The Rudolf Steiner Archive

11. The Obsession with Illness in the Light of Spiritual Science

[ 1 ] Illness and health are words that concern every person and that, in a certain sense, are at the center of our thoughts and feelings—not only for selfish reasons, but because they are connected to our ability to function in life and our life’s work. Those who enjoy good health can be of greater help to their fellow human beings than those who are weighed down by illness and suffering; they will fulfill their work, their profession, and their mission in the world with greater joy.

[ 2 ] When we speak of health and illness from the perspective of the humanities, we must realize that we must adopt a different standpoint than that of the materialist. We must raise our perspective to a higher level. However, to justify the term “illness delusion” to some extent, I would like to present two examples; from one, you will see that illness delusion is a modern phenomenon, and from the other, you will see to what extent it is appropriate to speak of illness delusion.

[ 3 ] I drove past many ruins with a well-known figure; they lay picturesquely on the hills, but among the many newer buildings that had been constructed on the hillsides, there were also many sanatoriums. My traveling companion said: Those ruins are a reminder of the strength and vigor of bygone times, whereas all those sanatoriums are a reminder of weakness and illness. — I had to visit a sanatorium for a short time—a quarter of an hour. At that moment, I saw all the patients passing by me on their way to lunch. I got the impression that most of them had better things to do than be there.

[ 4 ] Another story: I was traveling from Rostock to Berlin with a gentleman and a lady. They were sharing their ailments with one another. The lady recommended various remedies to the gentleman for his various ailments, but he, in turn, drew her attention to Lahmann’s book, which he had with him and whose sanatorium was his destination. The woman had several ailments, but the man certainly lacked the will to be healthy. For someone who observes themselves little, this is what is called a hypochondriacal illness. When one hears of it, one imagines something trivial. Even if that man lacked the will to be healthy, it is still not so easy to instill that will in him without knowing the underlying reality of his condition. There is a cause for his illness. All sorts of things caused him pain; even there, one could not speak of a hypochondriacal condition. When we speak of delusions of illness, we must, in the case of hypochondria, clarify how the cause of the illness relates to it.

[ 5 ] Anyone who observes life—first and foremost the physician who has cultivated this perspective and come to recognize the difference between psychological disposition and physical constitution—can say a great deal about the role that imagination plays. For example, if a widely read text on a particular illness describes all the symptoms one might experience, many people who believe they sense a predisposition to that illness within themselves will seek out a doctor. Without that text, that would not have been the case!

[ 6 ] The following example illustrates how a doctor might proceed in such a case: A famous doctor was called to a family’s home where not only the family but also the family physician believed that the young girl was suffering from meningitis. At first, he suspected that romantic entanglements were to blame; then he discovered that the young girl was supposed to leave school, even though she had a strong desire to continue studying subjects that particularly interested her. He promised her he would see to it, on the condition that she get dressed immediately so she could join the family at the dinner table in ten minutes. There was no sign of meningitis. It was generally a matter of a certain interplay of emotional states.

[ 7 ] Another example: A woman had been suffering from a chronic foot condition since her husband’s death; it was attributed to her emotional state. A doctor discovered a large corn on the sole of her foot, and once it was removed, the nerve pain also subsided.

[ 8 ] A doctor witnessed the following: A man was watching his brother undergo knee surgery and heard a crack that affected him so strongly that he suddenly felt pain in his own knee, while the patient undergoing the surgery felt nothing. — Sleep aids often cause illusions. Anyone who cannot distinguish in such cases where the boundary lies will never attain clarity. Certain forms of illness originate in the psyche; they are, to the greatest extent, connected with life in the present.

[ 9 ] If we are to shed light on this matter, [then] we must turn to spiritual science for help. We must take into account the interaction of the various parts or members within the human being. The physical body is completely permeated by the etheric body; the latter is the formative principle of the physical body. If the physical body were left to itself, it would disintegrate. The etheric body strives at every moment [to] hold the physical body together. When separated, the physical body is a corpse.

[ 10 ] There is one point I would like to touch on here: One of science’s hopes is that living beings might one day be created in the laboratory. The humanities are well aware that this will one day be the case. We call the substance that holds the chemical elements together the etheric body. The astral body is the vehicle of desires, pain and joy, suffering and pleasure. Every being experiences a blow as pain; humans experience it just as animals do.

[ 11 ] Now let us speak of the fourth member of the human being—the “I”—in relation to its three bodies. Anyone who considers this structure will realize that what we call pain, joy, and displeasure presuppose an astral body. Pain exists only where an astral body is present. How, then, do these three bodies relate to one another?

[ 12 ] Pleasure and suffering are not merely the result of what takes place in the physical body; pleasure and suffering are the shapers of the etheric and physical bodies. The astral body was the first and had existed long before. Why are they structured this way? Ultimately, it was the astral body that brought this about. If we go far, far back, [we] arrive at a state of humanity where humans were nothing but astral bodies.

[ 13 ] You ask: What did such bodies look like millions of years ago? By today’s standards, they looked grotesque and comical with their boneless, soft bodies and tentacles that could extend far out and retract. Back then, the soul first took possession of this peculiar body and gradually shaped it into its present form. A faint echo of this influence is still evident today in the way we turn pale when startled or blush. You can see how a psychological sensation can bring about a physical change. Back then, human beings could still exert a powerful influence on their bodies because the body was still completely soft. The astral body first acts upon the etheric body, and the etheric body acts upon the physical body.

[ 14 ] Let us clarify how this influence occurs. Take any pain or pleasure in the astral body; what arises in the etheric body? An image, a form, and this form is what is imprinted upon the physical body, so that the physical body is an imprint of this image.

[ 15 ] Where, then, did the astral body derive its suffering and joy in ancient times? It did not come from within. It experienced its surroundings. At that time, it did not experience them through the eyes and ears. Physical forms are the expression of the pleasure and suffering of the environment. You must conceive of the four parts or members of the human being as being connected in a much more intimate way than was the case in the pre-human world. Human beings have increasingly retreated into their physical bodies. In the past, the astral body was more creative; it reshaped the physical body. Essentially, this transformation is now nearly complete; that is why we also experience what is happening within the physical body.

[ 16 ] Let us clarify the nature of pain caused from within. What causes pain? The astral body is the agent. Let’s consider the following case: If a finger is cut off, this affects only the physical finger; the astral finger cannot be cut off. Why does it hurt? Because the connection between the two is obstructed. Obstruction of the astral body is pain. Where activity is not obstructed, there can be no pain.

[ 17 ] What might this be? Here is a comparison. Someone was quite certain that he had a defect in his eye that caused him to see a kind of apparition at twilight or under certain lighting conditions; it was a cloudiness in his eye. The same thing that occurs in the physical body can also occur in the higher body, the etheric body. A person’s etheric body receives a distorted impression, a clouding. This clouding hinders the astral body’s movement. What must happen then? Pain without a physical cause. The astral body must produce images. If the etheric body is not functioning properly, distorted images appear. Pain can arise [as a result] of damage to the physical body, but it is also possible for the astral body to create its own obstruction. If the etheric body produces false images, it contradicts the physical body. This results in a false orientation within the physical world,

[ 18 ] Even without a physical cause for the illness, imitation can occur. This has profound implications for our worldview. It makes us independent. But it also makes it clear to us that a physical illness can only be healed through an effect on the physical body. Whether we are injured externally or have an upset stomach—in truth, these are external injuries that must also be healed from the physical realm. What is the difference when an obstruction arises in the astral body? What harm does that do? If you maintain that these are not three separate parts, if you assume that the higher bodies are formative, albeit within narrower limits than before, then you must assume that it cannot be meaningless for the physical body when obstructions occur in the astral body. If you cut your flesh, it hurts; cutting off hair and nails does not hurt. This fact is of fundamental importance for understanding. Everything in a living being that can be injured without causing pain will grow back. In plants, the leaf or flower is replaced because the plant feels no pain. The same is true of lower animals; they can be dismembered, and the separated parts will regenerate. The astral body is the bearer of pain and pleasure; the etheric body is the bearer of growth.

[ 19 ] Pain is something that, in and of itself, has a destructive effect on the etheric body and the physical body. Persistent pain gradually destroys the limb it affects. How, then, can we bring about healing? The physical physician achieves results through physical means. But through physical means, he will never be able to act directly on the astral body, which mimics the disease. What should we do then? If medicines were administered, no effect would be achieved—indeed, a disease might even be caused. A pharmacopoeia states: A poison makes the body sick, unless it can contend with another poison within the body. Therefore, one must precisely distinguish between the causes of disease.

[ 20 ] How can we treat a diseased etheric body? Here I would like to point out just one specific fact: Everything that affects human beings in a way that is in harmony with the laws of the universe destroys all such symptoms of illness that take root in the physical body.

[ 21 ] Two modes of perception are at stake here. One is where a person is constantly preoccupied with their ego. The other mode of perception moves away from the ego, engages with art, takes joy in the world of the stars, nature, and others, and can lose itself in these things, forgetting the self. The predominance of the first way of perceiving breeds bodies that are prone to illness and generate illness. The person who is able to forget themselves can come to the point where they can forget pains or the causes of pains that arise in the astral body. Just as harmful as the first way of perceiving can be, the second is equally healing. Every pain that is overcome is edifying. — We must rise above pain through the strength we have developed within ourselves. For those who are devoted to the great interconnections of the universe, the processes of their astral body will be creative; where these are lacking, illness is generated.

[ 22 ] Where do the many sufferings of our time come from? The true reason lies in the fact that so few people turn their attention to the great interests of the universe. Whoever directs their spirit toward it has a healing effect. Whoever stands before a jumble of bright colors that lacks any deeper meaning derives no benefit. But whoever stands before a work of art through which the divine spiritual shines through will feel a healing effect. To the extent that the materialism of our time exerts its influence, the astral and physical bodies must become ill. Such symptoms of illness include all nervous disorders, neurasthenia, and others. Plagues and epidemics can arise as a result of increasing materialism. If people could free themselves from their limited sense of self, many of these afflictions would dissipate. The truth is that a lofty worldview is the sole source of healing and restoration.

[ 23 ] But there is also a downside to this: If you brood over things once or twice, it does no harm. But if you do it repeatedly, it has a harmful effect, because then a person becomes too preoccupied with their ego. But whoever seeks to detach themselves from their ego, whoever seeks to bring themselves into harmony with the laws of the world and turns toward the great realities of the universe—that person will arrive at the truth about healing. Moderate faith is the delusion of illness in our time. It is more beneficial to take action to detach oneself from the self and to direct one’s gaze thoroughly toward the great spiritual interconnections of the universe.

[ 24 ] Theosophy and spiritual science are not meant to satisfy curiosity, but to help people learn to detach themselves from the ego. In doing so, they will lay a more solid foundation for their health.

[ 25 ] Those researchers will suffer no harm from materialism—such as Haeckel, who delves into it in a special way. When thoughts act upon the three bodies indirectly, their frequent recurrence causes them to affect the entire human constitution. This is how the soul influences the body. I would always like to point out that if we can attune ourselves to the harmony of the universe, true health awaits us. The soul has built its body, and if we give the soul healthy spiritual nourishment, it will shape the body into a healthy one.

[ 26 ] Q&A

[Question not recorded.]

[ 27 ] Answer: Irreligiousness has a very special significance; it can be a cause of illness. Not only the thought, but also the feeling that turns toward the divine is important. [Question not recorded.] Answer: If one works with the whole person, overwork is almost out of the question.

[ 28 ] However, the work must be beneficial. Any unproductive work is harmful.