Introduction to the Basics of Theosophy

GA 111 — 22 September 1907, Hanover

II. Consideration of the Nature of Man

Man is an infinitely complex being. The mind is the application to the five senses. Man is not merely what he physically represents, but his limbs are permeated by higher limbs. He would look quite different from how he appears before us if the higher limbs were removed; only the physical-material would remain as a corpse. The physical human being depends on being permeated by the other higher limbs. There is an important sentence in occultism: “Materially, my physical body is an impossible composition.” All substances and forces of the physical world are composed of other substances; about seventy elements are distinguished. The human body would disintegrate if left to itself.

The second part of the human body is the etheric body; this leads an incessant fight against the decay of the many substances and forces that make up the physical body. The clairvoyant sees the etheric body by thinking away the physical body. Low-level clairvoyance is increased attention. You can be so absorbed in a spiritual conversation that you do not see the physical objects. Through strict practice in concentration and meditation one comes to clairvoyance. One can simply imagine the physical body. The space is then not empty. The energy body is flooded with light currents. The base color of this body is peach blossom to red violet. At the head, chest and hands, the upper part of the energy body resembles the physical body.

The etheric body of man is female, that of woman male; both sexes are thus directed inwards. This is connected, for example, with man's ambition in war and woman's brave devotion. Everything alive is immersed in ether. The etheric body of the plant is much larger than the plant itself. It appears as a small indentation in it. The radiant appearance continues through the etheric body and gradually merges into the ether.

In a certain sense, the mineral has an etheric body, but not one of its own; the cavities of the mineral, the forms are less distinct. The minerals are indeed impregnated with ether, but a real etheric body is only inherent in plants. The moment the etheric body draws out its forces, the human being dies.

Even at the beginning of the last century, serious naturalists had an inkling of the power of life; discoveries about the cell led people to believe only in the physical. It is considered mere speculation to ascribe higher powers to the physical body. Materialism hopes to succeed in producing a life similar to protein from chemical and physical substances and forces, without the fertilization process. The occultists of the secret schools have never doubted this; it is only a matter of time before the conditions are met. Light is not packed in sacks, not in this or that place; it is everywhere. Likewise, vital energy is stored everywhere; anyone who knows the truth can capture life. The secret is kept because the people who know how to handle it must be at a high level of spirituality and morality. It would be the greatest misfortune if this secret were to be revealed prematurely.

When man transforms the substance of life, the action must be a sacramental one. Now, a person with low morals can carry out the artificial actions in the laboratories; they are sober and dry. When such high secrets are given to people, the action in the laboratories must be a service to God.

Through the third link of the human being, man experiences pleasure and pain, urges, instincts, passions and desires. These fill the body just as much as the bones, muscles and so on. The impressions are reflected through processes within. Man shares this body with animals, but not with the mineral and plant kingdoms. Plants can certainly react to stimuli, but they have no consciousness; they do not internally transform the stimulus into sensation. A blue litmus paper can turn red, but consciousness is not present.

The clairvoyant sees the human physical body and etheric body surrounded by finer structures and light phenomena of a spiritual nature and hears soul tones. This is the actual home of man, the astral world.

We hear because the air vibrations enter our ears. The waves are the mediators of sound. Every word has different vibrations. Someone may not hear the words, but see the vibrations they produce. We see the light vibrations as light because we have eyes. This is how development must progress.

A person consists of three bodies and of what he has for himself, which no one else can express – the I – because we are a Thus we have four members of the human essence: the physical body, the etheric or life body, the astral body and the I. It is still a lower state when the human being follows the ego like a slave. The animal serves necessity. The average person still chooses between his urges, while the idealist follows high moral and spiritual ideals. The human being must get a grip on his urges and motives of inclination. The ego must be the center, the master; we must not let the ego be dragged along. The physical body always tends to disintegrate, the etheric body must constantly work against this disintegration, which is necessary for the physical body. The etheric body is the carrier of the astral body. However, because the physical body is also the carrier of an astral body, the physical body is worn down by it every minute, which is how fatigue arises. When the soul works on the tired body during sleep, refreshment occurs. The astral body is still very imperfect in relation to the physical body, still very capable of development. It is quite different when people form a friendship and remain loyal to each other than when a dog remains loyal to loved ones. The animal serves this instinct as if we were satisfying hunger and thirst; if the master is missing, the animal misses him, the animal lives in an eternal present. It is not memory that would draw the animal to man, but the satisfaction of his need. That is why the death of a loved one can be even more tragic for an animal than when a person dies for a person. The human being must make the conquest of forgetting through the ego their own. They develop not only through new experiences, but also by erasing memory. In memory, the past is alive. The etheric body counteracts dissolution by renewing the fluids. Fatigue is overcome by refreshment, and oblivion by memory.