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The Evolution of Consciousness
GA 227

21 August 1923, Penmaenmawr

3. Initiation-Knowledge—New and Old

In the study of Anthroposophy, a justifiable objection at first can be that the anthroposophical investigation of facts concerning the spiritual worlds depends upon calling up, through the training I have described, deep-lying forces in the human being, before these facts can be reached. Hence it might be said: All those who have not gone through such a development, and have therefore not yet reached the point of perceiving super-sensible facts for themselves, and actually experiencing super-sensible beings, have no means of proving the truth of what is said by the investigator of those worlds. Often, when the spiritual world is spoken of in public and information about it is given, the protest is heard: How should such ideas concern those who cannot yet see into this super-sensible world?

This objection rests on an entirely erroneous idea—the idea that anyone who speaks about the super-sensible worlds is talking of things quite unknown to his listeners. That is not so at all. But there is an important distinction, with regard to this kind of Initiation-knowledge, between what is right today and what was once right in the old days of which I was speaking yesterday.

You will remember how I described the path into the spiritual worlds. I spoke of how it leads us first to a great life-tableau, in which we see the experiences that have become part of our personality during this life on Earth. I went on to speak of how, having progressed from Imaginative-knowledge to that of Inspiration, a man is able, with empty consciousness and in absolute stillness and peace, to survey his pre-earthly life. He is thus led into that world of spiritual deeds which he has passed through between his last death and his recent descent to Earth.

Consider how, before making this descent, every human being has gone through such experiences; there is no-one who has not experienced in its full reality what the spiritual investigator has to tell. And when the investigator clothes in words facts at first unrecognised, he is not appealing to something quite unknown to his hearers but to what everyone has experienced before earthly life. The investigator of the spiritual world is simply evoking people's cosmic memories; and all that he says about the spiritual world is living in the souls of everyone, though in the transition from pre-earthly to earthly life it has been forgotten. In fact, as an investigator of the spiritual world, one is simply recalling to people's memories something they have forgotten.

Now imagine that during life on Earth a man comes across another human being with whom he remembers experiencing something, twenty years before, which the other man has completely forgotten. By talking with him, however, about the incident that he himself remembers clearly, he can bring the other man to recall it also. It is just the same process, though on a higher level, when I speak to you about spiritual worlds, the only difference being that pre-earthly experiences are more completely forgotten than those of earthly life. It is only because people are disinclined to ask themselves seriously whether they find anything in their souls in tune with what is said by the spiritual investigator—it is only because of this feeling of antipathy that they do not probe into their souls deeply enough when hearing or reading what the investigator relates. Hence this is thought to be something of which he alone has knowledge, something incapable of proof. But it can quite well be proved by those who throw off the prejudice arising from the antipathy referred to. For the spiritual investigator is only recalling what has been experienced by each one of us in pre-earthly existence.

Now someone might say: Why should anyone be asked, during his life on Earth, to take on this extra task of concerning himself with matters which, in accordance with cosmic ordering, or one might say with divine decree, he experiences during life beyond the Earth? There are those, too, who ask: Why should I go to this trouble before death to gain knowledge about the super-sensible worlds? I can very well wait till I am dead. Then, if all these things really exist, I shall come face to face with them.

All this, however, arises from a misunderstanding of earthly life. The facts of which the spiritual investigator speaks are experienced by human beings in pre-earthly existence, but they are not then the subject of thought, and only during life on Earth can thoughts about them be experienced. And only those thoughts about the super-sensible world that have been worked upon during earthly life can be carried with us through the gate of death, and only then can we understand the facts we experience between death and rebirth.

One might say—if one wished to give an uncompromising picture—that at this present stage of evolution a man's life after death is extraordinarily hard if, during life on Earth, he gives no thought to the spiritual world. For, having passed through the gate of death, he can no longer acquire any real knowledge of his surroundings. He is in the midst of what is incomprehensible for him. An understanding of what is experienced after death has to be striven for during life on Earth. You will learn from further descriptions that it was different for men of earlier ages. But, at the present moment of human evolution, men will be increasingly constrained to strive for an understanding of what they are to experience in the super-sensible world between death and rebirth. So one can say that speaking publicly of Spiritual Science is fully justified, for it can be proved by everyone. When it is established deeply enough in a man's soul, he will gradually come to say to himself: “What has been said through this spiritual investigator lights things up for me. It is just as if I had already experienced it all, and was now being given the thoughts in which to clothe the experience.” For this reason, when speaking of Spiritual Science, of spiritual knowledge, it is very necessary to choose terms of expression different from those used in ordinary life. The point is that a student of Spiritual Science, through the very words used, should have the impression: “I am learning something which does not hold good for the sense-world, something which in the sense-world is sheer nonsense.”

Then, you see, our opponents come and say: “What is said there about spiritual knowledge is all nonsense—pure fancy.” As long as these people know of nothing outside the world of the senses, and do not want to know of anything else, such a statement is justified, for the super-sensible world looks different from that of the senses. But if someone forgoes the one-sided witness of his senses and delves more deeply into his own soul, then he will say: “What the spiritual investigator says should simply give me the impulse to draw up from my own soul what is already there.”

Naturally there is much to hinder our making such a confession. Yet, where understanding of the super-sensible worlds is concerned, it is the most necessary confession of all. And it will be found that even the most difficult things become comprehensible when we are willing to penetrate in this way into our own depths.

There is no doubt that mathematical truths are among the most difficult things. They are held to be irrefutable. But the curious fact is that on entering the spiritual world we find that our mathematics and geometry are no longer correct. A very simple example will make this clear. From early youth we have learnt to look upon the old truths of Euclid as axiomatic, self-evident. For instance, it is stated as obvious that, given two points, A and B, the shortest distance between them is a straight line, and that any curved path between them is longer.

On a recognition of this fact—obvious for the physical world—rests the greater part of our geometry. But in the spiritual world it is the other way round. The straight line there from A to B is the longest way, and any other way is shorter because it can be taken in freedom. If at the point A one thinks of going to B, this very idea suggests an indirect way; and to hold to a straight course, and so at each single point to keep in the same direction, is hardest and causes most delay. Hence, in determining the most direct way in the two-dimensional or one-dimensional space of the spiritual world, we look for the longest way.

Now anyone who reflects about attentiveness, and delves deeply into his soul to discover what attentiveness really means, will find that in this connection, also, what is said by the spiritual investigator is true. For he will say to himself: “When I go around just as I choose, I get there easily, and I don't have to worry about traversing a particular stretch; I need do only what I do every day.” And most people are bustling around from morning to night. They are in such a hurry that they hardly notice how much of all they do is done from sheer habit—what they have done the day before, what other people say they should do, and so forth. Then it all goes smoothly. Just think what it would be like if you had to pay careful attention to every detail of what you do during the day. Try it! You will soon see how this slows you down.

Now in the spiritual world nothing is done without attentiveness, for there is no such thing as habit. Moreover, there is no such word as the impersonal pronoun “one”—at a certain hour one must have lunch, or one must have dinner at some other time. This “one”—for this occasion one ought to dress in a certain way, and so on—all that under the aegis of this little word plays such a great part in the physical world, particularly in our present civilisation, has no place in the spiritual world. There, we have to follow with individual attention every smallest step, and even less than a step. This is expressed in the words: In the spiritual world the straight way between two points is the longest way. So we have this contrast: In the physical world the direct way between two points is the shortest, whereas the direct way between two points is the longest in the spiritual world.

If we go down far enough into our soul, we find we can draw up from its depths a real understanding of this curious circumstance; and it becomes easier and easier to admit: “What the spiritual investigator says is actually wisdom I myself possess—I have only to be reminded of it.”

Then, side by side with this—since the steps to be taken for acquiring super-sensible cognition can to-day be found in books such as Knowledge of the Higher Worlds—everyone, in so far as his destiny, his karma, make it possible, can, as we shall see, follow this path and thus acquire his own perception of the spiritual worlds. In this way he comes to knowledge of the facts. Understanding for the ideas of the spiritual world has to be won by his coming to know in his own being all that was forgotten on entering earthly life.


Now it may be said that anyone is capable of grasping knowledge of the spiritual world when it is communicated in ideas. Thus, for understanding what the spiritual investigator offers, all that a man needs is his own sound, unprejudiced reason, provided it searches deeply enough into the soul. The investigator of spiritual facts, entering into the spiritual world, and speaking of its facts from first-hand knowledge—all this naturally requires a person to have pursued the path of knowledge on his own account. Hence it is justifiable for anyone who has acquired knowledge of the spiritual worlds to speak of them quite publicly to-day; for what people now absorb in life, if only at school, is an intellectual capacity, a power of discrimination, which equips them to understand what Spiritual Science brings forward. Here, too, things were different in earlier times, and the teachers in the Mysteries, the teachers of art and religion, went about it in a different way. Anyone to-day who speaks about spiritual knowledge to his contemporaries must so order his ideas that memories are aroused of their pre-earthly life. What he says to his audience, what he writes for his readers, must be so arranged that memories of the life before birth are evoked.

Whenever one speaks about Spiritual Science it is as if this appeal were made to the audience: Listen to what is said, and if you look deeply enough into your souls you will find it all there. Moreover, it will dawn on you that you cannot have learnt it during your life on Earth; no flower, no cloud, no spring, nothing earthly can have told you, not even science—for that is founded on the senses and the intellect. Gradually you will realise that you have brought this knowledge with you into earthly life, and that before this life you took part in things which have lingered on in your soul as a cosmic memory. All this has ben stirred up in you by the spiritual investigator. What he says, therefore, is indeed a call to the very depths of the human soul, not a demand that you should accept anything unknown. It is simply an appeal to men to call up in memory the greatest treasures of their own souls.

It was not so for mankind in the distant past. The wise men of the Mysteries, the priests, had to proceed in another way, for people then had a spontaneous memory of their pre-earthly existence. A few thousand years ago, even the most primitive man would never have questioned the presence in his soul of something brought down with him from the super-sensible into the life of the senses; it was an everyday experience in his dreamlike imaginations. In his soul he had something of which he said: “I do not owe this to my eyes that see the trees; I do not hear it with my ears that listen to the nightingale's song; nor have I received it through any other sense. I cannot have absorbed it during life on Earth; it was there as I made my descent; and when as an embryo I was given my earthly, physical body by another human body, there was already within me that which lights up now in my dreamlike imaginations. I have clothed it in my physical human body.”

Hence in those olden days a man would not have been shown the way to further development by his attention being called to what must be emphasised to-day: that we have a memory, at first unconscious but capable of being made conscious, of pre-earthly existence. In the old Mysteries, attention had to be drawn to something quite different.

A man in those days had a feeling of intense sadness when looking at all that was most lovely in the sense-world. He looked at the flowers, springing out of the earth in their wonderful beauty, and watched the blossoms unfold. And he saw also how beneficent the flowers were for him. He saw the loveliness of the springs bubbling forth in shady places, and his senses spoke to him of their refreshing powers. But then, he said to himself: “It seems as though all this has fallen—fallen through sin from the world I bear within me and which I have brought down into physical existence out of spiritual worlds.” So the teachers in the Mysteries then had the task of explaining how in the flowers, in the rippling waters, in the woodland murmurings and the song of the nightingale—everywhere spirit is working and weaving, everywhere spiritual beings are to be found. They had to impart to men the great truth: What is living in you lives also outside in nature. For a man looked upon the external world with sorrow, with pain, at the very time when his senses were freshest and most responsive—a time when least of all the intellect spoke to him of natural laws, and he looked upon the outer world with primitive senses. The beauty of its sprouting and budding forced itself upon his sight, his hearing and other senses; but all he felt was sorrow; for he was unable to reconcile it with the content of his pre-natal existence, which still lived on in his soul. Thus it was incumbent upon the wise men of the Mysteries to point out how the divine-spiritual dwells in all things, even in those of the senses. It was the spirituality of nature that these teachers had to make clear.

This, however, could be done only by taking a different path from that of to-day. Just as now it is necessary above all to guide men to a remembrance of their life before birth, for teachers in the ancient Mysteries it was necessary to call up in those around them a different memory.

Now a man passes his life rhythmically between two states, or really three: waking, dreaming, sleeping. Sleep takes its course in unconsciousness. The human beings of older epochs had indeed this state of unconsciousness in sleep, although it differed in certain respects from that of people to-day. They did sleep, however; they did sink down into the state of experiencing nothing in their souls, in their consciousness. But during sleep we are of course still living; we do not die and are born again when we wake. As soul and spirit we have a life during sleep, but the experience of it is completely wiped out for ordinary, everyday consciousness. People remember their waking experiences and at the most those during their dreams, but in ordinary consciousness they have no memory of anything they experience during dreamless sleep. The Mystery teachers of old treated their pupils—and through the ideas these spread abroad, all who came to them—in such a way that they were awakened to what was experienced in sleep.

Modern Initiation-knowledge has to recall what has lived in men's souls before earthly existence, whereas the old Initiation-knowledge had to evoke a memory of experiences during sleep. Thus all the knowledge that the Mystery teachers clothed in ideas was so designed that their students, or anyone else who heard it, could say: “We are being told of something we always go through in sleep. We press it down out of mind. The priests of the Mysteries have simply been enabled by their Initiation to perceive in sleep many things that are hidden from ordinary consciousness, but are all the same experienced.”

Just as in the old Initiation-wisdom there was a recalling to memory of what a man had lived through in sleep, to-day there is a recalling to memory of pre-earthly life. One of the signs distinguishing the old Initiation from the new is that in the old Initiation a man was reminded of what he normally slept through, which means that he had no recollection of it in waking life. The wise men of those Mysteries drew the experiences of the night up into waking consciousness of day, and to the people they said: “During the night you dwell with your soul in the spiritual world, and the spiritual world lives in every spring, in every nightingale and every flower. Every night you enter into the midst of all that you merely perceive with your senses during the day.”

And then a man could be convinced that the Gods he experienced in his waking dreams were also there outside in nature. Thus, by showing his pupil what happened in sleep, the wise teacher of the Mysteries made clear to him that divine-spiritual Beings were active out there in the realms of nature all the time. In the same way the spiritual investigator now has the task of showing that a man, before descending to Earth, was living as a spiritual being among spiritual beings in a world of spirit; and that what he experienced there he can recall on Earth in terms of concepts, of ideas.


In the Initiation-science of to-day, the real facts that distinguish sleep from waking come to be known when we advance from Imagination to Inspiration. What a man himself is as soul, as spirit, from falling asleep until he wakes, becomes clear only to Inspired knowledge, whereas the advance to Imaginative knowledge gives a man the tableau of his life. When this life-tableau unfolds for him in his waking state and with empty consciousness he is wrapped in cosmic stillness—as I have described—there enters his soul from the Cosmos, as Inspiration, the life before birth. And then his own true being appears to him in the form he lives in as a being of soul and spirit between going to sleep and waking.

Through Inspiration we become conscious of that which remains unconscious during sleep. We learn to perceive what we do as soul and spirit while asleep, and we become aware that on falling asleep the soul and spirit leave the physical body and the etheric body. The physical body is left in bed and also the etheric body—or body of formative forces, as it is seen to be in Imagination, and as I have described it. The higher members of man's nature, the astral body and the Ego-organisation, leave the physical and etheric bodies, returning to them when the time of waking comes. This cleavage of our being, which comes about in the rhythmical alternation of sleeping waking, can be seen in its real nature only through Inspiration. We then perceive that everything absorbed in ordinary waking life through our thinking, through our world of thought, is left behind. The thoughts we work upon, the thoughts we struggle with at school, whatever we have done to sharpen our earthly intelligence—all this has to be left behind with our physical body and etheric body every time we sleep. Out of these two bodies we take into the spiritual world, where as Ego and astral body we pass the time of sleeping, something quite different from anything we experience in our waking state. When we pass from waking to sleeping we experience what is not normally brought into consciousness. Hence, in speaking to you of these experiences, I have to clothe them in pictorial concepts, so that they can be reflected on with healthy human understanding. These pictorial concepts, which are mere shadows of really living thoughts, we leave behind when we fall asleep; and we then come to live in a world where thinking is not as it is here on Earth, but where everything is inwardly experienced. During sleep, in fact, we experience light unconsciously. In waking life we think about the effects of light—how it makes shadows and colours appear in relation to objects. All these thoughts, as I have said, we leave behind. In sleep we enter into the weaving, living light; we pour ourselves out into the light. And as in day time here on Earth we carry our body with us, and also our soul and spirit, and go about on the surface of the Earth through the air, so there, as sleeping man, we enter the weaving, waving light, becoming ourself a being, a substance, of the living light. We become light within the light.

When a man comes to Inspired knowledge of what he actually is each night, when this rises up into his waking consciousness, he at once realises that during sleep he lives like a cloud of light in cosmic light. This does not mean, however, living simply as the substance of light, but living in the forces which in waking life become thoughts, are grasped as thoughts. The light then experienced is everywhere permeated by creative forces, the forces which work inwardly in the plants, in the animals, besides existing independently as spiritual worlds. Light is not experienced in the same way as in the physical world but—if we may express it figuratively—the weaving, living light is the body of spiritual weaving, as it is also the body of each spiritual being.

Here, as men of the physical world, we are enclosed in our skins, and we see our fellow-men so enclosed. But in our sleeping state we are light within the light, and other beings are also light within the light. We do not, however, perceive it as light in the way it is perceived in the physical world, but—again figuratively—the clouds of light that we ourselves are, perceive other clouds of light. These clouds of light are either another man, or some kind of being giving new life to the plant world, or a being who, never incarnating in a physical body, dwells always in the spiritual world.

Light, accordingly, is not experienced there as it is in earthly life, but as living, creative spirituality. Now you know how, as physical men here on Earth, we live in something besides light—in the warmth our senses perceive. We feel and experience heat and cold.

If, now, on going to sleep we pass out of our physical body and etheric body, we live as substance of the warmth in the cosmic substance of warmth, just as we live as light in the light. Thus we are not only what I have called a cloud of light, but a cloud of light permeated by weaving waves of warmth; and what we perceive also bears warmth within it. Just as when we are asleep, and as beings of soul and spirit, we experience light not as light but as living spirit, and when through Inspiration we realise ourselves and other beings also to be living spirit—so it is in the case of warmth. It is impossible to make any headway in the spiritual world, even with Inspiration, if we cling to ideas acquired here on Earth. We have already found it necessary to get used to a different conception concerning the distance between two points, and we must do likewise for everything else. And just as when experiencing ourselves as light within light we actually experience ourselves as spirit in the spiritual world, so when experiencing ourselves as warmth, within the cosmic warmth, we do not experience this as warmth in the usual way of the sense-world, but as weaving, strength-giving love. As the beings of love which we are in the super-sensible, we experience ourselves among beings who can do no other than draw love out of their own essence; who can have no other existence than that of beings of love in the midst of a cosmic existence of love. Thus do we experience ourselves, to begin with, between going to sleep and waking, in a spiritual existence imbued through and through with love.

Therefore, if we wish really to enter the world in which we are every time we go to sleep until we wake, we must enhance our capacity for loving; otherwise this world is bound to remain an unknown world. Here in our earthly world it is not spiritualised love that holds sway, but a love in which the impulse of the senses prevails. In the spiritual world, however, it is spiritualised love—as I have been picturing it. Hence, whoever aspires to enter consciously the world he experiences every night has to develop his capacity for loving in the way described yesterday.

Now a man cannot find his true self without this capacity for love; for all that he really is during sleep—during a third part of his life on Earth—remains a closed book for him unless he can find his way into it through the training and enhancement of love. All that is experienced during sleep would have to remain an unsolved riddle for earthly being if they had no wish to enhance their capacity for love, so as to be able to gain some degree of knowledge about their own existence, their own being, in the changed condition between going to sleep and waking. But the form of activity developed in our thinking when we have our physical body and etheric body within us—that is, in our waking state—we leave behind in bed, and during sleep this becomes united in movement with the whole Cosmos. Anyone who wishes to understand clearly what goes on in the physical and etheric bodies during the night would have to be able to perceive from outside, while living as a being of warmth and light, how the etheric body goes on thinking all through the night.

We still have the power to think even when with our souls we are not there at all, for what we leave behind in the bed carries the waves of thinking on and on. And when we wake in the morning, we sink down into what has thus continued to think while lying there in bed. We meet our own thoughts again. They were not without life between our going to sleep and waking, although we were not present. To-morrow I shall be describing how, when thus absent, we can be much cleverer, far more intelligent, than during the day, when with our soul we are actually within our thoughts.

To-day I wished to indicate how thinking is continuous in the etheric and physical bodies, and how on waking in the morning, when we are aware of having had a dream, the dream tells us, as it were: When your soul wakes, and dives down again into the etheric body and physical body, it loses something of its power. On the one hand you have the physical body and etheric body; and on the other hand you have the astral organisation and Ego-organisation which in the morning re-enter the physical and etheric bodies. When they re-enter, it is as if a dense wave were flowing into one less dense—there is a blockage, experienced as a morning dream. The Ego and the astral body, which have been weaving all night in light and warmth, dive back into the thoughts, but by not at once understanding them, get them confused, and this blockage is experienced as a morning dream.

What more there is to say about dreams, how they are a puzzling element in human life, and the further relation between sleeping and waking—all this we will consider tomorrow.


Response to questions

Written questions were submitted, but the wording has not been preserved

On the first question about the nature of sleep:

My dear audience!

Perhaps it is appropriate to say a few words about the questions that have been asked here. First of all, one of the questioners is surprised at how little specialist medicine cares about what happens during sleep. - Yes, one need not really be surprised at this, for the present science of nature has only attained its greatness by refraining from all that is spiritual, by confining itself to all that is not spiritual; but one really cannot study the state of sleep and all that is connected with it without finding the passage from the physical world into the spiritual world. That is why it is very understandable that today, in specialized medicine, at most the borderline states of waking and sleeping are spoken of, but not actually that which extends from the sleeping state into the waking state and vice versa. I will be talking about these images in my lecture tomorrow. It is always better if these questions are discussed in context.

Now it is said that there are people who do not remember anything at all that they experienced during the sleep state, but that there are people who remember all kinds of things. Yes, I would at least like to ask the question first: How do we know whether what a person tells us when he wakes up from his sleep, whether what he remembers is really everything he experienced in his sleep? How do you know when the things he says are true? Of course, if things are to be externally verifiable, then you have to check the degree of his sleep. It may well be that at first some things from waking are heard in sleep. But these things cannot be taken lightly, but must be examined exactly; so that the general opinion that some people tell all sorts of things about their sleep cannot have any meaning from the outset. Everything has to be examined carefully, and I will have a lot to say in the lectures about what people experience in their sleep. And so you will see that what is probably meant by the question at hand here covers extraordinarily little of what man really experiences every night between falling asleep and waking up, when he passes over into a completely different world and when he also experiences in a completely different way. That is what must be taken into account. That's why it's a good idea to wait for the next lectures on this question; some things will change of their own accord. So it is not that I do not want to respond to these questions, that is not the case at all, but some things can only be answered in the lectures, and then they will be answered more completely and more appropriately than they can be answered outside of time. So it is not unfriendliness if something is postponed, but it is really quite appropriate.

On the question about the effects of alcohol and similar substances:

Now I want to come back for a moment to something that is wanted: Physical substances have certain spiritual powers in them. The fact that something is a physical substance is really only an outward appearance; physical substances already have spiritual powers within them. Now you see, I said this morning: In ordinary sleep, I and the astral body are separated from the etheric body and the physical body, which lie in bed, and I said that man sometimes thinks more cleverly when he is not present with his soul life than when he is present.

Now some physical substances have the peculiarity that they loosen the ego and the astral body without putting the person to sleep. Even ordinary alcohol has this effect under certain circumstances. If then a somewhat irregular connection between the etheric body and the organ of speech or the organ of thought is still present, then under certain circumstances the human being can speak or write in such a way that he is loosened with his ego or astral body, and then that which resonates in the etheric body writes, and this can certainly be something much more significant than what the human being speaks or writes when he is present with ego and astral body. One must not, of course, carry these things to practical measures; one must not, of course, claim that someone can become a good poet by indulging in opium in this or that way, but on the other hand these things are quite in accordance with reality. In this way one enters into quite dangerous chapters of human life. And for very many phenomena in the world it is necessary, really necessary, to know these connections. You cannot understand the achievements of some people if you do not know under what influence of a substantial kind - purely external material - they have created something. It is possible, for example, with Nietzsche, as well as with Coleridge, in some of their works at least, to really interpret each individual manner of expression as the progress of the etheric body in an independent way.

So we must admit to ourselves: this etheric body within us is a very, very clever entity. And it is actually prevented by what we can do in the astral body and in the ego in the waking state from always expressing its cleverness. It is actually impossible to imagine what a sum of intelligence is present when a number of people are gathered somewhere! Only the egos and the astral bodies are always the obstacles to this cleverness coming to the surface. That is what I have always expressed in my lectures: the ego is actually the baby in the human being, it is the most undeveloped.

On the question relating to olfactory perceptions:

With regard to the individual sensory perceptions that one is accustomed to having in the physical world, it must be said that in the way these sensory perceptions are present in the physical world, they must not be sought directly in the spiritual world. It is precisely for this reason that I tried to express myself very precisely when I spoke about colors. I said that the experience in the spiritual world consists in the fact that one experiences the same thing with a spiritual impression as one experiences with a certain perception of color. And I said that when one perceives red in the physical world, one has a certain inner experience, the feeling that something attacking is coming towards one, whereas with blue, for example, one has the feeling that one must humbly surrender oneself to what is revealed in the color. If one makes these experiences clear to oneself, all the attacking qualities of the red, the humbling qualities of the blue or blue-violet color, then one can speak of having the same inner experience of perceptions in the spiritual world as one has of the red or blue in the physical world, that one has in the spiritual world what corresponds to the red or blue. At that moment - and indeed precisely when one passes over to imaginative cognition - one becomes one with the object, and the whole experience is different from that in the physical world, so that one has precisely this being inside the color in relation to color perceptions of the spiritual world; thereby the whole experience acquires a different character. But it is nevertheless fully justified to speak of color perceptions in the spiritual world - fully justified that one really experiences a red, a blue, a green and so on when spiritual beings or entities appear. This is justified for the reason that even when the colors appear in the physical world, the colors are not at all what they are regarded as today in physics, for example, but the colors are always, where they appear, physical projections, shadings out of the spiritual, out of the astral world. So that if you have somewhere - let us say the red - you have the shadow given in the physical, the physical shadow of a process in the spiritual, in the astral world, which, if you experience it directly, makes an attacking impression on your own self.

The following can now be said: If thinking becomes so inwardly alive as I have described it in these days, then it resembles a tactile sensation in a spiritual way. So that actually perception in the etheric world begins with a kind of spiritual tactile perception. And then one gradually penetrates further and further, one differentiates these tactile perceptions and comes to be able to speak of colors, also of sounds and so on.

Now we need to talk about olfactory perceptions. It must be said that the olfactory perceptions here in the physical world are relatively the most influenced by the spiritual, strange as that may seem. The perception of smell, when it occurs directly in the physical world, is actually always caused by a spiritual-astral element coming as close as possible to the material. And one can therefore say that scents are the physical revelations of the spiritual. Therefore one will find that for all other sensory perceptions one finds corresponding things in the spiritual world, and one can speak of a spiritual perception of touch, of a spiritual perception of sight, of a spiritual perception of sound and so on, but it is very difficult to speak of a spiritual perception of smell, because the perception of smell actually already lives itself out completely in the physical world. When the spirit - if I may express myself figuratively - descends deepest into the physical world, that is when the perception of smell arises.

The mind descends a little less deeply when it perceives taste. Therefore, the perception of taste is already such that one can speak of a spiritual correlate. One can speak of something correlative in the perception of taste, but less so in the perception of smell. You see, one could now continue the chapter I began yesterday on language, but I only want to emphasize one thing: In language, when it is experienced, in every language there is actually a real spiritual being, and one does not speak of the genius of language only in a figurative sense - or at least one should not speak of it only in a figurative sense. There really is a spiritual being there! And there is more to language than the individual often understands. The way in which sounds, i.e. tones, letters and words, syllables are combined in language has a spirituality of its own, is animated in itself, and we grow into this spirituality, into this animation. And so there really are expressions, terms in language that actually point to deeper inner connections. And that's why we don't talk about taste in aesthetics for nothing. There you can already see, I would like to say, for the ordinary consciousness, the sensation of taste translated into the spiritual. But one cannot speak in the same way of an ensouling of the olfactory sensation; it is actually more or less finished in the physical world.

At most, our excellent, serious and humorous German poet Christian Morgenstern, who died in 1914 and who had previously been a member of the Anthroposophical Society for a long time, used smell in a humorous and fantastic way to draw it up into the spiritual world. And just as he expressed many other things that do not correspond to reality, but are therefore no less humorous, very amusing, just as he expressed many other things in this way in his humorous poems, he also wrote a humorous poem about an organ that you cannot hear, that does not make itself known through sounds, expresses itself in harmonies and so on, but that lets different fragrances flow out of itself through different holes, which smell in different ways; When the various keys are struck, certain fragrances always flow out of the holes, which then create a context: Fragrance harmonies, fragrance melodies and so on. This is Christian Morgenstern's famous “olfactory organ”, which he talks about in a humorous way in this poem.

But this thing is quite amusing, and it must be said that smell is actually something closed to the physical world. The spirit has descended furthest there, makes itself known in the physical world, and the olfactory, the fragrant, cannot be raised in the same way as, for example, taste, but especially as that which appears in the higher senses. It is therefore quite right, and it is quite in keeping with reality, that in literature the evil spirits, who are so fond of entering the physical world and doing all sorts of things to people there, should be made to smell. You will find allusions everywhere in literature to the fact that the evil spirits are somewhat intrusive precisely with regard to the sense of smell. This is quite true in the sense that smell is actually something separate from the physical world. It is somewhat the case that it can also be spoken of in the higher worlds, but not very far up. But, as I said, smell is something that is only there because the spiritual descends into the material, atomized into the smallest parts, so that matter is already most spiritual in smell. And that is why in earlier times, when this was felt even more, fragrance was perceived as a spiritual manifestation. That is what we can say about this subject in a few words.

On the question concerning “being wise in sleep”:

I don't want to talk about the healing method mentioned here, because that leads onto a subject I don't like to talk about. Such judgment of contemporaries in this or that field is not really in my habit, but I would like to suggest in a few words what may be of interest in the question, quite apart from this particular healing method.

If we take the etheric body of the human being, it is actually the carrier of thoughts. It is true that the etheric body is the carrier of the immediately present thoughts in general, and also the cause that thoughts can pass over into memories and be retrieved from the memories again; it is only necessary for the earthly human being that this etheric body is, as it were, stuck inside the physical body. This is necessary for the reason that man as an earthly being needs a kind of resistance for that which takes place in the etheric body. Just as we as earth beings cannot walk in the air, but need a ground on which we walk, but the ground does nothing at all to make us walk, it only gives us the resistance - so it is with what goes on in the etheric body of man. The whole play of thought, the whole course of thought takes place in the etheric body; but the thought would not come alive in the waking man if there were not a resistance, if every movement of living thought did not come up against the physical body. It does nothing, but it gives resistance. This makes the person in waking consciousness aware of the thoughts that take place in the etheric body.

Now it is really the case that when a person is asleep, that is, when the physical and etheric bodies are lying in bed and the person is closed off in his astral body and I from the physical and etheric bodies, then the etheric body continues to think. Now the etheric body is in fact dependent on rhythm and repetition for its thinking, that is, for the processes that take place in it, and it best preserves that which is given to it through rhythm and repetition. Therefore, it is basically quite wrong if we interpret oriental writings, which contain many repetitions, according to our occidental habits in such a way that we omit the repetitions and only give the content once. For the authors of these Oriental writings it was not merely the content that mattered, which the Occidental writer regards as the main thing, for the Westerner is a European man, and when he has thought something once, he has thought it and does not want to think it again; at most he prays the same Lord's Prayer every day, but on the whole he is a “European” man in regard to content, he does not experience his activity by rhythmizing; thus the Western man sins every day against what the etheric body actually demands of him. The etheric body wants to repeat, and in those times of the ancient East, where these habits were well known, these repetitions were therefore always cultivated with full consciousness, because one knew what one was doing. I don't know whether this sin is also committed in England, but we have translations in German which actually reproduce things in the most incredible way. If the Buddha discourses have many repetitions, then the German translator only translates once. But that's not what matters - the mere content of the Buddha discourses - but what matters is that you absorb these Buddha discourses and actually let every repetition run its course - again and again and again every repetition runs its course. And no matter how many repetitions there are, the number of these repetitions is also significant. These secrets were known in those times. And those who translate Buddha discourses into prose in this way already show that they do not understand the slightest thing about the whole of Oriental civilization and the whole of Oriental spiritual life.

Now the etheric body is at the same time that which is actually the healing principle in man. And when we prepare remedies, if we do it wisely, we are really aiming for this. Today, medicine does everything empirically, as it says; you try out how this or that works: If it works in such-and-such a percentage, it is declared to be a cure; if the percentage is low, it is declared not to be a cure, and so on - the correlations are not taken into account. Now it has been requested that I also give a lecture on anthroposophy in medicine during this summer course. Such things will then be discussed. But as I said, the actual healing is not only in these remedies. When we prepare remedies with full awareness, we always have in mind to bring the etheric body to particular effectiveness at the body part in question where the healing is to intervene. Let us say someone has a liver disease; if we could bring the etheric body of the liver to special effectiveness through a corresponding remedy, this would mean healing. So, it is precisely on this principle of bringing the etheric body to effectiveness that the stasis methods often used today are rightly based. If you have an injury somewhere, on some phalanx and so on, and you dam up above the injured area, so that for external physical observation a so-called “asleep” limb is created, then in the simplest way the etheric body becomes more effective than it would otherwise be, because it is switched out of the physical, and through the simple, mechanical constriction the etheric body asserts itself in the simplest way. But one can also say that if a person, especially an occidental person who is not used to using it in any other way in life, is allowed to repeat things in the right way that relate to his recovery, the etheric body enters into a certain rhythm, but it then also switches itself out of the physical habit, and healing powers can awaken. This can certainly be the case. But one must be clear about the fact that these things can work well with occidental man because he is not used to living in rhythm. The oriental man, who uses rhythm more for his spiritual life, as I have indicated, becomes immune to these things and must then seek other healing methods. What you want to use as a remedy must be something that is unfamiliar to you, that you rarely or never use. Therefore it is also good - not if it is an acute illness, but if it is a chronic illness - that if you have a very effective remedy in certain substances, you do not let the patient concerned enjoy this substance for some time, i.e. you wean him off it; then you can use it later, after he has not enjoyed it for a while, as a healing substance. These things are all connected.

Here you can see best how the material is connected with the spiritual, in that a mere repetition of the same thing, which relates to recovery, awakens healing powers in the etheric body.

Of course, one must be aware of how much dilettantism is being practiced in this field today. And it is precisely for this reason that I do not want to talk about individual healing methods that occur here and there, but would only like to point out how a real realization of the penetration of the whole human being in the physical, etheric, astral body and in the ego only gives a complete possibility to speak therapeutically about the human being.

Neue und alte Initiationswissenschaft

Ein zunächst sehr berechtigter Einwand mit Bezug auf die Beschäftigung mit Anthroposophie kann der sein, daß ja dasjenige, was anthroposophisch, was in bezug auf die spirituellen Welten an Tatsachen erforscht wird, abhängig ist davon, daß man eine solche menschliche Entwickelung durchmacht, wie ich sie beschrieben habe, wie sie nur herausgeholt werden kann aus tieferliegenden menschlichen Wesenskräften, bevor man an diese Tatsachen der höheren Welten herankommt. So daß also eigentlich jeder, so könnte man sagen, der noch nicht eine solche Entwickelung durchgemacht hat, der es also noch nicht dazu gebracht hat, das Schauen übersinnlicher Tatsachen und übersinnlicher Wesenheiten durch sich selbst zu erleben, nicht prüfen könne, ob dasjenige der Wahrheit entspricht, was durch den Erforscher dieser Welten gesagt wird. Und es wird ja auch vielfach, wenn in der Öffentlichkeit über den Inhalt der geistigen Welt gesprochen wird, wenn irgendwo darüber Mitteilungen gemacht werden, sehr häufig der Einwand erhoben: Was sollen mit diesen Ideen von einer übersinnlichen Welt diejenigen nun machen, die noch nicht diese übersinnliche Welt schauen können?

Es beruht gerade dieser Einwand auf einem völligen Irrtum. Er geht aus davon, daß man zu dem Menschen, zu dem man über die übersinnlichen Welten spricht, von etwas völlig Unbekanntem spricht. Allein das ist gar nicht der Fall. Nur ist wiederum ein ganz bedeutsamer Unterschied mit Bezug auf die Initiationswissenschaft nach dieser Richtung zwischen demjenigen, was heute gegenwärtig das Richtige ist auf diesem Gebiete, und demjenigen, was einstmals in jenen alten Zeiten das Richtige war, von denen ich gestern in meinem Vortrage gesprochen habe.

Erinnern Sie sich, wie ich den Weg in die geistigen Welten dargestellt habe. Er führt dazu, sagte ich, daß man zuerst in einem mächtigen Lebenstableau dasjenige sieht, was der eigenen Persönlichkeit an Erlebnissen, an Erfahrungen einverleibt ist in diesem Erdenleben. Man überschaut auf einmal dieses im Erdenleben Durchgemachte. Dann sprach ich davon, daß, wenn man von der imaginativen Erkenntnis aufsteigt zu der inspirierten, man dann durch das leere Bewußtsein, durch die absolute innere Stille und Ruhe dahin komme, das vorirdische Leben zu überblicken, daß man also eingeführt werde in diejenige geistige Tatsachenwelt, die der Mensch durchgemacht hat zwischen dem letzten Tode und seinem jetzigen Herabsteigen auf die Erde.

Nun müssen Sie bedenken, daß ja jeder Mensch, bevor er auf die Erde herabgestiegen ist, diese Erlebnisse gehabt hat. Es gibt keinen Menschen, der nicht diese Erlebnisse gehabt hat in voller Realität, von denen der Erforscher der geistigen Welt zu sprechen hat. Und wenn nun der Erforscher der geistigen Welt diese zunächst unbekannten Tatsachen in Worte kleidet, so appelliert er ja nicht in Wirklichkeit an etwas dem Menschen ganz Unbekanntes, sondern er appelliert an dasjenige, was jeder Mensch vor seinem Erdenleben durchgemacht, erfahren hat. Und es ist in Wirklichkeit nichts anderes als ein Hervorrufen von kosmischen Erinnerungen, an die der Erforscher der geistigen Welten appelliert.

Alles dasjenige, wovon der Erforscher der geistigen Welten spricht, ist in Ihnen allen, sitzt in Ihren Seelen. Nur ist es beim Übergang vom vorirdischen Leben in das irdische Leben vergessen worden. Und man tut als Erforscher der geistigen Welten im Grunde genommen nichts anderes als dieses: man erinnert den Menschen an etwas, was er vergessen hat.

Man stelle sich nur einmal vor, man trete für das bloße Erdenleben an einen Menschen heran. Man habe eine genaue Erinnerung an dasjenige, was man vor zwanzig Jahren mit ihm erfahren hat. Er, der andere, habe das völlig vergessen. Nun spricht man mit ihm und kann dadurch dasjenige, was man selber deutlich noch in der Erinnerung trägt, in dessen eigener Erinnerung hervorrufen.

Ganz derselbe Vorgang, nur ins Höhere übersetzt, liegt zugrunde, wenn ich von höheren Welten zu Ihnen spreche; der einzige Unterschied ist nur der, daß dasjenige, was im vorirdischen Dasein erlebt worden ist, viel gründlicher vergessen worden ist als das im Erdenleben Erlebte. Aber nur weil man dem Gefühle nach eine Abneigung, eine Antipathie hat, sich nun ganz intensiv zu fragen: Findest du in deiner Seele etwas, was zustimmen kann demjenigen, was der Erforscher der geistigen Welten sagt? - nur weil man dieses Antipathiegefühl hat, dringt man nicht tief genug in die Seele hinunter, wenn man sozusagen dem zuhört, oder liest, was der Geistesforscher sagt. Daher glaubt man, er spreche von irgend etwas, das nur er allein weiß, und man könne es nicht prüfen. Man kann es ganz gut prüfen, wenn man sich nur dem Vorurteil entzieht, das aus der eben charakterisierten Antipathie hervorgeht. Denn zunächst ruft der Geistesforscher nur alles dasjenige in das Gedächtnis, was von jedem Menschen im vorirdischen Dasein erlebt worden ist.

Nun könnte man sagen: Wozu wird man denn während seines Erdenlebens noch extra veranlaßt, nachzudenken über dasjenige, was man ja durch die Einrichtung des Kosmos, man könnte auch sagen durch den Ratschluß der Götter, in seinem außerirdischen Dasein erlebt? Und es gibt wiederum Menschen, die sagen: Ja, wozu soll ich mich vor meinem Tode mit einer solchen Erkenntnis der übersinnlichen Welten beschäftigen? Denn ich kann ja warten, bis ich gestorben bin, da wird mir, wenn es überhaupt vorhanden ist, das alles entgegentreten.

Dies aber beruht auf einer vollständigen Verkennung des irdischen Lebens. Die Tatsachen, von denen der Geistesforscher spricht, sind von jedem Menschen im vorirdischen Dasein erlebt worden, nicht aber die Gedanken darüber. Und die Gedanken darüber können nur erlebt werden im Erdendasein. Und nur die im Erdendasein erarbeiteten Gedanken über die übersinnliche Welt können wir durch die Pforte des Todes durchtragen, und nur dann verstehen wir die Tatsachen, die wir durchleben zwischen dem Tode und einer neuen Geburt.

Man möchte, wenn man drastisch schildern wollte, sagen: Im Grunde genommen ist das Leben eines Menschen in der gegenwärtigen Evolution der Menschheit ein außerordentlich schwieriges, wenn er innerhalb seines Erdendaseins sich keine Gedanken erwirbt über die übersinnliche Welt. Er kommt dann, wenn er durch die Pforte des Todes geschritten ist, nicht zu einer wirklichen Erkenntnis desjenigen, was ihn da umgibt. Es umgibt ihn, aber er kommt nicht zu einem Verständnis. Das Verständnis für dasjenige, was nach dem Tode erlebt wird, muß errungen werden im Erdendasein. Wir werden dann in den weiteren Schilderungen sehen, daß das für eine Menschheit der früheren Zeit anders war. Aber im gegenwärtigen Evolutionsmomente der Menschheit ist es eben so, daß die Menschen immer mehr und mehr darauf angewiesen sein werden, hier auf Erden sich das Verständnis für dasjenige zu erobern, was sie zwischen dem Tode und einer neuen Geburt in der übersinnlichen Welt erleben. Und so kann man sagen: Geisteswissenschaft ist, wenn sie heute zu der Öffentlichkeit spricht, voll berechtigt, denn jedermann kann sie prüfen, weil, wenn er genügend tief in die eigene Seele sich hinein versetzt, er sich nach und nach sagen wird: Dasjenige, was da durch den Geistesforscher gesagt wird, leuchtet mir ja ein. Es ist so, als ob ich es einmal erlebt habe, als ob mir jetzt nur die Gedanken gegeben werden über dasjenige, was ich einmal erlebt habe. Und aus diesem Grunde ist es so sehr notwendig, daß man, wenn man über Geisteswissenschaft, über spirituelle Erkenntnisse spricht, auch wirklich die Sprache etwas anders wähle, als man das im gewöhnlichen Leben tut. Es handelt sich darum, daß derjenige, der an die Geisteswissenschaft herantritt, schon durch die Art und Weise, wie gesprochen wird, den Eindruck bekommt: Da erfahre ich ja etwas, was in der sinnlichen Welt gar nicht gilt, was in der sinnlichen Welt vielfach ein Unsinn ist. Sehen Sie, die Gegner kommen dann und sagen: Was da aus der spirituellen Erkenntnis heraus gesagt wird, das ist ja ein Unsinn, eine Phantasterei. - Solange man bloß die sinnliche Welt kennt und kennen will, hat man ja recht mit einer solchen Aussage, denn es schaut eben die übersinnliche Welt anders aus als die sinnliche. Und erst derjenige, der verzichtet darauf, an sinnlichen Vorurteilen zu hängen, und der tiefer in sein eigenes Seelenwesen hineinschürft, der sagt sich dann: Was der Geistesforscher sagt, das ist nur eine Anregung, damit ich dasjenige, was ich schon in der Seele habe, selbst aus dieser Seele herausziehe.

Vieles natürlich spricht dagegen, sich ein solches Geständnis zu machen. Aber man muß schon sagen, in bezug auf das Verständnis der übersinnlichen Welten ist dieses Selbstgeständnis das aller-, allernotwendigste. Und man wird sehen, daß selbst die schwierigsten Dinge begreiflich werden, wenn man in dieser tiefen Weise auf das eigene Selbst eingehen will.

Zu diesen schwierigsten Dingen sind ohne Zweifel zu rechnen die mathematischen Wahrheiten. Dasjenige, was in der Mathematik erkannt wird, das hält man für etwas absolut Richtiges. Nun ist das Eigentümliche, daß selbst die Mathematik, die Geometrie aufhört, richtig zu sein, wenn man in die geistigen Welten hineinkommt. Da handelt es sich darum - ich möchte das an einem ganz einfachen Beispiel klarmachen -, daß man ja die alte Euklidische Wahrheit als ein Axiom, wie man es nennt, als eine Selbstverständlichkeit kennenlernt, sich von Jugend auf daran gewöhnt. Es wird zum Beispiel als eine Selbstverständlichkeit hingestellt: Wenn ich einen Punkt A habe und einen Punkt B, so ist der kürzeste Weg zwischen diesen zwei Punkten die gerade Linie. Jeder andere Weg, jeder krumme Weg ist länger.

Auf dieser Erkenntnis, die selbstverständlich ist für die physische Welt, beruht ein großer Teil unserer Geometrie. In den geistigen Welten ist es umgekehrt. Da ist die gerade Linie, die man von A nach B nimmt, der längste Weg. Jeder andere Weg ist kürzer, weil jeder andere in der geistigen Welt frei gegangen werden kann. Hat man die Vorstellung, wenn man in A ist, daß man nach B kommen soll, so kommt man durch diese bloße Vorstellung auf jedem krummen Wege leicht hin; aber den geraden Weg einzuhalten, also in jedem einzelnen Punkte der Geraden einzuhalten diese einzige Richtung, das ist das Schwerste, das verlangsamt am allermeisten. Daher braucht man am allerlängsten, wenn man in der geistigen Welt eine Gerade durchmessen will im zweidimensionalen oder im eindimensionalen Raum.

Derjenige, der etwas nachdenkt über die Aufmerksamkeit und, wie ich oft jetzt sagte, in die Seele tief hineinschürft, was eigentlich die Aufmerksamkeit bedeutet, der kommt darauf, daß das, was der Geistesforscher aus seiner Erfahrung heraus sagt, auch in dieser Beziehung richtig sein müsse. Denn er sagt sich: Wenn ich beliebig herumlaufe, da durchmesse ich meinen Weg leicht -, und dieses Herumlaufen braucht sich nicht bloß zu beziehen auf ein wirkliches Ablaufen von Strecken, sondern auf das, was man täglich tut; die meisten Menschen hantieren ja vom Morgen bis zum Abend. Sie hantieren so, daß sie eigentlich wenig aufmerksam sind, daß sie mehr das tun, was in der Gewohnheit liegt, was sie gestern getan haben, was die Leute sagen, daß man tun soll und so weiter. Da geht die Arbeit schnell vonstatten. Aber bedenken Sie, wenn Sie bei jedem einzelnen Punkte Ihres Tagesdaseins intensiv aufmerksam sein müssen auf dasjenige, was Sie tun, probieren Sie es einmal, Sie werden schon sehen, wieviel langsamer das zustande kommt.

Nun, in der geistigen Welt gibt es überhaupt nichts ohne Aufmerksamkeit. In der geistigen Welt gibt es keine Gewohnheit. In der geistigen Welt gibt es das Wörtchen «man» nicht, man muß zu dieser Zeit lunchen, man muß zu dieser Zeit dinieren und so weiter. Dieses «man», man zieht sich bei dieser Gelegenheit diese oder jene Kleider an und so weiter, das alles, was unter dem Wörtchen «man» eine so große Rolle spielt in der physischen Welt, besonders in der heutigen Zivilisation, das alles gibt es nicht in der geistigen Welt. In der geistigen Welt muß jeder kleinste Schritt, ja, was noch kleiner ist als ein Schritt, mit der eigenen Aufmerksamkeit verfolgt werden. Das drückt sich schon aus, wenn man den Satz ausspricht: In der geistigen Welt ist die Gerade der längste Weg zwischen zwei Punkten. So hat man den Gegensatz: In der physischen Welt ist die Gerade der kürzeste Weg zwischen zwei Punkten. In der geistigen Welt ist die Gerade der längste Weg zwischen zwei Punkten.

Geht man nur tief genug in die Seele hinein, so wird man aufmerksam darauf, wie man ein wirkliches Verständnis für diese Sonderbarkeiten aus der Seele herausholen kann, und man wird dann immer mehr und mehr zu dem Selbstgeständnis kommen: Was der Geistesforscher sagt, das ist eigentlich alles eine Weisheit, die in mir selbst sitzt. Ich brauche nur daran erinnert zu werden.

Parallel damit kann ja heute schon jeder, weil auch die Schritte zur Aneignung der übersinnlichen Erkenntnis in solchen Schriften wie «Wie erlangt man Erkenntnisse der höheren Welten?», das als «Initiation» übersetzt ist, und so weiter gegeben werden - es kann jeder auch heute, soweit es sein Schicksal, sein Karma möglich macht, wie wir noch sehen werden, diesen Weg gehen und so eine eigene Anschauung für die geistige Welt erlangen. Dadurch erlangt er dann die Anschauung für die Tatsachen. Das Verständnis für die Ideen der geistigen Welt, das ist aber durch die angedeutete Selbsterkenntnis für das beim Antritte des Erdenlebens Vergessene durchaus zu erringen.


Man kann sagen, daß die Erkenntnis der geistigen Welt, wenn sie in Ideen mitgeteilt wird, von jedem verstanden werden kann, daß also zum Verstehen desjenigen, was der Geistesforscher vorbringt, nur der unbefangene, gesunde Menschenverstand, der nur tief genug in die Seele hineinschürfen muß, notwendig ist. Zum Erforschen der geistigen Tatsachen, zum Hineinkommen in die geistige Welt, also zum Sprechen in ursprünglicher Weise von den Tatsachen der geistigen Welt gehört natürlich das Durchmachen des Erkenntnisweges selbst. Daher ist es berechtigt, von den geistigen Welten, wenn sie durch den einen oder durch den anderen bekanntgeworden sind, zu sprechen in voller Öffentlichkeit heute; denn dasjenige, was sich heute der Mensch aneignet im Leben, nur durch seine Schul-Erkenntnisse, ist jene Verständniskraft, jene Unterscheidungskraft, durch die er vordringen kann eben auch zum Verständnisse dessen, was die Geisteswissenschaft vorbringt. Aber auch in dieser Beziehung war es für eine Menschheit der älteren Zeit anders, als es für die Menschheit der Gegenwart ist. Daher war das Verhalten derjenigen, welche in den Mysterien lehrten, welche in den Mysterien Kunst und Religion trieben, ein anderes, als das des Geistesforschers heute sein kann. Heute muß derjenige, der von geistigen Erkenntnissen spricht zu seiner Umwelt, durchaus darauf bedacht sein, seine Ideen so anzuordnen, daß sie wirkliche Erinnerungen anregen an das vorirdische Leben. Man muß heute gewissermaßen zu den zuhörenden Menschen so sprechen, oder man muß dasjenige, was man schreibt für die lesenden Menschen, so einrichten, daß es darstellt Erinnerungen an das vorgeburtliche Leben.

Man möchte sagen: Jedes Reden über geisteswissenschaftliche Dinge ist so, daß man eigentlich an den Zuhörer herantritt mit dem Appell: Höre dasjenige, was man sagt, schaue tief genug in deine Seele hinein und du wirst finden, daß das eigentlich in deiner Seele selber drinnen sitzt, und du wirst darauf kommen, daß du ja das alles nicht im Erdenleben gelernt haben kannst, da dir keine Blume, keine Wolke, keine Quelle, nichts das sagt, da dir auch nicht Wissenschaft, die nur auf die Sinne und den Verstand baut, dir das jemals sagen kann; du wirst darauf kommen, daß du dir das mitgebracht hast ins Erdendasein, daß du vor dem Erdendasein Dinge mitgemacht hast, die wie durch eine kosmische Erinnerung zurücklassen in deiner Seele dasjenige, was durch den Geistesforscher angeregt wird. Es ist allerdings also ein Appell an das tiefste Innere der Menschenseele, der durch den Geistesforscher getan wird. Aber es ist nicht die Zumutung, man solle etwas Fremdes in sich aufnehmen, sondern lediglich der Appell, man solle sich erinnern an dasjenige, was gerade das tiefste Eigentum der Menschenseele selber ist.

So war es nicht bei den Menschen der älteren Zeit. Da mußten die Mysterienweisen, die Priester, anders vorgehen, denn die Menschen der älteren Zeiten hatten eine ihnen von selbst kommende Erinnerung an ihr vorirdisches Dasein. Vor einigen Jahrtausenden zweifelte auch der primitivste Mensch nicht daran, daß in seiner Seele etwas sitzt, was er sich aus einem übersinnlichen Leben in das sinnliche mit heruntergebracht hat, denn er erfuhr das jeden Tag in traumähnlichen Imaginationen. Er hatte etwas in seiner Seele, von dem er sich sagte: Das hat mir nicht das Auge gegeben, das den Baum anschaut, das hat mir nicht das Ohr gegeben, das die Nachtigall singen hört, das hat mir nicht irgendein anderer Sinn gegeben, sondern das ist da in meiner Seele. Das konnte ich in mich nicht aufnehmen, seit ich im Erdendasein bin, das war da, als ich herunterstieg zum Erdendasein, und als mir von einem anderen Menschenleib aus während meiner Embryonalzeit der physische Leib der Erde gegeben worden ist, da war schon dasjenige da in mir, was jetzt in mir in traumhaften Imaginationen aufleuchtet. Das habe ich umkleidet mit einem physischen Menschenleib.

Man hätte also in jenen älteren Zeiten dem Menschen nichts gesagt, wodurch er weitergekommen wäre in seiner Entwickelung, wenn man ihn aufmerksam auf dasjenige gemacht hätte, auf das man gerade den modernen Menschen zuallererst aufmerksam machen muß: daß er eine Erinnerung hat — eine unterbewußte Erinnerung zunächst, die aber durch Anregung ins Bewußtsein heraufgerufen werden kann - von einem vorirdischen Dasein. In den älteren Mysterien mußte vielmehr der Mensch auf ein ganz anderes aufmerksam gemacht werden.

In den älteren Zeiten, da hatte der Mensch, man möchte sagen, ein tiefes Weh gerade über das Schönste in der Sinneswelt. Er sah die Blume. Er sah sie in ihrer wunderbaren Schönheit aus dem Erdboden heraussprossen, die Blüte entfalten. Er sah ferner das Wohltätige, das für ihn die Blume hatte. Er nahm wahr die rieselnde Quelle mit all der Schönheit, die sie enthüllen kann, wenn man ihr entgegentritt inmitten eines Baumschattens. Er nahm wahr selbstverständlich durch seine Sinne das Erfrischende einer solchen Quelle. Aber dann, dann sagte er sich: Das alles ist ja wie abgefallen, wie sündhaft abgefallen von derjenigen Welt, die ich in mir trage, die ich hereingebracht habe ins physische Dasein, als ich herunterstieg aus geistigen Welten. Und die Mysterienlehrer hatten die Aufgabe, nun dem Menschen klarzumachen, daß auch in der Blume, daß auch in der rieselnden Quelle, daß auch in dem Rauschen des Waldes, im Nachtigallengesang und überall geistige Wesenheit wirkt und webt, daß auch da überall geistige Wesen zu finden seien. Sie hatten dem Menschen die große Wahrheit beizubringen: Dasjenige, was in dir lebt, lebt auch in der äußeren Natur. Denn der Mensch hat mit Weh, mit Leid gerade damals auf die äußere Welt hingesehen, in der Zeit, da er die frischesten, die empfänglichsten Sinne hatte für diese äußere Welt, in der Zeit, in der am wenigsten der Intellekt ihn über Naturgesetze aufgeklärt hat, sondern in der er mit primitiven Sinnen diese Außenwelt angesehen hat. Ihre Schönheit, ihre sprießende, sprossende Schönheit, sie drang in seine Augen, sie drang in seine Ohren, sie drang in die anderen Sinne; aber er konnte all das nicht anders als mit Weh empfinden. Gerade an der Schönheit empfand er das tiefste Weh, weil er es nicht vereinigen konnte mit dem, was als der Inhalt seines eigenen vorgeburtlichen Daseins in seiner Seele lebte. Und so hatten die Mysterienweisen die Aufgabe, zu zeigen, wie das Göttlich-Geistige in allem, auch in den Sinnesdingen wohnt. Gerade die Geistigkeit der Natur hatten die alten Weisen den Menschen klarzumachen.

Das aber konnten sie nur, wenn sie einen anderen Weg einschlugen, als man heute einschlägt. Ist es heute notwendig, die Menschen vor allen Dingen darauf hinzuweisen, daß sie sich erinnern ihres vorgeburtlichen Daseins, so war es für diese alten Mysterienlehrer notwendig, eine ganz andere Erinnerung hervorzurufen bei denjenigen Menschen, die sie um sich hatten.

Der Mensch vollbringt während seines irdischen Daseins sein Leben rhythmisch in zwei Zuständen, eigentlich in drei Zuständen: in Wachen, Träumen, Schlafen. Das Schlafen verläuft unbewußt. Einen solchen unbewußten Schlafzustand, obwohl er etwas anders war als der der heutigen Menschen, den hatten auch schon die Menschen älterer Epochen. Sie schliefen auch, verfielen auch in einen Zustand, in dem keine Erlebnisse in die Seele, in das Bewußtsein heraufkamen. Aber der Mensch lebt ja auch vom Einschlafen bis zum Aufwachen. Wir sterben ja nicht beim Einschlafen und werden nicht neu geboren beim Aufwachen, sondern wir haben ein Leben auch als Seele, als Geist vom Einschlafen bis zum Aufwachen. Und für das gewöhnliche alltägliche Bewußtsein ist dieses Erleben, dieses eigene Erleben zwischen dem Einschlafen und Aufwachen vollständig ausgelöscht. Der Mensch erinnert sich an dasjenige, was er wachend oder höchstens noch träumend erlebt; aber er erinnert sich im gewöhnlichen Bewußtsein nicht an das, was er zwischen dem Einschlafen und Aufwachen im traumlosen Schlaf erlebt. Daran erinnert er sich nicht. Die alten Mysterienlehrer behandelten ihre Schüler, und durch die Ideen, die sie in die Welt setzten, die ganze Menschheit, die zu ihnen kam, so, daß nun für diese älteren Zeiten der Menschheit - in bezug auf die Geschichte «ältere Zeiten» wachgerufen wurde dasjenige, was im Schlaf erlebt wurde.

Die neuere Initiations-Erkenntnis hat zu erinnern an dasjenige, was vor dem Erdendasein in der Menschenseele gelebt hat. Die Initiation der alten Zeiten hatte den Menschen in der InitiationsErkenntnis an dasjenige zu erinnern, was er im täglichen Schlafe erlebte. So daß von diesen alten Mysterienlehrern alle Erkenntnisse, die sie in Ideen kleideten, so angeordnet wurden, daß sich dann die Schüler oder diejenigen, die es hörten, sagen konnten: Die sagen uns ja nichts anderes, als was wir in jedem Schlafe durchmachen. Wir drücken es nur hinunter in das Unbewußte, aber wir machen es während jedes Schlafzustandes durch. Es ist ja gar nichts Unbekanntes, was uns da die Mysterienpriester vorsagen, sondern sie sind nur durch ihre Einweihung darauf gekommen, dasjenige zu schauen, was man für das gewöhnliche Bewußtsein während des Schlafes nicht schaut, was man eben durchlebt.

Ebenso war es das Wachrufen einer Erinnerung an etwas, was der Mensch durchlebt hat im Schlafe, in jener alten Initiationsweisheit, wie es heute das Wachrufen der Erinnerung an das vorirdische Dasein ist. Aber das ist eines der unterscheidenden Merkmale älterer Initiation und neuerer Initiation, daß eben durch die alte Initiation der Mensch erinnert wurde an dasjenige, was er sonst im alltäglichen Bewußtsein verschlief, das heißt woran er sich im Tagesbewußtsein nicht mehr erinnerte. Ins Tagesbewußtsein wurden von den alten Mysterienweisen die Nachterlebnisse heraufgeholt, und die wiesen den Menschen darauf hin: In der Nacht lebst du mit deiner Seele in der geistigen Welt, die in jeder Quelle lebt, in jeder Nachtigall, in jeder Blume lebt. In jeder Nacht gehst du in dasjenige hinein, das du nur anschaust, nur wahrnimmst durch deine Sinne während des Tages.

Und dann konnte der Mensch überzeugt sein, daß die Götter, die er in seinem wachen Träumen erlebte, auch in der Natur draußen vorhanden sind. So zeigte, indem er ihm den Inhalt des Schlafes zeigte, der alte Mysterienweise seinem Schüler, daß es draußen in der gegenwärtigen Natur göttlich-geistige Wesenheiten gibt, wie der neuere Geistesforscher die Aufgabe hat, dem Menschen zu zeigen, daß er, bevor er auf die Erde heruntergestiegen ist, in der geistigen Welt als geistiges Wesen unter geistigen Wesen lebte und sich hier auf dieser Erde in Begriffen, in Ideen erinnernd wieder erschaffen kann dasjenige, was er im vorirdischen Dasein erlebt hat.

In der heutigen Initiationswissenschaft lernt man die wirklichen Tatsachen kennen, die den Schlaf von dem Wachen unterscheiden, wenn man aufsteigt von der Imagination zu der Inspiration. Dasjenige, was der Mensch selber ist als Seele, als Geist vom Einschlafen bis zum Aufwachen, das wird ihm erst anschaulich für die wirkliche inspirierte Erkenntnis; wenn der Mensch aufsteigt zur imaginativen Erkenntnis, kommt er zu seinem Lebenstableau. Wenn er dieses Lebenstableau ausbildet im bloßen Wachen, im leeren Bewußtsein, in der kosmischen Stille, wie ich sie beschrieben habe, so tritt zunächst als Inspiration aus dem Kosmos in seine Seele herein das vorirdische Dasein. Dann aber tritt auch in der Inspiration die Wesenheit von ihm selbst auf, wie diese Wesenheit als geistige und seelische zwischen dem Einschlafen und Aufwachen ist.

Dasjenige, was im Schlaf unbewußt bleibt, das wird für die Inspiration bewußt. Man lernt hinschauen auf dasjenige, was man tut als Seele und Geist im schlafenden Zustande, und man wird dann gewahr: beim Einschlafen geht eigentlich das Geistig-Seelische aus dem physischen Leibe und aus dem Ätherleib heraus. Man läßt im Bette zurück den physischen Leib und den Äther- oder Bildekräfteleib, wie er in der Imagination erscheint, und wie ich ihn Ihnen beschrieben habe. Und dasjenige, was höhere Glieder der menschlichen Natur sind, was man nennen kann astralischen Leib - ich habe auch das schon angeführt - und die eigentliche Ich-Organisation, die gehen heraus aus dem physischen Leib und dem Ätherleib und gehen beim Aufwachen wiederum in diese beiden Leiber zurück. Jene Spaltung unseres Wesens, die wir durchmachen jedesmal beim rhythmischen Übergang vom Wachen zum Schlafen, die kann erst ihrer Tatsächlichkeit nach durch die Inspiration wirklich geschaut, erkannt werden. Und da nimmt man denn wahr, wie alles dasjenige, was wir uns aneignen im gewöhnlichen wachen Leben durch unser Denken, durch unsere Gedankenwelt, wie das wirklich im Bette zurückbleibt. Unsere Gedanken, die wir uns erarbeiten, unsere Gedanken, für die wir so gequält werden während unserer Schulzeit, all dasjenige, was wir uns als unsere Gescheitheit erworben haben für unsere irdische Intelligenz, das müssen wir bei dem physischen Leib mit dem Ätherleib jedesmal, wenn wir einschlafen, zurücklassen. Wir nehmen aus unserem physischen und unserem Ätherleib in die geistige Welt, in der wir schlafen, als Ich und astralischer Leib nur herüber etwas, was ganz anders ist als dasjenige, was wir erleben während des Wachzustandes. Wenn wir übergehen vom Wachen zum Schlafen, so erleben wir etwas, was wir aber nicht zum Bewußtsein bringen im gewöhnlichen Bewußtsein. Daher muß ich Ihnen, indem ich Ihnen von diesen Erlebnissen spreche, so sprechen, daß die Ideen Begriffe vorstellen, in die ich die Darstellungen dessen zu kleiden haben werde, was der Mensch zwar erlebt, aber nicht weiß für das gewöhnliche Bewußtsein, woran er sich in der im ersten Teil meines heutigen Vortrages angedeuteten Erinnerung aber auch wirklich innerhalb des gesunden Menschenverstandes besinnen kann. Dieses Nachdenken über die Dinge der Welt in den Schattenbildern der wirklich lebendigen Gedanken lassen wir zurück im Einschlafen und leben uns ein in eine Welt, in der wir eigentlich nicht in demselben Sinne denken wie hier in der irdischen Welt, sondern in der wir dasjenige, was ist, erleben, innerlich erleben. Der Mensch erlebt in der Tat während des Schlafens unbewußt das Licht. Über dasjenige, was das Licht tut, wie das Licht im Verhältnis zu den Dingen Schatten, Farben erscheinen läßt, über das denken wir nach, während wir im wachen Leben sind, und wir haben Gedanken über das Licht und die Wirkungen des Lichtes. Diese Gedanken lassen wir, wie gesagt, zurück. Aber in das webende, lebende Licht gehen wir im Schlafe selber hinein. Wir gießen uns aus in das webende, lebende Licht. Und so wie wir hier als Erdenmensch während des Tages, wenn wir unsern physischen Leib an uns tragen, auch mit unserer Seele und unserem Geiste durch die Luft gehen, wie wir über den Erdboden gehen, so treten wir zunächst als Schlafender in das webende, wellende Licht ein und werden selber zu einer Wesenheit, zu einer Substanz von webendem, lebendem Licht. Wir werden Licht im Licht.

Nur, wenn dann der Mensch inspiriert wird von dem, was er selber in jeder Nacht wird, wenn das also in ihm im wachenden Bewußtsein aufsteigt, dann weiß er zugleich: da lebst du während des Schlafes wie eine Lichtwolke selber in dem kosmischen Lichte. Aber das bedeutet nicht bloß als Lichtsubstanz im Lichte leben, sondern das bedeutet in den Kräften leben, die für das wache Leben Gedanken werden, in Gedanken erfaßt werden.

Das Licht, das man erlebt, ist überall von schaffenden Kräften durchzogen, von demjenigen durchzogen, was nun in den Pflanzen innerlich wirkt, was in den Tieren innerlich wirkt, was aber auch selbständig als geistige Welten vorhanden ist. Man erlebt nicht etwa das Licht so, wie man es hier in der physischen Welt erlebt, sondern das webende, lebende Licht ist eben - wenn ich mich uneigentlich so ausdrücken darf — der Körper von geistigem Weben und auch von einzelnen geistigen Wesenheiten.

Hier in der physischen Welt steht man als Mensch in seiner Haut eingeschlossen. Man sieht andere Menschen in ihre Haut eingeschlossen. Dort, während des Schlafzustandes, ist man Licht im Lichte, und andere Wesen sind Licht im Lichte. Aber man nimmt das Licht nicht mehr als Licht wahr, so wie man es gewöhnt worden ist hier auf der physischen Welt als Licht wahrzunehmen, sondern - wenn ich mich jetzt in Bildhaftigkeit ausdrücken darf wesenhafte Lichtwolke, die wir selber sind, nimmt wesenhafte Lichtwolke, die objektiv ist, wahr. Aber diese wesenhafte Lichtwolke, die objektiv ist, die ist ein anderer Mensch, oder ist irgendein Wesen, das die Pflanzenwelt belebt, oder ist ein Wesen, das überhaupt niemals in einem physischen Leib sich inkarniert, sondern immerfort in der geistigen Welt ist.

Das Licht wird also da nicht als irdisches Licht erlebt, sondern als lebendig wesende Geistigkeit. Und Sie wissen ja, man lebt als physischer Mensch hier auf der Erde noch in etwas anderem. Man lebt in der Wärme, die man physisch wahrnimmt. Der Mensch weiß, wenn es ihm warm ist, wenn es ihm kalt ist. Er heizt sich seine Zimmer, wenn es ihm kalt ist. Er weiß also, daß er auf sinnliche Art hier für das gewöhnliche Bewußtsein im Warmen oder Kalten lebt. Aber das, was er im Warmen oder Kalten erlebt, das fühlt er eben. Das ist das Fühlen, das Empfinden von Wärme und Kälte.

Geht man jetzt beim Einschlafen aus seinem physischen und seinem Ätherleib heraus, so lebt man, ebenso wie man als Licht im Lichte lebt, selber als Wärmesubstanz in der Wärmesubstanz des Kosmos. Man ist also nicht bloß Lichtwolke sozusagen, sondern man ist von Wärme durchwellte und durchwebte Lichtwolke, und dasjenige, was man wahrnimmt, trägt wiederum in sich die Wärme. Aber so, wie man in dieser Wesenhaftigkeit als Geistig-Seelisches im Schlafzustande nicht das Licht als Licht erlebt, sondern als lebendiges Geistiges, wie man sich selber als lebendiges Geistiges weiß und die anderen Wesenheiten als lebendige geistige Wesenheiten erlebt, wenn es einem bewußt wird durch die Inspiration, so ist auch dieses, was man da mit Bezug auf die Wärme durchmacht. Man kann nicht auskommen in der geistigen Welt, auch für die Inspiration nicht auskommen, wenn man etwa bloß die Vorstellungen mitbringen wollte, die man hier in der irdischen Welt sich erworben hat. Geradeso wie man sich eine andere Vorstellung über den kürzesten Weg zwischen zwei Punkten aneignen muß, so muß man sich eben für alle Dinge andere Inhalte der Seele aneignen. Und so wie man, indem man sich als Licht im Lichte erlebt, eigentlich als Geist in der Geisterwelt erlebt, so erlebt man sich, indem man sich als Wärme in der kosmischen Wärme erlebt, nicht in Wärme, wie man sie gewohnt ist, in der sinnlichen Welt anzusehen, sondern man erlebt sich in der Welt der webenden, kraftenden Liebe; als die Liebewesenheit, die man selber ist im Übersinnlichen, erlebt man sich unter Wesenheiten, die gar nicht anders sein können, als aus Liebe ihre eigene Essenz zu ziehen, die gar nicht anders sein können, als indem sie ihr Liebesdasein in einem allgemeinen kosmischen Liebesdasein haben. So erlebt man sich zunächst zwischen dem Einschlafen und dem Aufwachen in einem geistgesättigten Liebesdasein.

Deshalb müssen wir, wenn wir überhaupt in diese Welten hineinkommen wollen, worinnen wir ja selbst jeden Tag sind zwischen dem Einschlafen und Aufwachen, die Liebefähigkeit erhöhen, denn sonst bleibt uns diese Welt, die wir durchmachen zwischen dem Einschlafen und Aufwachen, natürlich eine fremde Welt. Hier in dieser Welt waltet ja nicht die vergeistigte Liebe, sondern eigentlich nur der von der Sinnlichkeit durchtränkte Triebzustand der Liebe. Die vergeistigte Liebe waltet aber in der geistigen Welt so, wie ich es eben jetzt geschildert habe. Und will man daher dazu kommen, dann auch drinnenzustehen in der Welt mit Bewußtsein, in der man ja eigentlich mit dem Erleben jede Nacht drinnensteht, so kann man das nur, wenn man zunächst die Liebefähigkeit in der Weise ausbildet, wie ich es gestern charakterisiert habe.

Nun, man kann ja zu sich selbst gar nicht kommen ohne Liebefähigkeit, denn es muß einem ewig verschlossen werden dasjenige, was man in einem dritten Teil seines Lebens, während des Schlafens, auch auf Erden in Wahrheit ist, wenn man es nicht erforschen könnte durch die Ausbildung, die Erhöhung der Liebefähigkeit. Dasjenige, was der Mensch vom Einschlafen bis zum Aufwachen erlebt, müßte ewig ein dunkles Rätsel für die Erdenwesen bleiben, wenn diese Erdenwesen nicht in der Liebefähigkeit vorrücken möchten, um auf diese Weise ihr eigenes Wesen, wie sie es in dem anderen Zustande zwischen dem Einschlafen und Aufwachen erleben, auch zur Erkenntnis zu bringen. Die Form aber der Gedankentätigkeit, die wir entwickeln, wenn wir unseren physischen und unseren Äther- oder Bildekräfteleib an uns tragen, also im wachenden Zustand, die lassen wir im Bette zurück; die kommt, während wir schlafen, in eine einheitliche Bewegung mit dem ganzen Kosmos hinein. Würde der Mensch sich wirklich aufklären können über dasjenige, was da nun im physischen und Ätherleib während der Nacht geschieht, so würde er wahrnehmen können von außen, wenn er als wärmendes Lichtwesen lebt, wie der Ätherleib die ganze Nacht fortdenkt.

Denken können wir, wenn wir mit unserer Seele gar nicht dabei sind, denn dasjenige, was wir im Bette liegen lassen, das treibt die Denkwellen immer weiter und weiter fort. Das denkt fort. Und wenn wir des Morgens aufwachen, dann tauchen wir unter in dasjenige, was im Bette liegen geblieben ist und fortgedacht hat. Wir treffen unsere eigenen Gedanken am Morgen wieder an. Die sind nicht abgestorben zwischen dem Einschlafen und Aufwachen. Wir sind nur nicht dabeigewesen. Und ich werde morgen zu schildern haben, wie man, wenn man nicht dabei ist, viel gescheiter sein kann, viel intelligenter, als man ist, wenn man während des Tagwachens mit seiner Seele bei den Gedanken ist. Dasjenige, was da während der Nacht gedacht wird, wenn man nicht dabei ist, ist oftmals viel gescheiter im Menschen als dasjenige, was er denkt vom Aufwachen bis zum Einschlafen, wenn er dabei ist mit seiner Seele.

Aber jedenfalls, heute wollte ich andeuten, daß da in dem Ätherleib und physischen Leib fortgedacht wird und daß, wenn wir des Morgens aufwachen und einen Traum verspüren, dieser Traum gewissermaßen andeutet: Deine Seele staut sich, wenn sie aufwacht und untertaucht in den Ätherleib und physischen Leib. Da ist der physische Leib; da der Ätherleib, der Bildekräfteleib; und da ist die astralische Organisation und die Ich-Organisation, das taucht am Morgen unter in den physischen Leib und Ätherleib. Aber beim Untertauchen geschieht etwas, wie wenn eine dichtere Welle, eine dichtere Woge in das Dünnere hineintaucht; es entsteht eine Stauung. Und diese Stauung, die da entsteht, wird erlebt als Morgentraum. Das Ich und der astralische Leib, die in der Nacht im Lichte und in der Wärme gewoben haben, die tauchen in die Gedanken hinein, verstehen die Gedanken nicht gleich, bringen sie durcheinander, und diese Stauung wird erlebt als der Morgentraum.

Nun, was das Träumen weiter ist, wie dieses Träumen eigentlich rätselhaft im ganzen Menschenleben drinnensteht, und wie das Verhältnis des Schlafens und Wachens weiter ist, das wollen wir dann morgen betrachten.

Fragenbeantwortung

Es wurden schriftliche Fragen eingereicht, deren Wortlaut sich aber nicht erhalten hat.

Zu der ersten Frage über das Wesen des Schlafes:

Meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden!

Vielleicht ist es doch angemessen, ein paar Worte über diese Fragen, die hier gestellt worden sind, zu sagen. Zunächst wundert sich ein Fragensteller darüber, wie wenig die Fachmedizin sich kümmert um die Vorgänge während des Schlafzustandes. — Ja, man braucht sich eigentlich darüber nicht zu verwundern, denn die gegenwärtige Naturwissenschaft ist ja zu ihrer Größe gerade nur dadurch gelangt, daß sie absieht von allem Geistigen, daß sie sich beschränkt auf alles dasjenige, was nicht geistig ist; aber man kann den Schlafzustand und alles, was mit ihm zusammenhängt, wirklich nicht studieren, ohne daß man den Gang findet von der physischen Welt in die geistige Welt. Deshalb ist es sehr erklärlich, daß heute in der Fachmedizin höchstens von den Grenzzuständen des Wachens und Schlafens gesprochen wird, aber nicht eigentlich über dasjenige, was von dem Schlafzustand in den Wachzustand hineinragt und umgekehrt. Gerade morgen werde ich innerhalb meines Vortrages über diese Bilder sprechen. Es ist immer besser, wenn diese Fragen im Zusammenhange besprochen werden.

Nun wird ja davon gesprochen, daß es Menschen gibt, die sich an gar nichts erinnern, was sie während des Schlafzustandes erlebt haben, daß es aber Menschen gibt, die sich an alles mögliche erinnern. Ja, da möchte ich wenigstens vorher die Frage stellen: Woher weiß man denn, ob dasjenige, was ein Mensch erzählt, wenn er wach geworden ist von seinem Schlafen, ob das, woran er sich erinnert, wirklich alles ist, was er erlebt hat im Schlaf? Woher weiß man denn, wann die Dinge stimmen, die er angibt? Natürlich, wenn die Dinge äußerlich prüfbar sein sollen, dann muß man den Grad seines Schlafes prüfen. Es kann durchaus sein, daß in den Schlaf zunächst manches vom Wachen hineintönt. Aber diese Dinge können nicht in einer leichten Weise genommen werden, sondern müssen exakt geprüft werden; so daß nicht von vornherein die allgemeine Ansicht eine Bedeutung haben kann, daß manche Menschen alles mögliche von ihrem Schlafe erzählen. Da ist alles sorgfältig zu prüfen, und ich werde selber noch einiges in den Vorträgen zu erzählen haben über dasjenige, was Menschen im Schlafe erleben. Und so werden Sie sehen, daß das, was mit der hier vorliegenden Frage wahrscheinlich gemeint ist, außerordentlich wenig von dem umfaßt, was der Mensch wirklich jede Nacht zwischen dem Einschlafen und Aufwachen erlebt, wenn er übergeht in eine ganz andere Welt und wenn er auch auf eine ganz andere Art erlebt. Das ist dasjenige, was berücksichtigt werden muß. Deshalb ist es schon gut, wenn man gerade bei dieser Frage vielleicht die nächsten Vorträge abwartet; da wird sich schon von selbst einiges modifizieren. Es ist also nicht so, daß ich nicht eingehen möchte auf diese Fragen, das ist gar nicht der Fall, sondern manche Dinge können erst in den Vorträgen beantwortet werden, und dann beantworten sie sich vollständiger und sachgemäßer, als man sie so außerhalb der Zeit beantworten kann. Also nicht Unfreundlichkeit ist es, wenn etwas aufgeschoben wird, sondern es ist wirklich ganz sachgemäß.

Zu der Frage über die Wirkung von Alkohol und ähnlichen Substanzen:

Nun will ich noch einen Augenblick auf etwas zurückkommen, was gewünscht wird: Physische Substanzen haben ja gewisse geistige Kräfte in sich. Daß etwas physische Substanz ist, das ist eigentlich nur der äußere Schein; physische Substanzen haben schon geistige Kräfte in sich. Nun sehen Sie, ich habe heute morgen gesagt: Im gewöhnlichen Schlaf sind Ich und astralischer Leib abgesondert vom ätherischen Leib und vom physischen Leib, die im Bette liegen, und ich habe gesagt, der Mensch denkt manchmal gescheiter, wenn er nicht dabei ist mit seinem Seelenleben, als wenn er dabei ist.

Nun haben manche physische Substanzen die Eigentümlichkeit, daß sie, ohne den Menschen in Schlaf zu bringen, das Ich und den astralischen Leib lockern. Diese Wirkung hat unter Umständen schon der gewöhnliche Alkohol. Wenn dann eine etwas irreguläre Verbindung zwischen dem ätherischen Leib und dem Sprachorgan oder dem Denkorgan doch noch vorhanden ist, dann kann der Mensch unter Umständen so sprechen oder schreiben, daß er mit seinem Ich oder astralischen Leib herausgelockert ist, und es schreibt dann dasjenige, was im ätherischen Leibe fortschwingt, und das kann durchaus etwas viel Bedeutenderes sein als das, was der Mensch spricht oder schreibt, wenn er mit Ich und astralischem Leib dabei ist. Man darf natürlich diese Dinge nicht bis zu praktischen Maßregeln treiben; man darf selbstverständlich nicht behaupten, daß jemand dadurch ein guter Dichter werden kann, wenn er in dieser oder jener Weise sich dem Opiumgenuß hingibt, aber auf der andern Seite sind diese Dinge durchaus der Realität entsprechend. Man kommt dabei in eigentlich recht gefährliche Kapitel des menschlichen Lebens hinein. Und für sehr viele Erscheinungen in der Welt hat man notwendig, wirklich notwendig, diese Zusammenhänge zu kennen. Man versteht manchen Menschen in seinen Leistungen gar nicht, wenn man nicht weiß, unter welchem Einflusse substantieller Art - rein äußerlich materiell - er etwas gestaltet hat. Es ist möglich zum Beispiel bei Nietzsche, ebenso wie bei Coleridge, in einigen ihrer Werke wenigstens, jede einzelne Art und Weise des Ausdrucks als das Fortschwingen des Ätherleibes in selbständiger Weise wirklich zu interpretieren.

Also wir müssen schon uns zugestehen: dieser Ätherleib in uns, der ist eine sehr, sehr gescheite Wesenheit. Und er ist eigentlich gehindert durch dasjenige, was wir im astralischen Leib und im Ich können im Wachzustande, seine Gescheitheiten immer zum Ausdrucke zu bringen. Man kann sich eigentlich gar nicht vorstellen, was für eine Summe von Gescheitheit vorhanden ist, wenn eine Anzahl von Menschen irgendwo versammelt sind! Nur sind immer die Ichs und die astralischen Leiber die Hinderer, diese Gescheitheit zur Oberfläche kommen zu lassen. Das ist ja dasjenige, was ich immer ausgedrückt habe auch in meinen Vorträgen: das Ich ist eigentlich das Baby im Menschen, es ist am allerunentwickeltsten.

Zu der Frage in Bezug auf Geruchwahrnehmungen:

Bezüglich der einzelnen Sinneswahrnehmungen, die man gewohnt ist in der physischen Welt zu haben, ist ja dieses zu sagen, daß in der Art, wie diese Sinneswahrnehmungen in der physischen Welt vorhanden sind, sie nicht etwa unmittelbar in der geistigen Welt gesucht werden dürfen. Gerade aus diesem Grunde habe ich mich, als ich über Farben gesprochen habe, sehr präzise auszudrücken versucht. Ich habe gesagt, daß das Erlebnis in der geistigen Welt darin besteht, daß man dasselbe erfährt bei einem geistigen Eindruck wie man das erfährt bei einer bestimmten Farbenwahrnehmung. Und ich sagte: Man hat, wenn man in der physischen Welt das Rot wahrnimmt, ein bestimmtes inneres Erlebnis, das Gefühl, daß einem irgend etwas Attackierendes entgegenkommt, während man zum Beispiel bei dem Blauen die Empfindung hat, daß man sich selber demütig hingeben müsse dem, was in der Farbe sich offenbart. Wenn man sich diese Erlebnisse klar macht, alles Attakkierende des Roten, das Demuterzeugende der blauen oder blauvioletten Farbe, dann kann man bei Wahrnehmungen in der geistigen Welt, wenn man dasselbe innere Erlebnis hat wie an dem Rot oder an dem Blau in der physischen Welt, davon sprechen, daß man in der geistigen Welt das dem Rot oder Blau Korrespondierende hat. In dem Augenblicke - und zwar gerade dann, wenn man zu der imaginativen Erkenntnis übergeht — verwächst man mit dem Gegenstand, und das ganze Erleben ist ein anderes als in der physischen Welt, so daß man gerade Farbwahrnehmungen der geistigen Welt gegenüber eben dieses Drinnenstehen in der Farbe hat; dadurch gewinnt das ganze Erlebnis einen anderen Charakter. Aber es ist trotzdem vollberechtigt, von Farbwahrnehmungen in der geistigen Welt zu sprechen, — vollberechtigt, daß man beim Auftreten von geistigen Wesenheiten oder Entitäten wirklich ein Rotes, ein Blaues, ein Grünes und so weiter erlebt. Das ist aus dem Grunde berechtigt, weil auch dann, wenn die Farben in der physischen Welt erscheinen, die Farben durchaus nicht dasjenige sind, als was sie heute zum Beispiel in der Physik angeschaut werden, sondern die Farben sind immer, wo sie erscheinen, physische Projektionen, Abschattierungen aus der geistigen, aus der astralischen Welt heraus. So daß, wenn man irgendwo -— sagen wir das Rot hat -, so hat man die im Physischen gegebene Abschattung, den physischen Schatten von einem Vorgang in der geistigen, in der astralischen Welt, der, wenn man ihn unmittelbar erlebt, eben einen attackierenden Eindruck auf das eigene Selbst macht.

Man kann nun das folgende sagen: Wird das Denken so innerlich lebendig, wie ich es in diesen Tagen dargestellt habe, dann gleicht es auf geistige Art einer Tastempfindung. So daß eigentlich das Wahrnehmen in der ätherischen Welt beginnt mit einer Art von geistiger Tastwahrnehmung. Und dann dringt man allmählich immer weiter, man differenziert diese Tastwahrnehmungen und kommt dazu, eben von Farben, auch von Tönen und so weiter sprechen zu können.

Nun ist gefragt über die Geruchswahrnehmungen. Da muß gesagt werden, daß die Geruchswahrnehmungen hier in der physischen Welt die verhältnismäßig am meisten vom Geistigen beeinflußten sind, so sonderbar das erscheint. Die Geruchswahrnehmung, wenn sie unmittelbar in der physischen Welt auftritt, ist eigentlich immer dadurch hervorgerufen, daß möglichst nahe an das Materielle ein Geistig-Astralisches herankommt. Und man kann daher sagen: Düfte sind die physischen Offenbarungen des Geistigen. Daher wird man finden, daß man für alle übrigen Sinnesempfindungen Korrespondierendes in der geistigen Welt findet, und man kann sprechen von einer geistigen Tastwahrnehmung, von einer geistigen Sehwahrnehmung, einer geistigen Tonwahrnehmung und so weiter, aber man kann sehr schwer sprechen von einer geistigen Geruchswahrnehmung, weil die Geruchswahrnehmung eigentlich sich ganz schon auslebt in der physischen Welt. Wenn der Geist - wenn ich mich so bildlich ausdrücken darf - am tiefsten heruntersteigt zu der physischen Welt, dann entsteht die Geruchswahrnehmung.

Etwas weniger tief herunter steigt der Geist bei der Geschmackswahrnehmung. Daher ist Geschmackswahrnehmung schon eine solche, daß man bei ihr von einem geistigen Korrelat sprechen kann. Man kann von etwas Korrelierendem der Geschmackswahrnehmung sprechen, eben weniger bei der Geruchswahrnehmung. Sehen Sie, man könnte jetzt das Kapitel fortsetzen, das ich gestern über die Sprache auszuführen begonnen habe, aber ich will nur eines herausheben: In der Sprache, wenn sie erlebt wird, in jeder Sprache lebt eigentlich ein wirkliches Geistiges, und man spricht nicht nur im bildlichen Sinne — oder man sollte wenigstens nicht nur im bildlichen Sinne von dem Genius der Sprache sprechen. Er ist wirklich ein Geistiges da! Und in der Sprache liegt mehr, als der einzelne Mensch oftmals versteht. Die Art und Weise, wie sich in der Sprache Laute, also Töne, Buchstaben und Worte, Silben verbinden, das hat eine eigene Geistigkeit, ist für sich beseelt, und wir wachsen hinein in diese Geistigkeit, in diese Beseelung. Und so finden sich in der Sprache wirklich Ausdrücke, Termini, welche eigentlich auf tiefere innere Zusammenhänge hindeuten. Und deshalb spricht man im Ästhetischen nicht umsonst vom Geschmack. Da sehen Sie schon, ich möchte sagen, für das gewöhnliche Bewußtsein die Geschmacksempfindung herüber ins Beseelte übersetzt. Aber man kann nicht in derselben Weise von einer Beseelung der Geruchsempfindung sprechen; die ist eigentlich mehr oder weniger in der physischen Welt fertig.

Höchstens unser ausgezeichneter, ernster und humoristischer deutscher Dichter Christian Morgenstern, der im Jahre 1914 gestorben ist, vorher längere Zeit unser Mitglied in der Anthroposophischen Gesellschaft war, der hat in einer humoristisch-phantastischen Weise den Geruch verwendet, um ihn heraufzuziehen in die geistige Welt. Und wie er manches andere, was nicht der Wirklichkeit entspricht, aber deshalb nicht minder sehr humoristisch, sehr spaßhaft ist, wie er manches andere in dieser Weise in seinen humoristischen Gedichten zum Ausdruck gebracht hat, so hat er auch ein humoristisches Gedicht verfaßt über eine Orgel, die man nicht hört, die nicht also durch Töne sich kundgibt, in Harmonien und so weiter sich ausspricht, sondern die durch verschiedene Löcher verschiedene Düfte, die in der verschiedensten Art duften, aus sich herausströmen läßt; wenn man dann die verschiedenen Tasten anschlägt, laufen immer aus den Löchern gewisse Düfte heraus, die dann einen Zusammenhang geben: Düfte-Harmonien, Düfte-Melodien und so weiter. Das ist die berühmte «Geruchsorgel» von Christian Morgenstern, von der er in humoristischer Weise spricht in diesem Gedichte.

Aber diese Sache ist eben durchaus spaßhaft, und man muß sagen, daß der Geruch für die physische Welt eigentlich etwas Abgeschlossenes ist. Der Geist ist da am weitesten heruntergestiegen, gibt sich in der physischen Welt kund, und das Geruchsmäßige, das Duftende, ist nicht in derselben Weise heraufzuheben, wie zum Beispiel schon der Geschmack, wie aber insbesondere dasjenige, was in den höheren Sinnen erscheint. Man tut daher ganz recht, und es entspricht das durchaus auch einer Wirklichkeit, daß man in der Literatur die bösen Geister, die so sehr gern in die physische Welt hereinkommen und da den Menschen alles mögliche antun, daß man diese duften läßt. Sie finden ja überall in der Literatur die betreffenden Andeutungen darüber, daß die bösen Geister gerade in bezug auf den Geruchsinn etwas aufdringlich sind. Das entspricht durchaus in dem Sinne der Wahrheit, daß der Geruch eigentlich in der physischen Welt etwas Abgeschlossenes ist. Etwas ist es schon der Fall, daß auch in den höheren Welten davon gesprochen werden kann, aber nicht sehr weit hinauf. Allein, wie gesagt, der Geruch ist etwas, das nur dadurch da ist, daß das Geistige bis ins Materielle hinuntersteigt, zerstäubt in kleinste Teile, so daß die Materie schon am meisten geistig ist im Dufte. Und deshalb hat man auch gerade in früherer Zeit, als man das noch mehr empfand, das Duften als eine geistige Äußerung empfunden. Das ist dasjenige, was man zunächst mit ein paar Worten über dieses Thema sagen kann.

Zur Frage betreffend «Weisersein im Schlafe»:

Ich möchte nicht über die hier angeführte Heilmethode sprechen, weil das auf ein Thema führt, über das ich nicht gern spreche. Solche Beurteilung von Zeitgenossen auf diesem oder jenem Gebiete, das liegt eigentlich nicht in meiner Gewohnheit, sondern ich möchte dasjenige mit ein paar Worten andeuten, was vielleicht ganz abgesehen von dieser speziellen Heilmethode - an der Frage interessieren kann.

Wenn wir den ätherischen Körper des Menschen nehmen, so ist dieser eigentlich der Träger der Gedanken. Zwar ist der ätherische Körper überhaupt der Träger der unmittelbar gegenwärtigen Gedanken, auch der Veranlasser, daß Gedanken in Erinnerungen übergehen und aus den Erinnerungen wiederum herausgeholt werden können; notwendig ist für den irdischen Menschen nur, daß dieser ätherische Körper in dem physischen Körper gewissermaßen drinnensteckt. Das ist aus dem Grunde notwendig, weil der Mensch als Erdenwesen gewissermaßen einen Widerstand braucht für dasjenige, was sich im ätherischen Körper abspielt. Gerade so, wie wir als Erdenmenschen in der Luft nicht gehen können, sondern einen Boden brauchen, auf dem wir gehen, der Boden aber gar nichts dazu tut, daß wir gehen, er gibt uns nur die Widerlage -, gerade so ist es mit dem, was im ätherischen Körper des Menschen vor sich geht. Das ganze Gedankenspiel, der ganze Gedankenablauf geht im ätherischen Körper vor sich; der Gedanke würde aber nicht lebendig im wachenden Menschen, wenn nicht eine Widerlage da wäre, wenn nicht jede Bewegung des lebendigen Denkens sich stoßen würde am physischen Körper. Der tut gar nichts, aber er gibt einen Widerstand. Dadurch werden dem Menschen im Wachbewußtsein die Gedanken, die sich im ätherischen Leib abspielen, bewußt.

Nun ist es wirklich so, daß, wenn der Mensch schläft, also im Bette liegen der physische und der Ätherleib und der Mensch abgeschlossen ist in seinem astralischen Leib und Ich vom physischen und ätherischen Körper, dann denkt der ätherische Körper weiter. Nun ist in der Tat der ätherische Körper in bezug auf sein Denken, also auf die Vorgänge, die sich in ihm abspielen, auf Rhythmus und Wiederholung angewiesen, und er bewahrt am besten dasjenige, was ihm durch Rhythmus und Wiederholung gegeben wird. Daher ist es im Grunde genommen ganz falsch, wenn wir orientalische Schriften, die viele Wiederholungen enthalten, nach unseren abendländischen Gewohnheiten so auslegen, daß wir die Wiederholungen weglassen und nur einmal den Inhalt geben. Für die Autoren dieser orientalischen Schriften kam es nicht bloß auf den Inhalt an, den der abendländische Schriftsteller für die Hauptsache ansieht, denn der Westländer ist europäischer Mensch, und wenn er etwas einmal gedacht hat, so hat er es gedacht und will es nicht wieder denken; höchstens betet er jeden Tag dasselbe Vaterunser, aber im ganzen ist er in bezug auf den Inhalt «europäischer» Mensch, er erlebt seine Tätigkeit nicht durch Rhythmisieren; dadurch sündigt der westländische Mensch jeden Tag gegen das, was eigentlich der ätherische Körper von ihm fordert. Der ätherische Körper will wiederholen, und in jenen Zeiten des alten Morgenlandes, wo man gut diese Gewohnheiten gekannt hat, hat man daher mit voller Bewußtheit immer diese Wiederholungen gepflegt, weil man wußte, was man tat. Ich weiß nicht, ob auch in England diese Sünde gemacht wird; aber wir haben im Deutschen Übersetzungen, die eigentlich in der unglaublichsten Weise die Sachen wiedergeben. Wenn die Buddha-Reden viele Wiederholungen haben, dann übersetzt der deutsche Übersetzer nur einmal. Aber darauf kommt es gar nicht an - auf den bloßen Inhalt der Buddha-Reden -, sondern es kommt darauf an, daß man diese Buddha-Reden in sich aufnimmt und tatsächlich jede Wiederholung ablaufen läßt — immer wieder und wiederum jede Wiederholung ablaufen läßt. Und wenn es noch so viele Wiederholungen sind, so ist auch die Zahl dieser Wiederholungen von Bedeutsamkeit. Diese Geheimnisse kannte man in jenen Zeiten. Und diejenigen, die Buddha-Reden in Prosa so übersetzen, zeigen damit schon an, daß sie von der ganzen morgenländischen Zivilisation und dem ganzen morgenländischen Geistesleben nicht das geringste verstehen.

Nun ist der ätherische Körper zugleich dasjenige, was eigentlich das heilende Prinzip im Menschen ist. Und wenn wir Arzneien bereiten, dann legen wir, wenn wir die Sache mit Verstand machen, es geradezu darauf an. Heute macht ja die Medizin all das, wie sie sagt, empirisch; da probiert man, wie dies oder jenes wirkt: Wenn etwa bei soundso viel Prozent es gewirkt hat, erklärt man es für ein Heilmittel; wenn der Prozentsatz gering ist, für keines und so weiter — auf die Zusammenhänge läßt man sich dabei nicht ein. Nun ist ja gewünscht worden, daß ich auch im Laufe dieses Sommerkursus einen Vortrag halte über Anthroposophie in der Heilkunde. Da werden ja solche Dinge dann zur Sprache kommen können. Aber wie gesagt, das eigentliche Heilen ist nicht nur in diesen Heilmitteln gelegen. Wenn wir mit voller Bewußtheit Heilmittel bereiten, so haben wir immer im Auge, an der betreffenden Körperstelle, wo die Heilung eingreifen soll, den ätherischen Leib zur besonderen Wirksamkeit zu bringen. Sagen wir, es habe jemand eine Leberkrankheit; würde man durch ein entsprechendes Heilmittel den ätherischen Leib der Leber zur besonderen Wirksamkeit bringen können, so würde das die Heilung bedeuten. Also, gerade auf diesem Prinzip, den ätherischen Körper zu Wirksamkeit zu bringen, beruhen ja heute die mit Recht vielfach angewendeten Staumethoden. Wenn man irgendwo eine Verletzung hat, an irgendeinem Fingerglied und so weiter, und man staut oberhalb der verletzten Stelle ab, so daß für die äußere physische Beobachtung ein sogenanntes «eingeschlafenes» Glied entsteht, dann wird dadurch in der allereinfachsten Weise der ätherische Leib wirksamer als er sonst ist, weil er aus dem Physischen herausgeschaltet wird, und da macht sich durch die einfache, mechanische Abschnürung der ätherische Leib auf die allereinfachste Weise geltend. Aber man kann schon auch sagen: Wenn man einen Menschen, besonders einen abendländischen Menschen, der das gar nicht gewohnt ist, es irgendwie sonst im Leben anzuwenden, in der richtigen Weise Dinge wiederholen läßt, die sich auf seine Gesundung beziehen, so gelangt der Ätherleib in einen gewissen Rhythmus hinein, er schaltet sich aber dann auch aus der physischen Gewohnheit aus, und es können Heilkräfte erwachen. Das kann durchaus der Fall sein. Nur muß man sich klar sein darüber, daß diese Dinge beim abendländischen Menschen gut wirken können, weil er eben gewöhnt ist, nicht im Rhythmus zu leben. Der orientalische Mensch, der mehr den Rhythmus gerade verwendet für sein Geistesleben, wie ich es angedeutet habe, der wird gegen diese Dinge immun und er muß dann andere Heilmethoden suchen. Dasjenige, was man als Heilmittel anwenden will, das muß etwas sein, das einem ungewohnt ist, das man selten oder gar nicht sonst zur Anwendung bringt. Daher ist es auch gut - nicht wenn es um eine akute Krankheit, aber wenn es sich um eine chronische Krankheit handelt -, daß man, wenn man in bestimmten Stoffen ein sehr gut wirkendes Heilmittel hat, den betreffenden Patienten diese Substanz während einiger Zeit nicht genießen läßt, also sie ihm abgewöhnt; dann kann man sie später, nachdem er sie eine Zeitlang nicht genossen hat, als Heilsubstanz verwenden. Diese Dinge hängen alle zusammen.

Hier sieht man am besten, wie das Materielle mit dem Spirituellen zusammenhängt, indem ein bloßes Wiederholen derselben Sache, die sich auf die Gesundung bezieht, Heilkräfte im ätherischen Leibe wachruft.

Natürlich muß man sich klar sein darüber, wie viel Dilettantismen auf diesem Gebiete getrieben werden in der Gegenwart. Und gerade aus diesem Grunde möchte ich über einzelne da und dort auftretende Heilmethoden nicht sprechen, sondern möchte nur hindeuten darauf, wie eine wirkliche Erkenntnis der Durchdringung des ganzen Menschen im physischen, ätherischen, astralischen Leib und im Ich erst eine vollständige Möglichkeit gibt, auch therapeutisch über den Menschen zu sprechen.

New and Old Initiation Science

An initially very justified objection with regard to the study of anthroposophy can be that what is anthroposophically researched in relation to the spiritual worlds is dependent on undergoing the kind of human development that I have described, which can only be drawn out of deeper-lying human powers of being before these facts of the higher worlds can be approached. So that anyone, one could say, who has not yet undergone such a development, who has not yet brought himself to experience the seeing of supersensible facts and supersensible beings, cannot check whether what is said by the investigator of these worlds corresponds to the truth. And indeed, when the content of the spiritual world is discussed in public, when information about it is given somewhere, the objection is very often raised: What are those who cannot yet see this supersensible world supposed to do with these ideas of a supersensible world?

This objection is based on a complete error. It assumes that one is speaking of something completely unknown to the person to whom one is speaking about the supersensible worlds. But this is not the case at all. But again there is a very significant difference with regard to the science of initiation in this direction between what is right in this field today and what was right in those ancient times of which I spoke yesterday in my lecture.

Remember how I described the path into the spiritual worlds. It leads, I said, to the fact that one first sees in a powerful life tableau that which is incorporated into one's own personality in terms of experiences in this life on earth. All at once one surveys what one has gone through in one's life on earth. Then I spoke of the fact that when one ascends from imaginative knowledge to inspired knowledge, one then comes through the empty consciousness, through the absolute inner stillness and peace, to survey the pre-earthly life, that one is thus introduced into that spiritual world of facts which man has gone through between the last death and his present descent to earth.

Now you have to consider that every human being has had these experiences before he descended to earth. There is no human being who has not had these experiences in full reality, of which the explorer of the spiritual world has to speak. And when the investigator of the spiritual world puts these initially unknown facts into words, he is not in reality appealing to something completely unknown to man, but he is appealing to that which every human being has gone through and experienced before his life on earth. And in reality it is nothing other than an evocation of cosmic memories to which the investigator of the spiritual worlds appeals.

Everything that the investigator of the spiritual worlds speaks of is in all of you, is in your souls. Only it has been forgotten during the transition from pre-earthly life to earthly life. And as an explorer of the spiritual worlds, you basically do nothing other than this: you remind people of something that they have forgotten.

Imagine for a moment that you approach a person for his mere earthly life. You have an exact memory of what you experienced with him twenty years ago. He, the other person, has completely forgotten that. Now you speak to him and can thereby evoke in his own memory what you yourself still clearly remember.

The same process, only translated into the higher, is the basis when I speak to you from higher worlds; the only difference is that what has been experienced in the pre-earthly existence has been forgotten much more thoroughly than what has been experienced in earthly life. But only because one has a feeling of aversion, an antipathy, to ask oneself quite intensely: Do you find something in your soul that can agree with what the investigator of the spiritual worlds says? - It is only because you have this feeling of antipathy that you do not penetrate deep enough into your soul when you listen to or read what the spiritual researcher says, so to speak. That's why you think he's talking about something that only he knows and you can't test it. One can test it quite well if one only avoids the prejudice that arises from the antipathy just characterized. For at first the spiritual researcher only recalls everything that has been experienced by every human being in the pre-earthly existence.

Now one could say: Why is one still specially induced during his life on earth to think about that what one experiences through the arrangement of the cosmos, one could also say through the counsel of the gods, in his extraterrestrial existence? And there are again people who say: Yes, why should I concern myself with such a knowledge of the supersensible worlds before my death? Because I can wait until I have died, then all of this will confront me, if it exists at all.

But this is based on a complete misjudgment of earthly life. The facts of which the spiritual researcher speaks have been experienced by every human being in the pre-earthly existence, but not the thoughts about them. And the thoughts about them can only be experienced in earthly existence. And only the thoughts about the supersensible world acquired in earthly existence can we carry through the gate of death, and only then do we understand the facts that we live through between death and a new birth.

If one wanted to describe drastically, one would like to say: Basically, the life of a human being in the present evolution of mankind is an extraordinarily difficult one if he does not acquire thoughts about the supersensible world within his earthly existence. When he has passed through the gate of death, he does not come to a real realization of that which surrounds him. It surrounds him, but he does not come to an understanding. The understanding of that which is experienced after death must be attained in earthly existence. We will then see in the further descriptions that this was different for mankind in earlier times. But in the present evolutionary moment of mankind it is just so that people will be more and more dependent on conquering here on earth the understanding of that which they experience between death and a new birth in the supersensible world. And so one can say that spiritual science is fully justified when it speaks to the public today, because anyone can test it, because if he puts himself deep enough into his own soul, he will gradually say to himself: What is being said by the spiritual researcher makes sense to me. It is as if I have experienced it once, as if I am now only being given thoughts about what I once experienced. And for this reason it is so necessary that when one speaks about spiritual science, about spiritual knowledge, one really chooses the language somewhat differently than one does in ordinary life. The point is that those who approach spiritual science get the impression from the way it is spoken that they are experiencing something that does not apply in the sensory world, something that is often nonsense in the sensory world. You see, the opponents then come and say: What is being said from spiritual knowledge is nonsense, a fantasy. - As long as you only know and want to know the sensory world, you are right with such a statement, because the supersensible world looks different from the sensory world. And only those who refrain from clinging to sensual prejudices and dig deeper into their own soul being will then say to themselves: What the spiritual researcher says is only a suggestion so that I myself can draw out of this soul what I already have in it.

Of course, there are many arguments against making such a confession. But it must be said that this self-confession is the most, the most necessary thing with regard to the understanding of the supersensible worlds. And you will see that even the most difficult things become comprehensible if you want to enter into your own self in this deep way.

Among these most difficult things are without doubt the mathematical truths. That which is recognized in mathematics is considered to be absolutely true. Now the peculiar thing is that even mathematics, geometry, ceases to be correct when one enters the spiritual worlds. Here it is a matter - I would like to make this clear with a very simple example - of getting to know the old Euclidean truth as an axiom, as it is called, as a matter of course, getting used to it from a young age. For example, it is taken for granted: If I have a point A and a point B, then the shortest path between these two points is a straight line. Every other path, every crooked path is longer.

A large part of our geometry is based on this realization, which is self-evident for the physical world. In the spiritual worlds it is the other way around. There, the straight line you take from A to B is the longest path. Every other path is shorter because every other path can be taken freely in the spiritual world. If one has the idea, when one is in A, that one should get to B, one can easily get there by this mere idea on any crooked path; but to keep to the straight path, that is, to keep to this single direction at every single point of the straight line, that is the most difficult, that slows down the most. That is why it takes the longest time if you want to measure a straight line in the spiritual world in two-dimensional or one-dimensional space.

A person who thinks a little about attention and, as I have often said now, digs deep into the soul to find out what attention actually means, comes to the conclusion that what the spiritual researcher says from his experience must also be correct in this respect. For he says to himself: "When I walk about at will, I easily measure my way - and this walking about need not merely refer to a real covering of distances, but to what one does daily; most people, after all, do things from morning till evening. They work in such a way that they are actually not very attentive, that they do more what is habitual, what they did yesterday, what people say you should do and so on. So the work goes quickly. But remember, if you have to be intensely attentive to what you are doing at every single point of your daily existence, try it once, you will see how much slower it comes about.

Now, in the spiritual world there is nothing at all without attention. There is no habit in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is no such word as “one”, you have to have lunch at this time, you have to dine at this time and so on. This “one”, one puts on these or those clothes on this occasion and so on, everything that plays such a big role under the word “one” in the physical world, especially in today's civilization, all this does not exist in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world, every little step, even something smaller than a step, must be followed with one's own attention. This is already expressed by the sentence: In the spiritual world, the straight line is the longest path between two points. This is the opposite: in the physical world, the straight line is the shortest path between two points. In the spiritual world, the straight line is the longest path between two points.

If you only go deep enough into the soul, you will become aware of how you can get a real understanding of these peculiarities out of the soul, and you will then come more and more to the self-confession: What the spiritual researcher says is actually all wisdom that sits within myself. I just need to be reminded of it.

Parallel to this, everyone can already today, because the steps for acquiring supersensible knowledge are also given in such writings as “How does one attain knowledge of the higher worlds?”, which is translated as “initiation”, and so on - everyone can also today, as far as his fate, his karma makes it possible, as we shall see, go this way and thus attain his own view of the spiritual world. In this way he will gain an understanding of the facts. The understanding of the ideas of the spiritual world, however, can certainly be attained through the self-knowledge indicated for what was forgotten at the beginning of life on earth.


It can be said that the knowledge of the spiritual world, when it is communicated in ideas, can be understood by everyone, that therefore only the unbiased, common sense, which only has to dig deep enough into the soul, is necessary to understand what the spiritual researcher brings forward. To investigate the spiritual facts, to enter into the spiritual world, i.e. to speak in an original way of the facts of the spiritual world, naturally involves going through the path of knowledge itself. Therefore it is justified to speak of the spiritual worlds, when they have become known through one or the other, in full publicity today; for that which man today acquires in life, only through his school knowledge, is that power of understanding, that power of discrimination, through which he can also penetrate to the understanding of that which spiritual science brings forward. But also in this respect it was different for a mankind of the older time than it is for the mankind of the present. Therefore the behavior of those who taught in the Mysteries, who practiced art and religion in the Mysteries, was different from that of the spiritual researcher today. Today he who speaks of spiritual knowledge to his environment must be quite careful to arrange his ideas in such a way that they stimulate real memories of the pre-earthly life. Today one must speak to the listening people in a certain way, or one must arrange what one writes for the reading people in such a way that it represents memories of the pre-natal life.

One would like to say: Every speech about spiritual-scientific things is such that one actually approaches the listener with the appeal: Listen to what is said, look deep enough into your soul and you will find that it is actually in your soul itself, and you will come to the conclusion that you cannot have learned all this in earthly life, since no flower, no cloud, no spring, nothing can tell you this, since not even science, which is based only on the senses and the intellect, can ever tell you this; You will come to the conclusion that you have brought this with you into your earthly existence, that you have experienced things before your earthly existence which, as if through a cosmic memory, leave behind in your soul that which is stimulated by the spiritual researcher. It is therefore an appeal to the deepest inner being of the human soul that is made by the spiritual researcher. But it is not the imposition that one should take something foreign into oneself, but merely the appeal that one should remember that which is precisely the deepest property of the human soul itself.

This was not the case with the people of earlier times. There the mystery sages, the priests, had to proceed differently, for the people of the older times had a memory of their pre-earthly existence that came to them of its own accord. A few millennia ago, even the most primitive man had no doubt that there was something in his soul which he had brought down with him from a supersensible life into the sensible, for he experienced it every day in dream-like imaginations. He had something in his soul of which he said to himself: "It was not given to me by the eye that looks at the tree, it was not given to me by the ear that hears the nightingale sing, it was not given to me by some other sense, but it is there in my soul. It was there when I descended to earthly existence, and when the physical body of the earth was given to me from another human body during my embryonic period, it was already there in me that which now lights up in me in dreamlike imaginations. I clothed this with a physical human body.

So in those older times nothing would have been said to man by which he would have progressed in his development if his attention had been drawn to that which must first of all be drawn to the attention of modern man: that he has a memory - a subconscious memory at first, but which can be called up into consciousness through stimulation - of a pre-earthly existence. In the older mysteries, man had to be made aware of something quite different.

In the older times, man had, one might say, a deep ache precisely over the most beautiful thing in the sensory world. He saw the flower. He saw it sprouting from the ground in its wonderful beauty, unfolding its blossom. He also saw the beneficence that the flower had for him. He perceived the trickling spring with all the beauty it can reveal when one encounters it in the shade of a tree. He naturally perceived through his senses the refreshing nature of such a spring. But then he said to himself: "All this has fallen away, sinfully fallen away from the world I carry within me, which I brought into physical existence when I descended from the spiritual worlds. And the Mystery Teachers had the task of making it clear to man that even in the flower, that even in the trickling spring, that even in the rustling of the forest, in the song of the nightingale and everywhere spiritual beings work and weave, that there too spiritual beings are to be found everywhere. They had to teach man the great truth: That which lives within you also lives in outer nature. For man looked at the outer world with sorrow, with suffering, precisely at the time when he had the freshest, the most receptive senses for this outer world, at the time when the intellect enlightened him least of all about the laws of nature, but when he looked at this outer world with primitive senses. Its beauty, its sprouting, sprouting beauty, it penetrated his eyes, it penetrated his ears, it penetrated the other senses; but he could not feel all this in any other way than with pain. It was precisely in beauty that he felt the deepest pain, because he could not unite it with what lived in his soul as the content of his own pre-natal existence. And so the Mystery Wise Men had the task of showing how the divine-spiritual dwells in everything, even in sensory things. It was precisely the spirituality of nature that the ancient sages had to make clear to people.

But they could only do this if they took a different path to the one we take today. If today it is necessary to point out to people above all that they should remember their pre-natal existence, it was necessary for these ancient mystery teachers to evoke a completely different memory in those people they had around them.

During his earthly existence, man rhythmically accomplishes his life in two states, actually in three states: waking, dreaming and sleeping. Sleeping takes place unconsciously. Such an unconscious state of sleep, although it was somewhat different from that of people today, was also experienced by people in older eras. They also slept and fell into a state in which no experiences entered the soul, the consciousness. But man also lives from the moment he falls asleep until he wakes up. We do not die when we fall asleep and are not reborn when we wake up, but we also have a life as a soul, as a spirit, from the time we fall asleep until we wake up. And for the ordinary everyday consciousness this experience, this own experience between falling asleep and waking up is completely extinguished. Man remembers what he experiences when he is awake or at most still dreaming; but he does not remember in ordinary consciousness what he experiences between falling asleep and waking up in dreamless sleep. He does not remember that. The ancient Mystery Teachers treated their pupils, and through the ideas they put into the world, the whole of humanity that came to them, in such a way that now for these older times of humanity - in relation to history “older times” - that which was experienced in sleep was awakened.

The newer initiatory knowledge has to remind us of that which lived in the human soul before the earthly existence. The initiation of ancient times had to remind man in the initiatory knowledge of that which he experienced in daily sleep. So that these ancient mystery teachers arranged all the insights they clothed in ideas in such a way that the disciples or those who heard them could then say to themselves: They tell us nothing other than what we go through in every sleep. We only push it down into the unconscious, but we go through it during every sleep state. It is nothing unknown what the mystery priests tell us, but they have only come to see through their initiation that which one does not see for the ordinary consciousness during sleep, that which one lives through.

In the same way it was the awakening of a memory of something that man had lived through in sleep, in that old initiatory wisdom, as it is today the awakening of the memory of the pre-earthly existence. But this is one of the distinguishing features of older initiation and newer initiation, that precisely through the old initiation man was reminded of that which he otherwise slept through in everyday consciousness, that is, what he no longer remembered in daytime consciousness. The night experiences were brought up into daytime consciousness by the old mystery sages, and they pointed this out to man: In the night you live with your soul in the spiritual world, which lives in every spring, in every nightingale, in every flower. In every night you enter into that which you only look at, only perceive through your senses during the day.

And then man could be convinced that the gods he experienced in his waking dreams were also present in nature outside. Thus, by showing him the content of sleep, the old mystery sage showed his pupil that there are divine-spiritual beings outside in the present nature, just as the newer spiritual researcher has the task of showing man that, before he descended to earth, he lived in the spiritual world as a spiritual being among spiritual beings and can recreate here on this earth in concepts, in ideas, remembering what he experienced in his pre-earthly existence.

In today's initiation science one learns the real facts that distinguish sleep from waking when one ascends from imagination to inspiration. That which man himself is as soul, as spirit, from falling asleep to waking, only becomes clear to him for real inspired knowledge; when man ascends to imaginative knowledge, he comes to his life tableau. When he forms this tableau of life in mere waking, in empty consciousness, in the cosmic stillness as I have described it, the pre-earthly existence first enters his soul as inspiration from the cosmos. But then the essence of himself also appears in the inspiration, as this essence is as spiritual and mental between falling asleep and waking up.

That which remains unconscious in sleep becomes conscious in inspiration. One learns to look at that which one does as soul and spirit in the sleeping state, and one then becomes aware that when one falls asleep the spiritual-soul actually leaves the physical body and the etheric body. One leaves behind in bed the physical body and the etheric or visual body as it appears in the imagination and as I have described it to you. And what are the higher members of human nature, what can be called the astral body - I have already mentioned this too - and the actual ego organization, these leave the physical body and the etheric body and return to these two bodies when we wake up. That division of our being, which we go through each time during the rhythmic transition from waking to sleeping, can only really be seen and recognized in its actuality through inspiration. And then one realizes how everything that we acquire in ordinary waking life through our thinking, through our world of thoughts, is really left behind in bed. Our thoughts that we acquire, our thoughts for which we are so tormented during our school days, all that which we have acquired as our cleverness for our earthly intelligence, we have to leave behind in the physical body with the etheric body every time we fall asleep. We only take something from our physical and etheric bodies into the spiritual world, in which we sleep, as ego and astral body, which is quite different from what we experience during the waking state. When we pass from waking to sleeping, we experience something that we do not bring to consciousness in ordinary consciousness. Therefore, in speaking to you of these experiences, I must speak in such a way that the ideas present concepts into which I shall have to clothe the representations of what man experiences but does not know for ordinary consciousness, but which he can really recall within common sense in the memory indicated in the first part of my lecture today. We leave behind this thinking about the things of the world in the shadow pictures of really living thoughts when we fall asleep and settle into a world in which we do not actually think in the same sense as here in the earthly world, but in which we experience, inwardly experience, that which is. Man does indeed experience light unconsciously during sleep. We think about what light does, how light makes shadows and colors appear in relation to things, while we are awake, and we have thoughts about light and the effects of light. As I said, we leave these thoughts behind. But we enter into the weaving, living light ourselves in sleep. We pour ourselves into the weaving, living light. And just as we here on earth during the day, when we carry our physical body with us, also walk through the air with our soul and our spirit, as we walk over the ground, so we first enter the weaving, waving light as a sleeping person and become an entity ourselves, a substance of weaving, living light. We become light in the light.

Only when man is then inspired by what he himself becomes every night, when this rises in him in waking consciousness, then he knows at the same time: during sleep you yourself live like a cloud of light in the cosmic light. But this does not merely mean living as a light substance in the light, but it means living in the forces that become thoughts for the waking life, that are grasped in thoughts.

The light that one experiences is permeated everywhere by creative forces, by that which now works inwardly in the plants, which works inwardly in the animals, but which also exists independently as spiritual worlds. One does not experience the light as one experiences it here in the physical world, but the weaving, living light is precisely - if I may express myself improperly - the body of spiritual weaving and also of individual spiritual entities.

Here in the physical world you stand as a human being enclosed in your skin. You see other people enclosed in their skin. There, during the state of sleep, you are light in the light, and other beings are light in the light. But you no longer perceive the light as light, as you have become accustomed to perceiving it as light here in the physical world, but - if I may now express myself figuratively - you perceive the essential cloud of light that we ourselves are, the essential cloud of light that is objective. However, this cloud of essential light, which is objective, is another human being, or is some being that animates the plant world, or is a being that never incarnates in a physical body at all, but is always in the spiritual world.

The light is therefore not experienced as earthly light but as living spirituality. And as you know, as a physical human being here on earth you live in something else. We live in the warmth that we perceive physically. People know when they are warm and when they are cold. He heats his rooms when he is cold. So he knows that in a sensory way he lives here for the ordinary consciousness in the warm or cold. But what he experiences in the warm or cold is what he feels. That is the feeling, the sensation of warmth and cold.

When you go to sleep and leave your physical and etheric body, you live, just as you live as light in the light, as heat substance in the heat substance of the cosmos. So you are not merely a cloud of light, so to speak, but a cloud of light that is permeated and interwoven with warmth, and that which you perceive in turn carries warmth within it. But just as one does not experience light as light in this beingness as spiritual-soul in the state of sleep, but as a living spiritual being, just as one knows oneself as a living spiritual being and experiences the other beings as living spiritual beings when one becomes aware of it through inspiration, so too is this what one goes through with regard to warmth. One cannot get along in the spiritual world, nor can one get along for inspiration, if one merely wanted to bring along the ideas that one has acquired here in the earthly world. Just as one must acquire a different idea about the shortest way between two points, so one must acquire different contents of the soul for all things. And just as, by experiencing oneself as light in the light, one actually experiences oneself as spirit in the spirit world, so, by experiencing oneself as warmth in the cosmic warmth, one does not experience oneself in warmth as one is used to seeing it in the sensual world, but one experiences oneself in the world of weaving, powerful love; As the being of love, which one is oneself in the supersensible, one experiences oneself among beings that cannot be anything other than drawing their own essence from love, that cannot be anything other than having their being of love in a general cosmic being of love. This is how one initially experiences oneself between falling asleep and waking up in a spirit-saturated love existence.

Therefore, if we want to enter these worlds at all, in which we ourselves are every day between falling asleep and waking up, we must increase our ability to love, for otherwise this world, which we go through between falling asleep and waking up, will naturally remain a foreign world to us. Here in this world it is not spiritualized love that reigns, but actually only the instinctual state of love that is saturated with sensuality. But spiritualized love rules in the spiritual world in the way I have just described. And if one therefore wants to come to stand in the world with consciousness, in which one actually stands with the experience every night, then one can only do this if one first develops the ability to love in the way I characterized it yesterday.

Now, one cannot come to oneself without the ability to love, because that which one is in truth in a third part of one's life, during sleep, also on earth, must be eternally closed to one if one could not explore it through the training, the increase of the ability to love. That which the human being experiences from falling asleep to waking up would have to remain a dark riddle for the earth beings forever if these earth beings did not want to advance in the ability to love in order to bring their own being, as they experience it in the other state between falling asleep and waking up, to realization in this way. But the form of thought activity that we develop when we carry our physical and our etheric or formative bodies with us, i.e. in the waking state, we leave behind in bed; while we sleep, it enters into a unified movement with the whole cosmos. If man could really enlighten himself about what happens in the physical and etheric body during the night, he would be able to perceive from the outside, when he lives as a warming being of light, how the etheric body continues to think throughout the night.

We can think when we are not even present with our soul, for that which we leave lying in bed drives the waves of thought on and on. It continues to think. And when we wake up in the morning, we immerse ourselves in that which has remained in bed and has continued to think. We encounter our own thoughts again in the morning. They have not died between falling asleep and waking up. We just weren't there. And tomorrow I will have to describe how one can be much more intelligent when one is not there, much more intelligent than one is when one's soul is with one's thoughts during the day's waking hours. That which is thought during the night, when one is not present, is often much more intelligent in man than that which he thinks from waking to falling asleep, when he is present with his soul.

But in any case, today I wanted to suggest that we continue to think in the etheric body and physical body and that when we wake up in the morning and feel a dream, this dream indicates, so to speak: Your soul accumulates when it wakes up and immerses itself in the etheric body and physical body. There is the physical body; there is the etheric body, the body of formative forces; and there is the astral organization and the ego organization, which submerges into the physical body and etheric body in the morning. But when it submerges something happens, like when a denser wave, a denser surge dives into the thinner one; a congestion arises. And this congestion that arises is experienced as a morning dream. The ego and the astral body, which have woven in the light and warmth during the night, dive into the thoughts, do not understand the thoughts immediately, confuse them, and this congestion is experienced as the morning dream.

Now, what dreaming is further, how this dreaming actually stands mysteriously within the whole of human life, and how the relationship of sleeping and waking is further, that we will then consider tomorrow.

Response to questions

Written questions were submitted, but the wording has not been preserved

On the first question about the nature of sleep:

My dear audience!

Perhaps it is appropriate to say a few words about the questions that have been asked here. First of all, one of the questioners is surprised at how little specialist medicine cares about what happens during sleep. - Yes, one need not really be surprised at this, for the present science of nature has only attained its greatness by refraining from all that is spiritual, by confining itself to all that is not spiritual; but one really cannot study the state of sleep and all that is connected with it without finding the passage from the physical world into the spiritual world. That is why it is very understandable that today, in specialized medicine, at most the borderline states of waking and sleeping are spoken of, but not actually that which extends from the sleeping state into the waking state and vice versa. I will be talking about these images in my lecture tomorrow. It is always better if these questions are discussed in context.

Now it is said that there are people who do not remember anything at all that they experienced during the sleep state, but that there are people who remember all kinds of things. Yes, I would at least like to ask the question first: How do we know whether what a person tells us when he wakes up from his sleep, whether what he remembers is really everything he experienced in his sleep? How do you know when the things he says are true? Of course, if things are to be externally verifiable, then you have to check the degree of his sleep. It may well be that at first some things from waking are heard in sleep. But these things cannot be taken lightly, but must be examined exactly; so that the general opinion that some people tell all sorts of things about their sleep cannot have any meaning from the outset. Everything has to be examined carefully, and I will have a lot to say in the lectures about what people experience in their sleep. And so you will see that what is probably meant by the question at hand here covers extraordinarily little of what man really experiences every night between falling asleep and waking up, when he passes over into a completely different world and when he also experiences in a completely different way. That is what must be taken into account. That's why it's a good idea to wait for the next lectures on this question; some things will change of their own accord. So it is not that I do not want to respond to these questions, that is not the case at all, but some things can only be answered in the lectures, and then they will be answered more completely and more appropriately than they can be answered outside of time. So it is not unfriendliness if something is postponed, but it is really quite appropriate.

On the question about the effects of alcohol and similar substances:

Now I want to come back for a moment to something that is wanted: Physical substances have certain spiritual powers in them. The fact that something is a physical substance is really only an outward appearance; physical substances already have spiritual powers within them. Now you see, I said this morning: In ordinary sleep, I and the astral body are separated from the etheric body and the physical body, which lie in bed, and I said that man sometimes thinks more cleverly when he is not present with his soul life than when he is present.

Now some physical substances have the peculiarity that they loosen the ego and the astral body without putting the person to sleep. Even ordinary alcohol has this effect under certain circumstances. If then a somewhat irregular connection between the etheric body and the organ of speech or the organ of thought is still present, then under certain circumstances the human being can speak or write in such a way that he is loosened with his ego or astral body, and then that which resonates in the etheric body writes, and this can certainly be something much more significant than what the human being speaks or writes when he is present with ego and astral body. One must not, of course, carry these things to practical measures; one must not, of course, claim that someone can become a good poet by indulging in opium in this or that way, but on the other hand these things are quite in accordance with reality. In this way one enters into quite dangerous chapters of human life. And for very many phenomena in the world it is necessary, really necessary, to know these connections. You cannot understand the achievements of some people if you do not know under what influence of a substantial kind - purely external material - they have created something. It is possible, for example, with Nietzsche, as well as with Coleridge, in some of their works at least, to really interpret each individual manner of expression as the progress of the etheric body in an independent way.

So we must admit to ourselves: this etheric body within us is a very, very clever entity. And it is actually prevented by what we can do in the astral body and in the ego in the waking state from always expressing its cleverness. It is actually impossible to imagine what a sum of intelligence is present when a number of people are gathered somewhere! Only the egos and the astral bodies are always the obstacles to this cleverness coming to the surface. That is what I have always expressed in my lectures: the ego is actually the baby in the human being, it is the most undeveloped.

On the question relating to olfactory perceptions:

With regard to the individual sensory perceptions that one is accustomed to having in the physical world, it must be said that in the way these sensory perceptions are present in the physical world, they must not be sought directly in the spiritual world. It is precisely for this reason that I tried to express myself very precisely when I spoke about colors. I said that the experience in the spiritual world consists in the fact that one experiences the same thing with a spiritual impression as one experiences with a certain perception of color. And I said that when one perceives red in the physical world, one has a certain inner experience, the feeling that something attacking is coming towards one, whereas with blue, for example, one has the feeling that one must humbly surrender oneself to what is revealed in the color. If one makes these experiences clear to oneself, all the attacking qualities of the red, the humbling qualities of the blue or blue-violet color, then one can speak of having the same inner experience of perceptions in the spiritual world as one has of the red or blue in the physical world, that one has in the spiritual world what corresponds to the red or blue. At that moment - and indeed precisely when one passes over to imaginative cognition - one becomes one with the object, and the whole experience is different from that in the physical world, so that one has precisely this being inside the color in relation to color perceptions of the spiritual world; thereby the whole experience acquires a different character. But it is nevertheless fully justified to speak of color perceptions in the spiritual world - fully justified that one really experiences a red, a blue, a green and so on when spiritual beings or entities appear. This is justified for the reason that even when the colors appear in the physical world, the colors are not at all what they are regarded as today in physics, for example, but the colors are always, where they appear, physical projections, shadings out of the spiritual, out of the astral world. So that if you have somewhere - let us say the red - you have the shadow given in the physical, the physical shadow of a process in the spiritual, in the astral world, which, if you experience it directly, makes an attacking impression on your own self.

The following can now be said: If thinking becomes so inwardly alive as I have described it in these days, then it resembles a tactile sensation in a spiritual way. So that actually perception in the etheric world begins with a kind of spiritual tactile perception. And then one gradually penetrates further and further, one differentiates these tactile perceptions and comes to be able to speak of colors, also of sounds and so on.

Now we need to talk about olfactory perceptions. It must be said that the olfactory perceptions here in the physical world are relatively the most influenced by the spiritual, strange as that may seem. The perception of smell, when it occurs directly in the physical world, is actually always caused by a spiritual-astral element coming as close as possible to the material. And one can therefore say that scents are the physical revelations of the spiritual. Therefore one will find that for all other sensory perceptions one finds corresponding things in the spiritual world, and one can speak of a spiritual perception of touch, of a spiritual perception of sight, of a spiritual perception of sound and so on, but it is very difficult to speak of a spiritual perception of smell, because the perception of smell actually already lives itself out completely in the physical world. When the spirit - if I may express myself figuratively - descends deepest into the physical world, that is when the perception of smell arises.

The mind descends a little less deeply when it perceives taste. Therefore, the perception of taste is already such that one can speak of a spiritual correlate. One can speak of something correlative in the perception of taste, but less so in the perception of smell. You see, one could now continue the chapter I began yesterday on language, but I only want to emphasize one thing: In language, when it is experienced, in every language there is actually a real spiritual being, and one does not speak of the genius of language only in a figurative sense - or at least one should not speak of it only in a figurative sense. There really is a spiritual being there! And there is more to language than the individual often understands. The way in which sounds, i.e. tones, letters and words, syllables are combined in language has a spirituality of its own, is animated in itself, and we grow into this spirituality, into this animation. And so there really are expressions, terms in language that actually point to deeper inner connections. And that's why we don't talk about taste in aesthetics for nothing. There you can already see, I would like to say, for the ordinary consciousness, the sensation of taste translated into the spiritual. But one cannot speak in the same way of an ensouling of the olfactory sensation; it is actually more or less finished in the physical world.

At most, our excellent, serious and humorous German poet Christian Morgenstern, who died in 1914 and who had previously been a member of the Anthroposophical Society for a long time, used smell in a humorous and fantastic way to draw it up into the spiritual world. And just as he expressed many other things that do not correspond to reality, but are therefore no less humorous, very amusing, just as he expressed many other things in this way in his humorous poems, he also wrote a humorous poem about an organ that you cannot hear, that does not make itself known through sounds, expresses itself in harmonies and so on, but that lets different fragrances flow out of itself through different holes, which smell in different ways; When the various keys are struck, certain fragrances always flow out of the holes, which then create a context: Fragrance harmonies, fragrance melodies and so on. This is Christian Morgenstern's famous “olfactory organ”, which he talks about in a humorous way in this poem.

But this thing is quite amusing, and it must be said that smell is actually something closed to the physical world. The spirit has descended furthest there, makes itself known in the physical world, and the olfactory, the fragrant, cannot be raised in the same way as, for example, taste, but especially as that which appears in the higher senses. It is therefore quite right, and it is quite in keeping with reality, that in literature the evil spirits, who are so fond of entering the physical world and doing all sorts of things to people there, should be made to smell. You will find allusions everywhere in literature to the fact that the evil spirits are somewhat intrusive precisely with regard to the sense of smell. This is quite true in the sense that smell is actually something separate from the physical world. It is somewhat the case that it can also be spoken of in the higher worlds, but not very far up. But, as I said, smell is something that is only there because the spiritual descends into the material, atomized into the smallest parts, so that matter is already most spiritual in smell. And that is why in earlier times, when this was felt even more, fragrance was perceived as a spiritual manifestation. That is what we can say about this subject in a few words.

On the question concerning “being wise in sleep”:

I don't want to talk about the healing method mentioned here, because that leads onto a subject I don't like to talk about. Such judgment of contemporaries in this or that field is not really in my habit, but I would like to suggest in a few words what may be of interest in the question, quite apart from this particular healing method.

If we take the etheric body of the human being, it is actually the carrier of thoughts. It is true that the etheric body is the carrier of the immediately present thoughts in general, and also the cause that thoughts can pass over into memories and be retrieved from the memories again; it is only necessary for the earthly human being that this etheric body is, as it were, stuck inside the physical body. This is necessary for the reason that man as an earthly being needs a kind of resistance for that which takes place in the etheric body. Just as we as earth beings cannot walk in the air, but need a ground on which we walk, but the ground does nothing at all to make us walk, it only gives us the resistance - so it is with what goes on in the etheric body of man. The whole play of thought, the whole course of thought takes place in the etheric body; but the thought would not come alive in the waking man if there were not a resistance, if every movement of living thought did not come up against the physical body. It does nothing, but it gives resistance. This makes the person in waking consciousness aware of the thoughts that take place in the etheric body.

Now it is really the case that when a person is asleep, that is, when the physical and etheric bodies are lying in bed and the person is closed off in his astral body and I from the physical and etheric bodies, then the etheric body continues to think. Now the etheric body is in fact dependent on rhythm and repetition for its thinking, that is, for the processes that take place in it, and it best preserves that which is given to it through rhythm and repetition. Therefore, it is basically quite wrong if we interpret oriental writings, which contain many repetitions, according to our occidental habits in such a way that we omit the repetitions and only give the content once. For the authors of these Oriental writings it was not merely the content that mattered, which the Occidental writer regards as the main thing, for the Westerner is a European man, and when he has thought something once, he has thought it and does not want to think it again; at most he prays the same Lord's Prayer every day, but on the whole he is a “European” man in regard to content, he does not experience his activity by rhythmizing; thus the Western man sins every day against what the etheric body actually demands of him. The etheric body wants to repeat, and in those times of the ancient East, where these habits were well known, these repetitions were therefore always cultivated with full consciousness, because one knew what one was doing. I don't know whether this sin is also committed in England, but we have translations in German which actually reproduce things in the most incredible way. If the Buddha discourses have many repetitions, then the German translator only translates once. But that's not what matters - the mere content of the Buddha discourses - but what matters is that you absorb these Buddha discourses and actually let every repetition run its course - again and again and again every repetition runs its course. And no matter how many repetitions there are, the number of these repetitions is also significant. These secrets were known in those times. And those who translate Buddha discourses into prose in this way already show that they do not understand the slightest thing about the whole of Oriental civilization and the whole of Oriental spiritual life.

Now the etheric body is at the same time that which is actually the healing principle in man. And when we prepare remedies, if we do it wisely, we are really aiming for this. Today, medicine does everything empirically, as it says; you try out how this or that works: If it works in such-and-such a percentage, it is declared to be a cure; if the percentage is low, it is declared not to be a cure, and so on - the correlations are not taken into account. Now it has been requested that I also give a lecture on anthroposophy in medicine during this summer course. Such things will then be discussed. But as I said, the actual healing is not only in these remedies. When we prepare remedies with full awareness, we always have in mind to bring the etheric body to particular effectiveness at the body part in question where the healing is to intervene. Let us say someone has a liver disease; if we could bring the etheric body of the liver to special effectiveness through a corresponding remedy, this would mean healing. So, it is precisely on this principle of bringing the etheric body to effectiveness that the stasis methods often used today are rightly based. If you have an injury somewhere, on some phalanx and so on, and you dam up above the injured area, so that for external physical observation a so-called “asleep” limb is created, then in the simplest way the etheric body becomes more effective than it would otherwise be, because it is switched out of the physical, and through the simple, mechanical constriction the etheric body asserts itself in the simplest way. But one can also say that if a person, especially an occidental person who is not used to using it in any other way in life, is allowed to repeat things in the right way that relate to his recovery, the etheric body enters into a certain rhythm, but it then also switches itself out of the physical habit, and healing powers can awaken. This can certainly be the case. But one must be clear about the fact that these things can work well with occidental man because he is not used to living in rhythm. The oriental man, who uses rhythm more for his spiritual life, as I have indicated, becomes immune to these things and must then seek other healing methods. What you want to use as a remedy must be something that is unfamiliar to you, that you rarely or never use. Therefore it is also good - not if it is an acute illness, but if it is a chronic illness - that if you have a very effective remedy in certain substances, you do not let the patient concerned enjoy this substance for some time, i.e. you wean him off it; then you can use it later, after he has not enjoyed it for a while, as a healing substance. These things are all connected.

Here you can see best how the material is connected with the spiritual, in that a mere repetition of the same thing, which relates to recovery, awakens healing powers in the etheric body.

Of course, one must be aware of how much dilettantism is being practiced in this field today. And it is precisely for this reason that I do not want to talk about individual healing methods that occur here and there, but would only like to point out how a real realization of the penetration of the whole human being in the physical, etheric, astral body and in the ego only gives a complete possibility to speak therapeutically about the human being.