Learning to See in the Spiritual World
GA 350
30 June 1923, Dornach
II. The Uses of What Seems Boring: The Spiritual World as the Inverse of the Physical
[ 1 ] We will now continue to answer the questions we took up last time. You must be quite clear that the answers to these questions are among the most difficult. I will try to make them as easy as possible. I have already mentioned that, to find a way to spiritual vision, first one must become accustomed to completely independent thinking. Second, one must have the ability to think backward. You must therefore attempt to think backward those things that normally occur in daily life in a 1, 2, 3, sequence. For instance, as I told you last time, when I give a lecture, you should try to think it through backward, from the end to the beginning. These two aspects constitute the absolute first steps.
[ 2 ] In connection with the second question I want to explain something else. As you know, a human being can live only within a specific temperature range. When it becomes very hot in the summer, one sweats but can still tolerate it. However, were it to become progressively hotter, a point would be reached when one would no longer be able to live. Similarly, a human being can tolerate a given degree of cold, and if it gets colder than that, one freezes.
The fact is that one cannot see spiritual beings between the two extremes within which the human body lives: i.e., between the cold at which one freezes and the heat that is still barely tolerable. Within these extremes, where human life is possible, we cannot see spiritual beings. It is not surprising therefore that one cannot perceive spiritual beings when one is in the body.
As I told you last time, when we begin to think backward and approach the point of consciously seeing spiritual beings, we often fall asleep. Unless they have trained themselves to stay awake, most people go to sleep.
One can also perceive spiritual beings at temperatures higher than those normally tolerable. One could see spiritual beings at such higher temperatures, but of course one cannot tolerate them. At lower temperatures likewise one could perceive spiritual beings if one could transform oneself into a snow-being, but of course one would freeze in the process. Thus, what seems so unlikely to people is actually a fact: spiritual beings withdraw themselves from the temperatures that are tolerable to humanity in its physical body.
[ 3 ] A human being cannot tolerate those temperatures in his body, but he can tolerate them in his soul; but of course the soul goes to sleep. The soul does not freeze, the soul does not burn, the soul goes to sleep.
[ 4 ] There are two ways to gain an idea of what it would be like to experience the extreme temperatures outside those one ordinarily lives in. I will give you an example. When one has a fever, one reaches inwardly a temperature that one cannot bear. One does not immediately reach so high a temperature that one dies because the warmth is created from within, one is able to bear it. However, when one's fever enters these higher temperatures one may speak in a way that is not normal on the earth. What people babble in their fever has no relation to what we are used to on earth. Now, the materialist may say: Yes, but there are nevertheless untrue thoughts produced that are cooked up in the heat of fever.
[ 5 ] A person, when he enters into a state of high temperature, first of all feels feverish, then speaks nonsense. The soul cannot speak nonsense. Even when the soul is living in a high fever, it cannot speak nonsense. It seems or appears to speak nonsense at higher bodily temperatures because the body is not in order.
You can verify the truth of this by the following example. Let us think about our experience with those glass spheres one sometimes finds in flower gardens—a sphere that is actually a kind of mirror in which the environment is reflected. If you look at yourself in one of these, you will find yourself with a face that you would rather not have n reality. (He sketched this.) You would hate to have that kind of face. You will not say, however, "Oh no! What kind of a thing did I turn into?" You would not believe that this is really your own face, just because it looks changed in the sphere. Similarly, if your soul talks nonsense when you have a fever, you will not say that your soul is talking nonsense; but rather you will assume that whatever is said by your soul seems nonsensical because it is spoken out of a sick brain—just as your face looks distorted and flattened out because it is reflected by a false mirror. So you must say to yourself: When I have a fever and speak nonsense, it is my soul that is speaking through a sick brain. When I see myself reflected in a glass sphere, it is not that I have another face, but that my face appears distorted. In the same way the speech of one sick with a fever appears distorted because it is spoken out of a sick body and a brain that is not working properly.
Now, we might ask why the brain does not work properly? It is because the whole blood circulation is too fast. You can verify this by feeling your pulse when you have a fever. The blood circulation produces warmth which rises to the head—you feel a fever—and your soul now appears reflected as by a distorted mirror.
[ 6 ] The opposite can also happen, but this will not happen as a result of lying in the snow and letting oneself freeze, because then one would actually die of freezing. This opposite experience can happen, but only as the result of something spiritual.
We come now to a strange subject. Carefully consider the following: Let's assume one begins to concentrate, to think powerfully about the smallest things (it is better to think about the small things that most people wouldn't even want to give time to)—for example, a triangle. Let us say we have a triangle, and we divide it into four equal parts so that we have four equal triangles. (He draws on the blackboard).
You can see that the whole triangle is greater than the four smaller triangles. From this I can make a general statement and say: The whole is greater than the parts. (He writes the sentence on the blackboard.) But now let's assume that a well-fed stockbroker comes by and I tell him: Hey, just think, the whole is greater than its parts. He will say, No, that is too boring for me. He would say it again if I continued to speak to him and said: the blackboard is a physical body with a given size and extension, the table is also a body with a given size and extension, and I then constructed the general statement: All bodies have extension—are extended in space. (He writes the sentence on the blackboard.)
If a whole conference were given to you, if a lecture was given consisting in the single statement "all bodies have extension," you would walk away, saying, Gosh, that was boring! Let's say I were to come to you and make other obvious remarks like the meadow is green, the rose is red, these things have colors, and yesterday there was a trial in court and the judge passed judgment, the judgment had no color. Then I went to another place and there also was a trial and a judgment, and it had no color either. And therefore I said: judgments have no color. (He writes the sentence on the blackboard.)
[ 7 ] Let's assume someone stood in front of you for an hour and told you: judgments have no color. You would think to yourself: I have spent a whole hour listening to someone bore me. This is the ultimate boredom. But why are these statements so boring? I should not be telling them to you humorously; I should be standing before you stiff and severe like a professor, announcing: Gentlemen, today we will consider the statement, "Judgments have no color," and then of course I would have to lecture for a whole hour to prove that judgments have no color; all bodies have extension etc.
I could also give you another instance: draw a line from one point to another; this is a straight line. All others are curved, and when you look at it you would immediately say the straight line is the shortest way; all others are longer. Here again I could write down a general statement: The straight line is the shortest distance between two points. Again, if I were to speak for a whole hour on the subject, you would find it exceedingly boring.
The Whole is Greater Than Its Parts
All Bodies Have Extension
Judgments Have No Color
The Straight Line is The Shortest Distance Between Two Points
[ 8 ] There is a German professor who said that it is quite possible to perceive things of the spiritual world, but that the only things that we can perceive of the spiritual world are what reside in such statements as: the whole is greater than its parts, judgments have no color, bodies are extended, and the straight line is the shortest distance between two points. This, he says, is all one can know of the spiritual world. Of course, most students are extremely bored by his lectures. It is also the case that people today have come to believe that science has to be boring, and therefore many of the students are actually excited by this professor! This, of course, is just an aside.
[ 9 ] The real story is the following. Taken by themselves, sentences such as "the whole is greater than its parts" and "the straight line is the shortest distance between two points" cause the back of our head to become cold. This is what usually happens: the temperature drops and the area at the back of one's head becomes cold. When the temperature drops you begin to freeze and you want to get away from such statements—they are so boring. It is a fact—boredom causes a drop in temperature at the back of the head—not the whole body, but just at the back of the head. What cools it down is not snow or ice but something of a spiritual nature, insofar as there are subjects that hold no interest for the human being.
[ 10 ] It is of course possible to make fun of these sentences, but the fact remains, that patiently to think such thoughts over and over again means to put oneself, again and again, deliberately into a state of dreadful boredom, and this is a good way to reach in the direction of a true spiritual perception. It is remarkable that the very things men do not want in general are the things they must practice if they wish to have a real look into the spiritual world. Mathematics for many is boring; it causes a drop in temperature at the back of the head; and precisely because it is a cold subject for most, and precisely because they have to work at it, those people who do, have the least trouble reaching into the spiritual world. Those who overcome this resistance and experience again and again the truth of these statements are those who can create artificially a state of boredom in themselves. They have the easiest way into the spiritual world.
[ 11 ] I have told you already, when one has a fever one's pulse speeds up. One warms up, and this warmth reaches into one's head and into one's brain, and in this way the warmth causes one to talk nonsense. If, on the other hand, one struggles with such statements as we have mentioned, this causes one's blood to slow down, and there is an accumulation of salts deposited in the back of the brain. Most people react in one of two ways to this. Some get a stomachache and they notice this right away, as soon as they start to think of these statements, and so they stop. One can go on thinking, as for example Nietzsche did. He always tortured himself with such statements when he was a young man, and the salts accumulated in his head, and in his case he suffered dreadful migraines. The objective is to be able to think such thoughts without causing a migraine or a stomachache.
One must find a way to be completely healthy while at the same time artificially producing in oneself a state of boredom. Thus, if someone were to tell you quite honestly how to reach into the spiritual world, he would have to tell you first of all to learn how to create boredom artificially in yourself. Short of this you have no hope of reaching the spiritual world. But look now at our contemporary world. What is it that people want at this time? People today are constantly trying to drive away boredom. Just look at all the things and all the places people run to in order not to be bored. They always want to be amused; but what does that mean, to want to be amused all the time? It means that they really want to run away from the spirit! It has no other meaning; and people today always want to be amused, which makes it clear that wherever anything spiritual might be present people of our time always run away from it immediately. People are not conscious of this, they do it unconsciously, but the fact remains that they want amusement and to run away from the spirit.
Well, gentlemen, only those can reach into the spirit who are not afraid of renouncing amusements and of living in such sentences. When one can manage to live artificially in those sentences without getting a stomachache or a migraine, but can actually tolerate living in such sentences for many hours at a time, then it becomes possible to contemplate the spiritual world.
[ 12 ] An additional change must take place in this act of holding oneself consciously in these sentences. One notices, if one has been living with these sentences for a while, that they start to turn around. If I think about the sentence "the large triangle is greater than its parts" for a long time, if I think about it for a very long time, there comes a point when the sentence somehow turns around. It even starts to become interesting, for I start to have the following perception: If I have a triangle here, and I consider one quarter of that triangle and take it out, it somehow begins to grow with me and it no longer remains true that the whole is greater than the parts. Suddenly that quarter part is larger for me, I see that it has grown, so that I now must say: The whole is smaller than the parts! (The sentence is written on the blackboard.) [ 13 ] By doing this, I have worked myself into a position where I can see how things work in the spiritual world. Things there are the opposite of the way they are in the physical world.
In the physical world, the whole is always greater than its parts. In the spiritual world, the part is greater than the whole. It is impossible to know a human being without knowing that the part is greater than the whole.
Contemporary science always wants to look at the smallest parts, the components of things. If, for example, we study the liver of a person, we find that it is smaller than the person in the physical realm. But if we start looking at it from a spiritual point of view, we find that it grows and grows to gigantic proportions; it actually becomes a whole world in itself. If one cannot see this, then it is impossible to perceive the liver at all in a spiritual way. Therefore you must first honestly arrive at the statement: the whole is smaller than the part, or the part is greater than the whole.
[ 14 ] In the same way, if you think for a long time—long enough—about the statement: All bodies have surfaces, or are extended, then there is a danger that the back of your brain will freeze. If you think upon this sentence in this way, all the bodies shrivel into one; they stop having surfaces—external surfaces—and in the end you arrive at the statement: Bodies do not have surfaces, they are not extended. (The sentence is written on the blackboard.)
[ 15 ] Now I will take a funny example, funny for the physical world, but of the highest seriousness in the spiritual world. It could seem that there is nothing more foolish than to say: in Buxtehude there was a trial, and judgment was passed—it has no color. In Trippstrill, judgment was passed in the course of a trial—and this also had no color. But if you think about judgments for a long time, they in fact acquire color. Just as you can say the rose is red, so you can say the judgment in Buxtehude was a kind of dirty yellow, and the judgment in Trippstrill was red. There can even be some judgments that are a beautiful red, although this is rarely the case.
As you begin to understand this, you begin to grow into the sentence: All judgments made by human beings have color. (The sentence is written on the blackboard) Only now does one reach the point of being at all capable of thinking about the spiritual world, because it has the opposite characteristics of the physical world.
[ 16 ] The straight line is the shortest path between two points. This is true to such an extent that all geometry is built upon it. It is one of the first statements in geometry. It is as true in the physical world as anything ever can be true in the physical world. But if one thinks about it long enough—if some being goes from village A to village B, and that being is not a physical but a spiritual being, the way will seem very short if he walks in a half circle. The sentence then changes to: The straight line is the longest way between two points.(The sentence is written on the blackboard.)
The whole is smaller than its parts
No bodies have extension
Judgments have color
The straight line is the longest distance between two points
[ 17 ] You must admit there is something here that astonishes you, but the world as a whole does not like these kinds of things, and people will say: If someone says that judgments have color, he must have a fever or he is mad! Of course, the whole point is that one reaches these things in full consciousness without the use of one's body. The spiritual world has characteristics that are the opposite of the physical world and one may come to this realization through the simplest statements, for the simplest statements are the hardest to believe.
As you know, if someone starts telling you interesting things about the spiritual world, everybody starts listening; for instance, if someone starts talking about ghosts. But if someone tells you first that you must get used to creating boredom in yourself artificially—it has to be artificially—this doesn't seem so interesting. If you are just naturally bored by external science, nothing comes of it; it has to be done artificially, through an inner effort that enables you to reach the state of boredom without getting a migraine or a stomachache. The body must not participate in that state of boredom. The moment your body is involved, it is clear that you will get a migraine or a stomachache. Don't listen when people tell you, Do not let professor so and so bore you. Such advice will be of no help, it will not make you see into the spiritual world. What you must do is gradually overcome both migraines and stomachaches.
You see, the student is sitting here—the professor bores him to death—he should be getting a migraine or a stomachache, but he doesn't. What happens in this case is that other organs come into play which do not hurt. People, in fact, do get sick when the physical body is involved in the boredom. If you induce the boredom in the way contemporary science does, it only makes people sick.
If one teaches people in the right way, one gives them the ability to produce, through their own powers, in total freedom, the boredom which, when penetrated, will gradually allow entrance to the spiritual world. One must take hold of absolutely basic judgments in the physical world and see how they are turned upside-down in the spiritual world.
There is one extremely good way in which it is possible to work on oneself. For example: let us say you have experienced something very boring, so boring that you walked away from it because it was so boring, so boring that you could not stand it anymore, (you were so happy when it was over!) In such a case it is important that you start very, very slowly thinking it through again. [ 18 ] Let me tell you that I have learned a great deal from this kind of exercise in my life. When I was young, I listened to many dreadfully boring lectures; but before it even started, I would look forward to a boring lecture, because it brought about the kind of result sleep normally does in life. I was very happy. I would tell myself: You are going to listen to a few hours of boring lectures. When the lecture started and the professor started to speak, I often had the feeling: He is talking too much, he is disturbing me in my boredom. But afterward I would think very deeply about every single thing he had said, not that it interested me—it didn't interest me at all—but I relived every single hour. I relived it from the very beginning exactly the way it had been presented. Sometimes I went over it so thoroughly that it would actually take two hours. I would have two hours of artificial boredom. In this process, one can make an extraordinary discovery. This kind of discovery is one that could be made at the end of the nineteenth century. Imagine that you have come out of a lecture by a giant rhinoceros—this can happen!—and that you have been bored to death.
Now you can meditate, as the saying goes, on this boring lecture, bringing everything that was boring back into yourself, into your soul. Then suddenly, behind that giant rhinoceros of a man who was presenting you with all this boring stuff, a higher man, something like a completely spiritual human being, will emerge. The whole lecture hall is thereby transformed for you. I am putting this in a way you can understand rationally. The lecture hall becomes transformed in such a way that behind the professor the spiritual—a truly and deeply intelligent man—appears. I knew many professors of the nineteenth century with whom this was the case; but of course I don't want you to talk about this, because people would think it a terrible thing. [ 19 ] For the truth is that humans are not inwardly as unconscious or as stupid as they pretend to be. Often they are quite smart. The dumbest are often quite smart, and the opposite is also true. But they don't know their own intelligence. It is a very deep secret: behind a person there often stands the true nature of his soul and spirit, which he cannot perceive in himself. [ 20 ] This is already a way of reaching into the spiritual world.
As you know, at the end of the nineteenth century there existed a materialistic natural science, and people today still adore this materialist science. I must admit however, that this science was tremendously useful to me. What it did, from start to finish, was bring up the most boring statements. It is as if the modern scientist licks his fingers with enjoyment when he thinks he has discovered that all humans descended from apes. But if one thinks about this statement again and again, with complete energy, it changes! It changes into another statement that is spiritually correct. That is to say, humans do not descend from apes but from a spiritual being.
[ 21 ] There are different points of view here. A child was once sent to school. There he heard for the first time from his teacher that humanity is descended from apes—too early as it turned out. When he returned home, he said to his father, "Hey, I heard today that humanity is descended from apes. Just think of that!" "Well," said his father indignantly, "You're certainly a stupid fellow. That may be the case for you, if you like, but not for me!" You see, for the father—he took it with reference to the soul—the story was quite unbelievable.
[ 22 ] From all that I have told you you will see that one can find one's way into natural scientific thinking in two ways. If you have not studied natural science, as many did in the nineteenth century and indeed still do, instead of simply parroting the conclusions, you can think about them—but think about them in a meditative way. Think them over for hours and hours, and you will find that what is true in the spiritual world comes forward. If you think for a long time about plants and minerals, and you have thought all the things about them that people tell you these days in such a dreadfully materialistic way, then you finally come to the meaning of things like the meaning of the zodiac, the meaning of the stars, all the secrets of the stars.
The surest way to this goal is to start with those simple statements that are taken for granted, and proceed forward from there. The part is greater than the whole, bodies have no extension, judgments have color, the straight line is the longest path between two points. In saying these kinds of sentences you tear yourself away from your physical body. When you have experienced all this, you come to the point where you can use your etheric body instead of your physical body. You can then start thinking with your etheric body—your etheric body thinks everything upside-down, or in the reverse of the way it appears in the physical world. It is the etheric body that gradually brings one into the spiritual world. At precisely this point, however, very often one gets stuck: one must still accustom oneself to one thing more.
You may know that one can read very strange things these days. I was in a small southern Austrian town (which is no longer in Austria) and I found an evening paper. It had a so-called editorial; it was a very interesting story, in all detail—every particular—a political story. There were three columns—it was all very interesting. Then at the end—still on the same page, there was a small disclaimer that said: We are sorry to notify our readers that everything in today's editorial article is based on false information and therefore not a word of it is true! This is the kind of thing that can happen to you today. This of course is rather an extreme case, but whenever you read newspapers it can happen that on every single page there is something that is not true at all. At some later point what one is now reading will be exposed as untrue. My feeling is that most people have become dreadfully insensitive in such matters, and they take in, quite evenhandedly, both truth and lies. The mind has become blunted in this way, so that truth and lies are both taken in the same way. This makes it impossible to reach into the spiritual world.
[ 23 ] I told you last time that when someone becomes crazy, only his body is sick; the soul is not sick, it remains healthy. I told you that when someone hallucinates in a fever, it is only his thoughts that become caricatures—for the soul itself is intact. One must get used to these things, if one wants to penetrate the spiritual world. One must get used to feeling pain in one's soul when something is not right, and to finding that something that is correct gives one a spiritual joy. One must rejoice about the truth the way one would if one were to receive a million dollars. One must be happy when one is told some truth. The opposite case is that when something is discovered to be a lie, a suffering is felt in the soul—not in the body—suffering as if one had a dreadful illness. The suffering need not be so severe that the soul has to become sick, but it must be possible for the soul to experience pain and joy just as, when the body is disturbed in a physical way, one feels pain and joy. This means that one must come to the point where one feels the truth in the same way that one experiences happiness, cheerfulness, and general pleasure in the physical world. One must eventually come to the point where one suffers such pain in the face of untruth that one's soul becomes sick—as one can be in a bodily way. If someone heaps lies upon you, you must be able to say inwardly: Damn it, this person has just sold me deadly nightshade. This must be true in an inner way. Now of course, if you look at the current world—for instance, at the newspapers—one eats that deadly nightshade all the time. You must constantly nourish yourself spiritually, for the soul has to remain healthy. You must continually be spitting out what is bad, spiritually, if your spirit is to remain healthy. One has to get used to this fact, because one cannot be without newspapers. Once you come to the spiritual world, you will have to be used to the bad taste of newspapers; and to feeling joy when you read something exceptionally good—the same kind of joy, in my opinion, that you would have when you eat something that tastes very good.
Truth, and the striving for truth, must taste good to you; and lies, once you are conscious of them, must taste bitter and poisonous. You must not only know that judgments have color, but also that printer's ink nowadays is mostly wild cherry juice. You must be able to experience this in all honesty and rectitude, and once you can do so you will be in a state of spiritual transformation. [ 24 ] People read these days about alchemy, and believe it in an external way. They believe that they can change copper to gold, and there are charlatans who will tell you all kinds of superstitious variations of this. Of course, in the spiritual world these things are possible; but one must believe in the truth of the spirit. One must be able to tell oneself that the printer's ink used is the same everywhere, materially, whether it has printed a true book or a lying newspaper. In the second case, the printer's ink is really the wild cherry juice, and in the other it is like liquid gold. Things that in the physical world are exactly the same are quite different in the spirit. [ 25 ] Of course, if intelligent people today hear the statement "printer's ink can be liquid gold or wild cherry juice" they will tell you that you are only speaking 'metaphorically'. It is only a metaphor! But the metaphorical must become spiritual reality and one needs to understand how metaphors become spiritual.
[ 26 ] I will give you an example—it actually comes out of the history of the Social Democratic party. You probably did not experience this as much in this country. At one point the party split; on one side were those led by Bernstein—happily making all kinds of compromises with the middle class—and on the other side, led by Bebel, were the radicals.5Eduard Bernstein (1850–1932), socialist theoretician, writer, and politician, who rejected revolution and established revisionism as a moderate, evolutionary path for socialism in the 1890's.
August Bebel (1840–1913), co-founder of the Social Democratic Labor Party with William Liebknecht in 1869, writer, politician. I am sure you have heard about Bebel in books. At one point in Dresden there was a party convention, and Bebel got angry about the others and said he was going to put some order into social democracy. He gave a big angry speech. In the course of it he said: Well, if this or that happens on the other side, it feels like a louse running across my liver. Now everybody would say this is only meant metaphorically. Of course there is no such thing as a louse on his liver! But then one can ask: Why use such an expression? Why is it possible to speak in terms that suggest a louse walked on your liver? For the most part it is extremely unpleasant when people have lice, it is extremely unpleasant; it is actually a distressing feeling.
[ 27 ] Not everyone is as lucky as a certain sorry fellow who was always picking lice from his head. Someone asked him once, "How is it that you are so skillful and always manage to find a louse?" He answered, "Its easy. If I miss the one I'm aiming for, I get the one beside it." It does not happen to all of us to aim for a louse and miss and still get one!
Generally, when people have lice, it's terribly unpleasant—a horrible feeling. I remember a case when I was a tutor and one of the boys entrusted to me came home after being out. He had been sitting on all kinds of benches in a big city and he started to have dreadful pains in his eyes. Everyone was wondering which specialist to take him to for his terrible pains but I said, "Why don't we first try a lice-killing cream on his eyebrows?" Indeed, it was then noticed that he was full of lice, and once the cream went to work, his eyes stopped tearing. Now, you should have seen how upset people—the mother and the aunt—looked when they suddenly discovered that he had lice. Their feelings were so intense that they had repercussions in their livers; they had pains in their bellies. They said, "My God, our child has lice, what a terrible thing!" When this happened, the sensation was really as though they had lice running across their livers.
In the case of the Social Democratic party, it was not a matter of people getting lice, but rather of some people doing things that seemed so awful, so repugnant to the others, that the sensation was the same—the same as would have been experienced in earlier times, or would still be experienced in some classes of society, at the thought of having lice on one's liver. So you can see, in the way the expression was formed, it did correspond to a reality. Latterly, however, these expressions have been used in a way that only refers to spiritual matters or matters of the soul. But again, one has consciously, deliberately, to make those connections. One must really be able to experience, not just the sound of the phrase, but the actual sensation that it came from.
[ 28 ] Let us say I have a newspaper in front of me: most of the things that are printed in it must be felt by me as if the printer's ink was a somewhat toxic deadly nightshade juice. I wonder what people would do if they truly experienced that these days? Think for a moment how much deadly nightshade juice is used when, for instance, people talk about war guilt—Germany's war guilt in the first World War, or Germany's innocence in the war—and the fact that people, just by reason of belonging to this or that nation, feel comfortable when they claim innocence, using all manner of untruthful statements. They feel good doing this, but not because what they say is actually true.
So, how in today's world can one reach the spirit? One must, first of all, make a firm decision, a very intense commitment, to be very different from these contemporaries—and yet get along with them. For of course it is not going to be very helpful to just stand on a stage and insult people. One way or another, one has to find an avenue for truth. This is extremely difficult, as I have shown you today. [ 29 ] Today I had to present difficult things so that you would see that it is not easy to enter the spiritual world. You will see that it is good to work with difficult things. Later on we will come to things that are easier, less strenuous. Next time, I will show you the whole way into the spiritual world.
Erzeugen künstlicher Langeweile — Die Umkehrung der Urteile der physischen Welt in der geistigen Welt
[ 1 ] Wir werden nun fortfahren in der Beantwortung der vorgelegten Fragen. Dabei müssen Sie sich aber klar sein, daß die Antwort auf diese Fragen zu den aller schwierigsten gehört. Ich werde es so leicht als möglich zu machen versuchen. Ich habe Ihnen schon gesagt: Will man die Wege finden, um in die geistige Anschauung hineinzukommen, dann muß man zuerst sich angewöhnen können ein ganz selbständiges Denken. Zweitens muß man die Möglichkeit haben, wie ich Ihnen gesagt habe, zurückzudenken. Also man muß versuchen, diejenigen Dinge, die im Leben so verlaufen: zuerst das erste, dann das zweite, das dritte und so weiter — das muß man versuchen zurückzudenken. Also, wenn ich Ihnen einen Vortrag halte, sagte ich das letzte Mal, so müßten Sie versuchen, vom Ende anzufangen und gegen den Anfang zu denken. Das sind solche Dinge, die zu den allerersten, ich möchte sagen, Anfangsgründen gehören.
[ 2 ] Nun möchte ich aber heute ganz im Zusammenhang schon mit der zweiten Frage noch etwas anderes erörtern. Sie wissen ja, daß der Mensch nur leben kann bei einer bestimmten Wärme. Der Mensch kann unter Umständen viel vertragen von Wärme. Wenn es im Sommer recht heiß wird, nun, dann schwitzt er halt, aber er kann es noch ertragen; aber wenn es noch höher hinaufginge, dann würde er nicht mehr leben können. Ebensogut kann der Mensch eine bestimmte Kälte ertragen, aber wenn es unter diese Kälte hinuntergeht, dann erfriert der Mensch. Und sehen Sie, das Eigentümliche ist, daß man gerade zwischen diesen zwei Temperaturen, zwischen der Kälte bei der man anfängt zu erfrieren, und der Wärme, die man gerade noch aushalten kann, zwischen diesen zwei Temperaturen, in denen der menschliche Körper lebt, gerade keine geistigen Wesenheiten sehen kann. Also ist es gar nicht besonders verwunderlich, daß der Mensch mit seinem Körper keine geistigen Wesenheiten wahrnehmen kann. Denn das ist gerade so, wie ich Ihnen das letzte Mal gesagt habe, daß man in dem Momente, wo man anfängt zurückzudenken, beginnen würde, geistige Wesenheiten zu sehen. Aber man schläft ein. Die meisten Menschen schlafen ein, wenn sie sich eben nicht vorher zum Wachsein darauf erzogen haben. Aber nun etwas anderes. Sehen Sie, der Mensch könnte, wenn er weiter hinaufkommen würde als in die Temperatur, die er gerade noch aushalten kann, da oben bei höherer Temperatur geistige Wesenheiten wahrnehmen. Aber er kann es nicht ertragen. Ebensogut könnte der Mensch geistige Wesenheiten wahrnehmen, wenn er sich ein Schneegewand machen könnte, ganz sich in Schnee stecken könnte; aber er erfriert dabei. Also das, was dem Menschen so unwahrscheinlich vorkommt, das ist eben doch eine Tatsache: daß sich die geistigen Wesenheiten vor den Temperaturen, die der Mensch, wenn er im physischen Leibe ist, aushält, zurückziehen.
[ 3 ] Nun kann der Mensch solche Temperaturen mit seinem Körper nicht aushalten, aber mit seiner Seele kann er sie aushalten. Nur, wie gesagt, die Seele schläft dann ein. Denn die Seele erfriert nicht, die Seele verbrennt auch nicht, aber sie schläft ein.
[ 4 ] Nun gibt es aber zweierlei, wodurch der Mensch eine Ahnung bekommen kann, wie die Geschichte ist, wenn er in höhere Temperaturen kommt, als er aushält, und auch, wenn er in tiefere Temperaturen kommt, als er aushält. Dafür will ich Ihnen ein Beispiel nennen. Sehen Sie, der Mensch kommt in höhere Temperaturen, als er aushält, auf innerliche Weise, wenn er Fieber kriegt. Da kommt er zwar nicht in so hohe Temperaturen, daß er gleich daran zugrunde geht, aber weil die Wärme von innen erzeugt wird, kommt der Mensch in Fiebertemperaturen hinein, in eine höhere Temperatur, als er hineinkommt, wenn er kein Fieber hat. Sie wissen ja, der Mensch fängt, wenn er ins Fieber hineinkommt, wenn er in diese höhere Temperatur hineinkommt, wirklich zu reden an wie einer, der nicht auf der Erde ist. Denn was die Leute im Fieber schwätzen, das hat keinen Bezug auf die Erde. Aber gerade wenn einer Materialist wäre, müßte er sagen: Ja, aber das sind doch Gedanken, die da ausgekocht werden in der Fieberhitze, wenn sie auch nicht wahr sind.
[ 5 ] Also wir haben beim Menschen etwas, wo er in einen Zustand erhöhter Temperatur hineinwächst, zunächst fiebert, wo er irrereden würde. Nun, sehen Sie, die Seele, die kann nicht irrereden. Wenn die Seele auch in noch so hohem Fieber ist, sie kann nicht irrereden. Sie redet irre, weil bei höherer Temperatur, der Körper nicht in Ordnung ist. Sie können sich das vergegenwärtigen, wenn Sie an eine solche Kugel denken, wie man sie manchmal in Blumengärten aufstellt, die ein Spiegel ist, in dem sich die Umgebung spiegelt. Wenn Sie da einmal hereingukken, da werden Sie ein Gesicht sehen, das Sie nicht gerne haben möchten! (Es wird skizzenhaft an der Tafel dargestellt.) Solch ein Gesicht werden Sie nicht gerne haben mögen. Aber Sie werden auch nicht sagen: Donnerwetter, was habe ich für ein Gesicht gekriegt! - Sie werden nicht glauben, daß das nun überhaupt Ihr Gesicht sei, weil es in der Kugel so verändert ausschaut. Wenn nun Ihre Seele im Fieber anfängt irrezureden, so werden Sie auch nicht sagen, Ihre Seele fängt an, irrezureden, sondern dasjenige, was Ihre Seele redet, das wird irre, weil es aus einem kranken Gehirn heraus redet, geradeso wie Ihr Gesicht so breitmatschig ausschaut, weil es in einem so falschen Spiegel zum Ausdruck kommt. Also müssen Sie sich auch sagen: Wenn ich Fieber habe und dummes Zeug rede, so ist es mit der Seele so, daß sie aus einem kranken Gehirn heraus redet. Ich habe ja kein anderes Gesicht, wenn ich vor dem Kugelspiegel stehe, aber das alles erscheint verzerrt. - So erscheint verzerrt, was der Fieberkranke redet, weil es aus einem kranken Körper und falsch wirkenden Gehirn heraus kommt. Aber woher kommt das falsch wirkende Gehirn? Davon, daß die ganze Blutzirkulation zu rasch vor sich geht. Sie brauchen nur den Puls zu fühlen, so spüren Sie das schon. Also diese Fieberhitze im Kopf wird dadurch erzeugt, daß die Blutzirkulation zu rasch vor sich geht. Durch die Blutzirkulation wird Wärme erzeugt, die steigt in den Kopf: Sie haben Fieber. Ihre Seele erscheint wie in einem unrichtigen Spiegel.
[ 6 ] Auch der umgekehrte Zustand kann eintreten, aber der tritt nicht dadurch ein, daß man sich in den Schnee legt und sich erfrieren läßt, denn da erfriert man wirklich. Der umgekehrte Zustand kann nämlich nur vom Geistigen aus eintreten. Da muß man schon vom Geistigen aus etwas machen. Nun, sehen Sie, meine Herren, da kommt etwas sehr Merkwürdiges zustande. Denken Sie sich einmal: Einer fängt an furchtbar nachzudenken, denkt über die geringsten Kleinigkeiten nach. Es ist besser, über die geringsten Kleinigkeiten als über wichtige Sachen nachzudenken, über solche sogenannten Kleinigkeiten, daß die meisten Menschen gar nicht darüber nachdenken wollen. Ich will Ihnen etwas zeigen: Wenn Sie hier ein Dreieck haben (siehe Zeichnung) und Sie teilen dieses Dreieck in vier gleiche Teile, so daß Sie also vier solche Dreiecke bekommen, so können Sie sagen: Das ganze Dreieck ist größer als jedes der vier kleinen Dreiecke. — Ich kann jetzt das verallgemeinern und kann sagen, es gibt einen Lehrsatz, der heißt: Das Ganze ist größer als seine Teile. (Der Satz wird an die Tafel geschrieben.) - Donnerwetter, wenn da so ein satter Börsenmensch kommt und man sagt ihm: Du, denke einmal darüber nach, das Ganze ist größer als seine Teile — dann sagt der: Nein, das ist mir viel zu langweilig! - Und wenn man noch gar zu ihm kommt und sagt: Sich einmal, die Tafel ist ein Körper, die hat eine bestimmte Größe, die ist ausgedehnt, der Tisch ist auch ein Körper, der hat eine bestimmte Größe, der ist ausgedehnt — und ich bilde jetzt den Satz: Alle Körper sind ausgedehnt. (Der Satz wird an die Tafel geschrieben.) - Denken Sie sich, wenn Ihnen einmal irgendwo in einer Versammlung die ganze Zeit nur vorgetragen würde über den einen Satz: Alle Körper sind ausgedehnt -, Sie würden weggehen und sagen: Das war eine fade, eine langweilige Geschichte! - Und wenn ich Ihnen jetzt noch mit etwas kommen würde und würde sagen: Seht einmal, die Wiese ist grün, die Rose ist rot, diese Gegenstände haben also Farben. Gestern war da eine Gerichtssitzung, da hat der Richter das oder jenes Urteil gefällt - das hat keine Farbe. Und in einem anderen Orte war auch eine Gerichtssitzung, da hat der Richter auch ein Urteil gefällt - das hat keine Farbe. Urteile haben keine Farbe. — So haben wir einen dritten Satz. (Der Satz wird an die Tafel geschrieben.) Ja, meine Herren, wenn Ihnen nun einer eine Stunde lang darüber vortragen würde: Urteile haben keine Farbe -, da würden Sie sich sagen: Ich habe mir eine Stunde lang angehört: Urteile haben keine Farbe -, aber das ist furchtbar langweilig, das ist grenzenlos langweilig!
[ 7 ] Aber warum sind Ihnen diese Urteile langweilig? Ich müßte Ihnen diese Sachen nicht an die Tafel schreiben, und ich müßte Ihnen auch nicht mit einer gewissen Spaßigkeit diese Sachen sagen, sondern ich müßte hereinkommen, steif und forsch wie ein Professor, und müßte nun sagen: Meine Herren, heute wollen wir uns über den Satz unterhalten: Urteile haben keine Farbe - und dann müßte ich Ihnen eine ganze Stunde beweisen, daß der Satz richtig ist. Wie ich es hier Ihnen zeigte, das ist noch ganz amüsant. Aber so müßte ich kommen und eine ganze Stunde reden über den Satz: Urteile haben keine Farbe, oder: Alle Körper sind ausgedehnt. — So könnten Sie solch eine Linie ziehen, um von dem einen Punkt zum anderen zu kommen (es wird gezeichnet). Die eine Linie ist gerade, die anderen sind alle krumm. Aber wenn Sie das angucken, so werden Sie gleich sagen: Die Gerade ist der kürzeste Weg, alle anderen sind länger. - Nun kann ich Ihnen wieder diesen Satz aufschreiben: Die Gerade ist der kürzeste Weg zwischen zwei Punkten. - Wenn ich da wiederum eine ganze Stunde über diesen Satz reden wollte, würden Sie es wieder langweilig finden.
Pas Ganze ist grösser als seine Teile
Alle Körper sind ausgedehnt
Urteile haben keine Farbe
Die Gerade ist der kürzeste Weg zwischen zwei Punkten
[ 8 ] Es gibt allerdings einen deutschen Professor, der sagt: Von der geistigen Welt kann man schon etwas erkennen; aber nur dasjenige kann man erkennen von der geistigen Welt, was in solchen Sätzen liegt. - Und nun trägt er seinen Schülern dann die Sätze vor, durch die man aus der geistigen Welt etwas erkennt: Das Ganze ist größer als seine Teile. Die Urteile haben keine Farbe. Die Körper sind ausgedehnt. Die Gerade ist der kürzeste Weg zwischen zwei Punkten, und so weiter. — Das ist das einzige, sagt er, was man wissen kann von der geistigen Welt. Ja, die Schüler, die langweilen sich furchtbar in diesen Vorträgen. Aber heute ist es so, daß die Leute schon den Glauben gekriegt haben: Man muß sich langweilen bei der Wissenschaft. — Deshalb sind die Schüler sogar meistens gerade von dem Professor begeistert, der solches sagt. Aber das ist nur eine Zwischenbemerkung.
[ 9 ] Die Geschichte ist nämlich diese. Wenn man solche Urteile in sich aufnimmt, solche Urteile fällt, solche Sätze: Das Ganze ist größer als seine Teile, die Gerade ist der kürzeste Weg zwischen zwei Punkten dann wird es nämlich im Hinterkopf kalt. Das ist das Eigentümliche: es wird im Hinterkopf kalt. Und weil es im Hinterkopf kalt wird, weil der Mensch anfängt zu frieren, will er gleich weg von solchen Sätzen. Sie sind ihm langweilig. Das ist nämlich das Merkwürdige: Bei der Langeweile wird es im Hinterkopf kalt. Nicht der ganze Mensch wird kalt, aber der Hinterkopf wird kalt. Der Hinterkopf fängt an erfrieren zu wollen. Und der friert jetzt nicht durch den Schnee oder durch das Eis, sondern der friert durch das Seelische, dadurch, daß er solche Dinge denkt, die kein Interesse für ihn haben.
[ 10 ] Sehen Sie, man kann sich lustig machen über solche Sätze; aber die Sache ist diese, daß solche Sätze mit Geduld immer wieder denken, das heißt sich immer wieder mit Geduld in furchtbare Langeweile versetzen, ein richtiger Weg ist, um in das geistige Schauen hineinzukommen. Es ist merkwürdig: Was der Mensch gerade nicht haben will, das muß er ausüben. Ich kann Ihnen sagen: Die Mathematik ist für manchen langweilig, aber weil sie schwer ist und man sich anstrengen muß, und weil die Mathematik gerade den Hinterkopf so kalt macht, deshalb kommen diejenigen, die Mathematik lernen mußten, weil die so kalt war und man sich recht anstrengen mußte bei der Mathematik, am leichtesten in die geistige Welt hinein. Und diejenigen, die sich überwinden und solche Sätze immer wieder und wieder erleben, die also künstlich sich die Langeweile anzüchten, die kommen am leichtesten in die geistige Welt hinein.
[ 11 ] Ich habe Ihnen gesagt: Wenn man Fieber kriegt, dann wird der Puls schnell. Da wird man warm, und da ist es so, daß man Hitze in den Kopf, in das Gehirn hinein kriegt. Da kommt man eben in die Hitze hinein. Da redet man irre. - Wenn man sich aber jetzt mit solchen Sätzen plagt, wobei man ganz aufhören will zu denken, da wird das Blut nicht regsamer, sondern im Hinterkopf stockt es, das Blut. Und dadurch, daß das Blut stockt, sammeln sich dahinten Salze An. Salze sammeln sich an. Das ist ein Zweifaches, wie diese Salze sich äußern. Die meisten Menschen bekommen Bauchweh davon. Und weil sie das Bauchweh sehr rasch bemerken - es wird ihnen unbehaglich im Bauch, wenn sie solche Sätze denken sollen -, so hören sie bald auf. Aber wenn einer doch immerfort solche Sätze denkt, wie es der Nietzsche gemacht hat, der als ein sehr großer Mann gegen Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts gelebt hat, der immerfort mit solchen Sätzen sich gequält hat in seiner Jugend, dann lagern sich viele Salze ab in seinem Kopf, und Nietzsche litt fortwährend an Migräne. Und nun, sehen Sie, muß man es dahin bringen, daß man solche Sätze denken kann, ohne daß man Migräne kriegt, sich Salze ablagern, also auch ohne daß man Bauchweh kriegt. Man muß ein vollständig gesunder Mensch bleiben und künstliche Langeweile in sich erzeugen können. Also einer, der Ihnen ehrlich sagt, wie man in die geistige Welt hineinkommt, der muß Ihnen sagen: Sie müssen zuerst künstliche Langeweile in sich erzeugen können, sonst können Sie überhaupt nicht in die geistige Welt hineinkommen. Sehen Sie nur einmal die gegenwärtige Zeit an. Was will denn die gegenwärtige Zeit? Die gegenwärtige Zeit will fortwährend die Langeweile vertreiben. Wohin rennen die Menschen nicht überall, um ja keine Langeweile zu haben! Immerfort wollen sie sich amüsieren. Was heißt denn das, sich immerfort amüsieren wollen? Das heißt, vor dem Geist davonlaufen. Nichts anderes heißt das. Und unsere Zeit will sich immerfort amüsieren. Ja, wo irgend etwas Geistiges sein könnte, da rennt unsere Zeit immer gleich davon. Sie weiß es nicht, es geschieht unbewußt. Aber dieses Sich-amüsieren-Wollen ist eben ein Vor-demGeiste-Davonlaufen. Das ist schon so. Und diejenigen allein können in den Geist hineinkommen, die sich nicht davor scheuen, das Amüsante einmal ganz zu lassen und künstlich in solchen Sätzen zu leben. Dann, wenn man es so weit gebracht hat, daß man künstlich in solchen Sätzen leben kann, daß man nicht mehr Migräne oder Bauchweh dabei bekommt, sondern es wirklich aushalten kann, viele Stunden lang in solchen Sätzen zu leben, dann hat man die Möglichkeit, allmählich zum geistigen Schauen zu kommen.
[ 12 ] Aber da muß noch eine Veränderung vor sich gehen. Nämlich von einem bestimmten Punkt an merkt man: Wenn man nun gelebt hat in solchen Sätzen, da fangen sie an, sich umzudrehen. - Da denke ich lange nach: Das große Dreieck ist größer als seine Teile. Wenn ich darüber lange nachdenke, dann dreht sich mir der Satz um. Jetzt fängt er an, interessant zu werden, denn da bekomme ich einmal folgende Anschauung: Wenn ich hier ein Dreieck habe und ich nehme von diesem Dreieck das Viertel und ich will das heraustun, dann fängt es an zu wachsen (es wird gezeichnet), und es ist nicht mehr wahr, daß das Ganze größer ist als seine Teile. Das Viertel ist plötzlich größer. — Ich sehe, daß das Viertel größer ist, und ich muß jetzt sagen: Das Ganze ist kleiner als seine Teile. (Der Satz wird an die Tafel geschrieben.)
[ 13 ] Jetzt habe ich mich hineingearbeitet, wie es in der geistigen Welt ausschaut. Von der physischen Welt schaut es nämlich entgegengesetzt aus. In der physischen Welt ist immer das Ganze größer als seine Teile, in der geistigen Welt ist der Teil größer als das Ganze. Sie können zum Beispiel keinen Menschen erkennen, wenn Sie nicht wissen, daß der Teil größer ist als das Ganze. Die heutige Wissenschaft, die will immer ins Kleinste schauen. Wenn Sie aber die Leber des Menschen erkennen wollen, so ist sie kleiner als der Mensch, wenn Sie es hier im Physischen anschauen. Wenn Sie es geistig anschauen wollen, da wächst und wächst sie ins Riesenhafte, da wird die Leber ein ganzes Weltenall. Und wenn man das nicht beachtet, so kann man eben die Leber nicht geistig erkennen.
[ 14 ] Also Sie müssen erst ehrlich zu dem Satze gekommen sein: Das Ganze ist kleiner als sein Teil, und der Teil ist größer als das Ganze. Ebenso, wenn Sie genügend lange den Satz: Alle Körper sind ausgedehnt — gedacht haben, so daß Sie schon vor der furchtbaren Gefahr stehen, daß Ihnen Ihr Gehirn hinten erfriert, dann schrumpfen alle Körper zusammen, hören auf, ausgedehnt zu sein, und Sie bekommen endlich das Urteil: Kein Körper ist ausgedehnt. (Der Satz wird an die Tafel geschrieben.)
[ 15 ] Und jetzt etwas ganz Spaßiges — spaßig ist es für die physische Welt, von höchstem Ernst ist es für die geistige Welt. Sehen Sie, Sie können finden, es gibt nichts Dümmeres, als wenn ich sage: In Buxtehude hat eine Gerichtsverhandlung stattgefunden, da ist ein Urteil gefällt worden, das hat keine Farbe. In Trippstrill ist auch ein Urteil gefällt worden, das hat auch keine Farbe. - Aber wenn Sie den Satz lange denken, dann bekommen nämlich die Urteile Farbe. Und geradeso, wie Sie sagen können: Die Rose ist rot - so können Sie sagen: Das Urteil von Buxtehude ist schmutziggelb, und das Urteil von Trippstrill ist rot. — Nun, es kann auch solche geben, die schön rot sind, aber das kommt selten vor. Sehen Sie, da wachsen Sie hinein in den Satz: Alle Urteile, die die Menschen fällen, haben Farbe. — Und jetzt erst ist man auf dem Punkte, daß man überhaupt fähig wird, über die geistige Welt zu denken, weil diese die entgegengesetzten Eigenschaften von der physischen Welt hat: Urteile haben Farbe. (Der Satz wird an die Tafel geschrieben.)
[ 16 ] Die Gerade ist der kürzeste Weg zwischen zwei Punkten - das ist ja so richtig, daß man es als einen allerersten Lehrsatz in der Geometrie aufgetischt kriegt. Für die physische Welt ist das so richtig, als es nur richtig sein kann. Aber denkt man lange nach: Wenn einer, der kein physisches, sondern ein geistiges Wesen ist, von Dorf A nach Dorf B kommen will, so kommt ihm der Weg furchtbar kurz vor, wenn er im Halbkreis läuft (es wird gezeichnet) - und Sie kommen zu dem Urteil: Tafel ı4 Die Gerade ist der längste Weg zwischen zwei Punkten. (Der Satz wird an die Tafel geschrieben.)
Das Ganze ist kleiner als seine Teile
Kein Körper ist ausgedehnt
Urteile haben farbe
Die Gerade ist der lüngste Weg zwischen zwei Punkten
[ 17 ] Das ist schon etwas, wobei man ein bißchen den Mund aufreißen kann! Die Welt allerdings, die geht nicht ein auf solche Sachen. Die sagt: Nun ja, wenn einer anfängt zu sagen, Urteile haben Farbe, so hat er das Fieber oder er ist verrückt. - Aber darum handelt es sich eben, daß man zu diesen Dingen ohne seinen Körper kommt, mit voller Vernünftigkeit kommt, denn die geistige Welt hat nun einmal die entgegengesetzten Eigenschaften von der physischen Welt. Und man muß durch die allereinfachsten Sätze dazu kommen, weil die allereinfachsten Sätze die unglaublichsten sind. Nicht wahr, wenn Ihnen einer anfängt, interessant über die geistige Welt zu reden, da hören die Leute natürlich zu, wie wenn ihnen überhaupt Gespenstergeschichten erzählt werden. Aber Sie hören nicht zu, wenn Ihnen einer sagt: Du mußt dich zuerst daran gewöhnen, künstlich in dir die Langeweile zu erzeugen. — Künstlich muß man das machen. Wenn man sich durch die äußere Wissenschaft langweilt, da wird nichts daraus. Aber künstlich, durch innere Anstrengung muß man imstande sein, die Langeweile zu erzielen, ohne daß man Migräne oder Bauchweh bekommt, ohne daß der Körper beteiligt ist. Ist der Körper beteiligt, so bekommt man sofort Migräne oder Bauchweh. Hören Sie sich nur einmal an, was die Leute sagen, wenn sie hören: Ihr müsst euch nicht durch den Professor langweilen lassen, das hilft euch nichts, da werdet ihr keine Geistesschauer, sondern ihr müßt nur nach und nach die Migräne und das Bauchweh überwinden. — Sehen Sie, der Student sitzt da, der Professor langweilt ihn furchtbar; er soll eigentlich Migräne oder Bauchweh kriegen, aber das kriegt er nicht. Nun schlägt sich das in andere Organe, die weniger weh tun. Und eigentlich werden die Leute dann krank, weil der physische Körper mitmacht. Erzeugt man eben auf diese Weise Langeweile, wie es in der heutigen Wissenschaft geschieht, dann macht man die Menschen nur krank. Gibt man den Menschen Anleitung, selber durch eigene innere Kraft ganz frei die Langeweile zu erzeugen, und gehen sie durch diese Langeweile hindurch, dann kommen sie nach und nach in die geistige Welt hinein, die man aber ergreifen muß, indem schon die allerersten Urteile in der geistigen Welt umgekehrt sind. Es gibt schon ein außerordentlich gutes Mittel, wodurch man sehr tüchtig an sich selber arbeiten kann. Das ist, wenn man etwas recht, recht Langweiliges in der Welt erlebt und nachher, wenn es so langweilig gewesen ist, daß man fortgelaufen ist, daß man es gar nicht mehr mochte oder froh war, wenn es aus war, dann fängt man an, ganz, ganz langsam darüber nachzudenken.
[ 18 ] Sehen Sie, ich habe daran selber — das kann ich Ihnen verraten — furchtbar viel gelernt. Ich habe in meinem Leben, als ich jung war, furchtbar langweilige Vorlesungen gehört. Ja, ich muß sagen, bevor die Vorlesung angefangen hat, da habe ich mich sogar gefreut auf die langweilige Vorlesung, weil das einen ebenso herausgebracht hat wie sonst im Leben das Schlafen. Also ich habe rechte Freude gehabt: Jetzt kannst du wieder einmal ein paar Stunden langweilige Vorlesungen hören! - Aber wenn die Vorlesung angefangen hatte und der Professor sprach, dann hatte ich fortwährend den Eindruck: Der redet ja fortwährend, der stört einem ja die Langeweile auch noch! - Aber hinterher, da habe ich immer tief über alles Einzelne nachgedacht, was er gesagt hat. Es hat mich nicht im geringsten interessiert, aber ich habe jede Stunde von Anfang wiederum durchgemacht, ganz richtig durchgemacht, und manchmal eine Stunde so durchgemacht, daß es zwei Stunden gedauert hat, also diese natürliche Langeweile künstlich erzeugt. Meine Herren, da machen Sie eine sonderbare Entdeckung. Gerade am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts konnten Sie eine ganz sonderbare Entdekkung machen. Denken Sie sich einmal, Sie kommen gerade aus der Vorlesung eines riesigen Rhinozerosses — die gibt es ja- und Sie haben sich fürchterlich gelangweilt. Jetzt konnten Sie — das ist gerade am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts der Fall gewesen -, jetzt konnten Sie, wie man sagt, meditieren über diese langweilige Vorlesung. Also alles, was Sie furchtbar gelangweilt hat, rufen Sie sich wiederum in die Seele herein. Dann plötzlich erscheint einem da hinter dem Menschen, der einem wie ein Rhinozeros die größten Langweiligkeiten vorgetragen hat, nach und nach etwas wie ein höherer Mensch, wie ein ganz geistiger Mensch. Und die Lehrsäle verwandeln sich Ihnen — das ist so, daß man es in voller Vernünftigkeit begreifen kann. Und ich kenne viele Professoren vom Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts, bei denen das der Fall war — aber ich will nicht, daß das nun wiederum herumgeredet wird, sonst denken die Leute: das ist etwas ganz Schreckliches -: Hinter denen erschienen immer die geistreichsten geistigen Menschen. Ja, was war denn das?
[ 19 ] Es ist nämlich nicht wahr, daß die Menschen innerlich unbewußt so dumm sind, wie sie sich geben. Sie sind nämlich viel gescheiter, und gerade die Dümmsten sind manchmal gescheit. Das dreht sich auch um. Aber sie können ihre eigene Gescheitheit nicht begreifen. Das ist nämlich ein furchtbares Geheimnis, denn gerade hinter den Leuten steht oft dasjenige, was ihr eigentlich Seelisches ist; das können sie selber nicht begreifen.
[ 20 ] Ja, so kommt man schon hinein in die geistigen Welten. Sie wissen ja, am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts hat es eine materialistische Naturwissenschaft gegeben. Die Leute beten heute noch immer dieser materialistischen Naturwissenschaft nach. Ich muß selber sagen: Es ist ungeheuer nützlich gewesen, diese materialistische Naturwissenschaft kennenzulernen. — Diese materialistische Naturwissenschaft hat von Anfang bis zum Ende immer wiederum die langweiligsten Sätze vorgebracht, Wenn man nur sich alle Finger ableckt, daß man so gescheit geworden ist und endlich weiß, daß der Mensch vom Affen abstamme, wie es die Naturwissenschaft sagt - ja, dann wird nichts daraus. Wenn man aber mit aller inneren Energie diesen Satz immer wieder und wieder denkt, dann verwandelt er sich zuletzt in einen geistig richtigen, und man merkt: Der Mensch stammt gar nicht vom Affen ab, sondern von einem geistigen Wesen.
[ 21 ] Es gibt da allerdings mancherlei Unterschiede. Ein Junge wurde einmal in die Schule geschickt. Zum ersten Mal hörte er von seinem Lehrer, daß der Mensch vom Affen abstamme — zu früh, das zeigte sich. Er sagte zu Hause zu seinem Vater: Du, Vater, ich hab’ was gehört heute; denke nur, der Mensch stammt vom Affen ab! - I was denn! - sagte der Vater entrüstet — du bist ein dummer Junge! Bei dir kann das der Fall sein! Bei mir aber nicht! — Sehen Sie, für den war es auch ganz unglaublich, die Geschichte. Er hat es nur auf das Seelische bezogen.
[ 22 ] Aber Sie erfahren aus alledem, was ich Ihnen sage, daß man sich auf zweierlei Art auch in die Naturwissenschaft hineinfinden kann. Und ich kann Ihnen schon sagen: Wenn man nicht so Naturwissenschaft gelernt hat, wie sie sehr viele im 19. Jahrhundert und auch bis heute noch gelernt haben, sondern wenn Sie, statt alles nachzuplappern, meditativ denken, immer wieder und wiederum denken, stunden-, stundenlang denken, dann dreht sich es wiederum um und es kommt das Geistig-Richtige heraus. Und wenn Sie lange nachgedacht haben über Pflanzen und Mineralien und lange dasjenige, was die Leute Ihnen heute in einer so furchtbar materialistischen Weise sagen, einfach durchdenken, dann kommen Sie zuletzt dazu, die Bedeutung des Tierkreises, die Bedeutung der Sterne, die ganzen Geheimnisse der Sterne vor sich zu haben. Aber der sicherste Weg ist eben, von solchen Sätzen auszugehen: Der Teil ist größer als das Ganze. Kein Körper ist ausgedehnt. Urteile haben Farbe. Die Gerade ist der längste Weg zwischen zwei Punkten. Dadurch hat man sich losgerissen von dem physischen Körper. Wenn Sie dies alles durchmachen, dann kommenSie dazu, statt ihres physischen Körpers Ihren Ätherkörper benützen zu können. Sie können dann anfangen mit demÄtherkörper zu denken,und derÄtherkörper muß alles umgekehrt denken von der physischen Welt. Denn durch den Ätherkörper kommt man allmählich in die geistige Welt hinein. Aber da stockt es dann doch noch, und da muß man noch etwas anderes sich angewöhnen. Sie wissen ja, wenn man heute liest, so kann einem etwas ganz Sonderbares passieren. Da habe ich zum Beispiel einmal, als ich in einer südösterreichischen Stadt war, die heute keine österreichische mehr ist, ein Abendblatt in die Hand gekriegt. Dieses Abendblatt hatte einen Leitartikel, wie man sagt. Da war eine furchtbar interessante Geschichte in allen Details, in allen Einzelheiten erzählt, eine große politische Geschichte: Die erste Spalte, zweite Spalte, dritte Spalte las man, ganz furchtbar interessant. Dann kam ganz unten, noch auf derselben Seite, eine kleine Bemerkung. Da stand: Leider müssen wir mitteilen, daß alles das, was in unserem heutigen Leitartikel steht, auf einer irrtümlichen Benachrichtigung beruht und kein Wort davon richtig ist. Nun, sehen Sie, das kann einem heute passieren. Es ist das der radikalste Fall, aber wer heute Zeitungen liest, dem kann es so und so oft passieren, auf jeder Seite, daß er etwas liest, was einfach nicht wahr ist. Da erfährt er hinterher, daß es nicht wahr gewesen ist. Sehen Sie, ich glaube, die meisten Menschen sind in diesen Sachen heute schon furchtbar stumpf geworden; sie nehmen einfach Wahrheit und Lüge nach und nach ganz gleichgültig auf. Wenn man in dieser Beziehung stumpf geworden ist, daß man Wahrheit und Lüge in gleicher Weise aufnimmt, ja, dann kann man nicht in die geistige Welt hineinkommen.
[ 23 ] Ich habe Ihnen das letzte Mal gesagt: Wenn einer verrückt wird, so wird nur sein Körper krank. Die Seele wird nicht krank, die bleibt dabei gesund. — Heute habe ich Ihnen gesagt: Wenn einer im Fieber irreredet, so werden seine Gedanken nur zur Karikatur, aber die Seele bleibt richtig. - Aber das muß man sich angewöhnen, wenn man in die geistige Welt hineinkommen will, daß einem bei einer unrichtigen Sache ein seelischer Schmerz kommt, und daß man bei einer richtigen Sache eine seelische Freude hat, daß man sich über die Wahrheit so freuen kann, wie wenn einer einem eine Million schenkt — ich meine eine Million Franken, nicht Mark! (Heiterkeit.) So muß man sich freuen können, wenn man eine Wahrheit zu hören bekommt, und so muß man innerlich seelisch leiden können — nicht der Körper, sondern die Seele muß leiden können, wenn man irgendwo entdeckt: da ist etwas erlogen -, so wie der Körper leidet, wenn er eine furchtbare Krankheit hat. Nicht daß die Seele krank sein soll, aber die Seele muß Schmerz und Freude empfinden können, wie wenn der Körper krank ist oder ganz behaglich ist oder äußerlich in der physischen Welt Schmerz oder Freude erlebt. Das heißt, man muß dazu kommen, die Wahrheit so zu fühlen, wie man Freude und Glückseligkeit und Lust im physischen Leben empfindet, und man muß dazu kommen, das Unwahre so schmerzlich zu empfinden, innerlich seelisch so krank zu werden vom Unwahren, wie man sonst von den Störungen seines Körpers allein krank wird. Das heißt, wenn einem einer den Buckel voll gelogen hat, dann muß man sagen können, aber so, daß es richtig stimmt: Donnerwetter! Der hat mir Tollkirschen zu fressen gegeben! - Das muß aber innerlich wahr sein. Nun, natürlich, wenn Sie in die heutige Zeit hineinschauen, das Zeitungswesen zum Beispiel betrachten, das gibt Ihnen immerfort Tollkirschen zu fressen. Da müssen Sie fortwährend, wenn die Seele gesund bleiben soll, seelisch speien. Da müssen Sie sich natürlich wiederum, weil man ohne Zeitungen nicht sein kann, wenn Sie in die geistige Welt hineinkommen wollen, das angewöhnen, daß Sie von der Zeitung einen schlechten Geschmack haben und von dem, wo Sie etwas Ordentliches lesen, wo ein Mensch sich ganz innerlich gibt, Freude davon haben, aber Freude so davon haben, wie Sie es meinetwillen von etwas haben, das sehr gut schmeckt. Es muß Ihnen die Wahrheit und das Streben nach der Wahrheit gut schmecken, und es muß Ihnen die Lüge, wenn Sie sie gewahr werden, bitter, giftig schmecken. So daß Sie nicht nur lernen müssen: Urteile haben Farbe, sondern Sie müssen Lernen zu sagen: Druckerschwärze ist heute meistens Tollkirschensaft. - Das müssen Sie aber mit aller Ehrlichkeit und Aufrichtigkeit empfinden können. Dann, meine Herren, dann sind Sie bei dem, was man geistige Verwandlung nennt.
[ 24 ] Die Leute reden von äußerlicher Alchimie und glauben, äußerliche Alchimie kann Kupfer in Gold verwandeln. Das werden Ihnen Scharlatane natürlich heute noch immer in allen Farben sagen; das haben die Leute, die abergläubisch sind, lange geglaubt. Aber im Geiste sind diese Dinge möglich; nur muß man an die Wahrheit des Geistes glauben. Da muß man sich sagen können: Die Druckerschwärze, die der Drucker benützt hat, ist materiell überall dasselbe, ob der ein wahres Buch gedruckt hat oder eine lügenhafte Zeitung. Das eine Mal aber ist Druckerschwärze wirklicher Tollkirschensaft, das andere Mal ist es, wie wenn Gold flüssig fließen würde. - Im Geiste sind die Dinge, die in der physischen Welt dieselben sind, so ganz verschieden.
[ 25 ] Aber wenn dann die jetzigen gescheiten Leute kommen und man ihnen sagt: Druckerschwärze kann fließendes Gold sein oder Tollkirschensaft — dann sagen sie: Das meinst du bildlich, bildlich ist das ja nur gemeint. — Ja, meine Herren, das Bildliche, das muß eben richtig geistig werden, und man muß verstehen, wie die Sachen geistig werden.
[ 26 ] Da will ich Ihnen einmal ein Beispiel, sogar aus der sozialdemokratischen Parteigeschichte, erzählen. Sie haben ja das vielleicht weniger mehr miterlebt, aber in einer gewissen Zeit hat sich ja die Sozialdemokratische Partei in zwei Teile gespalten. Die einen waren diejenigen, die unter Bernstein und ähnlichen Leuten waren. Das waren diejenigen, die gern allerlei Kompromisse mit den Bürgerlichen geschlossen haben. Und das andere waren die Radikalen, und an der Spitze der Radikalen ist ja bis zu seinem Tode Bebel gestanden. Sie werden wenigstens noch aus der Literatur von Bebel wissen. Nun war einmal - es war in Dresden — eine Parteiversammlung und Bebel ist fuchtig geworden über die anderen und hat gesagt, er wird nun Ordnung machen in der Sozialdemokratie. Da hat er eine sehr wuchtige Rede gehalten und hat im Verlauf dieser Rede gesagt: Ja, wenn das und das geschieht von der anderen Partei, dann läuft mir eine Laus über die Leber! - Nun wird natürlich jeder sagen, das ist bildlich gemeint, daß dem Bebel eine Laus über die Leber läuft, denn da läuft nicht wirklich eine Laus über die Leber. Aber warum wird denn solch ein Ausdruck gebraucht? Der Bebel hat ihn natürlich nicht deshalb gebraucht, weil ihm wirklich eine Laus über die Leber gelaufen ist, sondern er hat ihn gehört und hat ihn eben angewendet für etwas, wo man sich furchtbar ärgert. Aber warum ist denn der Ausdruck so, warum kann man da davon sprechen, daß eine «Laus» über die Leber läuft?
[ 27 ] Jedem geht es ja nicht so wie dem Juden Itzigsohn, der immer Läuse sich vom Kopfe herunterholte, und als ihn einmal einer frug: Ja, sag’ einmal, mein lieber Itzigsohn, wie kommt es nur, daß du so gescheit bist und immer eine Laus erhaschst? — da sagte der: Ist keine Kunst, greife ich daneben, habe ich auch eine. — Also jedem geht es nicht so, daß er gleich, wenn er eine Laus fangen will und danebengreift, auch eine hat. Sondern es ist meistens höchst unangenehm, wenn die Leute Läuse kriegen, es ist ihnen furchtbar unangenehm, es ist ein greuliches Gefühl! Sie hätten nur einmal sehen sollen: Als ich Erzieher war, da kam einmal einer von den Jungen, die ich erziehen mußte, nach Hause; er war ausgegangen, hatte sich in der Großstadt auf allerlei Bänke gesetzt, kriegte nach und nach Augenschmerzen, furchtbare Augenschmerzen. Nun war man sich im unklaren, welchen Spezialisten man holen sollte, weil dieser Junge solche schrecklichen Augenschmerzen hatte. Ich sagte: Wir wollen es zunächst mit einer Läusesalbe probieren und ihm die Augenbrauen damit einsalben. — Richtig, als man nachsah, da war er ganz verlaust, und als die Salbe gewirkt hatte, da gingen auch die tränenden Augen weg. Ja, Sie hätten nur sehen sollen, wie die Leute dreinschauten, die Mutter und die Tante, als der Junge plötzlich Läuse hatte! Da bekamen sie solche Gefühle, die bis in die Leber hineingingen. Da wird es ihnen im Bauch ganz anders: Donnerwetter, unser Junge hat Läuse! Eh, das ist ja etwas Schreckliches! - Und da kommt es einem dann so stark vor, wie wenn die Laus über die Leber rennen würde. Dieser Ausdruck «eine Laus rennt über die Leber» kommt von der wirklichen Empfindung her, die man eben gehabt hat, wenn die Leute Läuse bekommen haben. Nun, irgendwo in einer Versammlung oder in einer Partei geschieht das nicht, daß die Leute lausig werden, aber sie treiben etwas, wodurch man einen solchen Abscheu kriegt davor, wie wenn einem in früherer Zeit oder in einer gewissen Gesellschaftsklasse Läuse über die Leber gelaufen wären. Also Sie sehen, so wie der Ausdruck gebildet worden ist, da konnte er einer Wirklichkeit entsprechen. Nachher werden solche Ausdrücke so angewendet, daß man sie nur beim Geistgen, beim Seelischen noch anwendet.
[ 28 ] Aber das muß man künstlich zusammenbringen, meine Herren. Man muß das können, daß man nicht allein dem phrasenhaften Wortlaut nach, sondern tatsächlich richtig ehrlich empfindet: Da habe ich eine Zeitung vor mir, da wird wohl das meiste, was da drin ist, so sein, daß die Druckerschwärze Tollkirschensaft ist. - Ich möchte wissen, was die Leute heute tun würden, wenn sie das ehrlich empfinden würden! Denken Sie nur einmal, wieviel Tollkirschensaft verwendet worden ist, um über die Kriegsschuld zu reden und über die Kriegsunschuld, und wie die Leute einfach dadurch, daß sie entweder zu dem oder jenem Volk gehören, nicht, weil die Sachen wahr sind, sondern weil sie das eigene Volk unschuldig sprechen, mit allen möglichen Unwahrheiten unschuldig sprechen, Wohlbehagen empfinden. Ja, wie sollen denn die Menschen in der Gegenwart in den Geist hineinkommen? Man muß eben den starken Entschluß fassen, den ganz intensiven Entschluß fassen, ganz anders zu sein als ein Mensch der Gegenwart, und dennoch muß man natürlich mit den Leuten auskommen. Denn wenn man sich gleich auf das Podium stellt und anfängt über die Leute zu schimpfen, dann kann man natürlich nichts helfen. Aber man muß eben für die Wahrheit eine Gasse suchen, Und das ist so schwer, wie ich es Ihnen heute dargestellt habe.
[ 29 ] Nun habe ich Ihnen heute schwere Partien bringen müssen, damit Sie sehen: Es ist eben keine Leichtigkeit, in die geistige Welt hineinzukommen. — Wir kommen dann schon wiederum zu Dingen, die Sie weniger anstrengen werden. Aber Sie werden sehen: es ist gut, daß wir uns mit schweren Dingen befaßt haben. Wenn ich das nächste Mal fortsetze, dann werde ich Ihnen zeigen, wie der ganze Weg in die geistige Welt hinein ist.
Creating Artificial Boredom – The Reversal of The Judgments of the Physical World in the Spiritual World
[ 1 ] We will now proceed to answer the questions presented. But you must realize that the answer to these questions is one of the most difficult. I will try to make it as easy as possible. I have already told you that if you want to find the ways to enter into the spiritual view, then you must first be able to get into the habit of completely independent thinking. Secondly, one must have the possibility, as I have told you, to think back. So you have to try to think back on the things that happen in life: first the first, then the second, the third and so on. So, when I give you a lecture, I said last time, you have to try to start from the end and think towards the beginning. These are things that are among the very first, I would say, reasons for beginning.
[ 2 ] Now, however, I would like to discuss something else today in connection with the second question. You know that man can only live in a certain warmth. Under certain circumstances man can tolerate a great deal of warmth. If it gets quite hot in summer, well, then he sweats, but he can still bear it; but if it went any higher, then he would no longer be able to live. Man can just as well bear a certain cold, but if it goes below this cold, then man freezes to death. And you see, the peculiar thing is that precisely between these two temperatures, between the cold at which one begins to freeze to death and the warmth that one can just about endure, between these two temperatures in which the human body lives, one cannot see any spiritual entities. So it is not at all surprising that man cannot perceive spiritual entities with his body. For it is just as I told you last time, that the moment one begins to think back, one would begin to see spiritual entities. But you fall asleep. Most people fall asleep if they have not first trained themselves to be awake. But now something else. You see, if a person could get higher up than the temperature he can just about stand, he could perceive spiritual beings at a higher temperature. But he cannot bear it. Man could just as well perceive spiritual beings if he could make himself a snow garment, if he could completely cover himself in snow; but he would freeze to death. So that which seems so improbable to man is a fact: that the spiritual beings withdraw from the temperatures which man endures when he is in the physical body.
[ 3 ] Now man cannot endure such temperatures with his body, but he can endure them with his soul. Only, as I said, the soul then falls asleep. For the soul does not freeze, nor does the soul burn, but it falls asleep.
[ 4 ] Now, however, there are two things that can give man an idea of what the story is like when he comes into higher temperatures than he can withstand, and also when he comes into lower temperatures than he can withstand. Let me give you an example of this. You see, a person reaches higher temperatures than he can withstand in an internal way when he gets a fever. He does not reach such a high temperature that he immediately dies, but because the heat is generated from within, he reaches a feverish temperature, a higher temperature than he would reach if he had no fever. As you know, when a person enters a fever, when he enters this higher temperature, he really begins to talk like someone who is not on earth. Because what people talk about in a fever has no relation to the earth. But if someone were a materialist, he would have to say: Yes, but these are thoughts that are cooked up in the heat of fever, even if they are not true.
[ 5 ] So we have something in man where he grows into a state of elevated temperature, initially feverish, where he would go astray. Now, you see, the soul cannot err. No matter how high a fever the soul is in, it cannot err. It is talking wrongly because at a high temperature the body is not in order. You can visualize this if you think of the kind of sphere that is sometimes set up in flower gardens, which is a mirror in which the surroundings are reflected. If you look into it, you will see a face that you would not like to have! (It is sketched on the blackboard.) You won't want to have a face like that. But you won't say: Gosh, what a face I've got! - You will not believe that this is your face at all, because it looks so different in the sphere. Now, if your soul starts to talk out of its mind in a fever, you won't say that your soul is talking out of its mind, but that what your soul is saying is crazy because it is talking out of a sick brain, just as your face looks so muddy because it is expressed in such a false mirror. So you must also say to yourself: If I have a fever and talk stupidly, it is because the soul is talking out of a sick brain. I don't have a different face when I stand in front of the spherical mirror, but everything appears distorted. - So what the feverish person says appears distorted, because it comes out of a sick body and a brain that acts wrongly. But where does the wrong-acting brain come from? From the fact that the whole blood circulation is too rapid. You only need to feel your pulse to feel it. So this feverish heat in the head is caused by the fact that the blood circulation is too rapid. The blood circulation generates heat, which rises into your head: you have a fever. Your soul appears as if in an incorrect mirror.
[ 6 ] The opposite state can also occur, but it does not occur by lying in the snow and freezing to death, because then you really freeze to death. The opposite condition can only occur from the spiritual. You have to do something from the spiritual. Now, you see, gentlemen, something very strange is happening. Just imagine: someone starts thinking terribly, thinking about the smallest things. It is better to think about the most trivial things than about important matters, about such so-called trivialities that most people do not even want to think about them. I will show you something: if you have a triangle here (see drawing) and you divide this triangle into four equal parts, so that you get four such triangles, you can say: the whole triangle is larger than each of the four small triangles. I can now generalize this and say that there is a theorem that states: The whole is greater than its parts. (The theorem is written on the blackboard.) - Gosh, when a well-fed stock market man comes and you tell him: Hey, think about it, the whole is greater than its parts — then he says: No, that's way too boring for me! And if you even come to him and say: Just think, the blackboard is a body, it has a certain size, it is extended, the table is also a body, it has a certain size, it is extended – and I now form the sentence: All bodies are extended. (The sentence is written on the board.) Imagine if, at a meeting, you were only presented with the sentence: All bodies are extended. You would go away and say: That was a dull, boring story! And if I were to come up with something else and say: Look, the meadow is green, the rose is red, these objects have colors. Yesterday there was a court session, the judge passed this or that judgment - that has no color. And in another place there was also a court session, the judge also passed a judgment - that has no color. Judgments have no color. — So we have a third sentence. (The sentence is written on the board.) Yes, gentlemen, if someone were to lecture to you for an hour about judgments having no color, you would say to yourself: I have listened for an hour to judgments having no color, but that is terribly boring, that is unbearably boring!
[ 7 ] But why are these judgments boring to you? I wouldn't have to write these things on the board for you, and I wouldn't have to say them to you with a certain amount of humor, but I would have to come in, stiff and brisk like a professor, and say, “Gentlemen, today we want to talk about the sentence: “Judgments have no color” — and then I would have to spend a whole hour proving to you that the proposition is correct. What I showed you here is still quite amusing. But I would have to come and talk for a whole hour about the proposition: ‘Judgments have no color,’ or ‘All bodies are extended.’ — That way you could draw a line to get from one point to the other (drawing). One line is straight, the others are all crooked. But if you look at it, you will immediately say: the straight line is the shortest way, all the others are longer. Now I can write down this sentence for you again: the straight line is the shortest way between two points. If I wanted to talk about this sentence for a whole hour, you would find it boring again.
The whole is greater than its parts
All bodies are extended
Judgements have no color
The straight line is the shortest path between two points.
[ 8 ] There is, however, a German professor who says: “You can recognize something from the spiritual world, but you can only recognize that part of the spiritual world that lies in such sentences. And then he presents his students with the propositions by which something can be known from the spiritual world: the whole is greater than its parts. Judgments have no color. Bodies are extended. The straight line is the shortest path between two points, and so on. — That is the only thing, he says, that can be known from the spiritual world. Yes, the students are terribly bored by these lectures. But today it is the case that people have already been given the belief: you have to be bored with science. That is why most students are even enthusiastic about the professor who says such things. But that is just an aside.
[ 9 ]The story is this. When you take in such judgments, make such judgments, utter such sentences – the whole is greater than its parts, the straight line is the shortest path between two points – it gets cold at the back of your mind. That is the peculiar thing: it gets cold at the back of your mind. And because it gets cold at the back of your mind, because you start to freeze, you want to get away from such sentences. They are boring to you. That is the strange thing: when you are bored, it gets cold at the back of your head. Not the whole person gets cold, but the back of the head gets cold. The back of the head starts to want to freeze to death. And now it is not freezing because of the snow or the ice, but because of the soul, because of thinking such things, which are of no interest to him.
[ 10 ] You see, you can make fun of such sentences; but the thing is that such sentences, thought over and over again with patience, that is, putting yourself with patience into terrible boredom again and again, is the right way to get into spiritual vision. It is strange: What man does not want to have, that he must practise. I can tell you: Mathematics is boring for some, but because it is difficult and you have to make an effort, and because mathematics makes the back of the head so cold, those who had to learn mathematics come most easily into the spiritual world, because it was so cold and you had to make a real effort with mathematics. And those who overcome themselves and experience such sentences again and again, who thus artificially breed boredom, they enter the spiritual world most easily.
[ 11 ] I told you: when you get a fever, your pulse quickens. You get warm, and then it is the case that you get heat in the head, in the brain. That's how you get into the heat. That's when you talk nonsense. But when you are plagued by such sentences, where you want to stop thinking altogether, the blood does not become more active, but in the back of the head it stops, the blood. And because the blood stops, salts collect at the back. Salts accumulate. These salts express themselves in two ways. Most people get a stomach ache from them. And because they notice the stomach ache very quickly - they feel discomfort in the stomach when they are supposed to be thinking such sentences - they soon stop. But if someone does think such sentences all the time, as Nietzsche did, who was a very great man who lived towards the end of the 19th century, who tortured himself with such sentences throughout his youth, then many salts are deposited in his head, and Nietzsche suffered from constant migraines. And now, you see, you have to get to the point where you can think such sentences without getting migraines, without depositing salts, and also without getting a stomach ache. You must remain a completely healthy person and be able to create artificial boredom in yourself. So someone who honestly tells you how to enter the spiritual world must also tell you: you must first be able to create artificial boredom in yourself, otherwise you cannot enter the spiritual world at all. Just look at the present time. What does the present time want? The present time wants to constantly banish boredom. Where do people not run to in order to avoid boredom! They want to be entertained all the time. What does it mean to want to be entertained all the time? It means running away from the spirit. That is what it means. And our time wants to be entertained all the time. Yes, wherever there might be something spiritual, our time always runs away from it. It does not know it; it happens unconsciously. But this wanting to amuse oneself is just a running away from the spirit. That is the way it is. And only those who are not afraid to leave the amusing behind for once and to live artificially in such sentences can enter into the spirit. Then, when you have come so far that you can live artificially in such sentences, that you no longer get migraines or stomach aches from them, but can really endure living in such sentences for many hours, then you have the possibility of gradually coming to spiritual insight.
[ 12 ] But there is still a change to be made. Namely, from a certain point on, one realizes: if one has now lived in such sentences, they begin to turn around. - I think about this for a long time: the large triangle is larger than its parts. When I think about it for a long time, the sentence turns around for me. Now it begins to be interesting, because I get the following insight: if I have a triangle here and I take a quarter of this triangle and I want to express it, then it begins to grow (it is drawn), and it is no longer true that the whole is greater than its parts. The quarter is suddenly larger. — I see that the quarter is larger, and I must now say: The whole is smaller than its parts. (The sentence is written on the blackboard.)
[ 13 ] Now I have worked my way into how it looks in the spiritual world. From the physical world, it looks the opposite way. In the physical world, the whole is always greater than its parts; in the spiritual world, the part is greater than the whole. For example, you cannot recognize a person if you do not know that the part is greater than the whole. Today's science always wants to look into the smallest details. But if you want to recognize the liver of a human being, it is smaller than the human being when you look at it here in the physical. If you want to look at it spiritually, it grows and grows into something enormous, the liver becomes a whole universe. And if you do not pay attention to this, you simply cannot recognize the liver spiritually.
[ 14 ] So you must first have honestly come to the sentence: The whole is smaller than its part, and the part is larger than the whole. Likewise, if you have thought about the proposition: All bodies are extended, for a long enough time, so that you are already facing the terrible danger of your brain freezing at the back, then all bodies shrink, cease to be extended, and you finally get the judgment: No body is extended. (The proposition is written on the blackboard.)
[ 15 ] And now something very funny – funny for the physical world, but of the greatest seriousness for the spiritual world. You see, you can find it more foolish than anything to say: a court case has taken place in Buxtehude, a judgment has been passed that has no color. In Trippstrill, a judgment has also been passed that has no color either. But if you think about the sentence for a long time, the judgments take on color. And just as you can say: The rose is red - so you can say: The judgment of Buxtehude is dirty yellow, and the judgment of Trippstrill is red. — Now, there may also be some that are a beautiful red, but that rarely happens. You see, you grow into the proposition that all judgments that people make have color. — And only now are you at the point where you are able to think about the spiritual world at all, because it has the opposite qualities of the physical world: judgments have color. (The proposition is written on the blackboard.)
[ 16 ] The straight line is the shortest way between two points - that is so true that it is presented as one of the very first tenets of geometry. For the physical world, this is as true as it can be. But if you think about it: If someone who is not a physical but a spiritual being wants to get from village A to village B, the way will seem terribly short to him if he walks in a semicircle (it is drawn) - and you come to the conclusion: Blackboard ı4 The straight line is the longest way between two points. (The sentence is written on the blackboard.)
The whole is smaller than its parts
No body is extended
Judgements have color
The straight line is the longest way between two points
[ 17 ] That's something you can be a bit smug about! The world, however, does not go along with such things. It says: Well, if someone starts saying that judgments have color, then he has the fever or he is crazy. But that is precisely the point, that one comes to these things without one's body, with full reason, because the spiritual world has the opposite properties of the physical world. And you have to come to it through the simplest of sentences, because the simplest of sentences are the most incredible. Isn't it true that when someone starts talking interestingly about the spiritual world, people naturally listen, as if they were being told ghost stories at all? But you don't listen when someone tells you: You must first get used to artificially creating boredom within you. You have to do it artificially. If you get bored by the external science, nothing will come of it. But artificially, through inner effort, you have to be able to achieve boredom without getting migraines or stomach aches, without the body being involved. If the body is involved, you immediately get migraines or stomach aches. Just listen to what people say when they hear: You don't have to let yourselves be bored by the professor, that doesn't help you, you won't get any mental showers, but you just have to gradually overcome the migraines and the stomach aches. — You see, the student sits there, the professor bores him terribly; he is supposed to get a migraine or a stomach ache, but he doesn't get it. Now it strikes other organs that hurt less. And actually people get sick because their physical body is affected. If you create boredom in this way, as it is done in today's science, then you only make people sick. If you give people instructions on how to create boredom freely through their own inner strength, and if they go through this boredom, then they will gradually enter the spiritual world, but you have to seize it by reversing the very first judgments in the spiritual world. There is already an extraordinarily good means by which you can work very efficiently on yourself. That is when you experience something really, really boring in the world and afterwards, when it has been so boring that you have run away from it, that you no longer liked it at all or were glad when it was over, then you begin to reflect on it very, very slowly.
[ 18 ] You see, I myself — I can tell you that - learned an awful lot. When I was young, I sat through some terribly boring lectures in my life. Yes, I must say, before the lecture began, I even looked forward to the boring lecture, because it was as stimulating as sleeping otherwise in life. So I really enjoyed it: now you can sit through a few hours of boring lectures again! But when the lecture had begun and the professor spoke, I constantly had the impression: He's talking all the time, he's even disturbing my boredom! But afterwards, I always thought deeply about everything he said. I was not interested in the slightest, but I went through every hour from the beginning, and sometimes I went through an hour in such a way that it lasted for two hours, thus artificially creating a natural boredom. Gentlemen, you are making a strange discovery. Right at the end of the 19th century, you were able to make a very strange discovery. Imagine you have just come from a lecture by a huge rhinoceros – they do exist – and you were terribly bored. Now you could – this was the case at the end of the 19th century – now you could, as they say, meditate on this boring lecture. So you call to mind everything that has bored you terribly. Then suddenly, behind the person who has presented the greatest boring things to you like a rhinoceros, you gradually see something like a higher person, like a completely spiritual person. And the lecture halls are transformed for you – this is so that you can understand it in full reason. And I know many professors from the end of the 19th century for whom this was the case – but I don't want that to be talked about again, otherwise people will think: that is something quite terrible – the most brilliant spiritual people always appeared behind them. Yes, what was that then?
[ 19 ] It is not true that people are unconsciously as stupid inwardly as they behave outwardly. They are much cleverer, and the stupidest people are sometimes clever. That also changes. But they cannot grasp their own cleverness. That is a terrible secret, because what people actually are in their souls often stands behind them; they cannot grasp that themselves.
[ 20 ] Yes, that is how one enters the spiritual worlds. You know, at the end of the 19th century there was a materialistic natural science. People still worship this materialistic natural science today. I myself must say: it was tremendously useful to get to know this materialistic natural science. This materialistic natural science has always produced the most boring sentences from beginning to end. If you just lick your fingers, that you have become so clever and finally know that man descended from apes, as natural science says, yes, then nothing comes of it. But if you think this sentence over and over again with all your inner energy, then it will finally be transformed into a spiritually correct one, and you will realize: Man does not descend from the ape at all, but from a spiritual being.
[ 21 ] There are, however, some differences. A boy was once sent to school. For the first time, he heard from his teacher that man descended from the ape – too soon, as it turned out. He said to his father at home: “Hey, Dad, I heard something today; just think, man comes from apes!” – “Well, well!” said the father indignantly. “You are a stupid boy! It may be the case with you, but not with me!” You see, for him it was also quite incredible, the story. He only related it to the spiritual.
[ 22 ] But you can see from all that I am telling you that there are two ways of approaching natural science. And I can already tell you: if you have not learned natural science the way many did in the 19th century and still do today, but if you, instead of parroting everything, think meditatively, think again and again, think for hours and hours, then it turns around and the spiritually correct comes out. And when you have thought long and hard about plants and minerals and have simply thought through what people tell you today in such a terribly materialistic way, then you finally come to the conclusion that you have the meaning of the zodiac, the meaning of the stars, the whole secrets of the stars before you. But the safest way is to start from such sentences: The part is greater than the whole. No body is extended. Judgments have color. The straight line is the longest way between two points. This is how you break away from the physical body. When you go through all this, you will be able to use your etheric body instead of your physical body. You can then begin to think with the etheric body, and the etheric body must think in the opposite way to the physical world. Because through the etheric body you gradually enter the spiritual world. But there it still falters, and there one must get accustomed to something else. You know, when you read today, something very strange can happen to you. For example, once when I was in a southern Austrian city that is no longer Austrian today, I got hold of an evening paper. This evening paper had an editorial, as they say. It told a terribly interesting story in great detail, a great political story: the first column, second column, third column, it was all terribly interesting to read. Then, at the very bottom of the same page, there was a small note. It said: “Unfortunately, we have to report that everything in today's editorial is based on erroneous information and not a word of it is correct.” Well, you see, that can happen to you today. It is the most radical case, but anyone who reads newspapers today can often find themselves on either side of the page reading something that is simply not true. They then learn afterwards that it was not true. You see, I believe that most people today have become terribly dull in these matters; they simply absorb truth and lies indifferently, bit by bit. If one has become dull in this respect, that one absorbs truth and lies in the same way, yes, then one cannot enter the spiritual world.
[ 23 ] Last time I told you: When someone goes mad, only his body becomes ill. The soul does not become ill, it remains healthy. Today I told you: When someone raves in a fever, his thoughts become only a caricature, but the soul remains right. But one must get into the habit of it if one wants to enter the spiritual world, that one feels a mental pain when one thing is wrong, and that one has a mental joy when one thing is right, that one can be as happy about the truth as if someone gave one a million — I mean a million francs, not marks! (Laughter.) In the same way, when we discover that something is a lie, we should be able to suffer inwardly, not the body but the soul should suffer, just as the body suffers when it has a terrible illness. Not that the soul should be ill, but the soul must be able to feel pain and joy, as when the body is ill or quite comfortable or experiences pain or joy externally in the physical world. That is to say, one must come to feel the truth as one feels joy and bliss and pleasure in physical life, and one must come to feel the untruth so painfully, to become so inwardly mentally ill from the untruth, as one otherwise becomes ill from the disturbances of one's body alone. That is to say, when someone has told you a pack of lies, then you must be able to say, but in such a way that it is really true: Golly! He gave me deadly nightshade to eat! - But it must be true inwardly. Now, of course, if you look into the present day, consider the newspaper business, for example, that always gives you deadly nightshade to eat. If you want your soul to remain healthy, you have to constantly spit mentally. On the other hand, because you cannot do without newspapers if you want to enter the spiritual world, you must get into the habit of thinking that newspapers leave a bad taste in your mouth and that you should read something decent, where a person reveals his innermost thoughts, and take pleasure in it, but pleasure such as you take in something that tastes very good for my sake. The truth and the pursuit of truth must taste good to you, and the lie, when you become aware of it, must taste bitter and poisonous to you. So you must not only learn: judgments have color, but you must learn to say: printer's ink is usually belladonna juice today. - But you must be able to feel this with all honesty and sincerity. Then, gentlemen, you will have achieved what is called spiritual transformation.
[ 24 ] People talk about external alchemy and believe that external alchemy can transform copper into gold. Of course, charlatans will still tell you this in all colors today; people who are superstitious believed this for a long time. But in the spirit these things are possible; one must only believe in the truth of the spirit. One must be able to say to oneself: The printer's ink used by the printer is materially the same everywhere, whether he has printed a true book or a lying newspaper. But in one case printer's ink is real belladonna juice, and in the other it is as if liquid gold were flowing. In the spiritual world, things that are the same in the physical world are quite different.
[ 25 ] But when the present clever people come and are told that printing ink can be flowing gold or belladonna juice, they say, “You mean that figuratively, that's only meant figuratively.” Yes, gentlemen, the figurative must become truly spiritual, and one must understand how things become spiritual.
[ 26 ] Let me give you an example, even from the history of the Social Democratic Party. Perhaps you were less involved in it, but at a certain point the Social Democratic Party split into two. One group was led by Bernstein and similar people. These were the ones who were willing to make all kinds of compromises with the bourgeoisie. And the other were the radicals, and at the head of the radicals was Bebel until his death. You will at least know about Bebel from the literature. Now once – it was in Dresden – there was a party meeting and Bebel got furious about the others and said he would now put things in order in the Social Democracy. So he gave a very forceful speech and in the course of this speech he said: Yes, if this and that happens to the other party, then I'll have a louse on my liver! Of course, everyone will say that this is meant figuratively, that a louse will run across Bebel's liver, because a louse won't really run across the liver. But why is such an expression used? Bebel did not use it because a louse had really run across his liver, but he heard it and used it for something that makes you terribly angry. But why is the expression like that, why can you speak of a “louse” running across the liver?
[ 27 ] Not everyone is like Itzigsohn, the Jew, who always got lice off his head, and when someone once asked him: “Well, tell me, my dear Itzigsohn, how is it that you are so clever and always catch a louse?” — and he said: ‘It's not an art, I just grab at random, and I always get one.’ — So not everyone is so lucky that if they want to catch a louse and miss, they immediately get one. Rather, it is usually extremely unpleasant when people get lice. It is terribly unpleasant for them, it is a horrible feeling! They should have seen it just once: When I was a teacher, one of the boys I had to educate came home one day; he had gone out, sat on all kinds of benches in the big city, and gradually developed eye pain, terrible eye pain. Now they were at a loss as to which specialist to call because this boy had such terrible eye pain. I said: Let's try a lice ointment first and put it on his eyebrows. — Right, when they looked, he was all lice-infested, and when the ointment had worked, the watery eyes also went away. Yes, you should have seen how people looked, the mother and the aunt, when the boy suddenly had lice! They got such feelings that went right to their liver. It makes their stomachs feel all queasy: Gosh, our boy has lice! Eh, that's something terrible! And then it seems as strong as if the louse were running over the liver. This expression “a louse running over the liver” comes from the real sensation that one has just had when people have got lice. Now, it doesn't happen that people become lousy somewhere in a meeting or in a party, but they do something that makes you feel such disgust as if lice had run over your liver in earlier times or in a certain social class. So you see, the way the expression has been formed, it could correspond to reality. Subsequently, such expressions are applied in such a way that they are only applied to the spiritual and the psychological.
[ 28 ] But that has to be artificially contrived, gentlemen. You have to be able to do that, not just according to the phrase-like wording, but actually feel it correctly and honestly: Here I have a newspaper in front of me, most of what is in it is probably such that the printing ink is belladonna. - I would like to know what people would do today if they felt that honestly! Just think how much deadly nightshade juice has been used to talk about war guilt and war innocence, and how people feel comfortable with all sorts of untruths simply by belonging to one or the other nation, not because the things are true, but because they exonerate their own nation, not because they exonerate the truth, but because they exonerate their own nation. Yes, how are people in the present to enter into the spirit? One must simply make the strong decision, the very intense decision, to be quite different from a person of the present, and yet, of course, one must get along with the people. Because if one immediately goes on the podium and starts ranting about the people, then of course one can't help anything. But one must simply seek an opening for the truth, and that is as difficult as I have presented it to you today.
[ 29 ] Today I had to present you with difficult games so that you can see: It is not easy to enter the spiritual world. – We will then come to things that will be less challenging for you. But you will see: it is good that we have dealt with difficult things. The next time I continue, I will show you what the whole path into the spiritual world is like.