The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Ninth Lecture

[ 1 ] What we discussed yesterday was, in a sense, a kind of drawing closer of the human organism to non-human nature. And one can see in that interaction, which is particularly evident in the two senses of smell and taste, how the human organism enters into a more intimate connection with what takes place in non-human nature. We undertake these studies, which examine the relationship between the human being and non-human nature, because the aim of Spiritual Science is to bring healing methods and human organizational processes into close alignment. Healing is actually always about discerning the factors involved in what is introduced into the body—whether chemically, physiologically, or physically—and in what the organism is capable of doing in a healthy state, as opposed to what it is not suited to do in a diseased state. One must be able to consider together the process that takes place externally and the process that takes place within the human organism.

[ 2 ] Well, these two processes come closest together precisely when it comes to the senses of smell and taste. For everything else that pertains to the other senses, they are further apart. And, for example, we have already separated sight and digestion quite far apart, although by “digestion” in the narrower sense I now mean what, I would say, takes place between the chewing of food in the mouth and its processing by the intestinal glands. So I would actually like to classify this area solely as digestion, while I must already classify the rest as belonging to the realm of elimination—whether it be elimination into the organism so that substances can be absorbed, or elimination outward, to what I would like to call excretion. Thus, I would like to designate that which lies beyond the glands as excretion.

[ 3 ] Now, when we consider the act of seeing, we have before us those bodies of the external world that, in a sense, contain within themselves what lies more on the surface in the processes of smell and taste. This is what, in the process of smelling, emerges more from the non-human natural world so that it may become perceptible to us humans. In other cases, this remains enclosed within the substances of non-human nature, and we then look at it. By looking at what is visible in its forms and so on, we actually have before us the formative principle outside of ourselves, which in the process of smelling reveals itself only in a substantial way. I would like to say that one should trace the essence that reveals itself in the sense of smell out into the plant world and the world of rocks, and one will then find that the same principle that comes to light in the sense of smell reveals itself in the formative processes out there.

[ 4 ] The opposite process is precisely the process of digestion. In a sense, it assimilates that which is revealed in the act of tasting. This, in turn, conceals within the organism that which is revealed through taste. It is extraordinarily important to point out how we have been compelled, up to now, to describe non-human nature in terms of how it lies more in the unconscious. For you see, these connections, which we have been able to observe throughout the entire universe, are present within the human being. Human beings are associated with the Saturnian, the Jovian, and so on. But this association is deeply hidden within the depths of the human organism, and one might say—if this is not too jarring for today’s way of thinking—that the astronomical becomes the most unconscious aspect within the human being; it becomes the process most deeply recessed within the human organism.

[ 5 ] Now we have organs that, in a sense, open up the human organism from within in a certain way. And these organs, which in a certain way open up the human organism once again, bring it more into connection with what is developing in the vicinity of our Earth; they bring it more into connection with—but now in the broadest sense—meteorological phenomena. And if, in the healing process, one does not limit oneself to merely looking at the healing substances, but rather follows the healing processes themselves, then one must also turn one’s attention to the relationships that exist between the human being and the meteorological processes in the broadest sense.

[ 6 ] Now we can already distinguish within the human organism between what is more closely related to astronomy and what is more closely related to meteorology. However, this requires a more refined method of observation. At first glance, the way this classification must be carried out may seem somewhat shocking to you, but over time you will see that this very classification is the best foundation for healing. When we consider the organs in the human organism that are open to meteorological influences—just as those located more inwardly are inclined toward the astronomical—we can count among these organs, first and foremost, the liver, everything that becomes vesicular—that is, what is represented—and in a pathological sense, the bladder is something extraordinarily important—precisely the bladder. As strange as this may sound at first, from a pathological perspective, the bladder is among the most important organs. Furthermore, we can consider the lungs, which open outward by mediating respiration. Then, in a certain sense, we must include among these organs the very ones through which the entire organism opens outward toward the weather—if you have correctly understood some of what I said in the previous discussion, you will understand this readily—namely, the heart. Indeed, these organs are associated with very specific meteorological impulses. What is meant here can only be studied by delving into the entire relationship of the human being to the surrounding world, and specifically into the relationship between human activity and the surrounding world.

[ 7 ] Above all, I would like to point out to you that you should make a thorough effort to trace everything that appears to be harmful to the heart back to disturbed human activity. You should conduct studies to determine how differently the heart functions in a person who, say, works as a farmer tilling his field and does not spend much time away from this activity, compared to how the heart functions in people who, for example, must drive a car a lot for their jobs or even just travel frequently by train. It would be extremely interesting to conduct more in-depth studies specifically on this topic. For you will find that the predisposition to heart disease depends essentially on whether a person, while being moved by an external force, remains seated—that is, sits in a train car or a car and is transported. This passive surrender of the person to movement is what, in a sense, distorts all the processes that accumulate in the heart.

[ 8 ] Now, everything that takes place in this way in the human world is connected to the way in which a person generates heat. And here you can see the connection between the activity of the heart and the impulse of heat in the world with which the human being is connected. From this you can see that when a person generates sufficient warmth through his own activity, this specific degree of sufficient warmth generated in the life process through his own activity is at the same time the measure of the human heart’s health. One should therefore always ensure, in the case of people with heart disease, that they engage in physical activity that is truly lived through. I am convinced that, perhaps once a decade and a half has passed, people will think more dispassionately about these matters than they do today, and will say: It is indeed remarkable how, through eurythmy, people have regained healthy heart function, because the practice of eurythmy essentially regulates—and indeed regulates in a lawful manner—this soul-infused, self-generated movement. Therefore, it may not be unreasonable to say that, from this very perspective, attention should be drawn to those healing exercises that can be derived specifically from eurythmy when dealing with irregularities in heart function.

[ 9 ] Then we come to all that manifests itself more through subtle effects of the bladder in the human organism. Now, what I am about to say in this regard may seem somewhat layman-like to you. But it is not layman-like. It is, as I can also say here, more scientific than what is called “scientific” today. The bladder is essentially a pulling force. It acts, I would say, as a cavity within the human organism; it pulls. It is, in essence, dependent on the fact that the human organism is hollowed out at this point. The effect of the bladder on the rest of the organism is just like that which emanates from a gas bubble inside water. If you have a gas bubble—that is, a sphere of diluted substance—surrounded on all sides by water, which is a denser substance, then the effect emanating from this diluted sphere is similar to the effect of the entire bladder on the human organism. This means that, with regard to everything the bladder is supposed to accomplish, a person disrupts this process if they have little opportunity to perform internal movements properly—that is, I mean, does not take proper care with eating itself—if they gulp their food instead of chewing, thereby disrupting the entire digestive process—if they do not maintain the proper balance of rest and movement during the digestive process itself, and so on. Everything that internally disrupts inner mobility also disrupts what one might call “bladder function.” Isn’t it true that people are such that you can, at most, prescribe some kind of conscious movement if you suspect irregularities in their heart, but they are reluctant to accept anything when you try to get them to regulate their internal movements, since that is rooted in their habits? But you’ll find your way around this immediately if you try to help a person who isn’t inclined—let’s say—to allow the body the necessary rest, by gorging themselves or otherwise disrupting their digestion in some way, I would say, to cure him “meteorologically”—that is, to expose him to air that is richer in oxygen, in which he must breathe more deeply, and in which he must therefore unconsciously devote greater care to the breathing process. Then this regulation of the respiratory process extends to the regulation of the rest of the body’s functions, and you will find that if you—either artificially or, better yet, naturally—expose a person suffering from such irregular bladder functions to a different environment with richer oxygen, a certain balance is simply brought about by this change in lifestyle.

[ 10 ] It is particularly important to note the third organ, which is connected to external meteorology in the broadest sense: the liver. Even though it may appear to be isolated within the human organism, it is nevertheless closely linked to the external world. You can observe this connection to the external world by noting that the condition of the liver is, in a sense, always dependent on the quality of the water in a given location. In fact, the quality of the water in a location should always be studied in order to properly assess the condition of the liver in the people who live there. Tasting is beneficial for the development of the liver; however, if done in excess, it would be tantamount to the degeneration of the liver; excessive, intense enjoyment in a person is tantamount to the degeneration of the liver. Inner enjoyment—I would say, the continuation of what should be limited to the palate and the tongue, that which carries the pleasant, agreeable, or even disagreeable, unpleasant sensations of food further into the interior—is what leads to liver degeneration. And therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to this and to attempt to accustom people who have any kind of liver dysfunction—which is often very difficult to diagnose—to studying taste, to finding something in the taste itself as such. It will be extremely difficult to study the internal relationship between liver function and the quality of the water in any given location more thoroughly on one’s own, because the interdependencies are extremely subtle; for example, one must take into account that in places where, say, the water is very hard, different liver ailments develop than in places where the water is less hard. One would do well to pay attention to this and always keep in mind that liver function is promoted by keeping calcium out of the water as much as possible. Of course, one must then find ways and means to accomplish this.

[ 11 ] Lung function is intimately connected with everything that a particular location offers simply by virtue of its geological composition—whether we are dealing with a region where, for example, as in this area, there is a great deal of limestone soil, or whether we are dealing with a region where there is a lot of gravelly soil, that is, where there are ancient mountains. Consequently, human lung function always varies—and to a high degree—because the lungs are essentially dependent on the solid soil composition of the location. One of the first tasks of a physician settling in any given region should actually be to thoroughly study the geology of that region. Studying the geology of a region is, in fact, one and the same as studying the lungs of the people in that region. And one must realize that the most unfavorable situation is when the lungs are completely unable to adapt to their environment.

[ 12 ] Now, please do not misunderstand what I am saying in this regard. When I point out this interdependence between the lungs and their environment—that is, the internal structure of the lungs—I am not referring to respiration. Of course, breathing is in turn dependent on whether the lungs function well or poorly, which is determined by their internal structure. But what I mean by this interdependence is the internal structure of the lungs. Whether they are prone to encrustation, mucus buildup, or the like depends essentially on the nature of the environment. Furthermore, the lungs are highly dependent on physical labor, and they are certainly damaged when a person is forced to perform physical labor to the point of exhaustion.

[ 13 ] These are connections that, in the broadest sense, lead us to the interdependencies of those organs—such as the lungs, liver, bladder, and heart—that are, from the perspective of meteorology, open to the outside world. Therefore, whenever diseases of these organs are present, we must always attempt to achieve a cure through physical means. For what is achieved through physical means when these organs are diseased is, I would say, in a certain sense, lasting. And once it has been established that someone prone to some form of lung weakness is not at all suited to a particular region, and they have been encouraged to take up residence in another region that is better suited to them, then one has actually done them the very best favor, just as—especially for those organs located above the lungs—the most extraordinary results are often achieved through a complete change of residence and lifestyle. One can do relatively little for the organs located below the heart by changing one’s place of residence and lifestyle, but one can do an extraordinary amount for all the organs located in and above the lungs through such changes in residence and lifestyle. Of course, one must then be fully aware that everything in the organism interacts with one another and that, if any condition is present, one must determine whether there might not be a hidden interaction at play. If, for example, one finds degeneration of the heart vessels, one must ask oneself whether there is not a tendency toward pulmonary degeneration and whether one will not have to address the disease by starting with this tendency toward pulmonary degeneration.

[ 14 ] This at least alludes to everything that constitutes human relationships to the meteorological. Behind the meteorological in the external world—as it were, concealed from us by the meteorological—lies the astronomical, and within the human being, too, the astronomical. Now, what lies behind all that you can observe of the meteorological—both within and outside the human being—for the meteorological within the human being is limited to the pulmonary, hepatic, vesical, and cardiac aspects, while in the external world it is limited to the solid earth, the airy, the watery, and the warm— these are the formative processes in the plant and mineral kingdoms; and these formative processes in the plant and mineral kingdoms, which are so closely related to the extra-terrestrial and the astronomical, are always, in a sense, polar opposites of that which lies behind these meteorological processes in human beings—that is, what is situated more inwardly than the four organ systems mentioned. Because the relationship between what is externally present in plants and stones and what lies behind the lungs, liver, and so on in human beings is not so obvious, the study of the healing processes that originate in this realm is, of course, considerably more difficult. But one finds a rational approach precisely by realizing that, in a certain sense, human beings always have an inner tendency—an organic tendency—to carry out, somewhere within themselves, the opposite of what is happening externally.

[ 15 ] Let’s take a concrete example. Let’s take the example of silicic acid processes. First of all, silicic acid processes occur quite conspicuously wherever silicates form—where quartz and similar rocks form. These processes that take place there have their counterpart in the human organism. But these processes also underlie certain phenomena that, unfortunately, are still given far too little attention today—in the topsoil and in everything that happens there between the topsoil, between the earth in general (which is, after all, siliceous), and those organs that extend from the plants into the earth—the root-like organs. And everything we extract from the plant kingdom by taking the ash is, in turn, intimately related to this siliceous process in the external world.

[ 16 ] Now, this process of pebble formation in the external world has its counterpart in the human interior. Specifically, it has its counterpart in those organs which, if I may put it this way, lie above the activity of the heart and toward the activity of the lungs, but below the internal organic formative activity—that is, the activity that forms the lungs and lies toward the head. There, within all that takes place—if I may put it this way—above the activity of the heart, lies the polar opposite of the entire process of silicification in the outer world. This internal organic process essentially consists in carrying out to a high degree what I have already indicated in previous lectures—that—if I may use the term again—the silicification process of the external world is “homeopathized.” If, therefore, you find that any clinical picture indicates that the sites of the disease lie above the activity of the heart—they will reveal themselves to you, roughly speaking, by the fact that, for example, there is a very heavy amount of pulmonary secretion, but this is no less evident in meningitis and pseudomeningitis—then, of course, what is present there can lead to all sorts of other disturbances in the organism. For these disturbances in the lungs—because everything in the organism is interconnected—affect the cardiovascular system. The disturbances that may arise, on the one hand, as a tendency toward inflammatory conditions in the brain may not manifest as such, but may instead appear as inflammatory conditions in the digestive organs or in systems related to the digestive organs. And the point then is to know where the actual starting point lies. Well, that is certainly a matter for further discussion. But in all these cases, the aim will be to introduce into the organism something that dilutes the external siliceous effects to the greatest extent possible. If you really bring this connection to mind, you’ll see that it is an extraordinarily characteristic and important one. It also shows you that it is necessary to transform these silicic processes—which are so important in nature—by breaking them up, dividing them, and grinding them down when there is something directly present that can be observed in the upper parts of the body. When damage resulting from interactions occurs in the lower parts of the body—such as in the heart itself—then, under certain circumstances, the process already initiated by those plants that contain very high levels of silicic acid can be utilized to induce healing processes through the transformation or direct use of such plants. For all plants containing silica, one should carefully examine the extent to which they affect the human organism—specifically, all processes occurring below the heart—and, of course, how they in turn affect the rest of the organism.

[ 17 ] The exact opposite of silicification is contained in everything we might call, in non-human nature, the process of carbonic acid formation. The process of carbonic acid formation is, in a sense, the polar opposite of silicification. That is why it is so necessary to follow the process of carbonic acid formation during healing—for everything in the organism that is opposed to what I have just described, for everything that is broadly related to digestion but also has its point of origin, its source, in the digestive system itself. Thus, one can manage these forms of disease exceptionally well with various carbon dioxide compounds—especially when they are used in the form in which nature itself has produced them, that is, when they are obtained directly from plants.

[ 18 ] However, it is very important to keep a certain connection in mind. If you first examine the substances based on what they reveal through smell and taste—and smell, after all, points us outward toward the rest of the visible world, while taste leads us inward toward what lies hidden within the organism—if you observe digestion in this light, you will say to yourself: At the beginning of the digestive process, the substances flow into one another and mix together. But as the organic process unfolds, the human being is faced with the separation of what has flowed together—not so much the separation of the substantial as of the processual. And this separation—this re-dividing of what came together during food intake—is actually a very significant part of the organism’s tasks. First, the organism must carry out a primary separation of what has come together: on the one hand, the excretion of everything that is to be expelled through the intestines, and on the other hand, the excretion of everything that is to be expelled through the urine.

[ 19 ] This brings us closer to an organ system in which medical intuition will play an immensely important role in healing. We are approaching the renal system, which functions so marvelously within the human organism, with its quite remarkable branching patterns, including in its processes. But more on that later. Now the point is that, as has been shown in the previous lectures, everything that constitutes excretion through the intestines is, in turn, connected to the processes in the head—that these are two interrelated phenomena. Similarly, everything that is excreted in the urine is connected to all the processes taking place around the heart, within the cardiac system. Essentially, in everything related to excretion through the intestines, we are dealing with a human replica of the silicification process; in everything related to urine formation, with a replica of the carbonic acid process. It is these connections that allow us to draw a link between what takes place in a healthy person and what must take place in a sick person. Thus, we have focused more on the procedural connections. But these must not be viewed one-sidedly. We will see that only by mastering all these things can one arrive at a correct evaluation of what was presented to us yesterday in an exceptionally illuminating manner by Dr. Scheidegger as the Law of Correspondence.

[ 20 ] This law of similarity holds something extraordinarily significant. But it is necessary that this law of similarity be built upon all the elements gained through the observation of such relationships as we are now establishing. For behind everything I have just explained to you lie, in turn, the relationships between the human being and the metallic realm. When we speak, on the one hand, of the siliceous—so to speak—as that which forms the human being, and the carbonic as that which dissolves the human being, the life process lies in this constant tendency toward formation and dissolution. When we look, on the one hand, at that which forms the human being, the siliceous, we must not forget that those regions in the human organism that are similar to this siliceous element—again, for the reasons I have already partly indicated in the past few days—have a kinship with all that is metallic, which finds its expression in the lead-like, the tin-like, and the iron-like. So we can say: When we consider the region above the heart, we must take into account what is at work in the human being on this side of the silicic aspect and what is at work on the other side of the leaden, tin-like, and iron-like aspects. The iron-like quality has more to do with the formative process of the lungs; the tin-like quality has more to do with the formative principle of the head in general; and the lead-like quality has a great deal to do with the formative principle localized in the bones. For bone structure and bone growth essentially originate in the upper human being, not in the lower human being.

[ 21 ] The point is to learn, so to speak, to weigh how these things interact—that is, how to use silicic acid salts, for example, while always examining the metal for its similarity to these three representatives. On the other hand, one must be clear that the lower human being is related to copper, mercury, and silver, and that in all carbon dioxide processes, one must take into account the extent to which one uses metals related to these metals—or these metals themselves—and combines them in some way with carbon dioxide-forming processes.

[ 22 ] This brings together what, in the earthly realm, is metallic in nature due to extraterrestrial influences; what is otherwise stony in nature, formed under the influence of the carbon-forming principle; and what is formed under the influence of the silicic acid-forming principle. We are thus gradually approaching the possibility of identifying the specific substances in the external world that we must supply to the human organism so that we can bring about a cure in one case or another.

[ 23 ] It must always be borne in mind that everything that has little effect on the lower senses—that is, on smell and taste—and thus, I might say, does not so openly reveal its essence to the outside world—can be effective in very strong dilutions; whereas, conversely, weaker dilutions are needed for those substances that do openly reveal their inner essence through smell and taste. Those substances that have a strong smell and taste are—once one understands what the healing principle consists of—often, in their very nature, extraordinarily good remedies, especially when their healing effect is not counteracted by the ordinary diet.

[ 24 ] However, in order to delve further into these matters, it is necessary to at least be aware that every human sense possesses this differentiation, and that even in the context of this sensory differentiation, it must be said that the best reagent—the best means of eliciting reactions—is, after all, the human being himself. Of course, this will be difficult with substances that have no smell or taste. But I would like to draw your attention to the fact that there is a kind of self-education that is of great importance, especially for the physician—a self-education that consists in cultivating those subtle sensory abilities that are already possible to develop, abilities that lead one to perceive something in, say, the outwardly natural process of pebble formation. Just consider this for a moment: it is significant that, while quartz exhibits very regular forms, this rock—this mineral—which on the one hand displays such regular forms, in the formations related to it tends so strongly toward all manner of crystalline shapes that there is immense diversity among silicates during crystallization. Anyone who can sense such things will also sense how the dispersing element already predominates in the potential for forming the most diverse shapes. Of course, a dispersing element must be preformed if there is to be the possibility of bringing about as much formative activity in the external natural world as is the case with the silicates. This indicates that the silicates must be used in a dispersed state. To do this, one must first cultivate the capacity for such perception. For this then leads, as we shall yet see, to a certain evaluation of the remedies. On the other hand, however, it is also necessary for the individual to make himself a receptive medium and to acquire perceptions—particularly in this regard—so that, for example, odors are in fact just as sevenfold as color perceptions. If we develop the ability to distinguish between sweet smells, pungent smells, and so on, we will find that the sense of smell is in fact differentiated into seven nuances, just as the sense of taste is. And what is interesting is that when one acquires, in the sense of smell, the scale—if I may put it that way—the olfactory spectrum, one gains a means of orientation to navigate everything that occurs with combustible substances. One penetrates, so to speak, into the nature of combustible substances; we will see how tomorrow. When one develops certain sensory capacities for taste—for example, when one can clearly distinguish the sweet taste from the salty taste, that is, salts, and five other nuances in between—one develops a certain inner affinity specifically for the salt-forming elements in nature. And when one acquires this inner affinity, one comes to have—simply, I would say, from the impressions one receives from nature—the sense that this is beneficial for one aspect of the human organism, and that is beneficial for another aspect of the human organism. Although careful, precise scientific investigations into the effects of the various substances must form the foundation, it is nevertheless of great importance that one never actually neglects to accompany the results of these scientific investigations with one’s subjective powers of perception—that one thus acquires a certain inner sense of kinship with nature.

[ 25 ] I would like to pick up on this discussion tomorrow and then gradually move on to the specifics.