The Rudolf Steiner Archive

6. Parenting Issues

[ 1 ] Ladies and gentlemen! The fact that the Theosophical worldview consists of more than just a set of teachings and dogmas—and that professing them is not the primary concern—will become most evident when we take a practical look at the major cultural issues of our time. Today we wish to examine educational issues from a theosophical perspective. What finer fruit could spring from this worldview than if it were to lead us into the depths and every corner of human nature, if it were to teach us to understand the human being, and thereby the art of influencing it? That, of course, would be quite different from approaching the subject merely out of curiosity or a thirst for knowledge, seeking only to hear and learn unknown things about the human spirit, soul, and body.

[ 2 ] This path alone—the path of learning—cannot be called theosophical, because the theosophical path is only that which passes through practical life. For those who do not delve more deeply into the teachings in their daily lives, they remain incomprehensible. One comes to know a person in terms of soul and spirit only by working with that person’s undeveloped life. Through this, one also gains insight into the higher worlds. And we cannot deny that an intimate understanding of the soul is necessary if we wish to be guides.

[ 3 ] The human being consists of various components, of which the physical body is only one. It is of great importance to know this, for one who is aware that a child’s soul has already led a rich life—that it has already passed through many stages over the course of many earthly lives—will relate to the growing child in an entirely different way. The innate dispositions and abilities present at birth have been acquired in previous lives.

[ 4 ] Anyone who knows that the soul gradually emerges from its outer layers will see the child in a completely different light. Theosophy sheds new light not only on the deeper understanding of human nature, but also on the entire process of human development over time.

[ 5 ] We must distinguish between two aspects of the human being: first, an eternal core that gains new experiences through the most diverse incarnations, taking, as it were, an essence from each earthly life; and second, the lower human nature, which constitutes only the shell of the true self. Let us briefly review once more the parts of which this lower nature consists.

[ 6 ] First, we have the tangible, visible physical body; second, the etheric body, which shapes the human form; and third, the desires, drives, and passions—the astral body. The higher Self is enclosed within these sheaths. We share the physical body with the mineral kingdom, the etheric body with the plant kingdom, and the astral body with the animal kingdom. Only the fourth—the “I”—is unique to human beings. The bodies that surround the “I” serve as instruments, as tools, through which the true “I”—that which already existed—expresses itself.

[ 7 ] With every new birth, these three layers are formed anew. However, we should not imagine these layers as onion skins that seal off the core of the being from the outside world; rather, the bodies interpenetrate one another, and the self permeates the bodies.

[ 8 ] Only those who understand the growing human child not only in terms of its physical body—which develops and grows—but who also take into account the vital etheric body and the astral body can fully influence the child's upbringing.

[ 9 ] However, there are other fundamental questions to address. For over a hundred years, great strides have been made in the art of education. Pestalozzi on the one hand, Rousseau on the other, and Herder have pioneered the effort to discover the path to developing the child into a whole human being. Profound efforts have been made in this regard. Through theosophy, these efforts are being further deepened.

[ 10 ] Since this is such a broad topic, let’s limit ourselves tonight to a few educational issues with regard to the more subtle aspects of human nature.

[ 11 ] As long as one views human beings as a veritable jumble, one can only draw conclusions based on observations. The situation is quite different for those whose vision is capable of perceiving the four constituent parts of the human being, or who at least possess knowledge of the interrelationships between these things. The child develops differently in the first years of life than in later years. Let us now set aside the “I” for the moment and focus on the physical, etheric, and astral bodies.

[ 12 ] Let us consider the child as it stands before us after birth. There we have the physical body, which is of the greatest importance. Then, from the age of seven or eight onward, it is above all necessary to devote the greatest care to the etheric body. As puberty approaches, the astral body requires a very special educational approach.

[ 13 ] What must happen during the first year of life? During this year, the etheric body devotes itself entirely to the growth of the physical body, so that, according to its natural disposition, the etheric body is not yet free for the astral body. Only later, when the physical body is fully developed, does the etheric body become free to grow independently; from the occult perspective, this is connected to the will, which lies deepest within.

[ 14 ] The aspects of a person that are easiest to change are their concepts and ideas. The concepts we form about things in early childhood differ significantly from what we think about them later in life. Our emotional world is also changeable, although it changes more slowly than our conceptual world. If, for example, a child has a sullen disposition, it will be difficult for them to shake it off. Temperament and character are more difficult to change.

[ 15 ] The fundamental character of the will is the most difficult of all, because the will is rooted where the human being can least easily reach. He can develop new understanding and acquire new feelings, but there is one thing he cannot do: he cannot work on his physical body; and it is the physical body that gives the character of the will its fundamental nuance. It is only in the early years of life that it is possible to work on the physical body. The educator must always keep this in mind. The educator’s task in those early years is to develop the courage of the will; he must devote himself entirely to its pure development; he must be careful not to interfere in a disruptive way by trying to teach the child concepts too early. Thus, the will must be developed above all else. Human beings possess an innate drive to imitate. The educator’s attention must be focused primarily on this drive to imitate. He should ensure that good role models are available for the child to imitate. The educator must influence the child simply by his or her very presence. For certain admirable qualities—such as fearlessness and presence of mind—the foundation must be laid as early as the first year. Until the age of seven, the primary focus must be on developing the physical body into a functional organism.

[ 16 ] Is it really impossible to influence the etheric body during this period? The educator will not be allowed to intervene much here. He must exert his influence simply through his presence. It then becomes clear to him that feelings and thoughts are realities. He must not believe that only a slap, a shove, or [an] upset stomach are real, but he must realize that it is just as real whether he harbors good or evil intentions, and that it matters what kind of attitude the person caring for the child has. It is not what one does to the child’s etheric and astral bodies that matters, but rather the thoughts, the attitude, and the atmosphere with which one surrounds the child. Depending on the environment, the child’s disposition will also take on a noble or ignoble character. Thus, it is possible to influence the child systematically and with full consciousness through one’s example in ordinary, everyday life. Everything the child takes in is absorbed through the senses, and whatever it takes in, it imitates. In this way, one is able to influence the child harmoniously.

[ 17 ] It would be very important for theosophists to explore this idea in depth, so that we might come to understand more and more clearly just how immensely important a child’s environment is. Let us try to illustrate this with a few specific examples. Some people believe they are doing the child a great service by giving it a beautiful doll. In the eyes of the occultist, however, this is the worst thing one could possibly do. A beautiful doll forces the child’s imitative instinct—which should be stimulated—into specific channels. Creative power is stifled. If one observes a child closely, one will often see that the child discards the most beautiful toys and creates a new one for itself out of the simplest materials. One should not give the child a mere replica of reality. Imitation must not stifle the imagination. The child must live in a world of make-believe; the imagination must engage the child. The child must develop its own powers and create its own world of imagination. And this inner strength remains dormant with a pretty doll. A child’s games are reenactments of what they hear and see; they require concentration of the will. This awakens two kinds of energy: dexterity and the ability to maintain balance in a wide variety of situations. These are some of the perspectives from which one must approach the education of young children.

[ 18 ] Around the age of seven, the etheric body becomes freer. The physical body has now acquired the life force necessary for further development. The task now is to work on the etheric body and develop its faculties, namely memory and attention. Good habits should be cultivated during this period. The educator must now develop these soul faculties.

[ 19 ] Today’s educators have also considered this. The astral body must not yet be influenced—that comes later; during these years, formal education is the main focus. The initial concern is not the acquisition of a great deal of specific knowledge, but the human being himself. Whatever a person fails to learn in those years—such as geography and so on—he can make up for later, but what he cannot make up for is the development of memory and attention. And these faculties must be strengthened so that the individual may later be spared from flightiness, so that he may learn to stand firm and not become erratic. Thus, imparting a formal education is what matters most at this age.

[ 20 ] Major mistakes are made in this regard. People want to develop a child’s ability to judge as early as possible and answer the child’s “why” and “how” questions. But the time is not yet right for that. Rather, one should offer the child a wealth of observations and thereby strengthen the child’s memory. Inner silence must be encouraged; one must seek to limit the ceaseless questioning in order to foster a rich inner life. It is not initially a matter of saying “yes” or “no,” but rather of developing the child’s own capacity for judgment; this would be stifled by saying, “You should do this, you should not do that,” but instead one should work more through examples and stories. The spiritual must be reflected in symbols, fairy tales, and myths that are shared with the child; this awakens deeper spiritual powers. By saying “yes” or “no,” we restrict these powers; they should develop from within themselves. One should not impose a ready-made moral code on the child; rather, one should seek to foster great thoughts and feelings befitting great human beings. If possible, keep doctrine to a minimum. Stories about great personalities are more effective than moral rules. Describe the world, but do not teach rules and laws. It is not the child’s own power of judgment or independent perspective that should be cultivated at this stage; the child is not yet mature enough for that. But what is neglected between the ages of seven and fourteen in the training of memory cannot be made up for later. Take arithmetic, for example: once the foundation has been laid through concrete, hands-on instruction, memory must then be exercised through the learning of multiplication tables. The same applies to languages and other subjects.

[ 21 ] The educator must gradually step back from his own person and become a servant to the child. He must not only instill wisdom into the child’s soul; he must approach the child’s very being and emerge from the child’s soul. He must be a solver of riddles. It is a great benefit to the soul when the etheric body is given a firm form between the ages of seven and fourteen. When memory is exercised and the ability is developed for the child to dwell on an object in quiet concentration, these are firm and solid habits that become constant in people; they remain with them for life.

[ 22 ] Whatever we can do must be practiced. During these years, it is necessary to have children repeat things over and over again so that everything becomes a habit. Creative, formative powers develop in the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth years. The educator’s task now is to guide the child from following examples to the ability to judge for oneself; the child must learn to use his or her finer faculties. One must not act solely on the child’s emotions, nor rely solely on rules and commands. Pythagoras struck a balance here and offered wise teachings clothed in a form that maintained a middle ground between example and principle. “You shall not strike fire with your sword”—that is to say: one who is angry wastes energy. He expresses this in a way that does not merely appeal to the abstract intellect; rather, he encapsulates the teaching in an image that stimulates the child’s imagination and develops their creative imagination. The Pythagorean principles are a middle ground between imagery and principle. The aim is to help the child learn to form their own opinions. The child’s opinion should not be restricted by strict principles, nor stifled, but rather expanded. And this is achieved through images, through symbolic representations of the great truths. During the early school years, the goal is to bring rest and work into the proper balance with the etheric body. As the time of maturity approaches, it is necessary to bring the right balance to maturity so that the individual can fully express themselves in the three worlds. The first task was to free the etheric body from the demands and physical exertions of the physical body; this required careful observation in order to strengthen the body through gymnastic exercises and make it flexible, and then to restore the necessary rest to it, accustoming it to rest while the etheric body is at work.

[ 23 ] The educator’s tasks become increasingly difficult as the third period—the time of sexual maturity—approaches. At this stage, one must work carefully on the astral body. Only now has the time come when the child must be guided to form his or her own judgments. Previously, the goal was to cultivate silence. In the first period, the child is driven to imitate through the senses; here, it is essential to provide the child with the right role model. In the second period, the child should be guided through authority; this is natural and has a beneficial effect by fostering faith and trust. Blessed is the child who looks up with reverence to an authority who is everything to them. During the third period, the educator must set aside their own wisdom in favor of the wisdom of the human being they see before them in the growing child. Sexual maturity is linked to a person’s independence. Preparation for this is necessary. What the astral body is to take in must be prepared in the etheric body. This refers to the harmonious development of the emotional world. If one succeeds in fostering aesthetic and graceful feelings in the child, this has a reciprocal effect on the astral body and fosters a normal, harmonious, and aesthetic power of judgment.

[ 24 ] It is not good when 16- or 17-year-olds approach us with preconceived judgments; this comes back to haunt us bitterly. We should introduce them to noble figures from history, beautiful poems, and the works of our great masters—but not to dogmas. Dogmas elicit a “yes” or a “no,” but they do not foster a rich inner life. And those who have not had the good fortune to encounter authorities will not arrive at their own judgments.

[ 25 ] Now is the time when we must strive to develop a relationship with others as human beings. In the past, the goal was to awaken a spirit of reverence; now, one must learn to recognize the value of different people for oneself. Now one learns to distinguish one’s former relationship with others as one human being to another, recognizing what is valuable and what is not. For what must now be awakened? The emotions, the sensations, the feelings of pleasure and pain. The astral body develops through interaction with the environment. Therefore, we must first nurture the astral body so that it acts inwardly. Now it emerges outwardly. If the individual is to make proper use of his freedom, he must be prepared through the etheric body. The astral body used to be called the body of instincts and desires. If it is not properly prepared, it gives vent to itself in wild desires and the vices of academic life. If it is not prepared for freedom, the driving force that seeks to express itself becomes wild and unbridled; it must be strengthened in earlier years through the education of the etheric body.

[ 26 ] Through theosophical knowledge, the educator will be able to deepen and spiritualize his or her pedagogical skills. Thus, theosophy becomes useful when it is applied to influence young people. Anyone who tries to apply these concepts in practical life will realize how useful they are. They will then gain practical insight from life itself, even if they do not adopt the theosophical worldview. And this practical insight is worth more than mere curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.

[ 27 ] External, material knowledge often does not depend on us. The state, one’s social class, and circumstances are often decisive factors; but that is not the most important thing either. What one’s profession and social class require can take a positive or negative direction. Even with the most flawed curriculum and the most overcrowded classrooms, one can make a difference if one understands human nature. If it is true that a person can develop all their faculties harmoniously, then this can only happen if one recognizes them—the individual—from the very first years of life, indeed even before birth.

[ 28 ] The spiritual is reality. It matters what thoughts surround a child; it matters who receives the human being. It depends greatly on whether the person receiving a human being has good or evil thoughts and feelings; doctors and midwives should be individuals of noble character, trained in the priestly tradition. If this is the case, then at birth the human being enters a pure atmosphere, and that is by no means insignificant. The spirit is something real. This is an area where an enlightened upbringing can be of great benefit, and conversely, where ignorance can cause great harm. The human being enters existence in an imperfect state. He enters existence to attain higher abilities; but they must pay for the possibility of rising higher with their helplessness. They must be helped. In this we truly recognize the solidarity of all humanity and the necessity of mutual aid. Thus, all humanity is one great body, of which individuals are merely members. This gives us an understanding of brotherhood, the first principle of the Theosophical Society.

[ 29 ] When a person enters into existence, it is by no means, in the truest sense, a life already fully formed; the task of educators is to nurture that person for civilization, and this can only happen if it stems from a sense of brotherhood and a sense of community.

[ 30 ] Q&A

A teacher who was apparently deeply moved by this clear, compelling speech asked a question about inheritance patterns.

[ 31 ] Answer: Above all, the educator must be an observer. He must observe human nature in the child. In doing so, it does not matter at first whether the educator holds the materialistic view that a child’s aptitudes and instincts stem from heredity, or the theosophical view that a person has acquired their aptitudes in previous earthly lives and is therefore born into specific circumstances to specific parents. The facts—the result of observation—will always be the same. The educator must be careful not to intervene forcefully in the child’s development. Here is an example: An educator was working with an eleven-year-old boy in a family. The boy was mentally retarded, and his physical development was also abnormal; he had a large head. He had never progressed beyond the lowest grade. Among other things, his math workbooks were in a sorry state. Whenever he worked out a problem, it was never correct, and he would erase it until the page was full of holes.

[ 32 ] The educator did not lose heart and told himself: The soul would shape the body on its own. He set about shaping the child’s soul with great care, working according to the principle of least effort. He started from very specific points of view and discovered that one learns to solve riddles. He succeeded in raising the boy to be a normal child in a year and a half because he was able to recognize the causes behind the symptoms from the symptoms themselves. The large head gradually took on its proper shape; the boy then developed normally and was later able to pursue higher education.

[ 33 ] It would be highly desirable for the question of education to be thoroughly examined in the light of theosophy.