The Rudolf Steiner Archive

6. The Education of the Child from the Perspective of Spiritual Science

[ 1 ] When the Theosophical Movement began three decades ago, its leading figures were not concerned with introducing a new idea into the world designed to satisfy a longing for supernatural realms, but rather with making spiritual insight accessible to wider circles—an insight through which both spiritual and practical questions of life could be resolved. — One of these questions is the subject of today’s discussion, a question that leads us into everyday life and must therefore be of interest to everyone. The question of education can only be addressed in connection with an intimate knowledge of human nature. For no other field is the nature of spiritual research more conducive than for the question of education, through which guiding principles emerge from an understanding that penetrates into the supersensible realm.

[ 2 ] Here, too, we must once again begin by considering the nature of the human being. What the intellect can grasp is, after all, only a part of the human being for spiritual research. What we can grasp and see in human beings—this physical bodily existence—is something they share with the rest of nature. The spiritual scientist does not investigate through speculation or abstract philosophy, but through what the higher sense can perceive with clairvoyant vision. The second component revealed to him in the human being is the etheric body, a spiritual organism that is essentially finer than the physical body. It has nothing to do with the physical concept of ether and is best described not as a substance but as a sum of forces, a sum of currents, and force effects. It is, however, the architect of the physical body crystallized from it, which develops out of it just as ice develops from water. Thus we must imagine that everything in the human being that constitutes the physical body—the physical organism—is formed from the etheric body. We share this with all living beings, including the plant and animal kingdoms. It has a form similar to that of the physical body; its shape and size correspond to those of the physical body. In the lower regions, however, it differs; in animals, it protrudes far outward. This describes what is known as the etheric body, much as one might tell a blind person that a color is blue or red. Just as this does not seem fantastical to the sighted person, so too is there nothing fanciful in this description for those who develop the abilities that lie dormant within every human being.

[ 3 ] We recognize the astral body as the third component of the human being—the vehicle for all that we call passions, both base and, in part, higher; everything that a person carries within themselves in terms of pleasure and suffering, joy and pain, desire and instinct. The astral body is also the vehicle for the ordinary world of thought and for impulses of the will. It, in turn, is perceived through the development of higher senses. It surrounds the human being like a kind of cloud that permeates the physical and etheric bodies. We share it with the entire animal kingdom. Everything within it is movement; everything that takes place in the emotions is reflected in it. Why is it called “astral”? Just as the physical body is connected to the entire Earth through its physical substances, so too is the astral body connected to the entire world of stars surrounding the Earth. All the forces that permeate the astral body and determine a person’s destiny and character have therefore been so named by those who have looked deeply into the mysterious connection with the entire astral world surrounding the Earth. In an Orphic hymn to the primordial Orphic god, Goethe—who had looked deeply into the connections between nature, humanity, and the cosmos—expresses in a beautiful stanza what takes place within the astral body:

Just as on the day you were given to the world,
The sun stood in greeting to the planets,
You flourished immediately and ever since
According to the law by which you came into being.
So you must be; you cannot escape yourself!
So said the Sibyls, so said the prophets,
And no time, no power can shatter
A form that has taken shape and develops with life.

[ 4 ] Through the fourth link, human beings are the crown of creation. This link encompasses—understood as a power—that which gives them the ability to say “I” to themselves, something that each person can say only to themselves. It is the expression of the soul allowing its divine spark to speak within itself. Everything she has in common with other human beings may resound in her ears as a name, but what each person possesses within as an inner God cannot approach him from the outside. That is why, in the Jewish mystery schools, it was called the unpronounceable name of God, Yahweh, the “I Am Who I Am” of the Hebrews, which even the priests themselves uttered only with trembling. The soul attributes this “I Am Who I Am” to itself. — We spoke of the connection between the physical body and the material world, the etheric body and the plant kingdom, and the astral body and the animal kingdom; the human being shares his “I” with no one and nothing else; thus, through this “I,” he becomes the crown of creation. This fourfold being has been referred to in all occult schools as the fourfold nature of the human being. From childhood through to maturity, these four bodies take shape as each of these parts develops in its own distinct way. Therefore, we must consider each one separately in the developing human being if we wish to understand him. We find the predispositions for all of them not only in the child but already in the embryo. The development of the four members, however, is entirely different from one another. Human beings do not develop in isolation; they are not beings in and of themselves. They can only thrive and develop when surrounded by other beings of the cosmos. As an embryo, the human being must be enclosed within the maternal organism, and only when it has reached a certain maturity can it break free from it. Up to a certain stage, it must remain enclosed within the maternal organism.

[ 5 ] Similar processes occur even more frequently in human beings during their development. Just as the physical body, as an embryo, is surrounded by the mother’s organism until birth, so too is the human being subsequently surrounded by spiritual organs that belong to the spiritual world—an etheric and an astral sheath. The human being rests within them just as he did in the womb until his birth.

[ 6 ] When a certain stage in the child’s development is reached—the time of tooth replacement—an etheric sheath detaches itself from the etheric body, just as the physical sheath detaches during physical birth. The etheric body is then set free in all directions; it is only then that it is truly born. Previously, a being of the same kind had attached itself to the etheric body, so that currents flowed in and out just as the vessels of the physical mother connect to the physical body of the child. Thus, little by little, the child is born a second time—etherically. The astral body is still surrounded by a protective sheath—a sheath that moves and energizes the body—until the time of sexual maturity. Then this sheath also withdraws, and the human being is born a third time; the astral birth takes place.

[ 7 ] This threefold birth shows that we must consider each of these entities separately. Just as it is impossible to expose a child’s eyes to external light while it is still in the womb, so too is it—if not impossible, then at least highly detrimental to the state of the soul—to expose the etheric body to external influences before it has become free in every respect. Nor should anything that directly influences the astral body be brought into contact with it before sexual maturity. From the standpoint of spiritual science, educational influence on a human being up to the age of seven may only be exerted in such a way that we consciously influence only the physical body. We must not influence the etheric body any more than we influence the physical body before birth. Just as the mother’s care influences the development of the embryo, so too must the inviolability of the etheric body be protected here if the child is to develop healthily.

[ 8 ] What does this mean for physical life? Until the teeth are replaced, only the physical body is subject to external influences; therefore, until then, we must focus solely on educating the physical body. And if, during this time, something from the outside is introduced into the etheric body, this constitutes a violation of the laws of human education.

[ 9 ] What is attached to the human etheric body is not merely what is characteristic of the plant’s etheric body; for the human being, it becomes the vehicle for that which is of lasting spiritual nature; habits and character, conscience and memory, and one’s enduring temperamental disposition are attached to the etheric body.

[ 10 ] In addition to the emotional faculties mentioned, the astral body is endowed with the capacity for judgment. This enables us to know when we must intervene in the relevant faculties. Just as a child’s external senses develop freely up to the age of seven, so too do habits, memory, temperament, and so on develop freely up to the age of fourteen, and then, up to the ages of twenty or twenty-two, critical thinking and an independent relationship with the environment. This gives rise to very specific educational principles for the individual stages of life: namely, up to the age of seven, the nurturing of everything connected with the physical body. This is not to be understood merely in an external, mechanical sense; there is much more to it. The organs develop gradually; important physical organs come to full development during this time. It is therefore important how we stimulate the senses—what the child sees and perceives. One human capacity is decisive here: the impulse to imitate. The Greek philosopher Aristotle aptly says: “Man is the most imitative of all animals.” This is particularly true for the child until the teeth are replaced; during this time, the child is under the influence of imitation. Therefore, we must introduce into the child’s environment everything that can have a formative effect on the child through the sense organs. That which enters through the eye as a ray of light or through the ear as sound has the significance of having a formative effect on the physical organs. Admonishment, on the other hand, achieves nothing during these years. Commands and prohibitions have absolutely no effect. What matters most, however, is setting a good example. Whatever the child can see—whatever is happening—it regards as something it is allowed to do and imitate. For example, a well-behaved child once surprised its parents by taking money from a cash box. The parents were horrified and believed the child had a tendency to steal. Upon questioning, however, it turned out that the child had simply imitated what it had seen its father and mother do every day. The example set must therefore be such that, by imitating it, inner strengths can be awakened in the child. That is why preaching alone is of no use; what matters is how one behaves in the child’s presence. Therefore, one should be mindful of the child’s presence in one’s actions and refrain from doing anything that the child should not imitate. This is far more important than doing something oneself and then forbidding the child to do it.

[ 11 ] It is therefore important that the educator serve as a role model during these years, doing only things that the child is allowed to imitate. Education during these years is based on role modeling and imitation. This is recognized by those who look into the very nature of the human being, and success proves them right. Accordingly, it is also not appropriate to try to instill the meaning of letters in a child before the child’s teeth have fallen out; at first, the child can only imitate their form by tracing them. For the power to grasp their meaning is first attached to the etheric body.

[ 12 ] All these subtleties can be understood through spiritual research; this science can shed light, down to the finest detail, on what is to come to pass. Everything that takes place in the child’s environment—including in a moral sense—and is perceived by the child contributes to the formation of the physical organs. Thus, it is not a matter of indifference whether the young child sees pain and suffering or joy and pleasure around them. For joy and pleasure lay the foundation for healthy dispositions and are healthy factors in organ formation; anything else that influences the child can become a cause of illness. Everything around the child should exude joy and delight, and the educator should be mindful of evoking both—right down to the color of the clothes, the wallpaper, and the objects. In doing so, the child’s individual disposition must be carefully taken into account.

[ 13 ] A child who tends toward seriousness and quiet should see darker, bluish, and greenish colors in their surroundings, while a lively, energetic child should see yellowish and reddish colors. This seems to be a contradiction. However, the fact is that the senses have the ability to evoke the complementary color. Bluish tones have an invigorating effect, while for lively children, the yellowish-reddish hues evoke the complementary color.

[ 14 ] As you can see, spiritual research sheds light on very practical matters. Organs that are still developing must be treated in such a way that they can unfold appropriately, so that they are encouraged to develop their inner powers. That is why one should not give a child ready-made toys such as building sets, dolls, and so on. Instead, give them a doll made from an old napkin, with ink-drawn eyes, nose, and mouth. Every child prefers a homemade doll—made from a boot jack or an old napkin—to the beautifully dressed wax dolls. Why? Because this awakens the imagination, sets the fantasy in motion, and causes the inner faculties to begin working, to the child’s joy and delight. How lively and engaged such a child is during play, how it immerses itself body and soul in what its imagination presents to it. How listless and joyless the other child sits there; for with a ready-made doll, there is no longer any possibility of adding anything, and its inner faculties are condemned to inactivity when it is given such finished objects. As long as the physical body is still developing, the child possesses an extraordinarily healthy instinct for what is good for him, provided it is not corrupted. As long as the physical body is the only one freely interacting with the outside world, it reveals for itself what is beneficial. If intervention goes much further at an early stage, this instinct—which otherwise shows what is wholesome for the child—is driven out. Education must be based on joy, pleasure, and desire. During this period, any hint of asceticism would be tantamount to the eradication of natural health and the potential for development.

[ 15 ] As the child approaches the age of seven, during the gradual process of tooth replacement, the outer sheaths of the etheric body begin to shed, and the etheric body becomes as free as the physical body was before. Now the educator must provide everything that helps develop the etheric body. But the educator must be careful not to place too much emphasis on developing reason and intellect. During this period, between the child’s seventh and twelfth years, the focus should primarily be on authority, faith, trust, and reverence. Habit and character are the specific manifestations of the etheric body, whereas judgment should not be influenced during this period, as this cannot be done without harm before sexual maturity.

[ 16 ] The development of the etheric body takes place between the ages of seven and sixteen; for girls, it continues until the age of fourteen. It is of lasting importance for the child’s entire future life that a sense of reverence be awakened and nurtured within the child. This can be achieved, for example, in the following way: The child is given a picture of significant people—not only from history but also from the circles of life around them—through stories and accounts, perhaps about a relative whom one can hold in high regard and reverence. A sense of reverence and awe is instilled in the child, which prevents any thought of criticism or opposition toward the revered person from arising. Then, one day, the child is allowed to see this person; it lives in sacred anticipation of that moment, and one day it stands at that person’s door and feels a sacred hesitation to turn the doorknob and enter the room, which is a sanctuary to it. These moments of reverence are sources of strength for later life. It is of immense importance that the educator—the teacher himself—be an authority figure for the child during this time. The child must not believe in principles, but in people. The people who surround the child, whom it sees and hears, must be its ideals, and it must choose them from history or literature. Here the saying applies: “Everyone must choose a hero, following in whose footsteps they work their way up to Olympus.” It is entirely wrong when a materialistic worldview opposes authority, urges the child toward independence at such an early age, and disregards the feeling of devotion and reverence. Healthy development suffers harm if the child is left to rely on its own judgment even before the astral body has been born. It is important that memory be developed during this period, and this is best achieved in a purely mechanical way. One should not use a calculator; rather, the multiplication tables, poems, and so on should be committed to memory in a purely mechanical manner. Only a materialistic prejudice would claim, with regard to this period, that one should only memorize these things once one understands them. In the old days, children were educated more appropriately in this regard. From the first to the seventh year, all sorts of verses were sung to them—the good old lullabies and children’s songs. The meaning is not what matters here, and so we find in old songs, amidst lines that are full of meaning, elements that are there solely for the sake of sound. When singing to children, the only thing that mattered was the consonance and harmony for the child’s ear—hence the often nonsensical rhymes. For example: “Fly, beetle, fly, your father is at war, your mother is in Pommerland, Pommerland has burned down; fly, beetle, fly.” Pommerland, by the way, means “motherland” in the child’s dialect. The expression dates back to a time when people believed in the spiritual human being who comes from the spiritual world into the physical world. Pommerland was the land of spiritual origin. But what matters here is not the meaning, but the sound. That is why we have so many, many children’s songs that have no real meaning. — Memory, habit, and character must be laid down in their foundations during this period. The path to this is authority. A person in whom this does not occur exhibits a deficient upbringing. Where a child is properly raised, looking up to authority must come to the fore during this time, while principles have their place only after the astral birth. That which the child intuits as the innermost nature of a human being—that which is revered in authority, that which flows to the child from the educator—shapes the child’s conscience, character, and even temperament, becoming a lasting disposition within the child. We must also be clear that during these years, what enables the child to become acquainted with the spirit of the world through parables and symbols has a formative effect on the etheric body. Hence the blessing of fairy-tale imagery during this time and the presentation of great personalities and heroes in legends and history.

[ 17 ] During this period, one must be just as mindful of nurturing the etheric body as one was previously of nurturing the physical body. Just as the formation of the organs was shaped by pleasure and joy in the early years, so too must everything that evokes a sense of enhanced health and zest for life be cultivated from the seventh to the fourteenth year of life—and for boys, up to the sixteenth; hence the value of physical education. However, physical education is deficient if the teacher views the students through the eyes of an anatomist, focusing solely on the external purpose of a limb’s movement. Rather, it is essential that the teacher intuitively attune himself to the child’s feeling soul, so that he knows which bodily movements impart to the soul a sense of strength and health—which in turn give the person a sense of well-being and delight in their own physicality. Only then does the gymnastic exercise acquire an inner value and influence the sense of growing strength. A proper gymnastic exercise is not only for the outwardly observing eye, but also for the feeling human being.

[ 18 ] Everything artistic exerts a profound influence that extends into the etheric and astral bodies. Therefore, genuine, true art must permeate the etheric body. Good vocal and instrumental music, for example, is of great importance, and children should see much beauty around them.

[ 19 ] But nothing can replace religious education. Images of the supersensible are deeply imprinted on the etheric body. What matters here is not that the student be able to criticize or pass judgment on any particular creed, but that he or she receive a perception of what is supersensible, of what transcends the transitory. Therefore, all religious concepts must be expressed in pictorial form.

[ 20 ] The utmost care must be taken to ensure that education is rooted in the living. When a child is exposed to too much lifeless material, much of its nature is corrupted, whereas everything that allows it to sense the living is important for the etheric body. Everything should be action, deed, life; this enlivens the spirit. Even in toys, this aspect is of significance. Thus, the old pull-along picture books and two blocks that a child can join together by hammering are stimulating because they give a sense of the inner movement of life. Nothing is worse for the spirit than having children assemble and arrange shapes from ready-made geometric objects. That is why the child should not build with a construction set, but rather build everything from scratch on their own. The child must learn to create the living from the non-living. Through the ready-made, the non-living, material time will extinguish the living. Much potential in the developing brain withers away when the child is made to do things that have no meaning, such as basket weaving and the like. Entire faculties remain undeveloped as a result. Much of what causes harm in our social life can be traced back to early childhood. Toys that are lifeless also fail to foster a belief in the living, and thus there is a deeper connection between the upbringing of children and the lack of faith in our age. Thus, these things are deeply interconnected.

[ 21 ] When sexual maturity is reached, the astral sheaths surrounding the body also fall away. Along with the awareness of the opposite sex, personal judgment emerges. Only now does the time come when one can appeal to one’s power of judgment—to “yes” and “no,” to critical thinking. Only when a person has outgrown these years is he or she capable of forming an independent judgment—let alone before then. It is absurd for such young people to already be passing judgment and seeking to exert influence on culture, even to the slightest degree. Just as a child in the womb cannot hear or see, so too is a person whose astral body has not yet developed incapable of forming sound judgment before the age of twenty. Each stage of life requires the appropriate influence: for the first, role models and imitation; for the second, authority and emulation; for the third, principles. — It is of the utmost importance who appears before young people at this stage of life as a teacher, in order to guide their thirst for learning and their drive for freedom in the right direction.

[ 22 ] A spiritual worldview provides the educator with a wealth of principles. These principles help the teacher in the development of the human race. Spiritual science can thus intervene practically in the most important processes of human life, and we see it in the proper context of daily life. Because we understand the human being in all its aspects, we know which aspects we must influence and what we must do so that, under the actual conditions as they are, the human being can flourish. If a mother cannot properly nourish herself, this affects the embryo through the womb; just as the mother must be cared for, so too must the child’s future environment; in this way, the child is also cared for. This is something that must also be applied to the spiritual realm. Since the child slumbers within the etheric maternal sheath and is rooted in the astral environment, what happens in its surroundings is of crucial importance. Every thought, every feeling, and everything left unsaid that moves those in its surroundings has an effect; the principle that “you may well feel and think this or that, as long as you don’t say it” does not apply here. — One must surround the child with pure thoughts and feelings and therefore preserve purity down to the innermost heart, not allowing any impure thoughts. Through words, we affect only the sensory faculties; we instill feelings and thoughts into the protective maternal sheath of the etheric and astral bodies, and they are passed on to the child. As long as the child is surrounded by these sheaths, we must care for them. If one implants impure thoughts and passions into these sheaths, one causes just as much harm as if one were introducing something harmful into the physical sheath of the mother’s womb. A spiritual worldview is thus able to shed light even on these subtleties. Based on an understanding of human nature, it imbues the educator with the necessary insight.

[ 23 ] Spiritual science is not meant to be a theory or to teach beliefs; it is meant to act, to intervene in practical life. By fostering a healthy life, by making people healthy in both physical and spiritual terms, it proves itself not only to be true, but also to be a healthy truth that must flow into the whole of a person’s life. We can best serve humanity through spiritual science and provide it with social and other forces when we draw these out of the developing human being. The developing, evolving human being is one of life’s greatest mysteries. The one who solves it in a practical way proves to be the true educator, the true solver of mysteries in human development.