THE ETHERICFORMATIVEFORCES IN COSMOS,EARTHANDMAN APathof
Investigationintothe World.of theLiving by Dr.GUENTHERWACHSMUTH '"
,. TranslatedfromthesecondGermanEditionby OLIND.WANNAMAKER,NEwYORK
VoL.I 1932 ANTHROPOSOPHICALPUBLISHINGCo. LONDON
.ANTHROPOSOPHICPRESS NEWYORK given me most helpful suggestions.Many
other helpers alsoIremember withheartfeltthanks.
Inthissecondeditionthetheoryofetherhasnotbeenalteredat all in
principle,after mature testing,but much hasbeenmodified in the
endeavourtoelaboratetheillustrativematerialmoreclearlyinits
mannerofexpressionorthroughamplification.HerealsoIwould once more
caution the reader that Iam deeply aware of the incompleteness
ofthisundertaking.Yetmyexperiencessincetheappearanceofthe
firsteditionhaveonlyconfirmedmycouragetogoaheadonthe same road. We
feel that we have been called by a word of Goethe's to abeautiful
and sacred task,and that we are obliged to undertake it:-MANIFESTO
You'd study Nature?Then remember One and Allmust go together.
Naught tsin and naught without, For what's within is still without.
Hast enman,look uplbehold Her open mysteriesunfold ! True
herseeming,real her piay; Rejoi ce in them and her. No living thing
isone,Isay, Its many,everywhere. (FromGoethe's"Spriiche.")
Translatedby MissF. M.Stawell. GuENTHERWACHSMUTH. TheGoetheanum,
Domach,nearBasel,Switzerland. 1926. 10 I Introduction
THEmodernscientificconceptionoftheworldseekstoreducethe
endlessdiversityofallnaturalphenomenatotwofundamental
ideas,twoconceptslyingatthefoundationofallthings:matter and
ether.But the conceptions held by the most advanced investigators
inregardtothesetwoultimatebasicunitsaresowideapartthatthe
titneiscertainlyalreadyathandwhenthewholestructureoftheory
reareduponthesetwodebatablebasicconceptsistremblingtoitsfall.
Thetimehascome,therefore,whentheknowledgewhichspiritual
sciencehasattainedofetheranditsactivitiesinNaturemay
beintro-ducedintodiscussion\Vithouttheexpectationthatonemustencounter
insurmountable obstacles due to acertain dogmatism which has,
unfortu-nately,arisentosomeextentamongscientistsduringthelasthalf-century.
The distinguished investigator of ether,P.Lenard, says
inhiswell-.... known lecture" Uber Ather und Materie," delivered
before the Heidelberg
AcademyofSciences,*that,ifascientistofourageisaskedhowthe
worldappearsaccordingtohisconception,hemustanswerthus:"In
expressing himselfon this subject,he must firstmake it clear that
what hehasto say dealsonly with thatpartoftheworldwhichisaccessible
toquantitativeresearchthroughthehelpofourphysical senses. tIt is
just here,in thisquantitative characteristic, the possibility of
comparing
allresultsquantitativelywiththerealityandthustestingthem,that
physiQalsciencediffersfromthementalsciences,whichdealprimarily
withthe otherpartoftheworld.Thatpartoftheworldwhichlends
itselftoquantitativeresearchby meansofthephysicalsenseswemay
callalsothematerial world.It isonly with thisthat the scientisthas
to do ; it is of this that he has formed an idea "(p.5).One must
certainly examinecriticallythistendency inthe
scientificmodeofconceptionof thepast century if
onewouldreachafruitfulviewregarding the nature
?fetherandmatter,andifonewishestoknowwhy,undertheself-unposedlimitationsofthistendencyinscientificresearch-thatis,the
~ * Heidelberg,1911. tAll italicsthroughout are Dr. Wachsmuth's. 11
oftheevolutionofthecosmicsystem,-leftthembehindinorder that the?',
the sun,mightfollowit-so alsotheinstinctbeingsand
thephenomenalworld,theanimals,arethrownoutand
intheevolutionarycourseof thehumanbeingsurrounding
himatlowerstages.' thatmanisaproductofthehigherevolution of the
ISuttenng acontradiction similar to that of the man who wouldsay
that the sun isaproductofthe evolutionof theplanetsand
theirsatellites. onotherhand,saysthatthehumanbeinginthe course of
evolutionout from himself those lower instinct beings*
whichcouldnotshareinhisevolutionarycourse, which
remamedbehindhim,just asthe sun threw the planetsout itselfand let
themgrowcold,suchamanspeaksnotonly intelligently
butalsospeaksthetruth,inaccordancewiththespiritofGenesis. But only
is :hereagreatdistinctioninworld-conceptionsbut
alsoa.decisivetummgpointinhumanevolution,aboundaryline as say
thatmanisamorehighlyevolvedanimal, _orthat the
betngsandtheirorganiccreationstheanimalsareasitwere a residueo!
lower portionsof beingwhichtheself-evoiving castout fromand
leftbehind in his environment. .Such anof humanity is taught by
Anthroposophy, in contrast the other schools of thought hold in
regard to the human thetruth.Researchintotheliving,into theorganic.
willatthispomtreachitslineofdemarcation. .
we?assontotheconsiderationofthehumanbeingand
organism,wewillendeavourtograspcomprehensivelywhat
distmgwshesthekingdomsofNature.
chieflydistinguishesmanfromtheanimals?Thiscames
Itsownanswer.Wemendifferentiateourselvesfromourouter
worldandinnerworldbymeansofthought,inthatwebetweentruefalse,understandinganderror,knowledgeandbelief,
inthatweseektoplaceouregoin
consciousrelationshipWiththerealitiesofthephenomenalworldon
theonehandandtheworldofpurespiritontheother ;inthatwe endeavour so
to extend knowledgeby meansof thought that at the end. ofour way
the allasrealitybecomesonewith theallembracedby our
becomesidenticalwithit.Thisegoevolving ttse!fInstnvtng ofthoughtand
actiontoward its goal is the soletrue designationofman,that
whichdistinguisheshimfron1theanimal.
;ForseeDr.H.Poppelbaum:"MenschundTier."Basel,1928.
EnghshEdition,l\1anAnimal."London,1931. 190 The animal also
certainly has a soul, but no egoreflecting concerning
itselfanditsactioninstriving towardagoal.Thesouloftheanimal is
clearly determined in its content through the sum total of all the
instincts which,ashasbeendescribed,throughacommonworkingtogether,
throughagroup-will,create forthemselvesthe organismwithoutwhich
theycouldnotliveinphenomenalworld.Butthisgroup-willis differently
constituted inthecaseofthedifferentsortsofanimals.If,
forinstance,thegroup-willhastheconfigurationwhichwehave
previouslydescribed,thentherearisesthesiphonophoralanimal.It will
naturally be of a different sort when, for instance, the species"
lion" comes into existence; different when the "eagle" kind arises;
other whenthespeciesucow"arises;itwillcontaininoneinstancethe
instinctbeingswhichdesiretoliveas"lions,"inanothercase which
willliveasueagles,"or such aswillliveas"cows."But forall
animalsofthe"lion" kindthisgroup-soulisthesame;forallofthe '' eagle
'' kind the same ; for all of the '' cow '' kind the same.It begets
inthatspecialconfigurationwhichcreatesforittheorganismofthe
lion,and naturally never that of the eagle ; butit isalways the
same for thelionspecies,thelionkind. Hereliesthedistinction :-The
animalsoulisagroup-soul,which
isthesameforallanimalsofthesamespecies,createdbyit;itdis-tinguishes
itself only from the group-souls of the other species of animals or
animalkinds.The singleanimalhas no ego,which,reflectingabout
itself,separatesitselffromtheouterworld,inordertoitselfover
againstthisworldthroughthinkingandknowing,asaseparateentity,
inorder throughknowing tomasteralltherest of. theworldinsteadof
beingmasteredby it.Thisconsciousseparationoftheselfispossible
tomanalone,theindividualhumansoul,thehumanego.Thatin
manwhichstillresemblesagroup-soulisforthatreasonaresiduein
him,andbelongstotheanimalkingdom!Weshallnotherediscuss
thequestionhowgreatthisresidueoftenisevennow.Butwhat distinguishes
man as such, separates him fundamentally from the animal, is the
fact that he is endowed with that ego through which the individual
soul, conscious and striving toward its goal, will in the course of
evolution gradually
freedfromtheresiduepertainingtothegroup-soulsand animal nature.It
isforthis reason that only thehumanbeing,and he
alsoonlywhenhisconductisdeterminedentirelyb.Ytheego,isfree;
forthisreasonhealoneisasanindividualimmortal,imperishable. .
Forthisegocreatesforitselfanincarnationasatransitionalstagein
itspassagethroughthephenomenalworld.It isnotthetaskofthis book to
enter further into these realities.The'' Philosophie der
Freiheit''* *Translatedunder the title "The Philosophy of Spiritual
Activity."London, 1922. 191 andother writingsofDr.RudolfSteiner
teach thesethingsprofoundly, astheyare. Here we shall only indicate
what integral parts of the living organism appear in the several
kingdoms of Nature.The group-soul ofthe animal isdescended,aswehave
seenin the caseofthesiphonophoranfro1na desire-world,aworld
ofinstinct-beings, which create in the living organ-ismof the
animal,or in the species ofanimals, their work-tools,inorder
tobeabletoincarnatethemselvesinthephenomenalworld.This
group-soulcanbethe objectofresearchinthephenomenalworldonly in its
working-tools-the single animals, and, since it isaclosed complex,
it can be given its designation ; just as wegive the designation' '
physical body "tothephysicalandsubstantialphenomena,oraswegivethe
designation"etherbody "tothetotalityofethericformativeforces
working and shaping intheseindividual organisms.It has nowbecome
customaryto apply the designation"astral body "to these closed
soul-units formed out of the instinct-world in specific living
beings.Whoever, by
reasonofamechanicalandmaterialistichabitofthoughtconceives of
somesort of substantial unity in the case ofthis designation"body"
asapplied to thesenon-physical membersofbeing hashimselftoblame
fortheerror.Theterm"body "heresignifiesonlyacombinationof
alltheprinciplespresent-thatis,active- inaspecificorganism
:-"Physicalbody "meansthesumofallthesubstancesbelongingat
anymomenttothisorganism(andtheseof coursealsochange). uEther
body"meanstheethericformativeforcesworkinginthis
livingorganisminitsshapinganditslife manifestations.
"Astralbody"meansthecombinationoftheinstincts,desires,
passionsworking and shaping in thisspecific-organism- that is,the
sum ofsoul-impulses.
Thedesignation"astralbody"hasbeenchosenforthereason
thatanearlierintuitiveknowledge,whichpassedbeyondresearch
inthelifeless,inthephysicallyperceptibleandthesubstantial,placed
thismemberoftheanimal'sbeinginrelationshipwiththe"astra," with the
stars, and therefore spoke of an "animal circle"* in the heavens,
asofasphereofthearchetypesofthecreationanddesignatedthis
withdifferentanimalsymbols ;athingwhichwehavenowtaken
overautomaticallyandwithoutunderstanding,asinanotherinstance
towhichwehavereferred,wehavetakenoverfromKepleronlythe dead
skeleton ofhis three laws,and not the spiritual knowledge to which
thesethreelawsbelonginseparablyandoutofwhichtheysprang.
GermanTierkreis,the zodiacal circle. 192
Keplersaysinhis"HarnionicesMundi,):"Thus shinesinthesouiof
theearthalsoacopyofthe'' animalcircle ''asindeedofthewhole
visiblestarry firmament,abondofsympathy betweentheheavensand
theearth.'' Whoever stillpreferstoseeintheearth
onlyamassofsubstance movingitselfunintelligibly through
thedeadcosmos,afterthemanner ofadynamo-machine,canat
leastacceptthetermastralbpdy forthe
soul-elementintheanimalasapermissibledesignation forthismember
oftheanimal-beingforthesakeofamutualunderstanding;butthat he must
soon mark the end of his knowledge with the word "ignorabimus "
wehavealreadyshown.
IfwenowconsiderthekingdomsofNaturewithreferencetothe
questionhowtheseveralmembersofbeingappearinthesekingdoms,
thenweshallfindthefollowing : Ofthemembersofbeing, Manpossesses
:Ego,astralbody,ether body,physicalbody. . Theanimalpossesses:only
astral body,ether body,physicalbody. Theplantpossesses:only
etherbody,physicalbody. Themineralpossesses:onlyphysicalbody.
Wehaveatthebeginningofthistracedthemannerin \vhich substance as
such undergoesaprocess ofindividualization in that
itprogressesfromthe ofthe lawsoftheearth in thecaseofgas to a
one-sided assumption of form through the effect of the
earth-organism
intheliquid,andfinallyinthesolidbodyentersintoastatewhich,
takingfullyintoitselfthelawsoftheearthorganism,hasbecome
individualizedinitself.
Thereisinsideoftheearthorganism,moreover,anascentinthis course of
evolution in substance; scientifically it is called the
polarization figures.In speaking of this Dr. Steiner has warned us
that the co-opera-tion of light in connection with this phenomenon
is not the most essential
forlightonlymediatestousthepossibilitytoperceivethis phenomenonas
such.For an exact observation of the fact, the essential
thingisthetruththatheretwoindividualsupstance-figures,two
substance-individualities,mergeintoanewunity,inthat twohitherto
individualformsnowpenetrateeachotherandthroughthemediation ofthe
same light common to both give anewclosed picture which shows
thetwoblendedindividualitiesasasingleunity. "
Letusnowrecallhowwecanfollowthe' ethericformativeforces
intheirworkinthedifferentfields,howtheyweaveandcreatethis picture
which we experience as our phenomenal world,as the shaped and
substance-world.Wecan,then,lookcomprehensivelyupon
theactivityoftheethericformativeforces,asitwere,asa"picture-0193
weaving activity''and recognizetheresultoftheiractivity, to our
senses,the phenomenal world,the shaped and colouredworld,asthe
wovep.picture."Inthethirdplacewean ascent in this world content
when twocreated picture-forms on thetr part becomeperceptible to
usasanewunity through unification,
blending.Theworld,then,givenpartly to theand in part to the sense
perception of man, closes ttself for hun as alivtng
spiritualbeinginthe followingcircle : Theknowing human being
Purebeing.. Weaving,picture-makingactivity(etheric
formativeforces). The woven picture(the content of perception,
thephenomenalworldofcolourand form).
Theblendingofseveralindividualpictures toanewunity. Purebeing. The
ego of the understanding human being) strives with?ut rest toward
that far goal where the all which the thinkingofthehuman being
embraceswillbeidentical,willbeone,wtth all asreality. 194
ChapterXII MANANDMAN'SORGANISM The statue of the goddessatSais in
Egypt: "Iamshewhowas,whoam,andwho shall be; my veil no mortal has
lifted." Novalis,Paralypomena: 11 Tooneitchanced;heraisedtheveil
ofgoddessatSais.Butwhatdid hesee?Hesaw-wonder of wonders-himself!"
Novalis,TheDisciplesatSais: "Andif . nomortal,accordingtothat
inscriptionthere,liftstheveil,thenwe must seek to become immortal
;whoever doesnot willto lift it isnotruedisciple ofSais."
LeonardodaVinci,inhisAnatomy: 11 Andmanisthemodelofthewhole world."
Manisamicrocosm,his organism acopy ofthatgreat worldorgan-ism,the
macrocosm.Whoever willknow the realities which distinguish
livingmenfromcorpsesofmen,mustlookuponthelivingorganism, only
asaclosedtinity,but most ofall from thispoint ofview:how
initalsothesameethericformative forceslivewhichbringforththe
organic processes and vital phenomena in the rest of the
cosmosexternal toman;most of all he must learn to understand the
reciprocalrelation-shipwhichexistsbetweenthegreatrhythmsoftheethericenvironing
worldand thehumaninnerworld ;andhe alsodiscoverhowthe
livingcosmicarchitecturethroughwhichthesefo!lllJltiveforceshave
produced the evolutionofthemacrocosm,thegenesisandmaintenance
oftheearth organism,finallyreachesin thearchitectureofthehuman
brganismadegreeofcompletionwhichnotonlyplacesandmaintains
maninastateofharmonywiththemacrocosmicprocess,butinhim strives
forahigher ascent beyondthat already reached in the preceding
evolution. 195 .. The humanbody
isalsotobeunderstoodasanorganism,and not abstractly or by
meremechanical computations.Only,becausenatural
sciencehasundertakentocariyoverintotheinvestigationoforganic
processes the thoughts andmethodstestedondeadmatter, ithasbeen
forcedhithertotopauseatthethresholdofanunderstandingofthe
phenomenaoflifeinregard to which,asLenard saysout ofsuchbitter
experience:investigatorofNature,withhisconceptions,which
elsewherehaveguidedhim soremarkably,hasnothingtosay."
Aturningpointinthisresignation_inregardto is marked by
thatconcerning the three-fold systemthe human
organism,asthiswasinitiated by Dr.RudolfSteiner in hisworkuVon .
Seelenratseln,"*andasithassincebeenfurtherdevelopedbyhimin
themostconcretedetailsasthemethodforresearchintoorganisms.
Sinceherewearetoconsidertheworldprocesschieflyfromthepoint
ofviewofthe etheric,this teaching concerning the three-fold system
of thehumanorganismcanbeintroducedonlysofarasispracticable within
these limits ; but the investigator isreferred for its more
thorough
discussion,especiallytotheremarkablycomprehensivedissertationof
E.Kolisko,M.D.,inthemonthlyreview"DieDrei"(August,1921),
andelsewhere. theearth-organism,wehaveseenthattheetheric formative
forcesin this are systematized in apolarity in such away that at
onepolethe warmth etherischiefly andattheotherpole the life ether,
whilebetweenthe twopolesthe chemical ether and light
etheractinrhythmicalprocesses.Asimilarpolarity nowshowsitself in
theoftheetherlcformativeforcesin thearchitectureand
vitalphenomenaofthehumanorganism.Indeed,wehavebeenable
toshow-goingbeyondthedemandoftheinvestigatorsinradio- activity,
Professors St. Meyer and E. von Schweidler-that the totality of
vitalphenomenain thehumanbodywillbeunderstoodinaccordance : with
reality only when weperceive the etheric forcesat work within
"physicalbody "-whichincludes when we conceive the sum total of the
etheric formative
forcesbelongingatanytimetoacertainhumanorganismastheaetherbody."It
. .. may now easily be shown that, both phylogenetically and also
ontogenetic- ' ally,..the genesis of the humanrests upon
apolaricgrouping the etheric formativeforces, which lieat the basis
of the structure of the "ether bo.dy" of the present-day man, and
also have as their inevitable . naturalresultthepresent
structureofthe human physical .body. The '' .ether body'' of man,
which shapes and maintains his physical! organ1sni,thereforethe
followingground-structure:- .; . Berlin,1921. 196 . ...Physical
Body and Basic Structure of the Ether Body of Man -
Consciousnesspole, mineralizingtendency. Rhythm-producing tendency.
MetabOlicpole,centreof theprocessesofcom-bustion. Life ether,
Poleofthe "coldflame." Lightether and Chemical etherinrhythmical
alternation. Warmth ether, Pole of the It warm flame."
Thusweseechiefly the formativeforcesoflifeether attheupper poleand
at lower pole chiefly that of warmth ether; between the two, light
ether and chemical ether in rhythmical alternation.Now weshall
consider indetail the physicalbody asaresultof this etberic
structure.' lf
oneinvestigatesthephysicalbodyinitsorganicsystematization, weshall
be convincedof the presenceof three systems embracedwithin
.thisorganism:thenerve-sensesystem,therhythmicsystem,andthe
metabolic-limbsystem.Thenerve-sensesystem, ofcourse,extends
throughout-the .wholebody,but it has its chief starting point and
organ in thehuman head ; there in the brain is the focus of the
waking, conscious . soul-life ; there are centralized the leading
sense organs which characterize " man."This pole-which may,
therefore,be calledalsothe conscious-ness-poleofthehuman
characterized,however,alsoby
factthatatthispolehasoccurredthegreatest . accumulationof. mineral
substance withinorganism.In thebony massof the -head the organism
hasassembled together amaximum ofsolidand a of soft substance-that
is, of movable, changeable sUbstance-in afashiort be
.foundinnoother part of theorganism. 'The human ..
head,theconsciousness-poleof theorganism,istherefore_at thesame
timethepoleofthehighestofsolid. -197 . . .. ' . ...&- .
-:...d?JH.?k.. . ,,. . Letusn o ~recallhowwehave beenableto
followthe formativeforces
ofthehleetherwithintheearth-organism.howitbroughtaboutthe
formationandcentralizationofsolidsubstanceinthemineralspheres
oftheearth,and thereforeproducedthehigheststateofsubstanceyet
reachedphylogenetically,andhow,ontheother hand,itworkedasa
freeforceorcurrent,notboundupwithsubstancewithintheearth organism
inalternaterelationship with the phenomena ofconsciousness. In an
analogousmanner the lifeether nowmanifests itself in the human
organisminasinularactivity.Thatis,intheupperpole,thehuman
head,whereithasitsfocus,it revealsitsmineralizingtendencyinthe
heightenedaccumulationofbonysubstance,andontheotherhand inthe
factthat at thispole there isalsocentralized the most important
organfortheactivityofhumanconsciousness.(Diagram,p.197.)
TheoppositeP9lewithinthehumanorganismisthemetabolic
pole,which-althoughthisagainnaturallyworksthrough. the. whole
organism-has its focalpoint in the lowerparts ofthe organ1smmthat
the stomach and the associateddigestiveand eliminatory organsare
the chief agents ofthe metabolic process.Now the fact that these
metabolic
processesarechieflyprocessesofcombustion,showsusthatatthis
lowerpoletheethericforceofwarmthetherispredominantlyactive.
(Diagram,p.197.) Between the two poles-theupperpole,wherethe
-lifeether shows
itsmineralizingtendencyinthebuildingofthehardbonystructure-of the
head, and the lower pole, where the combustion processes of warmth
ether havetheir most important point of focus- there liesin
the.middle therhythmicalsystemofthehumanorganism,asmanifestedinthe
breathingandthecirculatoryprocess,whichhascreateditscentral
organsinthelungsandtheheart,whoserhythmsweshallfindtobe causedbv
thechemicaletherandlightether. The
innersystematizationofthehumanorganizationrevealsa
stillfurtherparallelwiththephenomenawithintheearthorganisnl :
thepolaritybetweenthe"coldflame"andthe"warmflame."In considering
the theory of light(Chap.VII)wehave learnedtorecognize
twosortsoflight:"pure light"ofwhichtheradiationintothe earth
organism from the cosmos and a few phenomena within the earth
organism are characteristic examples(phosphorus, for instance); and
"heat light,"
whichisboundupwiththeprocessofcombustion-thatis,withthe
activityofwarmthether-andwhichthroughitsrelationshiptothe
substance-world(02 instead of03)stands in polaric opposition to
cosmic andterrestrialpurelight.Thispolaritybetweenpurelightandheat
light is characteristic of the human organism evE7nas of the earth
organism :
atthemetabolicpole,whichmediatesourrelationshipwiththesubstances
198 of theearthorganism,wefindthewarm flame;attheconsciousnesspole,
thecoldflame. Bythetermscoldandwarmflameisindicatedprimarilythatat
theupperpoleofmantheetherbodydevelopsaforce-activityofthe
kindwhichmeetsuselsewhereinpurelight;andatthelowerpole, on the
contrary, predominantly sucha force-activityasmeetsusinheat lightin
the caseofother phenomena intheearth-organism.Moreover,
atthebasisofthispolarityliestillotherrealitieswhoseexplanation
herewouldleadustoofarafield.(MeisterEckhartsays:~ ~ M a nhas the
imageofGodin hisupper branch,which there shines without
inter-mission.")
Wehaveseenintheprecedingchapterthattheevolutionofthe germbeginswith
apolarity offunctions:that is,aseparationinto two
germ-layers,wherefromthesense.instrumentsaredevelopedoutof
theoutergerm-layerandthemetabolicorgansoutoftheinnerlayer.
Wehaveseenfurther,whenconsidering theprocessofheredity,andin
explaining the primal predisposition,the "species cell" or "germ
cell," thatitistheetherbodywhichdeterminestheplanandbringsitto
accomplishmentinthe evolving organism.Just as the functionsof the
germ-layersarepolarically.systematizedintheembryonicprocess,so
alsothe functionsin the growing organism arecentralized at
twopoles:
theconsciousnesspoleinthehead,whichconstitutesthecentreoft,he
nerve-sense processes and also the chief field of action of life
ether('' cold flame");and on the other hand themetabolicpole in the
lower part cf man,the chieffieldofactionofwarmth ether ('I
warmflame'').If one
thusfollowsthemetamorphosisoftheevolvingorganismthroughthe
organ-building forcesoftheether body consistently from the
embryonic state to the completely formedorganism,onewillunderstand
theliving dynamicsoftheformativeforces.Onethenunderstandsthereality
of thephenomenaoflife.
Sincethispolaritybetweenwarmandcoldflamesinthehuman
organismis_ofdecisiveimportanceforanessentialunderstandingof
thephenomenaoflifeandthephenomenaofconsciousnessinthis
organism,itmustinfuturebeplacedattheverybasisofbiological
research)eventhoughacompleteexplanationofallthedepthsofits
natureis~ o tpossibleinourday. If
wenowfollowindetailtheactivitiesoftheethericformative
forceswithinthehumanorganism,wegetthefollowingpicture,which
'will-becompletely confirmed by the findingsofmodem anatomy. When
we find the life ether active in the solidifying and mineralizing
tendencyinthehead,thelightetherandthechemicaletherintheir
rhythmicactionintheelementofair(breathing)andoftheliquid 199
(circulationofthe blood)in therhythmic system,and the warmth ether
in the of combustion in the metabolic system,wearedealing-as wehave
said-with the focalpoints of their intensified activity within
thethree-foldsystemofthehumanorganism,thestructureofwhich ,
wehavealreadyseensketchedinthepolaricfunctionsofthegerm-layers.Naturally,however,the
several etheric formativeforcesappear
inlesserconcentrationalsointheotherpartsofthehumanorganism.
Thestructureofthebonysystemofman,forexample,givesweighty
evidenceofthisfact.
Ifweconsiderthebonyframework,asithascomeintoexistence through
solidifyingoutoforganicstates,thisv.:illbeseentobeatits
maximumdistributioninthehead,appearinginlesserdegreeinthe middle
system ofspineand ribs,whilefinallyin the lower system where
thereisthegreatestproportionofsoftsubstance,itismuchreduced
andwithdrawninwards.It isinteresting foronewhoobservesvitally and
organically to determine how in the bony framework the figureof the
lemniscate,thefigure8,appearsinthegreatestnumberofvariations. This
is most conspicuous in the middle system, where the bony framework
at the back very narrowly surrounds the spinal cordwhileinthe
forward part it embraces the breast and the lungs in wider arcs in
the form of the ribs,sothatthebony
structureasawholedescribesthefigure8,the lemniscate. Spinalcord.
.., ',.. , ', Upperribs closed. Lowerribs openinfront. If we follow
the metamorphosis of this form-in the sense of
Goethe-towardtheupperandthelowerpole,weshalldiscoveranewpicture.
Dr. EugenKoliskodescribesthis vividly as follows:"If weimagine the
casingofthespinalnervoussystem,thereararcofthelemniscate,or figure
8, to be widened when its content, the spinal cord,is puffed up and
becomesthebrain,therethenappearsthespheric-globularformof the In
the head, the bony framework is shaped according to such
asphericalprinciple.It isthecasingofthenervoussystem.Inthis
wayalso,it comesout tothe externallayer,pressingawaythemuscle and
touching the skin.It becomes an external bony coat of mail instead
200 of asupporting system(the facial systen1 isreally only
appendedtothe skull).On the other handthe forwardpart of the
figure8 is eliminated.
Therearportionpressestowardthefrontinbuildingitselfout.The
lemniscatebecomesspherical.' ' Seenfromabove: ....' ' ' Stunted,no
'. longer present. / "...I\ I' \I 8 Seen fromthe front.
(Intheantlersandhornsofmanyan.imalswestillseeresiduesof the
forwardopenarcofthe 8which isfully formedin thecaseofman only in
the middle system in the ribs,and on the contrary is not present
inthehead.) "If wedescend lower, the ribs curve more and more; the
arc formed bybecomeswiderandwider,tillitcannolongercloseonitself ;
what It embraces in breadth it loses in length, sothat the
ribsnolonger reach the breast-bone ; they
spreadapartandpointmoredownwards. T?e.
partofthearc,insteadofexpandingashappenedabove,
togetherwithitscontentthespinalcord,whichbecomes
thtnnerandthinner.Thecontinuationofthespinalcordgoesinto'
thelowerextremitiesinwhoseradialdirection- perpendiculartothe
earth- thewholeskeletonisnowturned.Heretherearbowhasdis-the forward
bow has turned down about 90 degrees and placed
ttselftnthedirectionofgravitation.Thisstatic-dynamicprinciple
called the radial principal.The bony framework has withdrawn
Itselfmward;it servesaltogetherthe functionofsupport; themuscles it
and it is imbedded in the innermost part of the life-permeated
tnbriefit isinapolaricrelationshiptothemannerinwhichit
itselfinthedomeoftheskull.Thusthebonysystemis
theonecasethepolaricoppositeofwhatitisintheother.Thus
tnsuchanorganicsystem weseethe three-foldsystematizationofman
confirmedinitsthreesortsofshape." ''\I d The Lemniscate\inthe
The8Jhead inthe middlesystem. inthe lowersystem. .201 In order that
wemay never forget .that man,asa being living within the general
laws of the macrocosm, is shaped in his organism by the same .
etheric formativeforceswhicharealsoactive in theorganic structure
of the cosmos, let us recall here that the forms of the motions of
the various
planetsactuallyshapelemniscates.Dr.RudolfSteinerhaspointed out
these relationships in detail in one of his coursesofscientific
lectures. Hereagain-asintheplacementoftheleavesonthemainaxisofthe
plant (p.165)- the understanding of the human organism will be
enriched by drawingupontheplanetaryetheric
spheres(Chap.III)throughan understanding and comparisonofthe
cosmicprocesses, and vice versa.
Theformswhicharedescribedbytheplanetarymotionsinthe
etheroceanofthemacrocosmareobviouslemniscatesorvariationsof this
basic form.Professor J. Plassmann gives in his" Himmelskunde "* the
following geometrical representation of the planetary orbits,
wherein, ashesays(p.153):"The
heliocentricsyste1nofCopernicusrepresents
theapparentcoursesoftheplanetsjustaswellasaoesthegeocentric
systemnamedafterPtolemy."
Allplanetaryorbitsdescribevariationsofthebasicform ofthe
lemniscate.
Intheethericspheresinwhichthesemacrocosmic,planetarymotions
havetakenplacehasoccurredlikewisethegenesisof thehumanorganism
andthishas,therefore,maintaineditsba$iCformstampedbythelawsof
thatetheroceaninwhichithasevolved. Let us now proceed from the
mineral bony system, which has re_ached
itsstrongestdevelopmentinthehumanhead,totherhythmicsystem of
breathing, blood circulation, etc.Here we enter upon territory
entirely newto scientificresearch,sincean explanationofthe true
causesofthe rhythmsofbreathingandofbloodcirculationhashithertobeen
admittedlyimpossible,astheseprocessescanbeexplainedthoroughly only
by means of the nature of the etheric- that is, through the
activity ofthe"ether body"oftheearthorganismandthehumanorganism.
Theexactobservationofthemostimportantphenomenawithinthe earth
organism has givenusas an aid toward aviewof thismatterthe
material.Thegreatrhythms of the earth organism-as these come
toexpressionin themostdiversespheres in the"double
waveof-thebarometricpressure''andintherisingandfallingofwaterinthe
vegetable world, in a rhythmic alternation of potential gradient,
induction, emanation, etc.-we have been able to explain as the
results of a rhythmic
breathingprocessoftheearthorganism(Chap.III),whereby,chiefly
inthelowerstrataofthechemicaletherandlightether act reciprocally
with oneanother.Wewereable to show,further,that '-* Berlin,1924.
202 GeometricrepresentationofthePlaqetaryOrbits
MovementintheCopernicansystemviewedgeometrically Plassmann). ..
SATURN EpicycJ,ic,UJJlOt:ionof Jupiter and Saturn (after
Plassmann). 203 EpicyclicalmotionofMars(afterPlassmann).
thenormalbreathingofthehumanorganismstandsinacertaintime-ratiotothebreathingoftheearth-organismandtothemacrocosmic
rhythms ; that is, that 25,920 normal breaths of a man equal one
breath of
theearth-organism,andacorrespondingnumberofyearsisrequired
forthepassageofthesunatthespringsolsticethroughthesignsof the
zodiac.If weconsider more closely these two forceswhich stand in
rhythmicmutualinteraction,wediscoverthatthelightet4erisan
expandingforce,thechemicaletheracontractingforce,aswehave
been.abletoconfirmbyvariousphenomena(Chap.II).Through
thisfact,theprocessofhumanbreathingiseasilyexplained:The expansion
and the contraction of the human lungs, and so also the rhythmic
inhalingandexhalingof air,arearesultof therhythmicalternateaction
204 ofanexpandingandacontractingethericformativeforceofthehuman
etherbody :thelightetherand thechemicalether.(Diagram,p.197.) Let
us hereintroduceintotheexplanationtwofurtherphenomena
towhichwehavealreadyreferred:thetriangular(lightether)and
besideitthehemispherical(chemicalether)formofthecondensation from
the human breath (Diagram, p. 159), and the analogous form-shaping
in the light-ether sphereand chemical-ether sphere of the earth
organism (hail,cloudcondensation,etc.
:diagram,p.158).Andletusrecall whathasbeen
saidinregardtothegenesisofthephenomenonoftone (Chap.IX)
:thatis,thataudibletonearisesfromaconflictbetween
lightetherandchemicaletherfor acondensing
andrareficationofsub-stance,theair.Theworldoftonewhichthelivinghumanorganism
producesinsingingand speakingrequirestheorgansofthe larynxand
thelungsforitsproduction,andbelongsthereforetotherhythmical system
of man, and thus to the same part of his ether body in which light
ether andchemical ether,whichproducetonephenomena,areactive.
OneofthedistinctionsinthekingdomofNaturewhichrelatesto
thedeepestbeing of things in the cosmos is that between
livingcreatures
whichcanproducetonefromtheirinnerbeingandthosewhichcannot produce
anysuchtone.Thus
themineralkingdom,thevegetableking-dom,andmostofthecold-bloodedanimalsarealikeintheincapacity
to giveforthany tone from the inner being; while,on the contrary,
the warm-bloodedanimalsandmancangiveforthsuch tonesfromwithin. It
isspeech,however,morethan anything elsewhich placesmanat the apex
ofthevisiblekingdomsofNature,forspeechhasbecomeforhim
ofthemcstdecisiveimportforthe formationofhisconceptsandthus
fortheevolutionofconsciousness.
Ourwords,whichresoundfromwithinourselves,whichwespeak, lieat
thebasisofour thoughts,and theyare the formofexpressionfor
ourthoughts.Theseexpressiveformsforourthoughtsfillspace,in
thattheypropagatetheirwavesbymeansofthesoundetherinthe
spacesurroundingus.Nowonlyonewhocannotthinkcourageously to a
conclusion will refuse to acknowledge that it is a matter of
importance fortheevolutionofthecosmosthat theethericstructureofthe
space surrounding usisset in vibrationby our wordsexpressing our
thoughts, inwhichprocessan inner real formsanouter- that it
isafactoffar-reachingimportthatinthespatialsphere,whichweknowtobefilled
withworldether,livingbeingsarepresentcapableofsendingforth
indjvidualsoundvibrationsfromwithin into
thisspace-fi11ingworldether,modifyingit
thereby.Avastlydifferentcondition would exist if there were no such
living being.The horizon of our
under-standinginreferencetothesethingsis,unfortunately,atpresentvery
205 restricted.YetancientschoolsofmysteryintheOrientandthe
Occidentknewwhat tremendous forceand actiondwelt in certain words
andcombinationsofwordsandtheymadeuseofthisknowledge.In our time
ofabstract intellectualism the knowledgeof the actionof these
soundsupontheassociatedandsurroundingworldshasbeenlost,
becausewehavelostinnercont.actwiththetruebeingofspeech,of the"word"
itself,asthis stilldweltinprimal speech.Thisfactrests upon
thedeepest necessitiesofhuman evolution,but epochswhich shall
followthismaterialisticagewillbeable,compelled,tofindagain
theunderstandingofthebeingofthe'' word ''anditsactionif they
shalldesiretopressthroughintheirresearchtothebeginningofthe
world,on the onehand,and to its goal and the end ofthe worldon the
other.Out of an understanding of these relationships filledwith
wisdom, theGospelofSt.Johnbeginswith theexpression :'
'Inthebeginning wastheword...." Something real vibrates mutually in
theetherbodyof a fellowman when
wespeaktohim,andthisactsuponhimthroughouthisetherbodyand therefore
alsoin his physical organism IIt is not always merely theabstract
"content"of wordsspoken tous whichinjuresusorvitalizesus. Aword-
thatis,acertaincombinationofvowels,consonants, and tones-which
streams out from our organs of speech does not merely impressour
ear as asensation ofsound,or our thought-worldaccording
toitscontent ;but,sincein theorganismoftheonespeakingitowes
itsgenesistoacertaincombinationofethericformativeforceswhich
shapethesoundingairtocertainair-forms,thereforeitcallsforthin the
etherbodyofthehearerarealeffect,whichmaybe,accordingto
thenatureofthespokenword,eithertransientorlasting,soundor
unsound,warmingorchilling,injuringorvitalizing,upbuildingor
destroying.Since the word-sound through the air is made up of
spiritual-soulelemeD:t(sense-content),ethericelement(formativeforce),and
physicalelement(air),thereforeitseffectuponafellowmanisalso
threefold,anditreachesnotmerelythesenseorgan,theear,butby
meansoftheetherbodyalsothewholeorganismoftheman.Inthe spoken word
the united action of the spiritual-real, the etheric formative
forces,andsubstanceiscomplete.
Inmusicthisverydelicatelymodulatedbutverystrongaction
uponourethericorganism,ourinnertoneworld,andtheharmonyof our soul
life is already to acertain extent becoming clear.The influence
ofmusicreveals to us the soul-lifeofman in this closecontact with
the etheric and through this medium with the world of substance
and, there.. fore,with thephysicalhumaJ;lbody.Thusthedeep-reaching
influence ofmusicmayextendevenintothe substanceofthephysicalbody.
206 Musiccreatedonthebasisofatrueknowledgeoftheethermay exert
healing or disease-producing effectsuponhuman bodies.In thismatter
thereareweighty problems forpsychology,therapy,and art.Wehave
already referred to the mutual relatiqnship between tone and the
altering of substanceindiscussingChladni'ssound-figures IX).Many
progressive investigators might soon penetrate to the true nature
of tone, orspeech,ofthe"word,"throughanunderstandingoftheetheric.
(Inregardtothe"breakingofthevoice"seealsop.220.)
Butthebreath,andspeech,whichisintimatelyconnectedwith breath, are
only one part of the rhythmic system in the human organism. For the
motion-process in the blood circulation also, the causes are to be
foundchieflyintheethericprocessesofthisrhythmicsystem.Views
hitherto maintained concerning these things have sought for the
initiation ofthemotionofthebloodinthe idea that the heart,after
themanner ofamechanical pump,performs motionsand thereby squirts
theblood, asitwere,intothearteries,thoughbysuchaconceptionwe
havenotbeenabletodiscoverconcretelywhattheninducestheheart in turn
to perform such motions.The same thing is happening to research
inthismatterasinthecaseoftheviewsconcerningthepressureof
osmosisinplants(Chap.III).Foracertaintimeit wasbelieved that
thisphenomenoncouldbeexplainedonthebasisofmerelyphysical processes,
but it was soon observed that in reality these physical processes
notthecausesofthesevitalphenomenaanddidnotcorrespond
w1ththeworkdoneeitherinstrengthor incharacter.Inthecaseof
thebloodcirculationalso,asinthatoftherisingandfallingofwater
inthetrees,etc.,it istheetherbody oftheearth organismandofthe human
organism respectively which induces thesephenomena ofmotion
andoflife ;inthecaseofthe bloodcirculationalsoitisthe etheric
formative forcesof the rhythmic system, light ether and chemical
ether,whichbringaboutthisrhythmiccirculationoftheblood.To
whatextentthebloodcirculationisinducedanddeterminedbythe etheric
"vital current" streaming during the course of each day through
thehumanorganismweshalllaterindicate. .Theorganofthe heart- which
is nomechanical pump,but aquite dt:fferentand farmoreimportant
organ-cannot possiblybeunderstood
aconsiderationofthegenesis,thecomingintoexistence,of
organ.Wearethenbroughtto theunderstanding 'bhattheheart dtd not
induce the circulation of the blood, but on the contrary the blood
circulationgavetheimpulsetotheformationofitscentralorgan,the ; tor
wefindthat both phylogenetically andontogenetically there
1sproofthat thebloodcirculation existedbeforetheorgan oftheheart
was formed.The organ of the heart is, as it were, a highly
metamorphosed 207 blood vessel which was broadened and shaped into
a complicated structure and in this way made the agent of certain
new functionsfor themotion of the blood inman and what is therewith
connected ; just as the
head-inthesenseusedbyGoethe-isametamorphosedvertebrawhichhas been
shaped to more complicated form by the impulses lying at the basis
oftheseprocesses.Bymeansofsuchametamorphosis,whichinthe bloodsystem
ledfromthecirculationofthebloodtotheformationof the organ of the
heart, and in the nervous system led from the formation ofthe
spinal cord to the formation of the brain-by such a metamorphosis
inthecourseofevolutionisa. neworgancreatedfromtimetotime, which
then becomes the physical agent for the realization of new
spiritual possibilities in the substance-world,the
worldofphenomena. The organ of the heart, then, is an instrument of
the blood circulation, created by it; and the
bloodcirculationisintumaresultoftheaction ofthe etheric
formativeforces.Such it hasbeenboth phylogenetically
andontogenetically. We have
alreadymentioned,inspeakingofcertainoccurrences intheearth
organism,theparallel manandtheearth,that man has amore intimate
relation through his will,and therefore through the lifeof his
soul,with the process of breathing than with that ofblood
circulation.Althoughweusually surrenderourselvestothe customary
breathingrhythm,whichisinrelationshipwiththebreathingofthe earth
organism,yetwecan,if wewill,alterourbreathingrhythmin either
direction-accelerate it or retard it,renderitregular or irregular,
orcontrolitarbitrarily.Thusthereexistsadirectrelationbetweenthe
lifeof thesoul,thewill,andourbreathing. The book
ofGenesisreferstoprofoundrealitieswhenit describes
howGodcreatedttman ":"AndHebreathedintohimthebreathof
life.Andmanbecamealivingsoul."ThemysteryoftheBiblical story of
creation can often reveal to us more of reality, if weonly
consider, thisaccountrightly,
thanisrevealedinmanyscientifichypothesesof
ourtimeconcerningthesethings.
Thisrelationshipbetweenwillandmotionisnotthesameinthe caseofthe
bloodcirculationas inthat ofbreathing.Wehavealready
shownthat,whilethebreathingoftheearthorganismisbasedupon its own
life,the circulation ofwarmth,onthecontrary,isinducedby external
influences,especiallythoseofthesun.Soalsothe
individuallifeofmanhasalmostnoarbitrary influenceupontheblood
circulation;wecannotbyactionofthewillimmediatelydirectthe
circulationoftheblood,asispossibleinthecaseofbreathing.There are,
certainly, delicate beginnings of such an intimate mutual
relationship
betweentheindividualsoullifeandthebloodcirculation,asthisis 208
experiencedinhumanfearandshame.Whenwearefrightenedor
horrified,wegrowpale; when wefeelshame,weblush.This,however,
signifiesonly that,whenthe soulperforms the actoffear,wedrawthe
bloodawayfromtheperiphery,theskin,tothecentreintotheorgan
oftheheart; whenthe soulperformstheactofshame,thenwespread the
blood out from the centre, the organ ofthe heart,all the way to the
periphery :thatis,we"blush."In thisexternalizingofour soullife,
webegininanindividualmannertointerveneintheactivityofthe etheric
formative forces ; and thus to act by means of the soul life
through the medium of these etheric formative forcesupon the
physical organism. Thus wehave here premonitions of acoming more
intimaterelationship betweenthe human soullifeand new
spheresofhisorganization.But, when the willofabeing- in
thiscaseofman-grasps such possibilities,
thentheactionofthiswillleads,incourseoftime,totheformationof new
organ_s, tonewexperience-contentsand perception-contentsand
therewith toanewconsciousness-content.
Therepresentativesofthedying,abstractpost-Kantianismwill
explainthepossibilitiesofconsciousnessofthelivinghumanbeing,
foreverevolving,withoutconsideringthisevolutionforeveraltering
organsorformingnewones,throughtheimpulseofthebeing'swill,
andwithoutconsideringthecompletechangeinthelimitsandthe
natureofthecontentofconsciousness,which isbroughtaboutthrough
theformationofneworgans,whetherphysicaloretheric.Insteadof
considering realitiesinconcretefashion,mensatisfythemselves with
thatjuggling,foreignto life itself,with the concepts of"intellect"
and"reason"(VerstandundVernunft),which, viewedinthismanner,
aremerelythesplittingofhairs,thestill-bornthoughtsofthehuman brain.
Ifmenwishtounderstandtherealitiesofanobjectivespiritual
worldvitallysharingintheevolutionofourcosmicsystem,theywill never
arriveat such agoalby meansof thesegames of conceptsderived from
the followersofKant.To this we shall return later. The etheric in
the human organism not only induces the phenomena ofmotion,but
worksalsoasmoulderofform,aswehavealready seen, wherever it
appearsinNature.The formsofthe cellsand ofthe blood
corpuscles-thosemostimportantbearersofthephenomenaoflife-areextremelyvariedandcharacteristicforthevariouskindsofliving
. ..Wehaveshownthattheethericformativeforcesthusworkas
mouldersofform :thatinthe substanceworldthewarmth ether tends
toformspherical shapes,the light ether triangular
shapes,thechemical ether half-moon shapes,and the lifeether square
shapes; and that these p209 restrictionofresearch to(1)the
merelyquantitative,and(2)themerely
sensuallyperceptible-wecanneverarriveatasatisfactoryunder-standingofether.Theobviousreasonforthisliesinthefactsthat
(1)etherhasnotonlyquantitativebutalsoqualitativecharacteristics,
thelatterofwhichcanbynomeansbeseparatedfromtheformer-thatis,supersensible,spiritualcharacteristicsinreferencetowhichthe
cognitionofthemerelyquantitativeinter-relationoftheassemblageof
facts is wholly inadequate ; (2)that ether is not perceptible to
our physical
senses.Clearly,then,onewholimitshimselftothequantitativeand the
sensually perceptible can never arriveatatrueviewofthenature
andtheactionofether. Lenard says that the ideas held by natural
scientists in our time are oftwokinds :-u
Quantitativetheyarealways.Buttheymaybe restricted-andthis givesus
the firstkind-wholly toquantitativerela-tionsamongobservable
magnitudes.In this case they can be expressed
completelyinmathematicalformulre,chieflyindifferentialequations.
ThisistheformpreferredbyKirchhoffandHelmholtz,andcalledby
KirchhoffthemathematicaldescriptionofNature.Examplesofsuch
conceptionsareNewton'slawofgravitationandMaxwell'sequations
inelectro-dynamics.Thelogicallyinevitableconclusionsbasedupon
theseideas-andinthedevelopmentoftheseconclusionslieboth the
useandalsothe test of the ideas-are,therefore,simply
themathe-maticalinferencesfromtheseequationsandnothingmore.Butone
mayproceedfurther-andthisgivesusthesecondkindofideas-in that one
may permit oneself to beguided from the first by a
conviction-withoutwhich,indeed,theinvestigationofNaturewouldneverhave
come to any issue- that is, the conviction that all phenomena in
Nature-atleast,ininanimateNature-aresimplyphenomenaofmotion:that
is,theyconsistmerelyinchangesofpositiononthe part of substance
givenonceforall.Thenweshouldhaveineachcaseaquestionof
mechanisms,and the equations which wereached as our first sort of
ideas must beequationsin mechanics,must correspond to certain quite
definite mechanisms,sothatwemayactuallyconsiderthesemechanismsasthe
ideaswhichwehave formedof thephenomenaof Nature.Thentheideas
ofthingsthatweholdinourrnindsarentodelledupo-nmechanicsand
dynamics."*By way ofresume,Lenardadds :"Allthat occursin the
worldismotion,change inpositionon thepart
ofsubstancegivenforall.There isnot the slightest
signofafirstappearanceor
ofadis-appearanceofsubstance.Therefore,whatremainstobedoneinthe
matter is only to state of what kind the substance is,how it is
distributed inspace,and
thenatureofitsmotions;andherewemustfirstmake lac.cit.p.5. 12
thefundamentalassertionthatthesubstancewhichisinmotion,out
ofwhichweseetheentireworldcomeintoexistence,isoftwokinds, matter
and ether."*Later, when he has introduced into this conception
oftheworldthemostrecentinvestigationsinradio-activity,hedefines
theworldasconsisting,notofmatterand butofetherand
electricity.AndyetevenLenardisforcedtosay:"Thequestionis simplythis
:whetherit ispossibleforusinthisway to formacorrect image of
reality ; or whether the human mind is at all capable of forming
withinitselfanimageofthewholeofNature-orevenofinanimate
Nature.Astothis,thereisnowadaysthemostseriousdoubt.... "t
Heconcludeswiththesewords :'' Idonotbelievethatthedifficulties
canhinderusfromcultivatinganddevelopingstillfurtherourpresent
conception ;for,inthatevent,weshouldhaveabandonedentirelyany
suchconception,andtherewiththepossibilityofconceivingofNature
atallintermsofmechanics.Ibelievethatthiswillnotoccur,even
though,inorder toclarifyour conceptionof then1echanicsofether,we
shouldhavetopositbesideorbehindthisetheranditspartsstill anotherIn
thesewordsthe openly confessedignorabimusofa DuBoisReymondisevaded
only by meansofthehopethat someway out willbediscovered.But
suchahopecanneverberealizedthrough aprocesswherebyoneseeksto
saveapurelymechanicalinterpretation of the worldby inventing
moreand more theoretical newkindSof ether.
InhisconflictwiththetheorycfEinstein,whichwoulddeprivethe of every
mechanical property,Lenard has nowalready introduced,
bestdetheether,astillprioretherinordertorescuehisconceptionof
theworld.But theseare stepsuponaroadwhichwillinfutureprove
moreandmoreamereblindalley.
ThecomprehensivethinkerandinvestigatorKarlChristianPlanck took in
hisabold stand againstthe merely mechanical explanation
entitlesasheat,light,weight.Hesoughttocombatthe distmction
between quantitative and qualitative attributes of the 1naterial
world,whicharoseinthescientificthoughtofthe lastcentury,andto
showthat,becauseofthisarbitrarydistinction,ascientificconception
of. world has been built up in which the action of something
spiritual theso-calledmaterialworldcannolonger be explainedand the
ongmth., be,egenesis,oftheworldofsubstanceout ofthat whichexisted
forethe"primalnebula"becomesquiteunintelligt.ble. In his"T ha"' .
:mesDeutschen "Planck says :"Andjust as t phpensmthe
relationshipsofgravity, soalsothe relationship ofbodies oeatd1ih
angttscompletely reversed by that mechanical theory.. . . *
Zoe.cit.p.7.t lt7+ l oc. .p ..+oc.c'lt.p.51. J
ena,1881.2ndEdition,1912. 13 ..
fourethericformativeforceshaveevolvedphylogeneticallyoneoutof
another.Now in organisms also we can find these different
form-creations, corresponding to the contemporaneous stage of
evolution of the organism, andespeciallyinthefollowingvariations
:-Warmthether :
SuchsphericalformsareoftenfoundinNature,especiallyinthe firstprimal
organs,the cells.(Taken fromGegenbauer-Hertwig.)
Warmthethera:ndlightetherworkingtogether: 06 co )/)
Sphericalandtriangularformsare combined. Especially in
thecellsofanimals isthis classofformsoneof the mostcommon.
Triangleandsquarearecombined. Light ether and lifeether are
combined. ChemicalEther :
Wehavealreadyrecognizedthehalf-moonformsofchemicaletherintheplant
kingdom. Thisethershowsitsform-shaping
activityconspicuouslyinthehalf-moon
shapedheart-valvesattheoutletsofthe ,human heart and in the blood
vessels.Here thechemicaletherworks,notonlyasa
contractingforce,which-inconjunction with
theexpandinglightether-causesthe circulationoftheblood,butit
showsitself also in the fact that it gives to the substance
intheseplacesofconstantrhythmicaction thehalf-moonform.
Largerexamplesoftheseprimalfonns appear in the suprarenal
glandslying within therhythmic systen1 : forexample,in the factthat
therightsuprarenal 210 gland is more triangular(light ether)and the
leftmorehalf-moon shaped (chemicalether),etc. Professor 0. Schultze
says in his uLehrbuch der topographischen und angewandtenAnatomie,.
(editedbyProfessorW.Lubosch,p.203): " The more triangular right
suprarenal gland borders on the liver and ... ; the
half-moonshapedleftsuprarenalglandbordersonthestomach
andtheaortaabdominalis."Fromthepointofviewoftheetheric
formativeforces,which buildtheorgansandinducethelifeprocesses,
thisorganontherightsideofthebody ismoresubjected tothelight
etheranditstriangle-formingtendency;thatontheleftsideofthe
bodymoresubjectedtothechemicaletheranditstendencytoform
half-moonshapes.Weshallgenerallyfindinthehumanorganism
inrelationtoits internal organsthat therighthalfofthe body ismore
adaptedtotheforcesoflightandwarmthetherandthelefthalfto those
oflifeand chemical ether.Indeed, it is one of the most important
factsforresearchinorganismsthatcertainorgans,evenfromthe
earliestfretalstage,inclinemoretotherighthalfofthebody(liver, gall
bladder,etc.)and othersmoreto the lefthalf(hearttwo-thirdsleft
one-thirdright;stomachtwo-thirdsleft,one-thirdrightfrommedian
line;intestines,resophagus,pancreastendingtowardleft;spleen
altogetherleft,etc.,seealsop.219).Thisrelationship-naturally .
highlydifferentiated-especiallythedistinctionbetweenthemaleand
thefemaleorganism,weshalldiscussmorethoroughly inVol.2.
Veryremarkableisthestructureandform-shapingintheblood.
Ifweilluminateahumanbloodcorpuscleintheright way,weshall perceive
four different spheres,proceeding
fromwithoutinwardasfollows:firstabrightsphere ;
thenadarksphereespeciallypermeatedandswollen
withliquidsubstance;thirdlyagainabrightsphere,
andagainfourthlyadark sphere.Thesefourdistinct
spheresinthesubstanceofthecorpusclearetheresultoftheetheric
structure of the human corpuscle.The outer bright sphere
iscontrolled
bylifeether;theinnerbrightspherebylightether;theouterdark
sphereespeciallyfilledandswollenwithfluidiscontrolledby chemical
ether.Thechemicaletheractsespeciallyupontheliquidstateof
aggregation of substance, and this formative force has, therefore,
collected the fluidsin this particular sphereof tlieblood
corpuscle.Thequalities mentionedinconnectionwith the several
formativeforcesrevealthem-selves in all these details.The inner
dark sphere of the human corpuscle is by warmth ether.It isthe
foundationforthewarmth of humanblood. Miinchen,1922. 211
Humanbloodcorpuscles,then,have thisethericsystematization:
Outermostsphere :Lifeether Chemicalether Lightether Innermostsphere
:Warmthether Letusnowrecallthatwehave
alreadyfoWldsuchasystematization inconsideringtheethericstructureof
the earth's interior(pp. 99-101).As we
havefollowedtheevolutionofthe saturn bodyto the Earth body and the
outer earth by reversal to the inner earth, we have recognized
thisetheric structureasthehighestyetreachedin thegenesisof
themacrocosm. Wefacehereoneofthemostsublimeprimalphenomenainour
cosmic system:Theetheric systematizationof thebloodcorpuscleof aman
is a copy of theethericsystematization of the interior of
theearth.The same
formativeforces,inmodellingthebodyoftheearthandtheblood
corpuscleofaman,havecreatedthesameimage. The fate of the earth and
the fate of man aretherebycloselybound together.That which arises
in the etheric earth willalways be reflected
inthebloodcorpuscleofman.Through themediationoftheetheric
formativeforcesthereexistsaneternalmutualrelationshipbetween the
earth andman,betweenthemacrocosmandmicrocosmacommon
harmoniousevolution.
Moreover,stillanotherprimalphenomenonishereinrevealed : the
distinction between inorganicand organic substances,the livingand
the lifeless. 212
Wehaveshownthattheouterearthrevealsthefollowingetheric
systematization,andthatthisisalsotrueofthesmallestentitiesof
substance(p.150),asthesereveal themselvesin the dissolutionofdead
mineralsubstanceinradio-activity. .
Theethericsystematizationoftheouterearthandsimilarlyof
inorganiclifelessunitsofsubstanceis,therefore,asfollows:
Outermostsphere : Warmthether, Lightether, Chemica1ether,
Innermostsphere :Lifeether.
Theethericsystematizationoftheinnerearthandatthesame
timeoftheorganic,minuteliving ..units,thehumanbloodcorpuscles,
isasfollows: Outermostsphere :Lifeether, Chemicalether, Lightether,
Innermostsphere :Warmthether. ] ust as the interior of the earth in
its etheric systematization is a reversal of theexteriorof
theearth,soalsotheminutelivingunitof substanceis areversalin
itsethericsystematization of thelifelessunit of substance. In
thecaseof thebodyof theearth,theis relatedtoth.e interior as in the
case of units of substance the lifeless is related to the
living.Herein isrevealed the most significant law ofevolutionofour
cosmos. Thegenesisoftheredandthewhitecorpusclesinman shall describe
separately after introducing firstfurtherphenomenabelonging
tothischapter.Thedifferentkindsofinterventionoftheformative .forces
in the genesis ofman and in the genesis of the vertebrates become
especiallycleartouswhenweexaminebloodcrystalsunderthe microscope,
since in these the primal formsand their variationsare very
sharplymanifest.ProfessorR.Tigerstedtgivesinhis"Textbookof
HumanPhysiology "*picturesofbloodcrystalswhicharevery typical
forourdescriptionoftheetheric.(Diagram,p.214.)
Theprimalforms,whichwehavealreadyobservedinconsidering the plant
leaf,in the shaping of the periphery of the leaf, appearlikewisein
theblood ofmanandtheanimals.Very nowisthefactthatin
thecaseofoneoftheloweranimals (the
-Guineapig)aformativeforcephylogeneticatlylessevolved(light .
ether; see diagram) is active, whereas in the case of a more highly
evolved animal(thesquirrel)af
