The Rudolf Steiner Archive

35. Human Development and the Spiritual Science

[ 1 ] A question that often presents itself to us today and demands an answer is the following: Why does Spiritual Science immediately find its way into the innermost being of a certain segment of humanity—and indeed, only a small fraction of it—whereas the vast majority of people today accept it with indifference, and often even reject it with aversion? To clarify this question regarding the value of spiritual scientific research, we must not [only] recall what Spiritual Science teaches us about the various members of the human being, but we must also keep in mind the entire development to which these seven members of the human being have been subjected over the course of millennia.

[ 2 ] If we could, say, observe these seven members of the human being about 12,000 years ago, we would realize that they were connected to one another in a completely different way than they are in the current stage of human development. The etheric body of humans at that time was not yet as permeated by the astral body as is the case in the present age; the astral body was still more distinct from the etheric body; it did not influence it as it does today, when it permeates it almost entirely and thereby, as it were, fuses the three lower bodies more firmly together, hardening them. The cause lies in the development of the mind, the intellect, through which the astral is detached—indeed, one might say, the soul-aspect is repelled. Because the three lower bodies are condensing and hardening within one another, some people today—whose entire education is directed toward the development of the mind—find it difficult to take the spiritual, supersensible truths into themselves; this, however, is also a karmic consequence, and therefore these people cannot take an interest in Spiritual Science even with the best of intentions. The deeper their astral body has sunk into the etheric body—and the etheric body, in turn, into the physical body—the more indifferent or hostile they become toward Spiritual Science. This entirely different composition of the three lower bodies—or members—also has a special significance, namely in relation to a person’s horoscope. As you know, the human being as a microcosm stands in the closest connection with the forces of the macrocosm. The horoscope drawn up for individual human beings millennia ago was infallibly accurate as far as their four lower members were concerned; yet human evolution is in a state of perpetual flux. And as we have seen, the composition of the various members has become quite different since that time; they have undergone a great transformation, so that their more solid substance has altered the composition of the whole human being. Therefore, the horoscope can no longer be drawn up with absolute accuracy for the lower three members of the human being; this is now only possible for the higher members, which relate to the spiritual aspect of the human being.

[ 3 ] If we wish to counteract the hardening of these three members—which will only increase in the future—we must spiritualize our habits of thought; that is, we must allow ourselves to be filled with the truths of Spiritual Science, so that thinking about supersensible things may free our astral body once more and enable us to connect with the Divine through it.

[ 4 ] However, it must be emphasized here that the main point is not merely to immerse oneself in knowledge and theory alone, for it is not the study of supernatural matters that drives our astral body toward union with the Divine; the study should be a means to an end, for through it the sublimity and wisdom of the Deity should take hold of our innermost being, so that our heart may be warmed and overflow into our life, into our deeds, and flow into love for all beings. What good does it do us to proclaim brotherly love with fine words? This does not lead us to spirituality or to the development of our soul. But if we fill our soul with theosophical teachings, we will practice brotherhood of our own accord, without speaking of it. For it would arouse a sense of shame within us if we were to pay mere lip service to it, as happens today in many associations.

[ 5 ] If we look back to the time of ancient Greece, we can truly appreciate the contrast between the constitution of people today and that of people back then. At that time, the human body had actually reached the pinnacle of its perfection; caring for it was therefore one of the most important concerns in life. The etheric body—the body of force—permeated and dominated the physical [body] almost entirely. The rounded forms and the regularity of the limbs were perfect in their beauty; the mind, logical thinking, and the intellect did not yet exert nearly as much influence over human beings as is the case in our present century, because humanity placed the main emphasis on the cultivation of physical beauty, and because the astral body had not yet penetrated deeply into matter. Therefore, the body was still more malleable, more capable of transformation; in other words, it had not yet hardened so much but was softer than it is in the bodies of people today, whose physical constitutions have become entirely different over the course of centuries and millennia. In the distant future, human evolution will bring forth yet other human bodies; they will become increasingly hardened, and people will be born uglier.

[ 6 ] In contrast, the human soul will be able to exert a greater force from within upon physical forms. Physiognomy, gestures, and manner of speech will better express the soul within a person; a person’s facial expression will become more distinctive and expressive, radiating the essence of the soul. And humanity will also be able to achieve a longer life because the physical body will be in a hardened state.

[ 7 ] We can illustrate this latter point with a simple example. If we take a young tree, brimming with green vitality, and expose it to various weather conditions, it will be much more susceptible to the harsh effects of temperature changes than an old, dry tree with hardened bark. Science has already established that mortality records from the past few decades show an increase in human life expectancy. In connection with this, it might also be mentioned that the reason why more women than men are drawn to the Spiritual Science lies in the fact that their brains have remained more malleable and better suited to plastic reshaping; they have not devoted themselves to the scientific exercises of the intellect and the formation of theories that the last century demanded of men.

[ 8 ] If we take a look at art, we will once again notice a difference in relation to what has just been said. If, for example, we consider the various Madonnas from different historical periods, the great difference in both their external and internal depiction immediately catches our eye. Consider the Madonnas by Raphael and Murillo: here, beauty radiates from the entire figure. In contrast, let us look at Holbein’s Madonnas: there, in their external and internal depiction, we see character and piety; beauty recedes into the background, while the inner qualities are brought more to the fore.

[ 9 ] People in our current cultural era want to partially revive ancient Greek culture in their games and customs. They do not realize that the customs of ancient times cannot be transplanted into our own; they no longer fit the constitution of our bodies, and they are no longer appropriate for us because our bodies have changed.

[ 10 ] Thus, everything in all of humanity is evolving toward a specific goal. And so that we may save ourselves and return to the Spirit, we have been given the great, mighty cosmic current that we call the Christ impulse. Even the horoscope of the Christ cannot be determined by the laws of the stars. He did not come when, according to the celestial script in the heavens, He should have come; for if He had come then, humanity would have accepted Him blindly—everything would have proceeded according to prescribed laws. People would have received the Christ mechanically, without any inner impulse. But He came when humanity had advanced by an entire period of development—so much further than it later sank ever deeper into matter; He came at a time when, through the Luciferic temptations, people were able to distinguish between good and evil through their own insights and experiences. Thus, the Christ broke through the prescribed laws: people were not to become automatons. They were to believe in him of their own accord, so that through faith in him the spiritual world might be restored to them. Nor could he have come any later, for then it would no longer have been possible for people to muster the strength to do so. It would have been impossible for them to believe in him. Those who believed in him were, after all, only a small handful of people—these first Christians.

[ 11 ] And this Christ is now to continue to live and work within us, as Paul expresses it in his words: “Not I, but Christ in me.” The more we become filled with him, the more we will be able to unite ourselves through him with the spiritual-divine world.

They shine like stars
In the sky of eternal being<
The spirits sent by God.
May all human souls
In the realm of earthly existence
Be able to behold the light of their flames.