The Responsibility of Man for World Evolution
GA 203
13 March 1921, Dornach
Lecture IV
From the whole character of these presentations of anthroposophical Spiritual Science you will see how essential it is to understand that in the various spheres of existence different Spiritual Beings have inserted themselves, taking part in the work of those spheres, giving force and direction. It is necessary that humanity in our present age should be fully alive to the knowledge of this—that different spheres of existence are guided and directed by different spiritual Beings; for our civilisation has in the course of recent years lost this consciousness of the presence of concrete Spirit in life. In general, people will willingly talk of the Divine permeating everything, but such talk does not help to an understanding of the world which can provide a sufficient basis for life. It is, of course, quite true that in the last resort, every recognition of the spiritual must tend towards a unity: but if one perceives that unity too soon, one simply loses all real insight into the course of world-happenings. It is necessary, therefore, to leave off speaking in general in such an abstract way about the Divine, and learn to know the concrete spiritual guiding Beings in Nature and History, as we have done over and over again in the course of time. It is from this point of view that I should like to point today to certain really important and significant things at the basis of the constitution of our world.
I pointed out in the last lecture that certain Beings find themselves together in the world for the purpose of building up and animating man, but that they find themselves in conflict. The old truth of the opposition coming from the Luciferic and Ahrimanic spiritual forces—this we put before our souls in the last lecture from a certain point of view, and now we will look at the matter once more from another aspect.
If we take our modern civilisation, which is now involved in such catastrophic events and manifests in such decadent forces, we shall find that what is essentially characteristic of it is the extension of intellectual thinking throughout the whole of humanity. One must really try to acquire an insight into the quite different constitution of man's soul throughout civilised Europe seven or eight centuries ago. It is intellectual thought which today is so prevalent everywhere, which permeates the entire soul-life of man and, from a certain aspect, will still continue to permeate it. The point now is that one must seek to unite with what is externally comprehensible concepts that belong more to the soul and spirit; for it is well if, from the aspect of the spirit, one really seeks to grasp and permeate external and material existence itself.
That which underlies thought in our organism consists in purely mineral processes that take place within us. Please understand me aright; those processes in us which are specifically of a human character, and those which we have in common with the animal and plant-nature, these are all connected only indirectly, and not directly, with the fact that we have become intellectual thinking human beings according to the modern idea of the development of nan. The fact that we have in us a firmly consolidated mineral constitution gives us the capacity for intellectual thought.
When we look at all those kingdoms of nature which are outside us in cosmic space, and which are also within us, we must say: Let us first of all contemplate the sphere of Warmth, of the warmth-Ether; we carry the effect of this Warmth-Ether in our own blood, and the activity of our blood consists essentially in the fact that our blood, aa the carrier of warmth, guides these warmth-processes through our entire organism. Now our intellectual thinking does not depend in any way upon what happens in the sphere of warmth. Thus, when we consider the warmth-processes in the cosmos, we can say: These warmth-processes are also continued within the skin of our organism; but that which meets us in the cosmos as warmth-processes—and specially meets one who is able to regard the cosmos in the condition when it showed itself exclusively in warmth processes, during the Saturn evolution—none of that stimulates us to intellectual thinking. Then if we look to the kingdom of the Air, there too we find events taking place; these processes are continued in our organism through our breathing process; but that again has nothing directly to do with our intellectual thinking.
As a third sphere we can look to the phenomenon of water; we see outside in the cosmos the processes in the fluid sphere. These too are continued in our metabolism, in so far as it occurs in the fluids. Outside in nature we see the circulation of fluids, and in ourselves too we see a kind of circulation of fluids. All that takes place in us in that way has again nothing to do with what is our intellectual thinking. But when we look out into the cosmos and see how water condenses to ice, how certain mineral substances are deposited as sediments, how stones and crystals take form—in short, when we consider the processes of the mineral sphere and their corresponding processes in our own organism, then we find that the mineral processes in us have to do with all that finally culminates in our intellectual thinking. We, therefore, as human beings, are incorporated into the cosmos in these various spheres; but if we were only incorporated in all these different spheres without being involved in any special degree with the mineral kingdom, with those forces which appear in crystallisation and in the deposits of salts, and which meet us in these manifestations in the external world, we should never have become the thinking beings we have become, especially since the middle of the fifteenth century. It is an absolute fact that since the middle of the fifteenth century, it is this working of the mineral forces in the human organism that has become predominant. Previous to that, other forces, those of water, air and so on, were dominant to a special degree in man. Hence intellectual thinking was not then the most significant element in human activity.
Now, in everything which surrounds us in the various realms in which we live, the realm of solid earth, of flowing water, of air and of warmth—for a moment we will disregard the higher kinds of ether—in all these are working divine spiritual beings. These realms consist not only in what we call material world-forces and entities, but they are all permeated by different spiritual beings. I will therefore make a diagram to represent this important fact in our connection with the cosmos. Suppose I sketch here (see diagram) the realm of the mineral world (black); I will then here characterise the realm of the water (red), the realm of the air here (blue), and then finally the warmth-ether (reddish-violet).

Now this is the characteristic of all those spiritual beings whom the pre-Christian age—and especially pre-Christian Judaism—conceived as standing under the guidance of Jahve or Jehovah, and who were regarded by the Hebrew initiates as belonging to the Realm of Jahve or Jehovah. They extended their dominion essentially over the three first realms—warmth, air, water. And so if I am to draw that region in the cosmos that was under the rulership of Jehovah, I must say: It is this region (the three upper layers). It was really the case that the Jehovah rulership embraced the realms of Nature as we have enumerated them, with the exception of the physical-mineral realm. You must be quite clear that when in the ancient Jewish writings, reference is made to the Divine, this always refers to the Jehovah realm of warmth-ether, air and water. That was a deep initiation-truth of the pre-Christian age, and is very cleverly indicated in the story of Creation. One has merely to understand the meaning of the Bible words aright to see how this is plainly brought to expression. Jehovah betook himself, so to speak, to the earth, and formed man out of the dust of the earth. He took that which was not his own kingdom, for the forming of external man. The Bible expresses that fact quite clearly. As I have said, in the pre-Christian Jewish initiation, it was known as an initiation-truth that Jehovah did not form external man out of his own sphere of power, but turned to the earth, and from out of the earthly dust, which was foreign to him, he formed the human sheath which could not come from his own kingdom. Then he breathed into it that which comes from him—the animal soul, the Nephesch. That it is which he gave forth from himself and it came from the three realms over which he ruled. The superficial Bible investigators really do not, for the most part, understand what stands in the Bible at all. If one understands the Bible, one sees that it speaks with extraordinary exactitude, one only has to take its sentences quite exactly. “Jehovah formed man out of the dust of the earth,” that means out of the mineral kingdom foreign to him, and then he gave to man out of his own sphere the breath of the soul. Thus, what lives in man as an emanation from Jehovah is indicated when it is said that Jehovah breathed the living Odem into man.
Man developed, and as he evolved further in the mineral kingdom, he developed in an element foreign to Jehovah. And it was that kingdom which then, in more modern times, since the fifth post-Atlantean epoch, became especially dominant in man, because it formed the basis for his intellectual civilisation. We can say, therefore, that as long as the intellectual civilisation was not predominant in man, so long could a rulership prevail such as that of Jehovah. Then, however, the mineral nature began to make itself felt, from the founding of Christianity up to the beginning of the fifth post-Atlantean epoch. Humanity had then to be helped from another side. Now you can see how necessary it was for man at the time when the mineral nature became so important to him that he should receive the Christ Impulse, because the old Jahve or Jehovah-impulse was no longer sufficient.
You must connect what I have just told you with certain definite facts. Just consider the fact that man would not think intellectually, with a fully waking consciousness, if he were merely subject to the Jehovah influence, which has no influence on his mineral nature. And so, if we wish chiefly to consider the activity of Jehovah in man, we must not look to what is in our external intellectual culture, but to what expresses itself in our dreams. That which is dreamt, which does not pass into sharply contoured intellectual concepts such as can be grasped by the soul but is dreamt—that is our Jehovah-life. Everything which moves in the fluidic elements of the more fantastic or imaginative nature, everything which can be compared externally with the Moon-influence on man, that is his Jehovah-nature. Opposed to the Jehovah-nature is man's clear-cut thinking; but that he owes to the circumstance that there are salt deposits in him, that there is in him a mineral activity.
Now just consider the fact that, fundamentally, the old Jehovah religion lost its significance with the Mystery of Golgotha. It had lost its significance because the time had come in the evolution of man when the mineral nature became predominant in him. But when the Mystery of Golgotha appeared, there was still enough left of the ancient Dream Wisdom through which it could be understood. And those persons who had somewhat transcended the ancient Dream-Wisdom and who through various kinds of initiation had, like Saul (Paul), already attained some intellectual culture—for them a special influence was necessary, such as Paul received through the Event of Damascus, in order to grasp the Mystery of Golgotha. It is of great and deep significance, that in the Christian tradition we are told that in order to understand the Mystery of Golgotha it was necessary for Saul, who had in a certain sense been initiated before the Mystery of Golgotha into the Hebraic Mysteries—it was necessary for him that he should be carried away into that knowledge which did not work in sharp contours, but which expressed itself in the more flowing element of the dream; for it was in this way that Paul experienced the certainty that Christ had been present in Jesus through the Mystery of Golgotha. With the old Dream Wisdom, it was still possible to grasp something of the Event of Golgotha, and if, through a special influence ouch as was the case with Paul, a man was snatched into that Dream region, he could then understand the Mystery of Golgotha. But now the old Dream Wisdom more and more decreased; it only remained in man's dreams, and even there in a completely decadent form. As the fifteenth century approached, the culture of Europe was tending increasingly to the purely intellectual element; and under the influence of this intellectual element our modern natural science has developed.
Now consider the following. The old Jewish religion must not be grasped merely with reference to the external words—that would only be a materialistic understanding of religion; we must grasp it in its inner spirit. As an historical phenomenon the point that strikes us is that the Jehovah-God was simply the God of one people, and outside the borders of the Jewish people Jehovah was no longer the Jehovah-God. That is the essence of the Jehovah Divinity; he did not embrace the whole of humanity, but only one portion of mankind. In fact, this perception of God has passed over to our own age, and in particular one could, see it again during the World War when every nation spoke of how Divine Providence or, as many said, the Christ, was helping them. Each nation wanted, so to say, to go forth under the guidance of Christ against every other. But because one utters the Name of `Christ', that does not mean that one has met, has contacted, the Christ; for the Christ is only contacted when in one's whole feeling one turns to that Being Who has the Christ Nature. One may say a thousand times over: “We will fight in the Name of Christ”; but as long as one is fighting for one nation alone, one is giving a false name to the Being of Whom one speaks; one calls the Being Christ, but one means only the Jehovah-God. In the great catastrophe of the War (1914-1918) all the peoples fell back into a Jehovah religion—only, there were a great many Jehovahs; each people worshipped a God who was honoured entirely in the character of a Jehovah; Christ completely disappeared from the consciousness of humanity. One could see in those catastrophic events how utterly Christ had disappeared out of the consciousness of man.
We can see this also in other things. An altogether scientific civilisation has now grown up. Our modern scientific culture, how far does it extend? Fundamentally, it is limited to what is mineral and physical. Just consider how uncomfortable a modern scientist immediately becomes if one asks him to speak of anything but what is mineral or physical. As soon as the conversation turns to anything else—for instance, to the principle of life—the modern scientist asserts that one can only explain the mineral and chemical processes in the living. He will not enter into the element of life itself, and still less into the element of soul. Thus, this modern science has developed entirely within just that sphere which was not included in the Jehovah religion, in an element foreign to Jehovah—the element of the mineral physical. This science, in order that it might become an element of civilisation had, as it were, to depend on receiving the Divine Spiritual from another side.
When one spoke among the ancient Jews of any sort of knowledge, it was always a dream-knowledge. The Prophets who had the very highest knowledge are described as the Dreamers of prophetic dreams. It is all connected with just this very fact. It was through this Dream-Wisdom that men even comprehended the Mystery of Golgotha itself. But this Dream-Wisdom disappeared. The Mystery of Golgotha was indeed still transmitted historically and spoken of in the traditional Church communities, but a true understanding of it could no longer be found. In place of it, modern science has grown up in the element foreign to Jehovah, a spirit-less, God-less element; and, because its understanding could not yet expand to the Christ-element, it developed entirely within that physical mineral element—utterly devoid of spirit.
Now this science must, to its uttermost particle, again be permeated by a spiritual element. It is empty of spirit because it can no longer be Jehovistic. External civilisation has attempted to carry on some sort of religious culture by means of a religious `false coinage,' as when it gave the name of Christ to Jehovah during the War. But science has turned entirely away from the Spirit, it gives descriptions of the physical-sensible alone, because man has not yet been able to press forward to an understanding of the Christ. At most the old Jehovah understanding still prevails when men storm against each other as they did in the War; but not when they investigate facts of nature, for then we have a spirit-less science, an intellectual science devoid of spirit. Thus we are surrounded by a sphere in which the Jehovah element still rules. It permeates us; but we are not aware of it, because it permeates us chiefly through those conditions which are our sleeping conditions. If, when we withdraw into the element of sleep, we could suddenly wake up outside our body, we should clearly perceive around us a spiritual nature, under the leadership of Jehovah. Then, as it were, on the waves of a Jehovah-Sea, we should see our dreams coming to us out of this Jehovah element.
Again in our Will—I have often told you that we are asleep within it—there again the Jehovah nature rules. In the whole metabolism of man, the Jehovah nature rules. As feelings arise out of the metabolic system and permeate the rhythmic system, so do certain feelings emerge, coming out of the waves of the Jehovah-Sea—like our dreams. But when we live in that realm which can only become comprehensible to us through our intellect, our understanding, there Jehovah has no share. When the Moon rises slowly in a dream-like light and pours this dream-light over everything, one might say: “Man has spread a Jehovah character over the fields of the world.” When the Sun rises, shining clearly on every stone, spreading over every object and giving it sharp contours, so that we are able to grasp it with our understanding, then the Sun-nature—which is not a Jehovah-nature—expresses itself. We can only permeate the world with spirit if we can perceive the Christ-Being, if we so look into this world as to see the Christ-Being in it. Modern science has had no eye for this Christ-Being. That which is not Jehovistic but Sun-illumined and can be grasped in the sharp contours of the intellect—this has been seen by modern science as devoid of spirit. That is the deeper connection.
What kind of a realm is it, then, which meets man in the mineral? Now, I told you in the last lecture that on the one side, within the realm of Jehovah, because they have remained at an earlier stage of evolution, the Luciferic beings appear. When we are present in the Jehovah sphere, let us say in sleep, then the Luciferic beings make themselves felt in our feelings and impulses of Will. That realm which we must dominate with our intellect is spread out around us as the mineral kingdom. That is a kingdom foreign to Jehovah, and into it those beings have penetrated who belong to the Ahrimanic realm. The Ahrimanic beings, however, because Jehovah could not, so to speak, keep them away, have penetrated into that mineral realm (see diagram—green). And so, when we turn our gaze to this realm, we are every moment in danger of being taken by surprise, to our confusion, because of the Ahrimanic beings. These Ahrimanic beings—I have tried to present an image of this in the carved wooden Group which is to stand in our Goetheanum—these Ahrimanic beings can in reality only feel at home in the realms which surround us in the mineral world. They are predominantly intellectually-gifted beings. The Mephistophelean figure which you see below in our wooden Group, that Mephistophelian-Ahrimanic figure is extremely clever, utterly end wholly permeated with intellect. But with what is really Jehovistic—with what lives in the human metabolic system, in so far as it does not deposit salts or is of a mineral nature but of a fluid nature, consisting in the metabolism of fluids, with all that lives in our breathing and in our warmth condition—with all this the Ahrimanic element has no direct relationship.
These Ahrimanic beings strive, however, to get into man. Man was created out of the dust of the earth. The mineral element is the true sphere of Ahriman, he can enter that sphere, and feel comfortable there; he feels very comfortable whenever he can permeate us through whatever is mineral in us. You secrete salts, and through this you are able to think; through the deposit of salts, through all the mineral processes prevailing in you, you become a thinking being. Ahriman seeks to enter that sphere, but in reality he has a definite relation only to the mineral. Therefore he is fighting to get a share also in man's blood, in his breathing, and in his metabolism. He can only do this if he can inject certain characteristics into man's soul; if, for instance, he can inject into the human soul a special tendency to a dry, barren understanding which seeks an outlet in materialism and mocks all truths permeated by feeling. If he can permeate man with intellectual pride, then he can make the human blood, the breath and metabolism also inclined to him, and then he can, as it were, slip out of the salts and mineral in man and slip into his blood and breathing.
That is the conflict in the world being fought on the part of Ahriman through the very being of man. You see, when Jehovah turned to the earth and created man out of the earth in order to develop him further than he could have done within his own realm, he created man out of an element foreign to himself, and only implanted, breathed, his own element into him. But in so doing, Jehovah had to take something to his aid, something to which these Ahrimanic beings have access. Jehovah has thereby become involved, as regards earthly evolution, in this conflict with the Ahrimanic element which, with the help of man, seeks to get the world for itself by means of the mineral processes.
As a matter of fact, much has been attained by the Ahrimanic beings in this sphere, because when man is born into physical existence, or is conceived, he descends from the worlds of soul and spirit and surrounds himself with physical matter. But in the present state of our civilisation and according to the customs of the traditional Churches, man would like to forget his existence in a sphere of soul and spirit before birth. He does not wish to admit it; he would like, in a sense, to wipe out of human life any prenatal existence. Pre-existence has gradually been declared heretical in the traditional Confessions. It is desired to restrict man to the belief that he begins with physical birth or conception, and then to link on to that what follows after death. If this belief in a mere after-death condition were to be fully and finally forced on to mankind, the Ahrimanic powers would then have won their conflict; because if man regards only what he experiences from his earthly nature between birth and death and does not look to a pre-existence, to a life before birth, but only to a continuance of life after death, the Ahrimanic element in his mineral processes would gradually overpower him. Everything of a Jehovistic nature would be thrown out of earthly evolution, everything which has come over from Saturn, Sun and Moon would be wiped away. A new creation would thus begin with the earth, which would deny everything that had preceded it.
For that reason, the perception which denies pre-existence must be fought with all possible energy. Man must realise that he existed before he was born or conceived into physical life. In all veneration and holiness, he must receive that which was allotted to him from divine spiritual worlds before his earthly existence. If he adds to the belief of the after-death condition a knowledge of pre-birth existence, he can prevent his soul from being devoured by Ahriman. It follows therefore from what I have said that we need gradually to take into our speech a certain word which we have not yet got. Just as we speak of immortality (deathlessness) when we think of the end of our physical existence, so we must learn to speak of un-bornness, for even as we are immortal, so also are we, as human beings, in reality unborn, look where you will in the language of civilised peoples for a practicable word for “birthlessness!” We have the word “immortal” everywhere, but “unborn” we have not got. We need that word; it must be just as valid a word in civilised languages as the word “immortal” is today. It is just in this that the Ahrimanising of our modern civilisation reveals itself; for it is one of the most important symptoms of the Ahrimanising of modern civilisation that we have no word for “not being born.” For as we do not fall a prey to the earth with death, just as little do we first originate with our birth or conception. We must have a word which points clearly to pre-existence.
One must not undervalue the significance which lies in the word. For no matter how much and how clearly one thinks, that is something in yourself, something in man, of an intellectual nature. But the moment the thought is expressed in a word, even the moment the word as such is only thought, as in the words of a meditation, that same moment the word is imprinted into the ether of the cosmos. Thought as such does not imprint itself into the ether of the cosmos, otherwise we could never become free beings in the sphere of pure thought. We are bound, we are no longer free, the moment something imprints itself into the ether. We are not made free through the word, but through pure thought. You can read further about this in my “Philosophy of Spiritual Activity”; the word, however, imprints itself into the ether.
Now consider this. Initiation science knows it to be true that because in civilised languages there is no word for “unbornness,” therefore this “birthlessness,” which is so important for humanity, is not imprinted into the cosmic ether. Now everything which in great significant words is imprinted in the cosmic ether referring to originating, to all that concerns man in his childhood, youth, signifies for the Ahrimanic powers a terrific fear. The word “immortality” the Ahrimanic beings can very well bear to find inscribed in the world ether; they are quite pleased, because immortality means that they can start a new creation with man and carry it forward. It does not irritate the Ahrimanic beings when they shoot through the ether to play their game with man and find that from every pulpit immortality is being spoken of; that thoroughly pleases them. But it is a terrible shock for them if they find the word “unbornness” inscribed in the world ether; it entirely extinguishes the light in which these Ahrimanic beings move. Then they can go no further, they lose their direction, they feel as though they were falling into an abyss, a bottomless pit. You can see by this that it is Ahrimanic action that restrains humanity from speaking of unbornness. No matter how paradoxical it may appear to modern humanity that one should speak of these things, modern civilisation requires that they should be spoken of. Just as meteorology describes the wind, or geography the Gulf Stream, so one must describe what is going on around us spiritually, and how these Ahrimanic beings are moving through our environment; one must describe how well they feel in everything connected with death, even when dying is denied; and how they are filled with a terrible fear of darkness when one speaks of anything connected with being born, connected with growth and thriving. We must learn to speak scientifically of these things, just as that Jehovah-forsaken mineral sphere can be spoken of scientifically in our modern science.
You see, this is in reality nothing less than the conflict with the Ahrimanic powers which we must take upon ourselves. Ultimately, whether people like to know it or not, that which is so often brought against Anthroposophical Spiritual Science is at the same time the fight of Ahriman against what must be repeated ever more emphatically by Spiritual Science as necessary to modern humanity.
When one experiences such things as the recent attacks that have been made upon Spiritual Science, is it not obvious that these people themselves simply do not approach it? I have spoken to you of the especially ruthless and hateful attack which appeared recently in Germany, in the highly respected paper “Frankfurter Zeitung,” when that paper took up a really disgraceful attitude. It did indeed insert our rejoinder, but only in order to put before it a whole column of its own nonsensical remarks. These things are all characteristic of those people who would like the science of Anthroposophy to disappear, who are either too lazy to study or not capable of it. These people seize upon such attacks as the recent one in Germany in order to cast suspicions on what they cannot refute.
When you consider the matter in the light of what I have told you in connection with these Ahrimanic beings, you will see through things a little. In scientific circles today there are a great number of persons who can apparently think quite clearly, and why? Because Ahriman permeates the mineral world; and you therefore need not be surprised that these people develop a great deal of intellect. That is Ahriman within them; it is far more comfortable to allow Ahriman to think in one than to think for oneself. A man can pass his examinations far more easily, he can become a tutor or university professor with far greater facility if he allows Ahriman to think for him. And because so many people allow Ahriman to think in them, these attacks naturally come from an Ahrimanic direction. These things have an inner spiritual connection, which we must see through. Therefore, people must not be so foolish as to blame us over and over again if we are forced to strike back with very cutting remarks at what would fain nullify Spiritual Science from its very roots.

Fünfzehnter Vortrag
[ 1 ] Aus dem ganzen Sinn der Darstellungen anthroposophischer Geisteswissenschaft ersehen Sie ja, daß es darauf ankommt, zu begreifen, wie in die verschiedenen Gebiete des Daseins sich eingliedern, richtend, kräftigend, verschiedene geistige Wesenheiten. Es ist notwendig, daß in der Gegenwart die Menschheit sich durchdringe mit der Erkenntnis davon, wie verschiedene Daseinsgebiete von einzelnen geistigen Wesenheiten gelenkt, gerichtet und so weiter werden. Denn unsere Zivilisation hat ja im Laufe der neueren Zeit verwischt dieses Bewußtsein konkreter Geistigkeit im Dasein. Man redet gerne im allgemeinen von dem Göttlichen, das alles durchdringt. Aber mit einem solchen Sprechen im allgemeinen von dem Göttlichen kommt man nicht zu einem solchen Begreifen der Welt, das dann auch für das Leben eine tüchtige Grundlage sein kann. Es ist ja ganz gewiß richtig, daß zuletzt alles, was man an Geistigem durchschaut, hintendieren muß nach einem Einheitlichen. Allein, wenn man nach dem Einheitlichen, ich möchte sagen, zu früh schaut, dann verwischen sich alle wirklichen Einsichten in den Gang der Weltereignisse. Deshalb ist es notwendig, daß aus dem allgemeinen abstrakten Sprechen über das Göttliche herausgekommen werde und man die konkreten geistigen führenden Wesenheiten in Natur und Geschichte und so weiter kennenlerne, wie wir ja das im Laufe der Zeit immer wiederum getan haben. Und von diesem Gesichtspunkte aus möchte ich Sie heute hinweisen auf ganz wichtige, bedeutungsvolle Grundlagen unserer Weltkonstitution.
[ 2 ] Ich habe ja vorgestern aufmerksam darauf gemacht, daß sich gewisse Wesenheiten zum Aufbau, zur ganzen Belebung des Menschen gewissermaßen wie kämpfend in der Welt zusammenfinden. Die für uns ja im Grunde genommen alte Wahrheit von der Gegensätzlichkeit der luziferischen und ahrimanischen geistigen Kräfte, haben wir vorgestern wiederum uns von einem gewissen Gesichtspunkte aus vor die Seele geführt. Nun wollen wir heute die Sache von einem anderen Ende aus noch einmal betrachten.
[ 3 ] Was gerade besonders charakteristisch ist in der neuesten Zivilisation, die jetzt in solchen katastrophalen Vorgängen steckt, die solche Niedergangskräfte offenbart, das ist ja die Ausbreitung des verstandesmäßigen Denkens in der ganzen Menschheit. Man muß schon wirklich sich eine Art Einblick verschaffen in die ganz andere Seelenverfassung der Menschen auch über das zivilisierte Europa hin vor sieben, acht Jahrhunderten. Was heute ganz allgemein tonangebend ist, was alles Seelenleben der Menschen durchdringt und von einer gewissen Seite her noch immer mehr durchdringen wird, das ist eben das verstandesmäßige Denken. Nun handelt es sich darum, doch vielleicht mit einem solchen mehr seelischen Begriff auch etwas zu verbinden, was äußerlich faßbarer ist. Denn es ist schon gut, wenn man auch vom Gesichtspunkte des Geistes aus das äußerliche materielle Dasein wirklich erfaßt und durchdringt. Dasjenige, was in unserem Organismus dem Denken zusrunde liegt, das sind die in diesem Organismus befindlichen, rein mineralischen Vorgänge. Also verstehen Sie mich recht: Was in uns Vorgänge sind des eigentlichen Menschentums, was Vorgänge sind, die wir gemeinsam haben mit der tierischen Natur, Vorgänge, die wir gemeinsam haben mit der pflanzlichen Natur, das alles hängt nur indirekt, nicht direkt zusammen mit der Tatsache, daß wir im neueren Sinne der Menschheitsentwickelung verstandesmäßig denkende Menschen sind. Die Tatsache, daß wir in uns auch eine verfestigte mineralische Konstitution haben, befähigt uns zum verstandesmäßigen Denken.
[ 4 ] Wenn wir die Reiche der Natur im Weltenraume ansehen, so müssen wir sagen, die sind da draußen und die sind ja auch in uns. Sehen wir zunächst einmal auf das Reich der Wärmeerscheinungen, also des Wärmeäthers. Wir tragen die Wirkung dieses Wärmeäthers auch in uns. Wir tragen sie in unserem Blute in uns. Die Wirksamkeit unseres Blutes besteht ja im wesentlichen darin, daß wir mit dem Blute als Träger die Vorgänge der Wärmung, der Erwärmung durch unseren ganzen Organismus durchleiten. Auf alledem, was so vorgeht im Reiche der Wärme, beruht das verstandesmäßige Denken nicht. Also wenn wir hinausschauen auf die Wärmevorgänge im Kosmos, können wir sagen: Diese Wärmevorgänge setzen sich auch innerhalb der Haut unseres Organismus fort; aber was uns entgegentritt in dem Kosmos als Wärmevorgänge, was ganz besonders demjenigen entgegentritt, der den Kosmos in dem Zustande betrachtet, in dem er zunächst ausschließlich Wärmevorgänge zeigt, während des Saturnzustandes, all das, was da draußen ist, das repräsentiert uns im Kosmos nichts, von dem wir sagen können, es regt in uns das verstandesmäßige Denken an.
[ 5 ] Aber auch auf dem, was in uns dadurch vorgeht, daß wir Luft einatmen, Luft in unserem Organismus verarbeiten, auch darauf beruht das verstandesmäßige Denken nicht. Wenn wir auf das Reich der Luft sehen, so finden in diesem Reiche ja auch Vorgänge statt, die sich in unserem Organismus fortsetzen durch den Atmungsprozeß. Aber auch alles das, was wir da repräsentiert finden durch das Reich der Luft, auch das hat unmittelbar mit unserem verstandesmäßigen Denken nichts zu tun.
[ 6 ] Als drittes Reich können wir das der Erscheinung des Wassers betrachten. Wir sehen draußen in dem Kosmos die Vorgänge in dem flüssigen Reiche. Auch diese setzen sich ja fort in unserem Stoffwechsel, insofern er im Flüssigen sich abspielt. Draußen in der Natur sehen wir den Kreislauf der Flüssigkeiten, in uns selber sehen wir auch eine Art von Kreislauf der Flüssigkeiten. Alles was sich so in uns abspielt, hat wiederum nichts zu tun mit dem, was unser verstandesmäßiges Denken ist. Wenn wir aber in den Kosmos hinausschauen und sehen, daß sich Wasser verdichtet zu Eis, daß sich gewisse mineralische Substanzen absetzen als Sedimente, daß sich Gesteine bilden, daß sich Kristalle bilden, kurz, wenn wir die Vorgänge des Mineralischen, des Festen draußen im Kosmos betrachten und deren Entsprechendes innerhalb der Grenze unseres Organismus, so hat das, was sich da abspielt als mineralische Vorgänge, mit alledem zu tun, was schließlich gipfelt, was kulminiert in unserem verstandesmäßigen Denken. Wir sind also als Menschen eingegliedert in den Kosmos in diese verschiedenen Reiche. Aber würden wir nur eingegliedert sein in die verschiedenen Reiche, ohne im besonderen Maße in Anspruch genommen zu werden von dem mineralischen Reich, von denjenigen Kräften also, die in der Kristallisation, in der Salzablagerung und so weiter draußen in der Welt uns entgegentreten, so würden wir nicht denkende Wesen sein in dem Sinne, wie wir es namentlich sind seit der Mitte des 15. Jahrhunderts. Das ist ja auch durchaus eine wahre Tatsache, daß seit der Mitte des 15. Jahrhunderts dieses Wirken der mineralischen Kräfte im menschlichen Organismus das Maßgebende, das Tonangebende geworden ist. Vorher waren andere Kräfte, die Kräfte des Wassers, die Kräfte der Luft und so weiter in hervorragendem Maße im Menschen wirksam. Daher war aber auch nicht das besonders bedeutungsvolle Element im menschlichen Wirken das verstandesmäßige Denken.
[ 7 ] Nun, in alledem, was uns so umgibt als die verschiedenen Reiche, in denen wir leben, das Reich des festen Irdischen, das Reich des WässerigFlüssigen, das Reich des Luftförmigen, das Reich der Wärme — wir wollen von den höheren Ätherarten zunächst absehen -, in alledem wirken aber auch göttlich geistige Wesenheiten. Diese Reiche bestehen nicht nur in dem, was wir nennen die materiellen Weltenkräfte, die materiellen Weltenentitäten, sondern alle diese Reiche sind von verschiedenen geistigen Wesenheiten durchdrungen. Zeichnen wir uns also einmal schematisch jetzt auf dasjenige, was uns veranschaulichen kann eine wichtige Tatsache in unserem Zusammenhange mit der Welt.
[ 8 ] Nehmen wir einmal an, hier würde ich schematisieren das Reich des Mineralisch-Irdischen (siehe Zeichnung, hell); ich würde dann hier charakterisieren das Reich des Wässerigen (rot); ich würde hier charakterisieren das Reich des Luftförmigen (blau) und dann das Reich des Wärmeäthers (rötlich-violett).

[ 9 ] Nun ist das Eigentümliche, daß alle diejenigen geistigen Wesenheiten, von denen sich die vorchristliche Zeit, namentlich das vorchristliche Judentum vorgestellt haben, daß sie unter der Führung des Jahve oder Jehova stehen, also alles das, was angeschaut wurde auch von den hebräischen Initiierten als zu dem Reich des Jahve oder Jehova gehörig, im wesentlichen seine Herrschaft ausdehnt über die drei ersten Reiche, auch über andere, aber von diesen vieren über die drei ersten Reiche. So daß also, wenn ich Ihnen aufzeichnen sollte das Gebiet, das umspannt wird in der Welt von der Jahve-Herrschaft, ich sagen müßte, das ist dieses Gebiet (die drei oberen der Zeichnung). Es ist tatsächlich so, daß die Jahve-Herrschaft umspannt alles dasjenige, was die Reiche der Natur sind, die wir aufgezählt haben, mit Ausnahme des mineralisch-physischen Reiches. Sie müssen sich also klar sein, wenn in den alten jüdischen Schriften vom Göttlichen die Rede ist, so wird immer nur geredet eigentlich von dem Jahve-Reiche selber in bezug auf den Wärmeäther, auf die Luftwesenheit, die Wasserwesenheit, und es wird — das war in der vorchristlichen Zeit eine tiefe Initiationswahrheit — sehr geistvoll schon in der Schöpfungsgeschichte auf diese Grundwahrheit hingedeutet. Es wird deutlich zum Ausdrucke gebracht, man muß nur den Sinn der Bibelworte recht verstehen: Jahve begab sich gewissermaßen zur Erde und bildete den Menschen aus dem Staub der Erde. Er nahm dasjenige, was sein eigenes Reich nicht ist, zur Bildung des äußeren Menschen. — Also die Bibel drückt tatsächlich dieses deutlich aus. Wie gesagt, in der vorchristlichen jüdischen Initiationswissenschaft war das eine Initiationswahrheit, daß Jahve nicht aus dem eigenen Machtbereich den äußeren Menschen geformt hat, sondern daß er zur Erde gegangen ist und aus dem ihm fremden Erdenstaub gewissermaßen die menschliche Hülle, die nicht aus seinem Reiche kommen konnte, geformt hat. Dann hat er eingehaucht dasjenige, was von ihm kommt, die tierische Seele, den Nephesch. Das ist dasjenige, was er von sich aus gab, das kam aus den drei Reichen, die er beherrschte. Es ist schon so, daß die oberflächlichen Bibelforscher eigentlich zumeist gar nicht verstehen, was in der Bibel steht. Die Bibel — wenn man sie versteht, so sieht man das - spricht außerordentlich genau, und es müssen ihre Sätze nur auch wirklich ganz genau genommen werden. Jahve bildete den Menschen aus dem Staub der Erde, das heißt, aus dem ihm fremden mineralischen Reiche, und er gab ihm aus seinem eigenen Reich den Hauch der Seele. Also dasjenige, was im Menschen lebt als Jahve-Ausfluß, das wird dadurch angedeutet, daß Jahve dem Menschen den lebendigen Odem einblies.
[ 10 ] Nun entwickelte sich der Mensch und er entwickelte ein Jahvefremdes Element, indem er mit dem mineralischen Reich sich weiterentwickelte, das dann in der neueren Zeit, also seit der fünften nachatlantischen Periode, dasjenige Reich abgab, das im Menschen besonders tonangebend geworden ist, weil es die Grundlage bildete für seine verstandesmäßige Kultur. So daß wir sagen können: Solange in den Menschen die verstandesmäßige Kultur nicht tonangebend war, konnten sie noch eine Herrschaft haben, wie es etwa die Jahve-Herrschaft war. Dann begann aber sich die mineralische Natur geltend zu machen von der Begründung des Christentums an bis zum Beginn der fünften nachatlantischen Periode. Da mußte von einer anderen Seite gewissermaßen der Menschheit geholfen werden. Und da können Sie nun auch sehen, wie nötig die Menschheit in der Zeit, in der die mineralische Natur wesentlich geworden ist, den Christus-Impuls hatte. Es genügte der alte Jahve- oder Jehova-Impuls eben nicht mehr.
[ 11 ] Halten Sie das, was ich Ihnen eben gesagt habe, mit bestimmten Tatsachen zusammen. Betrachten Sie einmal die Tatsache, daß ja der Mensch nicht wach, verstandesmäßig denken würde, wenn er bloß der Jahve-Natur, die keinen Einfluß hat auf seine mineralische Natur, unterstehen würde. Daher können wir, wenn wir die Tätigkeit Jahves im Menschen vorzugsweise ins Auge fassen wollen, nicht blicken auf das, was in unserer Verstandeskultur ist, sondern wir müssen bloß gehen bis zu dem, was sich äußert in unseren Träumen. Was geträumt wird, dasjenige, was nicht bis zum Erfassen unseres Seelenlebens in scharfen konturierten Verstandesbegriffen geht, das ist unser Jahve-Leben. Alles was sich im flüssigen Elemente auch des mehr Phantastischen oder Phantasievollen bewegt, das äußerlich verglichen werden kann mit den Mondeinflüssen auf den Menschen, das ist Jahve-Natur des Menschen. Dasjenige, was sich der Jahve-Natur entgegenstellt, das ist das scharfe Denken. Aber das verdankt der Mensch dem Umstande, daß sich in ihm Salze ablagern, daß in ihm mineralische Wirksamkeiten tätig sind.
[ 12 ] Nun bedenken Sie, daß ja im Grunde genommen die geschichtliche Entwickelung diese ist, daß die alte Jahve-Religion mit dem Mysterium von Golgatha ihre Bedeutung verloren hat. Sie hat schon deshalb ihre Bedeutung verloren, weil ja der Mensch immer mehr und mehr in dasjenige Entwickelungsstadium kam, in dem seine mineralische Natur tonangebend wurde. Als dann das Mysterium von Golgatha eintrat, war noch genügend da von der alten Traumweisheit, um aus dieser Traumweisheit heraus das Mysterium von Golgatha zu verstehen. Und diejenigen, die etwas herausgeragt haben über die alte Traumweisheit, die schon etwas hatten durch allerlei Initiationen von der intellektualistischen Kultur, wie Saulus-Paulus, die hatten nötig einen besonderen Einfluß, wie er Paulus traf durch das Ereignis von Damaskus, um das Mysterium von Golgatha zu verstehen. Es ist ja von einer grandios tiefen Bedeutung, daß in der christlichen Überlieferung gesagt wird, daß Saulus-Paulus, der ja in einem gewissen Sinne in die hebräischen Mysterien eingeweiht war vor dem Mysterium von Golgatha, daß der, um das Mysterium von Golgatha zu verstehen, nötig hatte, in ein Wissen entrückt zu werden, das nicht in scharfen Verstandeskonturen wirkte, sondern das im verschwimmenden Elemente des Traumhaften sich auslebte. Da erlebte Paulus die Gewißheit, daß der Christus in dem Jesus durch das Mysterium von Golgatha gegenwärtig gewesen ist. Man konnte mit der alten Traumweisheit durchaus noch etwas begreifen von dem Ereignis von Golgatha und man konnte, wenn man durch einen besonderen Einfluß, wie es bei Paulus der Fall war, entrückt wurde in diese Region, das Ereignis von Golgatha begreifen. Nun, die alte Traumweisheit nahm immer mehr und mehr ab. Sie blieb ja nur eben im menschlichen Träumen zurück und befindet sich da in voller Dekadenz. Und als das 15. Jahrhundert herankam, da wurde die europäische Zivilisation immer mehr und mehr auf die intellektualistische Kultur, auf das intellektualistische Element angewiesen, und unter dem Einflusse dieses intellektualistischen Elementes ist die moderne Wissenschaftlichkeit heraufgezogen.
[ 13 ] Nun bitte, bedenken Sie das Folgende. Die alte Jahve-Religion muß man ja nicht bloß fassen in bezug auf die äußeren Worte; das wäre eigentlich eine materialistische Religionsauffassung, man muß sie in ihrem innerlichen Geist fassen. Sie tritt uns als geschichtliche Erscheinung so entgegen, daß der Jahve-Gott der Gott eines Volkes ist. Außerhalb der Grenze des Judenvolkes ist der Jahve-Gott nicht mehr der Jahve-Gott. Und das ist das Wesentliche des Jahve-Gottes, daß er nicht die ganze Menschheit umfaßt, sondern daß er umfaßt einen Teil der Menschheit. Im Grunde genommen ist diese Gottesempfindung bis in unsere Zeit herübergezogen, und während des Weltkrieges konnte man es ja besonders wieder sehen, wie ein jedes Volk davon sprach, daß die göttliche Vorsehung, oder gar manche sagten der Christus, ihnen hilft. Gewissermaßen wollte jedes Volk unter der Führung des Christus gegen das andere Volk ziehen. Aber damit, daß man etwas «Christus» benennt, ist ja noch nicht der Christus getroffen, sondern der Christus ist nur getroffen, wenn man in der ganzen Empfindung an dasjenige Wesen sich wendet, das die Christus-Natur hat. Man kann tausendmal sagen: Ich will im Namen des Christus kämpfen -, wenn man nur für ein Volk kämpft, so gibt man dem Wesen, von dem man spricht, eben nur einen falschen Namen; man benennt es «Christus» und meint nur den JahveGott. Und innerhalb dieser Kriegskatastrophe [1914-18] sind die Völker alle zurückgefallen in die Jahve-Religion. Nur sind so und so viele Jahves dagewesen. Jedes Volk hat einen Gott verehrt, der eigentlich ganz im Charakter des Jahve gehalten war. Der Christus ist ja eigentlich vollständig aus dem Bewußtsein der Menschen verschwunden. Man konnte das an diesen katastrophalen Ereignissen sehen, wie der Christus aus dem Bewußtsein der Menschen ganz verschwunden ist.
[ 14 ] Nun aber können wir es auch an anderem sehen. Es ist ja nun heraufgezogen die ganze moderne Wissenschaftskultur. Diese moderne Wissenschaftskultur, auf was erstreckt sie sich denn? — Im Grunde genommen doch nur auf das Mineralisch-Physische. Denken Sie, daß ja sofort die modernen Wissenschafter höchst ungemütlich werden, wenn man ihnen zumutet, sie sollen von etwas anderem reden als von MineralischPhysischem. Sobald die Rede ist von irgend etwas, was Prinzip des Lebens ist, so verlangen ja die modernen Wissenschafter, daß man nur erklären soll dasjenige, was am Lebendigen mineralische, chemische und so weiter Vorgänge sind; auf das eigentliche Leben läßt man sich ja nicht ein und schon gar nicht auf das Seelische und so weiter. Also diese moderne Wissenschaftlichkeit hat sich ganz entwickelt innerhalb desjenigen, was von der Jahve-Religion nicht umfaßt worden ist. Diese moderne Wissenschaftlichkeit hat sich ganz entwickelt in dem Jahvefremden Elemente des mineralisch-physischen Lebens. Diese Wissenschaft ist, damit sie ein Zivilisationselement werden kann, ganz darauf angewiesen, von einer anderen Seite her das Göttlich-Geistige zu empfangen.
[ 15 ] Wenn innerhalb des alten Judentums die Menschen von irgendeiner Erkenntnis gesprochen haben, so waren es traumhafte Erkenntnisse. Die Propheten, die die höchsten Erkenntnisse gehabt haben, werden Ihnen geschildert als die Träger eben der prophetischen Träume. Das alles hängt mit dieser Sache zusammen. Aus dieser Traumweisheit heraus hat man nun auch das Mysterium von Golgatha noch begriffen. Aber diese Traumweisheit schwand. Das Mysterium von Golgatha wurde zwar noch geschichtlich überliefert, es wurde davon gesprochen in den traditionellen Kirchengemeinschaften, aber das eigentliche Verständnis konnte da nicht gefunden werden. Dagegen ist die moderne Wissenschaft heraufgezogen in einem wesentlich gottlosen, geistlosen Elemente, in dem Jahve-fremden Elemente, und, weil das Verständnis sich noch nicht ausdehnte über das Christus-Element, in dem geistfremden mineralisch-physischen Elemente.
[ 16 ] Diese Wissenschaft muß bis in ihre einzelnen Partikel hinein erst wiederum durchdrungen werden von einem Geistigen. Sie ist geistlos. Sie ist geistlos, weil sie nicht mehr jahvisch sein kann. Die äußere Kultur hat versucht, durch eine religiöse Falschmünzerei, indem sie dem Jahve den Christus-Namen gegeben hat während der Kriegskatastrophe, irgend etwas Religiöses fortzusetzen. Es war aber fortgesetzt eben durch eine Art religiöser Falschmünzerei. Aber die Wissenschaft hat sich ganz vom Geiste weggewendet, gibt nur Beschreibungen des Physisch-Sinnlichen, weil man noch nicht zu dem Christus-Verständnis vorgedrungen ist und das alte Jahve-Verständnis höchstens noch vorhält, wenn man so gegeneinander wütet, wie es in der Kriegskatastrophe geschehen ist, aber nicht, wenn man Naturtatsachen untersucht. Da haben wir eine geistlose Wissenschaft, eine intellektualistisch-geistlose Wissenschaft. Wir sind also umgeben von einem Reiche, in dem das Jahvische waltet, das Jehovamäßige. Das durchdringt uns. Aber wir werden es nicht mehr gewahr, weil es uns hauptsächlich durchdringt in all den Zuständen, die unsere Schlafzustände sind. Wenn wir in das Element des Schlafes hineinziehen und plötzlich außer unserem Leibe aufwachen würden, so würden wir die Geistnatur unter der Jahve-Führung da ganz deutlich wahrnehmen; gewissermaßen auf den Wogen des JahveMeeres erscheinen uns dann die Träume, aus dem Jahvischen Elemente heraus.
[ 17 ] Auch in unserem Willen, in bezug auf den ich Ihnen ja oftmals dargestellt habe, daß wir auch wachend schlafen, waltet die Jahve-Natur. Im ganzen menschlichen Stoffwechsel waltet die Jahve-Natur. Indem die Gefühle aus dem Stoffwechsel auftauchen, das rhythmische System durchsetzen, tauchen aus dem Jahve-Meere Wogen geradeso auf, wie die Träume es sind, auf der anderen Seite tauchen auf gewisse Gefühle. Da aber, wo wir in demjenigen Reiche leben, das uns nur verständlich werden kann durch den Intellekt, durch den Verstand, da hat Jahve keinen Anteil. Wenn der Mond langsam alles in ein gleichmäßig träumerisches Licht taucht und sich ergießt dieses träumerische Licht über alles, dann, könnte man sagen, hat der Mensch den Jahve-Charakter über die Gefilde der Welt gelagert. Wenn die Sonne hell aufglänzt auf unserem Gestein, wenn sie sich äußert über die verschiedenen Gegenstände hin und ihnen scharfe Konturen gibt, so daß wir veranlaßt sind, mit unserem Verstande das aufzufassen, dann äußert sich die Sonnennatur, die nicht Jahve-Natur ist. Wir können die Welt nur durchgeistigen, wenn wir das Christus-Wesen hineinschauen können, wenn wir hineinschauen können in diese Welt so, daß wir in ihr das ChristusWesen schauen. Die moderne Wissenschaft hat kein Auge gehabt für dieses Christus-Wesen und hat dasjenige, was nicht jahvisch ist, was sonnenbeglänzt ist und in den scharfen Verstandeskonturen erfaßt werden kann, geistlos angesehen.
[ 18 ] Das ist der tiefere Zusammenhang. Und was ist es denn für ein Reich, das uns da im Mineralischen entgegentritt? - Nun, ich habe vorgestern davon gesprochen, daß auf der einen Seite innerhalb des JahveReiches die luziferischen Wesenheiten, weil auf früheren Stufen der Entwickelung stehengeblieben, erscheinen. Wenn wir im Jahve-Reiche anwesend sind, sagen wir zum Beispiel im Schlafe, da machen die luziferischen Wesenheiten sich geltend in unseren Gefühlen, in unseren Willensimpulsen. Dasjenige Reich, das wir mit unserem Intellekte zu beherrschen haben, das ist um uns ausgedehnt als das mineralische Reich. Das ist das Jahvefremde Reich, das ist das Reich, in das eingedrungen sind diejenigen Wesenheiten, welche dem ahrimanischen Reiche angehören. Die ahrimanischen Wesenheiten aber, sie sind eingedrungen, weil ja Jahve sie sozusagen nicht fernhalten konnte (siehe Zeichnung Seite 265, grün). Und indem wir den Blick über dieses Reich ausdehnen, sind wir in jedem Momente in Gefahr, in diesem Reiche überrascht zu werden zu unserer Verwirrung von den ahrimanischen Wesenheiten. Diese ahrimanischen Wesenheiten -— ich habe das Bild ja festzuhalten versucht in der Holzgruppe, die in unserem Goetheanum einmal stehen soll - können eigentlich nur heimisch sein in den Reichen, die uns umgeben innerhalb der mineralischen Welt. Diese ahriimanischen Wesenheiten sind vorzugsweise intellektbegabte Wesenheiten. Diese mephistophelische Gestalt, die Sie sehen unten an unserer Holzgruppe, diese mephistophelisch-ahrimanische Gestalt ist grundgescheit, ganz und gar vom Verstand durchdrungen; aber mit dem, was eigentlich jahvisch ist, mit demjenigen also, was sonst lebt im menschlichen Stoffwechsel, insofern dieser nicht Salze ablagert oder überhaupt mineralisch ist, sondern flüssiger Natur ist, im Flüssigkeitswechsel, in der Flüssigkeitsmetamorphose besteht, mit alledem, was in unserer Atmung lebt, was in unseren Wärmeverhältnissen lebt, mit alledem hat eigentlich das Ahrimanische keine direkte Verwandtschaft.
[ 19 ] Nun strebt es aber herein. Der Mensch ist nun einmal aus dem Staub der Erde gemacht. Das, was da das Mineralische ist, das ist das eigentliche Reich des Ahriman. Da hinein kann Ahriman, da fühlt er sich wohl. Und er fühlt sich auch wohl, wenn er uns selbst durchdringen kann in bezug auf alles das, was in uns Mineralisches ist. Sie sondern Salze ab, und dadurch können Sie eigentlich denken; durch das Salzablagern, überhaupt durch alles, was sich als mineralischer Prozeß in Ihnen geltend macht, durch das sind Sie ein denkendes Wesen. In dieses Reich hinein will Ahriman. Aber er hat eigentlich nur so recht eine Verwandtschaft zu diesem Mineralischen. Und deshalb kämpft er dafür, daß er auch Anteil bekomme am Blut, an der Atmung, am Stoffwechsel. Das kann er nur dann, wenn er gewisse Eigenschaften in den menschlichen Seelen züchtet, wenn er zum Beispiel in den menschlichen Seelen züchter die ganz besondere Hinneigung zu dem trockenen Verstande, der im Materialismus aufgehen will, zu dem Verstande, der da spottet über gefühlsmäßig durchdrungene Wahrheiten, wo er also in der menschlichen Seele heranzüchten kann den Hochmut des Verstandes. Dann macht er das menschliche Blut, die menschliche Atmung, den menschlichen Stoffwechsel auch geneigt für sich, und er kann dann gewissermaßen heraushuschen aus dem Salzigen, Mineralischen in das Blut, in die Atmung.
[ 20 ] Das ist der Kampf, der durch den Menschen von seiten des Ahriman in der Welt gekämpft wird. Indem Jahve sich auf die Erde begeben und den Menschen aus der Erde gemacht hat, hat er, um den Menschen weiterzubringen, als er ihn in seinem eigenen Reiche hätte bringen können, ihn aus einem ihm fremden Element gemacht und sein eigenes Element ihm nur eingeblasen, eingeimpft. Aber dadurch hat Jahve zu Hilfe genommen etwas, wozu die ahrimanischen Wesenheiten den Zugang haben. Dadurch ist Jahve verwickelt worden für die Erdenentwickelung in diesen Kampf gegen das ahrimanische Element, das kämpfen will mit Hilfe der Menschen, um auf dem Umwege durch den mineralischen Prozeß die Welt für sich zu bekommen.
[ 21 ] Es ist ja im Grunde genommen den ahrimanischen Wesenheiten viel gelungen auf diesem Gebiete. Denn wenn der Mensch in das physische Dasein hereingeboren ist oder hereinempfangen wird, dann kommt er herunter, steigt er herunter aus geistig-seelischen Welten, umgibt er sich mit der physischen Materie. Aber so, wie nun einmal die gegenwärtige Zivilisation ist nach den Gepflogenheiten der traditionellen Bekenntnisse, möchte man vergessen dieses Dasein vor der Geburt im geistig-seelischen Reiche. Man möchte das nicht zugeben; man möchte gewissermaßen ausstreichen aus dem menschlichen Dasein das vorgeburtliche Wesen. Die Präexistenz ist immer mehr und mehr für ketzerisch erklärt worden von den traditionellen Bekenntnissen. Beschränken will man sich darauf, den Menschen anfangen zu lassen mit der physischen Geburt oder der physischen Empfängnis, und dann dasjenige, was nach dem Tode liegt, daran anknüpfen. Würde dieser Glaube an einen bloß Post-mortem-Zustand, an den bloß nachtodlichen Zustand, niemals zurückgedrängt werden, würde er die Menschheit ausschließlich umfassen, dann hätten die ahrimanischen Wesenheiten gewonnen. Denn dadurch, daß der Mensch nur berücksichtigen würde dasjenige, was er zwischen Geburt und Tod aus seiner irdischen Natur heraus erlebt, und nur würdigen würde ein Fortleben nach dem Tode, nicht hinschauen würde auf ein Vorleben vor der Geburt, würde tatsächlich allmählich das Ahrimanische von dem mineralischen Prozeß aus sich des Menschlichen bemächtigen. Es würde weggeworfen von der irdischen Entwickelung alles, was jahvisch ist, was also herübergekommen ist von Saturn, Sonne und Mond, und es würde mit der Erde eine neue Schöpfung beginnen, die aber verleugnen würde alles Vorhergehende.
[ 22 ] Deshalb ist es so wichtig, daß mit aller Energie bekämpft werde diese Anschauung, die nicht die Präexistenz will. Der Mensch muß erkennen, daß er war, ehe er geboren oder empfangen wurde im physischen Dasein. Er muß ehrerbietig und heiligend aufnehmen dasjenige, was ihm aus göttlich-geistigen Welten zugeteilt war vor diesem physisch-irdischen Dasein. Dadurch, daß er zu dem Glauben an das Nachtodliche fügt das Erkennen des Vorgeburtlichen, bereitet er seine Seele so vor, daß sie von Ahriman nicht angefressen werden kann.
[ 23 ] So ist es nötig — das folgt aus diesen Auseinandersetzungen -, daß wir nach und nach schon ein Wort in die Sprache aufnehmen, ich habe Sie schon aufmerksam darauf gemacht, welches wir nicht haben. Wir müssen ebenso, wie wir von Unsterblichkeit reden und an das Ende unseres physischen Daseins dabei denken, auch reden lernen von Ungeborenheit. Denn ebenso wie wir unsterblich sind, sind wir in Wirklichkeit als Menschen ungeboren. Suchen Sie aber in den Kultursprachen ein gangbares Wort für «ungeboren»! «Unsterblich» haben Sie überall, aber «ungeboren» haben Sie nicht. Das Wort «ungeboren» brauchen wir; das muß ebenso ein gangbares Wort sein in den Kultursprachen, wie das Wort «unsterblich», das die Sprachen schon haben. Daran zeigt sich die Verahrimanisierung der modernen Zivilisation. Es ist eines der wichtigsten Symptome für die Verahrimanisierung der modernen Zivilisation, daß wir kein Wort haben für das Nichtgeborensein. Denn ebensowenig wie wir mit dem Tode der Erde verfallen, ebensowenig sind wir mit der Geburt oder mit der Empfängnis erst entstanden. Wir müssen ein Wort haben, das deutlich hinweist auf die Präexistenz. Man darf überhaupt nicht unterschätzen die Bedeutung, welche im Worte liegt.
[ 24 ] Sie mögen noch so viel denken, noch so scharfsinnig denken, so ist etwas in Ihnen, das eben intellektualistisch in dem Menschen ist. In dem Augenblicke, wo sich der Gedanke umprägt zum Worte, selbst wenn das Wort als solches nur gedacht wird, wie in der Wortmeditation, in demselben Moment prägt sich das Wort ein in den Äther der Welt. Der Gedanke prägt sich als solcher nicht in den Äther der Welt ein, sonst könnten wir niemals im reinen Denken freie Wesen werden. Wir sind ja in dem Augenblicke gebunden, wo sich etwas einprägt. Wir sind ja nicht durch das Wort frei, sondern durch das reine Denken - das können Siein meiner «Philosophie der Freiheit» des weiteren ersehen -, aber das Wort prägt sich dafür in den Weltenäther ein.
[ 25 ] Nun bedenken Sie: Für die Initiationswissenschaft liegt ja heute einfach die Tatsache vor, daß im ganzen Erdenäther dadurch, daß die zivilisierten Sprachen kein gangbares Wort für Ungeborenheit haben, dieses für die Menschheit wichtige Ungeborensein überhaupt nicht dem Weltenäther eingeprägt wird. Alles das aber, was an wichtigen Worten eingeprägt wird in den Weltenäther vom Entstehen, von alldem was den Menschen betrifft in seiner Kindheit, in seiner Jugend, all das bedeutet einen furchtbaren Schrecken für die ahrimanischen Mächte. Unsterblichkeit im Weltenäther eingeschrieben, das vertragen die ahrimanischen Mächte eigentlich sehr gut, denn Unsterblichkeit bedeutet, daß sie mit dem Menschen eine neue Schöpfung beginnen und mit dem Menschen hinauswandern wollen. Das irritiert die ahrimanischen Wesenheiten nicht, wenn sie immer wieder den Äther durchsausen, um mit dem Menschen ihr Spiel zu treiben, wenn da so und so viel von den Kanzeln von Unsterblichkeit verkündet wird und in den Weltenäther eingeschrieben wird. Das tut den ahrimanischen Wesen sehr wohl. Aber ein furchtbarer Schrecken für sie ist es, wenn sie das Wort «Ungeborenheit» in den Weltenäther eingeschrieben finden. Da löscht für sie überhaupt das Licht aus, in dem sie sich bewegen. Da kommen sie nicht weiter, da verlieren sie die Richtung, da fühlen sie sich wie in einem Abgrund, wie im Bodenlosen. Und daraus können Sie ersehen, daß es eine ahrimanische Tat ist, die Menschheit davon abzuhalten, vom Ungeborensein zu sprechen. Mag es der modernen Menschheit noch so paradox vorkommen, wenn man ihr von solchen Dingen spricht, es bedarf die moderne Zivilisation des Sprechens über solche Dinge. Genau ebenso wie der Meteorologe den Windhauch beschreibt, wie man den Golfstrom beschreibt in der Erdenbeschreibung, genau ebenso muß beschrieben werden dasjenige, was geistig um uns her geschieht, wie ahrimanische Wesenheiten unsere Umgebung durchziehen, wie sie sich wohlfühlen bei alldem, was sich auf Tod und Sterben bezieht, auch wenn das Sterben negiert wird, und wie sie versetzt werden in den Schrecken der Finsternis, wenn sie auf all dasjenige kommen, was auf das Geborenwerden, auf das Wachsen und Gedeihen hinweist. Und wir müssen lernen, wissenschaftlich ebenso von diesen Dingen zu sprechen, wie gesprochen wird in der modernen Wissenschaft von dem mineralischphysischen Reiche, das von Jehova verlassen ist.
[ 26 ] Es ist im Grunde genommen nichts Geringeres als der Kampf gegen die ahrimanischen Mächte, den wir selber aufnehmen müssen. Und schließlich, mögen es die Leute wissen oder nicht, das, was vielfach gegen anthroposophisch orientierte Geisteswissenschaft vorgebracht wird, es ist zu gleicher Zeit der Kampf des Ahriman gegen dasjenige, was als der Menschheit notwendig immer intensiver und intensiver durch anthroposophisch orientierte Geisteswissenschaft betont werden muß.
[ 27 ] Wenn man so etwas erlebt wie gerade die jüngsten Angriffe, sieht man denn da nicht handgreiflich: an die Geisteswissenschaft selber kommen die Leute nicht heran. Ich habe Ihnen gesprochen von dem besonders häßlichen, ruchlosen Angriff, der jetzt in Deutschland wiederum stattfindet, bei dem sich die «edle» «Frankfurter Zeitung» in besonders schmachvoller Weise benimmt. Sie hat zwar unsere Erwiderung aufgenommen, nachdem sie den ganz abscheulichen Angriff gemacht hat, aber nur, um ihre eigenen blödsinnigen Bemerkungen durch eine ganze Spalte lang daran anzuschließen. Diese Dinge gehen ja zurück auf diejenigen Menschen, die durchaus die Wissenschaft der Anthroposophie verschwinden lassen möchten, aber zu faul oder auch zu unfähig sind, um sich mit ihr zu beschäftigen.
[ 28 ] Diese Leute greifen also zu solchen Angriffsmomenten, wie sie jetzt zum Beispiel in Deutschland auftauchen, um das, was man nicht widerlegen kann, eben zu verdächtigen. Wenn Sie die Sache mit den ahrimanischen Wesenheiten zusammenbringen, so werden Sie die Dinge ein wenig durchschauen. Es sitzen heute im wissenschaftlichen Betriebe sehr viele Menschen, die scheinbar sehr gut denken. Aber warum? — Ahriman dringt ja ein in die mineralische Welt, und verwundern Sie sich daher nicht, wenn diese Leute recht viel Intellekt entwickeln. Es ist der Ahriman in ihnen, und es ist bequemer, den Ahriman in sich denken zu lassen, als selber zu denken. Man kann ja auch seine Examina leichter ablegen, wenn man Ahriman in sich denken läßt. Man kann leichter Privatdozent und Universitätsprofessor werden, wenn man den Ahriman denken läßt auf dem Katheder, als wenn man selber denkt. Und weil so viele Leute den Ahriman in sich denken lassen, kommen natürlich ja die Angriffe von ahrimanischer Seite her. Also die Dinge haben schon einen innerlichen geistigen Zusammenhang, den man durchschauen muß. Daher darf man dann nicht so töricht sein, immer wieder und wiederum zu tadeln, wenn wir genötigt sind, mit recht scharfen Hieben auf das zu schlagen, was Geisteswissenschaft in Grund und Boden hinein vernichten möchte.
[ 29 ] Gestern haben ja schon die Kursusvorträge in Stuttgart begonnen; ich selber werde vom 16. an wahrscheinlich in Stuttgart sprechen über ein wissenschaftliches Thema: Mathematik, wissenschaftliche experimentelle Beobachtung und wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse. — Diese Vorträge und diejenigen, die wiederum hier vom 3. April ab gehalten werden, sollen ja zeigen, wie Geisteswissenschaft die heutige Wissenschaft befruchten soll. Und gerade seit wir nach dieser Richtung arbeiten, finden wir ja immer mehr und mehr Angriffe. Aber ich hoffe, es wird auch das Verständnisdafür wachsen, daßgewappnet werden muß gegen dasjenige, was da auftritt; denn diese Wappnung bedeutet ja zu gleicher Zeit doch auch eine gewisse Stärkung in der Richtung anthroposophisch orientierter Geisteswissenschaft. Und diese Stärkungmuß sein. Innerhalbder Welt unserer Niedergangskräfte geht das alles nach Aufgangskräften hin.

Fifteenth Lecture
[ 1 ] From the whole meaning of the presentations of anthroposophical spiritual science, you can see that it is important to understand how different spiritual beings are integrated into the various areas of existence, guiding and strengthening them. It is necessary that humanity today should be imbued with the knowledge of how different areas of existence are guided, directed, and so on by individual spiritual beings. For our civilization has, in the course of modern times, blurred this consciousness of concrete spirituality in existence. People like to speak in general terms about the divine that permeates everything. But such general talk about the divine does not lead to an understanding of the world that can serve as a sound basis for life. It is certainly true that ultimately everything that can be understood spiritually must tend toward unity. However, if one looks for the unified too early, then all real insights into the course of world events become blurred. That is why it is necessary to move away from general abstract talk about the divine and to get to know the concrete spiritual guiding beings in nature and history and so on, as we have done again and again in the course of time. And from this point of view, I would like to point out to you today some very important and significant foundations of our world constitution.
[ 2 ] The day before yesterday, I drew your attention to the fact that certain beings come together in the world, as it were in battle, for the purpose of building up and enlivening the human being. The truth, which is basically old to us, of the opposition between the Luciferic and Ahrimanic spiritual forces, was brought before our souls again the day before yesterday from a certain point of view. Now let us look at the matter again from a different angle.
[ 3 ] What is particularly characteristic of the latest civilization, which is now caught up in such catastrophic events that reveal such forces of decline, is the spread of intellectual thinking throughout humanity. One really must gain some insight into the completely different state of mind of people seven or eight centuries ago, even beyond civilized Europe. What sets the tone today, what permeates the entire soul life of human beings and, from a certain point of view, will continue to permeate it even more, is precisely intellectual thinking. Now it is a matter of perhaps combining such a more spiritual concept with something that is more tangible externally. For it is good to truly grasp and penetrate external material existence from the point of view of the spirit. What lies at the basis of thinking in our organism are the purely mineral processes taking place in this organism. So understand me correctly: what are processes within us that are proper to humanity, what are processes that we have in common with animal nature, processes that we have in common with plant nature—all of this is only indirectly, not directly, connected with the fact that we are rational thinking human beings in the newer sense of human evolution. The fact that we also have a solid mineral constitution within us enables us to think intellectually.
[ 4 ] When we look at the realms of nature in the universe, we must say that they are out there and they are also within us. Let us first look at the realm of heat phenomena, that is, the heat ether. We also carry the effect of this heat ether within us. We carry it in our blood. The effectiveness of our blood essentially consists in the fact that we use the blood as a carrier to conduct the processes of warming and heating through our entire organism. Intellectual thinking is not based on anything that happens in the realm of heat. So when we look out at the heat processes in the cosmos, we can say: These heat processes also continue within the skin of our organism; but what we encounter in the cosmos as heat processes, what we encounter in particular when we observe the cosmos in the state in which it initially shows only heat processes, during the Saturn state, all that is out there represents nothing in the cosmos of which we can say that it stimulates rational thinking in us.
[ 5 ] But intellectual thinking is not based on what happens within us when we breathe air and process it in our organism. When we look at the realm of air, we find that processes take place in this realm that are continued in our organism through the process of respiration. But everything we find represented there through the realm of air also has nothing to do with our intellectual thinking.
[ 6 ] We can consider the appearance of water as the third realm. Outside, in the cosmos, we see the processes taking place in the liquid realm. These also continue in our metabolism, insofar as it takes place in the liquid state. Outside, in nature, we see the cycle of liquids; within ourselves, we also see a kind of cycle of liquids. Everything that takes place within us in this way has nothing to do with our intellectual thinking. But when we look out into the cosmos and see that water condenses into ice, that certain mineral substances settle as sediments, that rocks form, that crystals form, in short, when we observe the processes of the mineral, the solid outside in the cosmos and their counterparts within the limits of our organism, then what takes place there as mineral processes has to do with everything that ultimately culminates in our rational thinking. As human beings, we are therefore integrated into the cosmos, into these different realms. But if we were only integrated into the various realms without being particularly influenced by the mineral realm, by those forces that we encounter in crystallization, in salt deposits, and so on out in the world, we would not be thinking beings in the sense that we have been since the middle of the 15th century. It is indeed a true fact that since the middle of the 15th century, this activity of the mineral forces in the human organism has become the decisive factor, the guiding principle. Before that, other forces, the forces of water, the forces of air, and so on, were active in humans to a remarkable degree. Therefore, intellectual thinking was not the particularly significant element in human activity.
[ 7 ] Now, in everything that surrounds us as the various realms in which we live, the realm of solid earth, the realm of water and liquid, the realm of air, the realm of warmth — we will leave aside the higher types of ether for the moment — but in all of this, divine spiritual beings are also at work. These realms do not consist only of what we call the material forces of the world, the material entities of the world, but all these realms are permeated by various spiritual beings. Let us now sketch out schematically what can illustrate an important fact in our relationship with the world.
[ 8 ] Let us assume that I am schematically representing the mineral-earth realm (see drawing, light color); I would then characterize the water realm (red); I would characterize the air realm (blue) and then the heat ether realm (reddish-violet).

[ 9 ] Now, the peculiar thing is that all those spiritual beings that the pre-Christian era, especially pre-Christian Judaism, imagined to be under the leadership of Yahweh or Jehovah, that is, everything that what was seen was also regarded by the Hebrew initiates as belonging to the realm of Yahweh or Jehovah, essentially extending his rule over the first three realms, and also over others, but of these four over the first three realms. So that if I were to draw for you the area that is encompassed in the world by the rule of Yahweh, I would have to say that it is this area (the three upper ones in the drawing). It is indeed the case that the rule of Yahweh encompasses all that which are the realms of nature that we have listed, with the exception of the mineral-physical realm. You must therefore be clear that when the ancient Jewish scriptures speak of the divine, they are always referring to the Yahweh kingdom itself in relation to the heat ether, the air being, the water being, and this fundamental truth is already pointed out very spiritually in the story of creation, which was a profound initiation truth in pre-Christian times. It is clearly expressed; one only has to understand the meaning of the words of the Bible correctly: Yahweh went down to earth, so to speak, and formed man from the dust of the earth. He took what was not part of his own kingdom to form the outer human being. So the Bible actually expresses this clearly. As I said, in pre-Christian Jewish initiation science, it was an initiation truth that Yahweh did not form the outer human being from his own sphere of power, but that he went to earth and, as it were, formed the human shell, which could not come from his kingdom, from the earth dust that was foreign to him. Then he breathed into it that which comes from him, the animal soul, the nephesh. That is what he gave of himself; it came from the three realms over which he ruled. It is true that most superficial Bible scholars do not really understand what is written in the Bible. The Bible—if you understand it, you can see this—speaks with extraordinary precision, and its sentences must be taken very literally. Yahweh formed man from the dust of the earth, that is, from the mineral kingdom, which was foreign to him, and he gave him the breath of the soul from his own kingdom. So what lives in man as an emanation of Yahweh is indicated by the fact that Yahweh breathed the breath of life into man.
[ 10 ] Now man developed and developed an element foreign to Yahweh by evolving with the mineral kingdom, which then, in more recent times, that is, since the fifth post-Atlantean period, gave rise to the kingdom that has become particularly dominant in man because it formed the basis for his intellectual culture. So we can say that as long as intellectual culture was not dominant in humans, they could still have a rule such as that of Yahweh. But then the mineral nature began to assert itself from the founding of Christianity until the beginning of the fifth post-Atlantean period. At that point, humanity had to be helped from another quarter, so to speak. And here you can see how necessary the Christ impulse was for humanity at the time when the mineral nature became essential. The old Yahweh or Jehovah impulse was simply no longer sufficient.
[ 11 ] Consider what I have just told you in relation to certain facts. Consider the fact that human beings would not think awake, rationally, if they were subject only to the Yahweh nature, which has no influence on their mineral nature. Therefore, if we want to focus primarily on Yahweh's activity in human beings, we cannot look at what is in our intellectual culture, but must go only to what is expressed in our dreams. What is dreamed, that which does not reach our soul life in sharply defined concepts of the intellect, is our Yahweh life. Everything that moves in the fluid element, even the more fantastical or imaginative, which can be compared externally with the influences of the moon on human beings, is the Yahweh nature of human beings. That which opposes Yahweh nature is sharp thinking. But human beings owe this to the fact that salts are deposited in them, that mineral forces are at work in them.
[ 12 ] Now consider that, fundamentally, historical development has been such that the old Yahweh religion lost its significance with the Mystery of Golgotha. It lost its significance simply because human beings entered more and more into the stage of development in which their mineral nature became dominant. When the mystery of Golgotha then occurred, there was still enough of the old dream wisdom left to understand the mystery of Golgotha from this dream wisdom. And those who stood out above the old dream wisdom, who already had something through all kinds of initiations from intellectual culture, such as Saul-Paul, needed a special influence, such as that which came to Paul through the event at Damascus, in order to understand the mystery of Golgotha. It is of tremendous significance that Christian tradition says that Saul-Paul, who in a certain sense was initiated into the Hebrew mysteries before the mystery of Golgotha, needed to be transported into a knowledge that did not work in sharp intellectual contours, but lived out in the blurring elements of the dream world in order to understand the mystery of Golgotha. Then Paul experienced the certainty that Christ was present in Jesus through the mystery of Golgotha. With the old wisdom of dreams, it was still possible to understand something of the event of Golgotha, and if one was transported into this region through a special influence, as was the case with Paul, one could understand the event of Golgotha. Now, the ancient wisdom of dreams gradually declined. It remained only in human dreams and is now in a state of complete decadence. And when the 15th century came, European civilization became more and more dependent on intellectual culture, on the intellectual element, and under the influence of this intellectual element, modern science arose.
[ 13 ] Now, please consider the following. The old Yahweh religion must not be understood merely in terms of its outward words; that would actually be a materialistic view of religion. It must be understood in its inner spirit. It appears to us as a historical phenomenon in such a way that the Yahweh God is the God of a people. Outside the boundaries of the Jewish people, the Yahweh God is no longer the Yahweh God. And that is the essence of the Yahweh God, that he does not encompass all of humanity, but only a part of humanity. Basically, this sense of God has carried over into our time, and during the World War, one could see it again in a special way, how every people spoke of divine providence, or even some said of Christ, helping them. In a sense, every nation wanted to fight against every other nation under the leadership of Christ. But simply calling something “Christ” does not mean that Christ is being referred to; Christ is only being referred to when one turns in one's entire feeling toward that being which has the nature of Christ. One can say a thousand times, “I will fight in the name of Christ,” but if one fights only for one people, one is merely giving the being one speaks of a false name; one calls it “Christ” and means only the Yahweh God. And within this catastrophe of war [1914-18], all peoples have fallen back into the Yahweh religion. There were just so many Yahves. Every people worshipped a god who was actually entirely in the character of Yahweh. Christ had actually disappeared completely from human consciousness. One could see from these catastrophic events how Christ had completely disappeared from human consciousness.
[ 14 ] But now we can also see it in other ways. The whole modern scientific culture has now come to the fore. What does this modern scientific culture extend to? — Basically, only to the mineral-physical realm. Think of how immediately uncomfortable modern scientists become when they are asked to talk about anything other than the mineral-physical realm. As soon as there is talk of anything that is a principle of life, modern scientists demand that one should only explain what are mineral, chemical, and so on processes in living beings; they do not allow themselves to be drawn into actual life, and certainly not into the soul and so on. So this modern scientific approach has developed entirely within the realm of what was not encompassed by the Yahweh religion. This modern scientific approach has developed entirely in the elements of mineral and physical life that are foreign to Yahweh. In order to become an element of civilization, this science is entirely dependent on receiving the divine-spiritual from another source.
[ 15 ] When people in ancient Judaism spoke of any kind of knowledge, it was dreamlike knowledge. The prophets who had the highest knowledge are described to you as the bearers of prophetic dreams. All this is connected with this matter. It was from this dream wisdom that the mystery of Golgotha was also understood. But this dream wisdom faded. The mystery of Golgotha was still handed down historically, it was spoken of in the traditional church communities, but the actual understanding could not be found there. In contrast, modern science has arisen in a fundamentally godless, spiritless element, in elements foreign to Yahweh, and because understanding has not yet extended beyond the Christ element, in spiritless mineral-physical elements.
[ 16 ] This science must first be permeated again by a spiritual element down to its individual particles. It is spiritless. It is spiritless because it can no longer be Yahweh-like. Outer culture has attempted to continue something religious through religious counterfeiting, by giving Yahweh the name Christ during the catastrophe of war. But it was continued precisely through a kind of religious counterfeiting. But science has turned away completely from the spirit and only gives descriptions of the physical and sensual because it has not yet advanced to the understanding of Christ and at most still holds on to the old Yahweh understanding when people rage against each other as they did during the war catastrophe, but not when they investigate natural facts. So we have a spiritless science, an intellectualistic, spiritless science. We are therefore surrounded by a realm in which Yahwehism, Jehovahism, reigns supreme. It permeates us. But we are no longer aware of it because it permeates us mainly in all the states that are our states of sleep. If we were to enter the element of sleep and suddenly wake up outside our bodies, we would perceive the spirit nature under Yahweh's guidance very clearly; in a sense, dreams would appear to us on the waves of the Yahweh sea, emerging from the Yahve element.
[ 17 ] The nature of Yahweh also reigns in our will, in relation to which I have often explained to you that we also sleep while awake. The nature of Yahweh reigns in the entire human metabolism. As feelings emerge from the metabolism and permeate the rhythmic system, waves arise from the Jahve sea, just as dreams do, and on the other side certain feelings emerge. But where we live in the realm that can only be understood by the intellect, by the mind, Jahve has no part. When the moon slowly bathes everything in an even, dreamlike light and this dreamlike light pours over everything, then, one could say, man has spread the Yahweh character over the realms of the world. When the sun shines brightly on our rocks, when it expresses itself through the various objects and gives them sharp contours so that we are prompted to perceive them with our intellect, then the nature of the sun, which is not the nature of Yahweh, expresses itself. We can only spiritualize the world if we can look into it with the Christ being, if we can look into this world in such a way that we see the Christ being in it. Modern science has had no eye for this Christ being and has regarded as spiritless that which is not Yahweh, that which is sunlit and can be grasped in sharp intellectual contours.
[ 18 ] That is the deeper connection. And what kind of realm is it that we encounter in the mineral world? Well, I spoke about this the day before yesterday, that on the one hand, within the Yahweh realm, the Luciferic beings appear because they have remained at earlier stages of development. When we are present in the Yahweh kingdom, for example when we are asleep, the Luciferic beings assert themselves in our feelings, in our impulses of will. The kingdom that we have to control with our intellect is spread out around us as the mineral kingdom. This is the realm foreign to Yahweh, the realm into which those beings belonging to the Ahrimanic realm have invaded. But the Ahrimanic beings have invaded because Yahweh, so to speak, could not keep them out (see illustration on page 265, green). And as we extend our gaze over this realm, we are in danger at every moment of being surprised in this realm, to our confusion, by the Ahrimanic beings. These Ahrimanic beings—I have tried to capture this image in the wood group that is to stand in our Goetheanum—can actually only be at home in the realms that surround us within the mineral world. These Ahrimanic beings are primarily intellectually gifted beings. This Mephistophelean figure that you see at the bottom of our wood sculpture, this Mephistophelean-Ahrimanic figure, is fundamentally clever, completely imbued with intellect; but with what is actually Yahwish, with that which otherwise lives in the human metabolism, insofar as this does not deposit salts or is not mineral in nature at all, but is of a fluid nature, existing in fluid exchange, in fluid metamorphosis, with everything that lives in our breathing, that lives in our heat conditions, with all of this, the Ahrimanic has no direct relationship.
[ 19 ] But now it strives to enter. The human being is made from the dust of the earth. That which is mineral is the actual realm of Ahriman. Ahriman can enter there, he feels at home there. And he also feels at home when he can penetrate us in relation to everything that is mineral in us. You separate salts, and that is what enables you to think; through the deposition of salt, through everything that manifests itself as a mineral process within you, you are a thinking being. Ahriman wants to enter this realm. But he really only has a kinship with the mineral realm. And that is why he fights to gain a share in the blood, in breathing, in metabolism. He can only do this if he cultivates certain qualities in human souls, for example, if he cultivates in human souls a very special inclination toward dry intellect, which wants to dissolve into materialism, toward intellect that mocks truths imbued with feeling, where he can thus cultivate the arrogance of intellect in the human soul. Then he makes human blood, human respiration, and human metabolism inclined toward himself, and he can then, as it were, rush out of the salty, mineral element into the blood and into respiration.
[ 20 ] This is the battle that is fought in the world through human beings on behalf of Ahriman. By coming down to earth and making man out of the earth, Yahweh, in order to advance man further than he could have done in his own realm, made him out of an element foreign to him and only breathed his own element into him, inoculated him with it. But in doing so, Yahweh resorted to something to which the Ahrimanic beings have access. As a result, Yahweh became involved in the development of the earth in this battle against the Ahrimanic element, which wants to fight with the help of human beings in order to gain the world for itself by way of the mineral process.
[ 21 ] Basically, the Ahrimanic beings have achieved a great deal in this area. For when a human being is born or received into physical existence, he descends, he comes down from the spiritual-soul worlds and surrounds himself with physical matter. But as the present civilization is, according to the customs of traditional creeds, people want to forget this existence before birth in the spiritual-soul realm. They do not want to admit it; they want, as it were, to erase the pre-birth being from human existence. Pre-existence has been declared more and more heretical by traditional creeds. People want to limit themselves to letting human beings begin with physical birth or physical conception, and then attaching to that what lies after death. If this belief in a mere post-mortem state, in the mere state after death, were never to be suppressed, if it were to encompass the whole of humanity, then the Ahrimanic beings would have won. For if human beings were to take into account only what they experience between birth and death out of their earthly nature, and were to acknowledge only a life after death, without looking at a life before birth, then the Ahrimanic would gradually take possession of the human being from the mineral process. Everything that is Yahwistic, that is, everything that has come over from Saturn, the Sun, and the Moon, would be thrown away from earthly development, and a new creation would begin with the Earth, but it would deny everything that had gone before.
[ 22 ] That is why it is so important to fight with all our energy against this view that does not want to accept pre-existence. Human beings must recognize that they existed before they were born or conceived in physical existence. He must accept with reverence and sanctity that which was assigned to him from the divine-spiritual worlds before this physical-earthly existence. By adding the knowledge of the pre-birth to his belief in the afterlife, he prepares his soul so that it cannot be corroded by Ahriman.
[ 23 ] It is therefore necessary — as follows from these discussions — that we gradually introduce into our language a word which, as I have already pointed out, we do not have. Just as we speak of immortality and think of the end of our physical existence, we must also learn to speak of unbornness. For just as we are immortal, we are in reality unborn as human beings. But try to find a suitable word for “unborn” in the cultivated languages! You have ‘immortal’ everywhere, but you do not have “unborn.” We need the word “unborn”; it must be as common in the languages of culture as the word “immortal” already is. This shows the dehumanization of modern civilization. One of the most important symptoms of the dehumanization of modern civilization is that we have no word for not being born. For just as we do not perish with the death of the earth, we did not come into being with birth or conception. We must have a word that clearly indicates pre-existence. The significance of this word should not be underestimated.
[ 24 ] No matter how much you think, no matter how astute your thinking, there is something in you that is intellectual in human beings. At the moment when a thought is transformed into a word, even if the word as such is only thought, as in word meditation, at that very moment the word is imprinted in the ether of the world. The thought as such is not imprinted in the ether of the world, otherwise we could never become free beings in pure thought. We are bound at the moment when something is imprinted. We are not free through words, but through pure thinking—you can see this further in my Philosophy of Freedom—but the word is imprinted in the world ether.
[ 25 ] Now consider this: for the science of initiation, it is simply a fact today that, because civilized languages have no viable word for unbornness, this unbornness, which is so important for humanity, is not imprinted at all in the world ether. But everything that is imprinted in the world ether from the beginning, everything that concerns human beings in their childhood and youth, is a terrible horror for the Ahrimanic forces. Immortality inscribed in the world ether is something the Ahrimanic forces can actually tolerate very well, because immortality means that they want to begin a new creation with human beings and migrate out with them. It does not bother the Ahrimanic beings when they repeatedly rush through the ether to play their games with human beings, when so much is proclaimed from the pulpits about immortality and inscribed in the world ether. That suits the Ahrimanic beings very well. But it is a terrible horror for them when they find the word “unborn” inscribed in the world ether. Then the light in which they move is completely extinguished for them. They cannot go any further, they lose their direction, they feel as if they are in an abyss, as if they are falling into a bottomless pit. And from this you can see that it is an Ahrimanic act to prevent humanity from speaking of unbornness. However paradoxical it may seem to modern humanity when one speaks of such things, modern civilization needs to speak about them. Just as the meteorologist describes the breath of the wind, just as one describes the Gulf Stream in the description of the earth, in exactly the same way must we describe what is happening spiritually around us, how Ahrimanic beings permeate our environment, how they feel at home in everything that has to do with death and dying, even if dying is denied, and how they are thrown into the terror of darkness when they encounter everything that points to being born, growing, and flourishing. And we must learn to speak scientifically about these things, just as modern science speaks about the mineral-physical realm that has been abandoned by Jehovah.
[ 26 ] It is basically nothing less than the battle against the Ahrimanic forces that we ourselves must take up. And finally, whether people know it or not, what is often brought up against anthroposophically oriented spiritual science is at the same time the struggle of Ahriman against what must be emphasized more and more intensely through anthroposophically oriented spiritual science as necessary for humanity.
[ 27 ] When one experiences something like the recent attacks, does one not see clearly that people cannot get at spiritual science itself? I have told you about the particularly ugly, nefarious attack that is now taking place again in Germany, in which the “noble” Frankfurter Zeitung is behaving in a particularly shameful manner. It did publish our response after making its utterly abominable attack, but only to follow it up with a whole column of its own nonsensical remarks. These things can be traced back to those people who would very much like to see the science of anthroposophy disappear, but are too lazy or too incapable to engage with it.
[ 28 ] These people therefore resort to such moments of attack, as are now appearing in Germany, for example, in order to cast suspicion on what cannot be refuted. If you connect this with the Ahrimanic beings, you will see things a little more clearly. There are many people in scientific circles today who appear to think very well. But why? — Ahriman penetrates the mineral world, so do not be surprised if these people develop a great deal of intellect. It is Ahriman within them, and it is more convenient to let Ahriman think within them than to think for themselves. It is easier to pass exams if you let Ahriman do the thinking for you. It is easier to become a private lecturer or university professor if you let Ahriman do the thinking on the podium than if you think for yourself. And because so many people let Ahriman do the thinking for them, attacks from the Ahrimanic side are bound to come. So things have an inner spiritual connection that must be understood. Therefore, we must not be so foolish as to repeatedly reproach ourselves when we are compelled to strike with sharp blows at what spiritual science wants to destroy completely.
[ 29 ] Yesterday the course lectures began in Stuttgart; I myself will probably speak in Stuttgart from the 16th on a scientific topic: mathematics, scientific experimental observation, and scientific results. These lectures, and those that will be held here again starting on April 3, are intended to show how spiritual science can enrich contemporary science. And precisely since we have been working in this direction, we have encountered more and more attacks. But I hope that understanding will also grow that we must be prepared for what is coming, because this preparation also means a certain strengthening in the direction of anthroposophically oriented spiritual science. And this strengthening is necessary. Within the world of our forces of decline, everything is moving toward forces of ascent.
