Reincarnation and Immortality
GA 71b
24 April 1918, Stuttgart
I. Free Will, Immortality
Of all the problems related to the soul life of the human being and that have constantly to be faced by each individual, those concerning free will and immortality are among the most important. I have planned today's lecture so that these two questions can be discussed in conjunction with each other. I have not united these two fundamental problems of human soul life arbitrarily, but I hope to be able to show how intimately they belong together and how it is hardly possible to make a thorough study of the one without the other.
Anyone dealing with these two problems who has any grasp of what we are concerned with in human and spiritual history will immediately be aware of two facts. Apart from approaching such problems through faith, about which I intend to make neither positive nor negative comment here, people have tried to come to grips with them purely on the basis of thinking, scientifically and philosophically. Entirely on this basis of thinking attempts have been made to gain the most shrewd, penetrating and profound knowledge about the two problems. Anyone who tackles them cannot fail to note how individual scientists have disputed and acted in quite contradictory ways when dealing with free will and immortality.
There must be some reason why humanity finds it so difficult to get anywhere with questions which lie so close to the efforts of the human soul, and which arise out of the deepest needs of the soul. The human soul incessantly tells itself that within the human being is hidden something that exists beyond birth and death, and which one should be able to investigate scientifically. It also tells itself that there must be something like free decision at the root of human action, a not being bound to natural necessity as a falling stone is. But when on the basis of its thinking, the soul then tries to investigate the things that are so important to it, it can set out with the greatest hopes of achieving something, but soon other considerations show that it is possible to say as much against it as for it.
The approach I have represented for many years now—and also in these lectures here—seeks to clarify these questions from its own viewpoint and it thinks it recognizes not only the path that has to be followed to arrive at a conception of the two problems that is humanly satisfying, but it believes it also recognizes why it is that there is so much of a contradictory and unsatisfactory nature in other approaches to the problems. As is usual in these lectures given from the viewpoint of the science of spirit, in dealing with such problems I am obliged to take a quite different course from that taken by ordinary science. Science takes the facts, makes pronouncements about its findings, and then reaches its conclusions on the basis of these findings. The scientist of spirit normally has to proceed differently, especially when dealing with such subjects as these today.
The scientist of spirit first must give an idea as to how he arrives at his results. He has constantly to describe the path upon which the source of his findings is revealed to him. For naturally he is dealing with things that cannot be reached by means of the ordinary senses, and which are far removed from the usual processes of knowledge. He therefore has to give an idea of the path upon which he reaches a point where his findings appear set out before the eye of the spirit.
Such questions as we have before us today are of particular concern to the human being himself, for they are pre-eminently questions of human self-knowledge.
It is quite possible to say—as I have already done here many times—that the science of spirit is definitely an admirer of the magnificent and tremendous progress which humanity has enjoyed as a result of scientific work in recent times. But it is precisely because it realizes how to value the findings of natural science, as far as they can be valued, that it also knows how far these scientific methods can go, and where they can obtain no information.
We have to admit that for such questions as we are considering today, questions that concern human self-knowledge above all, the magnificent and admirable work of scientific thinking and particularly its method of thinking are more of a hindrance than a help. Therefore by way of introduction let me give you an example.
Serious and well-intentioned scientists have constantly directed their particular way of thinking to what goes on within the human being himself, to what surges to and fro in his soul life. We can take an example to show how the scientist is bound to miss the way that would lead to a solution, not because of any mistake he makes, but because of his method. A good scientist, Waldstein, has published among his works, which are very good in parts and which deal with the border-area embracing the nervous system and the soul, a dissertation on the unconscious ego. He speaks about all sorts of things that go on in the human soul, and which are of significance to the soul but of which our ordinary consciousness is not aware. He says, for instance—and anyone can think of hundreds of thousands of similar examples—supposing I stand in front of a window of a bookshop and look into it. My eye falls on the most varied collection of books. It is a scientific bookshop. Nothing but serious books are there. Because of my profession I am attracted by one particular book that is in the window: Concerning Mollusks.—And the moment I see this book, Concerning Mollusks, I cannot help beginning to laugh quietly. Now I am, after all, a serious scientist and there is no apparent reason why I should begin to laugh when I see this book, Concerning Mollusks. What has caused me to laugh when looking at the title of a book about mollusks? I close my eyes—the scientist continues—in order to find out what has caused me to laugh. And, lo and behold!—now that my eyes are no longer drawn toward the book I can hear dimly in the distance amid many other noises and hardly audible, for it is a long way off, the sound of a barrel organ, and this barrel organ is playing the very tune to which I first learned to dance decades before as a very young man. At that time I attempted to learn the steps of the quadrille to this tune. I did not give much attention to the tune then, for I was very much occupied, first, in learning the steps and then in giving attention to my partner in the proper way. So even at that time I only noted the tune in a half-dreaming state. But now, although I have not concerned myself with this tune in any way more recently, the moment I see the book about mollusks, this tune strikes up in the distance, and I have to laugh quietly. Had I not closed my eyes—for when I looked at the book I knew nothing about a barrel organ playing, it simply beat on my ear unnoticed—I would not have discovered why I had to laugh when I saw the book. This shows me how remarkable are the things that go on inside us, that move and work in the subconscious, and how this subconscious nature pursues its ways in the human being.
Such examples he describes in great numbers, and others have cited similar ones. But in following such learned dissertations one very quickly notices that although the people certainly know that they are dealing with something that belongs to a knowledge of what works and lives in the human being, their scientific thinking cannot achieve anything that leads to a furtherance of a real knowledge of what lives in man as his true being. For this we have to advance a stage further. And this is what I must deal with first—the path that leads us to self-knowledge. But I want, first of all, to place the two questions before you so that you see how they have to be dealt with in order to be felt and understood absolutely clearly.
In choosing where we begin with this, we should not take the hardly perceptible impressions in the human self, such as those of the barrel organ, for then we only arrive at what it is that affects the self, and not what lies behind it. To put the question satisfactorily, we have to ignore this continual movement into which all sorts of things are incorporated, such as the sound of the barrel organ, and turn to something that has a different relationship to human life. In our soul life there is a continual movement of mental images which are gained through our normal way of perception, and also feelings and will impulses—all these play a role when we hear something like a barrel organ. But basically, the whole of our ordinary everyday soul life is more or less similar to the case of the barrel organ. It is true that we are fully conscious of at least part of what lives in our ordinary consciousness, but there is also an immeasurable amount, the origin of which we do not know. Science quite rightly looks for causes of what plays into our soul life in this way in the physical body, the part of us that passes away with death. We are completely taken up with this interplay of our mental images. But there is one thing where we have to admit that it has a quite different character from this continual movement of our feelings and sensations. This is the realization,—which brings with it a certain power of judgment,—that we cannot simply allow our mental images to come and go as they please. On the contrary, we have to take ourselves in hand and say: Some ideas and images are right, others are wrong.—We begin to develop logic in our thinking,—logic that is designed to enable us to have the right relationship to reality.
Can it be the normal interplay of our mental images that is at work when we say that something is right or wrong? No, it cannot be the normal interplay, for now right and wrong ideas or images appear. All now depends on our being able to judge according to something that rejects wrong ideas—which arise out of bodily necessities, just as much as good ones do—and accepts good ideas. Something therefore of a quite different nature from what can otherwise be found by normal scientific self-observation, plays into our soul life. That is why the philosophical approach has constantly entered in at this point.
Whenever the attempt has been made to save the human being from being simply the outcome of his physical functions, it has always been pointed out how something plays into the soul life that cannot come from the body. Sometimes it is the right thing, sometimes the wrong; both appear in the same way. But it is just on this point that we can see that this kind of approach cannot pursue the matter to a conclusion, that it is really impossible to find out anything in this way. For we get no further than establishing the facts, while the fundamental causes and real nature of the case are sought in vain.—That is the one point.
On the other hand, there is the fact that among all the other things that take place in our soul life we are also able to say Yes or No to a particular action, to decide to do it or to leave it undone. But this contradicts every kind of scientific observation. For this action can only take place on the basis of our bodily nature, our human nature, and this means that we have to seek this basis in our human nature according to laws which function according to necessity. Human freedom does not come into it.—This is the other boundary. We have to start with these two points.
Twenty-five years ago in my Philosophy of Spiritual Activity I attempted to make these two boundaries or limits my starting point, and purely on the basis of observation sought to establish what lives in the human soul, what really happens in the human soul when an action is performed where a person feels he is employing his freedom.
At that time I did this in such a way as to remain within purely philosophical considerations. Today I will try to offer a solution, as far as is humanly possible, on the basis of the findings of the science of spirit. In order to do this, however, it is necessary to approach these two points that I have just characterized as the border points of genuine self-knowledge, in a way that only the science of spirit can approach them.
One of the characteristic things about the science of spirit is that we do not allow the soul to investigate in its everyday condition. Our ordinary consciousness does this, as does science too, but in the science of spirit we evolve the soul beyond the point it attains if simply left to its own natural development. We ourselves must take the soul in hand, and it has to develop into something different. For it has to be able to see and perceive something different from what can be perceived with the ordinary means of acquiring knowledge. It has, if I may indicate this right at the outset, to be able to grasp with its spiritual eye the spirit that lives in man.
Most people maintain that this is a subject for belief only, but this is really simply because they do not wish to make any effort to consider such things as the human spirit, that they say this. The actual method and practice of the scientist of spirit proves that it is not just a belief that is acquired, but knowledge as certain in its sphere as is scientific knowledge in the natural sphere. We must, of course, be quite clear that by undertaking certain exercises and functions, the soul has to attain a quite different constitution from the one it has in normal life and ordinary science. It has to acquire a different kind of perception. In my writings, where more detailed information about these matters can be found, I have called the first stage that the soul reaches in investigating the spiritual world, imaginative knowledge.
How do we acquire this imaginative knowledge? Mainly by applying our thinking, our minds in a different direction from the one usual in everyday life. To take the example already cited, we have to try to introduce something into our thinking that is as remote as possible from the barrel organ. For the barrel organ introduced a kind of unknown quantity into the soul life, which was not even noticeable. Precisely the opposite must be the case if we wish to train our souls, to prepare ourselves for spiritual investigation. Nothing must enter our soul unless the soul itself admits it. This can only be done if we succeed—naturally only for the purposes of our investigations—in eliminating the past we have lived through, and the future we look forward to, and in concentrating in our souls solely on the present, as far as possible in one comprehensible mental image, a mental image that we have put together ourselves so that we know what is in it. And we have to do this again and again.
What is characteristic about this is that such activity should be completely removed from any kind of dream life in the soul. No one can become a scientist of spirit in the right way who is fond of giving himself over to self-indulgence and dreaming. No one who willingly indulges in a false mystical way, in something indefinite, can ever become a scientist of spirit. For such indulgence does not lead to the science of spirit. We can only take up the science of spirit if we experience something in our souls that we ourselves have put there with every conceivable effort of our own consciousness, and then constantly concentrate upon it and devote ourselves to it. In my writings I have called this meditating, and by this I mean meditating in the proper sense that we are directed toward our own consciousness, our own soul activity.
There is a further point I would like to mention. Not only must this meditating be far removed from any kind of dream state or false mysticism, it must also be removed from everything that produces hypnotic and suggestive conditions in the soul. Staring at shining objects, for example, by means of which hypnotists produce a hypnotic state is the very opposite of the first condition of a spiritually scientific training. All the various kinds of exercises that dull the consciousness are the very opposite of spiritually scientific training.
What we are concerned with is placing ideas, feelings and will impulses, of which we have a clear picture, into the center of our soul life with full consciousness, so that we are as clear as we are when using the full powers of our thinking. In fact, this absolutely clear thinking, carried out with our full consciousness, must be our example and pattern. We have to be careful not to stop at this, however, for then we achieve nothing, but this should be a pattern for all the activity the soul undertakes in exercises directed toward finding the path into the spiritual world.
It may perhaps take years of trying, but the passing years stand us in good stead, for the fact that we get older as we do the exercises is a great help in enabling something to happen. Constant attempts to concentrate our soul life upon our self-directed mental images by means of meditation, results in the development of our imaginative life. This means that we no longer need only to use pictures and mental images that we ourselves put together, but that such pictures, such imaginations, themselves appear as objective entities in the soul, and in fact, we can live in such imaginations. It is only when we have prepared ourselves in the way I have described, that these imaginations no longer arise out of the body, but out of the life of the soul.
But we also become conscious of gradually following an inner necessity. In living in this world of pictures—for it is the imaginative world that we first experience—we gradually cease to believe that we can arrange the pictures as we please, but that we are bound to certain laws, just as we are bound to laws in the outer world.
You can set a chair upon the table; it stays there. If you put it somewhere in the air, it falls down. If in looking at the outer world you wish to remain within reality, you find yourself bound to certain laws. As you develop your soul in the right way you will gradually see that you are similarly bound to laws in your inner world that are just as objective as, for instance, the law that a chair can only stand on something that supports it. On the one hand, we feel that with our consciousness we are part of the world in which the pictures exist; on the other hand, we feel bound to the underlying order which may be compared to the kind of order that exists in the physical world.
In two particular respects we have to be able to differentiate carefully what we experience. We should not confuse the latter with what people experience under the influence of ordinary visions, for these ordinary visions come from the body. They are not induced by ourselves, and do not take the place in the soul. Imaginations, on the other hand, are processes which take place in the soul. Whoever has not learned to differentiate between imaginations and visions can, it is true, become a visionary who allows all sorts of vague clouds to arise out of his body, but he can never become a scientist of spirit. We are simply not consciously present when visions arise, and this is a most important point. It is in fact just as important and actual as the cautionary rules we adopt when pursuing chemical, physical and physiological methods.
I would like to cite a critic of the spiritual scientific approach who has a high opinion of his own book wisdom. I have no wish to speak about all the rubbish he has said concerning my science of spirit, but I shall quote something from a book of this so-called learned gentleman. This book has attracted considerable notice and has already gone into a second edition after quite a short time. The author relates what happens to him sometimes when lecturing. For a time he speaks in such a way that he thinks over everything he says, but then sometimes he has observed that he does not think any longer, or at least thinks about something else, but yet he continues to speak.
Well, first I promise never to impose myself upon you by ambling on when I have ceased to think! On the other hand, it must be emphasized that whoever believes it is possible to approach the mysteries of the soul when acting this way, is from the start much too stupid to be able to grasp anything about the fundamentals of what the true science of spirit is. He is also much too stupid to make any remotely correct statements about the science of spirit. With this one statement he proves how far he is from what is meant here. For the most essential thing is that the science of spirit must emphasize that consciousness must be present wherever the spiritual is sought. All visions and every kind of undirected dreaming, even if it is impressive enough to captivate a public without thinking as to the means by which it is captivated,—all this is quite out of the question, not only when we speak, but also in connection with what goes on inside us in our souls, if we are on the path to the spirit indicated by the science of spirit.
The other thing that has to be differentiated from what I have called imagination, is our ordinary fantasy. Our higher imaginative life is not simply an act of our fantasy any more than it is a visionary or undirected mystical experience. With our fantasy, it is true, the pictures have a certain law and order, but they are arranged inwardly in quite a free way.—With our fantasy we are not so bound to the objective course of the pictures as we are in our ordinary perception or in the life of imagination where we know that the chair cannot stand in the air.
If, therefore, in our inner training of the soul we reach the point of having before us what we cannot have before us in our ordinary consciousness, in our ordinary everyday life, we do not simply experience a world of pictures that arises out of the soul, the origin of which the soul itself has experienced bit by bit. We now experience a new world, a world of pictures, a world that otherwise we do not have around us. This is the first thing that anyone has to struggle for who wishes to penetrate into the real spiritual world.
But now something specially important happens on this path toward spiritual investigation. The visionary is satisfied with this world of pictures. He says that that is what he has sought. The dreamer is also satisfied.—But the person who achieves imaginative knowledge is by no means satisfied with this world of pictures. He regards it only as a means for proceeding further. For the experience of this world of pictures is accompanied by a strengthening of our means of experience. We have to find quite different inner forces in our soul life if we want to hold on to these pictures, or be really consciously present when they come into existence. These forces are quite different from those we must use when ordinary pictures arise, when speaking in the ordinary way, or when writing books. This strengthening of our consciousness is the important factor, for by these means the soul becomes stronger than it is otherwise in life, or needs to be. There is nothing to be gained by this world of pictures other than a strengthening of our soul life. We should say to ourselves: This whole world of pictures is only a preparation for the spiritual world.
Then, having experienced ourselves—and I say “experienced ourselves” intentionally—we realize that there is not really any objective world in these pictures, but that we have the means to penetrate into this objective world. We have, as it were, in this world of pictures a spiritual eye and a spiritual ear, but they are not yet transparent. Imagine that you have eyes in your eye sockets, but that they are not made of a transparent glasslike substance, but are darkened and opaque. This is the nature of this world of pictures within us, which is more likely to cut us off from the spiritual world, but which can be strengthened by taking into our souls the first available means to penetrate into the spiritual world. We have to acquire a further power. And this is acquired by feeling the power that we experience in these pictures. In experiencing them to the full, we acquire a second power. You can find more detailed information in my books.
The second power consists in making the pictures transparent and transaudient, then doing away with them, just feeling ourselves in the pictures, having only strengthened our own self, but making the whole world of pictures transparent. We have to be in it, but we no longer have to see it. This is a condition that the visionary does not want at any cost, for he is immensely satisfied to feel himself in the pictures, to have, as he thinks, “the whole spiritual world” before him. He has no wish to make the pictures transparent. The scientist of spirit utilizes what he experiences with the pictures only to strengthen his ego that thereby becomes stronger than the ordinary ego, and can now maintain itself. When the ego maintains itself, it also maintains the world of pictures for itself, but by means of this inner strength it no longer directs its gaze to the perception of the world of pictures. The latter is overcome, so that although we live in this world of pictures we no longer perceive it and no longer look at it as something coming to us as a reality from outside.
Further energetic practice of the exercises having made the imaginations transparent, the second thing necessary in order to enter the spiritual world comes about. This is what I call inspired knowledge. In using this word I would ask you to take it only in the sense that I have explained here, and not to confuse it with all sorts of superstitious notions. It is what appears in the soul when the latter has been strengthened in the world of pictures and then has eliminated. The world of pictures becomes transparent, and the outer objective spiritual world makes itself known in spiritual hearing, spiritual perception. It is not that then we have only the strengthened self before us, for our experience now gives us the possibility of knowing that there is a spiritual world around us, just as there is a physical world around us which we perceive with our physical eyes and ears. In fact, anyone who is of the opinion that proper investigation is not necessary in order to enter the spiritual world, or that talk about the spiritual world is only a lot of meaningless words, is quite wrong. And likewise wrong is the person who maintains that the scientist of spirit is a kind of visionary whose task is easy compared with the serious work which goes into the discoveries made in the laboratory and observatory. However difficult it may be for us to adopt the methods of ordinary science, it is even more difficult to master all the preparation necessary for the soul to get beyond the stage of imagination and enter the spiritual world as I have described. Irresponsible statements about such matters can come only from those who have never bothered to get a true idea of what the science of spirit is.
Having now penetrated into the spiritual world when it is revealed to us in a way similar to our experience of color and sound in the physical world, something happens which we feel in a remarkable way. By continuing to apply ourselves to inspiration we continue to experience it and what happens then is what can be called a reversal of going to sleep. It is most important to grasp this. We know that by means of imaginative and inspired knowledge we have gone through all the various conditions that we normally only experience when we go to sleep. This making ourselves free of the physical body in imagination and inspiration is the same as when, in going to sleep, the physical body follows only its own laws, which have nothing to do with what happens in the soul. Notice what happens when we go to sleep: our normal perceptions become unclear and sink away, then we become unconscious. This sinking away of our physical perceptions does not happen because the physical body is tired, but because something else takes the place of our perceptions—namely, imaginations. It is not that we develop a lower form of soul activity, but a higher. This is even more the case with inspiration.
If we proceed even further it is as if we were to wake up in the middle of sleep and see our bodies lying there apart from our souls. This is a real experience. We see that when we have experienced inspiration we are outside our bodies. We are not unconscious, however, but within the spiritual world. We now enter into what made itself known in inspiration, we enter into it, coming to know its beings and processes, step by step. In my writings I have called this third stage of spiritual knowledge, intuition.
We penetrate into the spiritual world by imagination, inspiration and intuition. This is how we immerse ourselves in the spiritual world by the transformation of the soul. It cannot be attained by empty phrases or meaningless mystical talk about losing oneself in this or the other, but only by really earnest work on the soul.—Having reached this stage—and we do not have to call it a higher stage than our ordinary life, but only a different kind of knowledge—we then have quite a different relationship to the outer world than we have without this knowledge.
Although it is well known to many of you after all the lectures I have given here, I would nevertheless like to mention in passing that it is not that a scientist of spirit is a scientist of spirit from the moment he wakes up until he goes to sleep as, say, a chemist is a chemist even when not in his laboratory. For the times when the scientist of spirit is not actually immersed in the spiritual world he is an ordinary human being like anyone else. He naturally lives according to what the outside world demands of him. It is a great mistake to imagine that the scientist of spirit becomes a different person. Many misunderstandings arise in the outside world about various kinds of societies because their members constantly suggest that they are a higher kind of human being. This is quite irresponsible and is certainly not meant here. What is meant is that in certain states of life we train the soul to enter the spiritual world, and that during these states, in this condition of soul, the soul has a different relationship to the outer world than usual, even regarding the more subtle distinctions in life.
It may well seem odd to you, but it is nevertheless true, that it means a great deal to those who look at life in a one-sided way, whether one is a materialist or a spiritualist—spiritualist not in the sense of Spiritualism, but of German philosophy. It is really all the same to a scientist of spirit whether a person is a materialist or spiritualist. But this is not the point. For the materialist who approaches the outer material world with his deepened self, however material the phenomena are that he investigates, proceeds from matter to spirit, because spirit lies at the roof of all matter. If you start with matter and do not stop halfway, however rabid a materialist you may be, but are willing to apply your thinking to the investigation, you will then be on the right track. Neither should a spiritualist stop halfway, for then he only speaks eternally about spirit, and perhaps even despises matter. The important thing is not to talk about spirit, but to find the way from spirit to matter, to immerse oneself in matter, and to take the spirit with one into it. It is a fact that the spiritualists, who always chatter about spirit and have no idea of how to apply this spirit to our more immediate and useful life, are perhaps even more harmful than the materialists.
Whether we start from matter or from spirit is not important. What is important is that we continue our investigations to a conclusion. But in a certain respect this does not happen in the case of the methods pursued by modern science. Although modern physiology and biology deal almost exclusively with the material aspect, even when studying the human being, their methods—that is, their method of thinking, not the facts they discover—cannot get behind the real mysteries of, say, human evolution. And for the questions we are now considering it is just this that is so important.
You are well aware that the idea of evolution is one of the special achievements of modern science. But evolution has become a pretty threadbare word. The whole of science, including the human being, has come within the orbit of the idea of evolution, and this has led to the discovery of much useful and significant material. However, despite this, science has really only discovered half of what is necessary to make the human being understandable. For the human being is not as simple as all that, and cannot simply be understood on the basis of this single line of evolution.
Man is a complicated being. If we are to apply the idea of evolution to the human being and really penetrate the real mysteries of his nature, we must apply the idea of evolution to the human organism, as the latter appears to our everyday senses, quite differently from the somewhat oversimplified approach attempted by science until now. For in dealing with the human being we have to differentiate between different parts—the head with the senses and the nervous system (for simplicity's sake I call it the head organism), the more central organism connected with the breast and abdominal regions, and the third, consisting of what takes place at the periphery of man's body. Anyone who has seen a human skeleton will know that what is expressed so differently from animals in the formation of man's extremities, his arms and hands, his legs and feet, is not only different in its outward expression, but this differentiation is also continued on a more inner level.
Everything we experience outwardly concerning the human being is in the first instance, material. We come to know the real mysteries of this when we are in the position of being able to immerse ourselves in this material manifestation. Then in applying the idea of evolution as held by modern science we find that it only explains the middle of the three parts, the breast region. The human being considered from the aspect of his head organism cannot be explained by this idea of evolution. Why should this be?—Because the head of man not only undergoes a forward evolution, but within this forward evolution it also evolves in the opposite direction, a retrogressive evolution. The head, instead of building up, reduces, takes something away from the straightforward course of evolution, does not stop when the impetus of evolution comes to an end, but then ossifies more than the rest of the organism. We can see in this peculiar ossification of the head a trivial outer expression of the fact that anatomically the brain is strangely undifferentiated, a fact that the findings of modern science also point to—modern science and the science of spirit point to the same fact. Looking at the human being as a head organism, we are not concerned with one straight line of evolution, but with a development that at one time moves forward, then stops and becomes retrogressive.
In becoming familiar with imagination, inspiration and intuition, our inner experience enables us to penetrate further into the structure of the material world than—however odd it may appear—those who always want only to experience the spirit. This experience of the spirit presupposes that we can penetrate into the material sphere. We then experience what our minds, which really make us human beings, really are. What happens in the unconscious when our minds are active? This is very odd—in using our minds, our heads become hungry. The head loses substance. Every idea that is permeated by our thinking is a partial condition of hunger. Ascetics, who have set about it in the wrong way, have then tried to let the whole body starve in order to call up certain ideas. This is wrong. In fact, the right thing comes about simply by establishing a certain unstable equilibrium. In our organism we have only a proper equilibrium and are properly nourished insofar as our middle organism is concerned, and respecting our head, only in sleep. All the time we are awake the head must suffer from undernourishment. This is the retrogressive evolution. It is derived from the withdrawal of evolution, from reducing substance.
And lo and behold, we come upon something that is tremendously important, that provides the bridge from natural to scientific knowledge.
We ask: How do our minds function? Is it due to a forward, germinal kind of evolution? No, it is due to evolution becoming retrogressive, where evolution stops and crumbles, thus making room for soul experience. If we believe that evolution simply continues in a straight line as it does in our purely animal, middle organisms, we never arrive at a concept of the independence of our minds, of our experience of thinking. This only happens when we know that evolution has to withdraw, as does everything that induces growth and life, in order that room is made within the head for the soul. Only in knowing how the head is the foundation of our soul life do we come to appreciate the independence of our experience. In penetrating to imagination, inspiration and intuition we see, therefore, how our thinking, whether right or wrong, affects our soul life. The body has to suspend its functions in order that the soul life can be present.
We can then proceed further. The thinking part of us that takes up an independent position in the organism can be perceived, and we can see what it is and how it enters the human being when we say that one thing is right and another wrong, how it emerges out of our organism. And we have learned to recognize what sort of experience we have in imagination, inspiration and intuition. But now, in what way do we experience our thinking? We find that as it exists in everyday life, providing it is a real kind of thinking, it does not simply follow the haphazard way of our mental images, but evolves logically, rightly or wrongly, and that it is an unconscious form of inspiration to the human being. This is the great discovery that we make.
The science of spirit leads us consciously into the sphere of inspiration. This can come about only by recognizing the fact that something flows into us that tells us to reject one thing and accept another. This is an unconscious form of inspiration.—Where does it come from? We discover this through the science of spirit in our experience of imagination, inspiration and intuition. If, having attained to imagination we do not rest there but immerse ourselves in inspiration, we come to see what it is that inspires us. This turns out to be the life that we lived before entering the body given to us by our mother and father, at birth or at conception. We now realize that this physical life is a continuation of a spiritual life that we have lived. Now through the thinking itself we learn that the human being descends from out of a spiritual world and enters into an existence where the mother and father provide him with a bodily vehicle which comes into being at birth or conception. In recognizing our thinking as unconscious inspiration and in perceiving intuitions, that is, in speaking of an intuitive thinking, of intuition living in our thinking, we are really speaking about the spirit-soul existence of man which he has before birth, or rather, before conception.
In future the problem of immortality will be expanded considerably. Thus far, people have only interested themselves egoistically in what happens after death. But the life that we live here in a physical body is the continuation of a spiritual life. The science of spirit opens up the possibility of looking at our life here in conjunction with the immortal soul as it was before it entered into the physical body at birth or conception.
Let us observe the human being from another aspect of his evolution. Here I shall have to say something very paradoxical. But I also know that the paradox I am going to speak about, which perhaps people will regard as somewhat perverse, will in fact be a solid possession of the science of the future.
Let us look at the organism belonging to our extremities, that is, everything connected with the formation of our arms and hands, feet and legs, and see how these are continued on the inward plane. Here we have quite a different picture of evolution. With the head organism we saw how evolution has to be retrogressive. In the limb organism we have the odd situation that it is a shade ahead of what is normal in the middle organism; our extremities, our limbs, are really over evolved. Here the human being progresses beyond the norm established in the evolution of the head. Even the form—the time is unfortunately too short to go into all the details—and the whole life of our limb organism provides proof that we are here concerned with over-evolution, for it tends toward something for which the human being has no need for the preservation of his body. Our evolution goes beyond this, whereas our heads have evolved retrogressively. What is the consequence of this?—Because of this over evolution something is brought to life unconsciously in us that we only recognize when we have attained a grasp of the imaginative life and when this has then been deepened through inspiration and intuition.
When the spiritual eye of the scientist of spirit perceives the limb organism, he sees how something is added to the organism. This something is, in fact, an imagination which arises as a matter of course in its own right. The extremities overdo evolution, thereby allowing something to be taken into the soul that cannot be seen with our normal eyes, but which appears immediately when we attain to imaginative life. Through the medium-ship of our limbs an imagination is produced, having nothing to do with our life here in the body. What have we here that is integrated into our limbs, and that can only be grasped as an imagination? It is nothing other than what later goes through the gate of death, that provides the foundation for the continuation of life after death.
On the one hand, what exists before birth, before conception, unfolds its life in our heads, that have undergone retrogressive evolution to allow inspiration to work in our thinking, on the other, what bears our soul life in a kind of vehicle into the spiritual world after death, is integrated into our limb organism. Thus on the one hand we are endowed with unconscious inspiration in our heads, while on the other we are endowed with unconscious imagination in our limbs, whereby the part of us that goes through the gate of death lives unconsciously in us, bearing us into immortality after death. We therefore come to know life before birth and life after death in two different ways, the former as unconscious inspiration, the latter as unconscious imagination.
It is possible to study biologically and physiologically the connection between the limb organism and the rest of the human organism. We then have only to see how in their structure the primary sexual organs are connected with the feet, and the secondary sexual organs, that is, the breasts only, are connected with the arms. Thus we have before us the physical basis for producing a new life, which then separates off, that has been integrated into the human being through the limb organization. This physical basis is complete when the human being reaches puberty, though he continues his life beyond this.
What we have here as our physical organization has its counterpart. The physical organism, insofar as it is connected with the sexual organization, is the basis for producing further physical life. The spirit-soul nature, which is the basis of the organism of our extremities is, on the other hand, necessary in order to produce what is sent beyond the gate of death and brings about the next life on earth.
We have here a starting point for a rigorous scientific investigation of the problem of immortality. And when more than twenty-five years ago I pointed out in my Philosophy of Spiritual Activity that it is necessary to observe correctly if we wish to approach freedom, I also indicated that on the other hand we have to progress toward purely intuitive thinking. Today I would add: This intuitive thinking is to be perceived before birth or conception. This was already written in The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity when I called the one element of the human will, intuitive thinking. The other element that arises as imaginative life I called, for the purposes of discussing freedom, moral fantasy, in order to make the book possible for those who consider the science of spirit a lot of nonsense. It is described there from a philosophical viewpoint. The scientist of spirit adds that what is described there as moral fantasy is a part of what lives in the human organization as unconscious imagination and which then emerges in moral action.
I said at that time that the interaction of moral fantasy and intuitive thinking is responsible for action on the part of the human being based on free will. Today I would add: What is the thinking? It is our inspiration here, that belongs to the sphere of pre-earthly existence. When does it become manifest?—It becomes manifest when we are able to work out an action that is so dear to us that it has nothing to do with our instincts and inclinations, that it is as dear to us as a person whom we really love because we have come to recognize and respect his inmost being. When we perform an action out of love—that is, not out of egoism, nor on the basis of our fluctuating mental images or ideas, but out of insight into the inner necessity of the action—then we give ourselves over to intuitive actions, we are then inspired by the life before birth.
But where does the power to do this come from?—It is the power that takes us into the spiritual world after death. This goes on in us subconsciously. As moral action freely unfolds, there lights up what lies before birth or conception. This unites with what enters into the spiritual world after death. During our life between birth and death we already carry out actions where what lies before birth plays a part in us in our intuitive thinking, that flows as inspiration into our lives. What lies beyond death is really not connected with us at all, but is nevertheless carried out by us. It is characterized by being performed out of love: this is the truly free action. We therefore have to say that what enters us as inspiration by way of our intuitive thinking, has no connection with our body. And what works imaginatively has no significance for the moment, but only after death. These two factors, having nothing to do with the body, are the real forces that work in the true, free act of will in the human being. The profound mystery is that when we investigate the free will we find that nothing mortal in the human being carries out the actions, but we find that free actions are carried out by the immortal part of man.
The problems of free will and of immortality are intimately connected because the only truly free actions are those in which the super-sensible plays a part, which is not yet bound to the body, which the human being has evolved in the spiritual world before he bears a body, and in which this super-sensible is joined to what results from over evolution, which has as yet no significance for our present development, but which will have significance after death, and which shines into those actions that are carried out apart from us. This is why I said in The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity that one cannot put the question: Is the human being free or unfree?—For this always leads to the wrong answers. It is not a question of “either—or,” but of “both—and.”
The human being performs many actions arising out of the needs of his body, out of the interplay of mental images rising up out of the body as a result of the impulses of the body. But he always has the ideal of performing actions where he can say: What is to happen here is so free that I do not come into it; it is as free of me as the human being whom I love; it only happens because I realize that it should happen. Our whole human thinking is set in this direction, and it gradually seeks to infiltrate into our unfree action. The human being extricates himself from unfree actions by evolving increasingly toward his true self, especially in what he does and wills, where the spheres of before birth and after death shine into his willing. He evolves toward freedom within the sphere of unfreedom; he is on the way to becoming increasingly free. This is not a question of “either—or” but of action. Those who put the question in this way cannot possibly find an answer to the problem of freedom. On the contrary, it is a question of “both—and.” The human being is free in his actions inasmuch as the immortal soul is revealed to him underlying the life of the physical body. What he does is released by his thoughts, flowing by way of love into deeds, and his freedom will be measured by the extent to which this happens.
In conclusion today I would simply like to show how the problems of immortality and free will illumine each other, and how they are so closely connected with each other. Free will can only be the possession of an immortal being. No one can be an adherent of free will without recognizing man's immortality at the same time. And those who do recognize man's immortality know that the human being is on the path of evolution toward freedom.
The kind of considerations we have discussed today, in which the science of spirit enables us to approach the most important questions that then point to the necessity of selfless self-knowledge, are normally fraught with prejudices. For they indeed make great demands upon us. We have to take ourselves rigorously in hand if we are to succeed in persevering with the whole power of our souls in what I have called imaginative ideas. It is something we have yet to learn. It would be much more comfortable if we could answer the most profound questions and mysteries of human life without all this.
What leads people today to regard the science of spirit as nonsensical and irrelevant? It is because they are unconsciously afraid of the powers that have to be developed in order to grasp the spirit in a completely free kind of experience of the spirit. For courage is necessary for such investigation, courage to believe that we do not immediately fall into an abyss of nothingness when we are dependent upon our own powers for producing a particular kind of experience which we ourselves place before our souls. It is certainly easier to want to penetrate the mysteries of life with outer means than to be told that the soul needs an inner strengthening far beyond anything found in ordinary life. It is therefore largely a matter of comfort and fear that leads to opposition to the science of spirit. Such things, however, will gradually be overcome by a humanity that is increasingly thirsting for truth.
I would like to close today's lecture by quoting, in a somewhat modified form, the words of a German thinker. The science of spirit is slandered by many people today because it is not properly understood and recognized, because people do not see how necessary it is for human life. But if we really contemplate the course of human evolution, we are bound to say that however overbearing the opposition, the misunderstandings, the slanders that oppose the truth, the truth will find its own way through the narrowest cracks in the rocks of human evolution, however great the pressure from the rocks may be. The truth we have been talking about today—that on the one hand we recognize the needs of present day humanity, existing in the subconscious, and that on the other we look into the spiritual world and see how it reveals itself to us on the path from imagination to intuition—this is the kind of truth that must be seen by the scientist of spirit as the kind that will find its way through, however great the weight of opposition and slander that rests upon it. For the truth winds its way against obstacles through the tiniest cracks in the rock of human evolution, and is bound to triumph in the end.
Der Übersinnliche Mensch und die Fragen der Willensfreiheit und Unsterblichkeit nach Ergebnissen der Geisteswissenschaft
Sehr verehrte Anwesende! Es ist ja zweifellos, dass unter den Fragen, die das menschliche Seelenleben betreffen und die immer wieder und wiederum vor die Seele jedes einzelnen Menschen treten müssen, die Fragen der Willensfreiheit und der Seelenunsterblichkeit zu den allerbedeutsamsten gehören. Ich habe heute diese Betrachtung so eingerichtet, dass diese beiden Fragen im Zusammenhang erörtert werden sollen.
Ich habe nicht willkürlich zusammengekoppelt diese zwei Grundrätsel des menschlichen Seelenlebens, sondern ich glaube, dass gerade die Betrachtungen des heutigen Abends dahin führen werden, einzusehen, wie innig diese zwei Seelenrätsel zusammenhängen und wie man im Grunde genommen eines ohne das andere kaum erschöpfend ins Auge fassen kann.
Sogleich tritt dem, der sich nur ein wenig aus dem, was aus der Menschheitsgeistesgeschichte vorliegt, mit diesen zwei Fragen befasst, sogleich treten ihm zwei Tatsachen vor Augen. Abgesehen von allen Glaubensvorstellungen, über die hier weder in positiver noch in negativer Weise heute gehandelt werden soll, hat man ja versucht, rein denkerisch, wissenschaftlich-philosophisch, gerade mit diesen zwei Seelenrätseln sich zu befassen. Und man darf sagen: Scharfsinnigstes, Eindringlichstes, Tiefschürfendes ist versucht worden, auf rein denkerische Art über diese zwei Fragen zu gewinnen.
Allein, jedem fällt auch auf, der an diese Fragen, so wie ich es eben erwähnt habe, herantritt, wie gestritten worden ist, gehandelt worden ist in der oft widerspruchvollsten Art von den einzelnen Forschern über Willensfreiheit und Unsterblichkeit. Da muss irgendetwas zugrunde liegen, welches es der Menschheit schwierig macht, einzudringen gerade in dasjenige, was nach dem tiefsten Seelenbedürfnissen so unendlich nahe den Bestrebungen der Menschenseele liegt. Dass in diesem Menschen etwas verborgen ist, welches hinausgeht über Geburt und Tod, das müsste sich auch wissenschaftlich erforschen lassen, - so sagte sich unablässig die Menschenseele. Und dass dem menschlichen Handeln so etwas zugrunde liegen muss, wie freies Entschließen, wie ein Nichtgebundensein an die Naturnotwendigkeit, an die der fallende Stein gebunden ist, das sagt sich auch die Menschenseele. Aber wenn sie dann versucht, über dasjenige, was ihr so nahe liegt, denkerisch nachzuforschen - sie kann glauben, zu dem einen oder zu dem anderen zu kommen; andere Erwägungen zeigen dann bald wiederum, dass man gegen das, was vorgebracht ist, ebenso viel einwenden kann als für die Sache, die vorgebracht worden ist.
Diejenige Weltanschauung, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, die ich nun seit vielen Jahren auch hier in diesen Vorträgen vertrete, sie sucht von ihren Gesichtspunkten aus über diese Fragen Klarheit zu schaffen, und sie glaubt zu erkennen nicht nur, wie der Weg geführt sein müsse, den man gehen muss, um eine menschlich befriedigende Auffassung über diese Seelenrätsel zu gewinnen; sondern sie glaubt, auch einzusehen, warum auf anderen Wegen so Widerspruchsvolles, so Ungenügendes auf diesem Gebiete zutage tritt. Ich werde allerdings, wie das gewöhnlich bei diesen geisteswissenschaftlichen Vorträgen der Fall war, genötigt sein, einen anderen Weg einzuschlagen, als derjenige ist, den die gewöhnliche Wissenschaft, wenn sie über diese oder jene Tatsache handelt, einschlägt. Dieser Wissenschaft liegen die Tatsachen vor; sie drückt sich aus über die Ergebnisse, die sie gewonnen hat, baut dann ihre Schlüsse auf diesen Ergebnissen auf. Anders muss der Geistesforscher in der Regel vorgehen, insbesondere in Bezug auf die heute zu behandelnden Fragen.
Der Geistesforscher muss zunächst Andeutungen geben über die Art und Weise, wie er zu seinen Ergebnissen gekommen ist. Er muss immer wiederum den Weg aufzeigen, auf dem sich ihm die Anschauung seiner Ergebnisse gezeigt hat. Denn er behandelt ja Dinge, die nicht mit den gewöhnlichen Sinnen zu verrichten sind. Er behandelt Dinge, die dem gewöhnlichen Erkenntnisvermögen ferneliegen. Er muss also erst den Weg andeuten, auf dem er dahin gelangt, wo sich ihm in anschaulicher Weise seine Ergebnisse vor das Geistesauge stellen.
Gerade diejenigen Fragen, die wir heute zu behandeln haben, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, sie betreffen eigentlich so recht, mehr als manches andere, den Menschen selbst. Und sie sind die - so im eminentesten Sinne - Fragen der menschlichen Selbsterkenntnis. Man kann nun durchaus sagen: Geisteswissenschaft - ich habe das schon öfter hier erwähnt -, Geisteswissenschaft ist durchaus eine Bewundererin der großartigen, gewaltigen Fortschritte, welche der Menschheit geleistet worden sind durch die naturwissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse der neueren Zeit. Aber, gerade weil sie von ihrem Gesichtspunkte aus diese naturwissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse würdigt, so weit sie zu würdigen sind, gerade deshalb erkennt sie auch, wo diese naturwissenschaftlichen Methoden nicht hinreichen können, wo sie keinen Aufschluss geben können.
Man muss sagen: Für solche Fragen, wie wir sie heute zu behandeln haben, für Fragen, die im ausgesprochensten Sinne Fragen der menschlichen Selbsterkenntnis sind, für solche Fragen sind die großartigen, bewunderungswürdigen Ergebnisse des naturwissenschaftlichen Denkens und namentlich die Art des naturwissenschaftlichen Denkens eher ein Hindernis als etwas, was wirklich auf den richtigen Weg führen könnte. Dafür lassen Sie mich Ihnen einleitend ein Beispiel angeben. Ernste, gewissenhafte Naturforscher, sie haben ja immer wiederum mit ihrer besonderen Art des Denkens die Blicke hingelenkt auf dasjenige, was sich abspielt im Menschen selbst, was da auf- und abwogt als das menschliche Seelenleben. Aber wir wollen uns ein Beispiel vor Augen rücken, an dem wir gleich sehen können, wie der Naturforscher nicht durch seinen Fehler, sondern durch diese Art der Betrachtung vorbeischen muss an dem, was auf den Weg der eigentlichen Rätsellösung führt.
Ein guter Naturforscher, Waldstein, er hat veröffentlicht in den zum Teil sehr wichtigen Abhandlungen, die in Wiesbaden erscheinen über die Grenzfragen des Nerven- und Seelenlebens, eine Schrift über das unterbewusste Ich. Er spricht über allerlei, was sich in der Seele des Menschen zwar abspielt, was Bedeutung hat für das menschliche Seelenleben, was aber von dem gewöhnlichen Bewusstsein nicht überschaut wird. Da sagte er als Beispiel - und ähnliche Beispiele kann sich jeder zu Hunderten und Tausenden vor die Seele rücken -, da sagt er: Ich stehe einmal vor dem Schaufenster einer Buchhandlung, schaue in dieses Schaufenster hinein. Mein Blick fällt auf die verschiedensten Bücher. Es ist eine wissenschaftliche Buchhandlung. Lauter ernste Bücher liegen da. Besonders zieht mich an durch meinen Beruf ein Buch, welches da im Fenster steht, über die Mollusken. Und in dem Augenblick, wo mein Blick auf dieses Buch über die Mollusken fällt, muss ich anfangen, leise zu lachen. Nun bin ich doch ein Naturforscher, dem es durchaus nicht nahe liegt, bei einem so ernsten Thema, wie dieses Buch es ausdrückt in seinem Titel «Über die Mollusken» innerlich ins Lachen zu kommen. Was hat da veranlasst, dass ich beim Anschauen des Titels eines Molluskenbuches lachen muss? Ich mache die Augen zu - so erzählt der Naturforscher weiter —, um dahinterzukommen, was mich eigentlich veranlasst, zu lachen. Und siehe da: Da mein Auge nicht mehr angezogen wird durch den Molluskentitel, da höre ich ganz in der Ferne unter mancherlei anderem Straßenlärm, der um mich herum ist, noch leise nur vernehmbar, weil es sehr weit entfernt ist, die Töne einer Drehorgel; und diese Drehorgel spielt just die Melodie eines Liedes, bei dem ich vor Jahrzehnten als ganz junger Mann meine ersten Tänze gemacht habe. Damals habe ich mich bei dieser Melodie bemüht, die Quadrille-Schritte kennenzulernen. Ich habe dazumal nicht sehr achtgegeben auf die Melodie, denn ich war sehr beschäftigt, erstens die Schritte zu lernen, und dann auch meine Partnerin in entsprechender Weise zu behandeln. Also schon dazumal ist die Melodie nur so halbträumerisch an mir vorbeigezogen. Und siehe da, niemals lag es mir nahe in der letzten Zeit, mich mit dieser Melodie zu beschäftigen; jetzt, just vor dem Molluskenbuch, mache ich die Augen zu, und in der Ferne wird diese Melodie angeschlagen; ich muss leise lachen. Hätte ich die Augen nicht zugemacht - denn ich habe ja, als ich das Molluskenbuch anschaute, nichts davon gewusst, dass da eine Orgel spielt, das war nur so an mein Ohr herangeschlagen -, so wäre ich niemals dahintergekommen, warum ich gerade vor dem Molluskenbuch lachen muss. Und dieser Fall zeigt mir, wie merkwürdig die Dinge im Innern des Menschen spielen, was da alles im Unterbewussten wühlt und arbeitet; wie dieses unterbewusste Wesen sein Spiel mit dem Menschen treibt.
Solche Beispiele führt dann der Gelehrte noch sehr, sehr viele an. Und andere führen dergleichen auch an. Aber man kann sagen: Wenn man solchen gelehrten Abhandlungen sich widmet, man merkt sehr bald: Zwar wissen die Menschen da, dass es sich um etwas handelt, was zur menschlichen Selbsterkenntnis gehört, was im Menschen wirkt und lebt; aber dasjenige, was durch das naturwissenschaftliche Denken herbeigetragen werden kann, um hinter solche Sachen zu kommen, um gar bei solchen Sachen eine Förderung zu erlangen für das wirkliche Erkennen desjenigen, was im Menschen als das wahre Wesen dieses Menschen lebt, dazu reicht eben das naturwissenschaftliche Denken durchaus nicht aus. Da muss zu etwas anderem geschritten werden. Und das ist es, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, was ich voraus behandeln muss; der Weg, wie man eigentlich zum menschlichen Selbsterkennen kommt. Aber ich möchte zunächst die zwei Fragen so hinstellen vor Ihre Seelen, wie sie behandelt werden müssen, wenn sie in voller Klarheit empfunden werden sollen, die zwei Fragen, die hereinspielen in das menschliche Seelenleben, von denen sich der Geisteswissenschafter bemüßigt sieht, den Ausgang zu wählen, wenn er gerade unsere zwei heute zu betrachtenden Hauptfragen ins Auge fasst.
Man darf dabei nicht den Ausgangspunkt wählen von dem im menschlichen Selbst, was so hereinspielt wie da diese ganz leisen, kaum traumhaften Erinnerungsvorstellungen von der Drehorgel her; da kommt man nur zu dem, was gewissermaßen sein Spiel treibt; aber hinter das Spiel, das da getrieben wird mit dem menschlichen Selbst, kommt man nicht. Man muss die Frage so lenken, dass man gegenüber dem, was da auf- und abwogt, in das alles Mögliche hereinspielt nach dem Beispiel unserer Drehorgel, dass man ausgeht von dem und zu so etwas sich wendet, was ein ganz anderes Verhältnis zum Menschenleben hat als dasjenige, was da sein Spiel treibt. Wir leben so mit unserer Seele, dass in dieser Seele aufund absteigen Vorstellungen, die wir durch äußere Wahrnehmungen gewinnen: Gefühle, Willensimpulse; das alles spielt dann hinein, wenn so etwas Drehorgelmäßiges heraufkommt. Aber im Grunde genommen ist ja das ganze Spiel unseres Seelenlebens im Alltag mehr oder weniger ähnlich dieser Erscheinung mit der Drehorgel.
Gewiss, ein Teil desjenigen, was in unserem gewöhnlichen Bewusstsein ist, dessen sind wir uns klar und hell bewusst; aber unzählig viel anderes spielt fortwährend herein, wir wissen nicht, woher es kommt. Mit Recht sucht die Naturforschung im menschlichen Leibe als solchem, in diesem mit dem Tode vergehenden menschlichen Leibe, die Grundlagen für dasjenige, was da in dieser Form in das Seelenleben des Menschen hereinspielt. Wir sind hingegeben an dieses Spiel der Vorstellungen. Aber eines tritt auf, von dem müssen wir uns sagen: Es ist ganz anderer Art als dieses Spiel der Vorstellungen. Überlassen wir uns nur diesem Spiel der Vorstellungen, gehen wir durchs Leben mit diesem Alltagsbewusstsein — Vorstellungen, Gefühle, Empfindungen, alles Mögliche steigt auf, flutet ab; wir sind ihm hingegeben.
Aber eines ist dann da, das ist, dass wir uns sagen: Mit einer gewissen Richtekraft tritt herein in unser Bewusstsein das, dass wir nicht einfach die Vorstellungen so kommen und gehen lassen, sondern dass wir uns hergeben müssen dazu, um uns zu sagen: gewisse Vorstellungen sind richtig, andere sind unrichtig; wir fangen an, in unserem Denken Logik zu entwickeln, Logik, die uns auch mit der Wirklichkeit in der richtigen Art zusammenbringen soll. Kann es da das gewöhnliche Spiel der Vorstellungen sein, was in unser Seelenleben hereingreift, wenn wir uns sagen: irgendetwas ist richtig oder ist falsch? Nein, das kann nicht das gewöhnliche Spiel der Vorstellungen sein. Denn da kommen falsche und richtige Vorstellungen herauf, und es kommt gerade darauf an, dass wir uns nach etwas zu richten vermögen, was falsche Vorstellungen, die ebenso aus leiblichen Notwendigkeiten heraufkommen wie richtige Vorstellungen, abweist, was richtige Vorstellungen annimmt. Da ragt in unser Seelenleben etwas herein, was ganz anders geartet ist als alles das, was man sonst in der bloRen naturwissenschaftlichen Selbstbeobachtung finden kann. Daher kommt es, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, daher kommt es, dass gerade an diesem Punkte philosophische Weltbetrachtungen immer wiederum eingegriffen haben. Wenn sie gewissermaßen den Menschen haben retten wollen davor, dass er nur das Ergebnis seiner leiblichen Verrichtungen sei, so haben sie darauf hingewiesen, wie da etwas hereinspielt in das Seelenleben, was nicht aus dem Leibe kommen kann. Da kommt einmal das richtige, einmal das falsche; beides kommt in gleicher Art. Aber gerade an diesem Punkte zeigt sich auch immer, wie eine solche Weltbetrachtung nicht zum Ende kommen kann; wie es unmöglich ist, auf diesem Wege irgendetwas zu finden. Denn man gelangt nicht weiter als dazu, solche Sachen zu konstatieren; aber nach den Gründen, nach dem Wesen der Sache frägt man bei solchen bloß philosophischen Weltbetrachtungsmitteln ganz vergeblich. Das ist das eine.
Auf der anderen Seite spielt eben in das, was auf- und abwogt in unserem Seelenleben, herein das deutliche Bewusstsein, dass wir uns mit Ja oder Nein zu dieser oder jener Handlung entschließen können, dass wir eine Handlung tun oder auch unterlassen können. Aber dem widerspricht eigentlich jede naturwissenschaftliche Betrachtungsweise. Denn eine Handlung kann nicht anders erfolgen als dadurch, dass sie irgendwie aus unserer Leiblichkeit, aus unserer menschlichen Wesenheit hervorgeht. Sie muss in ihr begründet sein.
Und man muss geradezu sich die Aufgabe setzen, diesen Grund in der menschlichen Wesenheit nach den Gesetzen einer gewissen Notwendigkeit zu suchen. Man kommt nicht heran an dasjenige, was menschliche Freiheit ist. Das ist die andere Grenze. Von diesen zwei Grenzpunkten muss man ausgehen. Ich habe versucht vor 25 Jahren in meiner «Philosophie der Freiheit», gerade von diesen zwei Grenzpunkten auszugehen und einmal damals durch bloße Beobachtung desjenigen, was in der menschlichen Seele lebt, festzustellen, was eigentlich da drinnen ist, in der Seele, wenn eine Handlung zustande kommt, der gegenüber der Mensch das Bewusstsein hat der Freiheit.
Ich habe dazumal die Sache so gehalten, dass ich innerhalb des rein Philosophischen stehen geblieben bin. Heute versuche ich die Dinge so zu geben, dass sie geisteswissenschaftlich, soweit das dem Menschen möglich ist, ihre Lösung finden. Dazu ist es aber notwendig, dass man sich gerade diesen zwei Punkten, die ich jetzt als die Grenzpunkte wahrer Selbsterkenntnis bezeichnet habe, dass man sich ihnen so nähert, wie nur Geisteswissenschaft, wie sie hier gemeint ist, sich ihnen nähern kann.
Diese Geistesforschung, ihre Charakteristik ist ja, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, dass man nicht die Seele so lässt zum Forschen, wie sie ist; das tut das gewöhnliche Bewusstsein; das tut auch die gewöhnliche Wissenschaft; sondern man entwickelt die Seele weiter über den Punkt hinaus, an dem sie sich selbst antrifft, wenn sie nur ihrer naturgemäßen Entwicklung sich überlässt. Die Seele des Menschen muss sich selbst in die Hand nehmen. Sie muss aus sich etwas anderes machen. Denn sie muss dazu kommen, etwas anderes zu schauen, etwas anderes wahrzunehmen, als man mit dem gewöhnlichen Erkenntnisvermögen wahrnehmen kann. Sie muss, wenn ich das von vorneherein andeuten darf, in die Lage kommen, den Geist, der im Menschen lebt, wirklich ins geistige Auge zu fassen.
Die meisten Menschen behaupten aus einer gewissen Lebensbequemlichkeit heraus - denn sonst ist es nichts -, dass über solche Dinge wie die Anschauung des Geistes beim Menschen überhaupt nur ein Glaube vorhanden sein könne. Aber die wirkliche Praxis, die wirkliche Methode, die der Geistesforscher einschlägt, die beweisen, dass nicht bloß Glaube, sondern ein so sicheres Wissen in Bezug auf diese Dinge zu erreichen ist, wie das Wissen in Bezug auf äußere Naturerscheinungen und Naturwesen zu erreichen ist.
Da muss man allerdings sich darüber klar sein, dass die Seele durch - man nenne es nun Übungen oder wie man will -, durch gewisse Verrichtungen, die sie mit sich vornimmt, sich zu einer ganz anderen Art der Verfassung bringen muss, als sie im gewöhnlichen Leben und in der gewöhnlichen Wissenschaft ist, zu einer anderen Art von Anschauung. Ich habe in meinen Schriften, in denen ja Genaueres über diese Dinge zu lesen ist, die erste Stufe des Seelenlebens, zu der sich die Seele bringt, um in der geistigen Welt zu forschen, die imaginative Erkenntnis genannt.
Wodurch gelangt man zu dieser imaginativen Erkenntnis? Dadurch, dass man vor allen Dingen seinem Denken, seinem Vorstellen eine ganz andere Richtung gibt, als sie im gewöhnlichen Leben vorhanden sind. Man muss versuchen, ins Denken so etwas hereinzubekommen, was sonst möglichst weit weg liegt, nun, sagen wir, von der Drehorgel, von dem Beispiel, das ich eben angeführt habe. Denn durch die Drehorgel würde die Sache so, dass im Seelenleben etwas auftaucht, man weiß nicht recht was; es könnte auch überhaupt nicht bemerkt werden. Just das Gegenteil muss der Fall sein, wenn man sich zur Geistesforschung bereit machen will durch Seelenübung. Man muss in die Seele gar nichts, aber auch wirklich gar nichts hereinlassen, was nicht durch die Seele selbst in sie hereingebracht ist.
Das kann man nur dadurch, dass es einem wirklich gelingt, mit seinem Seelenleben einmal - zu Forschungszwecken selbstverständlich nur - abzusehen von aller Vergangenheit, die man durchlebt hat, von aller Zukunft, die man erwünscht, und einmal ganz nur mit der Seele in der Gegenwart zu leben, und zwar in einer möglichst überschaubaren Vorstellung; in einer Vorstellung, die man selber zusammengestellt hat, sodass man weiß, was drinnen ist. Und dieses muss man immer wieder und wiederum machen. Das ist das Charakteristische, dass man etwas macht, das möglichst weit entfernt ist von allem träumerischen Seelenleben. Niemals kann der in der richtigen Art ein Geistesforscher werden, der es liebt, sich so zu überlassen der Wollust des Hinträumens. Niemals kann der ein Geistesforscher werden, der es liebt, in falsch-mystischer Weise sich wollüstig hinzugeben an irgendetwas Unbestimmtes. Das ist nicht eine Vorbereitung zur Geistesforschung, Geistesforschung kann nur erlangt werden, wenn man etwas in der Seele durchlebt, was man selbst mit allem nur möglichen erreichbaren Grade des Bewusstseins in diese Seele hereinrückt und sich dann diesem Überschaubarem, selbst Hereingerückten ganz überlässt und immer wiederum überlässt. Ich habe das in meinen Schriften «Meditieren» genannt, und ich verstehe darunter das Meditieren im rechten Sinn. Dadurch wird man auf sein eigenes Bewusstsein, auf seine eigene Seelentätigkeit hingewiesen.
Und noch eines möchte ich erwähnen: So, wie von allem Träumerischen, von allem Falsch-Mystischen dieses Meditieren so weit als möglich entfernt sein muss, so muss es auch entfernt sein von alledem, wodurch irgendein hypnotischer, ein suggerierter Zustand in der menschlichen Seele erzeugt wird. Hinstarren auf glänzende Gegenstände zum Beispiel, wodurch Hypnotiseure den hypnotischen Zustand erzeugen, das ist das Gegenteil von dem, was erstes Erfordernis ist für die geisteswissenschaftliche Schulung. Das Gegenteil einer geisteswissenschaftlichen Schulung sind alle Arten von Übungen, durch die das Bewusstsein herabgetrübt wird. Dasjenige, um was es sich handelt, ist: mit vollem Bewusstsein überschaubare Vorstellungen, überschaubare Gefühle und Willensimpulse in den Mittelpunkt seines Seelenlebens zu rücken, dass volle Klarheit vorliegt, wie sie sonst nur bei hellem Denken vorliegt. Überhaupt, dieses helle Denken, dieses mit vollem Bewusstsein durchgeführte Denken, das muss Muster sein. Man darf nicht dabei stehen bleiben, denn man kommt dadurch zu nichts; aber es muss Muster sein für alles dasjenige, was an Übungen in der Seele vollführt wird, um den Weg in die geistige Welt hineinzufinden.
Dann, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, wenn man vielleicht jahrelang - es kommen einem die Jahre da sehr, sehr zustatten, denn das Älterwerden bei solchen Übungen das ist eine große Hilfe, dass durch das Üben etwas Besonderes geleistet werden kann -, dann, wenn man in dieser Weise immer wiederum versucht hat, durch Meditation sein Seelenleben zusammenzudrängen in solche überschaubaren Vorstellungen, dann kommt man zuletzt dahin, imaginatives Leben zu entwickeln. Das heißt, man kommt dahin, dass man nicht mehr bloß braucht Bilder, Vorstellungen sich zusammenzustellen, sondern dass solche Bilder, solche Imaginationen in der Seele wie etwas Objektives auftreten, dass man in solchen Imaginationen lebt, leben kann. Nur wenn man sich dazu vorbereitet hat, wie ich es geschildert habe, dann kommen diese Imaginationen nicht mehr aus dem Leibe, sondern aus dem seelischen Leben. Man wird sich nach und nach bewusst, dass man auf der einen Seite, gerade wie man es beim Denken macht, ITmaginationen, die Kraft zu seinen Imaginationen, sich ganz und gar selber gibt; dass nichts in der Seele einen zwingt, von anderswo her zu diesen Imaginationen zu kommen.
Aber man wird sich auch bewusst, dass man nach und nach einer inneren Notwendigkeit folgt. Man wird nicht mehr nach und nach, indem man in einer Bilderwelt lebt, — denn eine solche ist zunächst die imaginative Welt -, man wird nicht mehr glauben, man könne willkürlich Bild an Bild reihen, sondern man wird bemerken, dass man an gewisse Gesetze gebunden ist, so, wie man in der Außenwelt an Gesetze gebunden ist. Sie können einen Stuhl auf den Tisch setzen, da bleibt er stehen; wenn Sie ihn frei in die Luft stellen, fällt er herab. Indem Sie die Außenwelt anschauen, sind Sie an gewisse Gesetze gebunden, wenn Sie in der Wirklichkeit bleiben wollen. So merken Sie nach und nach, indem Sie in der richtigen Weise Ihre Seele weiterbilden, dass Sie auch in dieser inneren Bilderwelt genauso an Gesetze gebunden sind, die objektiv sind, wie zum Beispiel das Gesetz, dass ein Stuhl nur auf etwas stehen kann, von dem er unterstützt ist. Auf der einen Seite fühlt man sich mit seinem Bewusstsein mit darin, wo die Bilder stehen; auf der anderen Seite fühlt man sich an die Gesetzmäßigkeit gebunden, die sich vergleichen lässt mit der Gesetzmäßigkeit, die in der physischen Welt vorhanden ist.
Dasjenige, was man da erlebt, man muss es sorgfältig unterscheiden können nach zwei Seiten hin. Man darf es weder verwechseln mit dem, was die Leute erleben, die unter dem Einflusse von gewöhnlichen Visionen stehen; denn gewöhnliche Visionen kommen vom Leibe, die macht man nicht selber, das sind nicht Vorgänge in der Seele. Imaginationen sind Vorgänge in der Seele. Wer nicht gelernt hat zu unterscheiden dasjenige, was Imaginationen sind, von Visionen, der wird zwar ein Visionär, der lässt allerlei Dunst aufsteigen aus seinem Leibe, aber er kann nicht ein Geistesforscher werden. Die Art und Weise, wie die Visionen entstehen, da ist man ja nicht dabei, bei dieser Art und Weise. Darauf ist großer Wert zu legen. Denn das ist etwas so Wesentliches, wie gewisse Vorsichtsmaßregeln bei chemischen, physikalischen, physiologischen Methoden sind.
Ein Kritiker meiner geisteswissenschaftlichen Richtung, der sich sehr erhaben dünkte in seiner Kathederweisheit- ich will heute nicht sprechen über allerlei Zeug, was der betreffende Kritiker über meine Geisteswissenschaft gesagt hat, aber ich will etwas aus dem Buche dieses sogenannten gelehrten Herrn anführen, aus dem Buche, das so viel Aufsehen gemacht hat, das in ganz kurzer Zeit eine zweite Auflage erleben wird. Da führt der betreffende Herr an, dass es ihm zuweilen passiert ist, dass, wenn er zu einer Versammlung spricht, so redet er, redet bis zu einem gewissen Punkte, indem er nun wie sonst nachdenkt über das, was er redet; dann aber hat er schon manchmal bemerkt, dass er nicht weiter denkt, dass er an anderes denkt, und trotzdem weiter redet.
Nun, erstens werde ich Ihnen versprechen, Ihnen niemals so etwas aufzubinden, dass ich so weiterratschen werde, wenn ich so mit dem Denken aufhöre. Andererseits muss betont werden, dass, wer überhaupt in der Lage ist, zu glauben, dass man den Geheimnissen der Seele nahekommt, wenn man so etwas ausführt, der ist von vorneherein viel zu stumpfsinnig, um nur irgendetwas zu begreifen von dem, was Nerv, was Grundlage gerade für die wahre Geisteswissenschaft ist; der ist auch zu stumpfsinnig, um nur irgendein im Entferntesten treffendes Wort über diese Geisteswissenschaft zu sagen. Mit dieser einen Ausführung beweist er, dass er so fern wie möglich steht demjenigen, was hier eigentlich gemeint ist. Denn das ist gerade das Wesentliche, dass diese Geisteswissenschaft darauf hinweisen muss, dass überall, wo gesucht wird das Geistige, das Bewusstsein gerade beim Geistesforschen dabei sein muss. Alle Visionen, aber auch alles unwillkürliche Hinträumen, noch dazu wenn in so unerhoffter Weise es geschehen würde, dass man ein Publikum anratscht, ohne an das zu denken, womit man es anratscht, alles das ist ausgeschlossen nicht nur vom Reden, sondern von dem, was sich innerlich in der Seele abspielt, wenn man auf dem geistesforscherischen Weg zum Geiste hin ist.
Das andere, wovon man unterscheiden muss dasjenige, was ich hier als Imagination anführe, das ist das bloße Phantasieleben. So wie das imaginative Leben kein visionäres Leben ist, kein unwillkürliches mystisches Erleben ist, so ist dieses imaginative Leben auch kein Phantasieleben. Beim Phantasieleben handelt es sich darum, dass die Bilder zwar in Gesetzmäßigkeit, aber doch in innerlich freier Weise aneinandergereiht werden. Beim Phantasieleben ist man nicht so gebunden an den objektiven Gang der Bilder, wie man in der äußerlichen Wahrnehmung gebunden ist. Man weiß, dass der Stuhl nicht in der Luft stehen kann. Beim imaginativen Leben ist man dieses.
Kommt man also dazu, durch inneres Üben der Seele wirklich vor sich zu haben dasjenige, was man im äußeren Bewusstsein, im alltäglichen Leben niemals vor sich haben kann, dann, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, dann erlebt man eine jetzt nicht mehr bloß aus der Seele kommende Bilderwelt, bei deren Entstehung die Seele Stück für Stück dabei ist; man erlebt eine neue Welt, eine Welt der Bilder; eine Welt, die man sonst nicht um sich hat. Dieses ist das Erste, was sich erringen muss derjenige, der in die wirkliche geistige Welt hineindringen will.
Aber jetzt kommt dasjenige auf dem Wege zur Geistesforschung, was besonders wichtig ist. Sehen Sie, der Visionär, der Phantast, sie sind zufrieden mit dieser Bilderwelt zunächst. Sie sagen sich, das haben sie gesucht. Auch der Träumende ist damit zufrieden. Derjenige, der zur imaginativen Erkenntnis gelangt ist, der ist ganz und gar nicht zufrieden mit dieser Bilderwelt, der betrachtet sie nur als ein Mittel, um weiterzukommen. Denn dasjenige, was auftritt, indem man diese Bilderwelt erlebt, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, das ist eine Erstarkung des Erlebens. Man muss ganz andere innere Kräfte dieses Seelenlebens aufwenden, wenn man diese Bilder festhalten will, wenn man wirklich überall dabei sein will beim Entstehen, beim Werden dieser Bilder, als man aufwenden muss beim Entstehen der äußeren Bilder, bei dem, was die Leute sagen oder die Bücher vorschreiben. Auf diese Erstarkung des Bewusstseins kommt es an; dass die Seele in dieser Weise stärker wird, als sie jemals sonst im Leben ist und zu sein braucht. Nichts, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, nichts soll man durch diese Bilderwelt gewinnen als eine Erstarkung des Seelenlebens. Man soll sich sagen: Diese ganze Bilderwelt ist nur Vorbereitung zur Geisteswelt.
Dann allerdings, wenn man sich erlebt - ich sage jetzt ausdrücklich: sich erlebt -, dann sagt man sich gewissermaßen: Irgendeine objektive Welt hast du in diesen Bildern nicht, aber das Mittel, um in diese objektive Welt hineinzudringen. Gewissermaßen hat man in dieser Bilderwelt das geistige Auge und das geistige Ohr, aber sie sind noch nicht durchsichtig. Denken Sie sich, Sie hätten Augen in ihren Augenhöhlen; die wären aber nicht mit dem durchsichtigen Glaskörper durchsetzt, sondern getrübt; so haben Sie in sich diese Bilderwelt, die Sie eher abschließt von der geistigen Welt, die Sie aber erstarken lässt, indem Sie das erste Mittel in die Seele aufnehmen, um in die geistige Welt einzudringen. Man muss eine weitere Kraft gewinnen. Und diese gewinnt man, indem man die Kraft fühlt, die man in diesen Bildern erlebt; indem man sie voll erlebt, da gewinnt man die zweite Kraft - das Genauere finden Sie in meinen Büchern geschildert -, die zweite Kraft, die darin besteht, Geistesaugen und Geistesohren zu bekommen, um die Bilder nun durchsichtig und durchhörbar zu machen, sie wieder wegzuschaffen, diese Bilder; nur sich in den Bildern zu fühlen, nur das eigene Selbst erstarkt zu haben, aber die ganze Bilderwelt durchsichtig zu machen. Man muss noch drinnen sein, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, aber man muss sie nicht mehr sehen. Ein Zustand, den sich gerade der Visionär ganz und gar nicht wünscht; denn der ist furchtbar zufrieden, wenn er nach seiner Ansicht «die ganze geistige Welt» in seinen Bildern hat. Der will sie nicht durchsichtig machen. Der Geistesforscher muss dasjenige, was er an den Bildern erlebt, nur benützen zum Erstarken seines Ich, zum Übergang gewissermaßen; zum Erstarken seines Ich, das dadurch stärker wird als das gewöhnliche Ich und das sich nun halten kann; und indem es sich hält, diese Bilderwelt auch für sich hält, aber sie nicht mehr anschaut durch innere Stärke, das Anschauen überwindet, sodass man zwar lebt in diesen Bildern, aber sie nicht mehr anschaut, sie nicht als etwas, was einem von außen als Wirklichkeit kommt, betrachtet.
Dann, wenn man durch weitere energische Übungen dieses Durchsichtig-Machen der Imaginationen erlangt hat, dann tritt das Zweite ein, was notwendig ist, um in die geistige Welt hineinzukommen, das ist dasjenige, was ich nenne die inspirierte Erkenntnis. Ich brauche dieses Wort und bitte Sie darunter zu verstehen nur dasjenige, was ich hier auseinandergesetzt habe. Ich bitte es nicht zu verwechseln mit allerlei abergläubischen Vorstellungen. Sondern es ist dasjenige, was in der Seele auftritt, wenn sie selber erstarkt ist in der Bilderwelt, die sie dann selber wegschafft. Dann wird diese Bilderwelt durchsichtig, und die äußere objektive geistige Welt kündigt sich zunächst an im geistigen Hören - im geistigen Schauen. Jetzt hat man nicht mehr bloß das erkraftete, erstarkte Selbst vor sich, jetzt gewinnt man die Möglichkeit, durch Erfahrung zu wissen: Um uns herum ist eine geistige Welt, wie um uns herum für unsere physischen Augen und Ohren eine physische Welt ist.
Ja, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, wer da glaubt, man könne über die geistige Welt nur schwätzen, wer da glaubt, man brauche, um in die geistige Welt hineinzukommen, nicht eine wahre Forschung, der irrt sich gar sehr. Und diejenigen Menschen, die glauben, der Geistesforscher ist ein Phantast, der es leicht hat gegenüber dem, was, wie man sagt, die ernste strenge Forschung im Laboratorium, auf der Sternwarte erkundet, der irrt sich wiederum gar sehr. Mag es noch so schwierig sein, sich die Methoden der äußeren Wissenschaften anzueignen — dasjenige, was mit der Seele durchgemacht werden muss, um die Stufe der Imagination zu überwinden und wirklich in der geschilderten Weise in die geistige Welt hineinzukommen, das überragt an Schwierigkeit alles dasjenige, was irgendeine äußere Wissenschaft an Schwierigkeit bieten kann. Und nur diejenigen reden leichtsinnig über diese Dinge, die sich niemals eine Anschauung verschafft haben davon, wie es eigentlich mit der Geistesforschung zugeht. Dann aber, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, wenn man also in die geistige Welt hineingedrungen ist, wenn sie sich einem offenbart, so wie sich durch Farben und Töne die physische Welt den physischen Sinnen offenbart, dann tritt etwas ein, was man in einer merkwürdigen Weise fühlt. Es tritt dadurch ein, dass man immer weiter sich exponiert, sich aussetzt der Inspiration, dass man sie wirklich immer weiter erlebt. Es tritt das ein, was man nennen kann das umgekehrte Einschlafen. Es ist sehr wichtig, dass wir dieses umgekehrte Einschlafen ins Auge fassen. Man weiß: Dadurch, dass man die imaginative Erkenntnis, die inspirierte Erkenntnis durchgemacht hat, dadurch ist man in alle diejenigen Zustände hineingeraten, die man sonst nur durchmacht, wenn man einschläft. Gerade so, wie wenn man einschläft, ist der physische Leib nach seinen eigenen Gesetzen nur verfahren, die nichts zu tun haben mit dem, was in der Seele vorgeht.
So ist es auch, wenn man sich freigemacht hat von seinem physischen Leibe durch Imagination, durch Inspiration. Beachten Sie überhaupt das Einschlafen: Die gewöhnlichen Wahrnehmungen werden undeutlich, sinken herunter; aber es tritt Bewusstlosigkeit ein. Dieses Heruntersinken der äußeren physischen Wahrnehmungen, das erreichen Sie nicht dadurch, dass der Körper müde ist, sondern dass Sie etwas anderes an die Stelle der Wahrnehmungen setzen, dass Sie die Imaginationen haben, dass Sie nicht eine niedrigere Seelentätigkeit entfalten, sondern eine höhere.
Noch weiter gesteigert ist dann das bei der Inspiration. Und gelangen Sie noch weiter, dann ist cs so, wie wenn Sie mitten im Schlafe aufwachen würden, Ihren Leib vor sich liegen sehen würden, außer Ihrer Seele. Das ist eine wirkliche Erfahrung. Sie sehen, wenn Sie durch die Inspiration gegangen sind: Sie sind außerhalb des Leibes. Aber Sie sind nicht bewusstlos, sondern Sie sind in der geistigen Welt darinnen. Dasjenige, was sich Ihnen vorher durch Inspiration angekündigt hat, in das tauchen Sie selber, Wesen für Wesen, Vorgang für Vorgang, unter. Intuition habe ich in meinen Schriften diese dritte Stufe der geistigen Erkenntnis genannt.
Durch Imagination, durch Inspiration, durch Intuition dringt man in die wirkliche geistige Welt hinein. Das ist der Weg, wie man durch die Umwandlung der Seele selber untertaucht in diese geistige Welt. Es lässt sich nicht mit Phrasen, nicht mit allerlei mystischem Geschwätz von dem Aufgehen in dem oder jenem, sondern nur durch methodisches, ernstes Arbeiten an der Seele die geistige Welt für diese Seele erreichen. Dann aber, wenn man diese Stufe des Erkennens, die Sie meinetwillen gar nicht eine höhere Stufe zu nennen brauchen als das Alltagsleben, nur eine andere Art des Erkennens zu nennen brauchen, wenn man diese Stufe erlangt hat, dann steht man in einer anderen Art zur Außenwelt als ohne dieses Erkennen.
Ich möchte nur, obwohl das eigentlich nach den vielen Vorträgen, die ich hier gehalten habe, selbstverständlich ist für viele Zuhörer, nebenbei erwähnen: Der Geistesforscher ist nicht etwa immer ein Geistesforscher vom Aufwachen bis zum Einschlafen, geradeso, wie man nicht immer ein Chemiker ist, wenn man außerhalb des Laboratoriums ist. Denn wenn der Geistesforscher nicht in die geistige Welt sich vertieft, da ist er ein gewöhnlicher Mensch wie die anderen auch. Selbstverständlich richtet er sich da nur nach der übrigen Außenwelt. Wer da glaubt, dass der Geistesforscher absolut ein anderer Mensch wird, der irrt sich gar sehr. Das ist dasjenige, was aus mancherlei Gesellschaften hervorgeht, und namentlich in der Außenwelt so viele Missverständnisse hervorrufen kann, wenn die Mitglieder solcher Gesellschaften immer wiederum geltend machen, dass sie so etwas wie ein höherer Mensch sind. Das ist gar nicht gemeint. Das ist Firlefanzerei. Das, was gemeint ist, das ist, dass man in gewissen Zuständen des Lebens die Seele in eine solche Verfassung bringt, dass sie in die geistige Welt eindringen kann. Und innerhalb dieser Zustände, dieser Verfassung der Seele, steht die Seele in einer anderen Weise zur Außenwelt als sonst; sogar in Bezug auf feinere Unterscheidungen des Lebens.
Es wird Ihnen sonderbar erscheinen, und dennoch ist es so: Für diejenigen, die das Leben einseitig betrachten, bedeutet es sehr viel, ob man Materialist oder Spiritualist ist — Spiritualist nicht im Sinne von Spiritismus gemeint, sondern im Sinne der deutschen Philosophie gemeint. Dem Geistesforscher ist es im Grunde ganz gleichgültig, ob einer Materialist oder Spiritualist ist. Darauf kommt es gar nicht an. Denn derjenige, der Materialist ist und mit dem vertieften Selbst an das äußere materielle Leben herandringt, der kommt, wenn er noch so grobe materielle Erscheinungen erforscht, von der Materie nach dem Geiste, weil aller Materie der Geist zugrunde liegt.
Gehen Sie aus von der Materie, aber bleiben Sie nicht auf halbem Wege stehen. Seien Sie meinetwillen noch so grober Materialist, aber bereit, Denken in dem Forschen anzuwenden - dann ist es schon recht. Und ebenso darf man nicht auf halbem Wege stehen bleiben wenn man Spiritualist ist, sonst wird man immer reden vom Geist, immer reden und reden vom Geist, vielleicht sogar die Materie verachten. Aber das, worauf es ankommt, ist nicht von Geist, Geist, Geist zu reden, sondern vom Geist den Weg zu finden ins materielle Leben hinein, wiederum unterzutauchen in das materielle Leben, und den Geist gerade hineinzutragen in das materielle Leben.
Morgen werde ich davon noch ausführlicher sprechen, um zu zeigen, wie die Spiritualisten, die immer Geist, Geist rufen und keinen Sinn dafür haben, mit diesem Geist in das wirkliche, nützliche, dem Menschen naheliegende Leben unterzutauchen, womöglich noch schädlicher sind als die Materialisten. Darauf kommt es nicht an, ob man von der Materie oder vom Geiste ausgeht, sondern darauf kommt es an, dass man mit seinen Forschungen zu Ende kommt. Aber in einer gewissen Weise kommt man gerade auf dem heutigen naturwissenschaftlichen Wege mit seinen Forschungen nicht zu Ende. Man kann nicht, obwohl man fast einzig und allein auf das Materielle auch beim Menschen ausgeht in der heutigen Physiologie, in der heutigen Biologie, mit den Methoden der heutigen Naturwissenschaft - nicht mit den Tatsachen, sondern mit der Denkweise, mit der Methode -, hinter die eigentlichen Geheimnisse zum Beispiel der Menschheitsentwicklung kommen. Und das ist insbesondere für unsere heutigen Fragen wichtig.
Sie wissen ja, eine besondere Errungenschaft der naturwissenschaftlichen Richtung ist das, was man die Entwicklungsidee nennt. Entwicklung - es ist ja ein fadenscheiniges Wort geworden. Man hat die Wissenschaft bis hinauf zum Menschen in den Gesichtspunkt der Idee der Entwicklung hineingestellt und man hat auf diesem Wege Nützliches und Abernützliches, man hat unendlich Bedeutungsvolles gefunden. Und dennoch ist dasjenige, was die Naturforschung auf diesem Gebiet gemacht hat, nur die Hälfte desjenigen, was den Menschen begreiflich machen kann. Denn der Mensch ist kein so einfaches Wesen, das sich mit der gradlinig vorgestellten Entwicklung dieses Wesen so ohne Weiteres begreifen lässt. Der Mensch ist ein kompliziertes Wesen. Und will man die Entwicklungsidee auf den Menschen anwenden, will man wirklich eindringen in die menschlichen Geheimnisse, dann muss man schon auch den menschlichen Organismus, wie er sich für das äußere Auge hinstellt, anders in das Licht der Entwicklungsidee stellen als so gradlinig, wie die Naturwissenschaft es bis heute versucht hat.
Man muss nämlich am Menschen unterscheiden sein Haupt, seinen Kopf, oder besser gesagt alles das, was mit dem Kopf als Sinnesorganismus und Nervenorganismus zusammenhängt - ich nenne es der Einfachheit halber den Kopforganismus jetzt -, man muss unterscheiden den mittleren Organismus, also das, was zum Brustleben gehört, zum Unterleibsleben; und man muss unterscheiden als Drittes an dem Menschen das Extremitätenleben. Derjenige, der nur einmal das menschliche Skelett angesehen hat, der wird wissen, dass dasjenige, was sich beim Menschen in durchaus anderer Weise als bei allen Tieren in dem Bau der Extremitäten der Arme mit den Händen, der Beine mit den Füßen, ausdrückt, nicht eben bloß dasjenige ist, was auch außen sichtbar ist; das setzt sich nach innen fort.
Und das alles, was einem da äußerlich am Menschen entgegentritt, das ist zunächst materiell. In seinen materiellen Geheimnissen lernt man es erst erkennen, wenn man geistig in dieses Materielle unterzutauchen in der Lage ist. Denn wenn man die Idee der Entwicklung anwendet und diejenige Entwicklungsidee gelten lässt, die die heutige Naturwissenschaft entfaltet, dann ist nur der mittlere Mensch, der Brustmensch durch diese Entwicklung zu erklären. Der Mensch, insofern er HauptesOrganismus, ist nicht durch diese Entwicklungsidee zu erklären.
Warum ist das so? Weil das Haupt des Menschen, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, nicht bloß eine fortschreitende Entwicklung hat, sondern in die fortschreitende Entwicklung Rückbildung, Rückentwicklung aufnimmt. Das Haupt baut ab, nimmt wiederum weg etwas vom graden Gang der Entwicklung; macht nicht halt, wenn die Entwicklungsströmung zu Ende gekommen ist, sondern verknöchert mehr als der übrige Organismus. Dasjenige, was sich in trivialer äußerer Weise schon an der eigentümlichen Verknöcherung des Kopfes dadurch ausdrückt, dass auch das Hauptgehirn anatomisch in einer eigentümlichen Weise undifferenziert ist; das alles, das weist nach den Tatsachen der gegenwärtigen Naturwissenschaft auch auf das hin, was hier geisteswissenschaftlich festgestellt werden muss. Wir haben es bei dem Menschen - der Mensch als Haupteswesen betrachtet - nicht mit einer geraden Linie zu tun, sondern mit einer Entwicklung, die fortschreitend ist, dann wiederum gestockt hat, zurückgegangen ist.
Lernt man Imagination, Inspiration, Intuition kennen, dann dringt man auch durch das innere Erleben tiefer ein in die materiellen Zusammenhänge - so sonderbar es aussieht - als diejenigen, die immer nur den Geist und den Geist erleben wollen. Dieses Geist-Erleben setzt voraus, dass man gerade untertauchen kann in das Materielle. Da erlebt man, was das Vorstellen, durch das wir so recht Mensch sind, eigentlich ist. Was geht im Unterbewussten vor, wenn wir vorstellen? sehr sonderbar, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, indem wir vorstellen, hungert unser Haupt. Das Haupt wird abgebaut. Jede Vorstellung, die vom Denken durchsetzt ist, ist ein partieller Hungerzustand. Asketiker, welche in falscher Weise vorgegangen sind, haben dann versucht, den ganzen Körper hungern zu lassen, um gewisse Vorstellungen hervorzurufen. Das ist das Falsche. Dasjenige, was geschehen soll, geschieht schon normalerweise durch ein gewisses labiles Gleichgewicht. Im Organismus sind wir eigentlich nur equilibriert, ernährt in Bezug auf den mittleren Organismus; in Bezug auf das Haupt aber nur, während wir schlafen. Während des ganzen Wachzustandes muss das Haupt in Unterernährung sein. Das ist die rückgehende Entwicklung. Das kommt von dem Zurücknehmen der Entwicklung, von dem Abbau.
Und siehe da, da kommen Sie darauf, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, da kommen Sie auf etwas, was ungeheuer wichtig ist, was die Brücke schlägt zwischen dem Naturwissen und dem Geisteswissen. Wie kommt das vorstellende Denken zustande? - fragen wir. Kommt es dadurch zustande, dass eine fortschreitende, sprießende, sprossende Entwicklung vor sich geht? Nein, dadurch dass die Entwicklung zurückgenommen wird, dass Platz gemacht wird, dass die Entwicklung aufhört, dass sie in sich zerfällt; da wird Platz gemacht für das seelische Erleben. Glaubt man, die Entwicklung gehe so gradlinig fort, wie sie mit Bezug auf das rein Tierische unseres mittleren Organismus ist, dann kommt man nie zum Begriff der Selbstständigkeit des denkerischen, vorstellenden Erlebens, sondern wenn man weiß, dass sich die Entwicklung zurückziehen muss, dass alles das, was Wachstum, was Leben hervorruft, sich zurücknehmen muss, dass es Platz machen muss im Haupte für die Seele.
Erst wenn man dieses weiß, wenn man ordentlich hineinschaut in das, wie das Haupt die Grundlage ist für das Seelenleben, kommt man auf die Selbstständigkeit des Erlebens. Man sieht also auf der einen Seite, wenn man zu Imagination, Inspiration, Intuition durchgedrungen ist, wie das Denkerische, sei es nun richtig oder unrichtig, in das Seelenleben hineingreift. Der Leib muss seine Funktion aufheben, damit es da sei. Dann kann man weiterschreiten. Man kann das, was sich da selbstständig hineinlebt in den Organismus als Denkerisches, das kann man anschauen, was es ist, wie es hineinkommt in den Menschen, wenn er sich sagt: Das ist richtig, das ist unrichtig, was da heraufkommt aus dem Organismus.
Und hat man erkennen gelernt, wie es sich erlebt, in Imagination, Inspiration, Intuition; siehe da: Was erlebt man gegenüber dem Denken? Dass es sich so auf die Rückentwicklung des Organismus aufbaut. Man erlebt, dass in ihm, so wie es im alltäglichen Leben auftritt, wenn es ein wirkliches Denken ist, ein solches Denken, das sich nicht dem Spiel der Vorstellungen überlässt, sondern logisch sich entwickelt nach richtig oder unrichtig, dass dieses Denken ein unbewusstes Inspirieren des Menschen ist. Das ist die große Entdeckung, die man macht. Man lernt durch die Geistesforschung bewusst ins Inspiratorische sich hineinversenken. Jetzt lernt man erkennen, was richtiges und unrichtiges Denken ist. Das Inspirieren ist da, aber unbewusst. Es kommt nur zustande, indem man einsieht die Tatsache: Nun ja, es strahlt in uns etwas hinein, was uns sagt: Weise dieses ab, nimm jenes an. Aber das sind unbewusste Inspirationen. Wo kommen sie her? Das zeigt sich auch, wenn man sie geistesforscherisch anschaut, mit dem Erleben, was man in Imagination, Inspiration, Intuition hat.
Wenn man diese Imagination hat, wenn man nicht stehen bleibt dabei, dass man diese Imagination hat, sondern untertaucht in diese Inspiration, da kommt man dazu, einzusehen, was einen inspiriert, das ist das Leben, das man durchgemacht hat, bevor man durch die Geburt oder die Empfängnis in diesen Leib, der einem von Vater und Mutter gegeben wurde, hineingezogen ist. Das ist dasjenige, wo man erfährt: Dieses physische Leben ist eine Fortsetzung eines geistigen Lebens, das man durchgemacht hat. Jetzt weist es uns hin durch das Denken selber, dass der Mensch aus einer geistigen Welt heruntersteigt und eintritt in dasjenige, was ihm durch die Empfängnis oder durch die Geburt von Vater und Mutter als eine Leibesumhüllung gegeben wird. Indem man das Denken als unbewusste Inspiration erkennt und seine Intuitionen sieht, also von einem intuitiven Denken spricht, von der Intuition spricht, die im Denken lebt, redet man in Wahrheit von dem vorgeburtlichen oder, besser gesagt, vor der Empfängnis liegenden geistig-seelischen Dasein des Menschen.
Es wird in der Zukunft die Unsterblichkeitsfrage eine wesentliche Ergänzung erleben. Bisher hat man vielfach diese Unsterblichkeitsfrage nur so betrachtet, dass man sich eigentlich nur in egoistischer Weise interessiert hat für das, was nach dem Tode folgt. Aber dieses Leben, was wir hier im physischen Leibe durchleben, es ist die Fortsetzung eines geistigen Lebens. Dieses Leben hier in seinem Zusammenhang mit der unsterblichen Seele, wie sie da war, bevor sie durch die Geburt oder durch die Empfängnis in den physischen Leib eingetreten ist, dieses Leben im Zusammenhang mit der unsterblichen Seele zu betrachten, das eröffnet als Aussicht die Geisteswissenschaft.
Betrachten wir nach der anderen Seite hin den Menschen in Bezug auf seine Entwicklung. Da werde ich etwas sehr Paradoxes sagen müssen. Aber meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, ich weiß auch: Das, was ich jetzt als Paradoxon, als etwas, was vielleicht die Leute als etwas sehr Verdrehtes auffassen, sagen werde, das wird ein festes Gut gerade der naturwissenschaftlichen Forschung der Zukunft sein.
Betrachten wir den Extremitäten-Organismus, alles dasjenige, was zusammenhängt mit dem Gliederbau der Arme und Hände, der Füße und Beine, wie sich diese nach innen fortsetzen. Da haben wir die Entwicklung noch in einer ganz anderen Weise vor uns. Wenn wir den Hauptesorganismus betrachten, dann haben wir die Entwicklung so vor uns, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, dass wir eine rückgehende Entwicklung einsehen müssen; ein Zurücknehmen der Entwicklung. In unserem Extremitäten-Organismus liegt das Eigentümliche vor, dass die Entwicklung gegenüber dem für den mittleren Organismus Normalen um ein Stück hinausschreitet; Überentwicklung tritt für die Extremitäten ein. In Bezug auf seinen Extremitäten-Organismus geht der Mensch über das Maß seiner Hauptesentwicklung hinaus. Schon die Formen - die Zeit ist leider zu kurz, auf Einzelheiten einzugehen -, das ganze Leben des ExtremitätenOrganismus liefert den vollgültigen Beweis, dass man es beim Menschen im Extremitäten-Organismus mit einer Überentwicklung zu tun hat; mit einer Entwicklung zu etwas hin, das der Mensch zur Unterhaltung des Leibes gar nicht braucht. Die Entwicklung schreitet über das hinaus, während sie im Haupte rückschreitend wird. Was ist die Folge davon? Dass die Entwicklung im Extremitäten-Organismus über sich hinüberschreitet. Dadurch lebt unterbewusst im Menschen etwas auf, was man erst erkennt, wenn man dazu gelangt, das imaginative Leben ganz zu erfassen und dann dieses imaginative Leben zu vertiefen durch Inspiration und Intuition.
Wenn man mit dem geistigen Auge des Geistesforschers schaut den menschlichen Extremitäten-Organismus, so gliedert sich ein diesem Extremitäten-Organismus etwas, was als Imagination, als selbstverständlich durch sich auftretende Imagination erscheint.
Die Extremitäten überspringen die Entwicklung. Und dadurch gliedern sie sich seelisch etwas ein, was man nicht sehen kann mit dem gewöhnlichen Auge, was aber sofort auftritt, wenn man das imaginative Erleben kennt. Der Mensch enthält durch seine Extremitäten etwas, was er produziert als Imagination, was nichts zu tun hat mit seinem Leben hier im Leibe. Lernt man es nun erkennen, dieses Leben, das den Extremitäten eingegliedert ist, und nur durch Imagination zu erfassen ist, was hat man darin? Dass diesen Extremitäten eingegliedert ist dasjenige, was durch die Pforte des Todes geht, was die Grundlage ist für die Fortsetzung des Lebens nach dem Tode. Wie sich durch Inspiration im Denken auf der einen Seite bei rückentwickeltem Haupte dasjenige geistig-seelisch auslebt, was vor der Geburt, vor der Empfängnis da ist, so gliedert sich als Imagination ein dasjenige, was nach dem Tode wie ein Wagen unser Seelenleben in die geistige Welt hinausträgt.
So sind wir auf der einen Seite mit unbewusster Inspiration begabt, welche die Geisteswissenschaft heraufhebt, nach dem Haupte hin. Nach der anderen Seite, nach den Extremitäten hin sind wir begabt mit unbewusster Imagination, wodurch unbewusst dasjenige in uns lebt, was durch die Pforte des Todes tritt und uns hinausträgt in die Unsterblichkeit nach dem Tode. Auf zwei verschiedene Arten lernen wir das vorgeburtliche und das nachtodliche Leben kennen, indem wir das vorgeburtliche kennenlernen als unbewusste Inspiration, das nachtodliche als unbewusste Imagination.
Man wird einmal studieren rein biologisch-physiologisch - nicht wahr, wir sind ja keine Kinder, es kann ausgesprochen werden -, es kann studiert werden, wie in Bezug auf das äußere Leben die Extremitäten-Organisation zusammenhängt mit der übrigen menschlichen Organisation. Man wird dann auf die primären Sexualorgane sehen, ihre Zusammengliederung mit der Fußorganisation; man wird auf die sekundären Sexualorgane sehen, man braucht nur die Brüste als sekundäre Sexualorgane anzusehen, und ihr Zusammengegliedertsein mit der Armorganisation, dann hat man dasjenige, was beim Menschen durch den Extremitäten-Organismus eingegliedert ist als die physische Grundlage der Hervorbringung eines neuen Lebens, das sich absondert von ihm. Diese physische Grundlage ist, wenn der Mensch geschlechtsreif ist, fertig, aber der Mensch setzt sein Leben darüber hinaus fort. Das, was hier physische Organisation ist, es hat sein Gegenbild. Wie der menschliche physische Organismus, soferne er im Zusammenhang steht mit der Sexual-Organisation, die Grundlage ist einer physischen Hervorbringung, so ist das, was als GeistigSeelisches dem Extremitäten-Organismus zugrunde liegt, notwendig für die Hervorbringung desjenigen, was er über die Pforte des Todes hinausschickt, und was sein nächstes Erdenleben hervorbringt.
Hier haben wir wie einen Ausgangspunkt für eine streng wissenschaftliche Erforschung der Unsterblichkeitsfrage. Und als ich vor mehr als einem Vierteljahrhundert in meiner «Philosophie der Freiheit» aufmerksam machte, dass man richtig beobachten muss, wenn man an die Freiheit herankommen will, da wies ich hin, dass man auf der einen Seite zum rein intuitiven Denken gehen muss. Heute füge ich hinzu: Dieses intuitive Denken wird vor der Geburt oder Empfängnis erkannt. Das steht schon in der «Philosophie der Freiheit», indem ich das eine Element des menschlichen Willens das intuitive Denken nannte.
Das andere Element, was als imaginatives Leben auftritt, das nannte ich für die Freiheitsfrage dazumal die moralische Phantasie, um für diejenigen auch das Buch brauchbar zu machen, die die Geisteswissenschaft für Narretei halten. Das, was in dem Buche steht, ist philosophisch geschildert. Der Geisteswissenschafter fügt hinzu, das dasjenige, was dort als moralische Phantasie auftritt, ein Teil davon ist, was in der Organisation des Menschen an unterbewusster Imagination lebt und gerade in moralischen Handlungen heraufsteigt. Durch das Zusammenwirken von moralischer Phantasie mit dem intuitiven Denken, sagte ich dazumal, entsteht das, was im wahren Sinne des Menschen eine willensfreie Handlung des Menschen ist. Heute füge ich hinzu: Was ist das Denken? Das, was hier unsere Inspiration ist, was vorgeburtlich ist. Wann tritt es auf? Dann tritt es auf, wenn wir imstande sind, eine Handlung so auszudenken, dass wir diese Handlung vollführen so, dass uns diese Handlung so lieb ist, dass sie nichts mit unseren Trieben und Neigungen zu tun hat, sondern uns so lieb ist wie eine Persönlichkeit, die wir wirklich lieben, weil wir ihr Wesen erkannt haben. Wenn wir eine Handlung aus Liebe vollführen - also nicht aus Egoismus, aus spielenden Vorstellungen, sondern aus der Einsicht in die innere Notwendigkeit der Handlung -, dann geben wir uns den intuitiven Handlungen hin; dann sind wir inspiriert von dem vorgeburtlichen Leben.
Woher aber kommt dazu die Kraft? Damals sagte ich: ... [Lücke]. Heute füge ich hinzu: Es ist die Kraft, die nach dem Tode uns hinüberträgt in die geistige Welt. Das spielt in uns unterbewusst. Im moralischen Handeln, das sich frei entfaltet, leuchtet herauf dasjenige, was vor der Geburt oder Empfängnis liegt. Das koppelt sich zusammen mit dem, was nach dem Tode in die geistige Welt hineintritt. Während wir leben zwischen der Geburt und dem Tode, handeln wir schon, indem unbewusst das in uns hereinspielt, was vor der Geburt liegt, im intuitiven Denken, das inspirierend in unser Leben hereinfließt. Was nach dem Tode liegt, das ist das, was gar nicht mit uns zusammenhängt und doch von uns verrichtet wird; was den Charakter trägt, dass es aus Liebe verrichtet wird; das ist die wahrhaft freie Handlung. Darum muss man sagen: Was uns aus dem reinen Denken hereininspiriert, hängt gar nicht mit unserem Leibe zusammen. Der muss sich zurückziehen, um das entfalten zu können. Und das, was imaginativ wirkt, hat für jetzt keine Bedeutung, sondern hat erst nach dem Tode Bedeutung.
Diese zwei Faktoren, die nichts mit dem Leibe zu tun haben, das sind die wirklichen Kräfte, die in dem wahren, freien Willensakt des Menschen wirken. Das ist das tiefe Geheimnis, dass, wenn wir auf den freien Willen gehen, so finden wir nicht irgendetwas, was sterblich ist im Menschen, was da handelt, sondern wir finden gerade dasjenige, was frei handelt, das ist das Unsterbliche. Die Willensfreiheitsfrage und die Unsterblichkeitsfrage, sie sind innig miteinander verbunden, weil wahrhaft frei im Menschen nur diejenigen Handlungen sind, in denen hereinwirkt das Übersinnliche, das noch nicht an den Leib Gebundene, das der Mensch in der geistigen Welt entwickelt, bevor er den Leib an sich trägt, im Zusammenhang mit dem, was sich in der Überentwicklung ergibt, was für die jetzige Entwicklung noch keine Bedeutung hat, was erst nach dem Tode Bedeutung hat, aber hereinleuchtet in der Handlung, die sich von uns absondert, die abgesondert von uns verrichtet wird.
Ich habe deshalb dazumal schon in der «Philosophie der Freiheit» gesagt: Man kann nicht die Frage so stellen: Ist der Mensch frei oder unfrei? Da kommt man immer auf falsche Antworten. Es handelt sich nicht um ein Entweder-oder auf diesem Gebiet, sondern um ein Sowohl-als-auch. Der Mensch verrichtet eine ganz große Anzahl von Handlungen, die aus dem Bedürfnis seines Leibes, aus dem Spiel seiner Vorstellungen, die aus dem Leibe heraufkommen, erfolgen; die aus den Trieben seines Leibes erfolgen. Aber immerzu hat er das Ideal, solche Handlungen zu vollziehen, bei denen er sich sagt: Ich komme nicht in Betracht, so frei ist das, was sich da vollziehen soll, wie die menschliche Wesenheit, die ich liebe, frei von mir ist; es geschieht nur aus dem, weil ich einsehe, diese Tatsache soll vollzogen werden. Eine solche Handlung, sie ist eine, nach der alles menschliche Denken hintendiert, hinwill, was sich hineinlebt in das unfreie Handeln, was wir damals besprachen.
Der Mensch entwickelt sich aus den unfreien Handlungen, indem er immer mehr und mehr nach dem wahren Selbst hin sich entwickelt, gerade im Handeln, im Wollen, indem in dieses Wollen hereinleuchtet das Vorgeburtliche und das Nachtodliche. Der Mensch entwickelt sich innerhalb des Unfreien zum Freien hin; er ist auf dem Wege, immer freier und freier zu werden. Da handelt es sich um Handeln, nicht um ein Entweder-oder. Diejenigen, die so die Frage stellen, können nie zur Beantwortung der Freiheitsfrage kommen. Sondern es handelt sich um ein Sowohl-als-auch; in demselben Maße, in dem dem Menschen erscheint, durch den Leib sich offenbarend, die unsterbliche Seele, indem diese Seele durch den Leib sich tätig ausspricht. Das, was der Mensch vollbringt, verfließt vom Gedanken durch die Liebe zur Tat hin; in demselben Maße wird der Mensch immer freier und freier.
Gerade von diesem Ausgangspunkte aus soll dann morgen unsere Betrachtung über das menschliche Leben im Laufe der Zeit, über das geschichtliche Werden, über die verschiedenen Erdenleben, angestellt werden. Heute zum Schlusse möchte ich nur noch aufmerksam machen, wie gerade diese Betrachtung zum Ausdruck bringt, dass die Unsterblichkeitsfrage und die Frage der Willensfreiheit sich gegenseitig beleuchten, dass sie wirklich innerlich zusammenhängen. Willensfreiheit eignet nur dem unsterblichen Wesen. Niemand kann Anhänger einer Willensfreiheit sein, der nicht zugleich des Menschen Unsterblichkeit erkennt. Wer aber des Menschen Unsterblichkeit erkennt, der weiß, dass der Mensch auf dem Wege der Entwicklung zur Freiheit ist.
Heute noch, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, sind ja solche Betrachtungen, wie wir sie heute gepflogen haben, durch die sich der Mensch auf wirklich geistesforscherischem Wege nähert der Beantwortung seiner höchsten Fragen, der Fragen, die sich auf selbstlose Selbsterkenntnis beziehen, solche, die mit vielen Vorurteilen betrachtet werden. Was gehört denn auch dazu! Ja, meine sehr verehrten Anwesenden, um sich zu halten mit der ganzen Kraft der Seele durch dasjenige hindurch, was ich als imaginative Vorstellung bezeichnet habe, dazu gehört wirklich etwas, was der Mensch in sich erst heranerziehen muss. Bequemer wäre es, wenn man ohne das die höchsten Fragen und Rätsel des menschlichen Lebens beantworten könnte.
Was ist es, was heute die Menschen dazu veranlasst, dass sie die Geisteswissenschaft als Phantasterei, als etwas Unwesentliches betrachten? Das ist es, dass sie in Wahrheit eine unterbewusste Furcht und Angst haben vor jener Kraft, die entwickelt werden muss, die im freien Erleben des Geistes diesen Geist selber erfassen muss. Unterbewusste Furcht und Angst ist es, die immer wiederum die Gegner der Geisteswissenschaft hervorruft. Denn um geistig zu forschen, ist notwendig dieser innere Mut, der nicht glaubt, dass man sofort in das Nichts hineinverfällt, wenn man angewiesen ist, etwas, was man erleben soll im Geiste, durch die eigene Kraft aufrechtzuerhalten, durch eigene Kraft vor die Seele hinzurücken. Leichter ist es gewiss, durch äußere Mittel zu den Lebensrätseln kommen zu wollen, als hingewiesen zu werden darauf, dass die Seele eine über alles Maß des gewöhnlichen Lebens hinausgehende innere, rein seelische Erstarkung braucht. Und so ist es im Grunde eine Bequemlichkeits- und Angstmeierfrage, welche die Gegnerschaft gegenüber der Geisteswissenschaft hervorruft. Aber diese Dinge werden nach und nach von der nach der Wahrheit immer mehr dürstenden Menschheit überwunden werden.
Mit einem deutschen Denker, der auf diesem Gebiet diesen schönen Ausspruch getan hat, den Ausspruch etwas verändernd, möchte ich schließen, mit den folgenden Worten, vorbereitend damit die Betrachtung des morgigen Abends. Geisteswissenschaft wird wirklich heute von vielen verlästert, weil sie nicht verstanden, weil sie nicht erkannt wird, weil sie nicht in ihrer Notwendigkeit für das Menschenleben eingesehen werden kann. Aber wenn man den Verlauf der Menschheitsentwicklung auf seine Seele wirken lässt, dann muss man sich sagen: Wie drückend auch alle Gegnerschaft, alle Feindschaft, alles Missverständnis, alle Verleumdung sein mögen, die sich der Wahrheit entgegenstellen - die Wahrheit findet den Weg selbst durch die engste Felsenspalte der menschlichen Entwicklung, wie drückend auch die lastenden Felsen sein mögen.
Und als eine solche Wahrheit muss derjenige, der auf der einen Seite die Bedürfnisse der heutigen Menschheit, die im Unterbewussten sind, erkennt und der auf der anderen Seite hineinschaut in die geistige Welt, wie [sie] sich eröffnen kann von der Imagination zur Intuition hin, als eine solche Art von Wahrheit muss der Geistesforscher die geisteswissenschaftliche Wahrheit ansehen, als eine solche Wahrheit, die sich hindurchwinden wird, durch das was drückend lasten mag auf ihr von Gegnerschaft, Feindschaft und Verleumdung. Denn die Wahrheit, sie windet sich gegen alle Widerstände durch die engste Felsenspalte der menschlichen Entwicklung hindurch, und sie muss denn doch zuletzt siegen.
The Supernatural Human Being and the Questions of Free Will and Immortality According to the Findings of Spiritual Science
Dear attendees! There is no doubt that among the questions concerning human spiritual life, which must repeatedly arise in the mind of every individual, the questions of free will and the immortality of the soul are among the most significant. Today, I have structured this reflection in such a way that these two questions will be discussed in relation to each other.
I have not arbitrarily linked these two fundamental riddles of human soul life, but I believe that this evening's reflections will lead us to understand how closely these two riddles of the soul are connected and how, in essence, one can hardly be fully understood without the other.
Anyone who delves even a little into what is available from the history of human spirituality will immediately be confronted with two facts. Apart from all religious beliefs, which will not be discussed here today in either a positive or negative way, attempts have been made to deal with these two mysteries of the soul purely intellectually, scientifically, and philosophically. And it can be said that the most astute, penetrating, and profound attempts have been made to gain insight into these two questions in a purely intellectual way.
However, anyone who approaches these questions as I have just mentioned will notice how individual researchers have argued and acted in often contradictory ways on the subjects of free will and immortality. There must be something underlying this that makes it difficult for humanity to penetrate precisely that which, according to the deepest needs of the soul, lies so infinitely close to the aspirations of the human soul. That there is something hidden in this human being that goes beyond birth and death should also be scientifically researchable, the human soul has constantly told itself. And that something like free will, like not being bound to the natural necessity to which the falling stone is bound, must underlie human action, the human soul also tells itself. But when it then attempts to investigate what is so close to it through thought, it may believe it has arrived at one conclusion or another; other considerations then soon show that one can argue against what has been put forward just as much as one can argue for it.
The worldview, ladies and gentlemen, which I have been representing here in these lectures for many years now, seeks to clarify these questions from its own point of view, and it believes it recognizes not only the path that must be taken in order to gain a humanly satisfying understanding of these mysteries of the soul; but also believes it can understand why other approaches reveal such contradictions and inadequacies in this field. However, as is usually the case with these spiritual scientific lectures, I will be compelled to take a different path than that taken by conventional science when dealing with this or that fact. This science has the facts at its disposal; it expresses itself through the results it has obtained and then builds its conclusions on these results. The spiritual researcher must generally proceed differently, especially with regard to the questions to be dealt with today.
The spiritual researcher must first give indications of the way in which he has arrived at his results. He must always show the path by which his insights have come to him. For he deals with things that cannot be accomplished with the ordinary senses. He deals with things that are beyond the reach of ordinary knowledge. He must therefore first indicate the path by which he arrives at the point where his insights appear vividly before his mind's eye.
The questions we are dealing with today, ladies and gentlemen, concern human beings themselves more than many other issues. And they are, in the most eminent sense, questions of human self-knowledge. It can certainly be said that spiritual science—as I have often mentioned here—is very much an admirer of the magnificent, tremendous progress that has been made by humanity through the scientific achievements of recent times. But precisely because it appreciates these scientific results from its point of view, as far as they can be appreciated, it also recognizes where these scientific methods cannot suffice, where they cannot provide any insight.
It must be said that for questions such as those we are dealing with today, questions that are in the most pronounced sense questions of human self-knowledge, the magnificent, admirable results of scientific thinking, and especially the nature of scientific thinking, are more of an obstacle than something that could really lead us on the right path. Let me give you an example to illustrate this. Serious, conscientious natural scientists, with their particular way of thinking, have always directed their attention to what goes on within human beings themselves, to what ebbs and flows as the human soul. But let us consider an example that shows us how natural scientists, not because of their mistakes, but because of this way of looking at things, must pass by what leads to the actual solution of the mystery.
A good natural scientist, Waldstein, has published a paper on the subconscious self in the sometimes very important treatises that appear in Wiesbaden on the borderline questions of nervous and soul life. He talks about all kinds of things that take place in the human soul, that are significant for human soul life, but which are not perceived by ordinary consciousness. As an example, he said—and everyone can think of hundreds and thousands of similar examples—he said: I am standing in front of a bookstore window, looking into the window. My gaze falls on a wide variety of books. It is a scientific bookstore. There are only serious books there. Because of my profession, I am particularly attracted to a book in the window about mollusks. And the moment my gaze falls on this book about mollusks, I have to start laughing quietly. Now, I am a natural scientist, and it is not at all natural for me to laugh inwardly at such a serious subject as this book expresses in its title, “About Mollusks.” What caused me to laugh when I saw the title of a book about mollusks? I close my eyes, the naturalist continues, to figure out what actually made me laugh. And lo and behold: since my eye is no longer drawn to the mollusk title, I hear in the distance, among the various street noises around me, the faint sounds of a barrel organ, barely audible because it is so far away; and this barrel organ is playing the melody of a song to which I danced for the first time decades ago as a very young man. Back then, I tried to learn the quadrille steps to this melody. I didn't pay much attention to the melody at the time, because I was very busy learning the steps first, and then treating my partner in the appropriate manner. So even back then, the melody passed me by only half-dreamingly. And lo and behold, it has never occurred to me recently to concern myself with this melody; now, just in front of the mollusk book, I close my eyes, and in the distance this melody is struck; I have to laugh quietly. If I hadn't closed my eyes—because when I was looking at the mollusk book, I didn't know that an organ was playing, it just struck my ear—I would never have figured out why I had to laugh in front of the mollusk book. And this case shows me how strange things are inside human beings, what goes on in the subconscious, how this subconscious being plays its games with people.
The scholar cites many, many more examples like this. And others cite similar ones. But it can be said that when one devotes oneself to such scholarly treatises, one soon realizes that although people know that this is something that belongs to human self-knowledge, that it works and lives in human beings, but that scientific thinking is not sufficient to get to the bottom of such things, to even promote the real recognition of what lives in human beings as the true essence of these human beings. Something else must be done. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I must deal with first: the way in which one actually arrives at human self-knowledge. But first I would like to present to your souls the two questions that must be addressed if they are to be understood with complete clarity, the two questions that play a role in human soul life, from which the spiritual scientist feels compelled to choose the outcome when he considers the two main questions we are examining today.
One must not choose as one's starting point that which plays into the human self like those very faint, almost dreamlike memories of the barrel organ; that only leads one to what is, so to speak, playing its game; but one cannot get behind the game that is being played with the human self. One must direct the question in such a way that, in contrast to what ebbs and flows, in which all kinds of things come into play, as in the example of our barrel organ, one starts from that and turns to something that has a completely different relationship to human life than that which plays its game. We live with our soul in such a way that ideas we gain through external perceptions rise and fall in this soul: feelings, impulses of will; all of this comes into play when something like a barrel organ comes up. But basically, the whole game of our soul life in everyday life is more or less similar to this phenomenon with the barrel organ.
Certainly, we are clearly and brightly aware of part of what is in our ordinary consciousness; but countless other things constantly come in, and we do not know where they come from. Natural science rightly seeks in the human body as such, in this human body that perishes with death, the foundations for what plays into the soul life of human beings in this form. We are devoted to this play of ideas. But one thing arises that we must say to ourselves: it is of a completely different nature than this play of ideas. If we abandon ourselves to this play of ideas, we go through life with this everyday consciousness — ideas, feelings, sensations, all kinds of things arise and ebb away; we are devoted to it.
But then there is one thing, and that is that we say to ourselves: with a certain power of judgment, it enters our consciousness that we do not simply let the ideas come and go, but that we must devote ourselves to saying to ourselves: certain ideas are right, others are wrong; we begin to develop logic in our thinking, logic that is also supposed to bring us together with reality in the right way. Can it be the ordinary play of ideas that intervenes in our soul life when we say to ourselves: something is right or wrong? No, it cannot be the ordinary play of ideas. For false and true ideas arise, and it is precisely important that we are able to orient ourselves toward something that rejects false ideas, which arise just as much from physical necessities as true ideas, and accepts true ideas. Something intrudes into our soul life that is of a completely different nature than anything else that can be found in pure scientific self-observation. That is why, ladies and gentlemen, that is why philosophical worldviews have always intervened at this very point. If they have wanted, in a sense, to save human beings from being merely the result of their physical activities, they have pointed out how something enters into the life of the soul that cannot come from the body. Sometimes it is right, sometimes it is wrong; both come in the same way. But it is precisely at this point that it always becomes apparent how such a world view cannot come to an end; how it is impossible to find anything in this way. For one can do no more than state such things; but with such purely philosophical means of viewing the world, one searches in vain for the reasons, for the essence of the matter. That is one thing.
On the other hand, what ebbs and flows in our soul life is influenced by the clear awareness that we can decide yes or no to this or that action, that we can perform an action or refrain from doing so. But this actually contradicts every scientific approach. For an action cannot take place other than by emerging in some way from our physicality, from our human essence. It must be grounded in it.
And one must set oneself the task of searching for this ground in human nature according to the laws of a certain necessity. One cannot approach what human freedom is. That is the other boundary. One must start from these two boundary points. Twenty-five years ago, in my Philosophy of Freedom, I attempted to start from precisely these two points and, through mere observation of what lives in the human soul, to determine what is actually there, in the soul, when an action takes place that the human being is conscious of as freedom.
At that time, I approached the matter from a purely philosophical standpoint. Today, I try to present things in such a way that they find their solution in spiritual science, as far as this is possible for human beings. To do this, however, it is necessary to approach these two points, which I have now described as the limits of true self-knowledge, in the way that only spiritual science, as understood here, can approach them.
The characteristic of this spiritual research, ladies and gentlemen, is that one does not leave the soul as it is for research; that is what ordinary consciousness does; that is also what ordinary science does; but one develops the soul beyond the point at which it encounters itself when it simply surrenders to its natural development. The human soul must take itself in hand. It must make something else of itself. For it must come to see something else, to perceive something else than what can be perceived with ordinary cognitive faculties. It must, if I may indicate this from the outset, come into a position where it can truly grasp the spirit that lives in human beings with the spiritual eye.
Most people claim, out of a certain comfort in life — for it is nothing else — that such things as the perception of the spirit in human beings can only be a matter of faith. But the actual practice, the actual method employed by the spiritual researcher, proves that it is possible to attain not merely belief, but a knowledge of these things as certain as the knowledge we have of external natural phenomena and natural beings.
It must be clear, however, that through certain activities that it undertakes, whether you call them exercises or whatever you like, the soul must bring itself into a completely different state of mind than it is in ordinary life and in ordinary science, into a different kind of perception. In my writings, which contain more detailed information on these matters, I have called the first stage of soul life that the soul brings itself to in order to research the spiritual world imaginative knowledge.
How does one attain this imaginative knowledge? First and foremost, by giving one's thinking and imagination a completely different direction than they have in ordinary life. One must try to bring into one's thinking something that is otherwise as far removed as possible, well, let's say, from the barrel organ, from the example I just gave. For the barrel organ would cause something to arise in the soul, something you don't quite know what; it might not even be noticed at all. The opposite must be the case if you want to prepare yourself for spiritual research through soul training. You must not allow anything, absolutely anything, into the soul that has not been brought into it by the soul itself.
This can only be achieved by truly succeeding in detaching one's soul life – for research purposes only, of course – from all the past one has lived through, from all the future one desires, and living entirely in the present with one's soul, in as clear a conception as possible; in a conception that one has put together oneself, so that one knows what is in it. And you have to do this again and again. The characteristic thing is that you do something that is as far removed as possible from all dreamy soul life. No one who loves to indulge in the voluptuousness of dreaming can ever become a spiritual researcher in the right way. No one who loves to indulge in a false mystical way in something vague can ever become a spiritual researcher. This is not a preparation for spiritual research. Spiritual research can only be attained when one experiences something in the soul that one brings into this soul with all possible degrees of consciousness, and then surrenders oneself completely to this comprehensible, self-brought-in, and surrenders oneself again and again. I have called this “meditation” in my writings, and by this I mean meditation in the true sense. Through this, one is made aware of one's own consciousness, of one's own soul activity.
And I would like to mention one more thing: just as this meditation must be as far removed as possible from everything dreamlike, from everything falsely mystical, so too must it be removed from anything that creates a hypnotic, suggestive state in the human soul. Staring at shiny objects, for example, which is how hypnotists create the hypnotic state, is the opposite of what is required for spiritual scientific training. The opposite of spiritual scientific training are all kinds of exercises that cloud the consciousness. What is important is to bring clear ideas, clear feelings, and clear impulses of the will into the center of one's soul life with full consciousness, so that there is complete clarity, as is otherwise only found in clear thinking. In general, this clear thinking, this thinking carried out with full consciousness, must be the model. One must not stop there, because that leads to nothing; but it must be the model for all the exercises performed in the soul in order to find the way into the spiritual world.
Then, my dear friends, if one has perhaps spent years – and the years are very, very helpful here, because growing older is a great help in such exercises, in that something special can be achieved through practice — then, if one has repeatedly tried in this way to compress one's soul life into such manageable ideas through meditation, one finally arrives at developing an imaginative life. That is, one reaches the point where one no longer merely needs to assemble images and ideas, but where such images and imaginations appear in the soul as something objective, where one lives in such imaginations, can live in them. Only when one has prepared oneself in the way I have described do these imaginations no longer come from the body, but from the soul life. One gradually becomes aware that, on the one hand, just as one does in thinking, one gives oneself completely to imaginations, the power of one's imaginations; that nothing in the soul compels one to come to these imaginations from elsewhere.
But one also becomes aware that one is gradually following an inner necessity. One no longer gradually, by living in a world of images — for such is the imaginative world at first — one no longer believes that one can arbitrarily string images together, but one notices that one is bound by certain laws, just as one is bound by laws in the outer world. You can put a chair on a table and it will stay there; if you place it freely in the air, it will fall down. By looking at the outer world, you are bound by certain laws if you want to remain in reality. Gradually, by training your soul in the right way, you will realize that in this inner world of images you are also bound by laws that are objective, such as the law that a chair can only stand on something that supports it. On the one hand, you feel yourself to be present with your consciousness where the images are; on the other hand, you feel bound by laws that can be compared to the laws that exist in the physical world.
What one experiences there must be carefully distinguished in two ways. It must not be confused with what people experience who are under the influence of ordinary visions; for ordinary visions come from the body, they are not created by oneself, they are not processes in the soul. Imaginations are processes in the soul. Those who have not learned to distinguish between what imaginations are and visions will become visionaries, allowing all kinds of vapors to rise from their bodies, but they cannot become spiritual researchers. The way in which visions arise is not something one is present for. This is very important to note, for it is as essential as certain precautions in chemical, physical, and physiological methods.
A critic of my spiritual scientific approach, who considered himself very superior in his professorial wisdom—I don't want to talk today about all sorts of things that this critic has said about my spiritual science, but I want to quote something from the book by this so-called learned gentleman, from the book that has caused such a stir that it will be reprinted in a very short time. The gentleman in question states that it has sometimes happened to him that when he speaks at a meeting, he talks, talks up to a certain point, thinking as usual about what he is saying; but then he has sometimes noticed that he is no longer thinking, that he is thinking about something else, and yet he continues to talk.
Well, first of all, I promise you that I will never do such a thing, that I will continue to chatter away when I stop thinking. On the other hand, it must be emphasized that anyone who is capable of believing that one can approach the mysteries of the soul by doing such a thing is, from the outset, far too dull-witted to understand anything about what is the essence, the foundation of true spiritual science; they are also too dull-witted to say anything remotely accurate about this spiritual science. With this one statement, they prove that they are as far removed as possible from what is actually meant here. For it is precisely the essence of this spiritual science that it must point out that wherever the spiritual is sought, consciousness must be present, especially in spiritual research. All visions, but also all involuntary daydreaming, especially if it happens in such an unexpected way that one addresses an audience without thinking about what one is addressing them with, all of this is excluded not only from speech, but also from what takes place inwardly in the soul when one is on the spiritual path to the spirit.
The other thing that must be distinguished from what I refer to here as imagination is mere fantasy life. Just as imaginative life is not visionary life, not an involuntary mystical experience, so this imaginative life is not fantasy life. In the life of fantasy, images are strung together in a lawful but inwardly free manner. In the life of fantasy, one is not as bound to the objective course of images as one is in external perception. One knows that a chair cannot stand in the air. In the imaginative life, one is this.
So when, through inner practice of the soul, one comes to truly have before oneself that which one can never have before oneself in outer consciousness, in everyday life, then, my dear friends, one experiences a world of images that no longer comes merely from the soul, but in whose creation the soul is present piece by piece; one experiences a new world, a world of images; a world that one does not otherwise have around oneself. This is the first thing that must be achieved by those who want to penetrate into the real spiritual world.
But now comes what is particularly important on the path to spiritual research. You see, the visionary, the fantasist, are initially satisfied with this world of images. They say to themselves that this is what they have been looking for. The dreamer is also satisfied with it. Those who have attained imaginative knowledge are not at all satisfied with this world of images; they regard it only as a means to progress. For what occurs when one experiences this world of images, my dear audience, is a strengthening of experience. One must employ entirely different inner forces of this soul life if one wants to hold on to these images, if one really wants to be present everywhere in the emergence, in the becoming of these images, than one must employ in the emergence of external images, in what people say or what books prescribe. What matters is this intensification of consciousness; that the soul becomes stronger in this way than it ever is or needs to be in life. Nothing, ladies and gentlemen, nothing should be gained from this world of images other than an intensification of the soul life. One should say to oneself: this whole world of images is only preparation for the spiritual world.
Then, however, when you experience yourself — I say explicitly: experience yourself — then you say to yourself, in a sense: You do not have any objective world in these images, but you have the means to penetrate this objective world. In a sense, you have the spiritual eye and the spiritual ear in this world of images, but they are not yet transparent. Imagine that you have eyes in your eye sockets, but they are not filled with transparent vitreous humor, but are clouded; in the same way, you have this world of images within you, which rather separates you from the spiritual world, but which strengthens you by allowing you to take in the first means into your soul to penetrate the spiritual world. One must gain a further power. And one gains this by feeling the power that one experiences in these images; by experiencing them fully, one gains the second power — you will find more details in my books — the second power, which consists in acquiring spiritual eyes and spiritual ears in order to make the images transparent and audible, to remove these images again; just to feel yourself in the images, just to have strengthened your own self, but to make the whole world of images transparent. You must still be inside, my dear audience, but you must no longer see them. This is a state that the visionary does not want at all, because he is terribly satisfied when, in his opinion, he has “the whole spiritual world” in his images. He does not want to make them transparent. The spiritual researcher must use what he experiences in the images only to strengthen his ego, to make the transition, so to speak; to strengthen his ego, which thereby becomes stronger than the ordinary ego and can now hold its own; and in holding its own, it also holds this world of images for itself, but no longer looks at it through inner strength, overcoming the act of looking, so that one lives in these images, but no longer looks at them, no longer regards them as something that comes to one from outside as reality.
Then, when one has achieved this transparency of the imaginations through further energetic exercises, the second thing that is necessary to enter the spiritual world occurs, which is what I call inspired knowledge. I need this word, and I ask you to understand it only in the sense that I have explained here. I ask you not to confuse it with all kinds of superstitious ideas. Rather, it is that which occurs in the soul when it has strengthened itself in the world of images, which it then removes itself. Then this world of images becomes transparent, and the external objective spiritual world first announces itself in spiritual hearing — in spiritual seeing. Now one no longer has only the strengthened, empowered self before one, now one gains the opportunity to know through experience: around us is a spiritual world, just as around us for our physical eyes and ears is a physical world.
Yes, my dear friends, anyone who believes that one can only talk about the spiritual world, anyone who believes that one does not need true research to enter the spiritual world, is very much mistaken. And those people who believe that the spiritual researcher is a fantasist who has it easy compared to what is said to be serious, rigorous research in the laboratory or observatory are also very much mistaken. However difficult it may be to master the methods of the external sciences, what must be gone through with the soul in order to overcome the stage of imagination and truly enter the spiritual world in the manner described surpasses in difficulty anything that any external science can offer. And only those who have never gained any insight into how spiritual research actually works talk lightly about these things. But then, my dear friends, when one has penetrated into the spiritual world, when it reveals itself to one, just as the physical world reveals itself to the physical senses through colors and sounds, then something happens that one feels in a strange way. It happens because one exposes oneself more and more, exposes oneself to inspiration, so that one really experiences it more and more. What occurs is what one might call the reverse of falling asleep. It is very important that we consider this reverse of falling asleep. We know that by going through imaginative knowledge, inspired knowledge, we have entered into all those states that we otherwise only go through when we fall asleep. Just as when one falls asleep, the physical body is governed by its own laws, which have nothing to do with what is going on in the soul.
The same is true when one has freed oneself from one's physical body through imagination, through inspiration. Consider falling asleep: ordinary perceptions become unclear, sink down; but unconsciousness sets in. This sinking down of the outer physical perceptions is not achieved by the body being tired, but by replacing the perceptions with something else, by having imaginations, by developing not a lower soul activity, but a higher one.
This is further intensified during inspiration. And if you go even further, it is as if you were to wake up in the middle of sleep and see your body lying in front of you, outside your soul. This is a real experience. When you have gone through inspiration, you see that you are outside your body. But you are not unconscious; rather, you are inside the spiritual world. You immerse yourself in what was previously revealed to you through inspiration, being by being, process by process. In my writings, I have called this third stage of spiritual knowledge intuition.
Through imagination, through inspiration, through intuition, one penetrates into the real spiritual world. This is the way in which, through the transformation of the soul itself, one submerges into this spiritual world. It is not through phrases, not through all kinds of mystical chatter about merging with this or that, but only through methodical, serious work on the soul that the spiritual world can be reached for this soul. But then, when you have reached this level of knowledge, which for my sake you need not call a higher level than everyday life, only a different kind of knowledge, when you have reached this level, then you stand in a different relationship to the outside world than without this knowledge.
I would just like to mention in passing, although this is actually self-evident to many listeners after the many lectures I have given here: the spiritual researcher is not always a spiritual researcher from waking up to going to sleep, just as one is not always a chemist when one is outside the laboratory. For when the spiritual researcher is not immersed in the spiritual world, he is an ordinary person like everyone else. Of course, he then only relates to the rest of the outside world. Anyone who believes that the spiritual researcher becomes a completely different person is very much mistaken. This is what emerges from some societies and can cause so many misunderstandings in the outside world when the members of such societies repeatedly assert that they are something like higher human beings. That is not what is meant at all. That is nonsense. What is meant is that in certain states of life, the soul is brought into such a condition that it can penetrate the spiritual world. And within these states, this condition of the soul, the soul relates to the outside world in a different way than usual, even in terms of finer distinctions of life.
It will seem strange to you, and yet it is so: for those who view life one-sidedly, it means a great deal whether one is a materialist or a spiritualist — spiritualist not in the sense of spiritualism, but in the sense of German philosophy. The spiritual researcher is basically indifferent as to whether one is a materialist or a spiritualist. It does not matter at all. For those who are materialists and approach external material life with a deepened self, even when they investigate the coarsest material phenomena, they come from matter to spirit, because spirit underlies all matter.
Start from matter, but don't stop halfway. For my sake, be as coarse a materialist as you like, but be prepared to apply thinking to your research – then it will be all right. And likewise, if you are a spiritualist, you must not stop halfway, otherwise you will always talk about the spirit, always talk and talk about the spirit, perhaps even despise matter. But what matters is not to talk about spirit, spirit, spirit, but to find the way from spirit into material life, to submerge oneself again in material life, and to carry spirit into material life.
Tomorrow I will speak about this in more detail to show how spiritualists, who always call for spirit, spirit, and have no sense of immersing themselves with this spirit in real, useful life that is close to human beings, are possibly even more harmful than materialists. It does not matter whether one starts from matter or spirit, but what matters is that one completes one's research. But in a certain sense, one cannot complete one's research using today's scientific methods. Although modern physiology and biology focus almost exclusively on the material aspect of human beings, it is not possible to uncover the actual secrets of human development, for example, using the methods of modern science – not the facts, but the way of thinking, the method. And this is particularly important for the questions we face today.
As you know, a particular achievement of the scientific approach is what is called the idea of development. Development — it has become a threadbare word. Science has been placed in the context of the idea of development, right up to the human being, and in this way useful and useless things have been found, things of infinite significance. And yet, what natural science has achieved in this field is only half of what can make human beings understandable. For human beings are not such simple creatures that they can be easily understood by the straightforward concept of development. Human beings are complex creatures. And if we want to apply the idea of development to human beings, if we really want to penetrate the mysteries of humanity, then we must also view the human organism, as it appears to the outer eye, in the light of the idea of development in a different way than the straightforward way that natural science has attempted to do until now.
For we must distinguish in the human being between the head, or rather everything connected with the head as a sensory and nervous organism—for the sake of simplicity I will now call it the head organism—we must distinguish between the middle organism, that is, what belongs to the life of the chest and the abdomen; and thirdly, we must distinguish between the life of the extremities. Anyone who has ever looked at the human skeleton will know that what is expressed in humans in a completely different way than in all animals in the structure of the extremities of the arms with the hands, the legs with the feet, is not just what is visible on the outside; it continues inward.
And everything that one encounters externally in human beings is, at first, material. One can only learn to recognize its material secrets if one is able to immerse oneself spiritually in this materiality. For if one applies the idea of development and accepts the idea of development that contemporary science has developed, then only the middle human being, the chest human being, can be explained by this development. Human beings, insofar as they are head organisms, cannot be explained by this idea of development.
Why is this so? Because the human head, ladies and gentlemen, does not merely undergo progressive development, but also incorporates regression and retrogression into this progressive development. The head breaks down, takes away something from the straight course of development; it does not stop when the flow of development has come to an end, but ossifies more than the rest of the organism. What is already expressed in a trivial external way in the peculiar ossification of the head, in that the main brain is also anatomically undifferentiated in a peculiar way; all of this, according to the facts of current natural science, also points to what must be established here in spiritual science. In the case of the human being — the human being viewed as a head-being — we are not dealing with a straight line, but with a development that is progressive, then again stagnated, regressed.
When we learn about imagination, inspiration, and intuition, we penetrate more deeply into material connections through inner experience—as strange as it may seem—than those who only ever want to experience the spirit and the mind. This experience of the spirit requires that we be able to immerse ourselves in the material world. There we experience what imagination, through which we are truly human, actually is. What happens in the subconscious when we imagine? It is very strange, ladies and gentlemen, but when we imagine, our head starves. The head is broken down. Every idea that is permeated by thinking is a partial state of starvation. Ascetics who have gone about things the wrong way have then tried to starve the whole body in order to bring about certain ideas. That is wrong. What is supposed to happen already happens normally through a certain unstable equilibrium. In the organism, we are actually only balanced and nourished in relation to the middle organism; but in relation to the head, only while we sleep. During the entire waking state, the head must be undernourished. That is the reverse development. It comes from the reversal of development, from the breakdown.
And lo and behold, you come to something, my dear audience, you come to something that is tremendously important, something that bridges the gap between natural science and spiritual science. How does imaginative thinking come about? we ask. Does it come about through a progressive, sprouting, budding development? No, it comes about through the withdrawal of development, through making space, through development ceasing, through it disintegrating; this makes space for soul experience. If one believes that development proceeds as straightforwardly as it does in relation to the purely animalistic aspects of our middle organism, then one will never arrive at the concept of the independence of thinking, imaginative experience. But if one knows that development must retreat, that everything that causes growth and life must retreat, that it must make room in the head for the soul...
Only when one knows this, when one looks properly into how the head is the foundation for the life of the soul, does one arrive at the independence of experience. So, on the one hand, when one has penetrated to imagination, inspiration, intuition, one sees how thinking, whether right or wrong, intervenes in the life of the soul. The body must suspend its function so that it can be there. Then one can proceed further. One can look at what lives independently in the organism as thinking, what it is, how it enters the human being when he says to himself: This is right, this is wrong, what comes up from the organism.
And once one has learned to recognize how it is experienced in imagination, inspiration, intuition, behold: what does one experience in contrast to thinking? That it builds itself up on the regression of the organism. One experiences that in it, as it occurs in everyday life, when it is real thinking, thinking that does not surrender to the play of ideas but develops logically according to right or wrong, that this thinking is an unconscious inspiration of the human being. That is the great discovery one makes. Through spiritual research, one learns to consciously immerse oneself in inspiration. Now one learns to recognize what is right and wrong thinking. Inspiration is there, but unconsciously. It only comes about when one realizes the fact: Well, something shines into us that tells us: Reject this, accept that. But these are unconscious inspirations. Where do they come from? This also becomes apparent when one looks at them from a spiritual research perspective, with the experience of what one has in imagination, inspiration, and intuition.
When you have this imagination, when you don't just stop at having this imagination, but dive into this inspiration, you come to realize what inspires you: it is the life you lived before you were drawn into this body, which was given to you by your father and mother, through birth or conception. This is where you learn that this physical life is a continuation of a spiritual life that you have gone through. Now, thinking itself shows us that human beings descend from a spiritual world and enter into what is given to them by their father and mother through conception or birth as a physical body. By recognizing thinking as unconscious inspiration and seeing one's intuitions, that is, by speaking of intuitive thinking, of the intuition that lives in thinking, one is in truth speaking of the prenatal or, better said, the pre-conception spiritual-soul existence of the human being.
In the future, the question of immortality will undergo a significant addition. Until now, this question of immortality has often been viewed in such a way that people have been interested in what follows after death only in a selfish way. But this life that we live here in the physical body is the continuation of a spiritual life. To view this life here in its connection with the immortal soul, as it was before it entered the physical body through birth or conception, to view this life in connection with the immortal soul, opens up the prospect of spiritual science.
Let us look at the other side of human development. I am going to say something that may seem very paradoxical. But, ladies and gentlemen, I also know that what I am about to say, which may seem paradoxical and perhaps very twisted to some people, will become an established fact in the scientific research of the future.
Let us consider the extremity organism, everything connected with the structure of the arms and hands, the feet and legs, and how these continue inward. Here we see development in a completely different way. When we consider the head organism, then we have the development before us, my dear audience, that we must recognize a regressive development; a retraction of development. In our extremity organism, there is the peculiarity that development goes a step further than what is normal for the middle organism; overdevelopment occurs in the extremities. In relation to their limb organism, human beings go beyond the measure of their head development. Even the forms – unfortunately there is too little time to go into details – the whole life of the limb organism provides full proof that we are dealing with overdevelopment in the human limb organism; with a development towards something that human beings do not need at all for the maintenance of the body. Development progresses beyond this, while in the head it becomes regressive. What is the consequence of this? That development in the limb organism exceeds itself. As a result, something comes to life subconsciously in humans that can only be recognized when one arrives at a complete grasp of imaginative life and then deepens this imaginative life through inspiration and intuition.
When one looks at the human extremities organism with the spiritual eye of the spiritual researcher, something is incorporated into this extremities organism that appears as imagination, as imagination that arises naturally.
The extremities skip development. And in this way they incorporate something into the soul that cannot be seen with the ordinary eye, but which immediately appears when one is familiar with imaginative experience. Through their extremities, human beings contain something that they produce as imagination, which has nothing to do with their life here in the body. If one learns to recognize this life that is integrated into the extremities and can only be grasped through imagination, what does one find there? That integrated into these extremities is that which passes through the gate of death, which is the basis for the continuation of life after death. Just as inspiration in thinking, on the one hand, with a regressed head, lives out spiritually and soulfully what is there before birth, before conception, so what carries our soul life out into the spiritual world after death like a carriage is incorporated as imagination.
Thus, on the one hand, we are endowed with unconscious inspiration, which spiritual science elevates, toward the head. On the other hand, toward the extremities, we are endowed with unconscious imagination, through which that which passes through the gate of death and carries us out into immortality after death lives unconsciously within us. We learn about pre-birth and post-death life in two different ways: we learn about pre-birth life as unconscious inspiration and post-death life as unconscious imagination.
One will study purely from a biological-physiological perspective—after all, we are not children, it can be said—one can study how, in relation to external life, the organization of the extremities is connected to the rest of the human organization. One will then look at the primary sexual organs, their connection to the organization of the feet; one will look at the secondary sexual organs, one need only regard the breasts as secondary sexual organs, and their connection with the arm organization, then one has that which is integrated in the human being through the extremities organism as the physical basis for the production of a new life that separates from it. This physical basis is complete when the human being reaches sexual maturity, but the human being continues his life beyond that. What is physical organization here has its counterpart. Just as the human physical organism, insofar as it is connected with the sexual organism, is the basis for physical procreation, so what underlies the extremities organism as spiritual-soul is necessary for the procreation of that which it sends beyond the gate of death and which brings forth its next earthly life.
Here we have a starting point for a strictly scientific investigation of the question of immortality. And when, more than a quarter of a century ago, I pointed out in my Philosophy of Freedom that one must observe correctly if one wants to approach freedom, I pointed out that, on the one hand, one must go to purely intuitive thinking. Today I would add: this intuitive thinking is recognized before birth or conception. This is already stated in “The Philosophy of Freedom,” where I called intuitive thinking one element of the human will.
The other element, which appears as imaginative life, I called moral imagination for the question of freedom at that time, in order to make the book useful even for those who consider spiritual science to be foolishness. What is written in the book is described philosophically. The spiritual scientist adds that what appears there as moral imagination is part of what lives in the human being's subconscious imagination and arises precisely in moral actions. Through the interaction of moral imagination with intuitive thinking, I said at the time, what arises is what is, in the true sense of the human being, an action of the human being that is free of will. Today I would add: What is thinking? It is what inspires us here, what is pre-natal. When does it occur? It occurs when we are able to conceive of an action in such a way that we carry it out, when this action is so dear to us that it has nothing to do with our drives and inclinations, but is as dear to us as a personality we truly love because we have recognized its essence. When we perform an action out of love—that is, not out of selfishness or playful ideas, but out of an understanding of the inner necessity of the action—then we surrender ourselves to intuitive actions; then we are inspired by our pre-birth life.
Today I would add: it is the power that carries us over into the spiritual world after death. This plays out subconsciously within us. In moral action that unfolds freely, that which lies before birth or conception shines forth. This is linked to that which enters the spiritual world after death. While we live between birth and death, we already act by unconsciously bringing into play what lies before birth, in intuitive thinking that flows into our lives in an inspiring way. What lies after death is that which is not connected to us at all and yet is accomplished by us; that which has the character of being accomplished out of love; that is truly free action. Therefore, it must be said: what inspires us from pure thinking is not connected to our body at all. The body must withdraw in order for this to unfold. And what has an imaginative effect has no meaning for now, but only has meaning after death.
These two factors, which have nothing to do with the body, are the real forces at work in the true, free act of human will. This is the profound mystery that when we approach free will, we do not find anything mortal in human beings that acts, but rather we find precisely that which acts freely, which is immortal. The question of free will and the question of immortality are intimately connected, because the only actions that are truly free in human beings are those in which the supersensible, that which is not yet bound to the body, that which human beings develop in the spiritual world before they take on the body, in connection with what results from over-development, which has no significance for our present development, which only has significance after death, but which shines into the action that separates itself from us, that is performed separately from us.
That is why I said back then in The Philosophy of Freedom: One cannot ask the question: Is man free or unfree? That always leads to wrong answers. It is not a question of either/or in this area, but of both/and. Human beings perform a great many actions that arise from the needs of their bodies, from the interplay of their ideas that arise from the body, from the impulses of their bodies. But they always have the ideal of performing actions in which they say to themselves: I am not taken into consideration, so free is what is to be accomplished, just as the human being I love is free from me; it happens only because I realize that this fact must be accomplished. Such an action is one toward which all human thinking tends, toward which it strives, which lives itself into the unfree action we discussed earlier.
Human beings develop out of unfree actions by developing more and more toward their true self, precisely in action, in will, by allowing the pre-birth and post-death to shine into this will. Human beings develop within the unfree toward the free; they are on the path to becoming freer and freer. This is a matter of action, not of either/or. Those who ask the question in this way can never arrive at an answer to the question of freedom. Rather, it is a matter of both/and; to the same extent that the immortal soul appears to man, revealing itself through the body, this soul expresses itself actively through the body. What human beings accomplish flows from thought through love to action; to the same extent, human beings become freer and freer.
It is precisely from this starting point that we will begin our consideration tomorrow of human life in the course of time, of historical development, and of the various earthly lives. Today, in conclusion, I would just like to point out how this consideration expresses that the question of immortality and the question of free will illuminate each other, that they are truly interconnected. Free will is characteristic only of the immortal being. No one can be a believer in free will who does not at the same time recognize the immortality of the human being. But anyone who recognizes the immortality of the human being knows that the human being is on the path of development toward freedom.
Even today, ladies and gentlemen, such considerations as we have engaged in today, through which human beings approach the answers to their highest questions in a truly spiritual-scientific way, questions that relate to selfless self-knowledge, are viewed with many prejudices. What does this involve? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, in order to hold on with all the strength of the soul through what I have called imaginative conception, something is really needed that human beings must first cultivate within themselves. It would be more convenient if one could answer the highest questions and mysteries of human life without this.
What is it that causes people today to regard spiritual science as fantasy, as something insignificant? It is that they have a subconscious fear and anxiety about the power that must be developed, that must grasp the spirit itself in the free experience of the spirit. It is subconscious fear and anxiety that always provokes opponents of spiritual science. For in order to conduct spiritual research, one needs inner courage, which does not believe that one will immediately fall into nothingness when one is instructed to maintain something that one should experience in the spirit through one's own power, to bring it before the soul through one's own power. It is certainly easier to want to approach the mysteries of life through external means than to be told that the soul needs an inner, purely spiritual strengthening that goes beyond the measure of ordinary life. And so it is basically a question of convenience and fear that provokes opposition to spiritual science. But these things will gradually be overcome by humanity, which is increasingly thirsting for truth.
I would like to conclude with the words of a German thinker who made this beautiful statement in this field, modifying it slightly, in preparation for tomorrow evening's reflection. Spiritual science is indeed reviled by many today because it is not understood, because it is not recognized, because its necessity for human life cannot be seen. But if one allows the course of human development to affect one's soul, then one must say to oneself: however oppressive all opposition, all hostility, all misunderstanding, all slander that stands in the way of truth may be, truth finds its way even through the narrowest crevice in human development, however oppressive the weighing rocks may be.
And as such a truth, the spiritual scientist must regard spiritual-scientific truth as a kind of truth that will wind its way through, as such a truth that can open up from imagination to intuition, as such a truth that will find its way through the narrowest crevices of human development, however oppressive the burdensome rocks may be. [it] can open up from imagination to intuition, as such a kind of truth, the spiritual researcher must regard spiritual scientific truth as such a truth that will wind its way through whatever may weigh heavily upon it in the form of opposition, hostility, and slander. For truth winds its way through the narrowest crevices of human development against all resistance, and in the end it must prevail.