childish: as if a recollection sits in the brain here, another there, as if it is tinned thus. This is not true, but any recollection has an impression which corresponds basically to the whole head and still some other parts of the human figure, and the recollections are in each other, not side by side as a childish materialistic idea supposes it.
This activity of remembering is based on the fact that our astral and etheric bodies can cause impressions in our physical bodies. It is really the same activity which takes place externally when we write down something. If we look at the notes, then that what we have in our soul, of course, does not have the slightest resemblance to the signs we have on the paper. On the paper are signs of any form, but by that what we do then from it, while we are induced to bring back to life again that in the soul which we have written down, a spiritual process takes place. It is the same also with memory. What remains in us does not have more resemblance in principle with that which appears in the soul while remembering, than that which stands on the paper, with that what appears in the soul if we read it again.
Clairvoyantly beheld, the matter is like that: let us suppose that somebody remembers something that he has gone through once. What lights up then in his physical body, is a mark which is a copy of the human figure from the head and a piece below in any way. These are marks. Every mark is different which appears in the memory, but these are marks. The soul only makes with the help of the marks what we experience, while we remember. This is really a subconscious reading what appears as memory. If natural sciences progress a little further and investigate the physical processes, they will be a help to spiritual science, while they will show that that what remains in the body must really be submitted by the soul to a process which is similar to the reading in the soul in principle. Memory is a real subconscious reading. This is a regular activity of the human soul, this remembering.
However, if we send down results of immoral impulses, thoughts or actions into our body while falling asleep, we do not remove immoral impulses from our physical body. Something similar thereby happens as it happens usually regularly in memory. The work on the physical body imprints itself there. If now the human being wants to fall asleep and his ego and astral body want to go out from his physical and etheric bodies, this process begins. What he must leave behind there imprints itself like memories imprint themselves, and then there come the pangs of conscience which appear there. This is the real process of the pangs of conscience. Thus they are reflected from that what the matters cause as impressions in our physical body and also in the etheric body. This remains then.
Because these pangs of conscience remain as the regular memories do and attain strength, they appear then as self reproaches in the further life. This is the important matter that we really succeed in seeing that the moral action is a real process that it is not only something abstract, but that this moral action is handing up that into the spiritual worlds what we here act on earth. Because we hand over the results of our moral behaviour to the higher hierarchies, they also remain in certain respect in these higher hierarchies. What we cannot take with us what works then in the physical and etheric bodies remains here on earth; this is in the earth process. If the human being has gone through the gate of death, he must always look back at it, and while he always looks back at it, the impulse must originate in him to put it away from the earth process. The working out of karma between death and a new birth is based on that.
We take the results of our moral impulses in our karma with us, but while we bring them into spiritual worlds during sleep, they also make impressions there. We can say that the angels, the archangels, also the spirits of personality then have the moral impulses. What do they do with them? These moral impulses, which are now in the spiritual world, are the real fertilising germs for the later earth periods. Not only that we keep these results in our karma, but we bring the impressions up, and in the coming earth epochs the spirits of higher hierarchies bring them down again. These results of the moral impulses are the fertilising germs for the human inventive thinking, for the human thinking generally in later earth epochs. Imagine that an epoch of the earth evolution is quite immoral, so that no impressions of moral impulses are brought to the spiritual worlds. Then an epoch would follow in the earth evolution when the human beings would think of little for the life on earth when the human beings would have few ideas and concepts when they have no means to imprint and stimulate their soul-lives.
So we stand with our moral impulses in a real process of the universe. Hence, spiritual science which shows us such a matter is suitable to increase our responsibility, to make our responsibility more vigorous, because we thereby notice only what it means to be moral or immoral in human life. Being immoral means to take its life germs away from the earth, to incorporate them into the physical earth process in which they become then germs of destruction for the next earth epochs, because they are also preserved there, of course, because nothing gets lost. Then they extinguish that what should live vividly as a soul element. Suppose that a bigger crowd of people would decide that they would live immorally in a certain epoch. Then a later epoch poor in thoughts would be thereby caused, and the souls would come down to the earth and find no ideas there, they would have a desolate life.
It is now possible that we take up not only the contents of moral in our knowledge. If we do not take up that in our effective knowledge, we obliterate the earth. But we need and we have the possibility to take up something different in our soul development, and this is the knowledge of the supersensible. Basically, the earth never was completely without supersensible knowledge. We know that humankind received a certain inheritance of clairvoyant capacities, also of clairvoyant knowledge in olden times. It is not long ago that the aftermath of this clairvoyant knowledge was there on earth. We also know that we live in the time when this clairvoyant knowledge is drawing to an end since centuries, but must be replaced by the clairvoyant knowledge gained consciously. We live in this important time. We have yesterday made ourselves aware that the fifth culture-epoch and those who are its bearers have a vocation to gain clairvoyant knowledge consciously for the souls. The fifth culture-epoch will not come to an end, before a certain sum of clairvoyant knowledge has grasped a relatively big part of humankind. Herder's saying is true that enlightenment will spread over the earth.
Any knowledge we acquire from the only sensory outside world, all the thoughts we have only as after-images of the sensory outside world cannot be brought directly by us into the spiritual world, while we sleep. It is true, the thoughts, the ideas which we have reach to the beings of the higher hierarchies up to a certain degree—just with the exception of the immoral impulses. However, that rises up which we acquire as pictures of the outside world up to a certain degree into the spiritual world. But it does not rise up very far, not at all to the sphere of the archangels. So that the human being—if he fills himself with ideas only which come from the sensory world—can bring that which he gains as ideas of the sensory world not very far into the spiritual worlds. The supersensible ideas we experience in ourselves are brought far into the spiritual worlds. Just those beings who belong to the hierarchy of the archangels get, as it were, the impressions of them and carry them over into later times. That of supersensible knowledge which the human egos and astral bodies carry up into the spiritual worlds is used later for the earth evolution.
It does not form, like the moral impulses, the fertilising germs, the stimulating element, but the germs for that which we call the earth progress. Refusing supersensible ideas by an age means the condemnation of a coming age to make no progress in the earth evolution. He who refuses the supersensible ideas restrains the progress of coming epochs as far as he is concerned. If any nation became quite materialistic, this materialism of a whole nation would condemn the earth to a standstill in its development—of course up to a certain degree because the other peoples would not have to reject the supersensible ideas. We see again how the acquisition of supersensible ideas is significant in the earth process itself. Causes and effects are connected in the whole earth process that way. Those human beings who are, as it were, consciously materialists in our present are ahrimanically enticed beings, enticed by the ahrimanic spirits, because Ahriman is very interested in restraining the regular progress.
We see again how spiritual science is able to increase the feeling of responsibility of the individual human soul to the world as a whole. We see spiritual science snatching us from our selves and making us members of the whole human process, that spiritual science is basically an unselfish activity of the human soul.
In a certain respect, any living in supersensible ideas is a reproduction of the moral life. Hence, there is nothing more disturbing for the knowledge of the supersensible worlds than filling the human soul with immoral impulses. That is why it is deeply founded to demand a kind of moral thinking in the most eminent sense as a preparation of the esoteric development. The fifth epoch has the task to make consciously sure that spiritual knowledge fills the human beings, so that during the rest of the post-Atlantean age the progress of humanity is not restrained, so that really a progress can take place in humanity. If we have to ascribe the natural ability of spiritual knowledge in the most eminent sense just to the Central European peoples after all our discussions during the last days, it must be clear to us which significance the further existence, the undisturbed development of the Central European culture has.
If we now are able to see the horizon of the European life only a little bit by means of that which we have mentioned, what does it present to us? The life of the higher hierarchies is connected with the life of peoples. You need only to study the series of talks about the development of the folk-souls which was held once in Kristiania (Oslo), which is especially important to study in our present time. You need only to call it in your mind and you will see how the archangels intervene in the national life; how generally this national life unfolds in the cooperation of the higher hierarchies with that what happens here on earth. If we look at an individual human being, we know that his ego-development takes place only slowly and gradually. Indeed, in the tender childhood, from the time up to which one remembers, the ego-consciousness begins. But this ego becomes increasingly mature, advances in his development. In our time big mistakes are there concerning this ego-development. There is too little a consciousness of the fact that such an ego-development takes place in life. Thus one can experience that today greenhorns regard themselves to be mature to judge everything because they do not know that one has to attain a certain age to judge certain matters, because the ego thereby reaches a certain maturity only.
As it is in the individual life of the human being, it is also in the life of peoples. We must only take the following into consideration if we want to understand the life of peoples in relation to the individual human life on the physical plane. The individual human being matures concerning to his ego-development. Because he grows increasingly mature, he also learns to take a better overview of the outside world. What we know about the outside world if we have attained twenty, twenty-five years, and what we can know if we spend life substantially if we have worked through ten years more. For such matters just the spiritual scientist has to get a feeling. There is the ego in its relation to the external world, to its surroundings.
The beings of the higher hierarchies behave differently. These beings of the higher hierarchies have the same relationship to our egos as we have to the matters of the outside world. The matters and beings of the mineral, plant and animal realms are objects for us. For the beings of the higher hierarchies, for example, our egos are objects. The relationship of the beings of the higher hierarchies to our egos is not that of perception as we have it to the outside world. Their volition rather penetrates our egos, their volition works on our egos.
Those archangels who have to lead the peoples have the same relationship to the egos, to the individual human beings of the people as we have concerning the perception of matters of the outside world. We are the objects for these archangels. What is an outside world for us, we are as human beings for the archangels, only that it is more a process of perception with us and more a process of will with the archangels. But concerning this process of will the archangel also experiences a development. This archangel goes through a maturation of his soul exactly the same way, now not concerning his ego, but concerning deeper forces of his soul. He experiences a development through which he attains another relation to the individual human beings of his nation; as well as we attain another relation to our environment with a more mature ego.
Let us take, for example, the archangel to whom the guidance of the Italian people has been transferred in the course of history. This archangel has had such a relation to the Italian people for a long time that he has, actually, worked with his will basically on the higher parts of the soul. In the further course this archangel had an effect not only on the higher parts of the soul, but also on the lower ones, on the passions, on the impulses of the soul which are still connected with the body. Thus the development of the archangel goes on: at first, he has more an effect on the soul as such, in the later course he becomes more and more powerful and works on those parts of the soul which are more connected with the body.
We can give for the Italian people that the archangel experienced a condition of his development in 1530 which can be characterised in such a way that one can say: he has worked more on the real soul, now he starts impregnating the soul more with his will, in so far as it penetrates the body. The Italian people, really, starts now to let itself go concerning its appearance, to develop its national character so surely. Study the history of the Italian people before the mentioned time—about the middle of the 16th century,—then you see that there the archangel still worked on the internal soul qualities of the Italian people; that then the external national character formed in the most remarkable sense, as we know it today. Before this point in time—and such a point in time exists for any people—the whole soul-life of a people is still alive. It is still possible then that the soul-life of the people can take on this or that quality. The qualities are not yet coined so strongly. After this point in time, when the archangel has developed his will relations to the deeper qualities of the soul, the people's character becomes rigid; it penetrates the bodily qualities. The time begins when one can hardly approach the people with anything that does not correspond to the national character. It becomes nervous at once if anybody comes with anything that does not lie completely in the national line or current.
One can really give this point in time in the historical development of the French people correctly. All these statements are approximate, of course, but this time is for the French people about 1600, in the beginning of the 17th century, and for the English people in the middle of the 17th century, in 1650.
If you go back before this time, to the Middle Ages, you see how much the peoples of Europe still have in common, and how with the single peoples the development of the national character begins at the points in time which I have given. The archangel experiences a development so that one can say: his forces were even weaker before that, so that he was only able to work on the soul, on the inside. The forces grow stronger after that, he can stretch his forces up to the physical. He thereby causes the sharply distinctive national character. Single phenomena appear quite comprehensible to you if you have such matters for the historical consideration. Imagine that in the time in which the English people had their Shakespeare the national character had not yet been enclosed in this way, so that just the English people are no longer able to understand Shakespeare. This comes from the fact that the archangel enclosed it with a distinctive national character. This will give a real historical consideration of the future when one does no longer start, as it was the case so often in the 19th century, from the assumption that ideas have an effect in history. A human being can have ideas, but ideas cannot work as forces in history. The angels, archangels and archai can have ideas, but ideas must always come from beings. The whole historical consideration of the 19th century, in so far as it speaks of ideas in history, is a spook, because it is based on the faith that ideas develop, can freely move in the continuous current of time.
We can now put the question: what about the German people? Was there a point in time at which the archangel attained a certain level?—Yes, such a point in time happened. But the German people differ from the other peoples to a certain degree. We know that the soul of the human being consists of sentient soul, intellectual soul or mind-soul, and consciousness-soul. You can gather this from the talks on the folk-souls that the archangel of the Italian people preferably wants to gain power in the sentient soul, that of the French people in the intellectual soul or mind-soul, that of the British people in the consciousness-soul, and that of the German people in the ego which extends its power to the three soul members. Hence, the relation of the archangel to the individual egos of the German people is also another than with the western peoples.
There was already a point in time when the archangel of the German people intervened in the physical life or in the lower soul-life, in so far as it seizes the physical. This is the time approximately between 1750 and 1830. If one studies the matters once quite rationally, one will get wonderful explanations about the course of the national development. If anybody got involved only to look at the really great, magnificent difference which is there in the German life in the human beings of the 19th and 20th centuries and the human beings living two hundred years ago, then he would see how immense this difference is. In those days, the archangel intervened in the national character of the German people, as well as the archangels intervened in the other peoples at the points in time which I have given. But, one would like to say, he stopped again, he did not transform the physical constitution so vigorously, as thoroughly as it happened with the other peoples. Hence, it has even happened that the second half of the 19th century took such a course that this German people have really taken up everything imaginable from the other peoples unconsciously.
This has led to tragic conflicts in our days. Think only once that Ernst Haeckel is an Englishman in his whole world view, in so far as he has based his world view on science. He is completely an Englishman, because he has taken up English thought-forms. Everything that he thinks is influenced by the English being. He starts from Darwin, from Huxley. He regards Spencer as his philosophical God. While one cannot really translate a book of Hegel or a book of spiritual science into English, one can translate Haeckel very easily into English, of course. You may be surprised about me saying this, because you know that spiritual-scientific books are translated into English. But what you read in the books, you read this only approximately in the English translations. One can never really translate, for example, the sentence which is essentially1Master Eckhart: ~1260–1327, mystic and with everything that developed in the German being following Master Eckhart. You cannot translate this sentence correctly into English: “In dem Gemüte lebt das Fünklein, in dem sich in der Menschenseele die Weltseele offenbart.” “The little spark lives in man's feeling nature in which the world-soul reveals itself to the human soul.” It is impossible to translate it really into English, because for that what is experienced in the word “Gemüt” does no translation exist. Also the original dictum by Hegel cannot be translated into English which is almost the foundation stone of German idealistic philosophy: “Sein und Nicht-Sein vereinigen sich zur höheren Einheit im Werden.” “Being and Not-Being coalesce to Becoming as the higher unity.” Of course, one can translate everything, but the translation cannot report what is experienced in such a sentence.
The German language has the special peculiarity that it still allows certain liquidness. Imagine how infinitely easy it is to say if anything is translated into English or French: this is wrong; one does not say this that way!—We Germans must not develop the bad habit to say that something is wrong, but we must keep our language liquid—this is spoken radically, of course. Study our cycles, there you will see how I always struggled to form new words, also forms which formulate the words from within. This comes, for example, from the fact that the archangel of the German people stopped the sharp stamping again. He has only made an attempt, as it were, to sharply coin the national character during almost one century, and has then released the people again.
That means a lot. But this must be that way, because the German people have a vocation to transform their idealism to lively spiritual knowledge. Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, who are attacked today, created a thinking which is indeed not already spiritualism, nor spiritual science which is, however, the seed of spiritual science which guides you really to spiritual science, so to speak, if you meditate it thoroughly. However, the German national character must still remain liquid, must make really possible that one says: somebody is an Italian, somebody is a Frenchman, and somebody is an Englishman. However, somebody becomes a German! The archangel has only made an attempt with the German people to form the national character. In the same way to be national or chauvinistic as the West-European peoples are, this would be an untruth with the German; he is not able to do this at all—one is able to do everything, of course, but then it is not commensurate with the real being of the German.
The relations of the Russian people are quite different. Its archangel is connected with the individual egos of the people in a different way than with the West-European and Central European peoples. The archangels of the West-European peoples work with their rays of will, with the Italian people on the sentient soul, with the French people on the intellectual soul or mind-soul, with the British people on the consciousness-soul, with the German people on the ego. However, the folk-soul of the Russian people does not work on the souls at all. It hovers as it were over the people like a cloud, and the soul can only have a premonition of it and long for it. It has still remained a group soul as it were. There is no intimate interaction of the folk-soul with the individual human egos. You can get no more tragic, more serious impression than when you are present at a Russian-orthodox service, in which the human egos of those, who take part in it as believers, are almost completely eliminated.
There is something impersonally universal that does not seize the individual personality. There is nothing in this service that appeals to the human nature. This is an immediate expression of the fact that the Russian soul has not awoken at all to that stimulation which is due to the interchange of the individual ego with the folk-soul. Everything is a little bit rigid and stereotyped, as if spirituality comes from unknown worlds and turns to something rigid and stereotyped, in the performances just as in the icon painting. There we stand before something quite different as it is the case in Western Europe. There we stand before the fact that the archangel has not got ready at all to intervene in the national element. Hence, the national element is for the Russian more a soul dream. The Russian always talks of the “really Russian human being,” and the Russian writers talk of it. But it is a soul dream which is emphasised in particular, because the folk-soul is not incorporated into the human beings, because the Russian has a longing for a super-personal folk-soul.
You have to look into these deep secrets, and then you understand how the European cultural regions stand facing each other. I never think, of course, to see the cause of the present events directly in this facing each other of the cultural regions. Nevertheless, you must do that indirectly. In particular, you must be aware of the fact that the torch of the current war is a powerful mark to familiarise ourselves with that which weaves and reigns within the spiritual life of Europe.
We look up to beings of the higher hierarchies; we see these beings of the higher hierarchies also developing. Whereas we develop our egos as individual human beings, we see these developing in such a way that they get more and more power to penetrate the ego with their will. First they still keep far away from this ego, overshadow it from above like in the case of the Russian people. Then there is a more intimate overshadowing and living together at the same time as it is with the German people. Then they add the intransigent national character to the individual human beings like it is the case of the three characterised West-European peoples. You can derive from that in which condition this modern life of the human development is. Have a look only once at the Central European history and you will find—if you refrain from Russia where the relations are quite different,—you will find that the life of the West-European peoples and in certain way also of the Central European peoples is similar, that a European internationalism is there. Then we see a new time dawning in the individual peoples from the 14th century on. With this dawning we see the peoples being seized by distinctive national characters. At the turn of the 18th to the 19th century, we see the German people getting just as much of national character that the German feels as it were what a national character is, but not so much that he is taken up in the solidified national character. One will find that that lies in the disposition of the German nature that the German does not need to be taken up in the national character; that it really has a deep sense when Fichte2seventh address in Addresses to the German Nation says: everything that wants freedom of the human soul-being, everything that strives for the universally human, that belongs to us.
There is a possibility of free development of the Central European or German character. However, something is contained in that which leads immediately to the insight that the West-European peoples have to take this national character—or fluid national character—of the German people into account. I say, something like the fluid national character of the German can lead to the tragic just in our time. Think of Ernst Haeckel once again. We have seen that he was influenced by the English so deeply in the second half of the 19th century—because the development of the national character was released again. And today? The man who bears, actually, the whole English nature in himself has thrown words of the strongest hatred against the English people. He stood at the head of those who sent back their English certificates, medals and honourings. It would be so much more important that they would send back the materialistic Darwinism, the materialistic Newtonism, everything that came from them. In this regard, we have to learn to really understand us, to see the matters objectively and without national hatred.
It was a kind of a spiritual prelude when some years ago the splitting had to take place between our anthroposophical movement and the Anglo-Indian coloured theosophical movement. It had to take place. Those who have a vocation to develop the spiritual element cannot go along with the materialistic view of a Christ re-embodied in the flesh. It had to come out among us that the return of Christ will really be the return of the etheric Christ. It has often been said that and could also be heard out of Theodora's mouth in my first mystery drama.3The Portal of Initiation Indeed, now we read in an English-theosophical magazine—I tell no fairy tales to you, the president of the society herself expressed it—that the warfare of the Germans shows now what was, actually, behind the theosophical German undertaking at that time, because it appears now that we would have taken amiss, actually, on theosophical field that the president Annie Besant has always stood up for the peace prince, who did his best for Europe, Eduard VII. We would have looked at this already with immense aversion, and, therefore, we would have sent our agents to England who should there talk about theosophy in our sense to get the theosophists in our hands. If we had succeeded, the president tells in the English theosophical magazine, to penetrate at that time so far that we would have got the complete, as she says, “rich administrative machinery” of the Anglo-Indian theosophy—never have we wanted this, of course,—our intention would have been carried out to bring the poison of our views to India and to gain influence on the British government from there. Then our intention would have been executed to induce the British people to acknowledge the German supremacy over England on this way!—This is the representation which is given now in English-theosophical magazines to the theosophists there.
Now look at the truth. We have to realise it, because we cannot think about these matters in a dreaming way. The truth is, for example, that that which I wrote in my book Mysticism at the Dawn of Modern Life is written out of the kind as spiritualism lives in the Central European cultural current. The book was translated into English straight away, and at that time one said to us there—to me at least—that the whole theosophy is contained in this book. Now we could say: well, if people think in London that the whole theosophy is contained in this book, they can go along with us.—But each step we undertook was nothing but an expression of the Central European developing spiritualism.
Some months before the outbreak of this war, it touched me still peculiarly—today I am allowed to mention this—that some of our ladies who do eurythmy drove to London to give there a course. The eurythmy has pleased. This is all right, it shall please human beings. But one does not notice that this eurythmy is the spiritual counter pole of the materialistic sport; the fact that on one side Europe is flooded completely by materialism and sport brings materialism into the movement of human beings, which serves the amusement of the people, the addiction to make oneself healthy which is quite materialistic, whereas with us each movement is the expression of the spiritual, corresponds exactly to that which is Central European spirituality. We work on this ground and let grow up the fruits of the spiritual development from this ground. How did just the sport intervene in the second half of the 19th century in Germany! How finer sport activities have then also—I believe, a method was especially that of Dalcroze supersensible human being.
4Emile Dalcroze (1865–1950), he founded a kind of rhythmic gymnastics—how these matters have intervened! Now one will not like him particularly because he also belongs to those who insult “German barbarism” so violently. But that what belongs to the German being this is the eurythmic by means of which the spiritual is expressed in the movements of the external physical body. It lives in the movements of the etheric body, is natural to the etheric body which works on theThis eurythmy is based on the following principles: we have an organ through which the etheric body acts immediately, so that the physical becomes an image of the etheric. This is the case when we are speaking. Not the whole physical, but the air becomes an image of the etheric. The sounding word in the air, the kind how the air swings, is a direct expression of the etheric. If one seizes that what lives in the sound, in the word and spreads it over the whole etheric body and lets the hands and feet and everything of the human being be moved, like in speaking and singing the air is moved in the etheric body, then one has eurythmy. Since eurythmy is a speaking of the whole human being, so that one makes use not only of the moving air but of the human organs.
Such a matter shows you that the intervention of spiritual science in the modern civilisation is intended as something universal and extensive. To understand the nerve of the thing we have just heard something of which one does not think today. I have given these both talks within this small circle by means of which I wanted to stimulate the sensation in you to look at that what spiritual science intends for the whole human life universally. If I succeeded in doing so, it would be already enough. Since the task of spiritual science is not really fulfilled if we learn single theoretical concepts. The task of spiritual science is fulfilled if it intervenes in everything, in every life, and spiritualises this life. It is inevitable in our fifth culture-epoch within that nation to which this task is assigned to cause spiritualisation, to understand these matters, to cause a sense of responsibility concerning development. It is easy to criticise the human development, rather easy. However, this does not concern, because the matters which happen happen with necessity, even if they counter that which as it were the good progress intends with the human beings. In a certain respect, we must have and let have something in our culture that counters this good progress, actually.
Among these various matters which belong to it, for example, this is that we start to maltreat our children from tender age on because of our present cultural point of view, as one says, for the sake of progress. One does not know it, but one maltreats them. Since there is basically nothing more countering the human nature than to let start the children from the seventh year already learning the school objects and to teach them as pupils as one does it presently. One would really experience something especially advantageous if one grew up quite differently and such matters that are taught already in the seventh year would be taught only in the ninth or tenth years. Mind you, that I do not say this intending that it should not happen, because the general cultural progress demands it, it must be like that. But the counter pole must be created. And particularly while we maltreat the etheric bodies of the children terribly on one side because we have certain types of school lessons because we stamp something into them for which they are good in no way during these years, we must create eurythmy as a counter pole and supply just that what is eurythmy for the children, so that their etheric bodies have the balance in these movements indigenous to them.
Eurythmy will become something that is quite general, since the development does not arrive at its destination advancing unilaterally, but advancing in contrasts. One must always create the counter pole, assert the counter pole. Development moves in contrasts. And against the maltreating of the etheric body as a result of the present-day school lessons a counter pole must be created, in making the etheric body malleable, causing natural movements of it in the sense, as it is attempted in the first rudiments of our eurythmy. Thus something is connected that many call even today “our eurythmy” with that which I have to call the universal character of our spiritual movement.
If we see, on one side, how that intervenes in the ramifications of the external life how deeply it can penetrate us, on the other side, that the depths of the Christ Impulse combine with that which we gather in spiritual science, then we have the universal character of spiritual science from the highest knowledge down to the lowest. And even more than on some other things it depends on the fact that we get a sensation of this universal character of spiritual science. I must say, it belongs to the provisionally most serious sensations and feelings that the present destiny-burdened events are not felt as something more significant that they do not make stronger impressions on our contemporaries. Since apart from all that which one can notice externally these destiny-burdened events is a warning sign, a warning sign not to keep to that which the last centuries have brought up as materialism in humankind, a warning sign to turn on the developmental way of humankind. What is experienced in blood and death should be felt, as if it was sent from the gods to earth, so that it teaches us how necessary spirituality is for the further development of humankind.
It is really a pity, for example, when we experience in these times that people hold talks, also write articles in which they say: may it come soon again, the time when again the free interchange of the peoples takes place, as it has taken place before. Otherwise, the Germans could labour under the delusion to come back again to the metaphysics of Fichte and Hegel, to develop metaphysical impulses again.—Even in these destiny-burdened days one fears that in the longings of the human beings something of metaphysical impulses could come in again. The metaphysical impulses shall be aroused in these months again. Since in how many cases we see—to the grievous experience of the mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and other human connections -an unaware confidence in the significance of the supersensible going like a magic breath through our world. Shall thousands and thousands go through death willing to make sacrifices, and the human beings will then keep on preaching that the human life is enclosed between birth and death when peace is on our earth again? Then the sacrificial deaths would be offered for nothing, because these sacrificial deaths arise—even if for many not clearly—from the steady confidence that these deaths is the aurora of a new time. He who goes into death on the battlefield wants to confirm something different by his death than this: my body ends here.—Which futility would it be to fill the European earth with corpses in our time if the materialistic world view even had a grain of justification? We have to write this into our souls above all. Those, who survive this time who live in the time when peace is there again, betray the dead if they do not work on the spiritualisation of the human development. Not to work on the spiritualisation of humankind signifies nothing but to say to those who have gone through blood and death: you died for nothing.—If materialism is right, they all died for nothing.
The spiritual scientist has to penetrate himself completely with this sensation. I read just during these days again that there are people today—and in the 19th century these people became more and more numerous—who state: it was a prejudice of St Paul that he said, if Christ did not rise, then our words and our faith would be “null and void.” But this saying by Paul5St. Paul: 1 Corinthians 15:14 is true. Since through that what happened as a result of the Mystery of Golgotha, the human soul was appointed again to have forces, which lead it to the spiritual world. We have spoken of these forces. But our time calls to us clearly: the deaths of so many people would be null and void if materialism were right. If materialism were right, they all would have died in vain.
If we penetrate ourselves with such thoughts, those who offered to give up their forces to the big human progress in a death which occurred at the blossoming human age will receive their forces increasingly from the thoughts which go up from our souls. If human souls turn that what they can have of spiritual thoughts and sensations, the collected forces from above, the unused etheric forces will meet, as I also said yesterday at the end, the human spiritual thoughts and cause a new age. That is why I close with the words today which gave us the feeling sense of standing in our time as spiritual scientists:
From the courage of the fighters,
From the blood of the battles,
From the grief of the bereaved,
From the nation's sacrifices
Will grow up the fruits of spirit
If souls aware of spirit turn
Their senses to the spirit-land.
Moralische Impulse Und Ihre Ergebnisse Das Verhältnis Der Europäischen Völker Zu Ihren Volksgeistern - Der Kulturimpuls Der Eurythmie
Es könnte zunächst scheinen und scheint es vielen Menschen auch so, als ob dasjenige, was man im wahren Sinne des Wortes hellsichtige Kräfte nennt, durch welche die Wesenheiten und Vorgänge der geistigen Welten erkannt werden können, als ob der Mensch diese hellsichtigen Kräfte im Alltagsleben gar nicht hätte, beziehungsweise im Alltagsleben gar nichts von diesen Kräften in seiner Seele entwickelte. So ist es aber nicht. Die hellsichtigen Kräfte sind nicht solche Kräfte, die dem Menschen, so wie er im Alltagsleben darinnen lebt, ganz unbekannt, ganz fremd wären. Das ist nicht der Fall, sondern dasjenige, was wir entwickeln, um in die geistigen Welten hineinzuschauen, was wir aus den tiefen Untergründen der Seele hervorholen müssen, um den Weg in die geistigen Welten hinein zu finden, das ist in einer bestimmten Seelentätigkeit auch schon für das gewöhnliche Leben des Menschen vorhanden. Das ist vorhanden in dem, was man die moralischen Impulse des Menschen nennt. Eine wirklich moralische Tat, ein wirklich moralischer Impuls geht aus denselben Fähigkeiten der Seele hervor, die durch entsprechende Ausbildung zu den hellsichtigen Fähigkeiten führen. Für das gewöhnliche Leben steht die Sache allerdings so, daß alles, was der Mensch tut, aus dem kommen kann, was in seiner Leiblichkeit liegt oder was er sich für und durch seine Leiblichkeit im Laufe des Lebens angeeignet hat. Wenn der Mensch Begierden entwickelt, wenn der Mensch dieses oder jenes tut, wozu er bestimmt wird durch seine Erziehung oder seine sonstigen Lebensverhältnisse, dann ist es das Leibliche, aus dem der Impuls dazu kommt. Aber es gibt im Menschenleben wirklich Impulse, die nicht aus dem Leiblichen kommen, bei denen wirklich nur die Seele betätigt ist, wenn der Mensch diese Impulse faßt: das sind die moralischen Impulse. Eine wirklich moralische Tat ist diejenige, zu der der Leib zwar zu Hilfe gerufen wird, damit man eine Vorstellung von der moralischen Tat bekommt, aber der Impuls, der Antrieb zu der moralischen Tat liegt im Geistig-Seelischen, das wirklich unabhängig vom Leiblichen ist. Man wird niemals mit bloßer Philosophie eine Definition des Moralischen geben können, und es ist das Charakteristische gerade der Philosophie, sofern sie Moralphilosophie sein will, daß sie zu einer richtigen, befriedigenden Definition des Moralischen nicht kommt, wenn sie sich nicht auf den Boden stellt, daß es dem Menschen möglich ist, sein Geistig-Seelisches unabhängig vom Leibe in sich zu erleben. Denn eine andere wirkliche Definition des Moralischen ist nicht möglich, als nur diejenige: Moralisch ist das, was der Mensch beschließt, was der Mensch tut durch Kräfte, die unabhängig von seinem Leibe sind.
Nun wissen wir, daß das menschliche Leben sich aus moralischen, weniger moralischen und unmoralischen Handlungen und Impulsen zusammensetzt. Der Unterschied, welcher zwischen moralischen und unmoralischen Handlungen besteht, zeigt sich erst der okkulten Betrachtung im wahren Lichte. Der Mensch geht in seinem kleinsten Lebenszyklus, in jenem Zeitraum von vierundzwanzig Stunden, in den Schlafzustand ein. Dieser Schlafzustand besteht darin, daß das Ich und der Astralleib im wesentlichen aus dem physischen und Ätherleib herausgehen und dann außerhalb dieses physischen und Ätherleibes leben. Nun ist damit noch keineswegs alles gesagt, wenn man bemerkt, das Ich und der Astralleib gehen aus dem physischen und Ätherleib heraus. Sondern man muß sich auch klar darüber sein, daß das Ich und der Astralleib, indem sie aus dem Ätherleib und dem physischen Leib herausgehen, in die geistigen Welten, die übersinnlich um uns walten, aufgenommen werden. Wir gehen in die übersinnlichen Welten mit unserem Ich und Astralleib hinein. Haben wir am Tage, während unseres Wachzustandes, einen moralischen Impuls gehabt, eine moralische Tat vollbracht, dann besteht das Folgende: Wir müssen mit unserem Ich und Astralleib aufgenommen werden von den Geistern der nächsthöheren Hierarchien, von den Geistern, die wir zu der Hierarchie der Angeloi, der Archangeloi und so weiter rechnen. Diese müssen uns aufnehmen, in sie gehen wir gleichsam hinein im Schlafzustand. So wie wir bei Tage im Leibe leben, so leben wir während des Schlafzustandes in den Wesenheiten der höheren Hierarchien drinnen. Also darüber seien wir uns klar. Wenn wir nun eine moralische Tat vollbracht, einen moralischen Impuls gehabt haben, so besteht für die Wesenheiten der nächsthöheren Hierarchien die Möglichkeit, nach spirituellen kosmischen Gesetzen unser Ich und unseren Astralleib mit unseren moralischen Impulsen beziehungsweise dem, was in unserer Seele von unseren moralischen Impulsen geblieben ist, aufzunehmen. Haben wir eine unmoralische Handlung begangen oder einen unmoralischen Impuls gehabt, so können wir während des Schlafes mit diesem, mit dem Rest, mit dem, was sich durch den unmoralischen Impuls in uns gebildet hat, nicht in die Wesenheiten der höheren Hierarchien während des Schlafes eingehen. Es bleibt wirklich das zurück, wird zurückgestoßen, was in uns unmoralisch ist, es wird wieder hinabgestoßen in die Leiblichkeit. Die Folge davon ist, daß alles dasjenige, was wir als Nachwirkung des Moralischen im Schlafzustand in die geistigen Welten hineintragen, in unserem physischen und Ätherleib nicht wirkt, denn es wird von ihnen hinweggenommen. Dasjenige aber, was unmoralische Gedanken, unmoralische Impulse, unmoralische Handlungen sind, das wird zu etwas, was in den Ätherleib und den physischen Leib hinein zurückgestoßen wird, und das wirkt darinnen. So daß also für den Schlafzustand die Möglichkeit besteht, daß, während der Mensch sich in dem Zustand vom Einschlafen bis zum Aufwachen befindet, in seinem physischen und in seinem Ätherleib die Ergebnisse seiner unmoralischen Handlungen arbeiten. In dieser Beziehung ist es wirklich leicht zu erkennen, was ich auch schon öfter in Vorträgen betont habe, daß die Sprache einen wunderbaren Genius hat, daß sie großartig genial wirkt. Wenn wir von Schuld sprechen, da bedeutet gerade dieses deutsche Wort «Schuld» unendlich präzise das, um was es sich handelt. Wir zahlen dasjenige, was wir der geistigen Welt schuldig sind, mit unseren moralischen Handlungen, aber wir bleiben schuldig der geistigen Welt dasjenige, was wir zurücklassen müssen im Leibe, unsere unmoralischen Gedanken, unmoralischen Impulse, unmoralischen Handlungen.
Und nun bedenken Sie folgendes: Wenn wir unser Leben so verbringen würden, daß wir nur die Dinge der Außenwelt wahrnehmen und über sie denken würden, so würden die Vorgänge selbst in unserem physischen Leibe ganz andere sein, als sie sind, da wir nicht nur denken und wahrnehmen, sondern uns auch an das Gedachte, Wahrgenommene und Erlebte erinnern. Was wir denken, vorstellen, empfinden, geht bis in unseren Ätherleib hinunter, aber der Ätherleib prägt es wiederum dem physischen Leibe ein, und dasjenige, was der Ätherleib wie Abdrücke im physischen Leibe schafft, das ist die Erinnerung. Wenn wir uns im späteren Leben an irgend etwas von früher Erlebtem erinnern, so bedeutet das: Wir stoßen mit dem Astralleib, der sich dann mit dem Ätherleib vereinigt, auf das, was wie eine Einprägung, wie ein Siegelabdruck in unserem physischen Leibe geblieben ist. Kindlich ist die materialistische Vorstellung, die sich herausgebildet hat: als wenn eine Erinnerung im Gehirn da, eine andere dort sitzen würde, als wenn sie so eingeschachtelt wäre. Das ist nicht wahr, sondern jede Erinnerung hat einen Abdruck, der im Grunde dem ganzen Haupte und noch manchem andern Teil der menschlichen Gestalt entspricht, und die Erinnerungen stecken ineinander, nicht nebeneinander, wie eine kindliche materialistische Vorstellung annimmt. Diese Erinnerungstätigkeit beruht also darin, daß unser Astralleib und Ätherleib Eindrücke in unserem physischen Leib bewirken können. Es ist wirklich dieselbe Tätigkeit, die äußerlich dann eintritt, wenn wir uns irgend etwas notieren. Wenn wir nämlich die Notizen anschauen, so besitzt das, was wir in unserer Seele haben, natürlich nicht die geringste Ähnlichkeit mit den Zeichen, die wir auf dem Papier haben. Auf dem Papier sind Zeichen irgendwelcher Form, aber durch dasjenige, was wir dann daraus machen, indem wir angeregt werden, in der Seele das wieder lebendig zu machen, was wir notiert haben, geht ein geistiger Vorgang vor sich. Und so ist es auch mit der Erinnerung. Was in uns bleibt, hat wahrhaftig mit demjenigen, was beim Erinnern in der Seele auftritt, prinzipiell nicht mehr Ähnlichkeit als das, was auf dem Papier steht, mit dem, was in der Seele auftritt, wenn wir es wieder lesen.
Hellsichtig angeschaut, ist die Sache so: Nehmen wir also an, es erinnere sich jemand an etwas, was er früher durchgemacht hat. Was dann in seinem physischen Leibe aufleuchtet, ist ein Zeichen, das in irgendeiner Weise sogar der menschlichen Figur vom Kopfe und ein Stück darunter nachgebildet ist. Das sind Zeichen. Es ist jedes anders, was in der Erinnerung auftaucht, aber es sind Zeichen. Und was wir erleben, indem wir uns erinnern, das macht erst die Seele aus den Zeichen. Es ist das wirklich ein unterbewußtes Lesen, was als Erinnerung auftritt. Wenn Naturwissenschaft etwas weiter fortschreiten und die physischen Vorgänge untersuchen wird, so wird sie gerade als Hilfe für Geisteswissenschaft auftreten, indem sie zeigen wird, daß dasjenige, was im Leibe bleibt, wirklich erst von der Seele einem Prozeß unterzogen werden muß, der dem Lesen in der Seele prinzipiell ähnlich ist. Erinnerung ist ein wirkliches unterbewußtes Lesen. Das ist eine reguläre Tätigkeit der menschlichen Seele, dieses SichErinnern.
Wenn wir nun aber Ergebnisse unmoralischer Impulse, Gedanken oder Handlungen beim Einschlafen in unseren Leib hinunterschicken, bringen wir aus unserem physischen Leibe dasjenige, was wir an unmoralischen Impulsen gehabt haben, nicht heraus. Dadurch geschieht etwas ähnliches, wie es sonst regelmäßig geschieht in der Erinnerung. Das Arbeiten an dem physischen Leibe prägt sich dort ein, und wenn der Mensch nun einschlafen will und sein Ich und Astralleib aus seinem physischen und Ätherleib herausgehen will, dann beginnt dieser Prozeß. Was er da zurücklassen muß, prägt sich ein, wie sich Erinnerungen einprägen, und dann kommen die Gewissensbisse, die da auftreten. Das ist der wirkliche Vorgang der Gewissensbisse. So spiegeln sie sich zurück aus demjenigen, was die Dinge in unserem physischen Leib und auch im Ätherleib an Abdrücken besorgen. Das bleibt dann. Und weil es bleibt wie die regulären Erinnerungen, so können diese Gewissensbisse bleiben und Stärke erlangen und treten dann als Selbstvorwürfe das weitere Leben hindurch auf. Das ist das Wichtige, daß wir wirklich dazukommen, einzusehen, daß das moralische Handeln ein realer Prozeß ist, daß es nicht bloß etwas Abstraktes ist, sondern daß dieses moralische Handeln ein Hinauftragen desjenigen, was wir hier tun auf Erden, in die geistigen Welten ist. Und da wir die Ergebnisse unseres moralischen Verhaltens den höheren Hierarchien übergeben, so bleiben sie auch in gewisser Beziehung in diesen höheren Hierarchien. Das aber, was wir nicht mitnehmen können, was dann im physischen und Ätherleib arbeitet, das bleibt hier auf der Erde, das ist im Erdenprozeß darin. Wenn der Mensch durch die Pforte des Todes gegangen ist, muß er immer darauf zurückschauen, und indem er immer darauf zurückschaut, muß in ihm der Impuls entstehen, es aus dem Erdenprozeß herauszuschaffen. Darauf beruht dann die Ausarbeitung des Karma zwischen dem Tod und einer neuen Geburt.
Nun nehmen wir allerdings in unser Karma die Ergebnisse unserer moralischen Impulse mit, aber indem wir sie während des Schlafes in geistige Welten hinauftragen, machen sie dort auch einen Eindruck. Wir können sagen, die Engel, die Erzengel, auch die Geister der Persönlichkeit haben nun dasjenige, was wir an moralischen Impulsen zu ihnen hinauftragen. Und was tun sie damit? Für den Entwickelungsgang der Erde sind diese moralischen Impulse, die nunmehr in der geistigen Welt darin sind, die eigentlichen Befruchtungskeime für die späteren Erdenperioden. Nicht nur daß wir diese Ergebnisse in unserem Karma behalten, sondern wir bringen die Abdrücke hinauf, und in den kommenden Erdenepochen tragen sie die Geister der höheren Hierarchien wieder hinunter, und es bilden dann diese Ergebnisse der moralischen Impulse in späteren Erdenepochen die Befruchtungskeime für das menschliche erfinderische Denken, für das menschliche Denken überhaupt. Man denke sich einmal, daß eine Epoche in der Erdenentwickelung ganz unmoralisch wäre, so daß keine moralischen Impulsabdrücke in die geistigen Welten hinaufgetragen würden. Dann würde in der Erdenentwickelungszeit eine Epoche folgen müssen, wo den Menschen für das Erdenleben wenig einfallen würde, wo die Menschen wenig Ideen und Begriffe haben würden, wo eine Armut herrschen würde in demjenigen, was das Leben an Seelischem durchprägen und durcherregen soll.
So stehen wir mit unseren moralischen Impulsen in einem realen Prozeß des Kosmos darin. Und so ist die Geisteswissenschaft, die uns so etwas zeigt, geeignet, unsere Verantwortlichkeit zu erhöhen, unsere Verantwortlichkeit zu energisieren, denn wir merken dadurch erst, was es bedeutet, im menschlichen Leben moralisch oder unmoralisch sein. Unmoralisch sein heißt, der Erde ihre Lebenskeime entziehen, sie dem physischen Erdenprozeß einverleiben, in dem sie dann Zerstörungskeime für die nächsten Erdepochen werden, denn natürlich bleiben sie da auch erhalten, weil nichts verlorengeht. Sie löschen dann dasjenige aus, was lebendig als Seelisches leben soll. Nehmen wir an, eine größere Menschenmenge würde beschließen, unmoralisch zu leben in einer bestimmten Epoche. Dann würde dadurch eine gedankenarme spätere Epoche herbeigeführt werden, und die Seelen würden auf die Erde herunterkommen und auf der Erde Gedankenarmut finden, sie würden einem öden Leben verfallen sein.
Nun ist die Möglichkeit vorhanden, daß wir nicht nur dasjenige in unsere Erkenntnis aufnehmen, was der Inhalt des Moralischen ist. Wenn wir dasjenige, was der Inhalt des Moralischen ist, nicht in unsere wirksame Erkenntnis aufnehmen, so veröden wir die Erde. Aber wir haben nötig, und wir haben die Möglichkeit, auch anderes noch aufzunehmen in unsere Seelenentwickelung, und das ist das Wissen von dem Übersinnlichen. Im Grunde war die Erde niemals ganz ohne Wissen von dem Übersinnlichen. Wir wissen ja, daß die Menschheit in alten Zeiten ein gewisses Erbgut von hellsichtigem Vermögen, hellsichtigen Fähigkeiten, dadurch aber auch von hellsichtigem Wissen erhalten hat. Und es ist noch gar nicht so lange her, daß die Nachwirkungen dieses hellsichtigen Wissens auf der Erde da waren. Wir wissen ja auch, daß wir in der Zeit leben, wo dieses hellsichtige Wissen seit Jahrhunderten auf die völlige Neige geht, aber dann ersetzt werden muß durch das bewußt zu erringende hellsichtige Wissen. In dieser wichtigen Zeit leben wir. Und wir haben uns gestern vor die Seele geführt, wie die fünfte Kulturepoche und diejenigen, die deren Träger sind, berufen sind, hellsichtiges Wissen bewußt den Seelen wieder zu erringen. Und die fünfte Kulturepoche wird nicht zu Ende gehen, bevor eine gewisse Summe hellsichtigen Wissens einen verhältnismäßig großen Teil der Menschheit ergriffen hat. Das Herdersche Wort ist wahr, daß die Erleuchtung über die Erde gehen werde.
Alles Wissen, das wir uns erwerben von der bloß sinnlichen Außenwelt, alle Gedanken, die wir haben bloß als Nachbilder der sinnlichen Außenwelt, können von uns nun auch nicht so unbedingt, während wir schlafen, in die geistige Welt gebracht werden. Es ist ja wahr, die Gedanken, die Vorstellungen, die wir haben, reichen bis zu einem gewissen Grade in die Wesenheiten der höheren Hierarchien hinein eben mit Ausnahme der unmoralischen Impulse; doch ragt dasjenige, was wir uns an Bildern der Außenwelt erwerben, bis zu einem gewissen Grade hinein in die geistige Welt. Aber es ragt nicht sehr weit herauf, vor allen Dingen nicht mehr bis in die Sphäre der Erzengel. So daß der Mensch, wenn er sich nur mit Vorstellungen erfüllt, die aus der Sinneswelt stammen, nicht sehr weit hineintragen kann in die geistigen Welten dasjenige, was er nur an Vorstellungen der Sinneswelt gewinnt. Was wir aber an übersinnlichen Vorstellungen in uns erleben, das wird weit hineingetragen in die geistigen Welten, und gerade diejenigen Wesenheiten, die der Hierarchie der Erzengel angehören, bekommen gleichsam die Abdrücke davon und tragen es in spätere Zeiten hinüber. Und was so an übersinnlichem Wissen durch Ich und Astralleib der Menschen in die geistigen Welten hinaufgetragen wird, das wird später wiederum zum Erdenentwickelungsprozeß verwandt. Es bildet jetzt nicht, wie die moralischen Impulse, die Befruchtungskeime, das Regsame, sondern die Keime für das, was wir den Erdenfortschritt nennen. Und die Ablehnung der übersinnlichen Vorstellungen durch ein Zeitalter bedeutet die Verurteilung eines kommenden Zeitalters, in der Erdenentwickelung keinen Fortschritt zu machen. Derjenige, der die übersinnlichen Vorstellungen ablehnt, hemmt den Fortschritt kommender Zeitalter, soweit es an ihm ist. Wenn irgendein Volk ganz materialistisch würde, so würde dieser Materialismus eines ganzen Volkes für ein kommendes Zeitalter die Erde zum Stillstand in ihrer Entwickelung verurteilen natürlich bis zu einem gewissen Grade, weil ja die andern Völker die übersinnlichen Vorstellungen nicht ablehnen müßten. Also auch da sehen wir wiederum, wie das Erwerben übersinnlicher Vorstellungen im Erdenprozeß selbst eine Bedeutung hat. So hängen Ursachen und Wirkungen im ganzen Erdenprozeß zusammen. Diejenigen Menschen, die in unserer Gegenwart gewissermaßen bewußt Materialisten sind, sind im Grunde ahrimanisch verführte Wesenheiten, von den ahrimanischen Geistern verführte Wesenheiten, denn Ahriman hat ein großes Interesse daran, den regelmäßigen Fortschritt zu hemmen.
Wiederum sehen wir, wie Geisteswissenschaft das Verantwortlichkeitsgefühl der einzelnen menschlichen Seele zur Gesamtheit der Welt zu erhöhen imstande ist. Wir sehen, wie uns Geisteswissenschaft dem Selbst entreißt und uns zu Angehörigen des gesamten Menschheitsprozesses macht, wie Geisteswissenschaft ihrem Wesen nach eine selbstlose Betätigung der Menschenseele ist.
In einer gewissen Beziehung ist alles Leben in übersinnlichen Vorstellungen dem moralischen Leben nachgebildet. Daher gibt es nichts Störenderes für die Erkenntnisse der übersinnlichen Welten als die Erfüllung der Menschenseele mit unmoralischen Impulsen. Im Grunde sehen wir gerade daraus, welch tiefe Begründung es hat, daß als Vorbereitung für hellsichtige Entwickelung eine im eminentesten Sinne so zu nennende moralische Denkungsart des Menschen gefordert wird. Wirklich ist nun der fünften Epoche übertragen, dafür zu sorgen, daß in bewußter Weise geistige Erkenntnis die Menschen erfülle, damit in dem, was die nachatlantische Zeit noch an Resten zu leben hat, der Fortschritt der Menschheit nicht gehemmt werde, damit wirklich ein Fortschritt in der Menschheit stattfinden könne. Und wenn wir nach alledem, was jetzt in den letzten Tagen besprochen worden ist, gerade den mitteleuropäischen Völkern im eminentesten Sinne die Anlage für geistige Erkenntnis zuzuschreiben haben, dann muß uns klar sein, welche Bedeutung das Fortleben, das ungestörte SichEntwickeln der mitteleuropäischen Kultur hat.
Wenn wir nun mit dem, was wir also erwähnt haben, den Horizont vielleicht nur des europäischen Lebens ein wenig überblicken, was bietet sich uns dann dar? Mit dem Völkerleben hängt ja das Leben der höheren Hierarchien zusammen. Sie brauchen nur den Zyklus über die Entwickelung der Volksseelen, der einmal in Kristiania gehalten wurde, und der in der jetzigen Zeit besonders wichtig ist, zu studieren, Sie brauchen ihn sich nur vor die Seele zu führen und Sie werden sehen, wie die Erzengelwesenheiten in das Völkerleben eingreifen; wie überhaupt dieses Völkerleben im Zusammenwirken der höheren Hierarchien mit dem, was hier auf Erden geschieht, sich abspielt. Wenn wir einen einzelnen Menschen betrachten, so wissen wir, daß seine Ich-Entwickelung erst langsam und allmählich stattfindet. Gewiß, im zarten Kindesalter, von dem Zeitpunkt an, bis zu dem man sich zurückerinnert, beginnt das Bewußtsein des Ich. Aber dieses Ich wird ja immer reifer und reifer, schreitet fort in seiner Entwickelung. In unserer Zeit herrschen in bezug auf diese Ich-Entwickelung schon ziemlich große Irrtümer. Es herrscht viel zu wenig Bewußtsein davon, daß eine solche Ich-Entwickelung im Leben stattfindet. Und so kann man es erleben, daß heute die Menschen in grünster Jugend sich reif finden, alles zu beurteilen, weil sie nicht wissen, daß erst ein bestimmtes Alter erreicht werden muß, um bestimmte Dinge zu beurteilen, weil das Ich erst dadurch eine bestimmte Reife erreicht hat.
Wie es im einzelnen Leben des Menschen ist, so ist es nun auch mit dem Völkerleben. Nur müssen wir das Folgende berücksichtigen, wenn wir das Völkerleben verstehen wollen im Verhältnis zum einzelnen Menschenleben auf dem physischen Plan. Der einzelne Mensch reift heran mit Bezug auf die Ich-Entwickelung, dadurch, daß er reifer und reifer wird, lernt er auch die Außenwelt besser zu überschauen. Was wissen wir von der Außenwelt, wenn wir zwanzig, fünfundzwanzig Jahre erlangt haben, und was können wir wissen, wenn wir das Leben ordentlich zubringen, wenn wir zehn Jahre mehr durchgemacht haben! Für solche Dinge muß sich gerade der Geisteswissenschafter eine Empfindung erwerben. Da steht das Ich in seinem Verhältnis zur äußeren Welt, im Verhältnis zu dem, was dieses Ich umgibt.
Mit den Wesenheiten der höheren Hierarchien ist es anders. Diese Wesenheiten der höheren Hierarchien stehen ihrerseits zu unserem Ich in einem solchen Verhältnis wie wir zu den Dingen der Außenwelt. Für uns sind die Gegenstände und Wesenheiten des mineralischen, Pflanzen- und Tierreiches Objekt. Für die Wesenheiten der höheren Hierarchien sind zum Beispiel unsere Iche Objekt. Nur daß das Verhältnis der Wesenheiten der höheren Hierarchien zu unseren Ichen nicht das der Wahrnehmung ist, wie wir es der Außenwelt gegenüber haben, sondern es ist mehr ein Durchstrahlen unseres Ichs mit dem Willen der höheren Hierarchien, ein Einwirken des Willens der höheren Hierarchien. Jene Erzengelwesen, welche nun die Völker zu leiten haben, stehen zu den Ichen, zu den einzelnen Menschen der Völker wirklich in einer solchen Beziehung, wie wir mit dem Wahrnehmungsvermögen zu den Dingen der Außenwelt stehen. Wir sind für diese Erzengelwesen die Objekte. Was für uns Außenwelt ist, sind wir als Menschen für die Erzengel, nur daß es bei uns mehr ein Wahrnehmungsprozeß ist und bei den Erzengeln mehr ein Willensprozeß. Aber in bezug auf diesen Willensprozeß macht der Erzengel auch eine Entwickelung durch. Dieser Erzengel macht geradeso eine Reifung seiner Seele durch, jetzt nicht in bezug auf sein Ich, sondern in bezug auf tiefere Kräfte seiner Seele. Er macht eine Entwickelung durch, durch die er dann allmählich ein anderes Verhältnis zu den einzelnen Menschen seines Volkes erlangt; so wie wir mit einem reiferen Ich ein anderes Verhältnis zu unserer Umwelt erlangen.
Nehmen wir zum Beispiel das Erzengelwesen, welchem im Verlauf der Geschichte die Leitung desjenigen übertragen ist, was wir als italienisches Volk kennen. Dieses Erzengelwesen hat lange Zeit ein solches Verhältnis zu dem italienischen Volke gehabt, daß es eigentlich mit seinem Willen im wesentlichen in die höheren Teile des Seelischen hineingewirkt hat. In seinem weiteren Verlauf wirkte dieses Erzengelwesen aber nicht nur in das höhere Seelische, sondern auch in das mehr Niedere der Seele hinein, in die Passionen, in die Impulse der Seele, die noch mit dem Leiblichen zusammenhängen. So geht die Entwickelung des Erzengelwesens weiter: Zuerst wirkt es mehr auf das eigentlich Seelische, im späteren Verlauf wird es immer mächtiger und es wirkt in das Seelische hinein, das mehr mit dem Leiblichen zusammenhängt. Und wir können für das italienische Volk geradezu angeben, wie um das Jahr 1530 herum der Erzengel in seiner Entwickelung die Stufe durchmachte, die sich so charakterisieren läßt, daß man sagen kann: Früher hat er mehr auf das Seelische gewirkt, nun fängt er an, mit seinem Willen mehr das Seelische zu imprägnieren, insofern es das Leibliche durchdringt. Und nun beginnt das italienische Volk eigentlich erst in bezug auf sein Äußeres sich gehen zu lassen, so recht seinen Nationalcharakter zu entwickeln. Studieren Sie die Geschichte des italienischen Volkes vor dem genannten Zeitraum — so um die Mitte des 16. Jahrhunderts herum -, Sie werden dann sehen, daß da der Erzengel noch bei den Menschen der italienischen Halbinsel in die inneren Eigenschaften der Seele gewirkt hat; daß sich dann aber im eminentesten Sinne erst der äußere Nationalcharakter ausgebildet hat, so wie wir ihn gegenwärtig kennen. Vor diesem Zeitpunkt - und ein solcher Zeitpunkt ist für jedes Volk vorhanden - ist das ganze Seelenleben eines Volkes noch lebendig. Da ist es noch so, daß das Seelenleben des Volkes diese oder jene Eigenschaft annehmen kann. Die Eigenschaften sind noch nicht so energisch ausgeprägt. Nach diesem Zeitpunkt, wo der Erzengel zu den tieferen Eigenschaften des Seelischen seine Willensbeziehungen entwickelt hat, wird der Volkscharakter starr, da geht er bis in die leiblichen Eigenschaften hinein, da beginnt die Zeit, wo man kaum mehr’ irgendwie mit etwas, was dem Nationalcharakter nicht entspricht, an das Volk herankommen kann, wo es gleich nervös wird, wenn man mit irgend etwas kommt, was nicht ganz in der nationalen Linie oder Strömung liegt.
Für das französische Volk ist dieser Zeitpunkt in der geschichtlichen Entwickelung tatsächlich auch richtig zu bezeichnen. Es ist das alles natürlich nur approximativ, nur ungefähr, aber es läßt sich bezeichnen für das französische Volk um das Jahr 1600, im Beginn des 17. Jahrhunderts, und für das englische Volk in der Mitte des 17. Jahrhunderts, um das Jahr 1650 herum.
Wenn Sie zurückgehen vor diese Zeit, in die Zeit des Mittelalters, werden Sie sehen, wieviel Gemeinschaftliches die Völker Europas noch haben, und wie bei den einzelnen Völkern die Ausprägung des Nationalcharakters in den Zeitpunkten beginnt, die ich angeführt habe. Es macht der Erzengel eine Entwickelung so durch, daß man sagen kann: Vorher waren seine Kräfte noch schwächer, so daß er nur in die seelischen Glieder, in das Innere hineinwirken konnte. Nachher werden die Kräfte stärker, er kann bis zu dem Physischen hin seine Kräfte ausspannen. Dadurch bewirkt er den scharf ausgeprägten Nationalcharakter. Es werden Ihnen selbst einzelne Erscheinungen ziemlich begreiflich erscheinen, wenn Sie solche Dinge zur geschichtlichen Betrachtung haben. Bedenken Sie, daß in der Zeit, in der das englische Volk seinen Shakespeare hatte, noch nicht der Nationalcharakter in dieser Weise umfaßt worden war, so daß gerade das Nicht-mehr-Verstehen-Können Shakespeares, gerade von seiten des englischen Volkes, davon herrührt, daß der Erzengel die Umklammerung mit dem bestimmt differenzierten Nationalcharakter vollzogen hat. Das wird erst eine wirkliche Geschichtsbetrachtung der Zukunft geben, wenn man nicht mehr, wie es ja im 19. Jahrhundert so vielfach vorhanden ist, bei der Geschichtsbetrachtung ausgehen wird davon, daß Ideen in der Geschichte wirken. Ideen kann ein Mensch haben, aber Ideen können nicht als Kräfte in der Geschichte wirken. Ideen können auch die Engel, Erzengel und Urkräfte haben, aber Ideen müssen immer von Wesen ausgehen; das was wirkt, müssen Wesen sein. Die ganze Geschichtsbetrachtung des 19. Jahrhunderts, insofern sie von den Ideen in der Geschichte spricht, ist ein Spuk, weil sie auf dem Glauben beruht, daß Ideen sich entwickeln, sich frei bewegen können im fortlaufenden Zeitenstrom.
Wir können nun die Frage aufwerfen: Wie ist das nun mit dem deutschen Volke? Trat da auch einmal ein Zeitpunkt ein, in dem der Erzengel eine bestimmte Stufe erlangt hat? - Ein solcher Zeitpunkt trat schon ein. Aber nun besteht ein gewisser Unterschied gerade des deutschen Volkes von den andern Völkern. Wir wissen, daß des Menschen Seele aus Empfindungsseele, Verstandes- oder Gemütsseele und Bewußtseinsseele besteht. Das können Sie auch schon aus den Vorträgen über die Volksseelen entnehmen, daß der Erzengel beim italienischen Volk vorzugsweise nach seiner Macht strebt, in die Empfindungsseele zu wirken, bei dem französischen Volk in die Verstandes- oder Gemütsseele und beim britischen Volk in die Bewußtseinsseele, beim deutschen Volke in das Ich, das über die drei Seelenglieder seine Macht erstreckt. Daher ist auch das Verhältnis des Erzengels zu den einzelnen Ichen des deutschen Volkes ein anderes als bei den westlichen Völkern. Es kam schon ein Zeitpunkt, wo der Erzengel des deutschen Volkes auch in das physische Leben oder das niedere Seelenleben, insofern es das Physische ergreift, hineingegriffen hat. Das ist ungefähr die Zeit zwischen 1750 und, man kann sagen, 1830. Wenn man einmal die Dinge ganz vernünftig studieren wird, dann wird man ganz wunderbare Aufschlüsse über den Gang der Völkerentwickelung bekommen. Und wenn jemand sich nur darauf einlassen würde, den wirklich großartigen, grandiosen Unterschied zu betrachten, der im deutschen Leben herrscht in den Menschen des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts und den Menschen, die zweihundert Jahre vorher gelebt haben, dann würde er sehen, wie gewaltig dieser Unterschied ist. Dazumal griff der Erzengel in den Nationalcharakter des deutschen Volkes ein, so wie die Erzengel bei den andern Völkern in den Zeitpunkten, die ich bezeichnete, eingegriffen haben. Aber, man möchte sagen, er ließ wieder ab, er prägte nicht so energisch, so gründlich die Physis um, wie es bei den andern Völkern geschah. Daher ist es ja auch nur gekommen, daß der Verlauf der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts so vor sich ging, daß dieses deutsche Volk wirklich alles Mögliche von den andern Völkern unbewußt aufgenommen hat. Das hat ja in unseren Tagen schon viel zu tragischen Konflikten geführt. Denken Sie nur einmal an so etwas wie die Tatsache, daß Ernst Haeckel in seiner ganzen Weltanschauung, insofern er sich diese Weltanschauung auf Wissenschaft aufgebaut hat, absolut Engländer ist, ganz verengländert ist, daß er englische Gedankenformen aufgenommen hat. Es ist alles, was er denkt, influenziert, beeinflußt von englischem Wesen. Von Darwin, von Huxley geht er aus. Er betrachtet Spencer als seinen philosophischen Gott. Und während man ein Hegelsches Buch oder ein Buch aus unserer Geisteswissenschaft ins Englische in Wirklichkeit nicht übersetzen kann, kann man Haeckel selbstverständlich sehr leicht ins Englische übersetzen. Sie werden erstaunt sein darüber, daß ich das sage, weil Sie ja wissen, daß geisteswissenschaftliche Bücher ins Englische übersetzt sind. Aber das, was in den Büchern darinsteht, das kann in englischer Übersetzung nur annähernd stehen; es steht gar nicht in Wirklichkeit darin, sondern nur annähernd. Man kann zum Beispiel niemals ins Englische wirklich den Satz übersetzen, der urdeutsch ist, der zusammenhängt mit der Empfindung Meister Eckharts und alledem, was sich im deutschen Wesen in Anlehnung an Meister Eckart entwickelt hat. Man kann diesen Satz wirklich nicht ins Englische übersetzen: «In dem Gemüte lebt das Fünklein, in dem sich in der Menschenseele die Weltseele offenbart.» Es ist unmöglich, ihn ins Englische wirklich zu übersetzen, denn für das, was erlebt wird im Worte «Gemüt», gibt es keine Übersetzung. Ebenso ist das urhegelsche Diktum, das geradezu einen Grundnerv der deutschen Philosophie bildet: «Sein und Nicht-Sein vereinigen sich zur höheren Einheit im Werden», unmöglich ins Englische zu übersetzen. Selbstverständlich, übersetzen kann man ja alles, aber es kann dasjenige, was bei einem solchen Satze erlebt wird, nicht in dieser Sprache wiedergegeben werden.
Die deutsche Sprache hat ja auch die besondere Eigentümlichkeit, daß sie noch eine gewisse Flüssigkeit gestattet. Denken Sie doch, wie unendlich leicht es ist, wenn irgend etwas ins Englische oder Französische übersetzt wird, zu sagen: Das ist falsch, das sagt man nicht! - Wir Deutschen dürfen gar nicht die Unart entwickeln, zu sagen, daß irgend etwas falsch ist, sondern wir müssen unsere Sprache flüssig erhalten — das ist radikal gesprochen, selbstverständlich. Und nehmen Sie unsere Zyklen durch, da werden Sie sehen, wie gerungen wird nach immer neuen Wortbildungen, auch nach Wortbildungen, die von innen heraus die Worte gestalten. Das kommt zum Beispiel davon her, daß der Erzengel des deutschen Volkes von der scharfen Ausprägung wieder abgelassen hat. Er hat gleichsam nur einen Anflug genommen während nicht ganz eines Jahrhunderts, um den Nationalcharakter zu prägen, und hat dann das Volk wiederum frei gegeben. Es liegt unendlich viel in dem, was ich damit meine. Aber das muß auch so sein, denn das deutsche Volk ist dazu berufen, seinen Idealismus in lebendige Geist-Erkenntnis umzubilden. Fichte, Schelling, Flegel, die man heute so befehdet, sie haben ein Denken geschaffen, welches zwar nicht schon Spiritualismus ist, nicht Geisteswissenschaft ist, welches aber der Keim der Geisteswissenschaft ist, welches sozusagen, wenn es durchmeditiert wird, wirklich zur Geisteswissenschaft führt. Dazu muß aber der deutsche Nationalcharakter noch flüssig bleiben, muß wirklich möglich machen, daß man sagt: Man zs7 Italiener! Man zs? Franzose! Man is Engländer! Aber man wird immer Deutscher! Der Erzengel hat bei dem deutschen Volke nur den Ansatz zur Bildung des Nationalcharakters gemacht. Und in derselben Weise national, etwa chauvinistisch zu sein wie die westeuropäischen Völker, das würde bei dem Deutschen eine Unwahrheit sein, das kann er gar nicht — man kann ja natürlich alles, aber dann entspricht es nicht dem eigentlichen Wesen des Deutschen.
Bei dem russischen Volke liegt nun etwas ganz anderes vor. Bei dem russischen Volke muß vor allen Dingen klar durchschaut werden, wie der Erzengel überhaupt in ganz anderer Weise zu den einzelnen Ichen des Volkes steht, als bei den westlichen und mitteleuropäischen Völkern. Bei den westeuropäischen Völkern ist es so, daß der Erzengel hineinwirkt mit seinen Willensstrahlen, bei dem italienischen Volk in die Empfindungsseele, bei dem französischen Volke in die Verstandes- oder Gemütsseele, bei dem britischen Volk in die Bewußtseinsseele, bei dem deutschen Volk in das Ich. Aber überhaupt nicht in die Seelen hinein wirkt der Volksgeist bei dem russischen Volke. Er schwebt gleichsam über dem Volke wie eine Wolke, und die Seele kann nur hinaufahnen und sehnen zu ihm. Er ist noch gewissermaßen Gruppengeist geblieben. Da ist kein inniges Zusammenwirken des Volksgeistes mit den einzelnen Menschen-Ichen. Man kann kaum einen tragischeren, ernsteren Eindruck bekommen, als wenn man einem russisch-orthodoxen Gottesdienst beiwohnt, diesem Gottesdienst, in dem das menschliche Ich derjenigen, die daran als Gläubige teilnehmen, fast ganz ausgeschaltet ist. Es waltet durch das Ganze durch ein ganz und gar die einzelne Persönlichkeit nicht ergreifendes unpersönliches Allgemeines. Ein nicht in die Menschennatur Hineinsprechendes waltet in diesem Gottesdienste. Das ist ein unmittelbarer Ausdruck dafür, daß die russische Seele noch gar nicht erwacht ist zu jener Belebung, die von dem Verkehr des einzelnen Ich mit dem Volksgeiste herrührt. Es hat alles etwas steif Schablonenhaftes, wie wenn aus unbekannten Welten hineinreiche das Geistige und es bloß zu steif Schablonenhaftem brächte, in den Verrichtungen ebenso wie in der Ikonenmalerei. Da stehen wir vor noch etwas ganz anderem, als in Westeuropa der Fall ist. Da stehen wir davor, daß der Erzengel sich überhaupt noch nicht angeschickt hat, in das Nationale einzugreifen. Das Nationale ist daher für den Russen noch ein Seelentraum. Der Russe redet ja selbstverständlich immer von dem «wahrhaft russischen Menschen», und die russischen Schriftsteller reden von ihm, aber es ist dies ein Seelentraum, der insbesondere deshalb betont wird, weil der Volksgeist nicht dem Menschen einverleibt ist, sondern weil der Russe eine Sehnsucht nach einem überpersönlichen Volksgeist hat.
In diese tiefen Geheimnisse muß man hineinsehen, dann wird man begreifen, wie die europäischen Kulturgebiete einander gegenüberstehen. Es wird mir selbstverständlich niemals einfallen, in direkter Weise in diesem Gegenüberstehen der Kulturgebiete etwa die Ursache der gegenwärtigen Ereignisse zu sehen. Aber in indirekter Weise muß man das doch tun. Namentlich muß man sich darüber klar sein, daß die jetzige Kriegsfackel ein mächtiges Merkzeichen ist, uns bekanntzumachen mit dem, was innerhalb des geistigen Lebens Europas waltet und webt und west.
Wir sehen hinauf zu Wesenheiten der höheren Hierarchien, wir sehen diese Wesenheiten der höheren Hierarchien auch in Entwickelung. Während wir als einzelne Menschen unser Ich entwickeln, sehen wir diese sich so entwickeln, daß sie immer mehr und mehr Macht bekommen, das Ich mit dem Willen zu durchdringen. Zuerst halten sie sich gleichsam noch fern von diesem Ich, überschatten es von oben herunter, wie beim russischen Volk. Dann gibt es ein intimeres Überschatten und Zusammenleben zugleich, wie es bei dem deutschen Volke ist. Und dann gibt es ein strammes, steifes Hineinarbeiten des Nationalcharakters in die einzelnen menschlichen Individuen, wie es bei den drei charakterisierten westeuropäischen Völkern der Fall ist. Und daraus sehen Sie auch, wie dieses neuzeitliche Leben der Menschenentwickelung überhaupt beschaffen ist. Sehen Sie sich nur einmal die mitteleuropäische Geschichte an und Sie werden finden — wenn Sie von Rußland absehen, wo die Verhältnisse ganz andere sind —, Sie werden finden, wie ähnlich namentlich das Leben der westeuropäischen Völker und in gewisser Beziehung auch der mitteleuropäischen Völker ist, wie ein europäischer Internationalismus herrscht. Und dann sehen wir etwa von dem 14. Jahrhundert an für die einzelnen Völker eine neue Zeit heraufkommen. Wir sehen, wie mit dem Heraufkommen dieser neueren Zeit die Völker von einem ausgeprägten Nationalcharakter ergriffen werden. Wir sehen, wie dem deutschen Volke mit der Wende des 18. zum 19. Jahrhundert gerade so viel gegeben wird an Nationalcharakter, daß der Deutsche gewissermaßen erfühlt, was Nationalcharakter ist, aber nicht so viel bekommt, daß er jemals im erstarrten Nationalcharakter aufgehen mußte. Man wird finden, daß das in der tiefen Anlage des deutschen Wesens liegt, daß der Deutsche nicht im Nationalcharakter aufzugehen braucht; daß es wirklich einen tiefen Sinn hat, wenn Fichte sagt: All dasjenige, was Freiheit des menschlichen Seelenwesens will, all dasjenige, was nach dem Allgemeinsten der Menschheit hinstrebt, das gehört zu uns.
Darin liegt eine freie Entwicklungsmöglichkeit des mitteleuropäischen, des deutschen Charakters. Es liegt aber auch darin das gegeben, was unmittelbar zur Einsicht führt, daß die westeuropäischen Völker in der Tat mit diesem Nationalcharakter — oder flüssigen Nationalcharakter — des deutschen Volkes rechnen müssen. Ich sage, etwas wie der flüssige Nationalcharakter des Deutschen kann gerade in unserer Zeit zum Tragischen führen. Gedenken wir noch einmal Ernst Haeckels. Wir haben gesehen, wie er in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts — weil gleichsam wiederum frei gegeben war die Entwickelung des Nationalcharakters - so stark englisch beeinflußt werden konnte. Und jetzt kommen unsere Tage. Der Mann, der eigentlich das ganze Engländertum in sich trägt, hat die allerstärksten Hassesworte gegen das englische Volk geschleudert, Ernst Haeckel selbst. Er stand ja an der Spitze derjenigen, die alle englischen Diplome und Orden und Auszeichnungen zurückgeschickt haben. So viel wichtiger wäre, daß man den materialistischen Darwinismus, den materialistischen Newtonismus, alles das, was von ihnen ausgegangen ist, zurückschickte. In dieser Beziehung müssen wir uns nur einmal wirklich auch selbst richtig verstehen lernen, müssen ohne nationalen Haß die Dinge objektiv sehen lernen können.
Im Grunde war es eine Art geistigen Vorspieles, als sich vor einigen Jahren die Spaltung zwischen unserer anthroposophischen Bewegung und der indisch-englisch gefärbten Theosophischen Bewegung vollziehen mußte. Es mußte sich vollziehen. Mit dem Materialismus eines im Fleische verkörperten Christus können diejenigen nicht mitgehen, die berufen sind, das Spirituelle zu entwickeln, und innerhalb unserer Reihen mußte es herauskommen, daß die Wiederkehr des Christus in Wirklichkeit die Wiederkehr eines ätherischen Christus sein wird. Es ist das schon öfter gesagt worden und auch in meinem ersten Mysteriendrama aus dem Munde Theodoras zu hören. Allerdings, jetzt lesen wir in einer englisch-theosophischen Zeitschrift — ich erzähle Ihnen wirklich keine Märchen, und zwar wird das von der Präsidentin der dortigen Gesellschaft selbst ausgesprochen -, daß sich an der Art, wie die Deutschen jetzt den Krieg führen, zeigt, was eigentlich hinter der damaligen theosophischen deutschen Unternehmung gesteckt hat, denn jetzt zeige es sich, daß man eigentlich übelgenommen hätte auf theosophischem Felde, daß die Präsidentin Annie Besant immer eingetreten sei für den Friedensfürsten, der es mit Europa so gut gemeint habe, Eduard V II. Das hätten wir schon mit ungeheurem Widerwillen betrachtet, und deshalb hätten wir unsere Agenten nach England geschickt, die dort Theosophie in unserem Sinne vortragen sollten, um die Theosophen in unsere Hände zu bekommen. Wäre es uns gelungen, so erzählt die Präsidentin in der englischen theosophischen Zeitschrift, damals so weit durchzudringen, daß wir den ganzen, wie sie sagt, «reichen Verwaltungsapparat» der indisch-englischen Theosophie in die Hand bekommen hätten — wir haben das natürlich nie gewollt -, so wäre unsere Absicht ausgeführt worden, das Gift unserer | Anschauungen bis nach Indien zu tragen und von da aus auf die britische Regierung Einfluß zu gewinnen, so daß unsere Absicht ausgeführt worden wäre, das britische Volk zur Anerkennung der deutschen Oberherrschaft über England auf diesem Wege zu veranlassen! — Das ist die Darstellung, die jetzt in englisch-theosophischen Zeitschriften den Theosophen dort gegeben wird.
Nun sehen Sie die Wahrheit! Wir müssen uns sie zum Bewußtsein bringen, denn es geht nicht, daß wir über diese Dinge wie im Traume denken. Die Wahrheit ist ja doch diese, daß zum Beispiel all dasjenige, was ich geschrieben habe in meinem Buche «Die Mystik im Aufgange des neuzeitlichen Geisteslebens», nur herausgeschrieben ist aus der Art, wie der Spiritualismus in der mitteleuropäischen Kulturströmung lebt. Das Buch ist sogleich ins Englische übersetzt worden, und man hat uns damals dort - mir wenigstens — gesagt, in diesem Buche stecke die ganze Theosophie darin. Wir könnten nun sagen: Nun ja, wenn die Leute in London finden, daß in dem Buche die ganze Theosophie darinsteckt, so können sie ja mit uns gehen. — Aber wir haben nicht einen Schritt gemacht, der etwas anderes war als ein Ausdruck des mitteleuropäischen sich entwickelnden Spiritualismus. Und einige Monate vor dem Kriegsausbruch hat es mich noch eigentümlich berührt - heute darf ich das erwähnen -, daß einige von unseren Damen, die Eurythmie treiben, nach London hinübergegangen sind, um dort einen Kursus zu geben. Die Eurythmie hat gefallen. Das ist ganz gut, sie soll den Menschen gefallen. Aber man merkt nicht, daß diese Eurythmie das Geistige ist, der Gegenpol des materialistischen Sportwesens; daß man auf der einen Seite das Europa überflutende, ganz dem Materialismus Angehörige hat und den Materialismus bis in die Bewegung der Menschen hineinträgt durch den Sport, der dem Amüsement der Menschen, der Sucht, sich gesund zu machen, dient, der ganz materialistisch ist, während bei uns jede Bewegung der Ausdruck für das Geistige ist, genau dem entspricht, was mitteleuropäische Spiritualität ist. Immer handelt es sich darum, auf diesem Boden zu arbeiten und aus diesem Boden heraus die Früchte der geistigen Entwickelung zu treiben. Wie hat gerade das Sportwesen auch in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts in Deutschland eingegriffen! Wie haben dann auch feinere sportliche Tätigkeiten - ich glaube, eine Methode war besonders die von Dalcroze -, wie haben diese Dinge eingegriffen! Jetzt wird man ihn nicht besonders gerne mögen, weil er auch zu denjenigen gehört, die den «deutschen Barbarismus» so furchtbar beschimpfen. Aber dasjenige, was dem deutschen Wesen angehört, das ist das Eurythmische, wodurch das Geistige, das in den Bewegungen des Ätherleibes gegeben ist, das dem Ätherleib naturgemäß ist, das im übersinnlichen Menschen wirkt, zum Ausdruck gebracht wird in den Bewegungen des äußeren physischen Leibes.
Diese Eurythmie beruht ja auf folgenden Prinzipien: Wir haben ein Organ, durch das der Ätherleib unmittelbar in Aktion tritt, so daß das Physische ein Abbild des Ätherischen wird. Das ist der Fall, wenn wir sprechen. Aber es wird nicht das ganze Physische, sondern die Luft ein Abbild des Ätherischen. Das tönende Wort in der Luft, die Art, wie die Luft schwingt, ist unmittelbar ein Ausdruck des Ätherischen. Wenn man dasjenige, was im Laut, im Wort lebt, nun ergreift und es auf den ganzen Ätherleib ausdehnt und dann Hände und Füße und alles am Menschen sich so bewegen läßt, wie ganz naturgemäß im Sprechen und im Gesang die Luft im Ätherleib bewegt wird, dann hat man die Eurythmie. Denn die Eurythmie ist ein Sprechen des ganzen Menschen, so daß zu Hilfe genommen wird nicht nur die sich bewegende Luft, sondern die menschlichen Organe.
An einer solchen Sache sehen Sie, wie universell, wie umfassend dasjenige gedacht ist, was das Eingreifen der Geisteswissenschaft in die moderne Kultur ist. Wir haben, um den Nerv der Sache zu verstehen, eben einiges gehört, woran man heute gar nicht einmal denkt, und wenn ich durch diese beiden Vorträge, die ich jetzt in diesem engeren kleinen Kreise gehalten habe, wirklich nichts anderes erreiche, als daß in Ihnen die Empfindung angeregt wird, man müsse noch mehr auf das hinschauen, was Geisteswissenschaft in universeller Beziehung für das ganze menschliche Leben will, so ist das schon genug. Denn damit, daß wir uns einzelne theoretische Begriffe aneignen, wird wirklich die Aufgabe der Geisteswissenschaft nicht erfüllt. Die Aufgabe der Geisteswissenschaft wird erfüllt, wenn sie eingreift in alles, alles Leben, und dieses Leben durchgeistigt, dieses Leben spiritualisiert. Und notwendig ist es in unserer fünften Kulturepoche innerhalb desjenigen Volkes, dem insbesondere diese Aufgabe zufällt, die Spiritualisierung herbeizuführen, diese Dinge zu verstehen, ein Verantwortlichkeitsgefühl in bezug auf die Entwickelung herbeizuführen. Die Menschheitsentwickelung zu kritisieren, ist leicht, recht leicht. Darum handelt es sich aber nicht, denn die Dinge, die geschehen, geschehen mit Notwendigkeit, auch wenn sie demjenigen widersprechen, was gewissermaßen der gute Fortschritt mit den Menschen will. Nun müssen wir in einer gewissen Beziehung etwas, was diesem guten Fortschritt eigentlich widerspricht, in unserer Kultur herinnen haben und herinnen lassen. Unter diesen mancherlei Dingen, die dazugehören, ist zum Beispiel dieses, daß wir im Grunde genommen eigentlich wegen unseres gegenwärtigen Kulturstandpunktes unserer Zeit, wie man sagt, um des Fortschrittes willen, unsere Kinder vom zartesten Alter an zu malträtieren beginnen. Man weiß es nicht, aber man malträtiert sie. Denn es gibt im Grunde genommen nichts der menschlichen Natur Widersprechenderes, als die Kinder vom siebenten Jahre an schon anfangen zu lassen, die Schulgegenstände zu lernen und sie schulmäßig zu unterrichten, wie man- es gegenwärtig tut. Es könnte einen wirklich als etwas besonders Glückliches treffen, wenn man ganz anders heranwüchse und solches, was schon im siebenten Jahr an die Menschen herangebracht wird, erst im neunten oder zehnten Jahre bekäme. Aber das wird wohlgemerkt nicht in der Absicht etwa gesagt, daß es nicht geschehen solle, denn der allgemeine Kulturfortschritt fordert es, es muß so sein. Aber es muß der Gegenpol geschaffen werden. Und während wir auf der einen Seite dadurch, daß wir gewisse Arten des Schulunterrichtes haben, namentlich die Ätherleiber der Kinder schrecklich malträtieren, weil wir ihnen etwas einprägen, wofür sie in diesen Jahren absolut nichts taugen, müssen wir im Zuführen der Eurythmie einen Gegenpol schaffen und gerade das, was Eurythmie ist, den Kindern zuführen, damit der Ätherleib in diesen ihm eingeborenen Bewegungen den Ausgleich hat. Eurythmie wird etwas werden, was ganz allgemein ist, denn die Entwickelung erreicht nicht ihr Ziel dadurch, daß man einseitig vorwärtsgeht, sondern daß man in Gegensätzen vorwärtsgeht. Man muß immer den Gegenpol schaffen, den Gegenpol geltend machen. Entwickelung bewegt sich in Gegensätzen. Und der Malträtierung des Ätherleibes durch den heutigen Schulunterricht muß ein Gegenpol geschaffen werden, in dem Elastischmachen, dem naturgemäßen In-Bewegung-Bringen des Ätherleibes in dem Sinne, wie es in den ersten Anfängen in unserer Eurythmie versucht wird. So hängt etwas, was vielleicht viele heute noch «unsere Eurythmie» nennen, wirklich mit demjenigen zusammen, was ich den universellen Charakter unserer geistigen Bewegung zu nennen habe.
Wenn wir auf der einen Seite sehen, wie das in die Ranken des äußeren Lebens eingreift, wie es uns auf der andern Seite tief durchdringen kann, daß die Tiefen des Christus-Impulses sich verbinden mit dem, was wir in der Geisteswissenschaft zusammentragen, dann haben wir vom höchsten Wissen ins niederste den universellen Charakter der Geisteswissenschaft. Und viel mehr als auf manches andere kommt es darauf an, daß wir uns eine Empfindung von diesem universellen Charakter der Geisteswissenschaft verschaffen. Und ich muß sagen, es gehört zu den vorläufig noch schwierigsten Empfindungen und Gefühlen, daß die gegenwärtigen schicksaltragenden Ereignisse nicht bedeutsamer empfunden werden, daß sie nicht stärkere Eindrücke auf unsere Zeitgenossen machen. Denn abgesehen von alledem, was man äußerlich bemerken kann, sind diese schicksaltragenden Ereignisse eine Warnungstafel, eine Warnung davor, bei dem zu bleiben, was die letzten Jahrhunderte an Materialismus in die Menschheit heraufgetragen haben, eine Warnung zur Umkehr in bezug auf den Entwickelungsweg der Menschheit. Und dasjenige, was an Blut und Tod durchgemacht wird, sollte so empfunden werden, als ob es von den Göttern auf die Erde hereingeschickt wäre, auf daß es uns lehre, wie notwendig der Weiterentwickelung der Menschheit die Spiritualität ist. Es ist zum Beispiel wirklich bejammernswert, wenn wir in diesen Zeiten erleben, daß Leute Vorträge halten, auch Artikel schreiben, in denen sie sagen: Wenn sie nur bald wiederum kommen möge, die Zeit, wo wiederum der freie Verkehr der Völker so stattfindet, wie er früher stattgefunden hat, sonst könnten die Deutschen in den Wahn verfallen, zur Metaphysik von Fichte und Hegel wieder zurückzukommen, wieder metaphysische Triebe zu entwickeln. — Selbst in diesen schicksaltragenden Tagen wird wie eine Furcht hingestellt, daß in die Sehnsuchten der Menschen etwas von metaphysischen Trieben wieder hereinkommen könnte! Das sollen gerade diese Monate, die metaphysischen Triebe wiederum erwecken! Denn in wie vielen Fällen sehen wir — zum traurigen Leiderlebnis der Mütter, Väter, Söhne, Töchter, Schwestern, Brüder und weiterer menschlicher Zusammenhänge -, daß ein unbewußter Glaube an die Bedeutung des Übersinnlichen wie ein Zauberhauch durch unsere Welt geht. Es sollen Tausende und aber Tausende opferfreudig durch den Tod gehen, und die Menschen sollten etwa nachher, wenn wiederum Friede auf unsere Erde eingezogen ist, weiter predigen dürfen, daß das menschliche Leben zwischen Geburt und Tod eingeschlossen ist? Dann wären die Opfertode für nichts dargebracht, denn diese Opfertode entspringen wenn auch für viele nicht deutlich — dem festen Glauben daran, daß diese Tode die Morgenröte für eine neue Zeit sind. Wer auf dem Schlachtfeld in den Tod hineingeht, der will durch seinen Tod wahrhaftig etwas anderes bekräftigen, als das: Hier endet mein Leib. Welche Sinnlosigkeit wäre es, die europäische Erde in unserer Zeit mit Leichnamen zu erfüllen, wenn die materialistische Weltanschauung auch nur einen Funken von Recht hätte. Das müssen wir uns vor allen Dingen in die Seele schreiben. Diejenigen, die diese Zeit überleben werden, die leben werden in der Zeit, wo wieder Frieden herrschen wird, die werden an denen, die hingestorben sind, Verräter sein, wenn sie nicht an der Spiritualisierung der menschlichen Entwickelung arbeiten. Denn im Grunde genommen bedeutet ein solches Nichtarbeiten an der Spiritualisierung der Menschheit nichts anderes, als denen, die durch Blut und Tod gegangen sind, zu sagen: Ihr seid für nichts gestorben! — Denn ist der Materialismus richtig, dann sind sie alle für nichts gestorben.
Mit dieser Empfindung muß sich insbesondere der Geisteswissenschafter ganz durchdringen. Ich habe erst in diesen "Tagen wiederum lesen können, wie es heute Menschen gibt - und im 19. Jahrhundert sind diese Menschen immer zahlreicher und zahlreicher geworden -, die behaupten: Es war ein Vorurteil des Paulus, daß er sagte, wäre der Christus nicht auferstanden, dann wären vergebens unsere Worte und unser Glaube. Aber dieses Wort des Paulus ist wahr! Denn durch das, was durch das Mysterium von Golgatha geschehen ist, ist erst die menschliche Seele wieder berufen worden, Kräfte zu haben, die sie in die geistige Welt hineinführen. Wir haben von diesen Kräften gesprochen. Aber unsere Zeit ruft uns mit deutlichen Lauten zu: Vergeblich wäre der Tod so vieler, wenn der Materialismus richtig wäre! Wäre der Materialismus richtig, so wären sie alle umsonst gestorben.
Wenn wir uns mit solchen Gedanken durchdringen, dann werden diejenigen, die ihre Kräfte dem großen Menschheitsfortschritt zur Verfügung gestellt haben in einem Tod, der im blühenden Menschenalter erfolgte, dann werden sie ihre Kräfte verstärkt erhalten durch die Gedanken, die aus unseren Seelen hinaufgehen. Wenn Menschenseelen dasjenige, was sie an spirituellen Gedanken und Empfindungen haben können, geisterwärts lenken, dann werden, wie ich auch gestern am Schlusse sagte, die Kräfte von oben, die gesammelt werden, die unverbrauchten Ätherkräfte, sich begegnen mit den menschlichen spirituellen Gedanken und ein neues Zeitalter herbeiführen. Deshalb sei auch heute geschlossen mit den Worten, die in diesen Tagen uns doch den Sinn, den Empfindungs- und Gefühlssinn gaben unseres Datinstehens in der Zeit als Geisteswissenschafter :
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.
Moral Impulses and Their Results The Relationship of European Peoples to Their National Spirits—The Cultural Impulse of Eurythmy
At first glance, it might seem to many people that what we call clairvoyant powers in the true sense of the word, through which the beings and processes of the spiritual worlds can be recognized, are something that human beings do not possess in everyday life, or rather, that they do not develop any of these powers in their souls in everyday life. But this is not the case. Clairvoyant powers are not powers that are completely unknown or foreign to human beings as they live their everyday lives. That is not the case. Rather, what we develop in order to look into the spiritual worlds, what we must bring forth from the depths of the soul in order to find the way into the spiritual worlds, is already present in a certain soul activity in the ordinary life of human beings. This is present in what we call the moral impulses of human beings. A truly moral act, a truly moral impulse, arises from the same faculties of the soul that, through appropriate training, lead to clairvoyant abilities. In ordinary life, however, the situation is such that everything a person does can come from what lies in their physicality or what they have acquired for and through their physicality in the course of their life. When a person develops desires, when a person does this or that, to which he is determined by his upbringing or other circumstances of life, then it is the physical that provides the impulse for this. But there are indeed impulses in human life that do not come from the physical, in which only the soul is truly active when the person grasps these impulses: these are the moral impulses. A truly moral act is one in which the body is called upon to help in order to gain an idea of the moral act, but the impulse, the drive to the moral act, lies in the spiritual-soul realm, which is truly independent of the physical realm. It will never be possible to give a definition of morality by means of philosophy alone, and it is characteristic of philosophy, insofar as it wants to be moral philosophy, that it cannot arrive at a correct, satisfactory definition of morality unless it stands on the ground that it is possible for human beings to experience their spiritual-soul life independently of the body. For there is no other real definition of morality than this: moral is that which man decides, that which man does through forces that are independent of his body.
Now we know that human life consists of moral, less moral, and immoral actions and impulses. The difference between moral and immoral actions only becomes apparent when viewed from an occult perspective in its true light. In its smallest life cycle, in the period of twenty-four hours, the human being enters the state of sleep. This state of sleep consists in the ego and the astral body essentially leaving the physical and etheric bodies and then living outside these physical and etheric bodies. Now, it is by no means all said when one notices that the ego and the astral body leave the physical and etheric bodies. One must also be clear that the ego and the astral body, in leaving the etheric body and the physical body, are taken up into the spiritual worlds that reign super-sensibly around us. We enter the supersensible worlds with our ego and astral body. If we have had a moral impulse during the day, while we were awake, and have performed a moral deed, then the following happens: We must be taken up with our ego and astral body by the spirits of the next higher hierarchies, by the spirits whom we count among the hierarchy of the angeloi, the archangeloi, and so on. They must take us up; we enter into them, as it were, in the state of sleep. Just as we live in our bodies during the day, so we live in the beings of the higher hierarchies during the state of sleep. Let us be clear about this. If we have now performed a moral act, had a moral impulse, then the beings of the next higher hierarchies have the possibility, according to spiritual cosmic laws, to take up our ego and our astral body with our moral impulses or with what remains in our soul of our moral impulses. If we have committed an immoral act or had an immoral impulse, we cannot enter into the beings of the higher hierarchies during sleep with this, with the remnants, with what has formed in us through the immoral impulse. What is immoral in us really remains behind, is repelled, and is thrown back down into the physical body. The consequence of this is that everything we carry into the spiritual worlds as the after-effect of morality in the state of sleep has no effect in our physical and etheric bodies, because it is taken away from them. But what are immoral thoughts, immoral impulses, immoral actions, become something that is pushed back into the etheric body and the physical body, and that has an effect there. Thus, during the state of sleep, it is possible that while a person is in the state between falling asleep and waking up, the results of their immoral actions are at work in their physical and etheric bodies. In this regard, it is really easy to see what I have often emphasized in lectures, namely that language has a wonderful genius, that it has a magnificent, ingenious effect. When we speak of guilt, this German word “Schuld” means precisely what it means. We pay what we owe to the spiritual world with our moral actions, but we remain indebted to the spiritual world for what we must leave behind in our bodies: our immoral thoughts, immoral impulses, and immoral actions.
And now consider the following: if we were to spend our lives only perceiving and thinking about things in the external world, the processes in our physical body would be completely different from what they are, because we not only think and perceive, but also remember what we have thought, perceived, and experienced. What we think, imagine, and feel goes down into our etheric body, but the etheric body in turn imprints it on the physical body, and what the etheric body creates as impressions in the physical body is memory. When we remember something from our past in later life, it means that our astral body, which is then united with the etheric body, encounters what has remained in our physical body like an imprint or a seal. The materialistic idea that has developed is childish: as if one memory were located here in the brain and another there, as if they were boxed up. That is not true. Rather, every memory has an impression that basically corresponds to the entire head and many other parts of the human form, and memories are intertwined, not side by side, as a childish materialistic idea assumes. This memory activity is therefore based on the fact that our astral body and etheric body can cause impressions in our physical body. It is really the same activity that occurs externally when we write something down. When we look at our notes, what we have in our soul naturally bears no resemblance to the symbols we have on paper. On paper there are symbols of some kind, but through what we then make of them, by being inspired to bring what we have written down back to life in our soul, a spiritual process takes place. And so it is with memory. What remains within us has, in principle, no more similarity to what appears in the soul when we remember than what is written on paper has to what appears in the soul when we read it again.
Viewed clairvoyantly, the matter is as follows: Let us assume that someone remembers something they experienced in the past. What then appears in his physical body is a sign that in some way even resembles the human figure from the head and a little below. These are signs. Each one that appears in memory is different, but they are signs. And what we experience when we remember is what the soul makes of the signs. What appears as memory is really subconscious reading. When natural science progresses a little further and investigates physical processes, it will prove to be an aid to spiritual science by showing that what remains in the body must first undergo a process in the soul that is fundamentally similar to reading. Memory is a real subconscious reading. This remembering is a regular activity of the human soul.
But when we send the results of immoral impulses, thoughts, or actions down into our body as we fall asleep, we do not remove from our physical body what we have had in the way of immoral impulses. This causes something similar to what normally happens in memory. The work on the physical body is imprinted there, and when the person wants to fall asleep and their ego and astral body want to leave their physical and etheric bodies, this process begins. What they have to leave behind is imprinted, just as memories are imprinted, and then the pangs of conscience arise. That is the real process of remorse. In this way, they are reflected back from the impressions that things make in our physical body and also in our etheric body. That then remains. And because it remains like regular memories, this remorse can remain and gain strength and then appear as self-reproach throughout the rest of our life. It is important that we really come to understand that moral action is a real process, that it is not merely something abstract, but that this moral action is a carrying upward of what we do here on earth into the spiritual worlds. And since we hand over the results of our moral behavior to the higher hierarchies, they also remain in a certain relationship with these higher hierarchies. But what we cannot take with us, what then works in the physical and etheric bodies, remains here on earth; it is in the earth process. When a person has passed through the gate of death, they must always look back, and in looking back, the impulse must arise within them to remove it from the earthly process. This is the basis for the working out of karma between death and a new birth.
Now, we do take the results of our moral impulses with us into our karma, but by carrying them up into the spiritual worlds during sleep, they also make an impression there. We can say that the angels, the archangels, and also the spirits of personality now have what we carry up to them in the way of moral impulses. And what do they do with them? For the course of the Earth's development, these moral impulses, which are now in the spiritual world, are the actual seeds of fertilization for the later Earth periods. Not only do we retain these results in our karma, but we also carry the impressions upward, and in the coming earth epochs the spirits of the higher hierarchies carry them back down again, and these results of the moral impulses then form the seeds of fertilization for human inventive thinking, for human thinking in general, in later earth epochs. Imagine for a moment that an epoch in the Earth's development were completely immoral, so that no moral impulse impressions were carried up into the spiritual worlds. Then an epoch would have to follow in the earth's development in which little would occur to human beings for earthly life, in which human beings would have few ideas and concepts, in which there would be a poverty in that which is supposed to shape and stir the soul in life.
Thus, with our moral impulses, we are part of a real process of the cosmos. And so spiritual science, which shows us this, is suited to increasing our responsibility, to energizing our responsibility, for only then do we realize what it means to be moral or immoral in human life. To be immoral means to deprive the earth of its seeds of life, to incorporate them into the physical earth process, where they then become seeds of destruction for the next earth epochs, because of course they remain there, since nothing is lost. They then destroy that which should live as soul life. Let us assume that a large group of people decided to live immorally in a certain epoch. This would bring about a later epoch lacking in thought, and souls would come down to earth and find a lack of thought there; they would fall into a dreary life.
Now, there is the possibility that we do not only take into our knowledge that which is the content of morality. If we do not take that which is the content of morality into our effective knowledge, we will desolate the earth. But we need, and we have the possibility, to take other things into our soul development as well, and that is knowledge of the supersensible. Basically, the earth was never completely without knowledge of the supersensible. We know that in ancient times, humanity received a certain inheritance of clairvoyant abilities, clairvoyant faculties, and thus also clairvoyant knowledge. And it is not so long ago that the aftereffects of this clairvoyant knowledge were still present on earth. We also know that we are living in a time when this clairvoyant knowledge has been in decline for centuries, but must now be replaced by clairvoyant knowledge that can be consciously acquired. We are living in this important time. And yesterday we brought before our souls how the fifth cultural epoch and those who are its bearers are called upon to consciously regain clairvoyant knowledge for the souls. And the fifth cultural epoch will not come to an end before a certain amount of clairvoyant knowledge has taken hold of a relatively large part of humanity. Herders words are true, that enlightenment will spread across the earth.
All knowledge that we acquire from the purely sensory external world, all thoughts that we have merely as afterimages of the sensory external world, cannot be brought into the spiritual world by us while we sleep. It is true that the thoughts and ideas we have extend to a certain degree into the beings of the higher hierarchies, with the exception of immoral impulses; but what we acquire in images of the external world extends to a certain degree into the spiritual world. But it does not extend very far, especially not into the sphere of the archangels. So that when human beings fill themselves only with ideas that originate in the sensory world, they cannot carry very far into the spiritual worlds what they gain only as ideas of the sensory world. But what we experience in ourselves as supersensible ideas is carried far into the spiritual worlds, and precisely those beings who belong to the hierarchy of the archangels receive, as it were, impressions of this and carry it over into later times. And what is carried up into the spiritual worlds in this way through the supersensible knowledge of the human ego and astral body is later used again in the process of earthly evolution. It does not now form, like moral impulses, the seeds of fertilization, the active forces, but the seeds of what we call earthly progress. And the rejection of supersensible ideas by one age means the condemnation of a coming age to make no progress in the development of the earth. Those who reject supersensible ideas hinder the progress of coming ages as far as they are able. If any people were to become completely materialistic, the materialism of an entire people would condemn the earth to a standstill in its development for a coming age, naturally to a certain degree, because the other peoples would not have to reject the supersensible ideas. So here again we see how the acquisition of supersensible ideas has a meaning in the earth process itself. Thus, causes and effects are connected throughout the entire earthly process. Those people who are, in a sense, conscious materialists in our present time are, at bottom, beings who have been led astray by Ahriman, beings who have been led astray by Ahrimanic spirits, for Ahriman has a great interest in hindering regular progress.
Once again, we see how spiritual science is capable of raising the individual human soul's sense of responsibility toward the whole world. We see how spiritual science snatches us away from ourselves and makes us members of the entire human process, how spiritual science is, in its essence, a selfless activity of the human soul.
In a certain sense, all life in supersensible ideas is modeled on moral life. Therefore, there is nothing more disruptive to the knowledge of the supersensible worlds than the filling of the human soul with immoral impulses. Basically, we see from this how deeply rooted it is that, as preparation for clairvoyant development, a moral way of thinking in the most eminent sense is required of human beings. It is now truly the task of the fifth epoch to ensure that spiritual knowledge consciously fills human beings, so that the progress of humanity is not hindered in what remains of the post-Atlantean era, and so that progress can truly take place in humanity. And if, after all that has been discussed in recent days, we have to attribute the predisposition for spiritual knowledge in the most eminent sense to the peoples of Central Europe, then we must realize the significance of the survival and undisturbed development of Central European culture.
If we now use what we have mentioned to broaden our horizon, perhaps only of European life, what do we see? The life of the higher hierarchies is connected with the life of the peoples. You need only study the cycle on the development of the souls of peoples, which was once given in Kristiania and is particularly important at the present time. You need only bring it before your soul, and you will see how the archangelic beings intervene in the life of peoples; how, in general, this life of peoples unfolds in the interaction of the higher hierarchies with what happens here on earth. When we look at an individual human being, we know that his ego development takes place slowly and gradually. Certainly, in early childhood, from the moment one can remember, the consciousness of the ego begins. But this ego becomes more and more mature, progresses in its development. In our time, there are already quite serious misconceptions about this development of the ego. There is far too little awareness that such a development of the ego takes place in life. And so we see that today people in the prime of youth consider themselves mature enough to judge everything, because they do not know that a certain age must first be reached in order to judge certain things, because only then has the ego attained a certain maturity.
What is true of the individual life of human beings is also true of the life of nations. However, we must take the following into account if we want to understand the life of nations in relation to the individual human life on the physical plane. The individual human being matures in relation to the development of the ego; as he becomes more and more mature, he also learns to see the outside world more clearly. What do we know of the external world when we have reached the age of twenty or twenty-five, and what can we know if we live a normal life and have gone through ten more years! It is precisely for such things that the spiritual scientist must acquire a sense. There stands the ego in its relationship to the external world, in its relationship to what surrounds this ego.
It is different with the beings of the higher hierarchies. These beings of the higher hierarchies stand in relation to our ego in the same way as we stand in relation to the things of the outer world. For us, the objects and beings of the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms are objects. For the beings of the higher hierarchies, our egos, for example, are objects. Only that the relationship of the beings of the higher hierarchies to our egos is not one of perception, as we have toward the external world, but rather one of the higher hierarchies' will shining through our egos, an influence of the will of the higher hierarchies. Those archangel beings who now have to guide the peoples stand in relation to the egos, to the individual human beings of the peoples, in the same way as we stand in relation to the things of the outer world with our faculty of perception. We are the objects for these archangelic beings. What is the external world for us is what we as human beings are for the archangels, only that for us it is more a process of perception and for the archangels more a process of will. But in relation to this process of will, the archangel also undergoes a development. This archangel undergoes a maturation of his soul, not in relation to his ego, but in relation to deeper forces of his soul. He undergoes a development through which he gradually attains a different relationship to the individual members of his people, just as we attain a different relationship to our environment with a more mature ego.
Let us take, for example, the archangel who, in the course of history, was entrusted with the leadership of what we know as the Italian people. For a long time, this archangel had such a relationship with the Italian people that he actually worked with his will into the higher parts of their souls. In its further course, however, this archangelic being worked not only in the higher soul, but also in the lower soul, in the passions, in the impulses of the soul that are still connected with the physical. Thus the development of the archangelic being continues: At first it works more on the actual soul, but in the later stages it becomes increasingly powerful and works into the soul that is more connected with the physical. And we can say quite specifically for the Italian people that around the year 1530 the archangel in its development passed through a stage that can be characterized as follows: Previously, it had acted more on the soul, but now it is beginning to impregnate the soul more with its will, insofar as it penetrates the physical. And now the Italian people are only just beginning to let themselves go in relation to their outward appearance, to really develop their national character. Study the history of the Italian people before the period mentioned — around the middle of the 16th century — and you will see that the archangel still worked on the inner qualities of the soul of the people of the Italian peninsula; but then, in the most eminent sense, the outer national character as we know it today began to develop. Before this point in time — and every people has such a point in time — the entire soul life of a people is still alive. At this stage, the soul life of the people can still take on this or that characteristic. The characteristics are not yet so strongly pronounced. After this point in time, when the archangel has developed his will relationships with the deeper characteristics of the soul, the national character becomes rigid, it penetrates into the physical characteristics, and the time begins when it is almost impossible to approach the people with anything that does not correspond to the national character, when they immediately become nervous if you come up with something that is not entirely in line with the national tradition or trend. approach the people with anything that does not correspond to the national character, where they immediately become nervous when something is presented that is not entirely in line with the national spirit or trend.
For the French people, this point in historical development can indeed be accurately described. Of course, this is only approximate, but it can be described for the French people around the year 1600, at the beginning of the 17th century, and for the English people in the middle of the 17th century, around the year 1650.
If you go back to that time, to the Middle Ages, you will see how much the peoples of Europe still had in common, and how the national character of the individual peoples began to develop at the points in time I have mentioned. The archangel brings about a development such that one can say: Previously, his forces were still weaker, so that he could only work in the soul members, in the inner realm. Later, his forces became stronger, and he was able to extend his influence to the physical realm. In this way, he brought about the sharply defined national character. Individual phenomena will become quite understandable to you if you consider such things from a historical perspective. Consider that at the time when the English people had their Shakespeare, the national character had not yet been encompassed in this way, so that the inability to understand Shakespeare, especially on the part of the English people, stems precisely from the fact that the archangel has completed the encirclement with the distinctly differentiated national character. A true historical view will only emerge in the future when people no longer start from the assumption, as was so often the case in the 19th century, that ideas have an effect on history. People can have ideas, but ideas cannot act as forces in history. Angels, archangels, and primordial forces can also have ideas, but ideas must always originate from beings; what has an effect must be beings. The entire view of history in the 19th century, insofar as it speaks of ideas in history, is a specter because it is based on the belief that ideas develop and can move freely in the continuous flow of time.
We can now raise the question: What about the German people? Was there a time when the archangel reached a certain stage? Such a time did indeed come. But now there is a certain difference between the German people and other peoples. We know that the human soul consists of the sentient soul, the intellectual or emotional soul, and the conscious soul. You can already gather from the lectures on the souls of peoples that the archangel strives primarily to work in the sentient soul of the Italian people, in the intellectual or emotional soul of the French people, in the conscious soul of the British people, and in the I of the German people, which extends its power over the three soul members. This is why the relationship of the archangel to the individual egos of the German people is different from that of the Western peoples. There came a time when the archangel of the German people also intervened in physical life, or in the lower soul life insofar as it affects the physical. This was roughly between 1750 and, one might say, 1830. If one studies these things very carefully, one will gain wonderful insights into the course of the development of the peoples. And if anyone would only take the trouble to consider the truly magnificent, grandiose difference that prevails in German life between the people of the 19th and 20th centuries and the people who lived two hundred years earlier, they would see how enormous this difference is. At that time, the archangel intervened in the national character of the German people, just as the archangels intervened in other peoples at the times I mentioned. But, one might say, he let go again; he did not transform the physical constitution as energetically or as thoroughly as he did with other peoples. That is why the second half of the 19th century unfolded in such a way that the German people unconsciously absorbed everything possible from other peoples. This has already led to many tragic conflicts in our time. Just think of the fact that Ernst Haeckel, in his entire worldview, insofar as he based this worldview on science, is absolutely English, completely anglicized, that he absorbed English thought forms. Everything he thinks is influenced by the English character. He starts from Darwin and Huxley. He regards Spencer as his philosophical god. And while a Hegel book or a book from our spiritual science cannot really be translated into English, Haeckel can of course be translated very easily into English. You will be astonished that I say this, because you know that books on spiritual science have been translated into English. But what is written in those books can only be approximated in English translation; it is not really there, but only an approximation. For example, it is impossible to truly translate into English the sentence that is purely German, that is connected with the feelings of Meister Eckhart and everything that developed in the German character based on Meister Eckhart. You really cannot translate this sentence into English: “In the mind lives the spark in which the world soul reveals itself in the human soul.” It is impossible to translate it into English, because there is no translation for what is experienced in the word “mind.” Similarly, the dictum of the original Hegel, which forms the very nerve center of German philosophy: “Being and non-being unite in a higher unity in becoming,” is impossible to translate into English. Of course, everything can be translated, but what is experienced in such a sentence cannot be reproduced in this language.
The German language also has the special characteristic of allowing a certain fluidity. Just think how easy it is, when something is translated into English or French, to say: That's wrong, you don't say that! We Germans must not develop the bad habit of saying that something is wrong, but must keep our language fluid — that is radical, of course. And if you go through our cycles, you will see how we struggle to find ever new word formations, including word formations that shape words from within. This comes, for example, from the fact that the archangel of the German people has relinquished his sharp character. He has, as it were, only taken a brief flight for less than a century to shape the national character, and then he has set the people free again. There is an infinite amount in what I mean by this. But it must be so, for the German people are called upon to transform their idealism into living spiritual knowledge. Fichte, Schelling, Flegel, who are so reviled today, created a way of thinking which is not yet spiritualism, not spiritual science, but which is the seed of spiritual science, which, when meditated through, really leads to spiritual science. For this, however, the German national character must remain fluid, must make it truly possible to say: You are Italian! You're French! You're English! But you will always be German! The archangel has only made the beginning of the formation of the national character among the German people. And to be national, even chauvinistic, in the same way as the Western European peoples would be untrue to the German people; they cannot do that — of course, one can do anything, but then it does not correspond to the true nature of the German people.
With the Russian people, the situation is quite different. With the Russian people, it must first of all be clearly understood how the archangel relates to the individual egos of the people in a completely different way than with the Western and Central European peoples. Among the Western European peoples, the archangel works with his rays of will, in the Italian people into the sentient soul, in the French people into the intellectual or emotional soul, in the British people into the conscious soul, and in the German people into the ego. But the national spirit does not work into the souls of the Russian people at all. It hovers above the people like a cloud, and the soul can only look up to it and long for it. It has remained, in a sense, a group spirit. There is no intimate interaction between the spirit of the people and the individual human beings. It is difficult to imagine a more tragic and serious impression than that of attending a Russian Orthodox church service, in which the human ego of those participating as believers is almost completely eliminated. The whole thing is dominated by an impersonal generality that does not touch the individual personality at all. Something that does not speak to human nature prevails in this service. This is a direct expression of the fact that the Russian soul has not yet awakened to the animation that comes from the interaction of the individual ego with the national spirit. Everything has something stiff and formulaic about it, as if the spiritual had reached in from unknown worlds and had merely produced something stiff and formulaic, both in the rituals and in the icon painting. Here we are faced with something quite different from the case in Western Europe. Here we are faced with the fact that the archangel has not yet begun to intervene in the national life. The national is therefore still a dream of the soul for Russians. Russians naturally always talk about the “truly Russian person,” and Russian writers talk about him, but this is a dream of the soul that is emphasized in particular because the spirit of the people is not incorporated into the individual, but because Russians have a longing for a supra-personal spirit of the people.
One must look into these deep secrets, then one will understand how the European cultural areas stand in relation to one another. It would never occur to me, of course, to see the cause of current events directly in this confrontation between cultural areas. But indirectly, one must do so. In particular, we must be clear that the current torch of war is a powerful sign, making us aware of what is at work and weaving within the spiritual life of Europe.
We look up to beings of higher hierarchies, and we also see these beings of higher hierarchies in development. While we as individual human beings develop our ego, we see them developing in such a way that they gain more and more power to permeate the ego with their will. At first, they remain, as it were, distant from this ego, overshadowing it from above, as in the Russian people. Then there is a more intimate overshadowing and coexistence at the same time, as is the case with the German people. And then there is a strict, rigid working of the national character into the individual human beings, as is the case with the three Western European peoples characterized above. And from this you can also see what the modern life of human development is like in general. Just look at Central European history and you will find — if you disregard Russia, where conditions are completely different — you will find how similar the life of the Western European peoples is, and in a certain respect also that of the Central European peoples, how a European internationalism prevails. And then, from about the 14th century onwards, we see a new era dawning for the individual peoples. We see how, with the advent of this new era, the peoples are seized by a pronounced national character. We see how, at the turn of the 18th to the 19th century, the German people were given just enough national character to enable them to feel, in a sense, what national character is, but not so much that they ever had to become absorbed in a rigid national character. One will find that it lies in the deep constitution of the German character that Germans do not need to lose themselves in national character; that there is indeed a profound meaning in Fichte's statement: “Everything that the freedom of the human soul desires, everything that strives toward the most universal in humanity, belongs to us.”
Therein lies a free possibility for the development of the Central European, the German character. But there also lies what immediately leads to the insight that the Western European peoples must indeed reckon with this national character—or fluid national character—of the German people. I say that something like the fluid national character of the Germans can lead to tragedy, especially in our time. Let us remember Ernst Haeckel once again. We have seen how, in the second half of the 19th century — because the development of national character was, as it were, once again given free rein — he could be so strongly influenced by England. And now we come to our own day. The man who actually embodies the whole of England has hurled the strongest words of hatred against the English people: Ernst Haeckel himself. He was at the forefront of those who returned all their English diplomas, orders, and awards. It would be so much more important to return materialistic Darwinism, materialistic Newtonianism, and everything that came from them. In this regard, we must first learn to understand ourselves properly and learn to see things objectively, without national hatred.
Basically, it was a kind of spiritual prelude when, a few years ago, the split between our anthroposophical movement and the Indian-English-influenced theosophical movement had to take place. It had to happen. Those who are called to develop the spiritual cannot go along with the materialism of a Christ embodied in flesh, and it had to come out within our ranks that the return of Christ will in reality be the return of an etheric Christ. This has been said many times before and can also be heard in my first mystery drama from the mouth of Theodora. However, we now read in an English theosophical magazine — I am not telling you fairy tales, and this is actually stated by the president of the society there — that the way the Germans are now waging war shows what was actually behind the German theosophical enterprise at that time, for now it is apparent that it had actually been resented in theosophical circles that the president, Annie Besant, had always stood up for the Prince of Peace, who had meant so well for Europe, Edward VII. We had viewed this with tremendous aversion, and that is why we had sent our agents to England to present theosophy there in our spirit, in order to get the theosophists into our hands. If we had succeeded, as the president recounts in the English theosophical magazine, in penetrating so far at that time that we had gained control of the entire, as she says, “rich administrative apparatus” of Indian-English theosophy—which we never wanted, of course—then our intention would have been carried out to carry the poison of our views to India and from there to gain influence over the British government, so that our intention would have been carried out, namely, to induce the British people to recognize German supremacy over England in this way! — This is the account now given to theosophists there in English theosophical magazines.
Now you see the truth! We must bring it to our consciousness, for we cannot think about these things as if in a dream. The truth is that everything I have written in my book Mysticism in the Dawn of Modern Spiritual Life is merely an expression of the way spiritualism lives in the cultural current of Central Europe. The book was immediately translated into English, and at that time we were told there — at least I was — that this book contained the whole of Theosophy. We could now say: Well, if people in London think that the whole of Theosophy is contained in this book, then they can go along with us. But we did not take a single step that was anything other than an expression of the developing spiritualism in Central Europe. And a few months before the outbreak of the war, I was strangely moved — I can mention this today — that some of our ladies who practiced eurythmy went to London to give a course there. The eurythmy was well received. That is quite good; it should appeal to people. But one does not realize that this eurythmy is the spiritual counterpart to materialistic sports; that on the one hand, Europe is flooded with people who are completely materialistic and who carry materialism into the movement of the human body through sports, which serve the amusement of people, their addiction to making themselves healthy, which is completely materialistic, while with us every movement is an expression of the spiritual, corresponding exactly to what Central European spirituality is. It is always a matter of working on this ground and bringing forth the fruits of spiritual development from this ground. How the sports movement intervened in Germany in the second half of the 19th century! How did finer sporting activities – I believe Dalcroze's method was particularly effective – how did these things intervene! Nowadays, people don't particularly like him because he is one of those who so vehemently denounce “German barbarism.” But what belongs to the German nature is eurythmy, through which the spiritual, which is given in the movements of the etheric body, which is natural to the etheric body, which works in the supersensible human being, is expressed in the movements of the outer physical body.
This eurythmy is based on the following principles: We have an organ through which the etheric body comes directly into action, so that the physical becomes a reflection of the etheric. This is the case when we speak. But it is not the whole physical that becomes a reflection of the etheric, but the air. The sounding word in the air, the way the air vibrates, is directly an expression of the etheric. If you take what lives in the sound, in the word, and extend it to the entire etheric body, and then let the hands and feet and everything in the human being move in the same way as the air moves in the etheric body when we speak and sing, then you have eurythmy. For eurythmy is a form of speech of the whole human being, so that not only the moving air is used, but also the human organs.
In such a thing you see how universal, how comprehensive is the intervention of spiritual science in modern culture. In order to understand the essence of the matter, we have just heard a few things that no one even thinks about today, and if I achieve nothing more through these two lectures, which I have now given in this small, intimate circle, than to awaken in you the feeling that we must look more closely at what spiritual science wants for the whole of human life in a universal sense, then that is enough. For the task of spiritual science is not fulfilled by our acquiring individual theoretical concepts. The task of spiritual science is fulfilled when it intervenes in everything, in all life, and spiritualizes this life. And in our fifth cultural epoch, it is necessary within the people to whom this task falls in particular to bring about this spiritualization, to understand these things, to bring about a sense of responsibility in relation to development. It is easy, very easy, to criticize human development. But that is not the point, for the things that happen happen out of necessity, even if they contradict what, in a sense, good progress wants for human beings. Now, in a certain sense, we must have and allow something in our culture that actually contradicts this good progress. Among the many things that belong to this category is, for example, the fact that, because of our present cultural standpoint, as it is called, for the sake of progress, we begin to mistreat our children from the earliest age. We don't know it, but we mistreat them. For there is basically nothing more contrary to human nature than to let children begin to learn school subjects from the age of seven and to teach them in the school manner, as is done at present. It could be considered particularly fortunate if one grew up in a completely different way and only received what is taught to people at the age of seven when one was nine or ten. But this is not said with the intention that it should not happen, because general cultural progress demands it; it must be so. But the opposite pole must be created. And while on the one hand, through certain types of school teaching, we terribly maltreat the etheric bodies of children because we impress upon them something for which they are absolutely unsuited at this age, we must create an opposite pole in introducing eurythmy and bring to the children precisely what eurythmy is to the children, so that the etheric body can find balance in its innate movements. Eurythmy will become something universal, because development does not achieve its goal by moving forward in a one-sided manner, but by moving forward in opposites. One must always create the opposite pole, assert the opposite pole. Development moves in opposites. And the maltreatment of the etheric body through today's school lessons must be counterbalanced by making the etheric body elastic, by bringing it into movement in a natural way, in the sense that is attempted in the early stages of our eurythmy. Thus, something that many today still call “our eurythmy” is really connected with what I must call the universal character of our spiritual movement.
When we see, on the one hand, how this intervenes in the tendrils of outer life and, on the other hand, how deeply it can penetrate us, that the depths of the Christ impulse connect with what we gather in spiritual science, then we have the universal character of spiritual science from the highest knowledge to the lowest. And it is much more important than many other things that we gain a sense of this universal character of spiritual science. And I must say that it is one of the most difficult sensations and feelings at present that the current fateful events are not perceived as more significant, that they do not make a stronger impression on our contemporaries. For apart from everything that can be observed externally, these fateful events are a warning sign, a warning against continuing with what the last centuries of materialism have brought upon humanity, a warning to turn back from the path of human development. And what is being experienced in blood and death should be felt as if it had been sent to earth by the gods to teach us how necessary spirituality is for the further development of humanity. It is truly lamentable, for example, when we see people giving lectures and writing articles in which they say: If only the time would soon come again when the free movement of peoples takes place as it did in the past, otherwise the Germans might fall into the delusion of returning to the metaphysics of Fichte and Hegel, of developing metaphysical impulses again. Even in these fateful days, there is a fear that something of these metaphysical impulses might return in people's longings! These very months are supposed to reawaken these metaphysical impulses! For in how many cases do we see—to the sad and painful experience of mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and other human relationships—that an unconscious belief in the significance of the supernatural is sweeping through our world like a magic spell. Thousands upon thousands are to go through death sacrificially, and afterwards, when peace has returned to our earth, people are to continue preaching that human life is confined between birth and death? Then the sacrificial deaths would have been offered for nothing, for these sacrificial deaths spring, even if not clearly for many, from the firm belief that these deaths are the dawn of a new era. Those who go to their deaths on the battlefield truly want to affirm something other than this: Here ends my body. What senselessness would it be to fill the European earth with corpses in our time if the materialistic worldview had even a spark of truth. We must engrave this in our souls above all else. Those who survive this time, who will live in the time when peace reigns again, will be traitors to those who died if they do not work for the spiritualization of human development. For, basically, not working toward the spiritualization of humanity means nothing other than saying to those who have gone through blood and death: You died for nothing! For if materialism is right, then they all died for nothing.
Spiritual scientists in particular must thoroughly imbibe this feeling. Only in these days have I been able to read again how there are people today — and in the 19th century these people became more and more numerous — who claim that it was a prejudice of Paul to say that if Christ had not risen, then our words and our faith would be in vain. But these words of Paul are true! For it is through what happened through the Mystery of Golgotha that the human soul has been called again to have powers that lead it into the spiritual world. We have spoken of these powers. But our time calls out to us with clear voices: The death of so many would be in vain if materialism were right! If materialism were correct, they would all have died in vain.
When we permeate ourselves with such thoughts, then those who have placed their powers at the service of the great progress of humanity in a death that occurred in the prime of life will receive their powers back in a strengthened form through the thoughts that rise up from our souls. When human souls direct their spiritual thoughts and feelings toward the spirit, then, as I said yesterday at the end, the forces from above that are gathered, the unspent etheric forces, will meet with human spiritual thoughts and bring about a new age. Therefore, let us conclude today with the words that have given us the meaning, the sense of feeling and emotion of our existence in time as spiritual scientists during these days:
From the courage of the fighters,
From the blood of the battles,
From the suffering of the forsaken,
From the sacrifices of the people
The fruits of the spirit will mature —
Souls will consciously guide
Their minds into the realm of the spirit.