Supersensible Influences in the History of Mankind
GA 216
22 September 1922, Dornach
Lecture I
In recent lectures I have been trying to describe in some detail the connection of man as a being of body and soul with the spiritual Powers of the universe. I should like now to enlarge the picture by describing, in a similar way, certain historical happenings and their connections with spiritual worlds. In our materialistic age, study of the history of the human race is limited to its external aspect; attempts are made to depict what comes to pass in the physical world of sense, but no consideration is given to how the spiritual world plays into the activities and doings of men. In our epoch, human actions in the on-flowing course of history are never studied from the point of view of their connection with the Beings and Powers behind human existence.
Let us think of very ancient times in the evolution of mankind—to begin with, of those epochs described in my Outline Of Occult Science as the Old Indian and Old Persian periods of culture. Naturally, many things that were done by men in those times go to form the content of history. But it must be realised that happenings which then constituted external history were by no means the outcome of fully conscious deliberation on the part of men, for human consciousness was pervaded by a kind of dreamlike clairvoyance. Pictures arose in men's consciousness—pictures interwoven with the activities of Spiritual Beings who then spurred men on to deeds of one kind or another.
In the epoch of which I am speaking now, the process of inbreathing was extremely important. The fact that through the exercises of Yoga, breathing became a conscious process, a process of perception, indicates the significance of the part played by breathing in those ancient times. But the process of inbreathing was more important then than that of out-breathing.
We do not realise today that besides, shall I say, the coarse inhaled with the air, all kinds of substances are present, but in a state of exceedingly delicate, fine distribution. Those substances, too, which in present earth-existence are in the solid, mineral condition, are contained in the air in fine, delicate distribution, and the human being breathes them in. Now the peculiarity of these substances in their state of fine distribution through the air, is that they have the tendency to assume forms and shapes. Earthly substances too, of course, assume the forms we know as the mineral crystals. I am not here referring to the crystals but to substances finely distributed in the air, or one might also say, in the air-ether, inasmuch as this plays through the air. These substances, too, build forms—forms that do not resemble those of the minerals but of the organs in man. This is a peculiarity of the ether, which pervades the air. When we can observe this ether with Imaginative Knowledge, we see within it floating forms, delicate ether-forms with the shape of lung, or liver, or stomach—at any rate, shapes of the inner organs of man. With trained etheric sight all these forms can be observed in the cosmic ether. In comparison with our physical organs, however, these cosmic forms are usually of gigantic dimensions. We see gigantic ether-forms, with the shapes of liver, lung, and so on, interpenetrating the cosmic space around us. These forms, floating as it were in space, are breathed in by man—and it is good that this happens. For as man inbreathes these forms which enter into him with the air, they work beneficially and with healing effect upon his organs. Organs, after all, deteriorate as life progresses and, to speak colloquially, they are patched up again by what is inbreathed in this way. We well know how difficult it is for therapy to restore the physical organs, but this other kind of therapy works effectively and continuously upon the human being.
In those very early epochs of history it was possible for men, without special training and merely through their dreamlike clairvoyance, to see these ether-forms and, above all, to realise what it means when, together with the finely dissolved, pepsin-like substances in the ether, the form of the stomach, let us say, is breathed in and received by the corresponding organ in the human body. In olden times a very great deal was known about this connection with the delicate organisation of the surrounding world, and the further back we go in time, the greater was the knowledge.
This process of breathing in the ether-form was not as if air were automatically pumped into a space emptied of air. Think of an ether-form that passed into the human being through his inbreathing. Spiritual Beings were active as the cosmic forms sank into him. In recent lectures, some public and some given here, we have heard about certain Spiritual Beings and of their significance for man. I refer to those Spiritual Beings who have their physical reflection in the Moon and its light: the spiritual Moon-Beings. It was these Moon-Beings who, in the times of which I am now speaking, were able by way of these cosmic forms to pass from the cosmos into the human being. So that in those ancient epochs of historical evolution on the earth, men drew the spiritual Moon-Cosmos into themselves in the process of inbreathing, stimulating the spiritual Moon-Beings to activity within them.
What I am now telling you was the content of a science and was a body of wisdom to which much study was devoted in the most ancient Mysteries. For the Initiates of these Mysteries knew that human beings drew the spiritual Moon-Cosmos into themselves in this way. The Initiates knew, too, that this took place chiefly during the night, during sleep. But because in those olden days men were endowed with dreamlike clairvoyance, living in a state of consciousness midway between waking and sleeping, it was possible to reckon with the fact that these spiritual Moon-Beings entered into human beings during certain periods of the day-consciousness. And the leadership given to mankind by the Initiates of the ancient Mysteries aimed at gaining control of what passed into the human being in this way through the inbreathing, so that men might be able to utilise the forces of these Moon-Beings in their own deeds.
You must realise that in those ancient times there was no such thing as intellectual instruction of the kind that is current today. Nevertheless the Initiates of the Mysteries had much more potent ways and means of guiding and leading the peoples than was the case later on—and, above all, than is the case today. In the earliest period of human evolution the Initiates had developed the art of conversing with the Moon-Beings breathed in by man during the night and during the clairvoyant periods of his waking consciousness, and of causing these Moon-Beings to inculcate something very definite into humanity. Inasmuch as the Moon-Beings, via the inbreathing, became their helpers, the Initiates of the ancient Mysteries were able, in this way, to give wonderful leadership to mankind.
Only the most inadequate conceptions exist today of these deeply mysterious processes which had their outward image in all manner of ceremonial rites—processes which were used in olden times in order, from the centres of the Mysteries, to lead and guide humanity.
As evolution proceeded, a different age came to birth. Darkness gathered over the old clairvoyance, with the result that the special processes, which the Initiates had been able to make elective in the days of ancient India and ancient Persia, presented greater and greater difficulties. Up to the time of the Mystery of Golgotha, of course, and for a few centuries afterwards, remnants of the old clairvoyance persisted, particularly in certain regions. But it was already dim and by the second or third century B.C. the procedure of which I have spoken could no longer be as effective as it had been in the earliest times of human evolution after the Atlantean epoch. The Initiates of the Mysteries were more and more at a loss when they desired to make use of the power of the Moon-Beings in the guidance of mankind. If I am to describe what then took place between the Initiates and the Moon-Beings, I will say the following: When an Initiate of the Egypto-Chaldean epoch approached one of these Moon-Beings with the object of charging this Being, when he had entered into a man via the inbreathing, to instill this or that into the soul, the Moon-Being would often reply to the Initiate: During the hours of day-consciousness we no longer have any dwelling-place on the earth; we find a dwelling-place only during the hours of night.
But the Initiates would have regarded it as unlawful thus to influence men on earth during the hours of night-consciousness by way of the Moon-Beings, for this would have meant handling them like automatons. Such procedure would have given rise to what is described in certain terminology as an art of black magic, and with this the good Initiates would, naturally, have nothing whatever to do. So it was deeply significant for them when the Moon-Beings who were to be their helpers in the guidance of humanity, made answer: During the hours of the day-consciousness we have no dwelling-place on the earth. The Initiates of these Mysteries were thus faced with the danger of being without helpers in the methods they had used for leading mankind. On the other hand, what came into the world with the Christ Mystery was not yet in existence. There was an intermediate period between that of the ancient clairvoyance, when the procedures I have described were possible, and the epoch that changed the whole character of the workings of the Spiritual on the earth—the epoch inaugurated by the Mystery of Golgotha.
The Egypto-Chaldean epoch, following that of ancient Persia, provides the best illustration for study of this intermediate period. The Initiates among the Chaldean peoples hardly knew at all how to tackle the dilemma of which I am now speaking. In a certain respect they were extraordinarily helpless and they sought what they needed for the guidance of men through somewhat external means, namely, through their star-lore, their art of astrology. For what the Chaldean Initiates learnt through their astrology could be experienced in quite a different way through the Moon-Beings who passed into the bodies of men via the inbreathing. Now, however, the Moon-Beings were saying: There is no dwelling-place for us on the earth. And so the Chaldean Initiates substituted a power of external observation for the inner power, which in former days had been imparted by these Beings.
The Initiates of Egypt set to work quite differently. They sought for ways and means whereby dwelling places might be provided on earth for the Moon-Beings. For Beings, therefore, who according to the eternal laws of world-evolution no longer had their appointed dwelling places on the earth—for these Beings the Initiates of the Egyptian Mysteries sought to provide shelter. And the priests of the Egyptian Mysteries, the Egyptian Initiates, did indeed succeed in providing dwelling places on the earth for the Luciferic Moon-Beings. By peopling the burial places with mummies, the Egyptian priests found the solution to the secret of enticing the Moon-Spirits to come down to the earth, although according to the laws of world evolution this was no longer their allotted role. Mummified human beings, mummified corpses, became dwelling places for the Luciferic Moon-Beings. In earlier lectures I have spoken from a different point of view of what the mummified corpse signified, and I refer to it now from the aspect of cosmological history. Surrounded by their rows of mummies, the Egyptian Initiates were able to make observations that were no longer possible in a natural way. In earlier times it was merely a matter of being together with men and clairvoyantly observing their breathing. In substitution for this a method was found for bringing about what had once happened in the natural process of inbreathing. Places were established to which these Spirits could descend—the Spirits who now had no dwelling-place within humanity during the hours of day and would otherwise have been obliged to wander homeless about the earth. Under such conditions they could have played no part in the affairs of the earth, and places were therefore established where they could, as it were, be given shelter. These places were the mummies, the mummified corpses of men. The mummies became the dwelling places of the Moon-Beings. Standing with full understanding before the mummies, the Egyptian Initiate studied what the Initiates of earlier times had studied from life in its fresh and natural state. The Egyptian Initiate observed the activities of the Moon-Beings in the dwelling places that had thus been provided for them, and by this means he became aware of what these Moon-Beings were able to inculcate, in manifold ways, into the historical development of humanity.
Paradoxical as it will appear to the materialistic intellect of today, it is nevertheless true that if we wish to understand historical development during the Egyptian epoch of culture, we must study not merely the external monuments but that eternal Chronicle of worlds which can be read with the vision of Imagination and Inspiration, and in which are recorded the deeds of those spiritual Moon-Beings to whom no outer monuments were erected and who left no written scripts. But the achievements of the men to whom the monuments were erected—these achievements were inspired through the work of the Initiates with the Moon-Beings in the mummies, inspired by the spiritual Moon-Beings for whom, during the hours of day-consciousness, dwelling places on earth had been provided in the mummies. We can, in truth, only understand the origin of what is recorded in the ancient scripts when we are able to check out, in the life of the cosmos, those Beings who tell us: “During the third, second and first millennia before Christ we could come down to the earth only because the Priest-Initiates of Egypt provided dwelling places for us in the mummies.” From these Moon-Beings we can learn the intentions behind deeds that go to form the history of that epoch.
To understand man in his true being, we must turn to the stars and to the Hierarchies, as I said in the last two lectures given here. But to understand the historical development of humanity we must be able to study, as well, the Spiritual Powers that play into this development. We must study the meaning of a phenomenon as striking as that of the mummification of the human corpse in ancient Egypt. The inner purpose of things often regarded by modern materialism merely as curious customs can be understood when we are able to investigate them by means of spiritual science.
Once upon a time the mummies were the homes of Gods, dwelling places of Moon-Beings who were now Luciferic Beings. In the Greco-Roman epoch, the fourth Post-Atlantean epoch, conditions were somewhat different. The process of inbreathing now ceased to play the predominating part. In-breathing retained its significance, certainly, but it was no longer as important as it had once been. Inbreathing and out-breathing were now of equal significance for the human being. The Greek Initiates were well aware of this fact and the wonderful balance between inbreathing and out-breathing, which was characteristic of the Greeks, enabled their art to become the model to which history always points. It would not have been in keeping with the nature of the Greeks to receive the Moon Beings specifically by way of the inbreathing. Through the work of their Initiates, the Greek people were able to make effective those Beings who hovered—half flying, half floating in the air, and who liked best to be cradled in the condition of balance between inbreathing and out-breathing. Looking back to those ancient times of Greek development when the real inspiration was given for what manifested, later on, in a more external form—looking back to the times when forms of primitive grandeur were the source and wellspring of plastic art, of the Greek art of tragedy and of philosophy, we find that the Priest-Initiates of the Mysteries in their guidance of humanity, were able to make use primarily of those Beings who cradled themselves in the condition of balance between man's inbreathing and out-breathing. We can have no real knowledge of the Apollonian art, or of Orphic wisdom, unless we realise that their inspiration came from dæmonic Beings moving within this condition of balance between inbreathing and out-breathing. The strings of Apollo's lyre were tuned in accordance with what could be observed of those Beings who lived between the moon-sphere and the earth-sphere, who liked best to hover, to dance, as it were, on the strings of the cosmos which had been woven into the balance between inbreathing and out-breathing. The dance of the daemons of the air—this was mirrored in the tuning of the strings of Apollo's lyre.
Thus we must look into the spiritual world if we would gain knowledge of what has come to pass in external history. Think of what I said some time ago, namely, that scansion, the development of the art of ancient recitative, of the hexameter, is based on the relation between the rhythms of breathing and blood-circulation in man. Remind yourselves of what I once said in a series of lectures about the development of the hexameter. The study that led to the creation of the hexameter was, for the Greek Initiates, full of concrete realities. As we breathe in, we receive the moving waves of cosmic life into ourselves, and adjust them to our inner being. As we breathe out we impart to the rhythm of the breath something of the vibration of the pulse in the circulating blood. Thus we can say: The external world pulsates into our inbreathing. In our out-breathing our own blood pulsates. And so a Greek Initiate who was schooled in these things was able to observe how in and around the human being, in his ether-body and astral body, cosmic rhythm and the rhythm of the blood were meeting and intermingling and how denizens of the air were moving and dancing in these rhythms.
Such was the study to which Homer applied himself when he was developing the hexameter, in particular, to its highest perfection of form—for the hexameter is born from the connection between the human being and the world.
Many things become clear for the first time when we study history with the eye of knowledge permeated by art, and with the eye of art permeated by knowledge. I have no desire to speak about the materialistic mentality of today, which instead of pondering deeply about the origin of, let us say, the “Songs of Homer” finds a way out by saying that Homer never existed. That is the simplest way out of the difficulty, from the standpoint of modern materialism. It is not possible for materialistic science to understand Homer, and according to a mentality that has become so vain and self-glorious in our times, anything that is incomprehensible cannot possibly exist. Things that cannot be explained by the academic mind do not exist! Homer is incomprehensible—therefore he never existed. He cannot be explained, so he doesn't exist ... but after all, surely there is it more sensible explanation than this!
In museums everywhere you will find sculptured heads of Homer. I am not saying that the likeness is particularly good, but when we look at this blind Homer, whose eyes, in spite of blindness, have such a mysterious expression and whose head has a striking pose, the portrayal is good enough to make us feel perhaps he blinded himself voluntarily—I am, of course, speaking metaphorically—perhaps he deliberately made himself blind in order that sight should not disturb a certain kind of listening; for Homer listens. Without the distraction of sight, he experiences the interplay between the pulsation of the cosmos and the pulsing of human blood, the pulsing of the human ether body, where the Beings of the air carry out their dance of harmony and melody. In a kind of whirring ... as when one listens to the whirring of a swarm of flies ... Homer heard the hexameter and, undisturbed by sight or the ordinary clear light of day, it is as if his ears were touching at the same time as hearing.
Look at the heads of Homer from this point of view. The form of marble or plaster gives the impression of hearing that is also touching, touching that is also hearing; life of a very special kind is present here. The head-nature seems to flash from within through the blinded eyes. There is something that seems not only to hear, but actually to touch the sounds, to detain them, in order to lead over into scansion by the human voice what was drawn in from the cosmos. So it was, in days when the predominating factor was not the inbreathing or the out-breathing, but the interplay between them. Contemplation of the head of Homer should give rise to the eager question: How did he breathe? This head is undisturbed by external light, is wholly given up to the mysteries of the breathing. To have this feeling about the sculptured heads that can be seen in many places would be more intelligent than to argue away the existence of Homer. The reasons produced by scholars when they argued away the existence of Homer were so subtle and deceptive that even Goethe was a little disturbed. The German philologist Wolf was the first to argue away the existence of Homer and even Goethe could not entirely put aside his subtle, plausible contentions. And although Goethe always had a feeling of horror at the thought that Homer had been demolished by Wolf, he was nevertheless a little shaken by the extremely astute arguments put forward. Modern cleverness is capable of anything! On this subject I have always said: Modern men are clever, extraordinarily clever and astute; but cleverness does not necessarily mean that they really know the world.
Hermann Grimm set to work ... not to bring Homer to life again, for he had not really been demolished by Wolf—all that had been demolished was a picture that had grown up in the course of time ... Hermann Grimm set to work as follows. He said: We will not, to begin with, concern ourselves with Homer, nor with Wolf who is supposed to have demolished him, but we will turn to the Iliad itself. Let us read this epic of Homer, not as a philologist reads it but as a human being reads it. Let us take the first Book, the first Song, and try to discover by what kind of art the introduction, the continuation and the further development were created. Then pass to the second Song; again we find a remarkable unity in the composition and realise with what a wonderful feeling for art each Song is built on the preceding one. Hermann Grimm pursued this method of study through the whole of the Iliad and it did not fail. Then he said: It would indeed be strange if Homer had never existed, if one man had written a portion of the Iliad, a second man another portion, a third man another, and so on, and then such fragments had merely been put together—as people will probably one day say of Faust, because contradictions have been found in it. It would indeed be strange if a work like the Iliad with its unbroken uniformity of composition had been compiled from all kinds of fragments discovered here or there.
Truly, it is necessary in studying history to picture the weaving and working of Spiritual Beings in the happenings and proceedings of history. Anthroposophical spiritual science must also have this aim, and I have tried today to pursue it in respect of very early periods and up to the time of Greek culture. In the lecture tomorrow we shall see how in the present age, since the Mystery of Golgotha, Spiritual Beings have been manifestly working in human deeds which have become increasingly free and we shall learn what we ourselves have to do in order to find help as did the Egyptian Initiates when they provided shelter for certain Moon-Beings. Something not altogether dissimilar may have to be brought about, but out of a true understanding of the Spirit.
Dritter Vortrag
[ 1 ] Es war in den vorigen Stunden mein Bemühen, den Zusammenhang der physischen und seelischen Menschenwesenheit mit den geistigen Mächten der Welt im einzelnen zu schildern. Ich möchte das Bild, das so entworfen werden konnte, heute dadurch etwas ergänzen, daß ich in einer ähnlichen Weise, wie das für das physische und seelische Dasein des Menschen geschehen ist, Einzelheiten aus dem geschichtlichen Leben schildere, Zusammenhänge des geschichtlichen Lebens mit den geistigen Welten.
[ 2 ] In unserem materialistischen Zeitalter beschränkt sich die Betrachtung der Geschichte des Menschengeschlechtes auf die Außenseite. Man sucht einfach zu verzeichnen, was innerhalb der physisch-sinnlichen Welt spielt, während man keine Aufmerksamkeit darauf wendet, das Hereinspielen der geistigen Welt in das geschichtliche Handeln der Menschheit zu betrachten. Unserem Zeitalter fehlt eigentlich ganz und gar die Möglichkeit, das, was die Menschen im Verlauf der Geschichte tun, im Zusammenhange mit den Wesenheiten und Mächten zu betrachten, die hinter dem Dasein des Menschen stehen.
[ 3 ] Blicken wir heute einmal in ältere Zeiten der Menschheitsentwickelung zurück, zunächst in die Zeiten, die ich in meinem Buche «Die Geheimwissenschaft im Umriß» als das urindische, das urpersische Zeitalter der Menschheit bezeichnet habe. Natürlich ist in diesem Zeitalter Mannigfaltiges von den Menschen getan worden, was wir als den Inhalt von Geschichte bezeichnen. Aber wir müssen uns doch klar darüber sein, daß gerade in jenem Zeitalter die Tatsachen am wenigsten aus dem Bewußtsein der Menschen erfolgten, die dann als die äußerlich geschichtlichen wirkten; denn wir wissen ja, daß gerade in den ältesten Zeiten das Bewußtsein der Menschen von einer Art traumhaften Hellsehens durchsetzt und durchzogen war. Den Menschen erschienen in ihrem Bewußtsein Bilder, in deren Inhalt geistige Wesenheiten hineinspielten, die dann die Menschen anregten, das oder jenes zu tun.
[ 4 ] Nun spielte in der Zeit, von der ich rede, der Vorgang des Einatmens eine außerordentlich große Rolle im Menschenleben. Schon daraus, daß der ganze Atemprozeß in jenen älteren Zeiten durch die Jogaübungen zu einem bewußten Prozeß, zu einem Wahrnehmungsprozeß geworden ist, kann Ihnen hervorgehen, daß in jenen ältesten Zeiten das Atmen eine große Rolle spielte, vor allen Dingen der Einatmungsvorgang, mehr als der Ausatmungsvorgang. Wir sind uns in unserem heutigen Zeitalter gar nicht klar darüber, daß außer der groben Stofflichkeit, die wir in der Luft suchen, wenn wir einatmen, noch alle möglichen Stoffe, aber in einer außerordentlich feinen Verteilung vorhanden sind. Auch die Stoffe, die wir sonst bei unserem jetzigen Erdendasein in einem festen, mineralischen Zustand auf der Erde antreffen, sind in ganz feiner Weise durch den Luftkreis verbreitet und der Mensch atmet sie ein. Nur haben diese Stoffe in ihrer sehr feinen Verteilung im Luftkreise die eigentümliche Tendenz, Formen zu bilden. Gewiß, auch innerhalb der Erdensubstanz bilden ja die Stoffe Formen. Wir kennen diese Formen als die Kristalle der Mineralien. Aber diese Kristalle meine ich jetzt nicht. Ich meine diejenigen Stoffe, die fein verteilt im Luftkreise, wir können auch sagen im Luftäther sind, insofern dieser den Luftkreis durchspielt. Diese Stoffe bilden auch Formen, aber diese Formen sind nicht wie die mineralischen Formen, sondern sie sind den Formen der menschlichen Organe ähnlich. Das ist eine Eigentümlichkeit des die Luft durchsetzenden Äthers. Wenn wir ihn beobachten können, wie er die Luft durchspielt und wie er uns für das imaginative Erkenntnisleben erscheinen kann, so nehmen wir wahr, daß in diesem Äther gewissermaßen feine, eben ätherische Gebilde umherfliegen, welche Lungenform, Leber- oder Magenform, jedenfalls die Formen innerer menschlicher Organe haben. Wir können, wenn wir in ätherischer Betrachtung geschult sind, alle menschlichen Formen draußen im Weltenäther beobachten. Nur sind in der Regel diese Organformen im Verhältnis zu den physischen Organen, die wir in uns tragen, riesig groß. Wir sehen mächtige ätherische Leberformen, Lungenformen den Raum, der uns im Kosmos umgibt, durchsetzen.
[ 5 ] Was da im Raume draußen gewissermaßen als Formen herumfliegt, das atmet der Mensch ein. Und es ist gut, daß er es einatmen kann, denn indem er es einatmet, wirken diese Formen, die mit der Luft gewissermaßen in uns hineinkommen, immer ausbessernd, gesundend auf unsere Organe. Unsere Organe werden im Verlaufe des Lebens immer schlechter und schlechter. Und gewissermaßen werden sie, wenn ich es etwas grob ausdrücken darf, durch das, was da eingeatmet wird, wiederum ausgeflickt. Wir wissen, wie schwierig es der 'Therapie ist, menschliche Organe auszuflicken. Aber diese hier gemeinte Therapie muß eigentlich fortwährend auf den Menschen wirken und wirkt auch.
[ 6 ] Nun war es in jenen ältesten Zeiten der geschichtlichen Menschheitsentwickelung den Menschen möglich, ohne besondere Schulung, durch ihr ursprüngliches traumhaftes Hellsehen diese ätherischen Formen und namentlich auch ihre Bedeutung für den Menschen zu schauen; zu erschauen, was das zu bedeuten hat, sagen wir, wenn mit dem fein im Ätherischen aufgelösten pepsinartigen Stoffe die menschliche Magenform eingeatmet und von dem menschlichen Magenorgan aufgefangen wird. In solchen Dingen wußte man in alten Zeiten außerordentlich gut Bescheid, und je weiter wir in ältere Zeiten zurückgehen, um so mehr wußte man Bescheid, wie der Mensch zu der feinen Organisation der Umwelt steht.
[ 7 ] Aber dieser ganze Vorgang - daß da in den Menschen die Ätherform mit dem Einatmen hereinkam — war nicht bloß ein automatischer, war nicht bloß ein solcher, daß der Mensch gewissermaßen die Luft in sich einblasen ließ wie in einen ausgepumpten Luftraum, wenn wir ein Loch in den Rezipienten einer Luftpumpe machen. Es war nicht bloß so, daß der Mensch das einatmete, sondern mit diesem Vorgang, mit diesem gewissermaßen Untertauchen der Weltenformen in den Menschen war verbunden eine Tätigkeit geistiger Wesenheiten. Nehmen wir an, hier wäre solch eine Form (siehe Zeichnung Seite 43), der Mensch atmet sie ein, sie taucht unter in den Menschen (rot); aber gleichzeitig damit ist eine Tätigkeit geistiger Wesenheiten verbunden.
[ 8 ] Nun haben wir in den Vorträgen, die ich zum Teil öffentlich, zum Teil hier in der allerletzten Zeit gehalten habe, eine besondere Art geistiger Wesenheiten in ihrer Bedeutung für den Menschen kennengelernt. Es sind diejenigen geistigen Wesenheiten hier gemeint, die ihr physisches Abbild in dem Monde und seinem Leuchten haben. Es sind die geistigen Mondenwesen. Diese geistigen Mondenwesen waren es namentlich in jenen Zeiten, von denen ich jetzt spreche, welche ihre Wege aus dem äußeren kosmischen Kreis durch diese Formen in den Menschen hineinbilden konnten. So daß der Mensch also in jenen alten Zeiten seiner geschichtlichen Entwickelung auf der Erde mit dem Einatmungsprozeß den geistigen Mondenkosmos in sich aufsog und die geistigen Mondenwesen zu einer Tätigkeit in sich anregte. Was ich Ihnen da erzähle, das war der Inhalt einer in den ältesten Mysterien der Menschheit viel studierten Wissenschaft und Weisheit. Denn die Eingeweihten dieser Mysterien wußten, daß die Menschen diesem Vorgange unterliegen, daß sie den geistigen Mondenkosmos in sich einsaugen. Sie wußten aber auch, daß dieses Einsaugen vorzugsweise zur Nachtzeit stattfindet, wenn die Menschen schlafen. Aber dadurch, daß bei allen Menschen in der Urzeit ein traumhaftes Hellsehen, ein Zwischenzustand zwischen Wachen und Schlafen vorhanden war, konnte man auch darauf rechnen, daß diese geistigen Mondenwesen während gewisser Tageszeiten in die Menschen einzogen. Und die ganze Leitung, welche die Eingeweihten der alten Mysterien für die Menschheit leisteten, war darauf berechnet, dasjenige, was diese Mondenwesen auf dem Wege des Einatmungsprozesses in den Menschen hineintrugen, zu beherrschen, so daß der Mensch befähigt wurde, die Kräfte dieser Mondenwesen, die ja dadurch eigentlich ihre Wege in das Innere des Menschen machten, in seinem eigenen Tun auszunutzen.
[ 9 ] Sie müssen sich bewußt sein, ein Unterrichten in einer solch intellektuellen Art wie heute, war in jener älteren Zeit nicht vorhanden. Dennoch hatten die Initiierten der Mysterien Mittel und Wege, um die Völker in einer viel intensiveren Weise zu lenken und zu leiten, als das später der Fall war und als es namentlich jetzt der Fall ist. Es war zum Beispiel in den allerältesten Zeiten der Menschheitsentwickelung in den Mysterien durchaus die Kunst ausgebildet, mit diesen Mondenwesen, die der Mensch zur Nachtzeit und während der in seinem Tageswachen regsamen hellseherischen Zwischenzeit einatmete, in den Mysterien zu sprechen und sie anzuregen, etwas ganz Bestimmtes in die Menschheit hineinzubringen. Das war der Weg, durch den in einer großartigen Weise die alten Mysterieninitiierten die Menschen leiten konnten, indem die Mondenwesen auf dem Wege des Einatmens ihre Helfer waren. Von den besonderen, außerordentlich geheimnisvollen Vorgängen, die in allerlei Zeremoniellem ihr äußeres Gegenbild hatten, von diesen Vorgängen, die in älteren Zeiten verwendet wurden, um aus den Mysterienstätten heraus die Menschheit zu leiten, macht sich die Menschheit heute nur sehr ungenügende Begriffe.
[ 10 ] Nun aber kam mit der fortschreitenden Entwickelung der Menschheit eine andere Zeit. Immer mehr und mehr verdunkelte sich das alte Hellsehen, so daß jene besonderen Vorgänge, die in der eben beschriebenen Art von den alten Initiierten für den urindischen und urpersischen Zeitraum bewirkt werden konnten, immer schwieriger wurden. Gewiß, bis zum Mysterium von Golgatha hin und ein paar Jahrhunderte darüber hinaus gab es, namentlich in gewissen Gegenden, noch Überreste des alten Hellsehertums. Aber es war doch sehr abgedämpft, und namentlich wurden die Prozeduren, von denen ich jetzt gesprochen habe, schon im 3. und 2. Jahrtausend vor dem Mysterium von Golgatha nicht mehr in jener intensiven Weise ausgeführt, wie das in den urältesten Zeiten der menschlichen Erdenentwickelung, gleich nach der atlantischen Zeit, der Fall war. Ich möchte sagen, die Eingeweihten der Mysterien kamen immer mehr und mehr in Verlegenheit, wenn sie die Kraft der Mondenwesen benützen wollten, um die Menschheit zu lenken. Und wenn ich Ihnen verständlich machen soll, was sich zwischen den Eingeweihten der Mysterien und den Mondenwesen abspielte, die in älteren Zeiten zu den geschilderten Vorgängen benutzt worden sind, so möchte ich das so ausdrücken: Wenn zum Beispiel schon ein Eingeweihter der ägyptisch-chaldäischen Zeit an ein Mondenwesen herantrat und ihm einen Auftrag geben wollte, der dahin ging, nach dem Einziehen dieses Mondenwesens durch das Einatmen dies oder jenes der menschlichen Seele einzuprägen, so sagte gleichsam ein solches Mondenwesen oft zu dem Eingeweihten: Wir haben während der tagwachen Zeit kein Obdach mehr auf der Erde, wir finden nur Obdach noch während der Nachtzeit. - Während der Nachtzeit aber würde es den Eingeweihten außerordentlich bedenklich geschienen haben, auf dem Umwege durch die Mondenwesen auf die Menschen der Erde zu wirken, denn da würden die Menschen gleichsam automatisch behandelt worden sein. Da wäre etwas zustande gekommen, was man in einer gewissen Terminologie durchaus als schwarzmagische Kunst bezeichnet. Das haben natürlich die guten Eingeweihten weit von sich gewiesen; so daß es für sie eine ungeheure Bedeutung hatte, wenn ihnen die Mondenwesen, die ihre Helfer in der Leitung der Menschheit sein sollten, die Erwiderung gaben: Wir haben zur Tageszeit kein Obdach auf der Erde. — Und so standen die Initiierten dieser Mysterien vor der Gefahr, keine Helfer zu haben auf den Wegen, die sie zur Lenkung der Menschheit betreten hatten.
[ 11 ] Aber auf der andern Seite war auch noch nicht da, was dann durch das Christus-Mysterium in die Welt gekommen ist; so daß also eine Zwischenzeit vorhanden war zwischen der uralten Hellseherzeit, in der alles das stattfinden konnte, was ich beschrieben habe, und der Zeit, die dann alles veränderte im geistigen Wirken auf der Erde, der Zeit, die durch das Mysterium von Golgatha inauguriert worden ist. Diese Zwischenzeit können wir ganz besonders studieren an der ägyptischen Entwickelung. Es folgt ja auf die urpersische Zeit die ägyptisch-chaldäische Entwickelung. Die Initiierten der chaldäischen Menschheit wußten sich nur sehr wenig zu helfen in bezug auf die Fragen, von denen ich jetzt spreche. Sie waren in einer gewissen Weise außerordentlich ratlos und suchten infolgedessen das, was sie zur Lenkung der Menschheit brauchten, auf einem ziemlich äußeren Wege: durch ihre Sternenweisheit, durch ihre Sterndeutekunst. Denn was die chaldäischen Eingeweihten durch ihre Astrologie erfuhren, das konnte man gerade in jenen älteren Zeiten auf einem ganz andern Wege durch jene Mondenwesen erfahren, die mit dem Einatmen in die Menschenleiber hineinzogen. Jetzt aber sagten eben diese Wesenheiten, sie finden kein Obdach auf der Erde. Und da ersetzte man das, was sie früher gewissermaßen an innerer Kraft gegeben hatten, durch die Kraft einer äußeren Beobachtung.
[ 12 ] In einer ganz andern Weise halfen sich die Initiierten der ägyptischen Welt. Die Initiierten der ägyptischen Welt suchten nach Mitteln und Wegen, den Mondenwesen auf der Erde Obdach zu geben. Den Wesen also, die eigentlich nach den urewigen Gesetzen der Weltenentwickelung jetzt nicht mehr zu einem Obdach auf der Erde bestimmt waren, denen versuchten die Initiierten der ägyptischen Mysterien, dieses Obdach zu verschaffen. Und gerade die ägyptischen Mysterienpriester, die ägyptischen Initiierten fanden die Möglichkeit, den luziferisch gestalteten Mondengeistern Obdach zu geben auf der Erde.
[ 13 ] Dieses Geheimnis zu lösen, die Mondengeister wiederum zum Herabsteigen auf die Erde zu bewegen, trotzdem eigentlich nach der urewigen Weltenentwickelung ihnen das nicht mehr bestimmt war, ist den ägyptischen Priestern dadurch gelungen, daß sie die Grabstätten mit Mumien bevölkert haben. Ich habe es in früheren Vorträgen von andern Gesichtspunkten erörtert. Ich möchte es heute von diesem kosmisch-historischen Gesichtspunkt erörtern. Der mumifizierte Leichnam des Menschen wurde das Obdach der luziferisch gestalteten Mondengötter. Was sich in alten Zeiten auf natürliche Art dadurch hat beobachten lassen, daß man einfach mit Menschen zusammengekommen ist und ihr Atmen hellseherisch beobachtet hat was jetzt in diesen natürlichen Vorgängen gar nicht mehr stattfindet, was aber durch das alte Einatmen der Menschen überall im sozialen Leben gewissermaßen herumschwirrte und eine Rolle in der Menschheit spielte —, das fand einen Ersatz an denjenigen Stätten, wo die Geister, die während der Tageszeit kein Obdach in der Menschheit hatten, die obdachlos auf der Erde hätten herumirren müssen und für das historische Erdengeschehen nicht hätten verwendet werden können, wo diese Geister gewissermaßen untergebracht wurden in den mumifizierten Menschen, in den Mumien. Denn die Mumien waren die Wohnhäuser der Mondenwesen. Und wenn der ägyptische Eingeweihte mit vollem Verständnis vor der Mumie stand, dann studierte er an der Mumie, was früher draußen am frischen Leben studiert worden war. Er schaute gewissermaßen auf das hin, was die Mondengötter in den Wohnungen verrichteten, die man ihnen gewährt hatte. Und auf diese Art wurde den Eingeweihten das bewußt, was sie dann durch diese Mondengötter dem historischen Werden der Menschheit auf den mannigfaltigsten Wegen einimpfen konnten.
[ 14 ] So paradox das einem heutigen materialistisch gesinnten Menschen erscheint, wahr ist es doch: Will man verstehen, was sich als historisches Werden innerhalb der ägyptischen Kulturepoche abgespielt hat, so kann man das nicht anders, als indem man nicht bloß die äußeren geschichtlichen Denkmäler studiert, sondern indem man aus jener ewigen Weltenchronik, die im imaginativen und inspirierten Schauen zu lesen ist, studiert, was jene geistigen Mondenwesenheiten getan haben, denen man nicht äußerliche Monumente errichtet hat und die auch nicht historische Dokumente schriftlich hinterlassen haben. Aber was jene Menschen verrichtet haben, denen die äußerlichen Monumente errichtet sind, das war von den geistigen Mondenwesenheiten auf einem Umwege inspiriert, durch die Arbeit der Initiierten mit den Mondenwesen, denen man in den Mumien während des Tages auf der Erde Obdach gewährt hatte. Und was in den schriftlichen Urkunden steht, lernt man seinem Ursprung nach nur richtig erkennen, wenn man in der Weltenchronik die Wesenheiten aufsuchen kann, die einem sagen: Während der Zeit des 3., 2., 1. vorchristlichen Jahrtausends konnten wir nur dadurch die Erde bewohnen, daß uns die ägyptischen initiierten Priester in den Mumien Erdenwohnungen gegeben haben. — Von diesen Mondenwesen können wir erfahren, woraus die Absichten der geschichtlichen Handlungen in jener Zeit entsprungen sind.
[ 15 ] Will man also den Menschen seiner wahren Wesenheit nach erkennen, so muß man zu den Sternen und zu den Hierarchien gehen, wie ich in den letzten zwei Vorträgen hier auseinandergesetzt habe. Will man aber das geschichtliche Werden der Menschheit in richtiger Weise erkennen, dann muß man die geistigen Mächte studieren können, die in dieses geschichtliche Werden der Menschheit hereinspielen. Dann muß man sich dazu bequemen, den Sinn einer so auffälligen Erscheinung, wie es die Mumifizierung des Menschen durch die alten Ägypter ist, zu studieren. Dinge, die oftmals der Menschheit vor der heutigen materialistischen Betrachtungsweise nur wie eine Kuriosität, wie ein Gebrauch erscheinen, lernt man in ihrem inneren Sinn kennen, wenn man sie mit wirklich spiritueller Wissenschaft durchforschen kann. Götterhäuser waren einstens die Mumien. Schon luziferisch gewordene Mondengötter hatten in den Mumien ihre Wohnhäuser.
[ 16 ] In der griechisch-römischen Zeit, also im vierten nachatlantischen Zeitraum, wurden die Dinge etwas anders. Da hörte überhaupt jenes Überragende der Einatmung auf. Das Einatmen behielt seine Bedeutung, aber es hörte das Überragende des Einatmens auf. Und gewissermaßen wurden Ein- und Ausatmen für den Menschen gleichbedeutende Prozesse, gleichbedeutende Vorgänge. Das ist etwas, worauf die griechischen Initiierten wiederum bei ihrer Arbeit ganz besonders achteten. Und jener wunderbare Gleichgewichtszustand zwischen dem Einatmen und dem Ausatmen, der insbesondere das griechische Volk auszeichnete, der konnte dazu führen, daß gerade die griechische Kunst als vorbildlich in der Weise entstanden ist, wie wir sie in der Geschichte verzeichnet finden.
[ 17 ] Die Griechen waren nicht veranlagt, durch die Einatmung die Mondenwesen besonders aufzufangen. Ihnen war es aber eigen, durch ihre Eingeweihten ganz besonders diejenigen Wesen wirksam zu machen, die gewissermaßen ein in der Luft halb Fliegendes, halb Schwimmendes entwickelten und die sich am liebsten in dem Gleichgewichtszustande zwischen Ein- und Ausatmen wiegten. Und wenn man in jene alten Zeiten der griechischen Entwickelung zurückgeht, in denen eigentlich das inspiriert worden ist, was dann später schon in einer mehr äußerlichen Form zum Vorschein gekommen ist, wenn man zurückgeht in die Zeiten, die eigentlich doch aus grandios primitiven Formen heraus der griechischen bildenden Kunst, der griechischen tragischen Kunst und auch der griechischen Philosophie den Ursprung gegeben haben, so findet man, wie gerade die griechischen Mysterieninitiierten die Gabe hatten, jene Wesenheiten bei ihrer Leitung der Menschheit ganz besonders zu benützen, die sich eben leicht wiegten in dem Gleichgewichtsmaß, das zwischen menschlichem Einatmen und Ausatmen herbeigeführt wurde. Und im Grunde genommen lernt man die Kunst des Apollo und die orphische Weisheit nicht kennen, wenn man nicht weiß, daß beide dadurch ihre besondere Beseelung erhielten, daß ihre Helfer elementar-dämonische Wesen waren, welche sich auf diesem Gleichmaß von Ein- und Ausatmen bewegten. Die Saiten der Leier des Apollo waren gestimmt aus dem heraus, was man beobachten konnte, wenn diese Wesenheiten auf dem Gleichmaß zwischen menschlichem Einatmen und Ausatmen zwischen der Monden- und Erdensphäre da, ich möchte sagen, auf den Saiten des Kosmos, die durch Ein- und Ausatmung im Gleichmaße gewoben wurden, tanzten. Die Tänze der Luftdämonen waren es, die nachgeahmt wurden bei der Stimmung, die den Saiten der Leier des Apollo und anderem ähnlichen gegeben wurde. Wir müssen eben in die geistige Welt hineinschauen, wenn wir erkunden wollen, was sich in der äußeren geschichtlichen Welt zugetragen hat.
[ 18 ] Stellen wir uns doch einmal vor, was ich vor einiger Zeit hier sagen konnte: daß das Skandieren, das Ausbilden des alten Rezitativs, das Ausbilden des Hexameters auf jenem Verhältnis beruht, in dem im rhythmischen Menschen der Atmungsrhythmus und der Blutzirkulationsrhythmus stehen. Erinnern Sie sich daran, was ich in einem Kurse drüben im Bau in dieser Beziehung gerade mit Bezug auf die Bildung des Hexameters auseinandergesetzt habe. Das Studium, um zu diesem Hexameter zu kommen, war für die griechischen Eingeweihten einmal ein durchaus konkretes Studium. Indem wir einatmen, nehmen wir die Schwingungen des Kosmos in uns auf und passen sie unserem inneren Menschen an.
[ 19 ] Indem wir wieder ausatmen, geben wir dem Atmungsrhythmus etwas mit von dem Vibrieren unseres Pulses in der Blutzirkulation; so daß wir sagen können, in unserem Einatmen pulsiert die äußere Welt herein, in unserem Ausatmen lebt die Pulsation unseres eigenen Blutes nach außen. So daß im ätherischen Leib des Menschen gerade für den griechischen Eingeweihten, der auf diese Dinge hin geschult war, zu beobachten war, wie sich um den Menschen herum im ätherischen und astralischen Leibe kosmischer Rhythmus und Pulsationsrhythmus begegneten, die ineinanderschwebten und auf denen sich die Luftdämonen wiegten und ihre Tänze ausführten. Das war das Studium, dem Homer oblag, als er insbesondere den Hexameter zur höchsten Blüte entfaltete, denn der ist aus dem Zusammenhange des Menschen mit der Welt herausgeboren.
[ 20 ] Manches wird erst klar, wenn man mit künstlerischem Erkennerblick und erkennendem Künstlerblick die Dinge anschaut, die in der Geschichte erhalten sind. Ich will gar nicht davon sprechen, daß schließlich die materialistische Zeitgesinnung, anstatt eigentlich darüber nachzudenken, auf welche besondere Art etwas wie die homerischen Gesänge zustande gekommen sind, sich dadurch hilft, daß sie sagt: Einen Homer hat es überhaupt nicht gegeben. - Es ist im Grunde genommen das Allereinfachste, was man machen kann vom Standpunkte der materialistischen Zeitgesinnung. Den Homer zu begreifen, das ist für diese materialistische Wissenschaft unmöglich; und was man nicht begreift, das darf eigentlich auch nicht vorhanden sein nach der Gesinnung, die in unserer Zeit so furchtbar eitel und hoffärtig geworden ist. Was man mit seinem Professorenverstand nicht versteht, das darf es nicht geben und das gibt es eben nicht. Den Homer kann man nicht verstehen, also gibt es ihn eben nicht. Aber vielleicht wäre etwas anderes besser! Sie finden überall noch das Homer-Porträt in Museen. Nun will ich gar nicht sagen, daß dieser Homer-Kopf besonders gut ist, aber er ist noch so gut, daß, wenn Sie diesen als blind dargestellten Homer anschauen, der trotz seiner Blindheit einen ganz besonderen Augenausdruck hat und der namentlich in einer gewissen Weise eine merkwürdige Kopfhaltung verrät, wenn Sie sich hineinversetzen in die Haltung dieses Homer-Kopfes, Sie das Gefühl bekommen: der ist vielleicht ganz freiwillig erblindet - ich rede natürlich in Bildern dabei -, um durch das Sehen in einem gewissen Lauschen nicht gestört zu werden. Er lauscht dem, was er da in der Pulsation wahrnimmt, die aus dem Pulse des Kosmos und aus dem Pulse des menschlichen Blutes, des menschlichen Ätherleibes zusammenschwingt und auf der die Luftwesen ihre harmonisch-melodischen Tänze ausführen. Was er da, wo anders geschwirrt wird, als wenn wir einem Mückenschwarm bei seinem Schwirren zuhören, wo eben der Hexameter zum Beispiel geschwirrt wird, was er da bei diesem Schwirren hört, indem er jetzt nicht gestört wird durch das Sehen, durch das gewöhnliche helle Tageslicht, das verdichtet sich für ihn in der Weise, daß er mit seinen Ohren gewissermaßen zugleich tastet.
[ 21 ] Sehen Sie sich auf das hin den Homer-Kopf an! Das ist ein tastendes Hören, das ist ein hörendes Tasten, das ist ein ganz besonderes Leben, das durch diese Gips- oder Marmorform geht. Da ist in diesem das blinde Auge noch von innen gleichsam durchzuckenden Kopfeswesen etwas ausgespannt, was nicht nur hört, sondern was die Töne tastet und den tastenden Ton aufhält, um überzuführen in das skandierende Stimmorgan, was aus dem Kosmos in den Menschen in einer Zeit hereingenommen ist, in der nicht das Einatmen auf der einen Seite und das Ausatmen auf der andern Seite eine hervorragende Rolle spielte, sondern in der das Ineinanderklingen der beiden, des Ein- und Ausatmens, vorhanden war.
[ 22 ] Die neugierigste Frage, die in dem Menschen entstehen sollte, wenn er diesen Homer-Kopf anschaut, die müßte eigentlich sein: Wie atmete der? — Dieser Kopf ist ganz unbeirrt vom äußeren Lichte. Dieser Kopf ist ganz hingegeben den Mysterien des Atems: Diese Empfindung gegenüber dem Homer-Kopf, der überall gesehen werden kann, wäre klüger, als den alten Homer hinwegzudiskutieren. Die Gründe, um den Homer gelehrt hinwegzudiskutieren, waren so verlockend und versucherisch, daß selbst Goethe nicht recht damit fertig wurde. Der erste, der zur Goethe-Zeit den Homer wegdiskutierte, der da sagte, daß es gar keinen Homer gegeben habe, war der deutsche Philologe Wolf. Aber auch Goethe konnte sich nicht den verlockenden, verführerischen Argumenten dieses Philologen entziehen. Und obwohl er eigentlich immer einen Horror davor hatte, daß den Homer der Wolf gefressen haben sollte, so war er auf der andern Seite doch wiederum zum Teil bestürzt durch die ungeheuer gescheiten Dinge, die da vorgebracht worden sind. Was vermag moderne Gescheitheit nicht alles! Die Menschen sind ja wirklich außerordentlich gescheit geworden. Aber gescheit sein heißt noch nicht, etwas von der Welt wissen.
[ 23 ] Später hat dann Herman Grimm versucht - allerdings nicht den Homer wieder lebendig zu machen, denn der war von dem Wolf gar nicht gefressen worden, sondern es war nur ein Bild des Homer gefressen worden, ein Bild, das allmählich entstanden war -, später versuchte dann Herman Grimm das Folgende. Er sagte: Kümmern wir uns zunächst gar nicht um den Homer, kümmern wir uns auch nicht um den Wolf, der ihn gefressen hat, sondern sehen wir uns die Ilias an, die Iliade, das Epos Homers. Versuchen wir einmal, dieses Epos Homers zu lesen, aber nicht so, wie es ein Philologe liest, sondern wie es ein gewöhnlicher Mensch liest. Versuchen wir einmal, den ersten Gesang vorzunehmen und zu sehen, nach welcher Kunst der Eingang gemacht worden ist. Beachten wir dann den Fortgang, die weitere Entwickelung. Gehen wir zum zweiten, zu den folgenden Gesängen über: merkwürdig, wir finden, wie immer wieder eine innere Komposition darinnen ist, wie mit einem wunderbaren inneren Kunstgefühl jeder Gesang ähnlich dem vorigen aufgebaut ist.
[ 24 ] Solch eine Betrachtungsweise führte Herman Grimm durch die ganze Ilias hindurch fort. Nun sagte er: Es wäre doch etwas höchst Eigentümliches, wenn es gar keinen Homer gegeben hätte, sondern wenn im Laufe der Zeit einmal einer, dann ein zweiter, dann ein dritter ein Stückchen der Ilias gemacht hätte, die dann später gesammelt worden wären. So wird vielleicht auch einstmals nach Ansicht der Philologen der «Faust» entstanden sein, weil man Widersprüche darin finden wird. Es stellte sich jedenfalls heraus, daß es eine ganz merkwürdige Geschichte wäre, wenn ein so einheitlich komponiertes Werk wie die Ilias aus allen möglichen Fetzen, die da oder dort entstanden sind, zusammengetragen worden wäre.
[ 25 ] Es ist eben nötig, daß man in die Geschichte sich auch so vertieft, daß man sich wirklich das Hereinweben und Hereinwirken der geistigen Wesenheiten in die unmittelbar geschichtlichen Vorgänge vor die Seele führen kann. Das muß auch anthroposophische Geisteswissenschaft versuchen, und ich habe es Ihnen heute zunächst für die ältere Zeit bis ins Griechentum hinein zu verwirklichen versucht. Wir wollen dann morgen sehen, wie sich seit dem Mysterium von Golgatha in unserer eigenen geschichtlichen Gegenwart diese geistigen Wesenheiten in das immer freier und freier werdende Menschenhandeln hinein doch auch wirksam erweisen und wie wir darauf kommen können, was wir selber zu tun haben, wenn es etwa nötig ist, uns in einer ähnlichen Weise zu helfen wie die ägyptischen Eingeweihten, die gewissen Mondenwesen Obdach geben wollten. Vielleicht ist es nötig, daß in unserer Zeit aus einer richtigen Geist-Erkenntnis heraus ein Ähnliches Platz greifen muß.
Third Lecture
[ 1 ] In the previous lectures, I endeavored to describe in detail the connection between the physical and spiritual nature of human beings and the spiritual forces of the world. Today, I would like to supplement the picture that has been sketched out by describing, in a similar way to that used for the physical and soul existence of human beings, details from historical life and the connections between historical life and the spiritual worlds.
[ 2 ] In our materialistic age, the consideration of the history of the human race is limited to the outer aspect. One simply seeks to record what takes place within the physical-sensory world, while paying no attention to the influence of the spiritual world on the historical actions of humanity. Our age actually lacks any possibility of viewing what human beings do in the course of history in connection with the beings and powers that stand behind human existence.
[ 3 ] Let us now look back to earlier times in human development, beginning with the periods I have described in my book Outline of the Secret Doctrine as the primordial Indian and Persian ages of humanity. Of course, much was accomplished by human beings during this period, which we refer to as the content of history. But we must be clear that it was precisely in that age that the facts that later appeared as external historical events arose least from human consciousness; for we know that in the earliest times human consciousness was permeated and interwoven with a kind of dreamlike clairvoyance. Images appeared in people's consciousness in which spiritual beings played a part, inspiring them to do this or that.
[ 4 ] Now, in the time I am talking about, the process of inhalation played an extraordinarily important role in human life. From the fact alone that the entire breathing process in those ancient times had become a conscious process, a process of perception, through yoga exercises, you can see that breathing played a major role in those earliest times, especially the process of inhalation, more so than the process of exhalation. In our present age, we are not at all aware that, apart from the coarse material substance we seek in the air when we inhale, all kinds of other substances are present in an extraordinarily fine distribution. Even the substances that we otherwise encounter in our present earthly existence in a solid, mineral state on the earth are distributed in a very fine manner through the air circle, and human beings breathe them in. However, in their very fine distribution in the air circle, these substances have a peculiar tendency to form shapes. Certainly, substances also form shapes within the substance of the earth. We know these forms as the crystals of minerals. But I am not referring to these crystals now. I am referring to those substances that are finely distributed in the air circle, or we could also say in the air ether, insofar as it permeates the air circle. These substances also form shapes, but these shapes are not like mineral shapes; rather, they are similar to the shapes of human organs. This is a peculiarity of the ether that permeates the air. When we observe it as it passes through the air and as it appears to us in our imaginative life of knowledge, we perceive that fine, ethereal formations are flying around in this ether, which have the shape of lungs, liver, or stomach, in any case the shapes of internal human organs. If we are trained in etheric observation, we can observe all human forms outside in the world ether. Only, as a rule, these organ forms are huge in relation to the physical organs we carry within us. We see mighty etheric liver forms and lung forms permeating the space that surrounds us in the cosmos.
[ 5 ] What flies around in space as forms, so to speak, is what humans breathe in. And it is good that they can breathe it in, because when they breathe it in, these forms, which enter us with the air, always have a repairing, healing effect on our organs. Our organs become worse and worse in the course of life. And, if I may express it somewhat crudely, they are in a sense patched up again by what is inhaled. We know how difficult it is for therapy to patch up human organs. But the therapy referred to here must actually have a continuous effect on the human being, and it does.
[ 6 ] Now, in those earliest times of human development, people were able, without special training, to see these etheric forms and, in particular, their significance for humans through their original dreamlike clairvoyance; to see what it means, for example, when the pepsin-like substance finely dissolved in the ether is inhaled and absorbed by the human stomach. In ancient times, people were extremely knowledgeable about such things, and the further back we go in time, the more they knew about how humans relate to the subtle organization of the environment.
[ 7 ] But this whole process—that the etheric form entered the human being with the inhalation—was not merely automatic, was not merely such that the human being, as it were, allowed the air to blow into himself as into a pumped-out air space when we make a hole in the recipient of an air pump. It was not merely that the human being inhaled it, but this process, this immersion, as it were, of the world forms into the human being, was connected with the activity of spiritual beings. Let us assume that there is such a form (see drawing on page 43), the human being inhales it, it immerses itself in the human being (red); but at the same time, the activity of spiritual beings is connected with this.
[ 8 ] Now, in the lectures I have given, some publicly and some here in the very last period, we have become acquainted with a special kind of spiritual beings in their significance for human beings. I am referring here to those spiritual beings that have their physical image in the moon and its light. They are the spiritual moon beings. It was these spiritual lunar beings, particularly in the times I am now speaking of, who were able to form their paths from the outer cosmic circle into human beings through these forms. Thus, in those ancient times of his historical development on Earth, human beings absorbed the spiritual lunar cosmos into themselves through the process of inhalation and stimulated the spiritual lunar beings to activity within themselves. What I am telling you here was the content of a science and wisdom much studied in the oldest mysteries of humanity. For the initiates of these mysteries knew that human beings are subject to this process, that they absorb the spiritual lunar cosmos into themselves. But they also knew that this absorption takes place primarily at night, when human beings are asleep. But because all people in primeval times had a dreamlike clairvoyance, an intermediate state between waking and sleeping, it could also be expected that these spiritual lunar beings would enter into human beings at certain times of the day. And the entire guidance that the initiates of the ancient mysteries provided for humanity was calculated to control what these lunar beings brought into human beings through the process of inhalation, so that human beings would be enabled to utilize in their own activities the forces of these lunar beings, which were actually making their way into the inner being of human beings.
[ 9 ] You must be aware that teaching in such an intellectual manner as today did not exist in those earlier times. Nevertheless, the initiates of the mysteries had ways and means of guiding and directing the peoples in a much more intensive way than was later the case and than is the case now. For example, in the earliest times of human development, the art of speaking to these moon beings, which humans inhaled at night and during the clairvoyant interlude of their waking hours, and of inspiring them to bring something very specific into humanity, was well developed in the mysteries. This was the way in which the ancient initiates of the mysteries were able to guide human beings in a magnificent way, with the moon beings as their helpers through the process of inhalation. Humanity today has only a very inadequate understanding of the special, extraordinarily mysterious processes that had their outer counterpart in all kinds of ceremonies, processes that were used in earlier times to guide humanity out of the mystery centers.
[ 10 ] But then, with the progress of human development, a different time came. The old clairvoyance became increasingly obscured, so that those special processes which could be brought about in the manner just described by the ancient initiates for the primordial Indian and Persian periods became more and more difficult. Certainly, up to the Mystery of Golgotha and for a few centuries thereafter, there were still remnants of the old clairvoyance, especially in certain regions. But it was very subdued, and especially the procedures I have just mentioned were no longer carried out in the 3rd and 2nd millennia before the Mystery of Golgotha in the same intense manner as in the most ancient times of human evolution on earth, immediately after the Atlantean epoch. I would say that the initiates of the mysteries became increasingly embarrassed when they wanted to use the power of the lunar beings to guide humanity. And if I am to make you understand what took place between the initiates of the mysteries and the lunar beings who were used in earlier times for the processes I have described, I would express it as follows: For example, when an initiate of the Egyptian-Chaldean era approached a lunar being and wanted to give it a task that involved imprinting something on the human soul by inhaling this or that after the lunar being had entered, such a lunar being would often say to the initiate: We no longer have shelter on Earth during the waking hours; we only find shelter during the night. But during the night, it would have seemed extremely risky to the initiate to work on the people of Earth via the lunar beings, because then the people would have been treated automatically, as it were. This would have resulted in something that, in certain terminology, could certainly be described as black magic. Of course, the good initiates rejected this idea, so it was of tremendous significance to them when the lunar beings, who were supposed to be their helpers in guiding humanity, replied: “We have no shelter on Earth during the daytime.” — And so the initiates of these mysteries were in danger of having no helpers on the paths they had taken to guide humanity.
[ 11 ] But on the other hand, what then came into the world through the Christ mystery was not yet there; so that there was an interim period between the ancient clairvoyant era, in which everything I have described could take place, and the time that then changed everything in the spiritual activity on earth, the time that was inaugurated by the Mystery of Golgotha. We can study this interim period particularly well in the development of Egypt. The Egyptian-Chaldean development follows the ancient Persian period. The initiates of the Chaldean humanity knew very little about the questions I am now discussing. They were, in a certain sense, extremely perplexed and consequently sought what they needed to guide humanity in a rather external way: through their knowledge of the stars, through their art of astrology. For what the Chaldean initiates learned through their astrology could be learned in those ancient times in a completely different way through those lunar beings who entered human bodies with the inhalation. Now, however, these beings said that they could find no refuge on Earth. And so what they had previously given as inner strength was replaced by the power of external observation.
[ 12 ] The initiates of the Egyptian world helped themselves in a completely different way. The initiates of the Egyptian world sought ways and means to give shelter to the lunar beings on Earth. The initiates of the Egyptian mysteries sought to provide shelter for those beings who, according to the eternal laws of world evolution, were no longer destined to have a home on earth. And it was precisely the Egyptian mystery priests, the Egyptian initiates, who found a way to give shelter on earth to the Luciferic moon spirits.
[ 13 ] The Egyptian priests succeeded in solving this mystery, in persuading the moon spirits to descend to earth again, even though this was no longer their destiny according to the eternal evolution of the world, by populating the tombs with mummies. I have discussed this in earlier lectures from other points of view. Today I would like to discuss it from this cosmic-historical point of view. The mummified corpse of the human being became the shelter of the Luciferically formed moon gods. What could be observed in ancient times in a natural way, simply by coming together with people and observing their breathing clairvoyantly — which no longer takes place in these natural processes, but which, through the ancient inhalation of people, used to swirl around everywhere in social life, so to speak, and played a role in humanity — found a substitute in those places where the spirits, which had no shelter in humanity during the daytime and would have had to wander homeless on the earth and could not be used for historical events on earth, were, as it were, accommodated in the mummified human beings, in the mummies. For the mummies were the dwellings of the moon beings. And when the Egyptian initiate stood before the mummy with full understanding, he studied on the mummy what had previously been studied out there in fresh life. He looked, as it were, at what the moon gods were doing in the dwellings that had been granted to them. And in this way, the initiates became aware of what they could then instill in the historical development of humanity in the most diverse ways through these moon gods.
[ 14 ] As paradoxical as it may seem to today's materialistic-minded people, it is nevertheless true: if one wants to understand what took place as historical development within the Egyptian cultural epoch, one cannot do so by merely studying the external historical monuments, but by studying what those spiritual lunar beings did, who were not honored with external monuments and who did not leave any historical documents in writing, from that eternal world chronicle that can be read in imaginative and inspired vision. But what those people accomplished, for whom the external monuments were erected, was inspired in a roundabout way by the spiritual moon beings through the work of the initiates with the moon beings who had been given shelter in the mummies during the day on earth. And what is written in the written documents can only be correctly understood in terms of its origin if one can find the beings in the world chronicle who tell us: During the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st millennia before Christ, we were only able to inhabit the earth because the Egyptian initiated priests gave us earthly dwellings in the mummies. From these lunar beings we can learn what gave rise to the intentions behind the historical events of that time.
[ 15 ] If we want to understand human beings in their true nature, we must turn to the stars and the hierarchies, as I have explained in the last two lectures here. But if one wants to understand the historical development of humanity in the right way, one must be able to study the spiritual forces that play into this historical development of humanity. Then one must be willing to study the meaning of such a striking phenomenon as the mummification of human beings by the ancient Egyptians. Things that often appear to humanity today, with its materialistic view of the world, as mere curiosities or practical objects, can be understood in their inner meaning when they are investigated with true spiritual science. The mummies were once houses of gods. Moon gods who had already become Luciferic had their dwellings in the mummies.
[ 16 ] In the Greco-Roman period, that is, in the fourth post-Atlantean epoch, things changed somewhat. The transcendence of inhalation ceased altogether. Inhalation retained its meaning, but the transcendence of inhalation ceased. And in a sense, inhalation and exhalation became equivalent processes, equivalent events for human beings. This is something to which the Greek initiates paid particular attention in their work. And that wonderful state of balance between inhalation and exhalation, which was particularly characteristic of the Greek people, led to Greek art emerging as exemplary in the way we find it recorded in history.
[ 17 ] The Greeks were not predisposed to particularly attract lunar beings through inhalation. However, it was characteristic of them, through their initiates, to make particularly effective those beings who, in a sense, developed a state of half flying, half floating in the air and who preferred to sway in the state of equilibrium between inhalation and exhalation. And if we go back to those ancient times of Greek development, when what later appeared in a more external form was actually inspired, if we go back to the times that actually gave rise to the Greek visual arts, Greek tragic art, and also Greek philosophy out of grandiose primitive forms, one finds that the Greek initiates into the mysteries had the gift of making particular use of those beings in their guidance of humanity who swayed easily in the balance brought about between human inhalation and exhalation. And basically, one cannot understand the art of Apollo and Orphic wisdom unless one knows that both received their special inspiration from the fact that their helpers were elemental demonic beings who moved on this balance between inhalation and exhalation. The strings of Apollo's lyre were tuned from what could be observed when these beings danced on the balance between human inhalation and exhalation, between the lunar and terrestrial spheres, I would say, on the strings of the cosmos, which were woven by inhalation and exhalation in equal measure. It was the dances of the air demons that were imitated in the tuning given to the strings of Apollo's lyre and other similar instruments. We must look into the spiritual world if we want to explore what has happened in the outer historical world.
[ 18 ] Let us imagine what I was able to say here some time ago: that the chanting, the formation of the old recitative, the formation of the hexameter is based on the relationship between the breathing rhythm and the blood circulation rhythm in the rhythmic human being. Remember what I discussed in a course over there in the building in this regard, specifically with regard to the formation of the hexameter. The study required to arrive at this hexameter was once a very concrete study for the Greek initiates. As we inhale, we take in the vibrations of the cosmos and adapt them to our inner being.
[ 19 ] As we exhale again, we impart something of the vibration of our pulse in the blood circulation to the breathing rhythm; so that we can say that in our inhalation the outer world pulsates in, and in our exhalation the pulsation of our own blood lives outward. Thus, in the etheric body of the human being, especially for the Greek initiate who was trained in these things, it was possible to observe how cosmic rhythm and pulsation rhythm met around the human being in the etheric and astral bodies, floating into each other and on which the air demons swayed and performed their dances. This was the study that Homer undertook when he developed the hexameter to its highest form, for it was born out of the connection between man and the world.
[ 20 ] Some things only become clear when one looks at the things that have been preserved in history with an artistic eye and the discerning eye of an artist. I do not even want to mention that, instead of actually thinking about the special way in which something like the Homeric songs came into being, the materialistic spirit of the age helps itself by saying: There was no Homer at all. This is basically the simplest thing one can do from the standpoint of the materialistic spirit of the times. To understand Homer is impossible for this materialistic science; and what one does not understand must not actually exist according to the spirit that has become so terribly vain and conceited in our time. What one cannot understand with one's professorial intellect cannot exist and therefore does not exist. Homer cannot be understood, therefore he does not exist. But perhaps something else would be better! You can still find portraits of Homer everywhere in museums. Now, I don't want to say that this portrait of Homer is particularly good, but it is still good enough that when you look at this Homer, who is depicted as blind but who, despite his blindness, has a very special expression in his eyes and, in a certain way, reveals a strange posture of the head, when you put yourself in the position of this Homer's head, you get the feeling that he may have gone blind of his own free will – I am speaking in images, of course – so as not to be disturbed by seeing while listening in a certain way. He listens to what he perceives in the pulsation that resonates from the pulse of the cosmos and from the pulse of human blood, of the human etheric body, and on which the air beings perform their harmonious, melodic dances. What he hears there, where there is a buzzing different from that of a swarm of mosquitoes, where, for example, the hexameter is buzzing, what he hears in this buzzing, now that he is not disturbed by seeing, by the ordinary bright daylight, condenses for him in such a way that he is, as it were, groping with his ears at the same time.
[ 21 ] Look at the Homer head! This is a kind of groping hearing, a kind of hearing touch, a very special life that passes through this plaster or marble form. In this, the blind eye is still somewhat stretched out from within the head, which is, as it were, flashing through, which not only hears, but also feels the sounds and holds back the feeling sound in order to transfer it to the chanting vocal organ, which is taken in from the cosmos into the human being at a time when it was not inhalation on the one side and exhalation on the other that played a prominent role, but rather the intermingling of the two, inhalation and exhalation.
[ 22 ] The most curious question that should arise in a person when looking at this Homer head should actually be: How did he breathe? — This head is completely unaffected by external light. This head is completely devoted to the mysteries of breath: this feeling towards the Homer head, which can be seen everywhere, would be wiser than dismissing the old Homer. The reasons for dismissing Homer with scholarly arguments were so tempting and seductive that even Goethe could not quite come to terms with them. The first person in Goethe's time to dismiss Homer, who said that there had never been a Homer, was the German philologist Wolf. But even Goethe could not escape the tempting, seductive arguments of this philologist. And although he always had a horror of the idea that Homer had been devoured by the wolf, he was, on the other hand, partly dismayed by the tremendously clever things that had been put forward. What modern cleverness can do! People have indeed become extraordinarily clever. But being clever does not mean knowing anything about the world.
[ 23 ] Later, Herman Grimm attempted—not to bring Homer back to life, for he had not been eaten by the wolf, but only an image of Homer had been eaten, an image that had gradually emerged—later, Herman Grimm attempted the following. He said: Let us not concern ourselves with Homer for the time being, nor with the wolf that devoured him, but let us look at the Iliad, Homer's epic poem. Let us try to read this epic poem by Homer, but not as a philologist would read it, but as an ordinary person would read it. Let's try to take the first canto and see what artistry has gone into the introduction. Then let's look at the progression, the further development. Let's move on to the second and subsequent cantos: it's remarkable how we find, again and again, an inner composition, how each canto is structured similarly to the previous one with a wonderful inner sense of artistry."
[ 24 ] Herman Grimm continued this line of thought throughout the entire Iliad. He then said: It would be highly peculiar if Homer had never existed, but if, over the course of time, one person, then a second, then a third had written a piece of the Iliad, which were then later collected. Perhaps, according to philologists, this is how Faust came into being, because contradictions can be found in it. In any case, it would be a very strange story if a work as uniformly composed as the Iliad had been compiled from all sorts of fragments that had been written here and there.
[ 25 ] It is necessary to delve deeply into history so that one can truly visualize the weaving and working of spiritual beings into the immediate historical events. This is also what anthroposophical spiritual science must attempt, and I have tried to do this for you today, beginning with the ancient world up to Greek times. Tomorrow we will see how, since the Mystery of Golgotha, these spiritual beings have also proved effective in our own historical present, in human activity that is becoming ever freer and freer, and how we can arrive at what we ourselves have to do if it is necessary to help ourselves in a similar way to the Egyptian initiates who wanted to give shelter to certain lunar beings. Perhaps it is necessary that something similar must take hold in our time out of a correct spiritual knowledge.