Materialism and the Task of Anthroposophy
GA 204
5 May 1921, Dornach
Lecture XIII
The fourth post-Atlantean epoch, the epoch of the development of humanity's intellect, was guided by the Greek mystery centers. Initially, the mysteries provided the basis of this intellectual or mind culture for the general population of Asia Minor and southern Europe. The secret of human life and its connection with the sun played a major role in these mysteries. We know from the descriptions given in my book Theosophy how the ego lights up within man's intellectual or mind soul, after which it is meant to attain to its full inner power through the consciousness soul. Now, insofar as man's ego was destined to be developed during the age of the intellectual culture, the mysteries of that age had to be occupied with the secrets of the sun's life and particularly the sun's links with the human ego. You also know from my description in Riddles of Philosophy that the Greeks still perceived their ideas and concepts in the outer world, just as we today perceive colors, sounds, and so on. For the ancient Greeks, the element that dwells in concepts was not something merely created within the mind. It was something they beheld with the objects. In this respect, Goethe definitely possessed something of a Greek nature. He made this evident in the famous conversation with Schiller. When he heard Schiller say that his mental images—something conceptual and ideal—were not perceptions but ideas, Goethe replied that in this case he saw his ideas just as he saw external perceptions around him.
The Greeks' relationship to concepts was associated with a quite definite sensation the Greeks experienced when they directed their glance upon the outer world. In fact, they regarded the conceptual content that shone forth to them everywhere as the offspring of the sun's life. When the sun rose in the morning, they sensed the rising of conceptual life in space. With the setting sun they experienced the disappearance of the life of thought. We cannot understand the evolution of nations if we do not take into consideration this change in the soul life.
That faculty, my dear friends, has actually been lost from the soul life of human beings, namely, the faculty to sense and experience the spirituality of the whole environment. Today, a person sees the rise of the sun's round globe and only has an awareness of what is encountered there in the way of colored and shining atmospheric phenomena; it is the same when the sun is viewed as it disappears in the red glow of a sunset. The Greeks had the feeling that in the morning the world arose and bestowed on them their world of ideas. It vanished in the evening and a world then appeared that withdrew from them their world of ideas. In the darkness of night, they felt bereft of their ideas. When they looked up at the sky, which appears blue to us, but for which they used the same term as for “darkness,” they actually felt that the boundaries of space consisted of what was beyond conceptual life.
Where the Greeks saw the universe reaching a boundary, there ended for them the world of ideas with which the human being is endowed. Beyond this universe, the Greeks divined the existence of other worlds, the thought worlds of the gods. Those worlds seemed to them closely linked to what they designated as light.
They were revealed to them concentrated, as it were, in the sun's life, whereas, otherwise, they withdrew into the expanse of the dark cosmic firmament. We have to have insight into this quite different world of sensations if we are to understand the way in which this manner of perception in all its inner vitality affected the evolution of the human being for some time. We have to realize what the most advanced representatives of mankind felt when they could no longer experience the spiritual reflection of the sun's life in the cosmos upon them. And especially the most advanced representatives of humanity who had received their education in the Greek mysteries then experienced the Mystery of Golgotha as a salvation inasmuch as it once again brought about the possibility of enkindling this light within their being. The light such individuals had actually experienced earlier as a divine element they now wished to experience by means of participating with their soul and spirit in the events of the Mystery of Golgotha.
We do not acquire an actual knowledge of what has come to pass in mankind in the course of millennia when we merely study these things with the intellect. We have to focus on the transformation of the whole human mind and soul life. Living since the beginning of the fifteenth century in the age of the consciousness soul development, we have retained only the shadowy nature of our inner intellectual activity, of the spirituality of reason that existed in the fourth post-Atlantean period. I have outlined this here during the past few weeks. Now, once again, we have to struggle to attain an awareness of what can permeate our form of shadowy intellect with a living perception of the universe. It was precisely because of the modern culture of the shadowy intellect that the human being, in a manner of speaking, has been fettered to the earth. Today we actually consider only what the earth offers to us, particularly when we allow ourselves to be infected by the constantly expanding, purely scientific culture. People have no idea that they belong not only to the earth with their whole being but to the whole extraterrestrial universe as well. This knowledge of their connection with the cosmos beyond earth is something mankind must acquire once again.
We simply take earthly life today as the basis of our ideas and concepts and construe a view of the whole universe in accordance with conditions on earth. The resulting picture of the universe is then not much else than the transference of earthly conditions to extraterrestrial ones. Thus, by means of the tremendous achievements of modern science, through spectral analysis and other methods, a view of the sun was developed that is really modeled entirely upon earthly conditions. A conception is formed of what a luminous body of gas might look like. This conception is then transferred to what meets our eye as the sun in the cosmos. We must once again learn to use the materials of spiritual science to arrive at a conception of the sun. The physicist believes that the sun would present itself to him as a luminous sphere of gas if he were able to travel out into space. Yet, despite the fact that it reflects the cosmic light to us in its own way in the manner it receives it, the sun is a spiritual entity through and through. We are not dealing with a physical entity that moves about somewhere out there in the universe but with a completely spiritual being.
The Greeks still had the right feeling when they experienced the light, shining down upon them from the sun, as something that must be brought into a connec tion with their ego development insofar as this ego development is tied to the conceptual nature of the intellect. The sun's rays were to the Greeks something that enkindled their ego within them. It is therefore obvious that the Greeks still had a feeling for the spirituality of the cosmos. To them, the sun being was substantially a being related to the ego. The element the human being becomes aware of when he says "I" to himself, the force that works in him and enables him to say “I” to himself, this is what the Greeks looked at. They felt called upon to address the sun in the same way they addressed their ego, to regard the sun with the same feelings they had for their ego.
Ego and sun are the inner and the outer aspects of the same being. What orbits out there through space as the sun is the cosmic I. What lives within me is the human I.
One is inclined to say that this sensation is still faintly perceptible to those who have a somewhat deeper feeling of affinity for nature. The basis of such an experience has already vanished to a large degree. Yet, something is still alive in the human being today that is attuned to the rise of the sun in springtime, that can still experience the spirituality of the sunbeam and can feel how the ego is imbued with new life when the rays of the sun illuminate the earth with greater intensity. Yet, it is but a last, faint sensation that, even in this external manner, is dying out in mankind. It is about to disappear in the abstract, shadowy culture of the intellect that has gradually become prevalent in the whole of civilized life today. However, we must once again reach the point where some recognition can be gained of humanity's relationship with super-sensible existence. In this respect I want to point out a number of things today.
By bringing together all the references found here and there in anthroposophical literature, we shall be able, first of all, to comprehend once more the sun's connection with the ego. We shall be able to perceive the significant contrast between the forces radiating from the sun to the earth and those forces that are active in what we term the moon. Sun and moon are in a certain respect total opposites. Complete polarity exists between them. When we study the sun by means of spiritual science, we find that the sun sends down to us everything that fashions us into bearers of our ego. We owe to the rays of the sun what in fact bestows on us the human form and, in the latter, molds us into an image of the ego. What works in the human being from outside and determines his form from without even as early as the embryonic stage are influences from the sun. When the human embryo is developing in the womb, a great deal more is taking place than what present-day science is dreaming about, namely, that forces originate from the impregnated mother that then develop the human being. No, the human embryo merely rests in the mother's body; it is given form by the sun's forces. It is true, however, that we must bring these sun forces into connection with the moon's forces that have opposite effects. The moon forces become evident, above all, as the inner influence in the lower, metabolic nature of man. In drawing an outline, we may therefore say: The sun's forces are the element molding the human being from outside. What develops in the metabolic processes from within are the moon's forces, positioning themselves within the human organism and radiating outward from the center.
This does not contradict the fact that these moon forces also play a part, for instance, in forming the human countenance, They shape the face because the effects that proceed from the center, from the lower, metabolic system, exert an attracting power, as it were, from outside on the development of the human face. The moon forces have a differentiating effect on this development due to adding their influence to that of the sun's forces while counteracting the latter from within the human being. For this reason, the organism connected with human reproduction depends on the moon forces, which bestow the form. On the other hand, the result of procreation depends on the sun forces. With their whole being human beings are placed into the polarity between sun forces and moon forces.
In seeking the moon forces within the inner human organism, we have to distinguish them in the metabolic process from the forces originating within this process itself. The moon forces play into the metabolism but the latter possesses its own forces. These are the earth forces. The forces contained in food substances, in vegetables and other foods, work in the human being by virtue of their own nature. Here, they are active as earth forces. Metabolism is primarily a result of the earth's forces, but elements of the moon's forces work into them. If the human being possessed only the metabolic process with its forces, if only the substances of his foods would unfold their forces in his body after having been consumed, then he would have nothing but a chaotic play of all kinds of forces. The fact that these forces continuously work to renew the human being from within does not depend at all on the earth; it is due to the moon that is added to earth. The human being is shaped from within outwards by the moon, from without inwards by the sun. Inasmuch as the sun's rays are received through the eye into the human head organization, they also have an inward effect; nevertheless, they still work from outside in.
Thus, on the one hand, in regard to his whole ego development the human being depends on the influence of the sun; without the sun he could not be an ego dwelling solidly on the earth. On the other hand, there would be no human race, no propagation, if the moon were not the earth's companion. It is possible to say that it is the sun that firmly places the human being as a personality, as an individual, on the earth. It is the moon that conjured human beings in their multitude, in their whole evolution, upon the earth. The human race in its physical succession of generations is the result of the moon forces, which stimulate human beings. Man as a single being, an individuality, is the product of the sun forces. Therefore, if we wish to study the human being as well as the human race, we cannot study merely the conditions of earth. Geologists seek in vain to investigate the earth's conditions in order to comprehend the human being; they study in vain the other forces of earth so as to arrive at this understanding. Human beings are not primarily a creation of the earth. They are formed out of the cosmos; they are the offspring of the world of the stars, above all, of sun and moon. From the earth, only those forces are derived that are contained in matter itself. They are effective outside man and then continue their effects when, through eating and drinking, they have entered into the human being, but there they are received by something that is of an unearthly nature.
The processes that take place within the human being are by no means merely earthly ones; they are definitely something provided for out of starry worlds. It is this insight that human beings have to struggle to attain once again.
When we observe the human being further, we can take into consideration, first of all, that he is a physical body. This body absorbs the external foods. They in turn extend their forces into this physical body. But the latter is also taken hold of by the astral body, and in it the moon's influence is active in the manner I have just described. The sun's effect also plays into this astral body. Imbuing it with their forces, sun and moon permeate the astral body, and the latter works in the manner I have outlined above. The etheric body stands in the middle between physical and astral body.
When we study the forces coming from foodstuffs, we find, to begin with, that they are active in the physical body, and, in the manner I described earlier, are then taken hold of by the astral body containing the sun and moon influences. But in between the physical and astral bodies we find something else that is active in the etheric body. It, too, is not derived from the earth but from the whole surrounding cosmos. When we study the earth with its products in relation to the human being, the substances composed of solid, liquid, or aeriform ingredients, we see that they are consumed by the human being and then worked upon by the forces of sun and moon. In addition, there are also active in man forces that stream in from all directions of the universe. The forces active in the foodstuffs come from the earth. Those streaming into the human being from all corners of the universe are the etheric forces. They also take hold of the foodstuffs, but in a much more uniform manner, and transform them in such a way that they become inwardly capable of life. In addition, the etheric forces turn these foodstuffs into something that can inwardly experience the etheric element as such, namely, light and warmth. Thus, we can say that because of his physical body the human being is part of the earth, because of his etheric body he is related to the whole surrounding sphere, and because of his astral body man in connected above all with the effects of moon and sun.
Now, these effects of moon and sun contained in the astral body are in turn modified. They are modified to the extent that a powerful difference exists between the effects upon the upper human organization and those on the lower human organism.
Let us refer today to the part of the human being that is permeated by the bloodstream flowing upwards toward the head as “upper human organization”; let us refer to what lies below the heart as “lower human organism.” In viewing the human being thus, we have, first of all, the upper part including his head and whatever is organically connected with it. Its formation is dependent mainly on the sun's effects and also develops first during embryonic life. Already in the embryo, the sun's effects work on this organization in a quite special way, but these effects then continue after birth when the human being is present physically in the life between birth and death. Roughly speaking, what lies in this part of the human organism above the heart—a more detailed description would have to trace the blood circulation above the heart—is then modified in regard to the astral influences by Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars (see outline p. 248).
According to the Copernican world view, Saturn has forces it develops in its orbit around the sun and then sends down to the earth. It possesses those forces that are effective in the whole human astral body, particularly in the part belonging to the above mentioned upper organism of man. Saturn possesses the forces that stream into this astral body. As these forces penetrate and enliven the latter, they essentially determine the extent to which the astral body places itself in a proper relationship to the physical body. When a person cannot sleep well, for example, when his astral body does not properly emerge from the etheric and physical bodies, when it does not correctly reenter them upon awakening, or in some other way does not fit itself properly into the physical body, then this is an effect, but an irregular one, of the Saturn forces. Saturn is chiefly that celestial body that, by way of the human head, brings about a correct relationship of the astral body to the human physical and etheric bodies. By means of this, on the other hand, it is the Saturn forces that produce the connection between astral body and ego because of Saturn's relation to the sun. This relationship of Saturn to the sun's effect is expressed in regard to space and time in the fact that Saturn completes its orbit around the sun in a period of thirty years.
In the human being this relationship of Saturn to the sun comes to expression in the ego achieving an appropriate relationship to the astral body, and above all, in the proper incorporation of the astral body into the whole human organization. Thus, we can say Saturn possesses a relationship to the upper part of the whole human astral body. This relationship was definitely an important factor for people in ancient times. Even in Egypto-Chaldean times, going back to the third and fourth millennium prior to the Mystery of Golgotha, we would find that among the teachers, the sages in the mysteries, every individual was judged according to how he had determined his relationship to Saturn by the date of his birth. For these wise men knew quite well that depending on whether a person was born during one or another of Saturn's celestial positions, he was one who could use his astral body in the physical body in a more efficient or less efficient manner. Insight into such things played an important role in ancient times. The progress of mankind's evolution, however, is denoted precisely by the fact that in our age, which, as you know, began in the fifteenth century, we are freeing ourselves of the influences affecting us there.
My dear friends, do not misunderstand this. It does not mean that Saturn is not active in us today. It works in us just as it did in antiquity; the point is that we have to free ourselves from it. And do you know in what this freeing ourselves in the proper way from the Saturn influences consists? You free yourself most poorly from the Saturn influences if you follow the shadowy intellect of the present time. In doing so you actually permit the Saturn effects to run riot within yourself, to shoot hither and thither, and actually to turn you into what is nowadays called a nervous person. A nervous condition in a person is caused mainly by the fact that the astral body does not fit properly into the whole physical configuration. The nervousness of our age is due to this. Human beings must be induced to strive for real perception, for Imagination. If they remain with abstract conception, they will become more and more nervous, for they are actually growing out of the Saturn activity, which is nevertheless within them, shooting back and forth, pulling the astral body out of the nerves, thus making people nervous. In a cosmic sense, the nervousness of our age has to be recognized as an effect of Saturn.
Just as Saturn is chiefly involved with the upper part of the whole astral body inasmuch as the latter is connected with the whole organism through the nervous system, so Jupiter is active in thinking (see outline p. 248).
Human thinking, after all, is also based in a certain way on a partial activity of the astral body. I should say, a smaller part of the astral body is active in thinking than in sustaining the whole human being. It is Jupiter's effect that works in our astral body and, above all, strengthens our thinking. The effect of Jupiter deals mainly with the astral permeation and organization of the human brain.
Now, Saturn's effects actually extend over the whole of adult human life after the first three decades of our life. For our whole life and health depend on how we develop in our astral body during the periods of growth, and in fact, they only cease after age thirty. That is why Saturn requires thirty years to circle around the sun. This completely fits the human being. The thinking that develops in us has to do with the first twelve years of life. After all, what orbits out there in space is not without a connection to the human being.
Just as Jupiter has to do with thinking, so Mars has to do with speech.
Saturn—upper part of the whole astral body
Jupiter—thinking
Mars—speech
Mars separates a still smaller part of the astral body from its incorporation into the remaining human organization than the one that comes into play in regard to thinking. And it depends on the Mars effects within us that the forces can unfold that then pour into speech. The small revolution of Mars also has a bearing on this. A human being acquires the first sounds of speech within a time span that corresponds roughly to half the Martian orbit around the sun.
Ascending and descending development! We see how this whole development is linked with the forces of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars insofar as it is tied to the region of the human head.
We have thus considered the outer planets' activity in the human astral body. Whereas the sun is connected more with the ego, these three cosmic bodies, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, have to do with the development of what is tied to the astral body, namely, speech, thinking, and the whole conduct of the human soul in the human organism.
Besides the sun, which has to do with the actual ego, we also have in addition those planets called the inner planets. They are the ones that are closer to earth than to the sun, having their place between earth and sun, whereas, seen from the earth, the other planets, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, are on the other side of the sun. When we focus on these inner planets, we likewise arrive at a consideration of the connections between their forces and the human being. To begin with, we shall consider Mercury.
Similar to the moon, Mercury has its target points more in the inner being of man, working from outside only on the human countenance. In the part lying below the region of the heart, its forces are effective by taking hold inwardly of the human organization and, in turn, streaming forth from there. Mercury's chief task is to bring the astral body's activity into all breathing and circulation processes of the human being. Mercury is the intercessor between the astral body and the rhythmic processes in man. Thus, we are able to say that its forces intercede between the astral element and the rhythmic activity (see outline on p. 250). Due to this, similar to the moon forces, the Mercury forces also intervene in the whole human metabolism, but only insofar as the metabolism is subject to rhythm, reacting upon rhythmic activity.
Then there is Venus. Venus is active especially in the human etheric body, in what works out of the cosmos in the human etheric body and its activities.
Finally we have the moon, which we have already mentioned. It is the element in the human being that is the polar opposite of the sun forces. From within, it leads substances into the realm of life and therefore is also connected with reproduction. In the fullest sense, the moon stimulates inner reproduction as well as the procreative process of reproduction.
Saturn - upper part of the whole astral body |
You realize now that what actually takes place in the human being is becoming evident to you in its dependence on the surrounding cosmos. On the one hand, with the physical body, the human being is tied to the earthly forces. On the other hand, he is linked to the whole cosmic environment with his etheric body. In that body, differentiations occur in the manner I have just outlined, and inasmuch as the differentiation proceeds primarily from man's astral body, the forces of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Venus and moon integrate themselves into this body. By way of the ego, the sun is also active in man. Now take into consideration that due to the fact that the human being is integrated into the cosmos in this manner, it makes a difference whether a person stands at a given spot on the earth, and Jupiter, for instance, shines down on him from the sky, or whether he is in a location where Jupiter is covered by the earth. In the first case, Jupiter's effects on the person are direct ones; in the second case, the earth is placed in between. This results in a significant difference.
We have said that Jupiter is connected with thinking. Let us assume a person receives the direct Jupiter influence during the period when his physical organ of thinking is in the stage of major development after birth. His brain will be formed into a quite special organ of thinking; the person receives a certain predisposition to thinking. Assume that a person spends these years in a place where Jupiter is on the opposite side of the earth, the latter thus hindering Jupiter's influences. Such a person's brain is less developed into an organ for thinking. If, on the other hand, the earth with its substances and forces is active in a person and everything proceeding from them is transformed, say, by the moon influences, which, in a certain sense, are always present, such a person turns into a dull dreamer, one who is barely aware. Between these two possibilities we find any number of variations.
Let us take the case of an individual possessing forces from his former incarnation that predestine his thinking to develop in a pronounced way in the earth life on which he is about to embark. He is on the verge of descending to earth. Since Jupiter has its set time for completing its orbit, he chooses the moment when he is to appear on earth, when he is to be born, so that Jupiter sends down its rays directly.
In this manner, the starry constellation provides the setting into which the human being allows himself to be born, depending on the conditions of his former incarnations.
Today, in the age of the consciousness soul, the human being must free himself increasingly from what is becoming evident to you here. It is a matter, however, of freeing oneself from these forces in the proper manner, of actually doing something I have indicated in regard to the Saturn effects, namely of trying to turn once again from the mere shadowy, intellectual developing of thoughts to a pictorial, concrete one. What is developed out of spiritual science in the way I described it in Knowledge of the Higher Worlds is also a guideline for human beings to become independent in the right way from the cosmic forces that are nevertheless active in them.
It depends on the starry constellations how a human being finds his way into earth life as he allows himself to be born. Yet, he has to equip himself with forces that make him independent in the right way from this starry constellation.
It is to such insights that our civilization must attain once again, insights concerning the relationship of the human being with the cosmos beyond the earth. Human beings must acquire an attitude that makes them realize that it is not only the ordinary forces of heredity acknowledged by today's science that are active in the human organization. In regard to the actual facts it is sheer nonsense, for example, to believe that the forces transmitted through heredity are contained in the structure of the female organism. Nowadays, heredity is an unclear, mystical concept; it is thought that the above forces then develop a heart, a liver, and so on. There would be no heart in the human organism if the sun did not incorporate it into the latter, and proceeding from the head at that. There would be no liver if Venus would not incorporate it into the human organism. And so it is with each single organ. They are certainly connected with extraterrestrial effects. The Jupiter forces are active in the human brain. The Saturn forces influence the healthy or pathological way in which the astral body is fitted into the physical organization. Human beings learn to speak because the Mars forces work in them; they become evident through speech.
These are matters humanity must once again learn to understand. We must realize that human beings cannot be explained by a science that merely considers earthly phenomena. Then, the connection between the human being and the earth will also become better known. After all, the other beings dwelling in our surroundings are also not merely creatures of the earth. To begin with, only the minerals are earth beings. Yet, in the minerals, too, changes have taken place that in turn were dependent upon forces in the earth's cosmic environment. Insofar as they are crystallized, all our metals owe their shape to extraterrestrial forces. They were formed when the earth had not yet evolved its own forces intensely but when forces from outside the earth were still active in it. Healing properties contained in minerals and particularly in metals are connected with the way the metals developed within the earth through cosmic forces.
When we go back in the post-Atlantean age to the first epoch, when the ancient Indian culture was at its prime, we see that the human being definitely experienced himself in the whole universe, as a citizen of the cosmos. Although he had not yet developed the faculties mankind is so proud of today, he was Man in the true sense of the word.
Subsequently, the human being was more or less diverted from the cosmic forces. Still, in the whole Chaldean epoch and early Greek time, we see that human beings looked up at least to the sun. In a certain sense, they were still like a kind of amphibian, a being that was happy when the rays of the sun poured down upon it and it no longer had to burrow in the earth's dankness. The human being had turned into an amphibian. Now, inasmuch as he believes he is related only to the earth's forces, one cannot even say any longer that man is like a mole. At most, he is really an earthworm that is aware of the return of something that rose in the first place from earth into space, namely, of rain water. This is the only thing the human being still perceives of extraterrestrial forces. But even earthworms perceive that—you could have seen it this morning if you had set foot in the streets! In his materialism, the human being today has basically turned into an earthworm. Once again, we must overcome this earthworm nature. We can do that only when we develop to the point of recognizing our connection with the cosmos outside the earth.
Therefore, my dear friends, the point is that we must bring it about in our age to lift ourselves out of our civilization and this earthworm-state to a new spirituality.
Dreizehnter Vortrag
[ 1 ] Die vierte nachatlantische Epoche, in welche hineinfällt die Verstandesentwickelung der Menschheit, sie wurde aus den griechischen Mysterien heraus geleitet. Erst gaben die Mysterien der allgemeinen Bevölkerung Vorderasiens, des europäischen Südens, dasjenige an, was dieser Verstandes- oder Gemütskultur zugrunde liegt. Es spielte in diesen Mysterien das Geheimnis von dem menschlichen Zusammenleben mit der Sonne eine große Rolle. Wir wissen ja aus den Darstellungen, die ich in meiner «Theosophie» gegeben habe, wie innerhalb der Verstandes- oder Gemütsseele des Menschen das Ich aufleuchtet, das dann gewissermaßen zu seiner vollen inneren Kraft durch die Bewußtseinsseele kommen soll. Insofern nun das Ich des Menschen gewissermaßen zu seiner Erweckung kommen sollte während der Verstandeskulturzeit, mußten sich die Mysterien dieser Zeit beschäftigen mit den Geheimnissen des Sonnenlebens und seinen Zusammenhängen mit demjenigen, was gerade menschliches Ich ist. Es ist Ihnen ja auch bekannt aus meiner Darstellung der «Rätsel der Philosophie», wie der Grieche noch in der Außenwelt seine Vorstellungen, seine Begriffe so wahrgenommen hat, wie wir heute Farben, Töne und so weiter wahrnehmen. Dasjenige, was in den Vorstellungen lebte, das war durchaus für den Griechen nicht eben bloß innerlich in der Seele Erschaffenes, sondern es war für ihn etwas an den Dingen Wahrgenommenes. In dieser Beziehung hatte ja Goethe durchaus etwas Griechisches in sich, was er dadurch bezeugte, daß, als er in dem berühmten Gespräch von Schiller die Worte hörte, seine Vorstellungen, also etwas Begrifflich-Ideelles, wären keine Wahrnehmungen, sondern eine Idee, daß er darauf sagte, dann sähe er seine Ideen vor sich, wie er eben äußere Wahrnehmungen vor sich sehe.
[ 2 ] Diese griechische Art, sich zu den Vorstellungen zu verhalten, war durchaus verknüpft mit einer ganz bestimmten Empfindung, welche die Griechen hatten, wenn sie ihr Auge richteten auf die äußere Welt. Sie sahen in dem, was ihnen als Vorstellungsinhalt entgegenglänzte, überall eigentlich das Geschöpf des Sonnenlebens. Sie empfanden, indem die Sonne am Morgen aufging, auch das Heraufkommen des Vorstellungslebens in dem Raum, und beim Untergange der Sonne empfanden sie das Versinken der Vorstellungswelt. Man kann die Entwickelung der Völker nicht verstehen, wenn man nicht diese Änderung des Seelenlebens durchaus ins Auge faßt.
[ 3 ] Das ist etwas, meine lieben Freunde, was den Menschen in ihrem Seelenleben eigentlich verlorengegangen ist: mitzuempfinden die Geistigkeit ihrer ganzen Umgebung. Heute sieht der Mensch eben den Sonnenball heraufkommen, und er hat nur die Empfindung für dasjenige, was ihm da entgegentritt an farbiger und leuchtender Lufterscheinung. Und ebenso ist es, wenn er die Sonne in der Abendtöte verschwinden sieht. Der Grieche hatte eben die Empfindung, daß des Morgens aufsteigt diejenige Welt, die ihm die Vorstellungen bringt, und daß sie des Abends untergeht, daß abends diejenige Welt kommt, die ihm diese Vorstellungswelt entzieht. Er war daher so, daß er sich empfand Vorstellung-verlassen in der Finsternis der Nacht. Und wenn er hinausblickte in den Himmel, den wir blau sehen, für den er ja die gleiche Bezeichnung wie für das Dunkel hatte, so fühlte er eigentlich die Welt begrenzt von demjenigen, was außerhalb des Vorstellungslebens war. Dort hörte für ihn das Vorstellungsleben, so wie es dem Menschen beschert ist, auf, wo er begrenzt sah den Weltraum. Jenseits dieses Weltraumes waren für ihn andere Gedankenwelten, die Gedankenwelten der Götter. Und sie sah er eben eng gebunden an dasjenige, was er als Licht bezeichnete. Sie offenbarten sich ihm gewissermaßen konzentriert im Sonnenleben, während sie sonst sich ihm entzogen in der Weite des dunklen Weltenfirmamentes. Man muß in diese ganz andersgeartete Empfindungswelt hineinschauen, wenn man verstehen will, wie eigentlich, nachdem diese Anschauungsweise mit aller ihrer inneren Lebendigkeit eine Zeitlang gewirkt hat in der Weltentwickelung des Menschen, wie dann der Mensch in seinen fortgeschrittensten Repräsentanten fühlte, wie er im Weltenraum das Sonnenleben nicht mehr als ihm etwas geistig Zurückstrahlendes empfinden konnte, und wie er in den ersten Zeiten eben - es war das gerade bei den fortgeschrittensten Repräsentanten der Menschheit der Fall, bei denjenigen, die noch ihre Bildung in den griechischen Mysterien empfangen hatten -, wie er empfand das Mysterium von Golgatha als eine Erlösung, insofern als es ihm die Möglichkeit brachte, in sich nun das Licht zu entzünden. Das Licht, das er vorher als Göttliches wirklich erlebt hat, das wollte er jetzt erleben dadurch, daß er seinen seelisch-geistigen Anteil nahm an den Geschehnissen des Mysteriums von Golgatha. Man lernt dasjenige, was eigentlich in der Menschheit im Laufe der Jahrtausende geschehen ist, nicht kennen, wenn man bloß mit dem Verstande auf diese Dinge hinsieht. Man muß die Umwandlung des Menschengemütes, des menschlichen Seelenlebens in seiner Ganzheit ins Auge fassen. Und wir, die wir nun seit dem Beginne des 15. Jahrhunderts leben in dem Zeitalter der Bewußtseinsseelenentwickelung, wir haben ja von jener Verstandesgeistigkeit, welche da war in den Zeiten der vierten nachatlantischen Periode, nur noch das Schattenwesen unserer inneren Verstandestätigkeit. Das habe ich ja in den letzten Wochen hier auseinandergesetzt. Aber wir müssen uns wiederum durchringen zu einer Erkenntnis desjenigen, was dieses Verstandeswesen, dieses schattenhafte Verstandeswesen durchdringen kann mit einer lebendigen Anschauung des Weltenalls. Gerade durch die moderne Verstandesschattenkultur ist der Mensch gewissermaßen an die Erde gebannt worden. Er betrachtet heute, insbesondere wenn er sich anstecken läßt von der immer weiter und weiter um sich greifenden, rein wissenschaftlichen Kultur, er betrachtet ja heute nur dasjenige, was ihm die Erde eigentlich gibt. Er hat keine Ahnung davon, daß er mit seinem ganzen Wesen nicht bloß der Erde angehört, sondern daß er mit seinem ganzen Wesen dem außerirdischen Weltall angehört. Und das ist dasjenige, was sich der Mensch wieder erringen muß, diese Erkenntnis seines Zusammenhanges mit dem außerirdischen Weltenall.
[ 4 ] Wir bilden heute einfach unsere Begriffe, Vorstellungen, indem wir von dem irdischen Leben ausgehen und uns nach diesem irdischen Leben das ganze Weltenall konstruieren. Aber dasjenige, was sich da uns als Weltbild ergibt, ist dann nicht viel anders als eine Übertragung der irdischen Verhältnisse auf die außerirdischen Verhältnisse. Und so ist es denn gekommen, daß aus den grandiosen Errungenschaften der modernen Naturwissenschaft heraus mit der Spektralanalyse und den anderen Ergebnissen, daß da gebildet worden ist eine Anschauung über die Sonne, die eigentlich ganz den irdischen Verhältnissen nachgebildet ist. Man bildet sich die Vorstellung, wie ein leuchtender Gaskörper eben aussieht. Und nun überträgt man diese Ansicht eines leuchtenden Gaskörpers auf dasjenige, was uns als Sonne entgegenkommt im Weltenall. Wir müssen wiederum geisteswissenschaftliche Unterlagen anwenden lernen, um zu einer Anschauung von der Sonne kommen zu können. Diese Sonne, von der der Physiker glaubt, wenn er hinauskommen würde in den Weltenraum, sie böte sich ihm dar als eine leuchtende Gaskugel; diese Sonne, trotzdem sie das Weltenlicht in ihrer Art uns zurückstrahlt, so wie sie es empfängt, ist ein durch und durch geistiges Wesen, und wir haben es nicht zu tun mit einem physischen Wesen, das da oben irgendwo im Weltenraum herumgondelt, sondern mit einem durch und durch geistigen Wesen. Und der Grieche empfand noch richtig, wenn er das, was ihm von der Sonne zustrahlte, als dasjenige empfand, was in Zusammenhang gebracht werden muß mit seiner Ich-Entwickelung, insofern diese Ich-Entwickelung gebunden ist an das Vorstellungswesen des Verstandes. In dem Sonnenstrahl sah der Grieche dasjenige, was in ihm entzündet das Ich. So daß man sagen muß: Der Grieche hatte noch diese Empfindung von der Geistigkeit des Kosmos. Er sah in dem Sonnenwesen substantiell ein dem Ich verwandtes Wesen. Dasjenige, was der Mensch gewahr wird, wenn er zu sich selber Ich sagt, die Kraft, die in ihm wirkt, so daß er zu sich Ich sagen kann, auf die sah der Grieche hin, und er fühlte sich veranlaßt, zur Sonne dasselbe zu sagen wie zu seinem Ich, dieselbe Empfindung der Sonne entgegenzubringen, wie er sie seinem Ich entgegenbrachte.
[ 5 ] Ich und Sonne, sie verhalten sich wie das Innere und das Äußere. Was draußen durch den Weltenraum kreist als Sonne, ist das Welten-Ich. Was drinnen in mir lebt, ist das Ich des Menschen. Man möchte sagen: Gerade noch zu erhaschen ist diese Empfindung für diejenigen Menschen, die etwas tiefer mitfühlen mit dem ganzen All der Natur. Schon sehr verglommen ist dasjenige, was da eigentlich zugrunde liegt, aber es gibt doch noch heute dasjenige Leben im Menschen, das gewissermaßen heraufkommen vernimmt die Sonne im Frühling, das den Sonnenstrahl noch erleben kann als etwas Geistiges, und das das Ich aufleben fühlt, indem der Sonnenstrahl in einer größeren Stärke die Erde erleuchtet. Aber es ist, ich möchte sagen, eine letzte Empfindung, die in dieser äußeren Art nun auch schon verglimmt in der Menschheit, die zugrunde gehen will innerhalb der abstrakten Verstandesschattenkultur, die nach und nach sich unseres ganzen Zivilisationslebens bemächtigt hat. Aber durchdringen müssen wir wiederum dazu, etwas zu erkennen von dem Menschheitszusammenhang mit dem außerirdischen Dasein. Und in dieser Beziehung möchte ich heute auf einiges hinweisen.
[ 6 ] Wir werden, indem wir all dasjenige zusammennehmen, was Sie an verschiedenen Stellen unserer geisteswissenschaftlichen Literatur zerstreut finden, zunächst wiederum den Zusammenhang der Sonne mit dem Ich ergreifen können, und wir werden den bedeutungsvollen Gegensatz erkennen können, der da besteht zwischen den Kräften, die der Erde von der Sonne zustrahlen, und denjenigen Kräften, welche für die Erde wirksam sind in demjenigen, was wir Mond nennen. Sonne und Mond, sie sind in einer gewissen Beziehung das völlige Gegenteil voneinander. Sie sind polar zueinander. Wenn wir die Sonne studieren mit den Mitteln der Geisteswissenschaft, so strahlt uns die Sonne alles dasjenige zu, was uns gestaltet zu einem Träger unseres Ich. Wir verdanken der Sonnenstrahlung dasjenige, was uns eigentlich die menschliche Gestalt gibt, was uns in der menschlichen Gestalt zu einem Abbild des Ich macht. Alles, was im Menschen von außen wirkt, was von außen seine Gestalt bestimmt, was schon während seiner Embryonalzeit seine Gestalt bestimmt, das ist Sonnenwirkung. Wenn sich der menschliche Embryo im Mutterleibe bildet, dann ist durchaus nicht bloß dasjenige vorhanden, was eine heutige Wissenschaft träumt, daß von der befruchteten Mutter die Kräfte ausgehen würden, welche den Menschen formen, nein, der menschliche Embryo ruht nur im mütterlichen Leibe. Dasjenige, was ihm da die Form gibt, das sind die Sonnenkräfte. Allerdings müssen wir diese Sonnenkräfte in Zusammenhang bringen mit den ihnen entgegengesetzt wirkenden Mondenkräften. Die Mondenkräfte sind zunächst dasjenige, was sich für den unteren, den Stoffwechselmenschen als das Innerliche geltend macht. So daß wir sagen können, wenn wir schematisch zeichnen: die Sonnenkräfte sind dasjenige, was den Menschen von außen gestaltet. Dasjenige, was sich im Stoffwechsel des Menschen von innen aus gestaltet, das sind die zentral ausstrahlenden Mondenkräfte, die sich in ihm festsetzen.
[ 7 ] Das widerspricht nicht dem, daß diese Mondenkräfte zum Beispiel das menschliche Gesicht mitformen. Sie formen ja das menschliche Gesicht, weil dasjenige, was im unteren, im Stoffwechselmenschen, von dem Zentrum aus wirkt, gewissermaßen anziehend von außen auf die menschliche Gesichtsbildung wirkt; differenzierend die menschliche Gesichtsbildung wirken die Mondenkräfte, aber indem sie sich summieren mit den Sonnenkräften, während sie vom Inneren des Menschen aus den Sonnenkräften entgegenwirken. Daher hängt auch die menschliche Fortpflanzung als Organismus von den Mondenkräften ab, die Gestalt geben. Aber das Fortgepflanzte, das hängt von den Sonnenkräften ab. Der Mensch ist mit seinem ganzen Wesen zwischen Mondenkräften und Sonnenkräften eingespannt.
[ 8 ] Nun müssen wir aber unterscheiden, wenn wir die Mondenkräfte im menschlichen Inneren, im Inneren des menschlichen Stoffwechsels suchen, diese Mondenkräfte im Stoffwechsel von den Kräften, die im Stoffwechsel nun selber ihren Ursprung haben. Es spielen die Mondenkräfte in den Stoffwechsel hinein, aber der Stoffwechsel hat seine eigenen Kräfte. Und diese eigenen Kräfte, das sind die Erdenkräfte. So daß wir sagen können, wenn im Menschen die Kräfte wirken, die in den Substanzen seiner Nahrungsmittel liegen, die Kräfte, die also, sagen wir, in den Vegetabilien oder sonstigen Nahrungsmitteln liegen, so wirken diese Kräfte in ihm durch sich selbst. Sie wirken da als Erdenkräfte. Der Stoffwechsel ist zunächst ein Ergebnis der Erdenkräfte; aber in diese Erdenkräfte wirkt dasjenige hinein, was Mondenkräfte sind. Wenn der Mensch bloß den Stoffwechsel mit seinen Kräften in sich hätte, wenn also gewissermaßen die Substanzen seiner Nahrungsmittel nur ihre eigenen Kräfte in seinem Leib fortsetzen würden, nachdem sie aufgenommen sind, dann würde der Mensch ein Chaos sein von allen möglichen Kräften. Daß diese Kräfte immerzu wirken, die menschliche Wesenheit von innen aus zu erneuern, das hängt gar nicht von der Erde ab, das hängt von dem der Erde beigegebenen Mond ab. Von innen heraus wird der Mensch dutch den Mond gestaltet, von außen herein wird der Mensch durch die Sonne gestaltet. Und indem die Sonnenstrahlen wieder aufgenommen werden durch das Auge in den menschlichen Kopforganismus, wirken sie auch innerlich; aber sie wirken doch von außen herein.
[ 9 ] So finden wir, wie auf der einen Seite der Mensch in seiner ganzen Ich-Entwickelung abhängt von der Wirkung der Sonne, wie er ein fest auf der Erde lebendes Ich nicht sein könnte ohne die Sonne; und wie kein Menschengeschlecht wäre, keine Fortpflanzung wäre, wenn nicht der Mond der Begleiter der Erde wäre. Man kann sagen: die Sonne ist dasjenige, was den Menschen als eine Persönlichkeit, als einzelnes Individuum fest auf die Erde stellt. Der Mond ist dasjenige, was den Menschen in seiner Vielheit, in seiner ganzen Entwickelung auf die Erde hinzaubert. Das Menschengeschlecht als physische Folge von Generationen ist das Ergebnis der Mondenkräfte, die es anregen. Der Mensch als einzelnes Wesen, als Individualität, ist das Ergebnis der Sonnenkräfte. Und wenn wir daher den Menschen und das Menschengeschlecht studieren wollen, dann können wir nicht bloß die Verhältnisse der Erde studieren. Vergebens suchen die Geologen die Verhältnisse der Erde zu ergründen und daraus den Menschen zu begreifen, vergebens untersuchen sie die anderen Kräfte der Erde, um daraus den Menschen zu begreifen. Der Mensch ist zunächst nicht auf der Erde gemacht. Der Mensch ist geformt aus dem Kosmos herein; der Mensch ist ein Ergebnis der Sternenwelt, zunächst von Sonne und Mond. Von der Erde stammen nur diejenigen Kräfte, welche dem Stoff selbst innewohnen, und die wirksam sind außerhalb des Menschen, dann ihre Wirksamkeit fortsetzen, wenn sie in den Menschen dutch das Essen und Trinken eingetreten sind; aber sie werden da empfangen von dem Außerirdischen.
[ 10 ] Was im Menschen vorgeht, ist durchaus nicht bloß ein irdisches Geschehen, ist durchaus etwas, was von der Sternenwelt aus besorgt wird. Zu dieser Erkenntnis muß wiederum der Mensch sich durchringen. Und wenn wir den Menschen weiter betrachten, so können wir Rücksicht nehmen darauf: Er ist zunächst ein physischer Leib. Dieser physische Leib nimmt ja die äußeren Nahrungsmittel auf. In diesem physischen Leib setzen sie ihre Kräfte fort. Aber der physische Leib wird angegriffen von dem astralischen Leib, und in dem astralischen Leib ist tätig die Mondenwirkung, so wie ich es Ihnen dargestellt habe. Und in diesen astralischen Leib wirkt hinein die Sonnenwirkung. Sonne und Mond durchziehen kraftend den astralischen Leib, und der astralische Leib äußert sich in der Weise, wie ich es jetzt eben beschrieben habe. Der ätherische Leib steht in der Mitte zwischen physischem Leib und astralischem Leib.
[ 11 ] Wenn man die Kräfte studiert, welche von den Nahrungsmitteln ausgehen, so werden sie zunächst regsam im physischen Leibe, und sie werden von dem astralischen Leib, der Sonnen- und Mondenwirkung in sich hat, so aufgenommen, wie ich es eben beschrieben habe. Aber dazwischen steht das andere, dasjenige, was im ätherischen Leibe wirksam ist. Das kommt auch nicht von der Erde, das kommt aus dem Umkreise des ganzen Weltenraumes. Wenn wir die Erde im Verhältnis zum Menschen betrachten mit ihren Produkten, mit denjenigen Stoffen, die sich darleben als feste, flüssige, luftförmige Bestandteile, so werden diese aufgenommen vom Menschen, im Menschen drinnen verarbeitet gemäß den Sonnen- und Mondenkräften. Aber im Menschen wirken auch diejenigen Kräfte, die ihm zustrahlen nun von allen Seiten des Weltenraumes. Die Kräfte, die in den Nahrungsmitteln wirken, sie kommen aus der Erde heraus. Aber ihm strahlen von allen Seiten des Weltenraumes Kräfte zu: das sind die ätherischen Kräfte. Diese ätherischen Kräfte, die ergreifen auch, aber in einer viel gleichförmigeren Weise, die Nahrungsmittel und verwandeln sie so, daß sie aus ihnen ein Lebensfähiges machen, daß sie aus ihnen etwas machen, was außerdem das Ätherische als solches, das Licht und die Wärme, innerlich erleben kann. So daß wir sagen können: Der Mensch ist zugeteilt durch seinen physischen Leib der Erde, durch seinen ätherischen Leib dem ganzen Umkteis, dutch seinen astralischen Leib ist er zunächst zugeteilt dem Monde und der Sonne in ihren Wirkungen. Aber diese Wirkungen, die im astralischen Leib als Sonnen- und Mondwirkungen enthalten sind, die werden wiederum modifiziert, so modifiziert, daß ein gewaltiger Unterschied besteht zwischen denjenigen Wirkungen, welche ausgeübt werden auf den oberen, und denen, die ausgeübt werden auf den unteren Menschen.
[ 12 ] Nennen wir heute «oberen Menschen» denjenigen Menschen, der gewissermaßen durchkreist wird von dem nach aufwärts, nach dem Kopfe zu gehenden Blutstrom; nennen wir den «unteren Menschen» dasjenige, was vom Herzen nach abwärts liegt. Wenn wir so den Menschen anschauen, dann haben wir zunächst im Menschen das Obere, das sein Haupt umfaßt, und dasjenige, was gewissermaßen organisch zu dem Haupte gehört. Das ist hauptsächlich in seiner Gestaltung.von den Sonnenwirkungen abhängig. Das bildet sich ja auch zunächst embryonal vorzugsweise aus. Da wirken schon im Embryo auf diesen Organismus die Sonnenwirkungen in ganz besonderer Weise, aber diese Wirkungen setzen sich ja dann fort, wenn der Mensch geboren ist, wenn der Mensch physisch da ist im Leben zwischen der Geburt und dem Tode. Und da wird nun dasjenige, was ja in diesem Gebiet des Menschen, ich möchte sagen, was oberhalb des Herzens liegt, genauer müßte man das nach der Blutzirkulation beschreiben, was oberhalb des Herzens liegt, das wird in bezug auf die astralischen Wirkungen modifiziert von Saturn, Jupiter, Mars (siehe Darstellung $S. 233).
[ 13 ] Der Saturn hat Kräfte, die er - betrachten wir es nach der kopernikanischen Weltanschauung - in seinem Umkreis um die Sonne entwickelt und die er der Erde zuschickt; er hat diejenigen Kräfte, welche eigentlich im ganzen astralischen Leib, namentlich in demjenigen Teile, der diesem oberen Menschen angehört, wirksam sind. Der Saturn hat die Kräfte, die in diesen astralischen Leib hineinstrahlen. Und indem sie den astralischen Leib durchstrahlen, beleben, wirken sie auf ihn so, daß von ihnen eigentlich in ganz wesentlicher Weise abhängt, inwiefern sich der astralische Leib in ein richtiges Verhältnis zum physischen Leib des Menschen stellt. Wenn der Mensch zum Beispiel nicht richtig schlafen kann, wenn also sein astralischer Leib nicht richtig herausgehen will aus dem Ätherleib und dem physischen Leib, wenn er beim Erwachen nicht richtig hineingehen will, wenn er sonst in irgendeiner Weise sich nicht richtig eingliedert dem physischen Leibe, so ist das eine Wirkung, eine unregelmäßige Wirkung der Saturnkräfte. Der Saturn ist im wesentlichen derjenige Weltenkörper, welcher auf dem Umwege durch das menschliche Haupt ein richtiges Verhältnis des astralischen Leibes zum menschlichen physischen Leib und zum Ätherleib herstellt. Dadurch liefern die Saturnkräfte auf der anderen Seite wiederum das Verhältnis des astralischen Leibes zum Ich, weil ja der Saturn im Verhältnisse steht zu der Sonnenwirkung. Er steht so im Verhältnis zur Sonnenwirkung, daß das räumlich-zeitlich dadurch ausgedrückt ist, daß ja der Saturn ungefähr seinen Umkreis um die Sonne, wie Sie wissen, in dreißig Jahren vollendet.
[ 14 ] Diese Beziehung des Saturn zur Sonne, die drückt sich im Menschen dadurch aus, daß erstens das Ich in ein entsprechendes Verhältnis kommt zum astralischen Leib, aber namentlich daß der astralische Leib sich in einer richtigen Weise in die ganze menschliche Organisation eingliedert. So daß wir sagen können, der Saturn hat seine Beziehung zu dem oberen Teil des ganzen astralischen Leibes. Diese Beziehung, die war für die Menschen älterer Zeiten durchaus etwas Maßgebendes. Und noch in der ägyptisch-chaldäischen Zeit, wenn wir zurückgehen würden in das 3., 4. Jahrtausend vor dem Mysterium von Golgatha, da würden wir finden, daß bei den Lehrern, bei den Weisen in den Mysterien jeder Mensch daraufhin beurteilt wurde, wie er sein Verhältnis zum Saturn durch sein Geburtsdatum bestimmt hatte; denn man wußte ganz genau, wenn ein Mensch geboren ist bei dieser oder jener Konstellation des Saturn, so war er ein Mensch, der seinen astralischen Leib im physischen Leib richtig brauchen konnte oder weniger richtig brauchen konnte. Die Erkenntnis solcher Dinge spielte in alten Zeiten eine große Rolle. Aber darauf beruht gerade der Fortschritt der Menschheitsentwickelung in unserem Zeitalter, das mit dem Beginn des 15. Jahrhunderts seinen Anfang genommen hat, daß wir uns freimachen von dem, was da in uns wirkt.
[ 15 ] Meine lieben Freunde, mißverstehen Sie das nicht. Das heißt nicht, daß der Saturn heute nicht in uns wirkt. Er wirkt in uns geradeso, wie er in alten Zeiten gewirkt hat; nur müssen wir uns davon freimachen. Und wissen Sie, worinnen dieses In-der-richtigen-Weise-Freimachen von der Saturnwirkung besteht? Man macht sich am schlechtesten frei von der Saturnwirkung, wenn man dem schattenhaften Intellekt unseres Zeitalters folgt. Da läßt man geradezu die Saturnwirkungen in sich wüten, da schießen die Saturnwirkungen hin und her und machen einen gerade zu demjenigen, was man in unserem Zeitalter den nervösen Menschen nennt. Der nervöse Mensch beruht im wesentlichen darauf, daß sein astralischer Leib in seine ganze physische Wesenheit nicht ordentlich eingeschaltet ist. Darauf beruht die Nervosität unseres Zeitalters. Und wozu der Mensch gebracht werden muß, ist: das Streben nach wirklicher Anschauung, das Streben nach Imagination. Wenn der Mensch beim abstrakten Vorstellen bleibt, so wird er immer nervöser und nervöser werden, weil er eigentlich herauswächst aus der Saturntätigkeit, diese aber doch in ihm ist, in ihm hin- und herschießt und aus seinen Nerven den astralischen Leib herauszerrt und daher den Menschen nervös macht. Die Nervosität unseres Zeitalters muß kosmisch erkannt werden als eine Saturnwirkung.
[ 16 ] So wie es Saturn zu tun hat mit dem oberen Teil des ganzen astralischen Leibes, insofern dieser astralische Leib mit dem ganzen Organismus in Verbindung steht durch das Nervensystem, hat es Jupiter vorzugsweise mit dem menschlichen Denken zu tun (siehe Darstellung S. 233).
[ 17 ] Dieses menschliche Denken beruht ja in einer gewissen Weise auch auf einer partiellen Tätigkeit des astralischen Leibes. Ich möchte sagen, eine kleinere Partie des astralischen Leibes ist tätig beim Denken als beim Versorgen des ganzen Menschen durch den astralischen Leib. Was in unserem astralischen Leib wirkt, und was zunächst überhaupt unser Denken stark macht, das ist Jupiterwirkung. Jupiterwirkung hat es vorzugsweise mit dem astralischen Durchorganisieren des menschlichen Gehirnes zu tun.
[ 18 ] Sehen Sie, die Saturnwirkungen erstrecken sich eigentlich über das ganze menschliche Leben, und dieses ganze menschliche Leben hat ja angefangen seit unseren drei ersten Lebensjahrzehnten. Wie wir uns - solange wir in den Wachstumsperioden sind, und ganz hören diese ja eigentlich erst auf nach dem dreißigsten Jahre -, wie wir uns da entwickeln in unserem astralischen Leib, davon hängt unser ganzes Leben und unsere Gesundheit ab. Daher braucht der Saturn dreißig Jahre, um herumzugehen um die Sonne. Das ist ganz auf den Menschen zugeschnitten.
[ 19 ] Dasjenige, was sich in uns als Denken entwickelt, das hat mit den ersten zwölf Lebensjahren zu tun. Dasjenige, was da draußen kreist, das ist nicht ohne Beziehung zum Menschen.
[ 20 ] Ebenso wie es Jupiter zu tun hat mit dem Denken, hat es Mars zu tun mit demjenigen, was die Sprache ist. Mars hat es zu tun mit der Sprache.
Saturn = oberer Teil des ganzen astralischen Leibes
Jupiter = Denken
Mars = Sprache
[ 21 ] Mars, sehen Sie, hebt gewissermaßen vom astralischen Leib noch ein kleinere Partie, als diejenige ist, die fürs Denken in Betracht kommt, heraus aus seiner ganzen Einorganisierung in den übrigen Menschen. Und von den Marswirkungen in uns hängt es ab, daß entfaltet werden können die Kräfte, die sich dann in das Sprechen ergießen. Die kleine Umlaufszeit des Mars ist ja auch dafür maßgebend. Der Mensch lernt ja innerhalb einer Zeit, die durchaus der halben Umlaufzeit des Mats ungefähr entspricht, die ersten Sprachlaute.
[ 22 ] Auf- und absteigende Entwickelung! Wir sehen, diese ganze Entwickelung, insofern sie an die Gegend des menschlichen Hauptes gebunden ist, hängt zusammen mit Saturn-, Jupiter- und Marskräften.
[ 23 ] Damit haben wir die äußeren Planeten in ihrem Fortwirken innerhalb des menschlichen astralischen Leibes gegeben. Während die Sonne mehr mit dem Ich zusammenhängt, haben diese drei Weltenkörper: Saturn, Jupiter und Mars, mit der Entwickelung desjenigen, was ja an den astralischen Leib gebunden ist, Sprechen, Denken und dem ganzen Verhalten der menschlichen Seele im menschlichen Organismus zu tun. Dann haben wir die Sonne, die mit dem eigentlichen Ich zu tun hat. Und dann haben wir diejenigen Planeten, die wir auch die inneren nennen, diejenigen Planeten, die gewissermaßen der Erde näher sind als die Sonne, diejenigen Planeten also, die zwischen der Erde und der Sonne sich befinden, während die anderen Planeten, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, abgewendet sind von der Erde gegenüber der Sonne. Wenn wir diese inneren Planeten ins Auge fassen, dann kommen wir dazu, ebenfalls solche Beziehungen ihrer Kräfte zum Menschen ins Auge zu fassen. Betrachten wir zunächst den Merkur.
[ 24 ] Merkur hat, ich möchte sagen seine Angriffspunkte ähnlich dem Monde mehr im Inneren des Menschen, nur gegenüber dem menschlichen Antlitz wirkt er von außen; aber er wirkt schon in demjenigen Teil des Menschen, der unter der Herzgegend liegt. Da wirkt er mit seinen Kräften, indem er innerlich die menschliche Organisation ergreift und seine Kräfte von dort wiederum ausstrahlen. Und da wirkt er so, daß er vorzugsweise es ist, der die Vermittlung besorgt der Wirksamkeit des astralischen Leibes in der ganzen Atmungs- und Zirkulationstätigkeit des Menschen. Er ist der Vermittler zwischen dem astralischen Leib und den rhythmischen Vorgängen im Menschen. So daß wir also sagen können: seine Kräfte besorgen die Vermittlung des Astralischen mit der rhythmischen Tätigkeit des Menschen (siehe Darstellung S. 233). Dadurch greifen die Merkurkräfte ähnlich den Mondenkräften auch ein in den ganzen Stoffwechsel des Menschen, aber nur insofern der Stoffwechsel dem Rhythmus unterliegt, auf die rhythmische Tätigkeit zurückwirkt.
[ 25 ] Dann haben wir Venus. Venus ist dasjenige, was vorzugsweise im menschlichen Ätherleib tätig ist, was also von dem Kosmos aus im menschlichen Ätherleib sich betätigt: Tätigkeit des menschlichen Ätherleibes.
[ 26 ] Und dann haben wir Mond. Über ihn haben wir schon gesprochen. Er ist dasjenige im Menschen, was den Sonnenkräften polarisch entgegengesetzt ist, und was von innen aus den Stoff überführt ins Lebendige und dadurch auch mit der Reproduktion zusammenhängt. Der Mond ist also im ausgiebigsten Sinne der Anreger sowohl der inneren Reproduktion wie auch der Fortpflanzungsreproduktion.
[ 27 ] Bedenken Sie nun, daß ja dasjenige, was im Menschen eigentlich vorgeht, Ihnen in seiner Abhängigkeit erscheint von dem umliegenden Kosmos. Der Mensch ist auf der einen Seite mit seinem physischen Leib gebunden an die irdischen Kräfte, mit seinem ätherischen
Saturn = oberer Teil des ganzen astralischen Leibes
Jupiter = Denken
Mars = Sprache
Sonne = Ich
Merkur = Vermittlung des Astralischen mit der rhythmischen Tätigkeit des Menschen
Venus = =Tätigkeit des menschlichen Ätherleibes
Mond = Anreger der Reproduktion
[ 28 ] Leib gebunden an den ganzen kosmischen Umkreis. In ihm wird aber differenziert in dieser Weise, wie ich es hier dargestellt habe, und indem die Differenzierung vorzugsweise von seinem astralischen Leibe ausgeht, gliedern sich in diesen astralischen Leib die Kräfte von Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Merkur, Venus, Mond ein. Auf dem Umwege durch das Ich wirkt dann die Sonne in ihm. Bedenken Sie, daß dadurch, daß der Mensch also in den Kosmos eingegliedert ist, es etwas anderes ist, ob der Mensch auf einem Punkte der Erde steht und, sagen wit, Jupiter glänzt vom Himmel, oder ob der Mensch hier auf der Erde steht und Jupiter ist von der Erde zugedeckt. Die Wirkungen auf den Menschen sind in dem einen Falle direkt, die Wirkungen in dem anderen Falle sind so, daß die Erde sich dazwischen stellt. Das gibt einen bedeutsamen Unterschied. Jupiter, haben wir gesagt, steht mit dem Denken in Beziehung. Nehmen wir an, da wo das menschliche physische Denkorgan in seiner vorzugsweisen Entfaltung ist, da erlebt der Mensch, also bald nach seiner Geburt, von seiner Geburt aus, daß Jupiter ihm zuglänzt seine Wirksamkeit. Der Mensch bekommt die direkte Jupiterwirkung. Sein Gehirn wird ganz besonders zum Denkorgan umgegliedert; er bekommt eine gewisse Anlage zum Denken. Nehmen wir an, der Mensch verlebt diese Jahre so, daß der Jupiter auf der anderen Seite ist, die Jupiterwirkungen also durch die Erde gehindert sind: sein Gehirn wird wenig umgestaltet zum Denkorgan. Wirkt dagegen die Erde mit ihren Stoffen und Kräften in ihm, und alles dasjenige, was von den Stoffen der Erde ausgeht, wird vielleicht gerade umgestaltet, sagen wir, durch die Mondenwirkungen, die ja immer in einer gewissen Weise da sind, so wird der Mensch ein dumpf Träumender, ein dumpf bewußtes Wesen nur; das Denken tritt zurück. Dazwischen liegen alle möglichen Grade. Nehmen Sie an, ein Mensch habe aus seiner früheren Inkarnation solche Kräfte in sich, welche sein Denken dazu prädestinieren, in dem Erdenleben, das er nun antreten soll, besonders ausgebildet zu sein; dann schickt er sich an, auf die Erde herunterzukommen. Er wählt sich, da ja der Jupiter seine bestimmte Umlaufszeit hat, diejenige Zeit, in der er auf der Erde erscheint, in der er auf der Erde geboren werden soll, so, daß der Jupiter direkt die Strahlen zusendet.
[ 29 ] Auf diese Weise gibt die Sternkonstellation dasjenige ab, in das der Mensch sich hineingeboren werden läßt nach den Bedingungen seiner früheren Erdenleben.
[ 30 ] Von dem, was sich Ihnen da erweist, muß sich ja allerdings der Mensch heute im Bewußtseinszeitalter immer mehr und mehr freimachen. Aber es handelt sich darum, daß er sich in der richtigen Weise freimacht davon, daß er tatsächlich so etwas tut, wie ich es angedeutet habe mit Bezug auf die Saturnwirkungen: daß er versucht, aus dem bloßen schattenhaften intellektuellen Entwickeln zu einem bildhaften, anschaulichen Entwickeln wiederum zu kommen. Was wir auf die Art aus der Geisteswissenschaft entwickeln, wie ich es dargestellt habe in «Wie erlangt man Erkenntnisse der höheren Welten?», ist zugleich eine Anweisung dafür, daß der Mensch in der tichtigen Weise unabhängig werde von den kosmischen Kräften, die aber trotzdem in ihm wirken.
[ 31 ] Indem der Mensch sich geboren werden läßt, lebt er sich in die Erde hinein, je nachdem die Sternkonstellation ist. Aber er muß sich ausrüsten mit Kräften, die ihn in der richtigen Weise unabhängig machen von dieser Sternkonstellation.
[ 32 ] Sehen Sie, zu solchen Erkenntnissen vom Zusammenhange des Menschen mit dem außerirdischen Kosmos muß unsere Zivilisation wieder kommen. Der Mensch muß sich wieder fühlen so, daß er weiß: In meiner Organisation wirken nicht nur die gewöhnlichen, von der heutigen Wissenschaft anerkannten Vererbungskräfte. Gegenüber dem wirklichen Tatbestand ist es zum Beispiel ein bloßer Unsinn, zu glauben, innerhalb der Organisation des weiblichen Organismus lägen diejenigen Kräfte, die sich dann vererben - es ist das so eine dunkle, mystische Vorstellung, dieses Vererben -, die dann sich so vererben, daß sie ein Herz, eine Leber ausbilden und so weiter. Kein Herz wäre im menschlichen Organismus, wenn nicht die Sonne eben dieses Herz eingliederte, und zwar vom Kopfe aus, und keine Leber wäre im menschlichen Organismus, wenn ihm nicht diese Leber von Venus eingegliedert würde. Und so ist es mit den einzelnen Organen des Menschen. Die hängen durchaus zusammen mit demjenigen, was außerirdisch ist. Im Gehirn des Menschen wirken die Jupiterkräfte. In der ganzen Konstitution des Menschen, insofern er seinen astralischen Leib gesund oder krank einorganisiert hat in seine physische Organisation, wirken die Saturnkräfte. Der Mensch lernt sprechen dadurch, daß die Marskräfte in ihm wirken, und im Sprechen zeigen sich die Marskräfte.
[ 33 ] Das sind Dinge, die wiederum durchschaut werden müssen von der Menschheit. Der Mensch muß wiederum wissen, daß mit einer Wissenschaft, die nur das Irdische umfaßt, sein Wesen durchaus nicht erklärt werden kann. Dann wird man auch den Zusammenhang des Menschen mit der Erde kennenlernen. Denn die anderen Wesenheiten, die um den Menschen herum leben, sie sind auch nicht bloß Erdenwesen. Erdenwesen sind bloß zunächst die Mineralien. Aber auch mit den Mineralien sind Veränderungen vor sich gegangen, welche wiederum abhängig gewesen sind von den Kräften der Umgebung der Erde. So sind alle unsere Metalle, insofern sie kristallisieren, durchaus in ihren Gestalten deshalb da, weil sie in einer gewissen Weise abhängig sind von den außerirdischen Kräften, weil sie gebildet worden sind, als die Erde noch nicht intensiv ihre Kräfte entwickelt hatte, sondern noch die außerirdischen Kräfte in der Erde tätig waren. Heilkräfte, die in den Mineralien, in den Metallen namentlich liegen, sie hängen mit dem zusammen, wie diese Metalle sich innerhalb der Erde, aber aus außerirdischen Kräften gebildet haben.
[ 34 ] Wir sehen, wenn wir in der nachatlantischen Entwickelung zurückgehen, wie da der Mensch in der ersten Zeit, als die alte indische Kultur blühte, durchaus ein Wesen war, das sich fühlte im ganzen Weltenall, ein Bürger des ganzen Weltenalls. Er war, wenn er auch noch nicht diejenigen Kräfte, auf die heute die Menschheit so stolz ist, entwickelt hatte, er war im wahren Sinne des Wortes Mensch. Dann wurde der Mensch mehr oder weniger abgelenkt von den außerirdischen Kräften. Aber wir sehen noch in der ganzen chaldäischen Zeit und in der ersten griechischen Zeit, wie wenigstens der Mensch hinblickte auf die Sonne. Er war noch in gewissem Sinne eine Art Amphibium, das sich freute, wenn es die Sonnenstrahlen empfing, und wenn es nicht mehr in der Dumpfheit der Erde drinnen zu wühlen brauchte, Aus dem Menschen war ein Amphibium geworden. Jetzt ist der Mensch, indem er glaubt, daß er eigentlich nur mit den Erdenkräften zusammenhängt, man kann nicht einmal sagen ein Maulwurf, er ist eigentlich ein Regenwurm, der höchstens noch wahrnimmt, wenn ihm dasjenige, was erst von der Erde in den Weltenraum hinausgesetzt wurde, das Regenwasser, wiederum zurückkommt. Das ist das einzige, was der Mensch noch von außerirdischen Kräften wahrnimmt. Aber das nehmen die Regenwürmer auch wahr - Sie haben das heute morgen sehen können, wenn Sie auf den Straßen gegangen sind! Der Mensch ist im Grunde heute in seinem Materialismus ein Regenwurm geworden. Er muß wiederum dieses Regenwurmwesen überwinden. Das kann er aber nur, wenn er sich dahin entwickelt, seinen Zusammenhang mit dem außerirdischen Kosmos zu erkennen.
[ 35 ] Also, meine lieben Freunde, es handelt sich darum, daß wir es in unseren Zeiten dahin bringen müssen, uns aus unserer Zivilisation heraus zu einem neuen Spiritualismus zu «entregenwurmen».
Thirteenth Lecture
[ 1 ] The fourth post-Atlantean epoch, into which the development of the human intellect falls, was derived from the Greek mysteries. First, the mysteries revealed to the general population of the Near East and southern Europe the foundations of this intellectual or emotional culture. The mystery of human coexistence with the sun played a major role in these mysteries. We know from the descriptions I have given in my book Theosophy how the I shines forth within the intellectual or emotional soul of the human being, which then, in a sense, must attain its full inner power through the consciousness soul. Insofar as the human ego was to come to its awakening, so to speak, during the intellectual culture, the mysteries of this period had to deal with the secrets of the life of the sun and its connections with what is specifically the human ego. You are also familiar from my presentation of the “Riddles of Philosophy” how the Greeks still perceived their ideas and concepts in the external world in the same way that we today perceive colors, sounds, and so on. What lived in their ideas was not merely something created internally in the soul, but something perceived in things. In this respect, Goethe had something thoroughly Greek about him, which he demonstrated when, in Schiller's famous conversation, he heard the words that his ideas, i.e., something conceptual and ideal, were not perceptions but ideas, and replied that he then saw his ideas before him just as he saw external perceptions before him.
[ 2 ] This Greek way of relating to ideas was closely linked to a very specific sensation that the Greeks had when they turned their eyes to the external world. In what shone out at them as the content of their ideas, they saw everywhere the creature of solar life. When the sun rose in the morning, they also felt the emergence of the life of ideas in space, and when the sun set, they felt the sinking of the world of ideas. One cannot understand the development of peoples without taking this change in the life of the soul fully into account.
[ 3 ] This is something, my dear friends, that has actually been lost to human beings in their soul life: the ability to empathize with the spirituality of their entire environment. Today, when a person sees the sun rising, they only have a sense of the colorful and luminous phenomenon of air that confronts them. And it is the same when they see the sun disappear in the evening. The Greek had the feeling that in the morning the world that brings them their ideas rises, and that in the evening it sets, that in the evening the world that takes this world of ideas away from them comes. They therefore felt themselves abandoned by their ideas in the darkness of the night. And when they looked up at the sky, which we see as blue, for which they had the same name as for darkness, they actually felt that the world was limited by that which was outside the realm of imagination. For them, the realm of imagination, as it is given to human beings, ceased where they saw the limits of space. Beyond this space were other worlds of thought, the worlds of the gods. And he saw them closely bound to what he called light. They revealed themselves to him, as it were, concentrated in the life of the sun, while they otherwise eluded him in the vastness of the dark world-firmament. One must look into this completely different world of perception if one wants to understand how, after this way of seeing things with all its inner vitality had been at work for a time in the evolution of man, how then man in his most advanced representatives felt that he could no longer perceive the life of the sun in the world space as something spiritually radiating back to him, and how, in the earliest times — this was especially the case with the most advanced representatives of humanity, those who had still received their education in the Greek mysteries — how they felt the mystery of Golgotha as a redemption, inasmuch as it gave them the opportunity to kindle the light within themselves. The light that he had previously experienced as truly divine, he now wanted to experience by taking part with his soul and spirit in the events of the mystery of Golgotha. One cannot learn what has actually happened in humanity over the course of thousands of years by merely looking at these things with the intellect. One must contemplate the transformation of the human mind, of the human soul life in its entirety. And we, who have been living since the beginning of the 15th century in the age of the development of the consciousness soul, have only the shadow of our inner intellectual activity left of the intellectual spirit that existed in the times of the fourth post-Atlantean period. I have explained this in detail here in recent weeks. But we must once again bring ourselves to recognize what can permeate this intellectual being, this shadowy intellectual being, with a living view of the universe. It is precisely through the modern culture of intellectual shadows that human beings have been banished to the earth, so to speak. Today, especially when infected by the ever-spreading, purely scientific culture, he only sees what the earth actually gives him. He has no idea that with his whole being he does not belong merely to the earth, but that with his whole being he belongs to the extraterrestrial universe. And that is what humans must regain: this awareness of their connection to the extraterrestrial universe.
[ 4 ] Today, we simply form our concepts and ideas by starting from earthly life and constructing the entire universe according to this earthly life. But what emerges as our worldview is then not much different from a transfer of earthly conditions to extraterrestrial conditions. And so it has come about that, out of the grandiose achievements of modern natural science, with spectral analysis and other findings, a view of the sun has been formed that is actually entirely modeled on earthly conditions. We form an idea of what a luminous gas body looks like. And now we transfer this view of a luminous gas body to what we see as the sun in the universe. We must again learn to apply spiritual scientific principles in order to arrive at a view of the sun. This sun, which the physicist believes would appear to him as a glowing ball of gas if he were to venture out into space; this sun, even though it reflects the light of the world back to us in its own way, just as it receives it, is a thoroughly spiritual being, and we are not dealing with a physical being that is floating around somewhere up there in outer space, but with a thoroughly spiritual being. And the Greek was still right when he perceived what shone upon him from the sun as that which must be connected with his ego development, insofar as this ego development is bound to the conceptual world of the intellect. In the sunbeam, the Greek saw that which ignites the ego within him. So one must say that the Greek still had this sense of the spirituality of the cosmos. He saw in the sun a being substantially related to the ego. The Greeks looked at what humans become aware of when they say “I” to themselves, the force that works within them so that they can say “I” to themselves, and they felt compelled to say the same thing to the sun as they did to their own selves, to feel the same way about the sun as they did about themselves.
[ 5 ] I and the sun behave like the inner and the outer. What circles outside through space as the sun is the world-ego. What lives inside me is the human ego. One might say: this feeling is just about to be grasped by those people who empathize a little more deeply with the whole universe of nature. What actually underlies this has already faded away, but there is still life in human beings today that, in a sense, senses the sun rising in spring, that can still experience the sun's rays as something spiritual, and that feels the ego revive as the sun's rays illuminate the earth with greater intensity. But it is, I would say, a last sensation that is now fading away in this external form in humanity, which wants to perish within the abstract culture of the shadow of the intellect that has gradually taken hold of our entire civilized life. But we must penetrate this again in order to recognize something of humanity's connection with extraterrestrial existence. And in this connection I would like to point out a few things today.
[ 6 ] By gathering together all that you find scattered in various places in our spiritual scientific literature, we will first be able to grasp the connection between the sun and the I, and we will be able to recognize the significant contrast that exists between the forces that radiate from the sun to the earth and those forces that are active for the earth in what we call the moon. The sun and the moon are, in a certain sense, complete opposites of each other. They are polar opposites. When we study the sun with the tools of spiritual science, the sun radiates to us everything that shapes us into a bearer of our I. We owe to the sun's radiation that which actually gives us our human form, that which makes us, in our human form, an image of the I. Everything that acts on the human being from outside, that determines his form from outside, that determines his form even during his embryonic period, is the effect of the sun. When the human embryo forms in the womb, it is by no means only what modern science dreams of, that the forces that shape the human being emanate from the fertilized mother. No, the human embryo simply rests in the mother's body. What gives it its form are the forces of the sun. However, we must relate these forces of the sun to the opposing forces of the moon. The lunar forces are initially what assert themselves as the inner aspect for the lower, metabolic human being. So that we can say, when we draw a diagram: the solar forces are what shape the human being from outside. What shapes the human being from within, in the metabolism, are the centrally radiating lunar forces that settle within him.
[ 7 ] This does not contradict the fact that these lunar forces help shape the human face, for example. They shape the human face because what works from the center in the lower, metabolic human being has a kind of pull from the outside on the formation of the human face; the lunar forces differentiate the formation of the human face, but they do so by combining with the solar forces, while counteracting the solar forces from within the human being. Therefore, human reproduction as an organism also depends on the lunar forces that give form. But what is reproduced depends on the solar forces. The human being, with his entire being, is caught between the lunar forces and the solar forces.
[ 8 ] Now, however, we must distinguish between the lunar forces within the human being, within the human metabolism, and the forces that originate in the metabolism itself. The lunar forces play into the metabolism, but the metabolism has its own forces. And these forces are the earth forces. So we can say that when the forces that lie in the substances of our food, the forces that lie in vegetables or other foods, are at work in the human being, these forces work in him through themselves. They work there as earth forces. Metabolism is initially a result of the earth forces; but the forces of the moon also work into these earth forces. If human beings had only their metabolism with its forces within themselves, if, so to speak, the substances of their food continued only their own forces in their bodies after being absorbed, then human beings would be a chaos of all kinds of forces. That these forces are constantly working to renew the human being from within does not depend at all on the earth, but on the moon added to the earth. From within, humans are shaped by the moon; from without, humans are shaped by the sun. And when the sun's rays are taken up again by the eye into the human head organism, they also have an inner effect; but they still work from without.
[ 9 ] Thus we find that, on the one hand, human beings depend on the influence of the sun for their entire ego development, that they could not have an ego firmly rooted on the earth without the sun, and that there would be no human race, no reproduction, if the moon were not the companion of the earth. One can say that the sun is what places human beings firmly on the earth as personalities, as individual beings. The moon is what conjures human beings onto the earth in their multiplicity, in their entire development. The human race as a physical consequence of generations is the result of the forces of the moon that stimulate it. Human beings as individual beings, as individualities, are the result of the forces of the sun. And if we therefore want to study human beings and the human race, we cannot merely study the conditions on Earth. Geologists search in vain to fathom the conditions on Earth and thereby understand human beings; they examine the other forces of the Earth in vain in order to understand human beings. Human beings are not initially made on Earth. Human beings are formed from the cosmos; human beings are a result of the starry world, initially of the sun and moon. Only those forces originate from the earth which are inherent in matter itself and which are effective outside human beings, continuing their activity when they enter human beings through eating and drinking; but there they are received from the extraterrestrial.
[ 10 ] What goes on in human beings is by no means merely an earthly occurrence; it is definitely something that is brought about by the starry world. Man must again bring himself to this realization. And if we continue to observe man, we can take this into account: he is first of all a physical body. This physical body takes in external food. In this physical body, the forces of the food continue their action. But the physical body is attacked by the astral body, and in the astral body the influence of the moon is active, as I have described to you. And the sun's influence works into this astral body. The sun and moon powerfully permeate the astral body, and the astral body expresses itself in the way I have just described. The etheric body stands in the middle between the physical body and the astral body.
[ 11 ] When we study the forces that emanate from food, we see that they first become active in the physical body and are then taken up by the astral body, which contains the influence of the sun and moon, as I have just described. But between them stands something else, something that is active in the etheric body. This does not come from the earth either, but from the whole universe. When we consider the earth in relation to human beings, with its products, with those substances that exist as solid, liquid, and gaseous components, these are absorbed by human beings and processed within them according to the forces of the sun and moon. But forces also work within the human being, radiating toward him from all sides of the universe. The forces that work in food come from the earth. But forces also radiate toward humans from all sides of the universe: these are the etheric forces. These etheric forces also take hold of the food, but in a much more uniform way, and transform it so that it becomes something viable, so that it becomes something that can also be experienced internally as ether, as light and warmth. So we can say that the human being is assigned to the earth through his physical body, to the whole environment through his etheric body, and through his astral body he is initially assigned to the moon and the sun in their effects. But these effects, which are contained in the astral body as the effects of the sun and moon, are in turn modified, modified in such a way that there is a tremendous difference between the effects exerted on the upper human being and those exerted on the lower human being.
[ 12 ] Let us call the “upper human being” the human being who is, so to speak, traversed by the upward flow of blood toward the head; let us call the “lower human being” that which lies downward from the heart. When we look at the human being in this way, we first see the upper part, which encompasses the head and everything that belongs organically to the head. This is mainly dependent on the effects of the sun in its formation. It also develops first in the embryo. The effects of the sun already have a very special influence on this organism in the embryo, but these effects continue after the human being is born, when the human being is physically present in life between birth and death. And then what lies in this area of the human being, I would say what lies above the heart, although it would be more accurate to describe it in terms of the blood circulation, what lies above the heart, is modified in relation to the astral effects of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars (see illustration on p. 233).
[ 13 ] Saturn has forces which, if we look at it from the Copernican worldview, it develops in its orbit around the sun and sends to the earth; it has those forces which are actually effective in the whole astral body, especially in that part which belongs to this upper human being. Saturn has the forces that radiate into this astral body. And as they radiate through the astral body, they enliven and act upon it in such a way that it depends essentially on them to what extent the astral body establishes a proper relationship with the physical body of the human being. For example, if a person cannot sleep properly, if their astral body does not want to leave the etheric body and the physical body properly, if it does not want to enter them properly when they wake up, if it does not integrate itself properly into the physical body in any other way, this is an effect, an irregular effect of the Saturn forces. Saturn is essentially the world body that, by way of the human head, establishes the right relationship between the astral body and the human physical body and etheric body. In this way, the forces of Saturn in turn establish the relationship of the astral body to the I, because Saturn is related to the influence of the Sun. It is related to the influence of the Sun in such a way that this is expressed in space and time by the fact that Saturn completes its orbit around the Sun in approximately thirty years, as you know.
[ 14 ] This relationship of Saturn to the Sun is expressed in the human being in that, first, the I comes into a corresponding relationship to the astral body, but especially in that the astral body integrates itself in a proper way into the entire human organization. So we can say that Saturn has a relationship to the upper part of the entire astral body. This relationship was something quite decisive for the people of earlier times. And even in the Egyptian-Chaldean period, if we go back to the third or fourth millennium before the Mystery of Golgotha, we would find that the teachers the wise men in the mysteries, every human being was judged according to how he had determined his relationship to Saturn through his date of birth; for it was known quite precisely that if a human being was born under this or that constellation of Saturn, he was a human being who could use his astral body correctly or less correctly in his physical body. The knowledge of such things played a major role in ancient times. But the progress of human development in our age, which began at the start of the 15th century, is based precisely on our freeing ourselves from what is at work within us.
[ 15 ] My dear friends, do not misunderstand this. This does not mean that Saturn is not working in us today. It works in us just as it did in ancient times; only we must free ourselves from it. And do you know what this freeing ourselves from the influence of Saturn in the right way consists of? The worst way to free oneself from the influence of Saturn is to follow the shadowy intellect of our age. Then one allows the influences of Saturn to rage within oneself, and they shoot back and forth and turn one into what we call a nervous person in our age. The nervous person is essentially based on the fact that their astral body is not properly integrated into their entire physical being. This is the basis of the nervousness of our age. And what people must be led to is the striving for real perception, the striving for imagination. If people remain stuck in abstract thinking, they will become more and more nervous because they are actually outgrowing Saturn's activity, but this activity is still within them, shooting back and forth and pulling the astral body out of their nerves, thus making them nervous. The nervousness of our age must be recognized cosmically as a Saturn effect.
[ 16 ] Just as Saturn has to do with the upper part of the entire astral body, insofar as this astral body is connected with the entire organism through the nervous system, Jupiter has to do primarily with human thinking (see illustration on p. 233).
[ 17 ] This human thinking is also based in a certain way on a partial activity of the astral body. I would say that a smaller part of the astral body is active in thinking than in supplying the whole human being through the astral body. What works in our astral body, and what initially makes our thinking strong, is the influence of Jupiter. The influence of Jupiter has to do primarily with the astral organization of the human brain.
[ 18 ] See, the influence of Saturn actually extends over the whole of human life, and this whole human life began during our first three decades. How we develop in our astral body during our growth periods, which actually only come to an end after the age of thirty, determines our entire life and our health. That is why Saturn needs thirty years to orbit the sun. This is tailored precisely to human beings.
[ 19 ] What develops within us as thinking has to do with the first twelve years of life. What circles out there is not unrelated to human beings.
[ 20 ] Just as Jupiter has to do with thinking, Mars has to do with language. Mars has to do with language.
Saturn = upper part of the entire astral body
Jupiter = thinking
Mars = language
[ 21 ] Mars, you see, lifts a smaller part of the astral body than that which is relevant for thinking out of its entire organization in the rest of the human being. And it depends on the effects of Mars in us that the forces that then pour into speech can unfold. The short orbital period of Mars is also decisive for this. Within a period of time that corresponds roughly to half the orbital period of Mars, human beings learn their first speech sounds.
[ 22 ] Ascending and descending development! We see that this entire development, insofar as it is connected with the region of the human head, is related to the forces of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars.
[ 23 ] We have thus described the outer planets in their continuing action within the human astral body. While the Sun is more connected with the I, these three world bodies—Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars—have to do with the development of what is bound to the astral body, namely speech, thinking, and the entire behavior of the human soul in the human organism. Then we have the Sun, which has to do with the actual I. And then we have those planets that we also call the inner planets, those planets that are, so to speak, closer to the Earth than the Sun, those planets that are located between the Earth and the Sun, while the other planets, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, are turned away from the Earth toward the Sun. When we consider these inner planets, we also come to consider the relationships of their forces to human beings. Let us first consider Mercury.
[ 24 ] Mercury has, I would say, points of attack similar to the moon, more within the human being, only it acts from outside on the human face; but it already acts in that part of the human being that lies below the heart region. There it works with its forces by taking hold of the human organization internally and radiating its forces from there. And there it works in such a way that it is primarily responsible for mediating the activity of the astral body in the entire respiratory and circulatory activity of the human being. It is the mediator between the astral body and the rhythmic processes in the human being. So we can say that its forces mediate between the astral and the rhythmic activity of the human being (see illustration on p. 233). In this way, the Mercury forces, similar to the lunar forces, also intervene in the entire metabolism of the human being, but only insofar as the metabolism is subject to rhythm and has an effect on rhythmic activity.
[ 25 ] Then we have Venus. Venus is that which is primarily active in the human etheric body, that which is active in the human etheric body from the cosmos: the activity of the human etheric body.
[ 26 ] And then we have the moon. We have already spoken about it. It is that in the human being which is polar opposites to the forces of the sun, and which transforms matter from within into living substance and is thus also connected with reproduction. The moon is therefore, in the broadest sense, the stimulator of both inner reproduction and reproductive reproduction.
[ 27 ] Now consider that what actually goes on in human beings appears to you to be dependent on the surrounding cosmos. On the one hand, humans are bound to earthly forces through their physical bodies, and on the other hand, they are bound to the etheric body through their etheric constitution.
Saturn = upper part of the entire astral body
Jupiter = thinking
Mars = speech
Sun = I
Mercury = mediation of the astral with the rhythmic activity of the human being
Venus = activity of the human etheric body
Moon = stimulator of reproduction
[ 28 ] body bound to the entire cosmic environment. However, within it, differentiation takes place in the way I have described here, and since this differentiation originates primarily from the astral body, the forces of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Venus, and the moon are integrated into this astral body. The sun then acts within it via the ego. Consider that because human beings are integrated into the cosmos, it makes a difference whether a person stands at a point on the earth and, say, Jupiter shines in the sky, or whether the person stands here on earth and Jupiter is covered by the earth. In the first case, the effects on the person are direct; in the second case, the earth stands between them. This makes a significant difference. Jupiter, we have said, is related to thinking. Let us assume that where the human physical organ of thought is in its preferred state of development, there the human being experiences, soon after birth, from the moment of birth, that Jupiter shines its influence upon him. The human being receives the direct influence of Jupiter. His brain is reorganized in a very special way into a thinking organ; he receives a certain predisposition for thinking. Let us assume that the human being lives through these years in such a way that Jupiter is on the other side, so that the influences of Jupiter are blocked by the Earth: his brain is only slightly reorganized into a thinking organ. If, on the other hand, the earth with its substances and forces acts upon him, and everything that emanates from the substances of the earth is perhaps transformed, say, by the effects of the moon, which are always present in a certain way, then the human being becomes a dull dreamer, a dull conscious being; thinking recedes. In between lie all possible degrees. Suppose a human being has such forces within him from his previous incarnation that his thinking is predestined to be particularly developed in the earthly life he is now about to begin; then he sets out to come down to earth. Since Jupiter has its specific orbit, he chooses the time when it appears on Earth, when he is to be born on Earth, so that Jupiter sends its rays directly.
[ 29 ] In this way, the constellation of stars gives forth that into which the human being allows himself to be born according to the conditions of his previous earthly lives.
[ 30 ] From what is revealed to you here, human beings in the age of consciousness must, of course, free themselves more and more. But it is important that they free themselves in the right way, that they actually do what I have indicated with reference to the effects of Saturn: that they try to move from mere shadowy intellectual development back to pictorial, vivid development. What we develop in this way from spiritual science, as I have described in How to Know Higher Worlds, is at the same time an instruction for human beings to become independent in the right way from the cosmic forces that nevertheless continue to work within them.
[ 31 ] By allowing himself to be born, man lives himself into the earth according to the constellation of the stars. But he must equip himself with forces that make him independent of this constellation in the right way.
[ 32 ] You see, our civilization must come back to such insights into the connection between human beings and the extraterrestrial cosmos. Human beings must feel once again that they know: It is not only the ordinary forces of heredity recognized by modern science that are at work in my organization. Contrary to the actual facts, it is mere nonsense to believe, for example, that within the organization of the female organism there are forces that are then inherited—this inheritance is such a dark, mystical idea—which are then inherited in such a way that they form a heart, a liver, and so on. There would be no heart in the human organism if the sun did not integrate this heart, starting from the head, and there would be no liver in the human organism if Venus did not integrate this liver. And so it is with the individual organs of the human being. They are completely connected with what is extraterrestrial. The forces of Jupiter are at work in the human brain. The forces of Saturn are at work in the entire constitution of the human being, insofar as he has integrated his astral body, whether healthy or sick, into his physical organization. The human being learns to speak through the forces of Mars working within him, and these forces are manifested in speech.
[ 33 ] These are things that must be understood by humanity. Human beings must realize that a science that only encompasses the earthly cannot explain their nature. Then we will also come to know the connection between human beings and the earth. For the other beings that live around human beings are not merely earthly beings. Earthly beings are initially only minerals. But even minerals have undergone changes, which in turn have been dependent on the forces surrounding the earth. Thus, all our metals, insofar as they crystallize, exist in their forms because they are dependent in a certain way on extraterrestrial forces, because they were formed when the earth had not yet developed its forces intensively, but when extraterrestrial forces were still active in the earth. The healing powers that lie in minerals, especially in metals, are connected with how these metals formed within the Earth, but from extraterrestrial forces.
[ 34 ] If we go back to the post-Atlantean development, we see how, in the early days when the ancient Indian culture flourished, human beings were beings who felt themselves to be part of the whole universe, citizens of the whole universe. Even though they had not yet developed the powers of which humanity is so proud today, they were human beings in the true sense of the word. Then human beings became more or less distracted from the extraterrestrial forces. But we can still see in the entire Chaldean period and in the early Greek period how at least humans looked up at the sun. They were still, in a certain sense, a kind of amphibian that rejoiced when it received the sun's rays and when it no longer had to burrow in the dullness of the earth. Humans had become amphibians. Now, because he believes that he is actually only connected with the forces of the earth, man is not even a mole; he is actually an earthworm who at most still perceives when that which was first sent out from the earth into the world space, the rainwater, returns to him. That is the only thing that man still perceives of extraterrestrial forces. But earthworms perceive that too—you could see that this morning when you walked on the streets! In his materialism, man has basically become an earthworm today. He must overcome this earthworm nature. But he can only do that if he develops to the point of recognizing his connection with the extraterrestrial cosmos.
[ 35 ] So, my dear friends, the point is that in our times we must bring ourselves out of our civilization and “de-earthworm” ourselves into a new spiritualism.