A Spiritual Scientific View of Nature and Man
GA 352
One can also call these lectures dialogues, because their content was always determined by the workers themselves, at Rudolf Steiner's request. They were allowed to choose their topics themselves; he encouraged them to ask questions and share their thoughts, and he encouraged them to express themselves and to voice their objections. Both the far-reaching and the obvious were touched upon. Particular interest was shown in the therapeutic and hygienic aspects of life; this showed how much these things are part of the daily concerns of the worker. But all phenomena of nature, of the mineral, plant and animal world were touched upon, and this led out into the cosmos again, to the origin of things and beings. Finally, the workers requested an introduction to spiritual science and the basic knowledge for understanding the mysteries of Christianity.
This spiritual work together had developed out of a few courses that Dr. Roman Boos had initially given for those interested in such questions after finishing work on the construction site; they were later continued by other members of the Anthroposophical Society. But now the workers asked Rudolf Steiner if he would take charge of them and quench their thirst for knowledge. They also asked if it would be possible to use one hour of the usual working hours for this purpose, when they were still fresh and receptive. This was done in the morning hour after the vesper break. Some employees of the construction office were also allowed to attend, along with two or three of Dr. Steiner's closest colleagues. Practical matters were also discussed, such as beekeeping, which interested beekeepers. The transcript of those lectures on bees was later published by the Agricultural Experimental Ring at the Goetheanum as a brochure for its members, when Dr. Steiner was no longer with us.
Now, more and more people wanted to get to know these lectures. However, they were intended for a special audience and were spoken off the cuff in a special situation, as suggested by the circumstances and the mood of the listening workers — and certainly not with a view to publication and printing. But it is precisely the way they were spoken that has a fresh and immediate quality that one would not want to be missed. One would rob them of the special atmosphere that is based on the interaction of what lived in the souls of the questioners and the answerer. One would not want to wipe away the color and atmosphere by pedantically rearranging the sentence structure. Therefore, the attempt is made to touch them as little as possible. Even if not everything in them corresponds to the conventions of literary style, they have the immediacy of life.
This collection consists of automated translations of lectures 1, 3-4 and 6-10 out of 10.
| I. | On Pachyderms – The Nature of Shell and Skeleton Formation | January 7, 1924 |
| About the resin in the anthill and about the damage caused by carpenter bees. Where the dead elephants go. Animals' premonitions of death. Man has bought his freedom by having little sense of foreboding; animals have no freedom, everything about them is unfree, but they have a strong sense of foreboding instead. About the mind of the elephant, which notices everything, especially what is going on inside it. Shell and skeleton formation in lower and higher animals. Absorption of the outer skeleton through the blood. Self-confidence and firm bone structure. Skeleton and fascia. The spirit resides in the skeleton. | ||
| II. | On Nutrition | January 23, 1924 |
| Protein overfeeding leads to so-called hardening of the arteries at a later age and makes people extremely susceptible to all kinds of infectious diseases. The protein must be completely processed by the etheric body. For proper nourishment of the heart, chest and so on, it is essential that people absorb finished substances. The etheric body prevents the protein from rotting, while the astral body fights the rancidity of fats. Diseases caused by putrefied proteins in the intestines or rancid fats are combated by copper and arsenic. The I fights the fermentation of sugar and starch. Excessive consumption of potatoes damages the head. Potato food and materialism. Further harmful effects of eating potatoes. The ego works mainly in the head, the astral body in the chest, the etheric body mainly in the lower body. In the seaside resorts, which smell of rotten eggs, the internal rotten egg smell is combated, the rotten egg smell as a remedy. A large proportion of illnesses are nutritional diseases. | ||
| III. | The Human Eye — Albinism | February 2, 1924 |
| TThe finer structure of the iris or rainbow skin is individually different in each person. About the structure of the eye. About the cornea, choroid, retina, optic nerve and blind spot. One sees with the supersensible self. Black or blue eyes. Brown eyes. Eye coloration and pale coloration of the body in albinos. About the nature of albinism. Iris diagnosis. About the popular eye diagnosis. Albinism comes from an irregular processing of sulfur and iron by the ego. The pallor comes from an irregular processing of iron by the astral body. | ||
| IV. | About Clothing | February 13, 1924 |
| Man's need to protect himself against the influences of his environment. The animal has protection against external influences to the greatest extent. The way in which an animal is hairy, feathered and so on, is mainly due to the effect of the sun. Man has his independence because, unlike animals, he does not have this external protection, but is more or less exposed to the influences of the earthly environment. Emancipation of the human being from external natural influences. The two tasks of clothing: to protect against the outside world and to adorn. Clothing that is intended to adorn has undergone all kinds of development. Primitive peoples perceived the astral body as colored and made it visible in their clothes. Colorful ritual clothing. The trouser tube and the so-called Angström tube. About the tailcoat and fashion. Women's clothing is more original. Old clothing usually arose out of spiritual needs. Flying and fitting clothing. The philistine clothing arose out of the need for protection. About the origin of the medals. The toga is modeled on the supersensible body. The modern man's skirt is the adapted old toga. How the belt was created. Modern clothing has largely lost all colors: gray clothing. The origin of military clothing. Flag and group soul. Altarpieces, ancestor portraits and landscape paintings. Raphael's Sistine Madonna is a processional banner. Tattoos. National costumes. Clothing has largely arisen from the need for protection, but to a greater extent from the need to adorn oneself. | ||
| V. | The Effects of Arsenic and Alcohol in the Body | February 16, 1924 |
| About the poisoning of children who were fed arsenic. Arsenic has a particularly strong effect on the astral body and on breathing. The formation of fatty masses as a result of the effect of arsenic. There is a little arsenic in all food. Castrated voice. The lungs are not only a respiratory organ, but also an important nutritional organ. Most lung diseases are due to the lungs not being properly nourished. Enlightenment instead of the cry for the law. Alcohol import bans. Man produces alcohol in his own body, which he needs for his preservation. Wine is produced by the extraterrestrial, by the solar. Very old solar power lies everywhere in the coal mines. In the adult, alcohol acts on the astral body and especially on the I itself. The particular harmfulness of alcohol for children. About goldfish and how they thrive in well-lit and well-warmed water. In the loincloth, the human being expresses the limb system; in the shirt, the chest system; and in the cloak, the head system. Originally, the tailcoat and top hat together were a cloak. | ||
| VI. | The Connection Between the Higher Aspects of the Human Constitution and the Physical Body — The Effects of Opium and Alcohol | February 20, 1924 |
| The green color of the plant. The colors of fish. The meaning of the stripes on the sides of fish. Relaxation of the etheric body and the astral body before death and the opposite state, when the astral body settles too deeply into the physical body. Making a confession through a relaxation of conscience that occurs with the etheric body. Sin against human freedom. Abuse of word and writing. Through alcohol, the ego is particularly influenced. Opium has a particularly strong effect on the astral body. | ||
| VII. | Structure and Breakdown in the Human Organism — The Significance of Secretions | February 23, 1924 |
| Urine analysis. Difference between old and new medicine. The so-called afterbirth is where the human mind and soul are at work. The eye is a secretion. The whole brain is a secretion. The activity of thinking consists in the brain being secreted, secreting, by thinking. The physical body and the etheric body build up, the astral body and the ego break down again. The spiritual rests on the dismantling, not on the construction. Throughout life, it is rejected and dismantled. Sweat is secreted by the etheric body, urine by the astral body, and the secretion of the intestine is particularly under the control of the ego. Everything in health and disease depends, in principle, on how the astral body is active. Urine tests for protein and sugar. Color shades and cloudiness or purity of the urine. The old “dirt pharmacy”. The astral specter in urine, sweat and intestinal contents: the mummy. Horse and cow dung. The supersensible animal and the supersensible human being live in the secretions. Swelling and inflammation. | ||
| VIII. | Einstein's Theory of Relativity — Thinking that is out of Touch with Reality | February 27, 1924 |
| Popular presentation of Einstein's theory of relativity. About the question: What is absolute rest or absolute motion and what is relative rest or relative motion? Einstein's view: One can only speak of things being in relative rest or motion. Strange consequences of Einstein's theory. Spread of the theory of relativity. Debate with university professors about Einstein's theory. The greatness of man is not relative, but conditioned in the whole of space. Debates about gravity in Rudolf Steiner's youth. The earlier Einstein and the later Einstein. Misplaced attempt. Logic, but no sense of reality in the theory of relativity. | ||