The Rudolf Steiner Archive

12. The Nature of Man

[ 1 ] Yesterday I tried to give you an overview of the various ways in which the world around us is animated. Today we will take a closer look at the nature of the human being itself. Some things already familiar to us will also need to be mentioned here. Let us first consider the factual aspects of human nature in a way that best fits into the picture I was able to present to you yesterday. There we will see how the human being, in relation to his lowest body, appears at first to have grown out of the first kingdom that surrounds us—the mineral kingdom, as we have characterized it. When we look at the human being standing before us, the first thing we perceive is the most tangible aspect: his physical body. For occult researchers, however, this is only one aspect of his human nature. It is easy to form a false conception of this physical body if one thinks that the physical body is simply what one can see with the eyes and grasp with the hands. This is the same mistake as mistaking hydrogen for water. For the higher components are already interwoven with this physical human body. Just as it appears before us physically, this physical human body is already permeated by the other components of human nature, so that what we perceive as flesh and bone cannot simply be called the physical body. This physical human body is, admittedly, composed of the same substances and forces as those found out there in the mineral world; these same substances and forces are artfully assembled in the human body. Yet the fact that it looks and feels the way it does stems from the fact that the other elements of being are already blended into it. What the eye sees of the physical human body is not actually the physical body. It exists as such only when the human being has just passed through the gate of death: the corpse—that is the actual physical body, that which is freed from all the elements of the higher human nature. When left to itself, this physical body follows entirely different laws than it did up to that moment. Up to this point, it has in fact always defied the laws of physics and chemistry. The human body would be a corpse at every moment of earthly life if it were not constantly permeated by the etheric body, which fights against the decay of the physical body throughout one’s entire life. The etheric or life body is the second member of the human being.

[ 2 ] Let us assume right away that plants and animals also have an etheric body. But in certain respects, human beings differ from animals even in their etheric bodies. And this difference is what we are particularly interested in: How does the human etheric body differ from that of an animal? — First, however, let us ask: How does clairvoyant consciousness come to know anything about the human etheric body? To answer this question, we must describe clairvoyance.

[ 3 ] Anyone who has reached a certain level of clairvoyance has also acquired the ability—and attained the powerful capacity—to control their mind to such an extent that they are capable, to a much greater degree, of directing their attention toward something or diverting it away from it. If you ask an ordinary person to divert their attention to such an extent that they can, so to speak, “suggest away” their physical form, they will be able to do so only extremely rarely; the clairvoyant, however, is fully capable of this. The space where the physical body would otherwise be is then filled for the clairvoyant, radiating with this etheric body or life body. It has a form roughly resembling the human head, torso, and shoulders. The further down it extends, the less it resembles the human form. In animals, the etheric body is very different from the physical body. In a horse, for example, as you know, the etheric head protrudes far outward. And if you could observe the etheric body of an elephant clairvoyantly, you would be astonished at its enormous structure. The further down we go in the human form, the more the etheric body changes in relation to the physical form. Otherwise, however, the left and right sides correspond in a certain respect in both the physical and the etheric bodies. The physical heart lies slightly to the left; the corresponding organ in the etheric body is the etheric heart, which lies on the right side. The greatest difference, however, between the physical and etheric bodies is that the etheric body of a man is feminine, and that of a woman is masculine. This fact is very important, and many mysteries of human nature can be explained on the basis of this occult research finding. Thus, in humans there is a kind of correspondence, whereas in animals there is a great difference between this second aspect of the human being and the first.

[ 4 ] You can understand the astral body much more clearly in human beings. It is the third component of the human being. Even the etheric body is a reality for the clairvoyant, though for the materialist it is, of course, mere fantasy. External, anatomical, and physiological science investigates only the physical body in human beings. But within this physical body there is something—in the form of blood and nerves—that is much closer to human consciousness. For it is aware of its desires, its suffering, and its joy, and this takes place within the space occupied by its physical body. The vehicle of these experiences, which is invisible to the person, becomes visible to the clairvoyant consciousness like a luminous cloud: it is the astral body. This differs greatly from the etheric body.

[ 5 ] Movement in the physical body cannot be compared to the extraordinary agility of the etheric body. In a healthy person, the etheric body has the color of the blossoms of a young peach tree. Everything about it shimmers and sparkles in a unique spectrum of hues—from rose-red to dark and light shades, all the way to a luminous white; yet the etheric body has a definite boundary, even if it is fluid. With the astral body, it is quite different. It displays the most varied colors and forms, like a cloud flowing by in constant, shifting motion. And what takes shape within the cloud is expressed in the feelings and emotions that one person directs toward another. When the clairvoyant sees the bluish-red color emerge in the astral body, he sees, as it were, love flowing from person to person; yet he also sees all the ugly emotions that play out between people. And since human soul activity is constantly changing, the colors and forms of the astral body are also constantly changing; they appear and fade in a colorful interplay, forming their own patterns.

[ 6 ] The fourth member of the human being is the bearer of the “I.”

[ 7 ] Thus, in human beings we have the physical body, which in the external natural world corresponds to the mineral kingdom; then the etheric body, which is comparable to the plant kingdom; and thirdly, the astral body, which animals share with human beings. However, the astral body is much more mobile in human beings than in animals.

[ 8 ] The “I-Bearer,” the fourth component of the human being, is like a sort of oval figure whose origin can be traced back into the forebrain. There, it is visible to the clairvoyant as a bluish, luminous sphere. From it flows a kind of blue radiance in an oval shape—like a spatial egg, one might say—that radiates into the human being. How is this “I-bearer” to be perceived? Only when the clairvoyant is able to visualize the human astral body can he perceive the “I-bearer.” Humans share the three other bodies with the three kingdoms of nature: the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms. But it is through the “I-bearer” that they differ from these; this is what makes them the crown of creation.

[ 9 ] By considering the fourfold nature of the human being in this way, we have at the same time brought to mind what the human being has, so to speak, received from the higher worlds, regardless of the stage of development at which he stands. It is precisely because he possesses these four aspects of the human nature that he is a human being. Only now, when the “I” begins to work on the other three bodies, does the human being’s own work truly begin. A person stands higher or lower in their development depending on how they carry out their work on the three lower aspects of their being. The “I” begins by working on the astral body. This work manifests very differently in a person at a lower level of development than in a highly developed individual, such as Schiller. One has accomplished less in the transformation of his astral body than the other. This inner work on oneself is called, in the esoteric language, purification: catharsis. In this way, the “I” works toward the perfection of the astral body. In all human beings, therefore, you will find that the astral body is divided into two parts: one part has been worked through and purified, the other has not. Now, let us suppose that the “I” continues to work unceasingly on the astral body; then the person will gradually reach a point where they no longer have to force themselves to do good, but rather doing good will become a habit for them. For there is a difference between a person merely following a commandment and being so deeply imbued with love that they simply cannot help but do what is good, wise, and beautiful. If a person merely follows the commandment, the “I” works on the astral body; but once doing good becomes a habit, the “I” is already working on the etheric body as well.

[ 10 ] How, then, does the “I” work on the etheric body? To understand this, let us consider an example. When something is explained to you and you have understood it, the “I” has worked into the astral body. But when you say a prayer every day—for example, reciting the Lord’s Prayer daily—you are working into the etheric body by repeating the same thing every day, so that the soul carries out the same activity over and over again. Repetition is something entirely different from a one-time understanding. Let us make it clear to ourselves how one process works on the astral body and the other on the etheric body from the “I.”

[ 11 ] Observe the growth of the plant. It sprouts the seedling, the stem, and produces leaf after leaf—always new green leaves. It is able to do this because it is endowed with an etheric body, for the principle of the etheric body is that of repetition. Wherever repetition occurs, an etheric body is at work. The plant’s culmination—the flower—is brought about by a different principle: the astral body that overshadows it. Thus, a culmination is the principle of astrality. Take note—you can also observe this in human beings in the structure of their physical bodies. Look at the spine, the ever-repeating vertebrae—there you have the etheric body expressed in the physical. Now consider the human head, the brain: there you have the culmination, the astral body in physical form. You have the same process spiritually as a one-time insight through the effect on the astral body, and as an activity achieved through the daily repetition of the same prayer or the same meditation exercise—a working on the etheric body. In this lies the essence of meditation: that through the principle of repetition, it works not only into the astral body but also into the etheric body. The great religious teachers accomplished such great things because they gave humanity teachings in which a lasting power was revealed—a power that continues to work to this day. Thus, the human etheric body is also twofold: it has a part that has been worked through—though this is still minimal in the average person—and a part that has not yet been worked on by the “I.”

[ 12 ] There is a third way for human beings: they can work on their physical body from the perspective of their “I.” This is the hardest work. Human beings have already been working on their physical body unconsciously all along; but not from the perspective of their “I.” This is possible only for the most advanced individuals.

[ 13 ] In this way we come to know the four lower members of the human being and the three higher members, which are the products of the transformation of the three lower bodies through the work of the “I.” There is a significant difference in how these three lower members are transformed: this process occurs either consciously or unconsciously. Unconsciously—that is, without the person in question being aware of it—through the contemplation and internalization of artistic works, images, and so on, through devotional contemplation and the performance of prayers. However, people are not aware that they are working on their etheric and astral bodies; conscious work on them begins relatively late. We must therefore distinguish between a person’s conscious and unconscious work on the lower constituents of the being. The human astral body consists of two parts: an unconscious and a conscious part. The part of the astral body that has been unconsciously shaped by the “I” is called the feeling soul; this is now fully developed in human beings today. What has been unconsciously shaped in the etheric body by the “I” is the intellectual soul. What has been unconsciously transformed in the physical body over a long period of time is the consciousness soul. Thus, we distinguish in human beings the physical body, the etheric body, the astral body, and the “I”; and from the “I”—as that which has been unconsciously transformed from the astral body—the feeling soul; from the etheric body, the intellectual soul; and from the physical body, the conscious soul. We thus have six—or rather seven—members of human nature that have come into being through the human being’s unconscious work upon themselves. Now the conscious work begins. What arises as a result? It is that which the human being consciously works into the astral body: the spiritual self, or Manas; what the human being consciously works on in their etheric body—though this occurs only through conscious occult training—is called the Buddhi, or the life spirit. And what happens then, once the “I” is able to consciously work on the physical body—that is, to work forces all the way into the physical body? Through occult training and the process of breathing, this can indeed be done consciously, but it must be done very carefully and very subtly; for with improper training—such as is often presented in publicly available writings—one can also cause great harm to the European body, and one must know what is appropriate for the constitution of modern human beings. Through such conscious breathing, the physical body is then transformed from the “I” into Atman, or the spiritual human being.

[ 14 ] The human being was fourfold in nature when he took on an earthly form. With his first earthly incarnation, he already begins the work on himself through the “I.” In the process, he unconsciously develops the three aspects of the soul through his successive incarnations: the feeling soul, the intellectual soul, and the conscious soul. We shall yet see how the conscious transformation of the physical body, the etheric body, and the astral body into the three higher members takes place. Here, then, you now have what is, so to speak, the sevenfold nature of the human being; it develops in this way through the course of incarnation. The four members—the physical body, the etheric body, the astral body, and the “I”—constitute the so-called Holy Fourfold, as it was revered in all occult schools; to this was added a Holy Triad, which consciously structures itself into a Sevenfold and a Tenfold. Thus we have placed before our soul the universal human being, who contains within himself everything that surrounds him, as it were, in a fan-like arrangement, but who, through his ego-bearer, rises above it all.

[ 15 ] Now let us also consider human beings while they are awake and asleep, in order to understand how the bodies are structured. What happens when joy and pain subside within a person, when consciousness sinks into sleep? The astral body and the “I” are then outside the physical and etheric bodies. Something very peculiar occurs for a person in the state of sleep. Just as a plant is during the day, so is a person at night: they have only the physical and etheric bodies within them; they have, so to speak, descended to a plant-like state. The human being splits into two parts: the physical and etheric bodies remain in bed, while the astral body and the “I” are outside. Now you might ask: “Yes, but is a person in bed a plant?” — No, not exactly, but both consist of the same physical composition. On our Earth, a being with a physical and etheric body can only exist if it is a plant. Because an astral body and an “I” dwell within it, the other bodies—the physical and etheric bodies—also undergo changes. Plants have no nerve cords, and only the physical body—in which an “I” dwells—has warm blood. Higher animals are to be regarded as degenerate forms of the original human being. In the physical body, the “I” expresses itself in the circulatory system, the astral body in the nerves, the etheric body in the glandular system, and the physical nature in the human being’s own body. Now, if the astral body is the actual creator of the nervous system—and it is—then the nervous system finds itself in a very bleak situation at night, for it is abandoned by its master; the glandular system, however, is not, for the etheric body remains faithful to it. But even the circulatory system of the physical and etheric bodies is treacherously abandoned by the “I” at night. The physical body can exist on its own, for physical nature remains the same, as does the endocrine system, since the etheric body remains within the physical body at night. But the nervous system is abandoned by its master. Let us now ask clairvoyant consciousness: What then happens within the physical body? To the same extent that the human astral body leaves the physical and etheric bodies during the night, to that same extent a divine-spiritual astral body enters the bodies lying in bed. The same is true of the circulatory system: a divine-spiritual “I” enters and sustains it. Even at night, the human being is a fourfold being, but something else lives within him: a being of a higher order takes possession of the two bodies lying in bed. And when the human being—that is, his astral body and his “I”—returns to his etheric and physical bodies in the morning, his small astral body drives out a more powerful one. The same is true of the human circulatory system: the human ego drives out the divine-spiritual “I” that has nourished it during the night.

[ 16 ] Divine-spiritual beings are always present in our surroundings. They must withdraw during the day, and we do the same at night. For these divine-spiritual beings sleep during the day: the sleep of the gods and the sleep of humans correspond perfectly. A divine-spiritual “I” and a divine-spiritual astral body enter the human being lying in bed in the evening, taking possession of his physical and etheric bodies, and return from them in the morning. In the case of human beings, this happens exactly the opposite way: they leave their bodies in the evening and take possession of them again in the morning. Even in religions, a sense of the gods’ daytime sleep has been preserved. There are countries where churches are closed at noon because that is when the gods sleep most deeply.

[ 17 ] Let us now also consider that part of the human being which exists outside the physical body at night: the astral body and the “I.” We know that drives, desires, and passions are rooted in the astral body, but the human being does not perceive them at night. Why is that? Because, at the present stage of development, the human being’s astral body and “I” have no organs with which to perceive. The human being of today can perceive only through the physical organs. For as many organs as the human being has, so many worlds open up to him and surround him. If he has one more organ, a new world opens up to him. The human astral body, as long as a person has not yet developed clairvoyance, does not yet possess any organs; that is why a person perceives nothing at night. We can easily imagine that a person can be without senses in this state. We know there are blind people and those who lack other senses; no world exists for a person if they cannot make use of their senses. Therefore, in the morning, when a person can once again make use of their physical senses, the world is once more present around them. But it is different at the moment of death. The etheric body and the physical body remain connected throughout life; at death, however, the etheric body generally departs for the first time and leaves the physical body. The moment of death is therefore described by those who know something about it as the moment of retrospect, when the entire past life passes before the person’s eyes like a panorama. Why? Because the etheric body is the bearer of memory, and this memory is now set free. As long as the etheric body is within the physical body, it cannot unfold its full power, but can develop only as much of it as the physical instrument permits. Now, however, at death, it becomes free and can, without the physical body, unfold what has been inscribed within it throughout the entire lifetime. This panorama can also occur as a result of a shock—provided, however, that the person’s consciousness does not leave them as it does after death—for example, in the face of mortal danger. This, however, is an exceptional case.

[ 18 ] Now you may ask: How long does this tableau last? This varies greatly from person to person. In general, one can say that it lasts as long as a person can remain awake in life without being overcome by sleep; that is: twenty hours, fifty, sixty to eighty hours. The absolute limit that a person can reach while awake is roughly the duration of this panorama. This recollection lasts that long; then it ebbs away, and at the same time the clairvoyant sees the etheric body detaching itself—though not completely—and that is the essential point. A person takes with them an essence, an extract, and with the essence of their etheric body, the fruits of their last life. Through this, the person ascends. Now they retain the essence of their etheric body, their astral body, and their I, until they also shed the astral body. Now they have shed two physical bodies, and then they enter the spiritual world.

[ 19 ] Tomorrow we will examine life after death and entry into the Devachanic world.