The most favorable conditions for germs (1 of 2)

People today are haunted by a fear we can compare with the medieval fear of ghosts. It is the fear of germs. Objectively, both states of fear are the same. Both fit their respective age: People of the Middle Ages held a certain belief in the spiritual world; therefore quite naturally they had a fear of spiritual beings. The modern age has lost this belief in the spiritual world; it believes in material things. It therefore has a fear of material beings, be they ever so small. 

Objectively speaking, the greatest difference we might find between the two periods is that ghosts are at any rate sizable and respectable. The tiny germs, on the other hand, are nothing much to write home about as far as frightening people is concerned. Now of course I do not mean to imply by this that we should encourage germs, and that it is good to have as many as possible. That is certainly not the implication. Still, germs certainly exist and ghosts existed also, especially as far as those people who held a real belief in the spiritual world are concerned. Thus, they do not even differ in terms of reality.

To be continued

Source: Rudolf Steiner – GA 154 – Presence of the Dead: Lecture Three: Awakening Spiritual Thoughts – Basel, May 5, 1914

Translated by Harry Collison

Previously posted on August 21, 2020

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The mission of spiritual knowledge is to permeate, not to escape from material existence

It has only been possible to give a very bare outline of this subject. Abundant literature exists today and is at the disposal of everybody. In one brief lecture I have only been able to indicate certain guiding lines, but what has been said will to some extent show you that anthroposophical knowledge of the super-sensible worlds has not the slightest tendency to be remote from the world, to be unpractical. It does not wish to lead human beings in their egotism into vapid castles in the air; on the contrary, it holds that to alienate a man from the world would be to sin against the Spiritual. The Spirit is only truly within our grasp when the flow of its power makes us practical and capable human beings.

The Spirit is creative; the mission of the Spirit is to permeate, not to escape from material existence. Anthroposophical knowledge of the super-sensible worlds is therefore at the same time a power in practical life. Hence — as I shall show in other lectures here in Christiania — Anthroposophy strives to enrich the several sciences, the life of art, as well the domains of practical life, with all that knowledge of the reality of higher worlds can add to the things of the material world.

Source: Rudolf Steiner – GA 79 – On the Reality of Higher Worlds – Christiania (Oslo), November 25, 1921

Translation by D. S. Osmond

Previously posted on March 6, 2017

The length of time between incarnations

It should be clear that a certain amount of time needs to elapse before the human being comes back to earth again after death. You might ask, ‘ Yes, when does one come back? ‘ –  if one really considers this matter well, the following conclusion arises: the one who has occupied him or herself much with the spiritual world grows into the spirit world easier after death. He or she then has a relatively, because of having been occupied with the spiritual world during the time on earth, longer time between death and a new birth. You may be surprised, that I say: longer. Such a person may stay there for a longer time because he has already learned a lot about the spiritual world. People who engaged themselves with spiritual matters on earth can develop better there, stay longer and come back later. By contrast, those who are only occupied with the material world, come back relatively earlier again.

Source (German): Rudolf Steiner – GA 350 – Rhythmen im Kosmos und im Menschenwesen – Dornach, May 30, 1923 (page 21)

Translated by Nesta Carsten-Krüger

Previously posted on August 29, 2017

The length of time between incarnations

It should be clear that a certain amount of time needs to elapse before the human being comes back to earth again after death. You might ask, ‘ Yes, when does one come back? ‘ –  if one really considers this matter well, the following conclusion arises: the one who has occupied him or herself much with the spiritual world grows into the spirit world easier after death. He or she then has a relatively, because of having been occupied with the spiritual world during the time on earth, longer time between death and a new birth. You may be surprised, that I say: longer. Such a person may stay there for a longer time because he has already learned a lot about the spiritual world. People who engaged themselves with spiritual matters on earth can develop better there, stay longer and come back later. By contrast, those who are only occupied with the material world, come back relatively earlier again.

Source (German): Rudolf Steiner – GA 350 – Rhythmen im Kosmos und im Menschenwesen – Dornach, May 30, 1923 (page 21)

Translated by Nesta Carsten-Krüger

Previously posted on August 13, 2016

The length of time between incarnations

It should be clear that a certain amount of time needs to elapse before the human being comes back to earth again after death. You might ask, ‘ Yes, when does one come back? ‘ –  if one really considers this matter well, the following conclusion arises: the one who has occupied him or herself much with the spiritual world grows into the spirit world easier after death. He or she then has a relatively, because of having been occupied with the spiritual world during the time on earth, longer time between death and a new birth. You may be surprised, that I say: longer. Such a person may stay there for a longer time because he has already learned a lot about the spiritual world. People who engaged themselves with spiritual matters on earth can develop better there, stay longer and come back later. By contrast, those who are only occupied with the material world, come back relatively earlier again.

Source (German): Rudolf Steiner – GA 350 – Rhythmen im Kosmos und im Menschenwesen – Dornach, May 30, 1923 (page 21)

Translated by Nesta Carsten-Krüger