The Rudolf Steiner Archive

First Lecture

[ 1 ] For several winters now, we have gathered here to reflect on topics in the spiritual sciences, and for a smaller group of you, it has now been quite a number of winters that have brought us together for such reflections. For reasons we may discuss specifically in connection with the upcoming General Assembly, we may at this moment look back a little in our hearts on the time we have spent together as an anthroposophical community. There are still some among you who, in a certain sense, form a kind of core of this gathering here—those who brought their fundamental spiritual convictions with them from earlier times, who then joined us six or seven years ago and formed the core around which, little by little, all the other seeking friends—if I may use that term—have coalesced. And we may say that, over the course of this time, not only does the increase in the number of these gatherings speak volumes to us, but that—in another respect—with the help of those spiritual powers that are always present in spiritual scientific work carried out in the true sense—we have succeeded in maintaining a certain inner systematic structure in our work. Consider—especially those of you who have participated in our branch meetings from the very beginning—how we began as a small circle six or seven years ago and how, very slowly and gradually, including internally and in terms of content, we laid the groundwork on which we stand today. We began by first trying, in a certain sense, to lay a foundation using the simplest basic concepts of spiritual science, and we have gradually reached the point where, last winter, we at least had the opportunity here—at least in our branch meetings—to speak of matters in the various realms of the higher worlds in the same way that one speaks of events and experiences in the ordinary physical world. We were able to learn about the various spiritual beings and those worlds that, in contrast to our sensory world, are precisely supersensory. And not only were we thus able, in a certain sense, to introduce an inner systematic structure into our branch work, but two courses were also held here last winter in which those who had gradually joined the core group were given the opportunity, so to speak, to connect with our reflections.

[ 2 ] Those of our members who recall the early days of our current branch will surely be able to look back on many of the dangers and obstacles this work has faced. There are some among you who have managed, through all these dangers, to remain faithful to what we call spiritual scientific work. It can certainly be said that those who know how to persevere faithfully, patiently, and energetically will, sooner or later, see that such faithfulness and energy do indeed yield certain results.

[ 3 ] It has already been said, and it has often been emphasized here, that we have finally reached the point where we can speak of higher worlds as something—we may say—self-evident, and we have emphasized that those who have participated inwardly in our branch meetings for a long time have thereby acquired a certain anthroposophical maturity. This anthroposophical maturity does not lie in theories, nor in any conceptual understanding, but rather in an inner disposition that one acquires over time. Anyone who, for a time, truly takes in what spiritual science has to offer will gradually feel that they can hear things as real facts, as something self-evident, which would have affected them quite differently before.

[ 4 ] So let us begin right away today, in this introductory lecture, by speaking unreservedly—we might even say ruthlessly—about a certain aspect of the higher worlds, one that is intended to lead us deeper into an understanding of human character and the human personality. For, when all is said and done, what purpose do all these reflections on the higher worlds serve? When we speak of the astral world and the devachanic world, in what sense do we speak of them in the first place as inhabitants of the physical world? We do not speak of these higher worlds from a perspective as if they were worlds entirely foreign to us, having no connection whatsoever with the physical world; rather, we are aware that what we call the higher worlds are all around us, that we live within them, and that these higher worlds extend into our physical world—that in the higher worlds lie the causes and root reasons for events that unfold here before our physical eyes and through our physical senses. Thus, we come to truly understand this life—as it exists around us, in relation to human beings and natural phenomena—only when we observe what is invisible yet reveals itself in the visible, when we examine these beings from other worlds in order to assess them where they interact with our physical world. Normal and abnormal phenomena of ordinary physical life only become clear to us when we come to know the spiritual life that lies behind the physical—this spiritual life, which is far richer and more extensive than physical life, which constitutes only a small part of it.

[ 5 ] Human beings are—and must remain—at the center of all our considerations. To understand the human being actually means to understand a large part of the world itself. But the human being is difficult to understand, and we will gain a small measure of understanding of the human being today when we speak of a few facts—for the number of facts is immense—just a few facts from the so-called astral world. As you know, the human being has a soul content that is very diverse. Today, let us bring a part of this soul content to mind. Let us bring certain qualities of the soul into our field of vision.

[ 6 ] In our inner life, we experience a wide variety of feelings and sensations, thoughts and images, ideas, and impulses of the will. All of this takes place in our inner life from morning until evening. If we look at a person superficially, this inner life rightly appears to us as something self-contained, as something that belongs together. Observe how your life flows as you harbor your first thought in the morning, as the first sensation flits through your soul, and as the first impulse of will emanates from you; and observe how, until evening, when consciousness sinks into sleep, one image follows another, one feeling follows another, and one impulse of will follows another. All of this looks like a continuous stream. Viewed in a deeper sense, however, this is not merely a continuous stream, for through what we think, feel, and perceive, we stand in a constant relationship—one that, admittedly, remains entirely unconscious to most people—with the higher worlds. Let us now consider the relationship we have with the astral world.

[ 7 ] Whenever we experience any emotion—whenever joy or fear flashes through our soul—it is, first and foremost, an event within our soul. But it is not merely that. If a person can examine this clairvoyantly, they will notice that at the moment of fear or joy, something emanates from them like a luminous current that flows into the astral world. But it does not enter aimlessly or without direction; rather, it makes its way to a being in the astral world, so that when a sensation flashes within us, we enter into a connection with a being of the astral world. Let us suppose that a thought takes hold in our soul; let us say, we are reflecting on the nature of a table. As the thought vibrates through our soul, the clairvoyant can again demonstrate how a current emanates from this thought toward a being of the astral world. And so it is with every thought, every idea, every sensation. From the entire stream of life that flows out from the soul, currents are constantly directed toward the most diverse beings of the astral world. It would be a completely mistaken notion to believe that these currents that emanate all go to a single being in the astral world. That is not the case. Rather, from all these individual thoughts, individual sensations, and feelings, the most diverse currents emanate, and they go to the most diverse beings in the astral world. This is what is remarkable about this fact: that we, as individual human beings, are not connected to just one such being, but that we weave a wide variety of threads to the most diverse beings of the astral world. The astral world is populated by a great number of beings, just as the physical world is, and these beings are connected to us in the most manifold ways.

[ 8 ] But if we want to understand the full complexity of this matter, we must take something else into consideration. Let us suppose that two people see a flash of lightning and experience a very similar sensation in response. Then a current emanates from each of these two people; but both currents now flow toward one and the same being in the astral world. So we can say: There is a being, an inhabitant of the astral world, with whom the two beings of the physical world establish contact. It may be that not just one being, but fifty, a hundred, or a thousand people who share a similar sensation send out currents to a single being in the astral world. Because these thousand people agree on just this one point, they are in connection with the same being in the astral world. But just think of all the other different sensations, feelings, and thoughts that these people—who share a single sensation in this one instance—carry within themselves! Through these, they are connected to other beings of the astral world; through them, the most diverse threads of connection extend from the astral world into the physical world.

[ 9 ] It is now possible to distinguish certain classes of beings in the astral world. The easiest way to form a concept of these classes is to consider an example. Take a large number of people from the European world, and let us take, from the inner lives of these people, the concept—the idea—of justice. Otherwise, these people may have the most varied experiences and, as a result, be connected in the most intricate ways to the most diverse beings of the astral world. But because these people think about the concept of justice in the same way—because they have all internalized this concept in the same manner—they are all connected to a being in the astral world; and we can regard this being in the astral world precisely as a center, a focal point, from which rays radiate out to all the people in question. And whenever these people bring the concept of justice to mind, they are connected to this single being. Just as human beings have flesh and blood and are composed of them, so this being consists of the concept of justice; it lives within it. Similarly, there is an astral being for the concept of courage, benevolence, bravery, vengeance, and so on. Thus, for what are qualities in human beings—the contents of the soul—there are beings in the astral world. Through this, something is spread out over a large number of people like an astral net. All of us who share the same concepts of justice are embedded in the body of an astral being that we can quite literally call the “being of justice.” All of us who share the same concepts of courage, bravery, and so on are connected to one and the same astral being, whose very essence is justice, courage, or bravery. Consequently, however, each and every one of us is also a kind of conglomerate of currents, for we can view every human being as if astral beings were sending currents into their body from all sides. We are all a confluence of currents emanating from the astral world.

[ 10 ] Now, as the winter lectures progress, we will be able to point out more and more how the human being—who is, in essence, a convergence of such currents—centers these currents within himself around his “I.” For this is the most important aspect of a person’s inner life: that they bring all these currents together around a center that lies within their self-consciousness. This self-consciousness is therefore so important in a person because it must act as a governing force within the inner human being, bringing together and uniting within itself the various currents that flow into us from all sides. For the moment self-awareness were to wane, it could happen that a person would no longer feel like a unified whole; it could happen that all the various concepts of courage, bravery, and so on would fall apart. A person would then no longer be aware that he is a unity, but would feel as if he were divided into all these different currents. There is a possibility—and here we see how, through knowledge of the true state of affairs, we can truly penetrate into an understanding of the spiritual world—that a person might, so to speak, lose control over what flows into them. Imagine that, as an individual, you have lived a certain life; you have experienced many things and, from your youth onward, have held a number of ideals that have gradually developed within you. Each of these ideals may differ from the others. You have held the ideals of courage, bravery, benevolence, and so on. Through these, you have entered into the currents of the most diverse astral beings. There is also another way in which a person can become entangled in such a varied succession of currents of astral beings. Let us suppose that a person has had a number of friendships in the course of his or her life. Very specific feelings and emotions have developed under the influence of these friendships, especially in youth. Through this, currents flowed toward a very specific being in the astral world. Then a new friendship entered the person’s life; through this, they became connected once again to another being in the astral world, and so on throughout their entire life. Now let us suppose that, due to an illness of the soul, the ego were to lose control over these various currents, so that it could no longer organize them. The person would then reach a point where he no longer felt himself as an “I,” as a coherent being, as a unity in his self-consciousness. If he were to lose his “I” through a process of illness of the soul, he would perceive these currents as if he were not perceiving himself, but rather these individual currents, as if he were dissolving into them. Certain cases of insanity can be attributed solely to this. A particularly tragic case of insanity will become clear to you when we view it from this perspective, from the astral world: Friedrich Nietzsche.

[ 11 ] Many of you have probably heard about this: In the winter of 1888–1889, Friedrich Nietzsche lost his mind. It is interesting for readers of his final letters to observe how Friedrich Nietzsche split apart, fragmenting into different currents, at the very moment he lost his sense of self. He writes to this or that friend, or even to himself: “There lives a god in Turin who was once a professor of philosophy in Basel; but he was not selfish enough to remain one.” So he had lost his sense of self, and he clothed that in such words. “And the god Dionysus strides along the Po.” And he looks down upon all his ideals and friendships, which pass by beneath him. He imagines himself sometimes as King Carlo Alberto, sometimes as someone else, and at times even as one of the criminals about whom he had read in the final days of his life. At that time, there were two sensational murder cases, and in the moments of his illness, he identified with the women’s murderers in question. In those moments, he did not perceive his “I,” but rather a current flowing into the astral world. Thus, in abnormal cases, what is otherwise held together by the center of self-consciousness rises to the surface of life.

[ 12 ] It will become increasingly necessary for people to know what lies at the very core of the soul. For human beings would be infinitely poor creatures if they were unable to generate many such currents into the astral world; and they would also be very limited beings if, through the spiritual deepening of their lives, they could not gain the ability to gradually master all these currents. So we must truly say to ourselves: We are not confined within our own skin, but we extend everywhere into the other worlds, and other beings extend into our world. An entire network of beings is woven throughout the astral world.

[ 13 ] Now let us take a closer look at some of these beings that are connected to us in this way. These are beings that present themselves to us in roughly the following manner: The astral world surrounds us. Let us imagine such a being—for the sake of argument, one that has something to do with the concept and feeling of courage. It extends its tentacles in all directions, and these tentacles penetrate into human souls; and as people develop courage, a connection is established between this being of courage and the human soul. Other people are different. For example, all those who develop a certain form of fear or love are, after all, connected to a being of the astral world. When we engage with these beings, we arrive at what we might call the social structure, the social life of the astral world. Human beings, as they live here on the physical plane, are not merely individual beings; even on the physical plane, we are connected in hundreds and thousands of ways. We are bound by legal ties, friendships, and so on. Our relationships on the physical plane are governed by our ideas, concepts, perceptions, and so forth. In a certain sense, the social relationships of those beings on the astral plane—whom we have just brought to mind—must also be governed in some way. How, then, do these beings live together? These beings do not have a physical body of flesh and blood as dense as ours; they have astral bodies, composed at most of ethereal substance. They extend their sensory antennae into our world. But how do they live together? If these beings did not interact, our human life would also be quite different. After all, our physical world is essentially only the outward expression of what happens on the astral plane. So if there is a being in the astral world who embodies the principle of justice—to whom all thoughts relating to justice are directed—and another being to whom all thoughts relating to giving are directed, and then the thought arises in our soul that “giving is justice”—then a current emanates from both beings and flows into our soul. We are connected to both of them. How, then, do these beings relate to one another?

[ 14 ] One might easily be tempted to believe that social life on the astral plane is similar to life on the physical plane. But social interaction on the astral plane differs quite significantly from that on the physical plane. People who simply stack the individual planes one on top of the other and characterize the higher worlds as if conditions there were very similar to those in the physical world do not describe the higher worlds accurately. There is a vast difference between the physical world and the higher worlds, and this difference grows ever greater the higher we ascend. Above all, there is a certain characteristic in the astral world that cannot be found at all on the physical plane. This is the permeability, the penetrability, of the matter of the astral plane. In the physical world, it is impossible for you to stand in the exact same spot where someone else is already standing; impermeability is a law of the physical world. In the astral world, this is not the case; there, the law of permeability applies. And it is entirely possible—indeed, it is the rule—that beings interpenetrate one another and that one being enters the space where another is already present. Two, four, or even a hundred beings can occupy one and the same location in the astral world. But this has another consequence, namely, that on the astral plane, the logic of coexistence is entirely different from that on the physical plane. You will best understand how the logic of the astral plane differs entirely from the logic of the physical plane—not the logic of thought, but the logic of action, of coexistence—if you consider the following example.

[ 15 ] Imagine for a moment that a city had decided to build a church in a certain square. Then, the city’s wise council would necessarily have to first deliberate on how this church should be built, what arrangements need to be made for it, and so on. Now let’s assume that two factions formed in the city. One faction wants to build a church on this one site in a specific design, with a certain architect, and so on; the other faction wants to build a different church with a different architect. On the physical plane, neither faction will be able to carry out its plan. So it is necessary, before one even begins anything, for one party to prevail, for one party to gain the upper hand, and for it to be decided what form the church is to take. You know, after all, that in fact the vast majority of human social life is spent in such deliberations and mutual negotiations before anything is carried out; that people agree on what actually needs to be done. After all, nothing would happen if, in most cases, one party did not gain the upper hand and remain in the majority. But the party that remains in the minority will not readily say, “I was wrong”—rather, it will continue to believe that it was right. In the physical world, this involves a discussion of ideas that must be resolved purely within the physical world, because it is impossible to carry out two plans in one and the same place.

[ 16 ] It is quite different in the astral world. There, it would be entirely possible for, say, two churches to be built in one and the same place. Such things actually happen constantly in the astral world, and it is the only correct way of things there. People do not argue there the way they do in the physical world. People there do not hold such meetings to try to secure a majority for one thing or another; in fact, that is not even necessary there. When a city council convenes here and, out of forty-five people, forty hold one opinion and the others another—even if the two parties, sitting there as they do, might want to tear each other apart in their thoughts because of their differing views—it is still not so bad, because outwardly things remain in balance. Each party does not immediately seek to build its church without regard for the other, because on the physical plane, the thought can remain a spiritual asset; it can stay there. On the astral plane, it is not so simple. There, it is like this: Once the thought is formed, it already exists there in a certain sense. So that when an astral being such as those I have just spoken of has a thought, this being immediately extends the corresponding feelers, which take the form of that thought, and another being extends its own feelers; the two now interpenetrate each other and exist within the same space as a newly formed being.

[ 17 ] Thus, the most diverse opinions, thoughts, and feelings continually interpenetrate one another. Even the most diametrically opposed forces can interpenetrate one another in the astral world. And we must say: If there is disagreement in the physical world regarding the points we have discussed, conflict immediately arises in the astral world. For as beings of the astral world, one cannot hold back one’s thoughts; thoughts immediately become action, and the objects are there at once. Now, churches are certainly not built there as we have them on the physical plane; but let us suppose that a being of the astral world wanted to bring something into being, and another being wanted to thwart that. One cannot discuss matters there; rather, the principle applies: A thing must prove itself! If the two “antennae” are truly in the same space, they begin to battle each other, and then the idea that is more fruitful—that is, the one that is correct, the one that can endure—will destroy the other and assert itself. Thus, there is a constant conflict there between the most diverse opinions, thoughts, and feelings. On the astral plane, every opinion must become action. There, people do not argue; instead, they let the opinions battle it out, and the one that is more fruitful drives the other from the field. The astral world is, so to speak, the far more dangerous one, and much of what is said about the danger of the astral world is connected to what has just been stated. So there, everything becomes action. And the opinions that exist there must fight one another, not debate.

[ 18 ] Now I will touch on a subject that, while shocking to today’s materialistic age, is nonetheless true. We have often emphasized that our age is becoming increasingly immersed in the mere consciousness of the physical world—and thus also in the character traits and peculiarities of the physical world—where, whenever a discussion arises, everyone wants to destroy anyone who does not share their opinion or considers them a fool. It is not like that in the astral world. There, a being will say: ‘I don’t care about other opinions!’—There, the most absolute tolerance prevails. If one opinion is more fruitful, it will prevail over the others. One allows other opinions to exist just as one’s own, because things must sort themselves out through the struggle. Anyone who gradually acclimates to the spiritual world must learn to conform to the customs of that world; and the first part of the spiritual world is the astral world, where such customs prevail as have just been described, so that in a person who is acclimating to the spiritual world, the customs of the beings of that world must also take root to a certain extent. And that is only right. Our physical world is to become more and more a reflection of the spiritual world, and we will thereby bring ever greater harmony into our world by resolving to do one thing: Life in the physical world should unfold just as life in the astral world does. Although we cannot build two churches in one place, where opinions differ, we should allow them to influence one another in terms of their fruitfulness in the world. The opinions that are most fruitful will ultimately prevail, just as they do in the astral world.

[ 19 ] Thus, within a spiritual world current, the characteristic features of the astral world can literally extend into the physical world. This will be a vast field of education that the spiritual science movement will have to cultivate: to create, on the physical plane, an ever-more-accurate reflection of the astral world. As shocking as it may be to people who know only the physical plane and can therefore only imagine that a single opinion can be held—and that all who hold different opinions must be fools—it will nevertheless become more and more self-evident to those who hold a spiritual worldview that there reigns an absolute inner tolerance of opinions, a tolerance that does not present itself as the consequence of a sermon, but as something that will take root in our souls because we are increasingly and naturally assimilating the customs of the higher worlds.

[ 20 ] What has just been described—this penetrating quality—is a very important and essential characteristic of the astral world. No being in the astral world will develop a concept of truth such as we know it in the physical world. The beings of the astral world find what in the physical world constitutes debate and the like to be entirely unproductive. Goethe’s saying also applies to them: “Only what is fruitful is true!” Truth is not to be known through theoretical considerations, but through its fruitfulness, through the way it can assert itself. Thus, a being of the astral world will never argue with another being as humans do; rather, such a being will say to the other: “Fine, you do your thing, and I’ll do mine.” It will become clear which idea is more fruitful, which idea will prevail over the others.

[ 21 ] When we put ourselves in this frame of mind, we have already gained some practical knowledge. One must not believe that human development into the spiritual world takes place in a tumultuous manner, for it occurs inwardly, in an intimate way. And if we can pay attention to this and thus assimilate what has now been characterized as a distinctive feature of the astral world, then we will increasingly come to regard such feelings—as experienced by astral beings—as models for our own. If we orient ourselves toward the nature of the astral world, we can hope to rise up to the spiritual beings, whose lives thus become increasingly clear to us. This is what proves to be fruitful for human beings.

[ 22 ] What we have discussed today is, in many respects, a kind of preparation for what we will cover in the upcoming lectures. Although we have now spoken about the beings of the astral world and their characteristic traits, we must point out today that this astral world differs in a much more pronounced way from the higher worlds—let us say, from the Devachanic world—than one might be inclined to believe. It is true, after all, that the astral world exists wherever our physical world exists. It permeates our physical world, and everything we have spoken of before is always around us in the same space where physical realities and physical beings also exist. But the Devachanic world is there as well. It differs in that we experience the Devachanic world in a different state of consciousness than the astral world.

[ 23 ] Now you might easily think: Here is the physical world, permeated by the astral world, the devachanic world, and so on. — It’s not quite that simple. If we wish to describe the higher worlds more precisely than we have done before, we must realize that there is yet another difference between the astral world and the Devachanic world. For our astral world—as we live within it and as it permeates our physical space—is, in a certain sense, a dual world, whereas the Devachanic world is, in a certain sense, a simple one. This is something we would like to mention today by way of preparation. There are, so to speak, two astral worlds, and the two differ in that one is, so to speak, the astral world of the good, and the other

[ 24 ] is the astral world of evil, whereas in the case of the Devachanic world it would still be incorrect to present this distinction in such a stark manner. So, when we look at the worlds from top to bottom, we must say: first the higher Devachan, then the lower Devachanic world, then the astral world, and then the physical world. But we are not yet considering the entirety of our worlds; we must also consider worlds even deeper than the physical one. There is still a lower astral world lying beneath our physical world. The one that is good lies above the physical plane, the one that is evil lies below it, and this one, too, practically permeates the physical world. Now the most diverse currents flow over to the beings of the astral world. In this regard, we must distinguish that currents of good and evil qualities emanate from human beings toward the astral beings. The currents that are good are directed toward a good being, and the bad currents are directed toward a corresponding evil being of the astral world. And if we consider the totality of all good and evil beings in the astral world, we have, in a certain sense, two astral worlds. When we consider the Devachanic world, we will see that this is not the case to the same extent there. Thus, there are two worlds within the astral world that interpenetrate one another and relate to human beings in the same way. These two worlds must be distinguished from one another, above all, in terms of how they came into being. If we look back at the Earth’s evolution, we arrive at a time when the Earth was still connected to the Sun and the Moon. At a later time, the Earth itself was the Moon and was a body situated outside the Sun during the ancient Moon era. Even then, there was already an astral world, before our Earth became the Earth as we know it today. But this astral world, had it been able to develop unhindered, would have become the good astral world. However, because the Moon separated from the Earth, the evil astral world has been incorporated into the general astral world. On Earth, as far as the astral world is concerned, we have only reached the stage where an evil astral world has been incorporated into it. In the future, an evil component will also be incorporated into the Devachanic world. For now, let us firmly bear in mind that there is not one, but essentially two astral worlds: one into which all the currents that are fruitful for human progress and further development flow, and the other astral world—to which the Kamaloka also belongs—into which all the currents that hinder human development flow. In both astral worlds there are beings whom we have come to know today in a more abstract sense—how they influence us and how they live among themselves. Next time, we will learn more specifically about this population of the higher worlds, their nature, and their constitution.