The Rudolf Steiner Archive

17. Rhythms in Human Nature

[ 1 ] The interaction between the astral body and the etheric body can be symbolized by the hands of a clock. We recognize its effect in the fact that, in the case of pneumonia, the onset and subsiding of the fever are determined by this rhythm, such that the crisis sets in after seven days of fever. The etheric body initiates the fever as a healing process. After seven days, the astral body occupies one-quarter of the etheric body, and these quarters bring about the interaction of the two bodies. If, after seven days, the fever has not succeeded in overcoming the damage to the lungs, this is a cause of death.

[ 2 ] The physical body undergoes an even longer cycle. This cycle corresponds to the ancient solar year (lunar year?), the orbit of the Earth (the Moon?) around the Sun (Earth?) in 280 days, in ten sidereal months, to which human beings are still bound today. In 10 times 4 times 7 days, the physical body completes a cycle simultaneously with the Earth (the Moon). Human beings require the duration of the ancient year both for regeneration and for the doubling of their bodies. Ten sidereal months—as science terms them in reminiscence of past cosmic conditions—lie between conception and birth.

[ 3 ] The Atlanteans, in particular, were still so closely bound to the rhythm of the world that conception in the womb could only take place at certain times of the year. Just as with animals today, the rhythm was based on 10 times 4 times 7. Instead of the number 10, however, the number 12 would have to be used for a man to express the rhythm of his physical body. A man’s etheric body is feminine, while a woman’s is masculine.

[ 4 ] For the Atlantean, who felt rhythm so deeply within himself, a rhythmic state also emerged in his emotional life. This was thus dependent on the changing phases of the moon (full moon—new moon). The full moon awakened feelings of love. Our moonlight poetry vividly reminds us of this. Today, a person whose moods fluctuate rhythmically would be considered ill.

[ 5 ] Old farmers' almanacs, the kind still frequently found in Switzerland—faded and yellowed—in store windows, contain important and very interesting guidelines for the agricultural household, which are based on the significance of the seasons.

[ 6 ] Today we turn night into day without causing ourselves any significant harm. In ancient times, however, just like the lily of the valley in May, humans could only be born at a specific time of year. The inner rhythm has remained, but it has shifted away from the rhythm of the celestial bodies. After all, a human being is a small world unto themselves, a microcosm, and absolutely needs their own rhythm. The fact that this rhythm has shifted has given humans their freedom. It is thanks to this shift that the human “I” has become independent. Since the middle of the Atlantean epoch, the solar year has grown longer, and with it, the divergence between the human and cosmic rhythms has increased in the same proportion.

[ 7 ] We are still far from being completely free of the cosmic rhythm, but humanity is destined to evolve beyond the constraints of nature. This harmony will gradually fade away. Out of a failure to recognize this necessary condition for evolution, views are emerging today that seek to force humanity back into alignment with the cosmic rhythm. True, rhythm is indispensable. Without rhythm, there is no life; without rhythm, there is no possibility of life. If the cosmos releases humanity, what must emerge? Humanity must find another way to instill an inner rhythm within itself. Where does the rhythm of the future come from? The numerical mystery of life is deeply meaningful!

[ 8 ] In the mid-nineteenth century, a particularly strong disregard for the cosmic rhythm began. This shift is one of the reasons why materialism emerged. The departure from the rhythm and the emergence of materialism—which humanity’s spiritual leaders recognized—gave rise to the necessity for the Theosophical Movement. This was also one of the signs of the times. This was where spiritual teaching had to step in to initiate the new rhythm.

[ 9 ] What is said today can hardly be compared to the “Abe” of language, for even most of it cannot be put into words, although there is already much in the way theosophy operates that exerts its rhythmic effect—just as the arc traced on the glass plate groups the scattered sand into figures. The lecture by the theosophical leader is structured according to the rhythm of the future. True truth and wisdom prevail in the arrangement of sentences and words. Knowledge is organized according to this rhythm.

[ 10 ] Thus, a rhythm of thought must be the starting point for the rhythm of the future. The 4:7 rhythm is present not only in the human astral and etheric bodies but also in the lecture of the theosophical teacher. The task of the “I”-human lies in the rhythm of 4:7(?) or 7:4(?), which acts as the primal principle. Rhythmic thinking must be cultivated in order to reveal the mystery of numbers. The overcoming of matter lies in rhythm. Matter is governed by rhythm, as the image of the sound figures gives us a mental image of this. This is part of the great task. The Theosophical Movement goes back to the sources of life, to the sources of all being.

Addendum:

[ 11 ] As remedies—in addition to external ones—colors, sounds, thoughts, and so on will be applied based on an understanding and observation of the needs of the invisible aspects of human nature. The perception of certain colors initiates healing processes. In addition to the calming effect of blue and the stimulating effect of red, the astral body enters certain spiritual states through the stimulation of mental images and the sensations evoked by color. It is essential which ideas a person allows themselves to be drawn into with regard to the external world. If one’s mental images are confined solely to photographs of external reality, this undermines spiritual health, whereas the mental images produced by the human spirit bring about an inner, harmonious order that contains the conditions for health. It all comes down to the direction of one’s interests and attention, for whoever is interested in what is right in the world cannot become ill. In this sense, Spiritual Science is a fundamental remedy. Whoever finds within themselves the source of all interests frees themselves from the external world. There is only one center of the world, and that is Spiritual Science.

[ 12 ] Law: Everything that a person perceives and regards merely as sensory pleasure affects the withering forces within them. Everything that a person enjoys as spiritual affects the enduring, growing, and active forces.