Donate books to help fund our work. Learn more→

The Rudolf Steiner Archive

a project of Steiner Online Library, a public charity

Polarities in the Evolution of Mankind
GA 197

25 July 1920, Stuttgart

Lecture VI

There has been a basic theme to everything we have been considering here in recent times. Again and again the point has been made that when any work is undertaken or any proposal made in connection with the anthroposophical movement proper regard must be paid to the gravity of the present situation. In principle everything I have said so far has been in accord with that basic theme. It should also help more and more of our members to come to feel this in their souls. We will continue along these lines. Today I want above all to refer to something that can help us to find the right inner attitude, as it were, to the spiritual-scientific movement that has anthroposophy for its goal.

There has now been scientific evidence that Western culture is in a decline—you know about the book by Oswald Spengler.41Spengler, Oswald, German historic writer. Der Untergang des Abendlandes (Decline of the West, C.F. Atkinson tr.) Munich, vol. 1, 1918, vol. 2, 1922. How do people regard the search for truth within this culture, irrespective of the degree to which they even admit to this? People who imagine they have both feet firmly on the ground, considering themselves to be eminently practical people, regard the search for the truth as something theoretical and not as a real deed accomplished by the soul. It is essential for us today to come to the realization that the search for truth is a deed accomplished by the human soul. We must come to realize that when we gain insight this is no mere theory, no individual point of view, but an actual deed infused with will impulses, a deed in the total context of the evolution of the earth and of humankind.

To begin with let me use a more methodological approach to show the way recognition of the truth must be seen as a deed, using a fact from cultural history as an example. I have frequently spoken of two streams going in opposite directions in the life of the human soul. One of these is the abstract mystical stream, the other the abstract materialistic stream. The latter has developed with the evolution of science over the last three or four centuries. Basically it has entered into all areas that play a role today in the progress of human evolution. The traditional religious creeds hardly play a role in the real progress of human evolution the way they are presented nowadays. They could however play a role in furthering the decline of Western culture.

It if were a matter, for instance, of bringing Spengler's idea of the decline of the West to full realization, the traditional religious faiths officially represented by the Jesuits, by positive Protestantism and so on, would be able to do their part. They would be of no account, however, for progressive evolution. As I have said on a number of occasions, the materialistic stream is clearly in evidence even in people who themselves are quite unaware of this. Characteristically, and it is something we must keep in mind, even the theosophical school was affected by materialism in certain areas when it went by the title ‘theosophical school’. The descriptions given of the human etheric and astral bodies in those circles, where these bodies were merely said to be more subtle forms of matter, with people imagining some kind of mist or cloud, surely were nothing more or less than materialism in spiritual guise. Spiritism is of course materialism most heavily disguised as something spiritual, for it speaks of the spirit when in fact its aims are merely to prove the material existence of the spirit, to present it in material form. Materialism has eaten its way into everything spread about by way of popular literature, above all in popular books and journals where people are informed as to what is ‘true’; it is present in everything that is spread about like this, irrespective of whether it comes from Catholic or Protestant sources. This materialism on the one hand relates to the progress made in culture. It must be taken into account and taken positively into consideration. Traditional historical elements like the religious confessions must of course attack anything that is new; they must fight intensely against anything that is new. This, however, does not have to be taken into serious account when we form our ideas of the present, for it goes in the direction of decline. Materialism on the other hand produces the very things we ought to know about in the present time, though they are of course presented in a materialistic way, in materialistic interpretation. If we wish to share in the work that brings progress in cultural and intellectual life we must know what materialistic anatomy, materialistic physiology, materialistic biology and the sociology of the present age have brought to light. We must be fully informed about these things and out of this very knowledge gain the power to transform materialistic knowledge, the materialistic way of thinking, into spiritual knowledge. It is therefore of definite value in the present time to give full consideration to what materialism has to offer. We cannot transform, say, the Catholic philosophy of the Middle Ages the way some people imagine. This can only be transformed with the aid of Thomism, as I have shown in Dornach,42Die Philosophie des Thomas von Aquino. 3 lectures given in Dornach on 22-24 May 1920. GA 74. English translation: The Redemption of Thinking. A.P. Shepherd, M.R. Nicoll tr. London: Hodder & Stoughton 1956. though it then transforms itself. Materialism can be metamorphosed into an inner spiritual life. Anthroposophists therefore have no reason at all to despise the things that materialism has to give. We have to reckon with materialism. Anthroposophy cannot be evolved out of a blue haze, it must be evolved by people who are alive in and part of modern life, a life that in the first instance is a materialistic one.

The moment we wish to see materialism in the light of the true progress of humankind we must develop a particular basic feeling, the very feeling that many people of the present age, and above all academics of the present age, do not have. This is the feeling that everything immediately around us in the world we perceive with the senses, everything our eyes see, our ears hear and so on, is not real and that we should not look for reality in that direction. We must develop the feeling that it is utterly mistaken to look for atoms and molecules in the world we perceive around us and to consider them to be real, or even commemorative coin. Some scientists are particularly proud to say that they do not take atoms and molecules to be real but use them as ideograms, ideal points in space. It is immaterial, however, if you assume atoms to be physical or ideal points. What matters is whether you take a living comprehension of spiritual entities as your starting point or whether you consider the idea of such living comprehension an abomination and base yourself entirely on what may be gained in the material world. This applies also to atoms seen as points where forces are located. As soon as you base yourself on atomistic ideas you find yourself in a materialism that must lead to doom. We can only deal properly with the world we perceive through the senses if we treat it as a phenomenon, as a form of manifestation. Matter is not even present in the things we perceive through the senses. We must therefore develop the feeling—we can do this thanks to the findings reported in the anthroposophical literature—that when we use our eyes and look out at the whole starry firmament, the cloud formations, the contents of the three kingdoms (mineral, plant and animal) and also the fourth kingdom, the human kingdom, we must not look for anything material in the things that come to us through sensory perception. Matter is not behind any of them! All we perceive are phenomena like the phenomenon of the rainbow, for example, though they may appear more solid than a rainbow. No one should consider a rainbow to have some kind of outer reality—like a solid bridge with its span in seven colours—but see it only as a phenomenon. In the same way we should regard all the things we encounter through our senses as phenomena, however solid they may appear. A rock crystal can of course be taken hold of, whilst in the case of the rainbow we could not take hold of anything. Yet although it may affect our sense of touch, it should still be called a phenomenon. We must not allow our fantasy to create some kind of physical reality, in spite of the view of nature that is generally taken today, a view that is following the wrong path. The 'physical' phenomena we come across therefore are definitely not material phenomena, are not the reality of matter. They are mere phenomena; they come and go out of another reality that we cannot comprehend unless we are able to conceive of it in the spirit. That is the feeling we must evolve—not to look for matter in the outer world.

The real goal of anthroposophical development is missed above all by people who despise outer materiality, people who say: ‘The things we perceive in an outer way are mere matter; we must rise above such things!’ That is quite wrong. The things we perceive outside are not material, we cannot look to them to find the world of matter. We simply do not find matter in the world that impresses itself on the senses. You will come to see this if you read what our anthroposophical literature has to say, and take it in the right spirit.

You then need to develop this feeling further. Here we come to aspects that people find highly uncomfortable today because they come very close to the experience we know can be had with the Guardian of the Threshold. They are uncomfortable; yet unless we enter into them we will make no progress in inner development. We have to go through inevitable discomfort if we are to get from theory to reality. The search for truth must be based on facts. Anyone who thinks matter can be found in the world which we call the material world—the world we perceive with the senses—is mistaken, and the error involves more than mere theory. There are people who think that because others say it is 'matter' it really is matter; this kind of word-cleverness is in vogue nowadays. If anyone thinks it is enough just to say: ‘It Is wrong to look for matter in the world we perceive with the senses’, they cannot be said to be speaking out of spiritual science working towards anthroposophy. Spiritual science does not consist in correcting other people's theories. Spiritual science must make the search for truth a deed. It must be a search for knowledge based on strong will impulses, that is, it must enter into the facts even where it merely makes definitions or explains things. And this is where the situation gets uncomfortable.

It is easy to say to someone that they are wrong in thinking that matter is to be found within the outside world, which we perceive with the senses, and to tell them to change their views. That is just talking theory. To accept theories, to oppose theories, to correct them—all that is theoretical talk. Spiritual science cannot in all reality be satisfied with this. The essential thing is to develop our sensibilities to a point where we perceive that someone caught up in materialistic views of the material world has a thoroughly unhealthy organism. We must progress from purely logical definition to a definition that takes hold of realities, in this case the constitution of the human individual. We must become convinced that it is not merely wrong logic to say that matter is to be found in the world we perceive with the senses, but that anyone who considers that what his senses perceive is physical substance is truly on the road to constitutional feeblemindedness. We must perceive that it is sickness to be materialistic in that sense.

We want our ideas to take hold of reality. We cannot do so whilst we continue to think in theories. Everybody supposes that they only need to have good instruction to change their views. Spiritual science always demands that we are alive as we develop and that we restore ourselves to health where we have been materialistic in the above sense, since a departure from the right way means sickness, the road to feeblemindedness.

At this point things come very close to the insights to be gained in meeting the Guardian of the Threshold. When we encounter the Guardian of the Threshold and thus enter into worlds other than the physical world--worlds that add something new to the physical world—all theory comes to an end, the intellectual mists clear and reality begins, with every word saturated with reality. Then we can no longer say that someone is expressing correct or incorrect views. We have to say that they express their views out of a sick or a healthy mind. Then we encounter reality. Nor can we say that someone should correct their views. Instead we must say: ‘If you are on the road to sickness, to feeblemindedness, you must change course and develop a strong, healthy mind again.’ You see it is not enough to correct the so-called philosophies that spread their mists about. For anyone wishing to become a spiritual scientist it is essential to go through a change that is a very real process, and not to be satisfied with something that is intellectual, logical or theoretical. The gravity of the present situation is such that the pathological nature of an intellectual view of the world must be vividly apparent to us.

An attempt has been made to outline one particular aspect, to characterize in the light of reality the materialistic aspect of our cultural life today. The other aspect, the polar opposite of this, is the mystical approach. Mysticism is the refuge of many people who are dissatisfied With materialism. They find that materialism is not right and therefore feel they must follow a different philosophy, a different path in their search for truth than the paths followed by materialism. People then try to develop by following an inner path and to find the spirit along that path. I have frequently spoken of mysticism as a spiritual stream that has the same right to exist in its one-sidedness as materialism has, providing one perceives this one-sidedness. I have spoken of mysticism as a kind of reaction against the materialism which has developed in the American and European civilizations over the last centuries. I have referred to this a number of times, also in the pamphlet published during the war that was also sent to the men at the front.43Durch den Geist zur Wirklichkeits-Erkenntnis der Menschenrätsel: Philosophie und Anthroposophie. Vier Marchen (aus den Mysteriendramen). Anthroposophisicher Seelenkalender. Der Seelen Erwachen, 7. und 8. Bild. [Discovering the reality of the riddles of human nature through the spirit. Philosophy and Anthroposophy. Four tales (from the Mystery Plays). Calendar of the Soul. The Soul's Awakening, scenes 7 and 8]. Berlin 1918. This mystical stream must be considered in more detail, again without any of the theorizing that is so common. When it comes to mysticism, people think that by withdrawing from outer life and entering deeply into their inner life they will find the spark of which Meister Eckhart spoke.44TN. Eckhart, Johannes, known as Meister Eckhart, German mystic. They think they will come upon the revelation of the true spirit that cannot be found in the outer material world. Mystics do however tend to be real materialists. Taking the opposite route, mystics mostly are harsh people and out-and-out materialists. They start to shout as soon as the material world is mentioned, considering themselves superior to such things—as has often been said, they feel they are above such things. The point however is that we must not merely theorize but go into the reality. The point is that we must look for the reality behind those mystical endeavours. It is important to realize what comes to life in us when we become mystics, what is active in us when we become mystics. You can find out about it from the anthroposophical literature. We have to say that this is the very soil where physical matter is to be found. We find materiality active in us when we become mystics. Consider even the most sublime mystic—what is he bringing into play in his soul? He brings into play things that boil and bubble in his metabolism, however refined and subtle this metabolism may be. Matter as such is to be found within the human skin, and not in the outside world that impresses us through the senses. We come upon physical matter when we allow things ignited in the metabolism to arise within us. Look at the way Meister Eckhart spoke of God with such depth and conviction. He actually told how he had scrupulously brought to awareness what was bubbling and boiling in his metabolism. It seemed to him to work towards the central heart and there to become transformed into something that could be perceived as a spark of the divine self in the human being. That is the small flame metabolism ignites in the heart.

The true nature of physical matter is thus found by following the path of mysticism. The genuine fruits of Goetheanism must be raised to a higher philosophy of life. In the same way we must clearly understand that the fruits of mysticism must be considered to gain an interpretation of activity in the material sphere. We do not discover material processes in our chemical laboratories. When a chemist is at work in the laboratory, the processes taking place in the retort are external phenomena, just as a rainbow is an external phenomenon. That, too, is phenomenon and has no real materiality to it. We learn about real materiality when we see the bubbling and boiling of the processes that go on inside our skin ignite the way a stearin candle ignites to burn with a flame. That is where materiality has to be sought, and we only see mysticism in its right light when we realize that all the inner experiences mysticism provides in its one-sideness are material effects; true materiality is to be sought in there. We must not look for physical matter by analyzing chemical processes. We must look for physical matter in every organic form that goes through its complex chemism and physiology inside the human skin. Mysticism gives us the solution to the riddle of physical matter. Mysticism however only gives us the solution to the riddle of physical matter. We must not reinterpret the inner materiality of the human organism to the effect, for instance, that when we see a burning candle we say: 'That cannot be the fruit of something inherent in the candle. There is a tiny spirit inside that candle and this spirit produces the flame.' That would be nonsense of course. It is also nonsense to look for the reality of the spirit in the experiences of a mystic.

It is necessary to arrive at a very definite idea, even if this is difficult. This is a threshold truth. We do not get far with what can be achieved in mysticism, for there we are dealing with phenomena that are like opiates, we are given up to our egotistical desires that allow themselves to be defined as anything but the materialistic aspects of our own inner processes. The bewildering multitude of phenomena surrounding us in the world of the senses does not allow us to go so far as to realize that in fact none of it has any materiality. Let us consider what we are actually seeing when we look at a distant planet, say, or a fixed star out there in space. What are we actually seeing? We do not see the green plant cover of the ground, the cloud formations, brown or grey earth and so on that we see around us on this earth. The stars and even the moon are too far distant for that. Everything that lives out there on those alien heavenly bodies has an inner aspect, has material processes that have been transformed. What we see through the telescope are the material processes active in the highest form of existence on the star in question. In the same way, if that other star, let us say the moon, were to look at us through a telescope, would it see our plants, animals and so on? No, the earth is far too far away for that. Pointing a telescope at the earth the moon would be looking into your stomachs, hearts and so on. That is the content which shines forth into the cosmos. The human kingdom is the highest on earth and because of this someone looking from outside would see what goes on inside human skins. When these things which are visible to distant stars become ignited in our own inner awareness they are the things mystics experience.

So you see that anyone seriously devoted to the anthroposophical view will have to penetrate this second, equally uncomfortable threshold truth that it is mysticism which teaches us what matter is on earth. We cannot know anything about even the simplest of earthly forces if we merely look at the outside world. Just open a book on physics. You know it discusses gravitation, earthly gravity. It always includes the comment, however, that it is impossible to know the true nature of gravity. People are in fact rather pleased with themselves when they explain that the essential nature of gravity is not known.

How can we get to know the nature of the force that makes the chalk fall down when I let go of it? The force called gravity can be understood as follows. At a certain point in life, perhaps after the thirtieth year or even earlier—it depends on how kindly destiny deals with us—we can make a discovery when we observe ourselves in the light of spiritual science, rather than by the usual methods of observation. The methods of spiritual science do to some extent introduce us to the methods of genuine self-observation. About the thirty-second year, therefore, we can make a discovery. Observing ourselves not in the abstract way of mystics but genuinely, we shall achieve genuine self-observation; for instance by noting that living from the thirty-fifth to the fortieth year, say, we have changed at the organic level. Some will note that their hair has turned grey; it also happens nowadays that men grow bald. We find we have changed. Unless however we have gained the ability to observe ourselves we shall have no experience of these changes, we shall not have inward experience of what happens with these changes. The experience can be gained if people apply to themselves what it says in my book Knowledge of the Higher Worlds.45Wie erlangt man Erkenntnisse der höheren Welten? 1904. GA 10. English translation: Knowledge of the Higher Worlds. G. Metaxa tr., D.S. Osmond, C. Davy rev. London: Rudolf Steiner Press 1976. From about the thirty-second year onwards we have the experience that the body has to be carried differently, that it becomes heavier. That is our inward experience of gravity, of gravitation. It has to be experienced inwardly.

None of the wishy-washy things talked about in mysticism are as important as a concrete fact like this, the inner experience of growing heavier. You cannot gain this experience if some person stands here and lets a stone drop from his hand. You do not observe the gravitational pull by watching a stone drop, for stones have no real materiality. You must observe yourself, this time looking not into space but into time, that is, the way you experience things before and after. We must progress from experience in space to experience in time Things never to be found in the world of the senses must be gained through inward experience. They are the second element belonging to reality.

Experiencing the outer world of the senses we have truth but no knowledge. Experiencing inwardly in a abstract mystical way we have merely knowledge and no truth, for we are under an illusion concerning the basic phenomenon of inner life; inward experience being the flickering flames of material processes. Anyone looking for materiality in the outside world is interpreting the world in an ahrimanic way. Someone else may merely look for truth in an abstract way within himself; he or she is interpreting the world in a luciferic way. Genuine spiritual science in the light of anthroposophy holds the balance between the two, with truth and knowledge interweaving. We must look for truth at one extreme and knowledge at the other and become aware that living realities become polar opposites when knowledge is brought into truth and truth into knowledge. Then the search for truth becomes a real deed. Then something is happening. We are not merely producing logical definitions or correcting our views, but something is happening when human beings endeavour to gain inner experience of knowledge and look for the truth outside them, endeavouring also to let each enter into the other.

This has to be understood in the present age. The present age must understand that human beings must hold the balance between the two extremes, between the ahrimanic and the luciferic poles. People always tend to go in one direction. In the Trinity Group46Trinity Group: a sculpture in wood generally referred to as the Group Sculpture at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. It shows the Representative of Humanity between Lucifer and Ahriman. in Dornach the luciferic element is above and the ahrimanic below. The Christ is in the middle, holding the balance. These things can be presented as ideas, can be made into the essence of ideas. They then become truth and knowledge. It is also possible to represent them in art, but then we have to forget about mere ideas and seek to find them—in line, in form, in configuration. Then it becomes the Trinity Group in Dornach, for instance. The whole is of the spirit, however.

Mysticism is one-sided and so is materialism. We must know that the two have to be interwoven and we must be alive in our doing' knowing that the true inwardness of the human being is to be found in being alive in one's doing. Our age wants to be one-sided and embrace materialism and this means that it is indeed on the road to feeblemindedness. I have shown that we must not be content with theories but must know in truth and reality that materialism shows itself to be what it is—a road to feeblemindedness—as soon as we meet the Guardian of the Threshold. We must aim for a state of health, and not merely disprove things in order to arrive at something else. The opposite extreme is abstract mysticism. We should be able to develop the feeling that in reality it is the road to infantilism—to put it bluntly, to childishness—a condition appropriate only for small infants. A child as yet untouched by the world, living entirely in physical materiality, in the processes of its physical organs, is exactly the type of the mystic, though the mystic will have the same experiences at a later stage than a child. They will of course feel different, those experiences, but an infant also experiences this concentration of organic activity in the heart. Sensing this concentration it will kick its legs in the air and wave its arms about and we can see how this peripheral activity is the opposite to the concentration of activity in the heart. If people remain childish all their lives, if they are too lazy to take in the things that only materialism can give, they reject outer materiality; it means nothing to them, they see it as something low that must be overcome. And then they kick their legs in the air and in doing so produce their mysticism. That is the threshold truth, the unpalatable threshold truth. Everything that is abstract and mystical, inducing a feeling of self-gratification when people concern themselves with mysticism nowadays, with things that make them lick their lips when they appear in print, though in reality they are the equivalent of kicking one's legs in the air in one's thoughts—all that is infantile. It has to be clearly understood that whereas materialism leads to feeblemindedness, abstract mysticism leads to infantilism, to childishness. True life is found when we find the balance, the equilibrium, between materialism and mysticism.

Again it is rather difficult to do this, and things really get uncomfortable. When you want to balance the scales you must not despise anything that is present in excess on one side and upsetting the balance. You must really try to put into both scales what is needed to maintain equilibrium. In the same way you should not despise anything that takes you into the sphere of matter, saying to yourself that it will cause feeblemindedness. Quite the contrary: anyone wishing to enter into things must step boldly into reality, saying to himself: 'I will have to follow the path that would lead to feeblemindedness if I were one-sided in my pursuit; but I am armed against it. I am also armed against remaining one-sidedly on the other path; I retain what is necessary from childhood days but do not remain a child.' That is how the balance must be sought between materialism and mysticism. That is a true sense of life. The sense of life holds the balance between feeblemindedness and childishness. Anyone who cannot be bothered to see these things clearly will not be able to enter into reality. People Only grow feebleminded if they fail to note that normal people have to overcome feeblemindedness day by day, hour by hour. Feeblemindedness is a constant threat and we only remain human by remaining childish, i.e. inspired. Anyone holding on to childishness in the right measure is a genius. We are geniuses only to the extent to which we have held on to childishness into our thirties; but this childishness must be properly counterbalanced. Thus we have to say that we are all in danger—how shall I put it—of becoming geniuses or remaining childish infants. It could go one way or the other.

As soon as we come close to threshold truths, our ordinary ways of expressing ourselves no longer work; things that normally are quite separate blend into each other at this point. All words acquire a different meaning, and we might say—it would be quite amusing to represent this in a painting or sculpture—‘Here is the threshold of the spiritual world, with one individual on one side and one on the other; one is active in the spiritual sphere, the other in the material world, and they are yelling at each other. The one who is in the spiritual world yells: “Childishness!” The other yells across from the material world “Sheer genius!” ’Just as a tree looks different when seen from another point of view so things look different depending on whether we look at them from the spiritual point of view or out of materialism. From the spiritual point of view the genius of someone who has retained the ways of a child, forming ideas in play, has to be called childishness, we must see it as childishness when we are on the spiritual side. Childishness is regarded in a different way from that point of view. There we know that human beings descend from the spiritual world, that they come to live in a physical body; we see that a child is still lacking in skills, is still undeveloped, but we also see the most sublime spirituality alive in that child.

It has caused considerable annoyance to some people—that numskull Dessoir,47Dessoir, Max. Vom Jenseits der Seele. Die Geheimwissenschaften in kritischer Betrachtung (From the beyond of the soul. A critical assessment of the occult sciences). S. 254 ff. Stuttgart 1917. for example—that in a small work I published. Spiritual Guidance of Man and Humanity,48Die geistige Fahrung des Menschen und der Menschheit, 1910. GA 15. English translation: The Spiritual Guidance of Man and Humanity. H.B. Monges tr. New York: Anthroposophical Press 1970. I have shown that the wisdom involved in giving shape and form to the brain of a child is far greater than the wisdom human individuals are able to produce in later life. Numskulls like Dessoir cannot grasp this. For them, the full range of wisdom is what they write in their books. The thing is, however, that when we say 'childishness' from the spiritual point of view we perceive how the human spirit has descended as a ray of the divine spirit, and that it was fully developed when it did so. It entered into a human body that was still undeveloped, taking hold of it, working it, with the result that after just a few months the brain has become something different, and the whole body is something different in the seventh and fourteenth year of life, and so on. Childishness is not a term of abuse, therefore, for childishness is seen to be the descent of the spirit into the physical world, a first taking hold of the body, a stage where one is still a child, still in a human condition where the head has not yet been cleared of the spirit. That will happen as the rest of the body develops, for this develops fastest, whilst the head contains far more spirit. That is the image we have when we speak of childishness from the spiritual point of view. The head of a child is full of spirit and—this is an unpalatable truth—as we get older the spirit gets less and less, our heads become more and more petrified. A child still has a great deal of the spirit. This gradually evaporates. I may be permitted to use the term 'evaporate' in the sense that the spirit evaporates from the head down into the rest of the organism. So you see I am speaking of something most sublime when I speak of childishness as it is seen from beyond the threshold. If I speak of childishness from the earthly point of view it means that one has failed to progress. The language of the earth and that of heaven are different, alas, and it is part of the tragedy of our age that people do not even want to understand the language of heaven. Since it has become customary to speak in the most earthly terms possible from the pulpit it is no longer possible for people to understand the language of heaven.

It then can easily happen, when one has something to say within a certain context—expressing it out of that context, of course, and having prepared the way before saying the words that come from beyond the threshold, words to the effect that the entities of the spiritual world evaporate downwards—that the following may occur. Let me present a picture to you of something that really happened. It may happen, then, that someone writes: ‘Steiner says things evaporate in a downward and not an upward direction.’ Some professor of anatomy49Prof. Hugo Fuchs, Goettingen. See also Rudolf Steiner, ‘Ein paar Worte zum Fuchs-Angriff’ (A few words on the attack made by Fuchs), in Dreigliederung des sozialen Organismus 2. Jahrg. Nr. 5 (Aug. 1920); reprinted in Aufsätze zur Dreigliederung des sozialen Organismus and zur Zeitlage 1915-1921 GA 24. gets hold of this and reads it out to an audience which he himself has prepared by asking them to bring children's trumpets and rattles when someone is going to talk about genuine anthroposophy. So a lecture on anthroposophy is given. Then the professor has the word and reads out something like this, having somehow got hold of it, and the students use the trumpets and rattles they have brought along to produce the kind of scientific argument that has become customary in those circles. This is something that really happened in Goettingen the other day. Have a look at the supplement to the recent issue of our Threefold Order journal.50Dreigliederung des sozialen Organismus 2. Jahrg. Nr. 4, Beilage (Juli 1920). You will find it there.

These are serious times in which we live and on Friday I want to continue in the vein in which I started today, when I characterized the true face of materialism for you on the one side and that of mysticism on the other. I will then show you what we are called on to do. We are not called today to gather in sectarian groups, but to come alive and intervene in what goes on in life, bringing anthroposophical impulses into the world of the present cultural life. If we understand what the present age asks of us we cannot remain one-sided materialists or mystics, we must take the road to reality. I have tried to characterize this in the pamphlet. Mr Molt took the trouble to put into print for the men at the front, so that they might learn something of the anthroposophical spirit. We must always keep In mind that these are serious times in which we live and that we shall only feel able to cope if we are open to the approach of something that properly speaking cannot even be given a name, using the old forms of speech, but imposes the necessity to find new forms of speech if the truth of our age is to be found. The search for knowledge must go beyond mere rumination, it must become an active deed. Then humankind will not slither into the doom of the Western world, for we shall find the upward path again. As long as materialism continues to use the symbols of childishness—those trumpets and rattles—to rebut anthroposophy, and mysticism makes use of materialism, dressing up utterly material processes as something spiritual, we shall slither into the doom of the Western world at full tilt. It is not a question of ruminating but of really doing something.

Sechster Vortrag

Durch die Betrachtungen, die auch von dieser Stelle hier in der letzten Zeit angestellt worden sind, ging ja ein Grundton. Immer wieder wurde ausgegangen von der Notwendigkeit, den Ernst der Zeit ins Auge zu fassen, wenn an die Aufgaben, an die Absichten, die mit unserer anthroposophischen Bewegung verbunden sind, gedacht werden soll. Diesem Grundton war dann in einer gewissen Weise angemessen, was in diesen Betrachtungen mitgeteilt worden ist und was auch eine Stütze sein soll, um diesen Grundton immer mehr und mehr in einer größeren Zahl unserer Mitglieder als Seelenempfindung zu entwickeln. In dieser Art wollen wir auch fortfahren, und da möchte ich vor allen Dingen heute auf etwas hinweisen, was uns gewissermaßen innerlich hineinstellen kann in die anthroposophisch orientierte geisteswissenschaftliche Bewegung,

Wie faßt man denn gewöhnlich aus den ganzen Entwickelungsströmungen der abendländischen Kultur — der ja heute, wie Sie wissen, durch das Buch von Oswald Spengler sogar wissenschaftlich der Untergang bewiesen wird -, wie faßt man denn innerhalb dieser abendländischen Kultur, gleichgültig ob man es mehr oder weniger zugibt oder nicht, Erkenntnis auf? Gerade diejenigen, die sich einbilden, so recht praktisch im Leben drinnenzustehen, fassen ja heute Erkenntnis auf als Theorie und nicht als wirkliche Tat der Menschenseele. Und darauf kommt es heute gerade an, daß wir uns durchringen, Erkenntnis auffassen zu können als Tat der Menschenseele, so auffassen zu können, daß wir, indem wir erkennen, nicht irgendeine Theorie, eine Anschauung nur im Auge haben, sondern daß wir etwas im Auge haben, was willensdurchtränkte Tat im ganzen Zusammenhang der Erden- und Menschheitsentwickelung ist.

Ich möchte zunächst mehr methodisch an einer Tatsache der geistigen Welt klarmachen, was zu verstehen ist unter Erkenntnis als Tat. Ich habe ja öfter auf zwei entgegengesetzte Strömungen im Leben der menschlichen Seele hingewiesen. Die eine Strömung ist die abstrakt-mystische Strömung, die andere ist die abstrakt-materialistische Strömung. Die abstrakt-materialistische Strömung ist diejenige, welche heraufgezogen ist im Laufe der letzten drei bis vier Jahrhunderte aus der Entwickelung der Naturwissenschaft heraus und im Grunde alle diejenigen Kreise ergriffen hat, die heute für den Fortgang der Menschheitsentwickelung in Betracht kommen. Es kommen ja für den wirklichen Fortgang der Menschheitsentwickelung kaum die traditionellen Religionsbekenntnisse, so wie sie offiziell vertreten werden, heute noch in Betracht. Für die Förderung des weiteren Unterganges der abendländischen Kultur würden diese traditionellen Religionsbekenntnisse, so wie sie offiziell vertreten werden, allerdings in Betracht kommen.

Also, wenn es sich zum Beispiel darum handeln würde, daß die Spenglersche Idee von dem Untergang des Abendlandes sich wirklich realisieren sollte, dann würden mitarbeiten können die traditionellen Religionsbekenntnisse, so wie sie offiziell vertreten werden von den Jesuiten, von den positiv Evangelischen und so weiter; nicht aber würden sie in Betracht kommen für dasjenige, was fortschreitet. Es ist, wie ich ja öfter bemerkt habe, selbst bei denjenigen, die es gar nicht wissen, die materialistische Strömung heute deutlich bemerkbar. Es ist das ja wohl das Charakteristische, und wir müssen uns immer daran erinnern, daß sogar die theosophische Weltanschauung, als sie unter diesem Namen «theosophische Weltanschauung» auftrat, in gewissen Kreisen von Materialismus befallen war. Denn was waren schließlich die Schilderungen vom Ätherleib und Astralleib des Menschen von seiten dieser Kreise, die immer wieder auf den Äther- und Astralleib als bloße Verdünnungen von Materie hinwiesen und die sich nur irgendwelchen Nebel darunter vorstellten, was waren sie denn anderes als maskierter, spirituell maskierter Materialismus? Am meisten spirituell maskierter Materialismus ist natürlich der Spiritismus, der zwar vom Geiste spricht, aber nichts anderes will, als den Geist in materieller Form beweisen, in materieller Form vorstellen. Alles das, was durch die populäre Literatur, vor allen Dingen durch unsere populären Bücher und Zeitungen, welche in allen möglichen Artikeln die Leute unterrichten von dem, was «richtig» ist, alles, was so unter die Menschen kommt, ganz gleichgültig ob von katholischer oder von evangelischer Seite, das ist vom Materialismus durchfressen. Dieser Materialismus ist etwas, das auf der einen Seite zusammenhängt mit der fortschreitenden Kultur. Man hat ihn daher zu berücksichtigen, indem man sich positiv damit beschäftigt. Was historisch traditionell ist wie die Religionsbekenntnisse, das muß natürlich, wenn es Angreifer des Neuen wird, dieses Neue in der intensivsten Weise bekämpfen; aber das ist nicht etwas, womit sich das Gegenwartsvorstellen ernsthaft zu befassen hat, denn es ist etwas, was sich in absteigender Richtung bewegt. Dagegen ist der Materialismus etwas, was — selbstverständlich in materialistischer Färbung, in materialistischer Interpretation —- doch eben das hervorbringt, was man in der Gegenwart wissen muß. Man muß wissen, wenn man mitarbeiten will an den Fortschritten des geistigen Lebens, was die materialistische Anatomie, die materialistische Physiologie, die materialistische Biologie, was die Soziologie in der Gegenwart zutage fördert, man muß drinnenstehen in demjenigen, was auf diesem Weg gewußt werden kann, und man muß gerade aus diesem Wissen heraus die Kraft gewinnen, das materialistische Wissen, die materialistische Denk- und Vorstellungsweise umzuwandeln in ein spirituelles Wissen. Es ist also wertvoll innerhalb der heutigen Gegenwart, sich auseinanderzusetzen mit demjenigen, was der Materialismus als Inhalt enthält. Man kann heute nicht in dem Sinn, wie es sich manche denken, sagen wir, die katholische Philosophie des Mittelalters umwandeln. Nur so, wie ich es in Dornach gezeigt habe mit der Thomistik, kann man sie umwandeln, doch da wandelt sie sich selber um. Man kann aber den Materialismus metamorphosieren in spirituelles inneres Seelenleben. Daher ist es ganz unbegründet, wenn von Anthroposophen verachtet wird dasjenige, was der Materialismus hervorbringt. Mit dem muß gerechnet werden. Man kann nicht aus dem blauen Dunst heraus Anthroposophie entwickeln, sondern man muß sie entwickeln im lebendigen Drinnenstehen im gegenwärtigen Leben, und dieses Leben ist eben zunächst das materialistische Leben.

Nun muß man in dem Augenblick, wo man im Sinn des wirklichen Menschheitsfortschrittes den Materialismus empfinden will, eine Grundempfindung in sich entwickeln, gerade jene Grundempfindung, welche weiteste Kreise in unserer Gegenwart, namentlich die gegenwärtigen Gelehrtenkreise, gar nicht entwickeln. Es ist die Empfindung, daß alles dasjenige, was uns zunächst in der Wahrnehmungswelt umgibt, was unsere Augen sehen, was unsere Ohren hören und so weiter, nicht eine Realität ist und daß darinnen gar nicht die Realität gesucht werden darf, daß es also grundfalsch ist, wenn man innerhalb dieser äußeren Wahrnehmungswelt Atome und Moleküle sucht als Realitäten, auch in dem Sinne, daß sie Denkmünzen sein sollen. Darauf sind ja manche Vertreter der Wissenschaft besonders stolz, daß sie sagen, sie nehmen gar nicht in den Atomen und Molekülen eine Realität an, sondern nur Gedankenformen, gewissermaßen Gedankenpunkte, die im Raume sind. Aber darauf kommt es nicht an, ob man materielle Punkte oder solche Gedankenpunkte in den Atomen annimmt, sondern darauf, ob man ausgeht von einem lebendigen Erfassen geistiger Wesenheiten, oder ob man dieses lebendige Erfassen perhorresziert und ausgeht von dem, was man nur in der materiellen Welt gewinnt. Und das gilt, auch als Punktkräfte, von den Atomen. Sobald man ausgeht von atomistischen Vorstellungen, steckt man schon in einem in den Untergang hineinführenden Materialismus darinnen. Zurecht kommt man mit der Wahrnehmungswelt nur, wenn man sie als Phänomen, als Erscheinungswelt auffaßt. Was uns durch die Sinne entgegentritt, ist etwas, worinnen die Materie gar nicht ist. Also die Empfindung müssen wir in uns entwickeln - und wir können sie entwickeln durch die Ergebnisse, die niedergelegt sind in unserer anthroposophischen Literatur -, daß wir, wenn wir hinausschauen durch unsere Augen und den gesamten Sternenhimmel erblicken, die Wolkenkonfiguration erblicken, die Inhalte der drei Reiche, des Mineralischen, Pflanzlichen und Tierischen, aber auch des vierten Reiches, des Menschenreiches erblicken, daß wir in alledem, was wir so wahrnehmungsgemäß an uns herantreten finden, nicht suchen dürfen irgend etwas von Materie. Dahinter steckt keine Materie! Das sind durchaus solche Erscheinungen, solche Phänomene, wie zum Beispiel der Regenbogen selbst, wenn sie auch sonst derber auftreten als dieser Regenbogen. So wie niemand den Regenbogen als irgendeine äußere Realität — als eine wirkliche Brücke meinetwegen, die da gespannt ist in sieben Farben — anschauen soll, sondern als ein Phänomen, als eine Erscheinung, so soll jeder dasjenige, was ihm äußerlich entgegentritt durch die Sinne, als ein Phänomen, als eine Erscheinung auffassen, wenn es auch noch so derb auftritt. Auch beim Quarzkristall, wenn wir ihn auch greifen können - beim Regenbogen würden wir ja durchgreifen -, wenn auch der Gefühlssinn dabei affiziert ist, so müssen wir doch auch beim Quarzkristall nur sprechen von einem Phänomen; wir dürfen nicht hineinphantasieren irgendeine materielle Realität, gleichgültig wie es sich auch die heute auf Abwegen wandelnde Naturanschauung vorstellt. Also was wir als «materielle» Erscheinungen vorfinden, sind gar keine materiellen Erscheinungen, ist gar keine Materie in Wirklichkeit. Das sind eben nur Erscheinungen; sie sind das, was kommt und geht aus einer andern Wirklichkeit heraus, die wir nicht fassen, wenn wir sie uns nicht geistig denken können. Das ist die eine Empfindung, die wir entwickeln müssen: nicht die Materie in der äußeren Welt zu suchen!

Daher verfehlen das wirkliche Ziel anthroposophischer Entwickelung gerade diejenigen am allermeisten, die die äußere Materialität verachten, die sagen: Ach, das, was man äußerlich wahrnimmt, ist ja nur Materie, darüber muß man sich erheben! - Das ist eben gerade falsch. Gerade dasjenige, was wir äußerlich wahrnehmen, ist nicht materiell, darin können wir die Materie gar nicht suchen. Wir finden in der Welt, die auf uns Eindrücke macht durch unsere Sinne, eben gar nicht Materie. Das geht Ihnen aus dem hervor, wenn Sie in rechtem Geiste das lesen, was in unserer anthroposophisch orientierten Literatur niedergelegt ist.

Und dann müssen Sie diese Empfindung weiter ausbilden. Da kommt man dann auf Punkte, die dem gegenwärtigen Menschen recht unbequem sind, weil sie hart an das heranstreifen, was man die Erlebnisse beim Hüter der Schwelle nennt. Unbequeme Erlebnisse sind das; aber ohne daß man an sie herantritt, wird man nicht weiterkommen in der inneren Entwickelung. Man muß die Unbequemlichkeit auf sich nehmen, aus dem Theoretischen heraus- und ins Reale hineinzukommen. Erkenntnis muß gewissermaßen mit den Tatsachen rechnen. Wer die Anschauung hat, daß innerhalb der Welt, die wir die materielle nennen, Materie zu finden sei — mancher wird schon glauben, weil man sagt «Materie», so ist es Materie; mit solcher Wortweisheit geht man heute handeln -, wer also sagt, innerhalb der Wahrnehmungswelt sei Materie zu finden, der begeht nicht bloß einen theoretischen Irrtum. Und wer meint, damit sei alles getan, daß man sagt: Falsch ist es, innerhalb der Wahrnehmungswelt Materie zu suchen -, der steht auch noch nicht in der anthroposophisch orientierten Geisteswissenschaft darinnen; denn die bloße Korrektur einer theoretischen Anschauung ist noch nicht Geisteswissenschaft. Geisteswissenschaft muß die Erkenntnis als Tat nehmen, Geisteswissenschaft muß mit dem Willen durchdrungenes Erkennen sein, muß also in Realitäten hineingehen, schon wenn sie ihre Definitionen, ihre Erklärungen gibt. Und da wird die Sache unbequem.

Es ist leicht, wenn man sagt: Du hast die falsche Ansicht, daß innerhalb der äußeren Wahrnehmungswelt Materie zu finden sei; also korrigiere deine Ansicht! - Ja, das ist theoretisches Herumreden. Theorien annehmen, Theorien bekämpfen, sie richtigstellen, ist einfach theoretisches Herumreden, ist etwas, womit Geisteswissenschaft in Wirklichkeit nicht befriedigt sein darf; sondern es handelt sich darum, daß man in der Empfindung vorschreitet dazu, daß derjenige, der hängenbleibt an der materialistischen Vorstellung dem Materiellen gegenüber, in seinem ganzen Organismus ungesund ist. Man muß von der bloßen logischen Bezeichnung als unrichtig zu einer Bezeichnung übergehen, welche ins Wirkliche hineinfaßt, also in die Konstitution des Menschen hineinfaßt. Man muß überzeugt werden, daß es nicht bloß logisch unrichtig ist, zu sagen, in der Wahrnehmungswelt trete uns Materie entgegen, sondern daß derjenige, der in der Wahrnehmung Materie sieht, wirklich auf dem Weg zum konstitutionellen Schwachsinn ist, daß es also eine Krankheit ist, in dem angedeuteten Sinne Materialist zu sein.

Da will man mit seinem Vorstellen die Wirklichkeit erfassen. So lange man im Theoretischen bleibt, erfaßt man sie nicht. Und da setzt jeder voraus: Nun, man muß nur gut belehrt werden, dann kann man sich umstellen. — Geisteswissenschaft setzt aber überall die lebendige Entwickelung voraus, setzt voraus, daß man sich gesund macht, wenn man materialistisch in dem angedeuteten Sinn ist, weil das Abirren eine Krankheit ist, weil es der Weg ist zum Schwachsinn.

Da werden die Dinge hart herangerückt an dasjenige, was man als Erkenntnisse bekommt in der Begegnung mit dem Hüter der Schwelle. Denn wenn man in dieser Begegnung mit dem Hüter der Schwelle eintritt in die Welten, die andere sind als die physische Welt, die dieser physischen Welt etwas Neues hinzufügen, da hört alles Theoretisieren auf, hört alles auf, was im Intellekt nebelt, da beginnt Realität, da wird jedes Wort durchtränkt von Realität. Da kann man nicht mehr davon sprechen: Du behauptest etwas Richtiges oder Unrichtiges —, sondern da muß man sagen: Du behauptest etwas aus krankem oder aus gesundem Geist heraus. - Da kommt man auf Realitäten. Da kann man auch nicht sagen: Du mußt deine Ansicht berichtigen -, sondern da muß man sagen: Du mußt dich, wenn du auf dem Wege zum Kranksein, zum Schwachsinn bist, wiederum zum gesunden Starksinn umentwickeln. — Sie sehen, es genügt nicht, daß man heute sogenannte Weltanschauungen, die herumnebeln, rektifiziert, korrigiert, sondern es handelt sich tatsächlich, wenn man Geisteswissenschafter werden will, darum, daß man an sich einen realen Prozeß vollzieht und sich nicht begnügt mit etwas Intellektuellem oder Verstandesmäßigem oder Theoretischem. Wir leben heute in einer so ernsten Zeit, daß uns das Krankhafte des verstandesmäßigen Weltbetrachtens ganz lebendig vor die Seele treten muß.

Wir haben versucht, die eine Seite zu skizzieren, haben versucht, vom Wirklichkeitsstandpunkt aus die eine Seite dessen zu charakterisieren, was heute im Kulturleben vorgeht: die materialistische Seite. Die andere Seite, die Polarität dazu, ist das Mystische. Zu diesem Mystischen flüchten ja heute viele Menschen, welche unbefriedigt sind im Materialismus. Sie finden, daß dieser Materialismus etwas ist, was unrichtig ist, also muß man sich zu einer andern Weltanschauung bekennen, muß man auf einem andern Wege suchen, als diejenigen Wege sind, die der Materialismus geht. Dann versuchen die Menschen sich auf dem Wege des Inneren zu entwickeln, vorzudringen zu einem Erfassen des Geistigen. Es ist ja oftmals hier Mystik als eine Geistesströmung geschildert worden, die in ihrer Einseitigkeit selbstverständlich ebenso berechtigt ist, wenn man diese Einseitigkeit durchschaut, wie der Materialismus berechtigt ist, wenn man ihn in seiner Einseitigkeit durchschaut. Es ist die Mystik geschildert worden als eine Art Reaktion gegen dasjenige, was in den letzten Jahrhunderten als Materialismus heraufgekommen ist in der amerikanischen und europäischen Zivilisation. Aber es muß das, was wiederholt erwähnt worden ist, erwähnt worden ist auch in dem Schriftchen: «Durch den Geist zur Wirklichkeits-Erkenntnis der Menschenrätsel», das während des Krieges erschienen und ja auch ins Feld hinausgeschickt worden ist —, es muß diese mystische Strömung genauer ins Auge gefaßt werden, wiederum indem man nicht bloß auf dieses Theoretisieren eingeht, das man gewöhnlich im Auge hat. Wenn von Mystik die Rede ist, meinen die Leute, sie ziehen sich von dem äußeren Leben zurück, vertiefen sich in ihr Inneres und kommen dadurch heran an das Fünklein, von dem Meister Eckhart sprach; da offenbart sich, meinen sie, das wahre Geistige, das nicht enthalten sein kann im äußeren Materiellen. Die Mystiker sind aber oft rechte Materialisten. Also auf dem umgekehrten Weg sind gerade die Mystiker zu allermeist schroffe, starke Materialisten. Sie fangen an zu schimpfen, sobald von der materiellen Welt die Rede ist, finden sich zu gut, sich mit ihr zu beschäftigen — das wurde ja oft gesagt -, fühlen sich erhaben über das Materielle. Aber es handelt sich darum, daß man sich nicht bloß theoretisch mit den Dingen befaßt, sondern daß man zur Realität vorschreitet; es handelt sich darum, daß man wiederum das Wirkliche hinter diesem mystischen Streben ins Auge faßt. Es kommt darauf an, einzusehen, was denn eigentlich das Tätige in uns ist, wenn wir Mystiker werden, was da in uns etwas tut, wenn wir Mystiker werden. Sie können das wiederum aus unserer anthroposophisch orientierten Literatur ersehen. Und da müssen wir sagen: Da ist gerade der Boden, auf dem wir die Materie finden! Wir finden das Materielle wirken in uns, wenn wir Mystiker werden. Selbst der hohe Mystiker, was bringt er denn für Erscheinungen in sich zur Geltung? Dasjenige bringt er in sich zur Geltung, was brodelt und kocht in seinem Stoffwechsel, wenn dieser auch noch so verfeinert ist. Innerhalb der menschlichen Haut entdecken wir die eigentliche Materie, nicht in der Außenwelt, die auf uns Eindrücke macht. Wir entdecken die Materie, wenn wir das, was entzündet wird im Stoffwechsel, in uns aufsteigen lassen. Wenn wir zum Beispiel uns bei Meister Eckhart informieren, wie er so innerlich Gott geschildert hat: da weist er darauf hin, wie er sich sorgfältig zum Bewußtsein gebracht hat, was in seinem Stoffwechsel brodelt und kocht, was ihm erschien als nach dem Herzzentrum wirkend und dort sich umwandelnd in das, was wahrnehmbar wird als Fünklein des göttlichen Selbstes im Menschen; dieses ist das Flämmchen, das entzündet wird durch den Stoffwechsel im Herzen.

Da kommen wir auf das eigentliche Wesen des Materiellen, wenn wir Mystik treiben, und wir müssen, so wie man das echte Ergebnis des Goetheanismus in die höhere Weltanschauung erheben muß, so auch uns klar sein, daß die Ergebnisse der Mystik das sind, was man aufzusuchen hat in der Interpretation des materiellen Wirkens. Wir entdecken nicht im chemischen Laboratorium die materiellen Vorgänge. Nein, wenn der Chemiker in seinem Laboratorium arbeitet, dann ist dasjenige, was sich in der Retorte abspielt, nur eine äußere Erscheinung, wie der Regenbogen eine äußere Erscheinung ist. Auch das ist ein Phänomen, da ist nichts von einer wirklichen Materialität. Dasjenige, was wirklich Materialität ist, lernen wir kennen, wenn wir das Brodeln und Kochen unserer inneren, innerhalb der Haut gelegenen Vorgänge sich so entzünden sehen, wie sich die Stearinkerze zur Flamme entzündet. Da ist dasjenige, wohin gedeutet werden muß als auf die Materialität, und wir erfassen die Mystik nur richtig, wenn wir darauf kommen: Alles dasjenige, was die Mystik als solche als innere Erlebnisse hervorbringt in ihrer Einseitigkeit, ist materielle Wirkung, darinnen kann die echte Materialität gesucht werden. Wir sollen Materie nicht suchen, indem wir die chemischen Prozesse analysieren, wir sollen Materie suchen in jedem Gebilde, das innerhalb der menschlichen Haut seinen komplizierten Chemismus und seine komplizierte Physiologie vollzieht. Durch die Mystik lernen wir das materielle Rätsel lösen. Durch die Mystik lernen wir aber auch nur das materielle Rätsel lösen. Wir dürfen nicht umdeuten die innere Materialität der menschlichen Organisation so etwa in dem Stil, wie wenn wir sagen würden, wenn wir eine Flamme brennen sehen: die kann doch nicht das Ergebnis dessen sein, was in der Kerze ist, sondern in der Kerze steckt ein kleines Geistchen, das ruft die Flamme hervor. — Das ist natürlich Unsinn. Ebenso ist es Unsinn, wenn wir eine geistige Wirklichkeit suchen in dem, was der Mystiker erlebt.

Man muß sich da schon zu einer ganz bestimmten Vorstellung durchringen, zu einer Vorstellung, die eine Schwellenwahrheit ist. Mit dem, was in der Mystik erreicht wird, kommt man nicht sehr weit; denn wir stehen da in betäubenden Erscheinungen drinnen, hingegeben an unsere egoistischen Begierden, die sich nur ja nicht als materialistische Vorgänge der eigentlichen inneren Vorgänge schildern lassen möchten. Wir dringen nicht durch in der betäubenden Fülle der Erscheinungen, die uns in der Wahrnehmungswelt umgeben, bis zu der Erkenntnis, daß da eigentlich überall gar keine Materie darinnen ist. Aber überlegen wir uns, was wir eigentlich sehen, wenn wir zum Beispiel einen fernen Planeten oder einen Fixstern ansehen im Weltenraum draußen. Was sehen wir da eigentlich? Ja, was wir um uns herum auf der Erde sehen an grüner Pflanzendecke, an Wolkengebilden, an braungrauem Boden und so weiter, das sehen wir nicht, wenn wir in den Weltenraum hinausblicken und die Sterne sehen; dazu sind die Sterne, selbst der Mond, zu weit entfernt. Aber das, was da draußen ist, was da lebt auf diesen fremden Weltkörpern, das hat überall ein Inneres, hat umgewandelte stoffliche Vorgänge. Dieses, was da in den entsprechenden höchsten Wesen lebt als stoffliche Vorgänge, das sehen wir, wenn wir das Teleskop auf einen Stern richten. Ebenso, wenn der andere Stern, sagen wir der Mond, das Teleskop auf uns richten würde, sähe er dann unsere Pflanzen, Tiere und so weiter? Nein, dazu ist unsere Erde viel zu weit entfernt vom Monde. Aber wenn er sein Teleskop herunterrichtet auf die Erde, dann schaut er Ihnen in den Magen, in das Herz und so weiter. Das ist der Inhalt dessen, was hinausscheint in die Welt. Weil der Mensch unter den verschiedenen Reichen auf der Erde dem höchsten Reiche angehört, deshalb sieht man von auswärts dasjenige, was innerhalb der Menschenhäute vorgeht. Und dasjenige, was von den fernen Sternen aus gesehen werden kann, das wird, wenn es sich innerlich bewußt entzündet, von den Menschen als Mystik erlebt.

Sie sehen also, es muß der ganz ernsthaft der anthroposophischen Weltanschauung Ergebene auch diese zweite ebenso unbequemeSchwellenwahrheit durchdringen: daß es gerade die Mystik ist, die uns die Erdenmaterie kennen lehrt. Wir lernen nicht die einfachste Erdenkraft kennen, wenn wir nur die Außenwelt schauen. Nehmen Sie ein Physikbuch zur Hand. Sie wissen, es wird da von der Gravitation, von der Erdenschwere gesprochen; aber es wird stets hinzugefügt, das Wesen der Schwerkraft kenne man natürlich nicht. Man ist sogar recht selbstgefällig, wenn man auseinandersetzt, das Wesen der Schwerkraft kenne man nicht.

Wie lernt man das Wesen derjenigen Kraft kennen, die die Kreide herunterfallen läßt, wenn man sie losläßt aus der Hand? Die Kraft, die man die Schwerkraft nennt, man lernt sie auf folgende Weise kennen. Man wird in einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt seines Lebens, vielleicht vom dreißigsten Lebensjahre an, vielleicht auch schon früher, das hängt von der liebevollen Führung durch das Schicksal ab, etwas erkennen, wenn man sich selbst im geisteswissenschaftlichen Sinne, nicht in der gewöhnlichen Weise beobachtet — durch die Methoden der Geisteswissenschaft wird man ja etwas eingeführt in die Methoden wahrer Selbstbeobachtung -, also man wird ungefähr mit dem zweiunddreißigsten Lebensjahre etwas kennenlernen. Man wird, wenn man sich nicht so beobachtet, wie es die abstrakten Mystiker tun, sondern wenn man wirkliche Selbstbeobachtung lernt, zu dieser wirklichen Selbstbeobachtung kommen zum Beispiel, daß wenn man, nun sagen wir, vom fünfunddreißigsten bis zum vierzigsten Jahre lebt, man merkt, daß man organisch ein anderer geworden ist. Manche bemerken es daran, daß ihre Haare grau geworden sind; heute kommt es auch vor, daß die Männer in dieser Zeit Glatzen kriegen. Also man ist anders geworden. Aber wenn man nicht die Fähigkeit errungen hat, sich selbst zu beobachten, dann erlebt man dieses Anderswerden nicht, dann erlebt man nicht im inneren Dasein, wie dieses Anderswerden sich abspielt. Man kann es erleben, wenn man das auf sich anwendet, was in meinem Buche «Wie erlangt man Erkenntnisse der höheren Welten?» gesagt ist. Man kann es erfahren etwa vom zweiunddreißigsten Jahre an, wie das sich innerlich erlebt. Und dann lernt man erkennen an der Art und Weise, wie man immer seinen Körper anders tragen muß, wie der Körper schwerer wird. Dann erlebt man innerlich die Schwere, dasjenige, was man Gravitation nennt. Das muß man aber innerlich erleben.

All das Wischiwaschi, das in der Mystik zum Ausdruck kommt, ist nicht so wichtig wie solch eine konkrete Tatsache, wie man selber innerlich in dieser Zeit das Schwererwerden erleben kann. Das Schwererwerden können Sie nicht erleben lernen, wenn Sie hier einen Menschen haben und der nun einen Stein fallen läßt. Nicht an dem Fallen des Steines beobachten Sie die Schwere, denn der Stein enthält die wirkliche Materialität nicht. Das müssen Sie in sich selbst beobachten, indem Sie jetzt nicht auf den Raum schauen, sondern auf die Zeit, das heißt auf das, was Sie nacheinander erleben. Man muß übergehen vom räumlichen Erleben zum zeitlichen Erleben. Man muß erst die Selbstbeobachtung machen können. Man muß dasjenige, was in der äußeren Wahrnehmungswelt nimmermehr zu finden ist, durch innerliche Erlebnisse finden. Und diese sind das zweite Element der Wirklichkeit.

Derjenige, der die äußere Wahrnehmungswelt erlebt, was hat er? Er hat bloß Wahrheit, aber keine Wissenschaft. Derjenige, der innerlich erlebt, abstrakt-mystisch erlebt, der hat bloß Wissenschaft, aber keine Wahrheit; denn er täuscht sich selbst über das Grundphänomen des Inneren, weil das innere Erleben die Flammen materieller Vorgänge sind. Derjenige, der in der Außenwelt bloß Materialitäten sucht, interpretiert die Welt im ahrimanischen Sinne; der andere, der bloß die Wahrheit in abstrakt-mystischer Weise in seinem Inneren sucht, interpretiert sie in luziferischer Weise. Dasjenige, was gesucht werden muß als wahre anthroposophisch orientierte Geisteswissenschaft, ist das Gleichgewicht von beiden, ist das Durcheinanderweben von Wahrheit und Wissenschaft. Wir müssen die Wahrheit nach dem einen Pol und die Wissenschaft nach dem andern suchen und uns bewußt werden, wie die lebendigen Wirklichkeiten sich polarisieren, indem wir Wahrheit mit Wissenschaft und Wissenschaft mit Wahrheit durchdringen. Da wird Erkenntnis zu einer Tat, da geht etwas vor. Da wird nicht nur irgend etwas logisch definiert oder berichtigt, sondern da geht etwas vor, wenn der Mensch anstrebt, die Wissenschaft innerlich zu erleben und die Wahrheit äußerlich zu erfassen, und anstrebt, beide gegenseitig zu durchdringen.

Das ist dasjenige, was die Gegenwart begreifen muß. Die Gegenwart muß begreifen, daß der Mensch im Aquilibrium stehen muß zwischen den beiden Extremen, dem ahrimanischen und dem luziferischen. Der Mensch strebt immer nach einer Seite. Deshalb ist jene Trinitätsgruppe in Dornach so, daß das Luziferische oben, das Ahrimanische unten dargestellt ist, und der Christus in der Mitte, das Gleichgewicht haltend. Man kann diese Sachen in Ideen darstellen, kann sie bringen bis zum Destillat der Ideen, dann wird es Wahrheit und Wissenschaft. Man kann diese Dinge aber auch künstlerisch darstellen, dann muß man von allen bloßen Ideen absehen, dann muß man in der Linie, in der Form, in der Gestalt suchen, dann wird es eben zum Beispiel die Gruppe der Trinität in Dornach. Aber das Ganze ist von dem Geist durchdrungen.

Einseitig ist die Mystik und einseitig ist auch der Materialismus. Und wissen muß man, daß man beide ineinanderweben muß in lebendigem Tun und daß in diesem lebendigen Tun die tatsächliche Innerlichkeit des Menschen gesucht werden muß. Unsere Zeit will dagegen einseitig mit dem Materialismus sich befreunden und ist dadurch tatsächlich auf dem Wege zum Schwachsinn. Ich habe gezeigt, daß man nicht beim Theoretisieren stehenbleiben darf, sondern daß man wissen muß im Realen, im Wirklichen: Sobald du dem Hüter der Schwelle begegnest, zeigt sich dir, was der Materialismus ist — ein Weg zum Schwachsinnigwerden! Man muß sich gesund machen, muß nicht bloß widerlegen, um zu etwas anderem zu kommen. Das andere Extrem ist die abstrakte Mystik. Von ihr muß man die Empfindung bekommen können: Sie ist in Wirklichkeit der Weg zum Infantilismus, zur — wenn wir es deutsch sagen wollen, es gibt kein anderes deutsches Wort dafür — Kindsköpfigkeit, zum Auffassen der Welt in dem Sinne, wie es nur angemessen ist dem ganz jungen Kinde — Infantilismus! Also das noch nicht von der Welt berührte, rein in der physischen Materialität, in den physischen organischen Vorgängen lebende Kind stellt uns den Typus des Mystikers dar, nur wird man als Mystiker später dieselben Erlebnisse haben wie das Kind. Sie nehmen sich natürlich anders aus, diese Erlebnisse, aber das Kind empfindet auch dieses Sich-Konzentrieren der organischen Tätigkeit im Herzen, und wenn es dieses Konzentrieren empfindet, dann strampelt es, dann sehen wir, wie das peripherische Strampeln, das Bewegen nach außen das Gegenteil darstellt von dem Sich-Konzentrieren im Herzen. Wenn der Mensch sein ganzes Leben hindurch kindsköpfig bleibt, wenn er zu bequem ist, sich zu durchdringen mit demjenigen, was nur der Materialismus geben kann, dann lehnt er ab die äußere Materie; sie ist für ihn nichts, ist für ihn das Niedrige, über das er noch hinausstreben muß. Dann aber strampelt er auch, und indem er strampelt, bringt er seine Mystik hervor. Das ist die Schwellenwahrheit, die unbequeme Schwellenwahrheit. Aber alles abstrakt Mystische, was, so wie die Leute es heute treiben, wie Wollust berührt, so daß sie sich die Finger ablecken, wenn Dinge hingedruckt werden, die eigentlich nur ein Strampeln in Gedanken sind, das ist Infantilismus. Und man muß sich klar sein darüber: Wie der Materialismus zum Schwachsinn führt, so führt die abstrakte Mystik in die Krankheit des Infantilismus, der Kindsköpfigkeit. Aber das wahre Leben besteht darin, daß wir das Gleichgewicht, das Äquilibrium finden zwischen dem Materialismus und der Mystik.

Da ist die Sache wiederum etwas schwierig, denn da wird sie erst recht unbequem. Aber wenn Sie bei der Waage das Gleichgewicht suchen, dürfen Sie auch nicht dasjenige, was auf der einen Seite liegt, verachten, weil, wenn es zuviel ist, es wieder das Gleichgewicht stört, sondern Sie müssen versuchen, auf den beiden Waagschalen das Sich-das-Gleichgewicht-Haltende wirklich aufzulegen. So ist es nötig, daß Sie das nicht verachten, was in die Materie hineinführt und sich nicht nur sagen, das führt ja zum Schwachsinn. Im Gegenteil, derjenige, der eindringen will in die Sache, muß kühn in die Wirklichkeit vorrücken, muß sich sagen: Ich muß allerdings den Weg gehen, der, wenn er einseitig gegangen wird, zum Schwachsinn führt, aber ich bin gewappnet dagegen. Ich bin auch gewappnet dagegen, daß ich auf dem andern Wege stehenbleibe; ich bewahre mir das Nötige aus der Kindheit, bleibe aber nicht bei der Kindheitszeit stehen. - Also man muß das Gleichgewicht finden zwischen dem Materialismus und der Mystik: das ist echter Lebenssinn. Der Lebenssinn ist das Gleichgewicht zwischen Schwachsinn und Kindsköpfigkeit. Und wenn es einem nicht paßt, diese Sache zu durchschauen, so ist man eben unfähig, in die Wirklichkeit einzudringen. Menschen werden nur schwachsinnig, wenn sie nicht beachten, daß der normale Mensch Tag für Tag, Stunde für Stunde den Schwachsinn überwinden muß, der ihm immer droht, und daß er bloß Mensch bleibt, wenn er kindsköpfig, das heißt, genial bleibt. Denn wenn man im richtigen Äquilibrium die Kindsköpfigkeit bewahrt, dann ist man Genie. Man ist nur so viel Genie, als man in die Dreißigerjahre hinein die Kindsköpfigkeit bewahrt hat; aber sie muß im richtigen Äquilibrium drinnenstehen. So daß man eben sagen muß: In jedem liegt die Gefahr - ja, wie soll ich es jetzt sagen -, ein Genie zu werden oder ein Kindskopf zu bleiben. Man kann eigentlich beides sagen. Sobald man an Schwellenwahrheiten herandringt, gilt ja auch die gewöhnliche Ausdrucksweise nicht mehr; da weben die Dinge ineinander, die sonst gesondert sind. Alle Worte bekommen eine andere Bedeutung und man kann sagen, es wäre durchaus recht humorvoll, das Bild auch malerisch oder plastisch hinzustellen: Da ist die Schwelle zur geistigen Welt, hier steht der eine, und dadrüben steht der andere; der eine webt im Geistigen und der andere im Materiellen, und sie schreien sich an. Der eine aus der geistigen Welt schreit: Kindsköpfigkeit! - und der andere aus der materiellen schreit hinein: Genialität! Geradeso wie der Baum von der einen Seite anders aussieht als von der andern, so sehen die Dinge verschieden aus, je nachdem man sie ansieht vom geistigen Gesichtspunkt aus oder vom materiellen. Vom geistigen Gesichtspunkt aus muß man sprechen von Genialität, weil man sich bewahrt hat die Art des Kindes, des spielhaften Vorstellens, von Kindsköpfigkeit, weil man sieht auf das, was eben Kindsköpfigkeit ist, wenn man auf der geistigen Seite steht. Denn da sieht man die Kindsköpfigkeit anders an. Da weiß man, daß der Mensch herunterkommt von der geistigen Welt, daß er sich einlebt in einen physischen Leib, da sieht man, wie das Kind noch ungeschickt ist, wie aber in dem, was noch unentwickelt ist, schon darinnen lebt die höchste Geistigkeit.

Es hat ja einige Leute, wie zum Beispiel den Tropf Dessoir besonders geärgert, wie ich in meinem Büchelchen «Die geistige Führung des Menschen und der Menschheit» dargestellt habe, daß die Weisheit, die an der Ausgestaltung des Gehirns im Kinde arbeitet, viel gescheiter ist als die Weisheit, die der Mensch später in seinem Leben zum Ausdruck bringt. Das können Tröpfe wie Dessoir nicht begreifen; denn für sie ist der Umfang der Weisheit der, den sie zum Ausdruck bringen, wenn sie ihre Bücher schreiben. Aber die Dinge stehen so, daß wenn man von der geistigen Seite herüber sagt: Kindsköpfigkeit -, so sieht man, wie heruntergestiegen ist als Strahl der göttlichen Wesenheit der Menschengeist, in sich innerlich voll entwickelt. Der hat sich hineinbegeben in einen noch unentwickelten Menschenleib; den hat er ergriffen, den arbeitet er durch, so daß schon nach wenigen Monaten das Gehirn etwas anderes ist, als es war, daß der ganze Leib etwas anderes wird im siebenten, im vierzehnten Jahre und so weiter. Man spricht also von Kindsköpfigkeit nicht so, daß es ein Schimpfwort ist, sondern man spricht so, daß man die Kindsköpfigkeit als das bezeichnet, was sich darstellt als Heruntersteigen des Geistes in die physische Welt, als das erste Ergreifen des Leibes, das Noch-Kindsein, das Noch-in-einer-Menschenverfassung-Sein, wo der Mensch durch die Entwickelung des übrigen Leibes, der sich ja am schnellsten entwickelt, während der Kopf am meisten Geist enthält, im Kopf noch nicht gesäubert ist vom Geist. So sieht es aus, wenn man von der übersinnlichen Seite von Kindsköpfigkeit spricht. Denn in dem kindlichen Kopf ist viel Geist und — das ist eine unbequeme Wahrheit - mit zunehmendem Alter wird der Geist immer weniger, wir werden immer petrifizierter und petrifizierter in unserem Kopf. Das Kind hat noch viel Geist. Der verdunstet allmählich. Ich darf das Wort «verdunsten» so gebrauchen, daß der Geist vom Kopf heraus verdunstet in den übrigen Organismus hinunter. Sie sehen daraus, daß es der Ausdruck eines Höchsten ist, wenn ich von Kindsköpfigkeit spreche, von jenseits der Schwelle aus gesehen, und daß es der Ausdruck eines Stehenbleibens ist, wenn ich von Kindsköpfigkeit vom irdischen Standpunkt aus spreche, Allein die Sprache der Erde und die des Himmels sind eben einmal voneinander verschieden, und das ist die Tragik unserer Zeit, daß man gar nicht die Sprache des Himmels verstehen will. Seit es üblich geworden ist zu verlangen, daß auf den Kanzeln so irdisch als möglich geredet werde, haben die Leute die Möglichkeit verloren, die Sprache vom Jenseits zu verstehen. Und dann liegt es nahe, daß, wenn man einmal in einem Zusammenhang etwas vorzubringen hat, was man selbstverständlich aus dem Zusammenhang heraus ausdrückt und sagt, nachdem man vorbereitet hat zum Beispiel das Wort vom Jenseits der Schwelle: Die Wesenheiten der geistigen Welt verdunsten nach unten —, daß dann folgendes heute vorkommen kann, Ich will etwas, was da tatsächlich vorgekommen ist, im Bilde erwähnen. Dann kann es also vorkommen, daß irgend jemand aufschreibt: Der Steiner hat gesagt, die Dinge verdunsten nicht nach oben, sondern nach unten. —- Dann eignet sich das so ein Professor der Anatomie an und liest es seinem Auditorium vor, das er sich selbst präpariert hat, indem er es auffordert, mit Kindertrompeten und Ratschen zu erscheinen, wenn wirkliche Anthroposophie von einem Redner vorgetragen werden soll! Dann wird Anthroposophie vorgetragen. Nachher spricht der Professor und liest so etwas, was er sich angeeignet hat, vor, und dann fangen die Studenten an mit ihren Trompeten und mit ihren Kinderratschen, die sie sich mitgenommen haben, die wissenschaftlichen Argumente anzuwenden, die man heute in solchen Kreisen gebraucht. Das ist ein Vorgang, der sich ja wirklich in Göttingen in diesen Tagen zugetragen hat. Lesen Sie das Beiblatt, das eben gedruckt worden ist zu der neuen Nummer unserer Dreigliederungszeitung. Da werden Sie es finden.

Wir leben durchaus in einer ernsten Zeit, und deshalb möchte ich das, was ich heute an Tönen angeschlagen habe, indem ich Ihnen charakterisiert habe, wie der Materialismus auf der einen Seite und die Mystik auf der andern Seite in Wahrheit erscheinen, am Freitag fortsetzen, indem ich Ihnen zeigen werde, was unsere Aufgaben sind. Denn heute sind eben unsere Aufgaben nicht, uns zusammenzusetzen in sektiererischen Kreisen, sondern lebendig einzugreifen in die Vorgänge des Lebens und einzuführen dasjenige, was anthroposophische Impulse sind, in das ganze Kulturleben der Gegenwart. Heute dürfen wir nicht, wenn wir unsere Zeitaufgabe verstehen, einseitig Materialisten oder Mystiker bleiben, wir müssen den Weg zur Wirklichkeit antreten, wie ich ihn zu charakterisieren versuchte in dem kleinen Schriftchen, das durch die Bemühungen des Herrn Molt gedruckt worden ist für diejenigen, die draußen im Felde etwas erfahren sollten vom anthroposophischen Geist. Das muß man sich immer vor Augen führen, daß wir heute in einer ernsten Zeit drinnenstehen und daß wir uns ihr nur gewachsen fühlen, wenn wir an uns herankommen lassen dasjenige, was nicht einmal mehr berechtigt genannt werden kann in den alten Sprachformen, sondern was uns in die Notwendigkeit versetzt, selbst neue Sprachformen zu finden, wenn es zu heutiger Wahrheit kommen soll. Die Erkenntnis darf nicht stehenbleiben beim Spintisieren, die Erkenntnis muß zur Tat werden. Dann werden wir als Menschheit nicht in den Untergang des Abendlandes hineinsegeln, sondern wir werden wiederum einen Aufgang finden. Aber solange sich der Materialismus der Symbole der Kindsköpfigkeit — der Trommeln und Ratschen bedient, um die Anthroposophie zu widerlegen, also solange sich der Materialismus der Kindsköpfigkeit und die Mystik sich des Materialismus bedient, indem man möglichst materielle Vorgänge als Geistiges auffrisieren will, so lange wird man in den Untergang des Abendlandes mit aller Macht hineinsegeln. Es handelt sich hier nicht um eine spintisierende Frage, sondern um eine wirkliche Tatfrage.

Sixth Lecture

A basic tone has run through the reflections that have been offered here recently. Again and again, the starting point has been the necessity of facing the seriousness of the times when thinking about the tasks and intentions connected with our anthroposophical movement. What has been communicated in these reflections was appropriate to this basic tone in a certain way, and it should also serve as a support for developing this basic tone more and more as a soul feeling among a larger number of our members. We want to continue in this vein, and today I would like to point out something that can, in a sense, place us inwardly in the anthroposophically oriented spiritual scientific movement.

How does one usually gain knowledge from all the developmental currents of Western culture — which, as you know, has now even been scientifically proven to be in decline by Oswald Spengler's book — how does one gain knowledge within this Western culture, regardless of whether one admits it more or less or not? Precisely those who imagine themselves to be so practical in life today conceive of knowledge as theory and not as a real act of the human soul. And what is important today is that we bring ourselves to understand knowledge as an act of the human soul, to understand it in such a way that, when we know, we do not have just any theory or view in mind, but something that is an act imbued with will in the whole context of the development of the earth and humanity.

I would first like to clarify more methodically, using a fact from the spiritual world, what is meant by knowledge as an act. I have often pointed to two opposing currents in the life of the human soul. One current is the abstract-mystical current, the other is the abstract-materialistic current. The abstract-materialistic current is the one that has arisen over the last three to four centuries from the development of natural science and has basically taken hold of all those circles that are today considered important for the progress of human development. The traditional religious creeds, as they are officially represented, can hardly be considered today for the real progress of human development. However, these traditional religious creeds, as they are officially represented, would certainly be considered for promoting the further decline of Western culture.

So, if, for example, Spengler's idea of the decline of the West were to actually come true, then the traditional religious creeds, as officially represented by the Jesuits, the positive Evangelicals, and so on, could contribute to this; but they would not be considered for what is progressing. As I have often remarked, the materialistic trend is clearly noticeable today, even among those who are completely unaware of it. This is indeed characteristic, and we must always remember that even the theosophical worldview, when it appeared under this name, was infected with materialism in certain circles. For what were the descriptions of the etheric and astral bodies of human beings given by these circles, which repeatedly pointed to the etheric and astral bodies as mere dilutions of matter and imagined only some kind of mist beneath them? What were they other than materialism in disguise, spiritually disguised materialism? The most spiritually masked materialism is, of course, spiritualism, which speaks of the spirit but wants nothing more than to prove the spirit in material form, to imagine it in material form. Everything that is taught to people through popular literature, especially through our popular books and newspapers, which instruct people in all kinds of articles about what is “right,” everything that comes to people in this way, regardless of whether it comes from the Catholic or Protestant side, is riddled with materialism. This materialism is something that, on the one hand, is connected with the advancement of culture. It must therefore be taken into account by engaging with it positively. What is historically traditional, such as religious beliefs, must of course fight this new thing in the most intense way if it becomes an attacker of the new; but this is not something that the present imagination has to deal with seriously, because it is something that is moving in a downward direction. Materialism, on the other hand, is something that—in a materialistic sense, of course, and with a materialistic interpretation—produces precisely what we need to know in the present. If we want to contribute to the progress of spiritual life, we need to know what materialistic anatomy, materialistic physiology, materialistic biology, what sociology is bringing to light in the present. One must be inside what can be known on this path, and one must draw strength from this knowledge to transform materialistic knowledge, materialistic thinking, and materialistic imagination into spiritual knowledge. It is therefore valuable in the present day to grapple with the content of materialism. Today, one cannot transform, in the sense that some people think, the Catholic philosophy of the Middle Ages. Only in the way I have shown in Dornach with Thomism can it be transformed, but then it transforms itself. However, one can metamorphose materialism into a spiritual inner soul life. It is therefore completely unfounded for anthroposophists to despise what materialism produces. This must be taken into account. Anthroposophy cannot be developed out of thin air, but must be developed by standing within the present life, and this life is, after all, initially a materialistic life.

Now, at the moment when one wants to feel materialism in the sense of real human progress, one must develop a basic feeling within oneself, precisely that basic feeling which the widest circles in our present age, especially the present scholarly circles, do not develop at all. It is the feeling that everything that initially surrounds us in the world of perception, what our eyes see, what our ears hear, and so on, is not a reality and that reality must not be sought there at all, that it is therefore fundamentally wrong to seek atoms and molecules as realities within this external world of perception, even in the sense that they are supposed to be thought constructs. Some representatives of science are particularly proud of saying that they do not assume any reality in atoms and molecules, but only thought forms, so to speak, thought points that are in space. But it does not matter whether one assumes material points or such thought points in atoms, but rather whether one starts from a living grasp of spiritual entities or whether one rejects this living grasp and starts from what one gains only in the material world. And this also applies to atoms as point forces. As soon as one starts from atomistic ideas, one is already caught up in a materialism that leads to ruin. One can only come to terms with the world of perception if one understands it as a phenomenon, as a world of appearances. What meets us through the senses is something in which matter does not exist at all. So we must develop within ourselves the feeling — and we can develop it through the results laid down in our anthroposophical literature — that when we look out through our eyes and see the entire starry sky, the configuration of the clouds, the contents of the three kingdoms, the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms, but also of the fourth kingdom, the human kingdom, that we must not look for anything material in all that we perceive approaching us in this way. There is no matter behind it! These are phenomena, such as the rainbow itself, even if they appear more coarse than this rainbow. Just as no one should regard the rainbow as some kind of external reality — as a real bridge, for example, stretched out in seven colors — but rather as a phenomenon, as an appearance, so too should everyone regard what they encounter externally through the senses as a phenomenon, as an appearance, no matter how gross it may appear. Even with quartz crystals, although we can grasp them—with rainbows we would grasp through them—even if the sense of feeling is affected, we must still speak of a phenomenon in the case of quartz crystals; we must not fantasize about any material reality, no matter how the misguided view of nature today imagines it. So what we find as “material” phenomena are not material phenomena at all, are not matter in reality. They are just phenomena; they are what comes and goes from another reality that we cannot grasp unless we can think it mentally. That is the one feeling we must develop: not to look for matter in the external world!

Therefore, those who despise external materiality and say, “Oh, what we perceive externally is only matter; we must rise above that!” miss the real goal of anthroposophical development most of all. That is precisely wrong. It is precisely what we perceive externally that is not material; we cannot seek matter there at all. We do not find matter at all in the world that makes impressions on us through our senses. This becomes clear to you when you read what is written in our anthroposophically oriented literature with the right spirit.

And then you have to develop this feeling further. This leads to points that are quite uncomfortable for people today because they touch on what are called the experiences at the threshold. These are uncomfortable experiences, but without approaching them, we will not progress in our inner development. We must accept the discomfort of moving out of the theoretical and into the real. Knowledge must, so to speak, reckon with the facts. Those who believe that matter can be found within the world we call material—some people believe that because we say “matter,” it must be matter; such sophistry is common today—those who say that matter can be found within the world of perception are not merely committing a theoretical error. And anyone who thinks that it is enough to say that it is wrong to look for matter within the world of perception has not yet entered the realm of anthroposophically oriented spiritual science; for the mere correction of a theoretical view is not yet spiritual science. Spiritual science must take knowledge as an act; spiritual science must be knowledge imbued with the will; it must therefore enter into realities even when it gives its definitions and explanations. And that is where the matter becomes uncomfortable.

It is easy to say: You have the wrong view that matter can be found within the external world of perception; so correct your view! Yes, that is theoretical talk. Accepting theories, fighting theories, correcting them is simply theoretical chatter, something with which spiritual science cannot really be satisfied; rather, it is a matter of advancing in one's perception to the point where those who remain stuck in the materialistic conception of matter are unhealthy in their entire organism. One must move from the mere logical designation as incorrect to a designation that grasps reality, that is, the constitution of the human being. One must be convinced that it is not merely logically incorrect to say that matter confronts us in the world of perception, but that those who see matter in perception are actually on the path to constitutional insanity, that it is therefore a disease to be a materialist in the sense indicated.

One wants to grasp reality with one's imagination. As long as one remains in the realm of theory, one does not grasp it. And everyone assumes: Well, one only needs to be well instructed, then one can change one's mind. But spiritual science presupposes living development everywhere; it presupposes that one must make oneself healthy if one is materialistic in the sense indicated, because straying is an illness, because it is the path to insanity.

Here, things are brought harshly into contact with what one gains as knowledge in the encounter with the guardian of the threshold. For when, in this encounter with the guardian of the threshold, one enters worlds that are different from the physical world, that add something new to this physical world, then all theorizing ceases, everything that clouds the intellect ceases, reality begins, every word becomes imbued with reality. One can no longer say: You are claiming something that is right or wrong — instead, one must say: You are claiming something out of a sick or healthy mind. — That is where one arrives at realities. Nor can one say: You must correct your view — instead, one must say: If you are on the path to illness, to insanity, you must develop yourself back into healthy sanity. You see, it is not enough today to rectify or correct so-called worldviews that are clouded by confusion. If one wants to become a spiritual scientist, it is actually a matter of undergoing a real process within oneself and not being satisfied with something intellectual, intellectual, or theoretical. We live in such serious times today that the sickness of the rational view of the world must come alive before our very souls.

We have tried to sketch one side, to characterize from the standpoint of reality one side of what is happening in cultural life today: the materialistic side. The other side, the polar opposite, is the mystical. Many people who are dissatisfied with materialism are fleeing to this mystical side today. They find that materialism is something that is wrong, so they must profess a different worldview, must seek a different path than the one materialism takes. Then people try to develop themselves through inner work, to advance toward a grasp of the spiritual. Mysticism has often been described here as a spiritual current which, in its one-sidedness, is of course just as justified as materialism is when one sees through its one-sidedness. Mysticism has been described as a kind of reaction against what has emerged in recent centuries as materialism in American and European civilization. But what has been mentioned repeatedly must also be mentioned in the little book “Through the Spirit to the Knowledge of the Mystery of Man,” which was published during the war and was also sent out to the front—this mystical current must be examined more closely, again without merely going into the theorizing that one usually has in mind. When people talk about mysticism, they think that mystics withdraw from external life, immerse themselves in their inner lives, and thereby come into contact with the spark of which Meister Eckhart spoke; there, they believe, the true spiritual is revealed, which cannot be contained in external material things. But mystics are often true materialists. So, in the opposite direction, it is precisely mystics who are mostly harsh, strong materialists. They begin to rant as soon as the material world is mentioned, consider themselves too good to concern themselves with it — this has often been said — and feel superior to the material. But the point is that one should not merely deal with things theoretically, but that one should advance toward reality; the point is that one should again grasp the real behind this mystical striving. It is important to understand what it is that is actually active within us when we become mystics, what it is that is at work within us when we become mystics. You can see this again in our anthroposophically oriented literature. And there we must say: this is precisely the ground on which we find matter! We find the material working within us when we become mystics. Even the great mystic, what phenomena does he bring to bear within himself? He brings to bear within himself what is bubbling and boiling in his metabolism, however refined it may be. We discover the actual matter within the human skin, not in the external world that makes impressions on us. We discover matter when we allow what is ignited in our metabolism to rise up within us. For example, when we learn from Meister Eckhart how he described God within himself, he points out how he carefully brought to consciousness what was bubbling and boiling in his metabolism, what appeared to him as acting from the heart center and transforming there into what becomes perceptible as a spark of the divine self in the human being; this is the little flame that is ignited by the metabolism in the heart.

This brings us to the actual essence of the material when we engage in mysticism, and we must realize that, just as the genuine results of Goetheanism must be elevated to a higher worldview, so too must the results of mysticism be sought in the interpretation of material activity. We do not discover material processes in the chemical laboratory. No, when the chemist works in his laboratory, what happens in the retort is only an external phenomenon, just as the rainbow is an external phenomenon. That too is a phenomenon; there is nothing of real materiality in it. We come to know what real materiality is when we see the bubbling and boiling of our inner processes, located within the skin, ignite like a stearin candle ignites into a flame. Therein lies what must be interpreted as materiality, and we can only truly grasp mysticism when we realize that everything that mysticism as such produces as inner experiences in its one-sidedness is a material effect, and that genuine materiality can be sought therein. We should not seek matter by analyzing chemical processes; we should seek matter in every structure that carries out its complex chemistry and physiology within the human skin. Through mysticism we learn to solve the material riddle. But through mysticism we also learn only to solve the material riddle. We must not reinterpret the inner materiality of the human organization in the same way as when we say, for example, when we see a flame burning: that cannot be the result of what is in the candle, but rather there is a little spirit in the candle that causes the flame. That is nonsense, of course. It is equally nonsensical to seek a spiritual reality in what the mystic experiences.

One must bring oneself to a very specific idea, an idea that is a threshold truth. One does not get very far with what is achieved in mysticism, for we stand there in a stupor of appearances, devoted to our egoistic desires, which do not want to be described as materialistic processes of the actual inner processes. We do not penetrate the numbing abundance of phenomena that surround us in the world of perception to the point of realizing that there is actually no matter anywhere in it. But let us consider what we actually see when we look, for example, at a distant planet or a fixed star in outer space. What do we actually see there? Yes, what we see around us on Earth in the green blanket of plants, in cloud formations, in the brown-gray ground, and so on, we do not see when we look out into outer space and see the stars; for that, the stars, even the moon, are too far away. But what is out there, what lives on these foreign celestial bodies, has an inner life everywhere, has transformed material processes. This, which lives in the corresponding highest beings as material processes, is what we see when we point the telescope at a star. Likewise, if the other star, let's say the moon, were to point its telescope at us, would it then see our plants, animals, and so on? No, our Earth is far too distant from the moon for that. But if it pointed its telescope toward Earth, it would look into your stomach, into your heart, and so on. That is the content of what shines out into the world. Because human beings belong to the highest realm among the various realms on Earth, what goes on inside human beings can be seen from outside. And what can be seen from distant stars is experienced by human beings as mysticism when it is consciously ignited within them.

You see, therefore, that those who are seriously committed to the anthroposophical worldview must also penetrate this second, equally uncomfortable threshold truth: that it is precisely mysticism that teaches us about earthly matter. We do not learn about the simplest earthly force by merely observing the external world. Take a physics book in your hand. You know that it speaks of gravity, of the earth's gravity; but it always adds that the nature of gravity is, of course, unknown. People are even quite smug when they argue that the nature of gravity is unknown.

How do we learn about the nature of the force that causes chalk to fall when we let go of it? The force we call gravity can be learned in the following way. At a certain point in our lives, perhaps from the age of thirty, perhaps even earlier, depending on the loving guidance of fate, we will recognize something if you observe yourself in the spiritual sense, not in the usual way—through the methods of spiritual science, you are introduced to the methods of true self-observation—so, at around the age of thirty-two, you will learn something. If you don't observe yourself in the way that abstract mystics do, but instead learn real self-observation, you will come to this real self-observation, for example, that when you live, let's say, from the age of thirty-five to forty, you notice that you have become a different person organically. Some notice it because their hair has turned gray; today it also happens that men go bald at this age. So you have become different. But if you have not acquired the ability to observe yourself, then you do not experience this becoming different, then you do not experience in your inner being how this becoming different takes place. You can experience it if you apply what is said in my book “How to Know Higher Worlds.” From the age of thirty-two, you can experience how this happens inwardly. And then you learn to recognize it by the way you always have to carry your body differently, how the body becomes heavier. Then you experience inwardly the heaviness, what is called gravity. But you have to experience this inwardly.

All the wishy-washy talk that comes up in mysticism isn't as important as a concrete fact like how you can experience this becoming heavier inwardly during this time. You cannot learn to experience this heaviness by having someone drop a stone in front of you. You do not observe heaviness in the falling stone, because the stone does not contain any real materiality. You have to observe it within yourself, by not looking at space, but at time, that is, at what you experience one after the other. You have to move from spatial experience to temporal experience. You first have to be able to observe yourself. You have to find what can never be found in the external world of perception through inner experiences. And these are the second element of reality.

What does someone who experiences the external world of perception have? They have only truth, but no science. Someone who experiences inwardly, in an abstract-mystical way, has only science, but no truth; for they deceive themselves about the fundamental phenomenon of the inner world, because inner experience is the flames of material processes. Those who seek only materialities in the external world interpret the world in an Ahrimanic sense; those who seek only truth in an abstract-mystical way within themselves interpret it in a Luciferic way. What must be sought as true anthroposophically oriented spiritual science is the balance between the two, the interweaving of truth and science. We must seek truth at one pole and science at the other, and become aware of how living realities polarize themselves by permeating truth with science and science with truth. Then knowledge becomes action, then something happens. It is not just a matter of defining or correcting something logically, but something happens when human beings strive to experience science inwardly and grasp truth outwardly, and strive to interpenetrate the two.

This is what the present must understand. The present must understand that human beings must stand in equilibrium between the two extremes, the Ahrimanic and the Luciferic. Human beings always strive toward one side. That is why the Trinity group in Dornach is such that the Luciferic is represented above, the Ahrimanic below, and Christ in the middle, maintaining the balance. One can represent these things in ideas, one can distill them down to their essence, and then they become truth and science. But one can also represent these things artistically, in which case one must disregard all mere ideas and search instead in lines, forms, and shapes, and then one arrives, for example, at the Trinity group in Dornach. But the whole thing is permeated by the spirit.

Mysticism is one-sided, and materialism is also one-sided. And one must know that both must be woven together in living activity and that the actual inner life of the human being must be sought in this living activity. Our age, on the other hand, wants to befriend materialism one-sidedly and is thus actually on the path to insanity. I have shown that one must not remain stuck in theorizing, but that one must know in reality, in the real world: as soon as you encounter the guardian of the threshold, you see what materialism is—a path to insanity! One must make oneself healthy, not merely refute in order to arrive at something else. The other extreme is abstract mysticism. One must be able to sense that it is in reality the path to infantilism, to—if we want to say it in German, there is no other German word for it—childishness, to perceiving the world in a way that is only appropriate for very young children—infantilism! So the child, untouched by the world, living purely in physical materiality, in physical organic processes, represents the type of the mystic, only that as a mystic one later has the same experiences as the child. These experiences naturally appear different, but the child also feels this concentration of organic activity in the heart, and when it feels this concentration, it kicks, and we see how the peripheral kicking, the outward movement, is the opposite of the concentration in the heart. If a person remains childish throughout their entire life, if they are too comfortable to penetrate what materialism alone can offer, then they reject external matter; it is nothing to them, it is something lowly that they must strive to transcend. But then they also kick, and in kicking, they bring forth their mysticism. That is the threshold truth, the uncomfortable threshold truth. But everything abstractly mystical, which, as people practice it today, touches them like lust, so that they lick their fingers when things are printed that are really only kicking in their minds, that is infantilism. And we must be clear about this: just as materialism leads to stupidity, abstract mysticism leads to the disease of infantilism, of childishness. But true life consists in finding the balance, the equilibrium between materialism and mysticism.

Here the matter is somewhat difficult, because it becomes even more uncomfortable. But if you seek balance on the scales, you must not despise what is on one side, because if there is too much of it, it disturbs the balance again. Instead, you must try to place what keeps the scales in balance on both sides. So it is necessary that you do not despise what leads into matter and do not just say to yourself, that leads to nonsense. On the contrary, those who want to penetrate into the matter must boldly advance into reality and say to themselves: I must indeed follow the path which, if taken one-sidedly, leads to nonsense, but I am armed against it. I am also prepared against remaining on the other path; I retain what is necessary from childhood, but I do not remain in childhood. So one must find a balance between materialism and mysticism: that is the true meaning of life. The meaning of life is the balance between insanity and childishness. And if you can't see this, then you're just not able to get a grip on reality. People only become insane when they don't realize that normal people have to overcome the insanity that constantly threatens them every day, every hour, and that they only remain human if they remain childlike, that is, if they remain genius. For if one maintains childishness in the right balance, then one is a genius. One is only as much a genius as one has retained childishness into one's thirties; but it must be in the right balance. So that one must say: In everyone there lies the danger—yes, how shall I put it—of becoming a genius or remaining a child. You can actually say both. As soon as you approach threshold truths, the usual expressions no longer apply; things that are otherwise separate become interwoven. All words take on a different meaning, and one could say that it would be quite humorous to depict this in a painting or sculpture: there is the threshold to the spiritual world, one person stands here, and the other stands there; one weaves in the spiritual realm and the other in the material realm, and they shout at each other. The one from the spiritual world shouts: Childishness! - and the other from the material world shouts back: Genius! Just as a tree looks different from one side than from the other, things look different depending on whether you look at them from a spiritual or a material point of view. From the spiritual point of view, one must speak of genius, because one has preserved the nature of the child, of playful imagination; of childishness, because one sees what childishness is when one stands on the spiritual side. For there one sees childishness differently. There one knows that human beings come down from the spiritual world, that they settle into a physical body, and there one sees how clumsy the child still is, but also how the highest spirituality already lives within what is still undeveloped.

Some people, such as the fool Dessoir, were particularly annoyed, as I have described in my little book “The Spiritual Guidance of Man and Humanity,” that the wisdom that works on the development of the brain in children is much more intelligent than the wisdom that people express later in life. Fools like Dessoir cannot comprehend this, for to them the extent of wisdom is that which they express when they write their books. But the fact is that when one looks at it from the spiritual side and calls it childishness, one sees how the human spirit, fully developed within itself, has descended as a ray of the divine essence. It has entered into an as yet undeveloped human body; it has taken hold of it and is working through it, so that after only a few months the brain is something different than it was, and the whole body becomes something different in the seventh, fourteenth, and so on. So we do not use the term “childishness” as a term of abuse, but rather to describe what appears as the descent of the spirit into the physical world, as the first grasping of the body, as still being a child, as still being in a human constitution, where the human being, through the development of the rest of the body, which develops most rapidly, while the head contains the most spirit, has not yet been purified of spirit. This is how it appears when one speaks of childishness from a supersensible point of view. For there is much spirit in the child's head, and — this is an uncomfortable truth — with increasing age, the spirit becomes less and less, we become more and more petrified in our heads. The child still has a lot of spirit. It gradually evaporates. I may use the word “evaporate” to mean that the spirit evaporates from the head down into the rest of the organism. You can see from this that when I speak of childishness, seen from beyond the threshold, it is an expression of the highest, and that when I speak of childishness from the earthly standpoint, it is an expression of stagnation. when I speak of childishness from the earthly point of view. The language of the earth and that of heaven are simply different, and it is the tragedy of our time that we do not want to understand the language of heaven. Since it has become customary to demand that people speak as earthly as possible from the pulpit, people have lost the ability to understand the language of the beyond. And then it is only natural that, once you have something to say in a certain context, which you naturally express and say in that context, after you have prepared, for example, the words from Beyond the Threshold: “The beings of the spiritual world evaporate downward” — that the following can happen today. I want to mention something that actually happened in a picture. Then it can happen that someone writes down: Steiner said that things do not evaporate upwards, but downwards. Then a professor of anatomy appropriates this and reads it to his audience, which he has prepared himself by asking them to come with children's trumpets and rattles when real anthroposophy is to be presented by a speaker! Then anthroposophy is presented. Afterwards, the professor speaks and reads something he has appropriated, and then the students begin to apply the scientific arguments that are used in such circles today with their trumpets and children's ratchets that they have brought with them. This is something that actually happened in Göttingen recently. Read the supplement that has just been printed for the new issue of our newspaper on the threefold social order. You will find it there.

We are certainly living in serious times, and that is why I would like to continue on Friday what I have touched upon today by characterizing how materialism on the one hand and mysticism on the other appear in reality, by showing you what our tasks are. For today, our task is not to gather in sectarian circles, but to intervene actively in the processes of life and to introduce anthroposophical impulses into the whole of contemporary cultural life. Today, if we understand our task for our time, we cannot remain one-sided materialists or mystics; we must set out on the path to reality, as I have attempted to characterize it in the little booklet that has been printed through the efforts of Mr. Molt for those who are out in the field and want to learn something about the anthroposophical spirit. We must always bear in mind that we are living in a serious time and that we can only feel equal to it if we allow ourselves to be touched by that which can no longer even be called justified in the old forms of language, but which compels us to find new forms of language if we are to arrive at the truth of today. Knowledge must not remain mere speculation; knowledge must become action. Then we as humanity will not sail into the decline of the West, but will find a new dawn. But as long as the materialism of childishness uses symbols — drums and rattles — to refute anthroposophy, as long as the materialism of childishness and mysticism use materialism to dress up material processes as spiritual ones, we will sail with all our might into the downfall of the West. This is not a theoretical question, but a question of real action.