Occult Psychology
GA 183
19 August 1918, Dornach
Lecture III
Yesterday I was at pains to give you a picture of man as a being of soul. Vast in connection with this picture of man as soul we want particularly to deal with today is to be the two boundary zones we learned about yesterday. The one boundary zone is seen in how man is obliged to come to a halt when he tries to look through the external world as it appears to him perceptibly. Scientists, philosophers, then speak of boundaries to knowledge. We know that these boundaries to knowledge do not in truth exist, but that in actual fact they are present for man's physical sense-perception.
The other boundary is the result of everything found in our consciousness, or entering into consciousness, being mirrored back, reflected back, on to an inner zone and, by this reflection, being enabled to become memory. What we have in consciousness does not go right into the depths of the region that lies in man's subconsciousness. We will draw these two boundaries the boundary of memory (left) and what we might at once refer to as the boundary of the capacity for love (right) which is at the same time the of our knowledge of nature.
We have indicated this in the lemniscates we drew which are open to the outside (see diagram 8) and we had here to draw lemniscates with the loop turned crack towards the inside.
This is the external region therefore into which man can no longer look with his ordinary powers of sense-perception—this, it is imperceptible. And there underneath is the inwardly directed boundary of conscious life, into which man cannot descend with his consciousness. He remains with his consciousness above this limit. Should he dive down with his conscious conceptions he would have no memory.
Now in connection with these two boundaries there is something quite definite to be said about this very life of the man of soul. If we go back in human evolution, go back perhaps farther than the eighth pre-Christian century (you remember that the year 747 begins the fourth post-Atlantean epoch), if we go back beyond this point of time into the earlier post-Atlantean epochs, then whet lies beyond this boundary was to a certain degree accessible to the human consciousness into which it worked. The atavistic clairvoyance still existing at that time rested indeed upon this. Certain impulses from the cosmos came through in those days and made themselves felt as atavistic powers of vision. We could therefore say that what is here outside us first became increasingly impenetrable—I mean intellectually impenetrable—after the eighth century before Christ. We are living now in the fifth post-Atlantean epoch, and it is still impenetrable. And people are knocking at the boundary today, quite extraordinarily while continuing to maintain that no one is able to penetrate to the thing—call it how you will—lying beyond this boundary.
It may be said on the other hand that another tendency makes itself increasingly felt, and will make itself still more felt as the sixth post-Atlantean epoch approaches—the zone here(left) will become penetrable. The time will come when out of the depths of human nature whet I described to you yesterday as something seething, into which man should not look (above all should not look in the sense of what the imaginative, the fantastic, mystic wants), out of this sphere from the sixth post-Atlantean epoch onwards all manner of things will seep through.
This time indeed will begin before the end of the fifth post-Atlantean epoch—our epoch; all kinds of things will want to leak through. This will show itself above all in far more people than we think today understanding from purely inner experience that there are repeated lives on earth, and things of that kind. One may say that already today these things are breaking through, though not very often. I have frequently mentioned the name here of a remarkable man of the present day—Otto Weininger (Das Rätsel des Mensch {The Riddle of Man} - Lecture 1, not translated)—who is particularly well known by reason of his book Geschlecht und Charakter [Race and Character].
But still more interesting is his book published after his death by his friend Rappaport, in which all kinds of most interesting things appear. These are mostly aphorisms, and the whole bears the title Über die letzten Dinge (About ultimate questions), the greater part of it being aphorisms. One of these aphorisms is approximately to this effect—Weininger maintains that the human soul during life before birth might have developed a certain dread of itself and because of this have longed to forget this life and bury itself in oblivion—which means incarnating. Thus Weininger expressly talks of pre-earthly life and of incarnating, only he speaks in a gloomy, pessimistic way of how the soul seeks to bemuse itself about its life before birth, and seeks this oblivion through incarnation in a physical human body. Many such direct impressions are received by present-day can concerning the path of the soul and they will become ever more numerous.
One can already see in such a man as Weininger how today the ego is lying hold of man inwardly in what I may call a more solid and compact way; one can already see very clearly in Weininger's case how this boundary is becoming as it were penetrable, and all manner of things are pressing through. What he has written down about his death, for instance, is interesting. In his early years, when only twenty-three, he committed suicide. He made a whole series of notes which are extraordinarily interesting because they exactly represent Imaginations seen in the astral. All this is in accordance with a certain trend of character that led him to take Beethoven's room in Vienna one day and then the next day to kill himself—at the age of twenty-three. And it was all noted now he would be driven to suicide because otherwise he might become haunted by the fear of a vague impulse urging him on to murder and he would have to kill someone else.
It can be seen how most terrible things are here making their presence felt in the soul of an extraordinarily gifted man who cannot act in accordance with the dictates of his consciousness because so much rises up from his subconscious. You will understand that one is in certain way justified in showing how the ordinary cleverness that man is now able to develop does not extend to knowledge of what arises from the unexplored depths. For it should not arise: it should remain, nevertheless it will arise. Just as, up to the year 747, something came in from outside, henceforward something will rise up from within.
What man attains through his ordinary normal cleverness will not be able—will in fact be far from able—to overcome this. For what is here is the understanding of the wor1d acquired through Spiritual Science. It is possible for harmony, inner firmness and inner dignity, to permeate man's life of soul only when there is the desire to order and harmonise this life of soul through what can be acquired by working for knowledge of the spirit. In his development man is striving towards a condition where more will spring up out of his innermost depths than is the normal case today.
The things of which I am speaking now were actually quite well known in the various centres of Initiation. The whole of eastern spiritual life, the whole life of the spirit in Asia, is still redolent of that ancient knowledge which was accessible to man up to the eighth century before Christ. Indeed it is not only the spiritual life in Asia that tells of it. Fundamentally it is Asiatic culture as a whole. This it is that makes it so difficult for a European to understand what is said by an oriental about the civilisation of the East. If we would understand these people it is necessary indeed for us to have different conceptions and to form our thoughts differently. For example, it must be very interesting for many people today to consider anything so characteristic as the address about the spirit of Japan given by the Indian, Rabindranath Tagore. (Tagore as you know is the Indian author who has been awarded the Nobel prize for literature). He gave a lecture about the spirit of Japan.
What he said about the spirit of Japan is of less moment than the spirit out of which he spoke, the spirit of the oriental today, which can be understood only when we know how in the oriental something still remains of that rising-up and that coming-in—no longer perceptible to the external world. When speaking to most Europeans in the spirit of the spirit of their civilisation men of the East are really almost unintelligible. Usually there is no understanding whatever for what they are saying.
And we also have this other phenomenon—that what actually should only arise in the future can be experienced in a way in advance. I might compare this with children who as children have the characteristics of old age; they assume these characteristics when quite young. Irregularity enters evolution when something is thrust into it that should only come later. Whereas in oriental thinking, in oriental conceptions, even in the most outstanding spirits there rules, as I have shown, what is left over from a previous age, there is dominant in the spirits who think in accordance especially with what is American, something that is to enter later, something is introduced which belongs to a later time.
If one can go deeply into such matters it is clearly distinguishable that the most outstanding minds receive a great deal that seeps through here (left). You get an idea of what thus seeps through if you read, for example, the address given by Woodrow Wilson concerning the evolution of the American people, in particular the North American people. One cannot imagine anything more to the point nor more apt than this lecture of Woodrow Wilson's about the evolution of the American people! Every word of it gives the feeling that the whole matter is characterised and dealt with in the most shrewd manner. And this is particularly surprising since in this case, Wilson emphasises how a great number even of Americans hold the view that is justified only if one considers the American people as still being a dependency of the English—which is certainly not Wilson's opinion. Woodrow Wilson is most definitely in opposition to those who look upon the Americans as originating in—being a branch of—the English in Europe, and consider that they do not at all understand the actual evolution of the American people during the nineteenth century. And Wilson speaks right out of the spirit of America, most pregnantly and to the point, when he says that Americans first begin to oe Americans at the moment when they sever the links binding their souls to what proceeds from England, and start blazing their trail from East to West, from the eastern coast of America to its western coast.
In this trekking through the primeval forest, in the work with pickaxe and spade, in the labour with horse and plough, in overcoming all obstacles on the road from east to west, there developed what he calls the western man. And in a way that is direct and convincing Wilson sees in this manner of conquering the ground, the actual nerve of American evolution. In all this one has the definite feeling—the "how" must be understood here, not merely the "what"—the feeling that in all this something greater is speaking than Wilson. For when Wilson himself speaks—well, what is said is not very clever; it sounds much more as though the man were speaking out of whet lived within him as a kind of possession; demonic natures speak, giving out indeed grandiose secrets of the future, secrets that would have to be penetrated by man for himto understand evolution.
Today a real distinction has to be made between the understanding of the world that is scientific and in accordance with time—an understanding that is easy and universally popular—and the true understanding of the world. This true understanding of the world must be able to recognise such contrasting things as I have here been discussing, namely, the entering in of something from the peoples of the east that lies there outside (see right of diagram 8) and the arising of something from the American people that lies here (left). And what arises here is not necessarily something to be looked down upon, in a certain sense it can be a majestic ahrimanic, manifestation. For it is essentially an ahrimanic manifestation which is given in this excellent utterance of Woodrow Wilson's upon the evolution of the American people.
The initiates of the East and the initiates of the American people know what it is necessary to make of these things. There is the will absolutely to guide the evolution of mankind from both directions into a certain course. The eastern peoples, that is to say their initiates, have quite definite views for the future evolution of mankind. These people see what is right for evolution and, as far as it lies in man's power, seek to influence this right evolution. They try to give it a definite direction, a definite impulse. And the impulse that the initiates of the East wish to give to evolution rests essentially upon man no longer reclining on human generation after the first half of the sixth post-Atlantean epoch.
After this time it will be sought to renounce the earthly human race. The desire will be to bring human evolution to the point when man no longer returns to a physical body, when souls are so spiritualised that they do not descend to earth any more in bodily form. From the middle of the sixth post-Atlantean epoch man will already be seeking to found for himself the Kingdom of the spirit. This would be possible only were certain ingredients of culture rejected. It is not only the initiates of the East who feel a decided aversion to certain European characteristics but every cultured oriental instinctively feels it also—he feels an aversion for just those characteristics on which the European particularly prides himself. For example, he has no use for the purely technical, material culture which has arisen both in Europe and in its off-shoot America. Those who study man's evolution, particularly in the nineteenth century and on into the twentieth, find they have to admit that technics has carried things very far, that technics has deprived man of his power for work.
When it is said today that the earth has so and so many hundred millions of inhabitants, this is not, actually entirely correct, for it can also be reckoned how many inhabitants the earth has according to how much work is done. Now we are perfectly justified in saying that since the last third of the eighteenth century man's power of labour has been fixed by the machines that have been increasingly produced. It can be reckoned, and reckoned pretty exactly, how many millions more men would have to be apportioned to the earth if all the work produced by machines were to be produced by men. The earth would have to have 500,000,000 more men. It can indeed be said that the earth today has not so many men if they are to be counted according to their two legs and their head, but according to labour power the earth has 500,000,000 more men; machines do duty as labour-power.
But, my dear friends, there is nothing material that has not behind it what is spiritual. These 500,000,000 human forces are the opportunity for the same number of ahrimanic demons to take up their abode in human culture! These ahrimanic demons are certainly there. And the man of the East instinctively turns right away from these ahrimanic demons, and will have nothing to do with them. You see this in every manifestation of a highly culture oriental; he turns from this ahrimanic demonology. For this ahrimanic demonology weighs men down, weighs them down and deprives them of the possibility to bring about the aim of oriental initiation, namely, the end of the human race on earth from the middle of the sixth post-Atlantean epoch. This will be held back by what is developed in this demoniacal ahrimanic way.
American initiates are striving towards another goal; they strive towards the opposite goal. They endeavour to form a more inner bond than is normal in the course of man's evolution between the human soul and that bodily nature that is to be found upon earth, the dense, coarse corporeality which from the sixth post-Atlantean epoch on, will be found on earth. The culture of the soul will be deepened, what is of a bodily nature will coarsen. A more inward connection with this bodily nature then is normal is, however, striven for in the least, in America, a more intensive descent into the body. Man will go towards what seeps through, will approach it by an intensive penetration into what is of the body. Whereas the Orientals wish to found a culture that takes no account of the human body, in the future earthly evolution, in the American culture of the West there will be an endeavor to chain the soul to the future evolution of the earth. There is a desire so to form the body that when souls have passed through the gate of death, they will be able to return as quickly as possible into a body and spend as short a time as possible from sojourning in the spiritual world and there will be the desire to return to earth as soon as possible, to be as closely united as possible with earthly life.
These are tendencies that must be recognised, my dear friends. Strange as it may seem to man today when one speaks of such tendencies, it will all the same be harmful to him should they happen. For it is necessary for man to take his stand consciously where he himself is concerned, in what is sought after, and in connection with which he is, unfortunately, often placed in a position to justify the remark that he lets just anything happen to him.
This western ideal, however, to give man over to demonology, will be possible only should the American tendency, this soul and spirit tendency in America, receive the support of another stream of world-outlook far more closely connected with that of America then is recognised. The most striking feature of the American tendency, as you have seen, is essentially its leaning towards an ahrimanic culture. But this American characteristic would be increased were it supported by another world conception, and the relation between the two is closer than is supposed. I refer to Jesuitism.
The outlook of the Jesuits and that of the Americans are very closely related. For at the beginning of the fifth post-Atlantic epoch it was a question of an impulse having been found in which man was placed in a position to be lead as far as possible from the understanding of Christ. And the endeavor in cultural development that took on the task of obliterating the understanding of Christ, of completely eradicating all understanding of Christ, this is Jesuitism. Jesuitism strives gradually to root out every possibility of understanding the Christ. For what lies at the bottom of this is indeed closely connected with a deep mystery.
Now, with man's ability always to receive within him what came from without, was connected as I have told you, his old atavistic clairvoyance, possessed by him before the seventh, eighth century of the Christian era; moreover with this atavistic clairvoyance men perceived Christ in the cosmos. The Christ was something that could be seen with ancient clairvoyance. I have often pointed this out. I have pointed it out in Occult Science, and the whole meaning of my book Christianity as Mystical Fact ultimately centres in this. Christ was seen in the cosmos; Christ was seen in the universe. But think now from the seventh, eighth pre-Christian century we men have been losing the possibility of seeing into the universe. What then would men have lost had nothing else arrived but this possibility of knowing anything about a Christ spirit at all had not the Christ come to them through the Mystery of Golgotha, had not Christ descended to earth.
In the historic moment of time when man was no longer able to see Christ in the cosmos, Christ came down to earth and united Himself with Jesus. From then it has been man's task to apprehend the Christ within man. We have to save the possibility of recognising the Christ by what seeps through here (see right of diagram 8). For Christ descended to mankind; Jesus is a man in whom lived the Christ. Real knowledge of the human self must bear the seed of Jesus—through which man will be able to move on into the future. There is deep meaning when we speak of a Christ-Jesus. For the Christ corresponds with what is cosmic; but what is thus cosmic has come down to earth and has dwelt in the Jesus. And Jesus corresponds with what is of the earth, with the whole of the future of the earth. (see From Jesus to Christ)
If there is a desire for man to be cut off from the spiritual he will also be severed from the Christ. And then the possibility arises to make use of the Jesus in such a way that the earthly aspect of the earth alone remains. You will therefore find in the Christology of the Jesuits a continual fight, a strong emphasis on there being a host, an army to fight for Jesus. Yes, indeed it is natural that Spiritual Science should be the means for making these things known, and for removing the scales from men's eyes! For this reason some who wish to remain unknown become increasingly angry about the aims of Spiritual Science; one sees this growing anger—the July number of the Jesuits publication Voices of the Times contains not only one article against me but two at the same time. And those who can put this in connection with what is now developing elsewhere among the Jesuits will be able to see something deeper in all this.
Today, however, one speaks of these things unfortunately to men who are asleep. Where the most important things are concerned men like to sleep through them and to close their ears to what is now actually determining the future. As I said the day before yesterday, everything will come upon men as a surprise. They will have it thus. When at the earliest possible moment one speaks of the things lying in the womb of time, men look upon it as something upsetting. For they are worthy members of the bourgeoisie who would like, as long as they can, to sit comfortably in their easy chairs, even if they have responsibilities as leaders of their fellow men. Those, however, who are interested in Spiritual Science should have it engraved on their souls that everything will be done to make Spiritual Science ineffective. Above all, it is not good when we within our circle are too fast asleep where what is going on in the world is concerned.
Sometimes it is hard to see all that is particularly important and essential at the present time, namely, watching the way in which the great affairs of mankind are gradually developing. You see, my dear friends, what starts great impulses of will really comes from various sources which are to be taken seriously. Such an impulse as the one I have referred to, for example, is indeed to be taken in a certain more serious sense. We must be able to give it its right value. Naturally in this connection we need not take those nice little attacks seriously that are constantly rising up from what is sub-earthly in our Society, attacks that look rather bad simply because there is so frequently a noticeable tendency for people to sympathise greatly with those who seek maliciously to slander what is striven for earnestly in our midst. When the harm is actually done gradually people decide to open their eyes; up to now several people have been made much of who afterwards caused harm.
I am not saying this because I think this or that ought to be different, but because I really feel it my duty to draw attention, my dear friends, to the necessity for men to wake up, and above all of the necessity for joining those who are striving for the truth.
In certain spheres today we can do everything within out power. But what I refer to as man's sleep which can be overcome only by his penetrating into the spiritual world, this sleep of man is extraordinarily difficult to surmount. And in connection with spreading the knowledge of Spiritual Science this sleep can be as great an obstacle as an opponent. I will not dwell on any particular instance of this, but in all our culture at present there is something of a sleepy nature about the very impulses everywhere sprouting above men's heads. Two things are necessary, my dear friends, two things that like golden rules must be engraved upon our souls.
Never was there more necessity than in our fifth post-Atlantean epoch for men to exert themselves more and more to attain what is of particular value, namely, the understanding of what is known as Spiritual Science. For there is no doubt that there are men able to do this. It is certainly a necessity for the knowledge of Spiritual Science to be sought by seeing into the spiritual world clairvoyantly. It goes without saying that there must be clairvoyants to penetrate into the spiritual world, that there must be those who strive after supersensible knowledge. This is, first, something obvious and, secondly, something that is not so important as for people to find the intellectual power to understand the matter, where the knowledge of Spiritual Science, is concerned. Today it is particularly necessary to have a reasoning, intellectual grasp of Spiritual Science, for it is this by which the opposing cultural powers can be overcome. Man's intellect today is so great that if the desire is only there the whole of Spiritual Science can be understood. And to strive for just this understanding is not an egoistic cultural interest but one that is universal and human. For this understanding can be our goal when those intellectual forces applied today in scientific spheres on all kinds of pedantry, when those intellectual forces applied so fruitlessly in the modern economic sphere and, finally, those forces used in soul-destroying technics—when all these forces will be suitably applied and men are no longer misguided from their earliest childhood. Then will be seen how easily spiritual gifts of the spirit can be brought to the understanding of the human being! This is one side.
The other golden rule is this—that we men today need some tiling more in our culture for the gifts of the spirit to become fruitful. The first is something that must be wrested from Ahriman. Men today are very clever, Ahriman sees to it that men should be clever—oh, men are clever! But they apply their cleverness only to what is of material interest. Men are not merely clever, they are more than clever. We shall speak more of this in our next lectures for you to recognise what an enormous influence this ahrimanic element has at the present time upon human super-cleverness, but there is something else necessary. There is much still to be wrested from another spirit. We do not need only cleverness with which to permeate our gifts of the spirit, but above all we need most urgently—how shall I express it?—we need in the human soul receiving these gifts of the spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, fire, warmth. We have need of men who approach what they receive from the spirit with their whole undivided soul. In the spiritual sphere this is just what must be wrested from the luciferic forces which are so active in the world in other ways!
There is a lovely vista, my dear friends, it is a picture of someone who quietly, clearly accepting knowledge of the spirit can produce within himself, because it is a necessity for him, a glow of inner fire and enthusiasm. There is another picture—this is one of seeking to receive spiritual knowledge as if it were a lullaby to make us dreamy, to let warmth pour into us, to enable us to go out into universal forces and unite ourselves with the divine all. These are contrasting pictures which present-day man may do well to contemplate, which it is necessary for him to contemplate. For it will not be easy for us to incorporate into human culture what we receive from the spirit. And it must be incorporated, for man has need of it.
Man will not only have to learn to think very differently, he will also have to learn to feel and experience in quite another way!
I might, it is true, add a great deal more to what I have just been saying, but perhaps it will better to stop now, to give you the chance for reflection. There is much that can be reflected upon in what has been suggested by certain malicious incidents I have intentionally introduced into the truths that have just been spoken.
Dritter Vortrag
Ich bemühte mich gestern, Ihnen ein Bild des seelischen Menschen zu geben. Dasjenige, was wir für heute einmal aus diesem Bilde des seelischen Menschen herausgreifen wollen, das sollen die beiden Grenzzonen sein, die wir gestern kennengelernt haben. Die eine Grenzzone ergibt sich ja dadurch, daß der Mensch genötigt ist, haltzumachen, wenn er versucht, die Außenwelt, so wie sie sich ihm zunächst sinnenfällig ergibt, zu durchschauen. Von Grenzen des Erkennens reden dann die Naturforscher, Philosophen und so weiter. Wir wissen, daß diese Grenzen des Erkennens nicht in Wahrheit vorhanden sind, daß sie aber in der Tat für das sinnliche, für das physische Anschauen des Menschen vorhanden sind.
Die andere Grenze ist dadurch gegeben, daß alles in unserem Bewußtsein Befindliche oder in das Bewußtsein Eintretende gewissermaßen reflektiert wird, zurückgespiegelt wird an einer inneren Zone und dadurch zur Erinnerung werden kann. Es geht das, was wir im Bewußtsein haben, nicht in die volle Tiefe derjenigen Region hinunter, die nur unterbewußt für den Menschen bleibt. Wir wollen diese beiden Grenzen herauszeichnen (siehe Zeichnung Seite 45), die Erinnerungsgrenze (links) und — wir können sie geradezu nennen die Liebefähigkeitsgrenze (rechts), die zugleich die Grenze des Naturerkennens ist. Wir haben sie bezeichnet, indem wir Lemniskaten, die nach außen offen sind, hier zu zeichnen hatten (rechts), und hier (links) hatten wir gewissermaßen Lemniskaten mit einer umgestülpten Schleife zu verzeichnen. Das (rechts) also ist dann die Region des Außen, in das der Mensch nicht mehr hineinsieht mit dem gewöhnlichen sinnlichen Anschauungsvermögen, also: nicht perzipierbar. Das (links) ist die Grenze des bewußten Lebens nach innen, in die der Mensch nicht unterzutauchen vermag mit dem Bewußtsein. Der Mensch bleibt mit seinem Bewußtsein oberhalb dieser Grenze. Würde er mit seinen be wußten Vorstellungen hinuntertauchen, so würde er keine Erinnerung haben.
Nun ist aber gerade in bezug auf das Leben des seelischen Menschen angesichts dieser beiden Grenzen etwas ganz Bestimmtes zu sagen. Wenn wir in der Entwickelung der Menschheit zurückgehen etwa hinter das 8. vorchristliche Jahrhundert - Sie wissen, 747 vor Christus beginnt der vierte nachatlantische Zeitraum -, wenn wir hinter diesen Zeitpunkt zurückgehen in die früheren nachatlantischen Zeiträume, dann gilt für den Menschen dieses, daß dasjenige, was jenseits dieser Grenze liegt, doch in einer gewissen Weise noch hereinwirkte in das Bewußtsein. Und darauf beruhte eben jenes damals noch vorhandene atavistische Hellsehen. Es drangen gewisse Impulse damals herein aus dem Universum und machten sich geltend als atavistische Schauungen. So daß wir sagen können: Ganz undurchsichtig — ich meine jetzt intellektuell undurchsichtig — wurde dieses Außen erst seit dem 8. vorchristlichen Jahrhundert, und es wurde immer mehr und mehr undurchsichtig. — Jetzt leben wir im fünften nachatlantischen Zeitraum. Es ist ja undurchsichtig geblieben. Und darauf pochen ja die Leute heute ganz außerordentlich, indem sie immerzu behaupten, daß überhaupt kein Mensch eindringen könne in jenes «Ding an sich», oder wie sie es dann nennen, was da jenseits dieser Grenze liegt.
Dagegen darf gesagt werden, daß immer mehr und mehr sich eine andere Tendenz geltend macht und gegen den sechsten nachatlantischen Zeitraum sich immer mehr und mehr geltend machen wird. Das ist: es wird gewissermaßen diese Zone hier (links) durchlässig werden. Es wird die Zeit kommen, wo aus den Tiefen der Menschennatur dasjenige, was ich Ihnen gestern als das Brodelnde geschildert habe, als dasjenige, in das der Mensch nicht hinunterschauen soll - in dem Sinne vor allen Dingen nicht, wie die phantastischen Mystiker das wollen -, es wird aus diesem Gebiete von dem sechsten nachatlantischen Zeitraum an gewissermaßen allerlei durchsickern wollen. Ja, es wird diese Zeit schon im fünften nachatlantischen Zeitraum beginnen, in unserem Zeitraum. Es wird allerlei durchsickern wollen. Es wird sich das ja vor allen Dingen dadurch äußern, daß viel mehr Menschen, als man heute denkt, immer mehr und mehr aus gewissen rein inneren Erfahrungen entnehmen werden, daß es wiederholte Erdenleben gibt und dergleichen. Diese Dinge kommen, man möchte sagen, heute schon, obwohl spärlich, zum Durchbruche. Ich habe öfter, hier ja wohl auch schon, den Namen eines merkwürdigen Menschen der Gegenwart genannt, des O/to Weininger, der ja besonders bekanntgeworden ist durch sein dickes Buch «Geschlecht und Charakter». Noch interessanter aber ist dasjenige Buch, das nach seinem Tode sein Freund Rappaport herausgegeben hat, und in dem allerlei außerordentlich Interessantes drinnensteht. Es sind zum großen Teil Aphorismen. Das Ganze trägt den Titel «Über die letzten Dinge». Einer dieser Aphorismen besagt ungefähr dieses: Weininger behauptet, die Seele des Menschen hätte in ihrem vorgeburtlichen Leben ein gewisses Grauen vor sich selber zur Entwickelung gebracht und hätte dadurch die Sehnsucht bekommen, dieses Leben zu vergessen und sich in das Vergessen hineinzustürzen, was die Verleiblichung bedeutete. — Also Weininger spricht vollständig von dem vorgeburtlichen Leben, von dem Verleiblichen; nur spricht er in seiner düsteren, pessimistischen Anschauung davon, daß die Seele sich zu betäuben sucht gegenüber ihrem vorgeburtlichen Leben, und die Betäubung sucht sie in der Verleiblichung in einem physischen Menschenleib.
Aber solche unmittelbaren Eindrücke heutiger Menschen von dem Wege der Seele gibt es ja viele, und sie werden immer zahlreicher und zahlreicher werden. Bei solch einem Menschen wie Weininger kann man schon heute sehen, wie dichter, kompakter, möchte ich sagen, das Ich innerlich den Menschen anfaßt. Bei Weininger sieht man schon deutlich, wie diese Grenze etwas durchlässig wird und da allerlei heraufdringt. Interessant ist es zum Beispiel, welche Notiz er hingeschrieben hat über seinen eigenen Tod. Er verübte frühzeitig, mit dreiundzwanzig Jahren schon, Selbstmord. Er schrieb eine ganze Reihe von Notizen nieder, die außerordentlich interessant sind, weil sie geradezu Imaginationen astralischen Schauens darstellen. Das alles paarte sich mit einem gewissen Charakterzug, der ihn dann dahin führte, eines Tages sich einzumieten in Beethovens Sterbehaus in Wien und in diesem sich gleich am nächsten Morgen selber zu ermorden, mit dreiundzwanzig Jahren. Und darüber schrieb er die Notiz, daß er sich ermorden müsse, weil er sonst fürchten müsse, getrieben zu werden durch einen unbestimmten Drang, ein Mörder zu werden, einen andern ermorden zu müssen.
Man sieht, da rumoren furchtbarste Dinge in der Seele eines außerordentlich genialischen Menschen, die nicht so ohne weiteres bezwungen werden können durch das, was in seinem Bewußtsein ist, weil da vieles aus diesem Unterbewußten herauf rumort. Sie werden begreifen, daß man schon mit einem gewissen Recht darauf hinweisen muß, daß die gewöhnliche Gescheitheit, die der Mensch jetzt entwickeln kann, nicht ausreicht, um das, was da aus den unbekannten Tiefen heraufkommt, zu erkennen. Denn es sollte ja gar nicht heraufkommen, es sollte da unten bleiben, aber es wird doch heraufkommen. Geradeso wie bis zum Jahre 747 vor Christus von außen etwas hereingekommen ist, so wird nachher von innen etwas aufsteigen. Durch das, was der Mensch sich erringen wird an gewöhnlicher, normaler Gescheitheit, wird das nicht bezwungen werden können, bei weitem nicht bezwungen werden können. Da wird man eben brauchen jenes Verstehen der Welt, welches durch die Geisteswissenschaft zu erwerben ist. Es wird Harmonie, innerliche Festigkeit und innerliche Gediegenheit in das menschliche Seelenleben nur eindringen können, wenn die Menschen dieses innerliche Seelenleben werden ordnen, harmonisieren wollen durch dasjenige, was aus der Erkenntnis des Geistes heraus errungen werden kann. Es strebt die Entwickelung der Menschheit also aus einem Zustande heraus, in welchem von der Außenwelt mehr wahrnehmbar war, als heute wahrnehmbar ist, und es strebt diese Entwickelung der Menschheit einem Zustande zu, in welchem aus dem tiefsten Inneren des Menschen mehr auftauchen wird, als heute im Normalzustand auftaucht.
Diese Dinge, von denen ich jetzt spreche, sie kennt man eigentlich in den eingeweihten Kreisen da und dort sehr gut. Von jenem alten Erkennen, das bis ins 8. vorchristliche Jahrhundert den Menschen zugänglich war, spricht ja noch das ganze morgenländische Geistesleben, das ganze asiatische Geistesleben. Ja, es spricht nicht nur das Geistesleben, es spricht im Grunde genommen die ganze asiatische Kultur davon. Daher kommt es, daß es eigentlich so schwer verständlich ist für den Europäer, wenn heute der Orientale, der asiatische Orientale von seiner Kultur spricht. Da muß man schon, wenn man diese Leute verstehen will, sich hineinfinden in eine andere Art, die Vorstellungen, die Gedanken zu bilden. Heute würde es zum Beispiel für sehr viele Menschen sehr interessant sein müssen, so etwas Tonangebendes zu verfolgen, wie die Rede ist, welche Rabindranatb Tagore, der Inder, gehalten hat über den Geist Japans. Sie wissen: Tagore ist der von der Nobel-Stiftung preisgekrönte Inder. Er hatüber den Geist Japans einen Vortrag gehalten. Es ist weniger wichtig, was er über den Geist Japans gerade spricht, als der Geist, aus dem heraus er spricht, der Geist des heutigen Orientalen, der nur verstanden werden kann, wenn man weiß, daß etwas in den Orientalen noch zurückgeblieben ist von jenem Herauf-, von jenem Hereinkommen der Außenwelt, wie es heute nicht perzipierbar ist. Für die meisten Europäer reden die Orientalen, wenn sie im Sinne ihrer Kultur reden, eben eigentlich etwas ziemlich Unverständliches. Man versteht gewöhnlich gar nicht, wovon sie eigentlich reden.
Auch die andere Erscheinung kommt vor, daß dasjenige, was eigentlich erst in der Zukunft auftreten sollte, in einer gewissen Weise dann vorweggenommen wird. Vergleichen könnte ich das damit, daß ich hinweise auf Kinder, die als Kinder schon greisenhaft sind. Sie nehmen das Greisenhafte als Kinder schon voraus. Da ist die Unregelmäßigkeit in der Entwickelung dadurch eingetreten, daß etwas, das später kommen sollte, früher hereingeschoben ist, in eine frühere Zeit. Während nun im orientalischen Denken, in der orientalischen Anschauungsweise gerade bei den hervorragendsten Geistern ein aus alter Zeit Zurückgebliebenes in der Weise herrscht, wie ich es eben angedeutet habe, herrscht namentlich bei so ganz im Sinne des Amerikanismus denkenden Geistern ein Hereinnehmen von Späterem, ein Hereinschieben von Späterem. Da merkt man deutlich, wenn man auf solche Sachen eingehen kann, daß gerade hervorragendere Geister vieles von dem haben, was da (links) durchsickert. Sie bekommen eine Vorstellung von solchem Durchsickerndem, wenn Sie zum Beispiel jenen Essay lesen, den Woodrow Wilson geschrieben hat über die Entwickelung des amerikanischen, des nordamerikanischen Volkes im besonderen. Man kann sich nichts denken, das mehr den Nagel auf den Kopf trifft, das treffender wäre als dieser Essay, den Woodrow Wilson über die Entwickelung des amerikanischen Volkes geschrieben hat. Da ist jedes Wort darinnen so, daß man das Gefühl hat: es ist die Sache in der allerallerschärfsten Weise charakterisiert und getroffen. Und das fällt insbesondere deshalb auf, weil Wilson in diesem Fall sehr scharf aufmerksam macht darauf, daß eine ganze Anzahl von Leuten auch in Amerika die Ansicht haben, die eigentlich nur zu rechtfertigen ist, wenn man das amerikanische Volk heute noch auffaßt — wogegen et, Woodrow Wilson, sich wendet — gleichsam als eine Dependance des englischen Volkes. Diese Menschen, die heute noch die Amerikaner so auffassen, als ob diese etwas wären wie Abkömmlinge, wie ein Zweig der europäischen Engländer, diese Leute lehnt Woodrow Wilson im strengsten Sinne des Wortes ab. Die verstehen nichts, meint er, von der eigentlichen Entwickelung des amerikanischen Volkes im 19. Jahrhundert. Denn der Amerikaner beginnt von innen erst Amerikaner zu sein — so spricht Wilson aus echt amerikanischem Geiste heraus, außerordentlich prägnant und treffend - in dem Momente, wo er aufhört anzuknüpfen mit seinem Seelenhaften an das, was von England herübergekommen ist, wo er beginnt, als Bebauer des Bodens von Osten nach dem Westen hinüberzudringen, von der amerikanischen Ostküste nach der Westküste hinüberzudringen. In diesem Ausroden der Urwälder, in der Arbeit mit der Flinte, in der Arbeit mit dem Spaten, in der Arbeit mit dem Pflug und dem Pferde, in diesem Überwinden jenes Widerstandes, der zu überwinden ist bei der Arbeit von dem Osten nach dem Westen hinüber, entwickelt sich für ihn der Westmann, der «Westerner», wie er es nennt. Und in dieser Art und Weise der Eroberung des Bodens sieht er, so daß es unmittelbar überzeugendsten Eindruck macht, den eigentlichen Nerv der amerikanischen Entwickelung. Man hat überall gerade das Gefühl - man muß natürlich verstehen, das Wie zu lesen in einem solchen Fall, nicht bloß das Was -, da spricht viel mehr als der Wilson. Denn wenn der Wilson selber spricht — ja, da wird nicht viel Gescheites daraus. Da spricht viel mehr, da spricht dasjenige, wovon der Mann als von seinem eigenen Inneren her besessen ist, da sprechen Dämonennaturen, die geradezu grandiose Zukunftsgeheimnisse eingeben. In diese Geheimnisse müßte eigentlich die Menschheit eindringen, wenn die Entwickelung verstanden werden soll.
Man muß heute tatsächlich einen Unterschied machen zwischen der bloßen wissenschaftlichen und zeitungsgemäßen Erfassung der Welt, die ja bequem ist, die auch allbeliebt ist, und der wahren Erfassung der Welt. Die wahre Erfassung der Welt, die muß solche Gegensätze sich klarmachen können wie die, welche ich jetzt auseinandergesetzt habe: von dem Hereinkommen bei den orientalischen Völkern von etwas, das da draußen liegt (siehe Zeichnung Seite 45, rechts); von dem Heraufkommen bei den amerikanischen Völkern von etwas, was da drinnen (links) liegt. Und was da heraufkommt, es braucht das nicht etwas bloß Verwerfliches zu sein, es kann in gewissem Sinne grandiose ahrimanische Offenbarung sein, die da heraufkommt. Denn ahrimanische Offenbarung ist es im wesentlichen, welche in jenem ausgezeichneten Aufsatze von Woodrow Wilson über die Entwickelung des amerikanischen Volkes gegeben ist.
Die Eingeweihten des Ostens und die Eingeweihten des amerikanischen Volkes, die wissen auch das Nötige aus diesen Dingen zu machen. Man will von beiden Seiten die Entwickelung der Menschheit durchaus in gewisse Bahnen bringen. Die orientalischen Völker, das heißt ihre Eingeweihten, haben ganz bestimmte Absichten für die Zukunftsentwickelung der Menschheit. Diese Leute sehen, was in der Entwickelung richtig liegt und versuchen dasjenige, was in der Entwickelung richtig liegt, soweit der Mensch es beeinflussen kann, zu beeinflussen. Sie suchen ihm eine gewisse Richtung, einen gewissen Impuls zu geben. Und der Impuls, der da von den orientalischen Eingeweihten der Entwickelung gegeben werden will, der beruht im wesentlichen darauf, daß man nicht mehr rechnen will, so ungefähr nach der Hälfte der sechsten nachatlantischen Zeit, auf die menschliche Generation. Man möchte verzichten auf das irdische Menschengeschlecht nach dieser Zeit. Man möchte die Entwickelung der Menschheit dahin bringen, daß die Menschen nachher eigentlich nicht mehr so recht physische Nachkommen haben, daß die Seelen dann schon sich vergeistigen, nicht mehr auf die Erde herunterkommen in Verleiblichungen. Man möchte das Reich des Geistes für die Menschheit schon von der Mitte der sechsten nachatlantischen Zeit an begründen. Dies würde man nur können, wenn man gewisse Kulturingredienzien abweisen würde. Nicht nur die Eingeweihten des Orients, sondern eigentlich instinktiv jeder gebildete Orientale lehnt daher im eminentesten Sinne gewisse Europäismen ab; gerade diejenigen Europäismen, auf die der Europäer ganz besonders stolz ist, lehnt er ab. Er lehnt ab namentlich alles dasjenige, was sich ja aus der rein technischen, materiellen Kultur in Europa und seinem Anhange Amerika ergeben hat. Wer die Entwickelung der Menschheit studiert, namentlich im 19. Jahrhundert und in das 20. Jahrhundert herein, der wird finden, daß man mit Recht sagt: Die Technik hat es ungeheuer weit gebracht, die Technik hat den Menschen Arbeitskräfte abgenommen. Wenn man heute davon redet, die Erde habe so und so viel hundert Millionen Einwohner, so ist dieses eigentlich nicht ganz richtig, weil man auch rechnen kann, wieviel die Erde Einwohner hat nach dem, wieviel gearbeitet wird. Nun wird mit vollständigem Recht gesagt, daß seit dem letzten Drittel des 18. Jahrhunderts von den Maschinen, die nach und nach entstanden sind, menschliche Arbeitskraft verrichtet wird. Man kann berechnen, ziemlich exakt berechnen, wieviel Millionen Menschen mehr die Erde haben müßte, wenn alle die Arbeit, die von den Maschinen verrichtet wird, von den Menschen verrichtet würde. Die Erde müßte fünfhundert Millionen Menschen mehr haben. Man kann schon sagen: Heute sind auf der Erde nicht nur diejenigen Menschen mit zwei Beinen und einem Kopf, die statistisch berechnet werden können, sondern fünfhundert Millionen mehr, gemessen an der Arbeitskraft; die Arbeitskraft wird eben von Maschinen verrichtet.
Aber es gibt nichts Materielles, hinter dem nicht ein Geistiges steht. Diese fünfhundert Millionen Menschenkräfte, die sind die Gelegenheit zum Aufenthalte von ebensovielen ahrimanischen Dämonen innerhalb der menschlichen Kultur. Diese ahrimanischen Dämonen sind einmal da. Und diese ahrimanischen Dämonen, die lehnt der Orientale aus einem gewissen Instinkt heraus radikal ab; die will er nicht. Das sehen Sie eigentlich aus jeder Manifestation eines feingebildeten Orientalen heraus, daß er diese ahrimanische Dämonologie ablehnt. Denn diese ahrimanische Dämonologie, die gibt dem Menschen eine gewisse Schwere, die niemals möglich macht, daß dasjenige geschieht, was die orientalische Initiation anstrebt: daß das Menschengeschlecht mit der Mitte der sechsten nachatlantischen Zeit physisch aufhört auf der Erde zu sein, weil die Menschen zurückgehalten werden durch das, was sich auf diese Weise dämonologisch-ahrimanisch entwickelt.
Einem andern Ziel streben die Eingeweihten des Amerikanismus zu. Sie streben dem entgegengesetzten Ziele zu. Sie streben danach, eine innigere Gemeinschaft zu bilden, als im normalen Verlauf der Menschheitsentwickelung geschehen soll, zwischen den Menschenseelen und derjenigen Leiblichkeit, welche auf der Erde zu finden sein wird, der dichten, groben Leiblichkeit, die auf der Erde zu finden sein wird von dem sechsten nachatlantischen Zeitraume an. Die seelische Kultur wird sehr vertieft sein, aber die leibliche wird grob sein. Aber eine innigere Verbindung mit dieser groben Leiblichkeit strebt man im amerikanischen Westen an, eine innigere Verbindung als die normale ist, ein stärkeres Untertauchen in die Leiblichkeit. Man will entgegenkommen dem, was da durchsickert (siehe Zeichnung Seite 45, links), will ihm entgegengehen durch stärkeres Eindringen in die Leiblichkeit. Während man also eine Kultur begründen will von seiten der Orientalen, die nicht rechnet mit den Menschenleibern der späteren Erdenentwickelung, will man die Seelen ketten an diese spätere Erdenentwickelung innerhalb der amerikanischen Kultur des Westens. Man will die Leiber möglichst so gestalten, daß die Seelen, wenn sie durch den Tod gegangen sind, möglichst bald wiederum in einen Leib herunterkommen können, daß sie möglichst wenig sich aufhalten in der geistigen Welt. Man will die Seelen möglichst abhalten von einem Aufenthalt in der geistigen Welt, man will, daß sie möglichst bald wiederum auf die Erde herunterkommen. Man will sie innigst verbinden mit dem Leben der Erde.
Das sind Tendenzen, die man kennenlernen muß. So sonderbar es dem heutigen Menschen noch erscheint, wenn man von diesen Tendenzen spricht, so schädlich ist es ihm, daß sie übersehen werden. Denn notwendig ist, daß der Mensch sich mit vollem Bewußtsein hineinstellt in dasjenige, das eigentlich mit ihm selbst gewollt wird und demgegenüber er oftmals leider, leider so steht, daß man sagen kann: er läßt alles mögliche mit sich geschehen.
Aber dieses westliche Ideal, diese Dämonologisierung des Menschen, das wird nur erreicht werden können, wenn der geistige, psychische Amerikanismus unterstützt werden kann von einer andern Weltanschauungsströmung, die viel verwandter mit dem Amerikanismus ist, als man denkt. Sie haben ja gesehen: Es ist wesentlich ein Hinneigen des Amerikanismus zur Ahrimankultur, was das Ausschlaggebende ist. Aber eine richtige Förderung würde dieser Amerikanismus erhalten können, wenn er unterstützt würde von einer andern Weltanschauung, die viel verwandter mit ihm ist, als man denkt. Das ist der Jesuitismus. Jesuitismus und Amerikanismus sind zwei sehr, sehr verwandte Dinge. Denn als der fünfte nachatlantische Zeitraum begann, da handelte es sich darum, einen Impuls zu finden, durch den man sich in den Stand setzen konnte, die Menschen möglichst hinwegzuführen von dem Verständnisse des Christus. Und diejenige Bestrebung in der Kulturentwickelung, welche es sich zur Aufgabe gesetzt hat, kein Verständnis des Christus aufkommen zu lassen, das Verständnis des Christus vollständig zu untergraben, das ist der Jesuitismus. Der Jesuitismus strebt danach, allmählich jede Möglichkeit eines Christus-Verständnisses auszurotten. Denn dasjenige, was da zugrunde liegt, das hängt schon mit einem tiefen Mysterium zusammen. Damit, daß etwas von außen (siehe Zeichnung Seite 45, rechts) immer da hereinkam in das menschliche Innere, hängt es zusammen, wie ich sagte, daß die Menschen vorher, vor dem 7., 8. vorchristlichen Jahrhundert, atavistisches Hellsehen hatten. Aber durch dieses atavistische Hellsehen sahen sie auch im Universum den Christus. Der Christus war etwas, was sie sehen konnten im alten Hellsehen. Ich habe das ja oft dargestellt, ich habe es dargestellt in der «Geheimwissenschaft im Umriß», und der ganze Sinn meines Buches «Das Christentum als mystische Tatsache» gipfelt ja schließlich darin. Man sah den Christus im Kosmos, man sah den Christus im Universum. Aber nun denken Sie: Vom 7., 8. vorchristlichen Jahrhundert ab haben wir Menschen die Möglichkeit verloren, in das Universum hinauszuschauen. Was hätten denn die Menschen mitverloren, wenn nichts anderes gekommen wäre, dadurch, daß sie gar nicht mehr hinausschauen konnten ins Universum? Was hätten die Menschen verloren? Die Möglichkeit, von einem Christus-Geiste überhaupt etwas zu wissen, wenn der Christus nicht zu ihnen gekommen wäre durch das Mysterium von Golgatha, wenn der Christus nicht auf die Erde heruntergekommen wäre. In dem historischen Zeitmomente, wo die Menschen nicht mehr den Christus im Kosmos schauen konnten, kam der Christus auf die Erde herunter, verband sich mit dem Jesus. Von da ab war es des Menschen Aufgabe, den Christus in dem Menschen zu erfassen. Und gerettet werden muß die Möglichkeit, daß mit dem, was da durchsickert (siehe Zeichnung, links), der Christus erkannt werde. Denn der Christus ist zu den Menschen heruntergestiegen. Der Jesus ist ein Mensch, in dem der Christus gewohnt hat. Wirkliche menschliche Selbsterkenntnis muß den Jesus-Keim tragen. Dadurch wird man in die Zukunft übersiedeln können. Tief begründet ist es, daß wir von einem Christus Jesus sprechen. Denn der Christus entspricht dem Kosmischen; aber dieses Kosmische ist auf die Erde heruntergekommen und hat in dem Jesus Wohnung genommen, und der Jesus entspricht dem Irdischen mit der ganzen irdischen Zukunft.
Will man den Menschen abschließen vom Geistigen, so nimmt man ihm den Christus. Dann hat man die Möglichkeit, den Jesus so zu benützen, daß die Erde nur in ihrem irdischen Aspekt vorhanden bleibt. Sie werden daher beim Jesuitismus eine fortwährende Bekämpfung der Christologie finden, dagegen ein scharfes Betonen dessen, daß man ein Heer ist, eine Armee für den Jesus. Ja, natürlich: Geisteswissenschaft ist schon ein Mittel, daß solche Dinge erkannt werden, daß den Menschen die Schuppen von den Augen fallen. Daher werden jene, die nicht erkannt sein wollen, immer wütender und wütender werden auf dasjenige, was Geisteswissenschaft will. Wütender, man sieht es: Das Juliheft der jesuitischen Zeitschrift «Stimmen der Zeit» — früher «Stimmen aus Maria-Laach» — enthält nicht nur einen, sondern gleich zwei Artikel gegen mich. Und wer dieses im Zusammenhang zu denken vermag mit dem, was sonst jetzt sich an neuen Aspirationen des Jesuitismus in der Welt entwickelt, der wird daraus überhaupt etwas Tieferes sehen können. Nur leider, man spricht ja von solchen Dingen heute doch zumeist vor einer schlafenden Menschheit. Die Menschen lieben es, die wichtigsten Dinge zu verschlafen, nicht hinzuhören auf dasjenige, was nun wirklich zukunftbestimmend ist. Daher werden die Menschen jetzt von allen Dingen, wie ich vorgestern sagte, überrascht. Sie wollen ja auch überrascht sein. Spricht man möglichst früh von den Dingen, die im Schoße der Zeit liegen, so betrachten die Menschen das als etwas Unbequemes, weil sie möglichst lange gut brav bürgerlich bequem auf ihren Polstersesseln sitzen möchten, auch wenn sie verantwortungsvolle, führende Menschheitsstellen innehaben. Aber diejenigen, welche sich für Geisteswissenschaft interessieren, sollten schon sich in die Seelen eingravieren, daß man alles tun wird, um diese Geisteswissenschaft unwirksam zu machen. Es ist nicht gerade gut, wenn auch wir innerhalb unserer Kreise allzusehr schlafen mit Bezug auf die Beobachtung desjenigen, was in der Welt vorgeht.
Zuweilen ist es ja recht schwierig, zu sehen, wie doch immer alles, was so persönlich spielt, höhergestellt wird als dasjenige, was in der gegenwärtigen Zeit so ganz besonders wichtig und wesentlich ist: das Hinschauen auf die großen Angelegenheiten der Menschheit, die sich langsam vorbereiten. Die Angriffe, die zu tun haben mit den großen «Wollungen», die kommen schon von den verschiedensten gegnerischen, ernst zu nehmenden Seiten. Solch ein Angriff wie der, von dem ich eben gesprochen habe, er ist schon in gewissem Sinne ernster zu nehmen. Man muß ihn in der richtigen Weise taxieren können. Nicht ernst zu nehmen nach dieser Richtung hin sind ja natürlich jene schönen Angriffe, welche aus dem Unterirdischen unserer Gesellschaft selber immer wiederum auftauchen, und die ja zum Teil bloß deshalb ein böses Ansehen haben, weil immer wieder und wiederum die Tendenz bemerkbar ist, daß man gerade die größte, liebevollste Teilnahme gegenüber jenen Leuten hat, welche dasjenige, was ernst erstrebt wird in unseren Reihen, verlästern, zu verunglimpfen suchen und dergleichen. Und erst wenn das Unheil da ist, dann entschließt man sich nach und nach, wirklich zu sehen; vorher werden manche Leute gehätschelt, welche dann das Unheil bringen.
Ich sage dies nicht, weil ich daran denke, daß das oder jenes anders sein sollte, sondern weil ich mich wirklich verpflichtet fühle, darauf aufmerksam zu machen, daß die Menschheit aufwachen muß, und daß wir vor allen Dingen zu denen gehören müssen, welche nach Wachheit streben.
Auf gewissen Gebieten kann man ja heute alles mögliche tun. Der von mir hier gemeinte Schlaf der Menschheit, der nur überwunden werden kann durch ein Eindringen in die geistigen Welten, der ist außerordentlich schwer zu überwinden, der Schlaf der Menschen. Und mit Bezug auf die Verbreitung des geisteswissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisgutes hat man es vielfach gerade mit diesem Schlaf zu tun als dem Gegner. Ich will dabei gar nicht von einer einzelnen Erscheinung sprechen, sondern in der ganzen Kulturbewegung ist gegenwärtig etwas Schläfriges gegenüber den eigentlichen Impulsen, die überall, an allen Stellen den Menschen über den Kopf hinauswachsen. Zwei Dinge sind notwendig, die man sich wie goldene Regeln eigentlich einschreiben müßte in seine Seele: Niemals war mehr als in unserem fünften nachatlantischen Zeitraum die Notwendigkeit vorhanden, daß die Menschen sich immer mehr und mehr bemühen - und daß Menschen da sind, die das können, daran ist nicht zu zweifeln —, gerade das zu erreichen, was besonders wertvoll ist: geisteswissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse zu verstehen. Gewiß, geisteswissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse müssen gesucht werden durch hellsichtiges Eindringen in die geistige Welt; das ist eine Notwendigkeit. Aber das ist eine Selbstverständlichkeit, daß es Hellseher geben muß, die eindringen in die geistige Welt, daß es Leute geben muß, die übersinnliche Erkenntnisse anstreben. Zweitens aber ist besonders wichtig, daß sich für diese geisteswissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse, für diese in übersinnlichen Welten gesuchte Erkenntnis Leute finden, die kraft des Intellekts die Sache verstehen. Das vernünftige, verständige Begreifen der Geisteswissenschaft, das ist heute ganz besonders notwendig, denn das ist dasjenige, wodurch die widerstrebendsten Kulturmächte gerade überwunden werden. Der Intellekt der Menschen ist heute so groß, daß die ganze Geisteswissenschaft verstanden werden kann, wenn man nur will. Und gerade dieses Verständnis anzustreben, ist ein allgemein-menschliches, nicht ein egoistisches Interesse der Kultur. Denn dieses Verständnis kann angestrebt werden, wenn jene intellektuellen Kräfte, die heute verwendet werden auf naturwissenschaftlichen Gebieten an allerlei Kleinkram, wenn jene intellektuellen Kräfte, die heute volkswirtschaftlich recht fruchtlos verwendet werden, und endlich, wenn jene Kräfte, die in einer fruchtlosen, vielleicht sogar menschenmörderischen Technik verwendet werden, entsprechend angewendet würden, und die Menschen nicht verzogen würden von frühester Kindheit an. Dann würde man sehen, wie leicht das spirituelle Geistesgut wirklich zum Verständnisse der Menschheit gebracht werden könnte. Das ist das eine.
Die andere goldene Regel ist diese, daß man heute noch etwas anderes braucht für das Fruchtbarmachen des spirituellen Geistesgutes für unsere Kultur. Das erste ist etwas, was Ahriman abgerungen werden muß. Die Menschen sind heute schon gescheit, denn Ahriman sorgt dafür, daß die Menschen gescheit sind. Oh, die Menschen sind gescheit! Sie verwenden ihre Gescheitheit eben nur im materialistischen Interesse. Die Menschen sind nicht nur gescheit, sie sind übergescheit. Davon werden wir aber in den nächsten Vorträgen noch sprechen, damit Sie sehen, welchen ungeheuren Einfluß gerade das ahrimanische Element auf die menschliche Übergescheitheit der heutigen Zeit hat. Aber noch etwas anderes ist notwendig. Noch einem andern Geiste ist manches abzuringen. Wir brauchen nicht nur Gescheitheit, mit der das spirituelle Geistesgut durchdrungen werden soll, wir brauchen vor allen Dingen sehr, sehr dringlich — ja, wie soll ich es ausdrücken -, wir brauchen bei den Menschenseelen, an die das spirituelle Geistesgut herankommt, Temperament, Enthusiasmus, Feuer, Wärme. Wir brauchen Menschen, welche mit der ganzen, vollen Seele dasjenige vertreten, was spirituelles Geistesgut ist. Gerade auf spirituellem Gebiete muß den luziferischen Kräften, die sonst so wirksam jetzt sind in der Welt, dieses abgerungen werden. Es gibt einen schönen Anblick: es ist der Anblick desjenigen, der in ruhiger Klarheit, aber mit innerem Feuer und Enthusiasmus, weil es ihm eine Notwendigkeit ist, für das spirituelle Geistesgut sich erwärmen kann. Es gibt einen andern Anblick: das ist der, wo man möglichst versucht, durch das spirituelle Geistesgut eingelullt zu werden, träumerisch zu werden, hingegossen warm zu werden, aufzugehen in die universellen Kräfte, die Seele zu vereinigen mit dem göttlichen All. Das sind Gegensätze, die man in der Gegenwart doch wohl beobachten kann, Gegensätze, die es notwendig ist, zu beobachten. Denn es wird nicht leicht werden, das spirituelle Geistesgut der Menschenkultur einzuverleiben. Und es muß hinein, denn die Menschenkultur braucht es. Man wird über vieles ganz, ganz anders nicht nur denken lernen müssen, sondern auch fühlen und empfinden lernen müssen.
Ja, ich könnte noch manches sagen in Anknüpfung an dasjenige, was ich jetzt eben ausgesprochen habe, aber ich will vielleicht lieber schweigen und will Ihnen Gelegenheit geben, nachzudenken. Man kann über manches nachdenken, was angeregt werden könnte durch manche Tücke, welche ich ganz absichtlich in die eben ausgesprochene Wahrheit hineingelegt habe. Nun, davon wollen wir dann das nächste Mal weiter sprechen.
Third Lecture
Yesterday I endeavored to give you a picture of the spiritual human being. What we want to take from this picture of the spiritual human being today are the two boundary zones we learned about yesterday. One boundary zone arises from the fact that human beings are compelled to stop when they try to see through the outer world as it first appears to their senses. Natural scientists, philosophers, and so on speak of the limits of knowledge. We know that these limits of knowledge do not really exist, but that they do exist for human sensory and physical perception.
The other boundary is given by the fact that everything in our consciousness or entering our consciousness is, in a sense, reflected back to an inner zone and can thus become a memory. What we have in our consciousness does not descend into the full depth of that region which remains only subconscious for human beings. We want to draw these two limits (see drawing on page 45), the limit of memory (left) and — we can call it the limit of the capacity for love (right), which is at the same time the limit of knowledge of nature. We have marked them by drawing lemniscates that are open to the outside (right), and here (left) we have drawn lemniscates with an inverted loop, so to speak. The region on the right is therefore the external region that humans cannot see with their ordinary sensory perception, i.e., it is imperceptible. The left side is the boundary of conscious life inward, into which human beings cannot dive with their consciousness. Human beings remain with their consciousness above this boundary. If they were to dive down with their conscious ideas, they would have no memory.
Now, however, in view of these two boundaries, something very specific can be said about the life of the spiritual human being. If we go back in human evolution to, say, before the eighth century BC—you know that the fourth post-Atlantean epoch began in 747 BC—if we go back beyond that point in time to the earlier post-Atlantean epochs, then the following applies to human beings: that which lies beyond this boundary still had a certain effect on consciousness. And this was the basis of the atavistic clairvoyance that still existed at that time. Certain impulses penetrated from the universe and made themselves felt as atavistic visions. So we can say that this external world only became completely opaque — I mean intellectually opaque — since the 8th century BC, and it became more and more opaque. — Now we are living in the fifth post-Atlantean period. It has remained opaque. And people today insist on this extraordinarily, constantly claiming that no human being can penetrate that “thing in itself,” or whatever they call it, that lies beyond this boundary.
On the other hand, it can be said that another tendency is becoming increasingly prevalent and will become more and more prevalent toward the sixth post-Atlantean period. That is: this zone here (on the left) will become permeable, so to speak. The time will come when, from the depths of human nature, that which I described to you yesterday as the seething, that into which man should not look down—in the sense, above all, that the fantastic mystics want him to—will, from the sixth post-Atlantean period, want to seep through in all sorts of ways. Yes, this time will already begin in the fifth post-Atlantean period, in our period. All kinds of things will want to seep through. This will manifest itself above all in the fact that many more people than we think today will increasingly learn from certain purely inner experiences that there are repeated lives on earth and the like. These things are already breaking through today, albeit sparsely. I have often mentioned, here too, the name of a remarkable contemporary figure, O/to Weininger, who became particularly well known for his thick book “Sex and Character.” Even more interesting, however, is the book that his friend Rappaport published after his death, which contains all sorts of extraordinarily interesting things. It consists largely of aphorisms. The whole thing is entitled “On the Last Things.” One of these aphorisms says something like this: Weininger claims that in its pre-birth life, the human soul developed a certain horror of itself and thereby acquired the longing to forget this life and plunge into oblivion, which meant incarnation. — So Weininger speaks entirely of pre-birth life, of physicality; only he speaks of it in his gloomy, pessimistic view that the soul seeks to numb itself to its pre-birth life, and it seeks this numbness in physicality, in a physical human body.
But there are many such immediate impressions of the path of the soul among people today, and they are becoming more and more numerous. In a person like Weininger, one can already see how denser, more compact, I would say, the ego touches people inwardly. In Weininger, one can already clearly see how this boundary becomes somewhat permeable and all kinds of things push their way up. It is interesting, for example, what note he wrote about his own death. He committed suicide at an early age, at the age of twenty-three. He wrote down a whole series of notes that are extremely interesting because they are virtually imaginings of astral visions. All this was coupled with a certain character trait that led him one day to move into Beethoven's death house in Vienna and kill himself there the very next morning, at the age of twenty-three. He wrote a note saying that he had to kill himself because otherwise he would be driven by an undefined urge to become a murderer, to kill someone else.
One sees that the most terrible things are stirring in the soul of an extraordinarily brilliant man, things that cannot be easily overcome by what is in his consciousness, because much of it is stirring up from the subconscious. You will understand that it is quite justified to point out that the ordinary intelligence that human beings can develop at present is not sufficient to recognize what is coming up from the unknown depths. For it should not come up at all, it should remain down there, but it will come up nonetheless. Just as something came in from outside until the year 747 BC, so something will rise up from within afterwards. This cannot be overcome by what man will achieve in ordinary, normal intelligence, not by a long shot. What will be needed then is precisely that understanding of the world which can be acquired through spiritual science. Harmony, inner strength, and inner solidity will only be able to penetrate the human soul life if people want to order and harmonize this inner soul life through what can be achieved through spiritual knowledge. Humanity's development is thus striving out of a state in which more of the external world was perceptible than is perceptible today, and it is striving toward a state in which more will emerge from the deepest inner being of human beings than emerges today in the normal state.
These things of which I am now speaking are actually very well known in certain circles here and there. The entire spiritual life of the East, the entire spiritual life of Asia, still speaks of that ancient knowledge which was accessible to people until the 8th century BC. Indeed, it is not only spiritual life that speaks of it, but basically the entire Asian culture. That is why it is so difficult for Europeans to understand when Orientals, Asian Orientals, speak of their culture today. If you want to understand these people, you have to find your way into a different way of forming ideas and thoughts. Today, for example, it would be very interesting for many people to follow something as influential as the speech given by Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian, on the spirit of Japan. As you know, Tagore is the Indian who was awarded the Nobel Prize. He gave a lecture on the spirit of Japan. What he says about the spirit of Japan is less important than the spirit from which he speaks, the spirit of today's Oriental, which can only be understood if one knows that something has remained in the Orientals from that rise, from that arrival of the outside world, which is not perceptible today. For most Europeans, when Orientals speak in terms of their culture, they are actually saying something quite incomprehensible. One usually does not understand what they are actually talking about.
The other phenomenon also occurs, namely that what should actually only occur in the future is then anticipated in a certain way. I could compare this to children who are already senile as children. They anticipate senility as children. The irregularity in their development has arisen because something that should have come later has been brought forward to an earlier time. While in Oriental thinking, in the Oriental way of looking at things, especially among the most outstanding minds, something that has been left behind from ancient times prevails in the manner I have just indicated, among minds that think entirely in the spirit of Americanism there is a tendency to take in what comes later, to push in what comes later. If you are able to consider such things, you will clearly notice that it is precisely the most outstanding minds that have much of what seeps through there (on the left). You will get an idea of what seeps through when you read, for example, the essay written by Woodrow Wilson on the development of the American, North American people in particular. One cannot think of anything that hits the nail on the head more accurately than this essay written by Woodrow Wilson on the development of the American people. Every word in it is such that one has the feeling that it characterizes and captures the matter in the most acute way possible. This is particularly striking because Wilson points out very sharply that a whole number of people in America also hold the view, which is actually only justifiable if one still regards the American people today — which Woodrow Wilson rejects — as a branch of the English people. Woodrow Wilson rejects in the strictest sense of the word those people who still view Americans today as if they were something like descendants, like a branch of the European English. They understand nothing, he believes, of the actual development of the American people in the 19th century. For Americans only begin to be Americans from within — Wilson speaks out of a genuine American spirit, in an extraordinarily concise and apt manner — at the moment when they cease to connect spiritually with what has come over from England, when they begin to penetrate from east to west as cultivators of the soil, from the American east coast to the west coast. In clearing the primeval forests, in working with the rifle, in working with the spade, in working with the plow and the horse, in overcoming the resistance that must be overcome in working from east to west, the West Man, the “Westerner,” as he calls him, develops within him. And in this manner of conquering the land, he sees, in a way that makes an immediately convincing impression, the very nerve of American development. One has the feeling everywhere—one must, of course, understand how to read in such a case, not just what—that there is much more to it than Wilson says. For when Wilson himself speaks, not much sense comes out of it. There is much more to it than that; what speaks is that which possesses the man from within, demonic natures that reveal truly grandiose secrets of the future. Humanity must penetrate these secrets if it is to understand its own development.
Today we must indeed make a distinction between the mere scientific and newspaper-style understanding of the world, which is convenient and universally popular, and the true understanding of the world. The true understanding of the world must be able to clarify such contrasts as those I have just discussed: the arrival among the Oriental peoples of something that lies outside (see drawing on page 45, right); the emergence among the American peoples of something that lies within (left). And what emerges there does not have to be something merely reprehensible; in a certain sense, it can be a grandiose Ahrimanic revelation that emerges there. For it is essentially Ahrimanic revelation that is given in that excellent essay by Woodrow Wilson on the development of the American people.
The initiates of the East and the initiates of the American people also know how to make use of these things. Both sides want to steer the development of humanity in certain directions. The Oriental peoples, that is, their initiates, have very definite intentions for the future development of humanity. These people see what is right in evolution and try to influence what is right in evolution as far as human beings can influence it. They seek to give it a certain direction, a certain impulse. And the impulse that the Eastern initiates of evolution want to give is based essentially on the fact that, around the middle of the sixth post-Atlantean epoch, they no longer want to count on the human generation. They want to do without the earthly human race after this time. They want to bring the development of humanity to a point where people no longer really have physical descendants, where souls become spiritualized and no longer descend to earth in physical bodies. They want to establish the realm of the spirit for humanity from the middle of the sixth post-Atlantean epoch onwards. This would only be possible if certain cultural ingredients were rejected. Not only the initiates of the Orient, but actually every educated Oriental instinctively rejects certain Europeanisms in the most eminent sense; it is precisely those Europeanisms of which Europeans are particularly proud that they reject. They reject in particular everything that has resulted from the purely technical, material culture in Europe and its appendage, America. Anyone who studies the development of humanity, especially in the 19th century and into the 20th century, will find that it is right to say: Technology has come an incredibly long way; technology has relieved humans of their labor. When we talk today about the earth having so many hundreds of millions of inhabitants, this is not entirely correct, because we can also calculate how many inhabitants the earth has according to how much work is done. Now, it is quite right to say that since the last third of the 18th century, human labor has been replaced by machines that have gradually been developed. It is possible to calculate, quite accurately, how many millions more people there would have to be on earth if all the work done by machines were done by humans. There would be five hundred million more people on earth. One can already say that today there are not only those people on earth with two legs and a head who can be counted statistically, but five hundred million more, measured in terms of labor power; labor power is performed by machines.
But there is nothing material that does not have a spiritual counterpart. These five hundred million human beings are the opportunity for just as many Ahrimanic demons to reside within human culture. These Ahrimanic demons are there. And the Orientals, out of a certain instinct, radically reject these Ahrimanic demons; they do not want them. You can actually see from every manifestation of a finely educated Oriental that he rejects this Ahrimanic demonology. For this Ahrimanic demonology gives human beings a certain heaviness that makes it impossible for what Oriental initiation strives for to happen: that the human race physically ceases to exist on Earth in the middle of the sixth post-Atlantean epoch because human beings are held back by what develops in this demonological-Ahrimanic way.
The initiates of Americanism strive toward a different goal. They strive toward the opposite goal. They strive to form a more intimate community than is supposed to happen in the normal course of human development, between the human souls and the physicality that will be found on Earth, the dense, coarse physicality that will be found on Earth from the sixth post-Atlantean epoch onwards. The soul culture will be very deep, but the physical culture will be coarse. But in the American West, people strive for a more intimate connection with this coarse physicality, a more intimate connection than is normal, a stronger immersion in physicality. They want to meet what is seeping through (see drawing on page 45, left) halfway, to meet it by penetrating more deeply into physicality. So while the Orientals want to establish a culture that does not take into account the human bodies of the later stages of Earth's development, the West wants to chain souls to this later stage of Earth's development within the American culture. One wants to shape bodies in such a way that, when souls have passed through death, they can descend into a body again as soon as possible, so that they linger as little as possible in the spiritual world. One wants to prevent souls from lingering in the spiritual world as much as possible; one wants them to descend to earth again as soon as possible. One wants to connect them intimately with the life of the earth.
These are tendencies that must be recognized. As strange as it may seem to people today when these tendencies are mentioned, it is harmful to them to overlook them. For it is necessary that human beings place themselves with full consciousness into that which is actually intended for them, and in relation to which they often, unfortunately, stand in such a way that one can say: they allow everything possible to happen to them.
But this Western ideal, this demonization of man, can only be achieved if spiritual, psychological Americanism can be supported by another worldview that is much more closely related to Americanism than one might think. You have seen that it is essentially a tendency toward Ahrimanic culture that is decisive in Americanism. But this Americanism could receive real support if it were backed by another worldview that is much more closely related to it than one might think. That is Jesuitism. Jesuitism and Americanism are two very, very closely related things. For when the fifth post-Atlantean period began, the task was to find an impulse that would enable people to be led away from the understanding of Christ as far as possible. And the striving in cultural evolution that has set itself the task of not allowing any understanding of Christ to arise, of completely undermining the understanding of Christ, is Jesuitism. Jesuitism strives to gradually eradicate every possibility of understanding Christ. For what lies at the root of this is already connected with a deep mystery. The fact that something from outside (see drawing on page 45, right) always entered into the human inner being is connected, as I said, with the fact that people before the 7th or 8th century BC had atavistic clairvoyance. But through this atavistic clairvoyance they also saw Christ in the universe. Christ was something they could see in ancient clairvoyance. I have often described this, I have described it in “An Outline of Secret Science,” and the whole meaning of my book “Christianity as Mystical Fact” culminates in this. People saw Christ in the cosmos, they saw Christ in the universe. But now think about it: from the 7th or 8th century BC onwards, we humans lost the ability to look out into the universe. What would human beings have lost if nothing else had come, if they had been unable to look out into the universe? What would human beings have lost? The possibility of knowing anything at all about a Christ spirit if Christ had not come to them through the mystery of Golgotha, if Christ had not come down to earth. At the historical moment when human beings could no longer see Christ in the cosmos, Christ came down to earth and connected with Jesus. From then on, it was the task of human beings to grasp Christ in themselves. And the possibility must be saved that Christ may be recognized through what seeps through (see drawing, left). For Christ descended to humanity. Jesus is a human being in whom Christ dwelt. True human self-knowledge must carry the seed of Jesus. Through this, we will be able to move into the future. It is deeply rooted that we speak of a Christ Jesus. For Christ corresponds to the cosmic, but this cosmic has come down to earth and taken up residence in Jesus, and Jesus corresponds to the earthly with the whole earthly future.
If one wants to cut people off from the spiritual, one takes Christ away from them. Then one has the opportunity to use Jesus in such a way that the earth remains only in its earthly aspect. You will therefore find in Jesuitism a constant fight against Christology, but a sharp emphasis on the fact that they are an army, an army for Jesus. Yes, of course: spiritual science is already a means by which such things are recognized, by which the scales fall from people's eyes. Therefore, those who do not want to be recognized will become more and more angry at what spiritual science wants. Angrier, you can see it: the July issue of the Jesuit magazine “Stimmen der Zeit” — formerly “Stimmen aus Maria-Laach” — contains not just one, but two articles against me. And anyone who can think of this in connection with what else is now developing in the world in terms of new aspirations of Jesuitism will be able to see something much deeper in it. Unfortunately, however, such things are mostly spoken of today before a sleeping humanity. People love to sleep through the most important things, not to listen to what is really decisive for the future. That is why people are now surprised by everything, as I said the day before yesterday. They want to be surprised. If you talk as early as possible about things that lie in the womb of time, people consider this uncomfortable because they want to sit comfortably in their upholstered armchairs for as long as possible, even if they hold responsible, leading positions in society. But those who are interested in spiritual science should engrave in their souls that everything will be done to render this spiritual science ineffective. It is not exactly good if we, too, within our circles, are too asleep with regard to observing what is going on in the world.
At times it is quite difficult to see how everything that is so personal is always placed above what is so particularly important and essential in the present time: looking at the great issues of humanity that are slowly preparing themselves. The attacks that have to do with the great “wills” come from the most diverse opposing sides that must be taken seriously. An attack such as the one I have just mentioned must be taken more seriously in a certain sense. It must be assessed in the right way. Of course, the beautiful attacks that repeatedly emerge from the underground of our society itself are not to be taken seriously in this sense, and they have a bad reputation partly because there is a tendency, time and again, to show the greatest, most loving sympathy towards those people who slander and seek to denigrate what we are seriously striving for in our ranks. And only when disaster strikes does one gradually decide to really see; before that, some people are pampered, and they are the ones who then bring disaster.
I am not saying this because I think that this or that should be different, but because I feel a real obligation to point out that humanity must wake up, and that we must above all be among those who strive for wakefulness.
In certain areas, it is possible to do all sorts of things today. The sleep of humanity that I am referring to here, which can only be overcome by penetrating the spiritual worlds, is extremely difficult to overcome, the sleep of human beings. And with regard to the dissemination of spiritual scientific knowledge, it is precisely this sleep that is often the enemy. I am not talking about a single phenomenon, but rather that there is currently something sleepy in the entire cultural movement in relation to the actual impulses that are growing everywhere, in all places, above the heads of human beings. Two things are necessary, which should be engraved in our souls like golden rules: Never before has there been a greater need than in our fifth post-Atlantean period for people to strive more and more — and there are people who can do this, there is no doubt about that — to achieve precisely what is particularly valuable: to understand spiritual scientific knowledge. Certainly, spiritual scientific knowledge must be sought through clairvoyant penetration into the spiritual world; that is a necessity. But it goes without saying that there must be clairvoyants who penetrate the spiritual world, that there must be people who strive for supersensible knowledge. Secondly, however, it is particularly important that people be found who, by virtue of their intellect, understand these spiritual scientific insights, this knowledge sought in supersensible worlds. A rational, intelligent understanding of spiritual science is particularly necessary today, for it is precisely this that enables the most resistant cultural forces to be overcome. The intellect of human beings today is so great that the whole of spiritual science can be understood if one only wants to. And it is precisely this understanding that is a general human, not an egoistic, interest of culture. For this understanding can be strived for if the intellectual powers that are today used in the natural sciences for all sorts of trivialities, if the intellectual powers that are today used quite fruitlessly in economics, and finally, if the powers that are used in fruitless, perhaps even murderous technology, were applied appropriately, and if people were not spoiled from early childhood. Then we would see how easily spiritual knowledge could truly be brought to the understanding of humanity. That is one thing.
The other golden rule is that today we need something else to make the spiritual heritage fruitful for our culture. The first thing is something that must be wrested from Ahriman. People today are already clever, because Ahriman ensures that they are clever. Oh, people are clever! They just use their cleverness for materialistic interests. People are not only clever, they are overly clever. But we will talk more about that in the next lectures, so that you can see what an enormous influence the Ahrimanic element has on the excessive cleverness of people today. But something else is also necessary. There is something else that must be wrested from another spirit. We do not only need intelligence with which to permeate the spiritual heritage; above all, we need very, very urgently — how shall I express it? — we need temperament, enthusiasm, fire, warmth in the souls of human beings who are receptive to the spiritual heritage. We need people who represent spiritual knowledge with their whole soul. Especially in the spiritual realm, this must be wrested from the Luciferic forces that are otherwise so effective in the world today. There is a beautiful sight: it is the sight of someone who, in calm clarity but with inner fire and enthusiasm, because it is a necessity for them, can warm themselves to spiritual knowledge. There is another sight: that of someone who tries as much as possible to be lulled by spiritual intellectual property, to become dreamy, to become warm and effusive, to merge with the universal forces, to unite the soul with the divine whole. These are contrasts that can certainly be observed in the present, contrasts that it is necessary to observe. For it will not be easy to incorporate the spiritual heritage of human culture. And it must be incorporated, for human culture needs it. We will not only have to learn to think about many things in a completely different way, but we will also have to learn to feel and perceive them differently.
Yes, I could say a lot more in connection with what I have just said, but I think I will remain silent and give you an opportunity to reflect. There is much to think about, inspired by some of the pitfalls I have deliberately placed in the truth I have just expressed. Well, we will continue this discussion next time.